CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending design patent application serial number 07/940,806, filed on September 8, 1992.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to nursing bottle holders and to methods for positioning nursing bottles for nursing.

Description of the Related Art

Although a variety of nursing bottle holders are known in the art most such nursing bottle holders are adapted to hang around the neck of a user. In addition, although such nursing bottle holders vary in design, most fail to hold the bottle stably or securely and are uncomfortable and/or complicated.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages and drawbacks of the known art and to provide a nursing bottle holder and a method for positioning a nursing bottle holder that allows a user to nurse an infant using only one hand. It is a further object of this invention to provide a nursing bottle holder that is adapted to hang around the shoulder of the user and is, therefore, secure, stable, safe and comfortable. It is a further object of this invention to provide a nursing bottle holder that is simple and inexpensive to manufacture. It is a further object of this invention to provide a nursing bottle holder that is easy and convenient to use and store. It is a further object of this

invention to provide a method for positioning a nursing bottle holder adjacent to the body of the user that is secure, comfortable, safe, and convenient.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments which follows.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a nursing bottle holder, comprising: a shoulder strap adapted to be placed across the chest and back of a user and over a shoulder of the user, having means for maintaining the shoulder strap in position across the user's chest; and means for removably fastening the bottle to the portion of the shoulder strap to be positioned on the chest of the user.

The present invention is also directed to a method for positioning a nursing bottle adjacent to the body of a user, comprising the steps of fastening a shoulder strap over one of the user's shoulders; and removably fastening the bottle to a portion of the shoulder strap on the chest of the user.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a nursing bottle holder of the present invention as shown in use;

Fig. 2 is a front view of a shoulder strap of a nursing bottle holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a back view of a shoulder strap of a nursing bottle holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a bottle strap of a nursing bottle holder according to a

preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a back view of a bottle strap of a nursing bottle holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view of a nursing bottle holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention showing possible alternative positions of the bottle;

Fig. 7 shows a hook and loop fastener on a strap according to an alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a side view of a shoulder strap of a nursing bottle holder according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

Figs. 9A-D show a shoulder strap and bottle strap according to another alternative preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

Fig. 10 shows a flow chart of the steps of a method for positioning a nursing bottle holder adjacent to the body of a person according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

Patent application number 07/940,806 is incorporated herein by reference.

The present invention relates to nursing bottle holders and to methods for positioning a nursing bottle adjacent to the body of a user. In particular, a nursing bottle holder according to the present invention is secure, stable, and comfortable during extended use and allows the user to nurse an infant in a natural feeding position using only one hand.

A nursing bottle holder according to the present invention is also easy and safe to use, as well as convenient to store because of its simplicity and compact size. A nursing bottle according to the present invention is also highly adjustable to accommodate a broad variety of different size individuals and preferred feeding positions.

Referring now to Figure 1 , there is shown a nursing bottle holder 100 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Nursing bottle holder 100 comprises a shoulder strap 102 and a bottle strap 104.

Referring now to Figures 2 and 3, there is shown the front and back sides, respectively, of the shoulder strap 102. The shoulder strap is an elongated strip of material the length of which is sufficient to fit across the chest of a user, over one shoulder of the user, behind the user's back, and around the user's torso under the opposite shoulder of the user. In a preferred embodiment, the shoulder strap is preferably approximately 65-70 inches long and approximately 2-5 inches wide. In one preferred embodiment, the shoulder strap is approximately 65 inches long and 3' _t inches wide. The width of the shoulder strap may vary with the type of material and fastener used. The shoulder strap 102 should be wide enough to provide a secure point of attachment for the bottle strap. The shoulder strap is preferably soft and flexible, and may be made of a woven cloth, such as cotton, polyester, or a blend thereof, or other material, such as nylon. In a preferred embodiment, the shoulder strap is filled with a soft material, such as polyurethane, for padding.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, there are several pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106, 108, 110, and 112, made of a material such as Velcro ^® , integral to the front and back sides of the shoulder strap 102. The pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106, 108, 110, and 112 may be sewn or otherwise permanently fixed to the material of the shoulder strap 102. The pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106 and 108,

located adjacent to a first end of the shoulder strap 102, are large enough to provide secure attachments when fastened to mating piece of hook and loop fastener material 112. Pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106 and 108 are preferably approximately 1V4-3V- inches long and 1-3 inches wide. In a preferred embodiment, pieces of hook and loop fastener 106 and 108 are approximately 2V-> inches long and 2 inches wide. The piece of hook and loop fastener material 110 is large enough to provide a secure attachment when fastened to mating piece of hook and loop fastener material 118. Piece of hook and loop fastener material 110 is preferably approximately 3-5 inches long and 1-4 inches wide. In a preferred embodiment, piece of hook and loop fastener material 110 is approximately 4 inches long and 3 inches wide. The piece of hook and loop fastener material 112 is preferably long enough to provide a broad range of attachment points so that the shoulder strap can be adjusted to fit a broad variety of different sized individuals and preferred feeding positions. The piece of hook and loop fastener material 112 is preferably approximately 12-18 inches long and \ ^l h-V . inches wide. In a preferred embodiment, the piece of hook and loop fastener material 112 is approximately 15 ^l A inches long and 2 h inches wide. Pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106 and 108 are adapted to fasten to piece of hook and loop fastener material 112 when brought into contact with piece of hook and loop fastener material 112. Thus, if pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106 and 108 are made of hook material, then piece of hook and loop fastener material 112 is made of loop material (or vice versa). Piece of hook and loop fastener material 112, located in the region adjacent to the second end of the shoulder strap, is elongated to permit pieces of hook and loop material 106 and 108 to be fastened to piece of hook and loop material 112 at various positions. This configuration makes the shoulder strap easy to adjust and capable of fitting a variety of different sized individuals and allows the shoulder strap to be positioned at a variety of different angles.

As shown in Figure 8, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the first end of the shoulder strap in the region of pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106, 108, and 110, is doubled over on itself to form a double layer of the shoulder strap material. This configuration has the advantage of providing increased stability and padding to that portion of the shoulder strap.

Referring now to Figures 4 and 5, there is shown the front and back sides, respectively, of the bottle strap 104 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The bottle strap 104 is an elongated strip of flexible material long enough to be wrapped around a standard size nursing bottle with sufficient overlap to allow the ends to be fastened together. Such a bottle strap is preferably approximately 10-13 inches long and 2 ¹ /-.- 4\_ inches wide. In a preferred embodiment, the bottle strap is approximately 11 inches long and 3'A inches wide. The bottle strap 104 is preferably soft and flexible, and may be made of a woven cloth such as cotton, polyester, or a blend thereof, or other material, such as nylon. In a preferred embodiment, the bottle strap 104 is filled with a soft material, such as polyurethane, for padding.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, there are several pieces of hook and loop fastener material 114, 116, and 118 integral to the front and back sides of the bottle strap 104. The pieces of hook and loop fastener material 114, 116, and 118 may be sewn or otherwise permanently fixed to the material of the bottle strap 104. The pieces of hook and loop fastener material 114 and 116, respectively located adjacent at the first and second ends of the bottle strap, are preferably large enough to provide a secure attachment when fastened together. Pieces of hook and loop fastener material 114 and 116 are preferably approximately 2-4 inches long and 1-3 inches wide. In a preferred embodiment, pieces of hook and loop fastener material 114 and 116 are approximately 3 inches long and 2 inches

wide. The piece of hook and loop fastener material 118 is long enough to provide a secure attachment when fastened to mating piece of hook and loop fastener material 110. Piece of hook and loop fastener material 118 is preferably approximately 2-4 inches long and 2-4

inches wide. In a preferred embodiment, piece of hook and loop fastener material 110 is approximately 3 inches long and 3 inches wide. The pieces of hook and loop fastener material 114 and 116 are adapted to fasten to one another when brought into contact permitting the bottle strap to be infinitely adjustable within a specified size range. Thus, if piece of hook and loop fastener material 114 is made of hook material, then piece of hook and loop fastener material 116 is made of loop material (or vice versa).

The pieces of hook and loop fastener material 110 and 118 are adapted to fasten to one another when brought into contact. Thus, if piece of hook and loop material 110 is made of hook material, then piece of hook and loop material 118 is made of loop material (or vice versa).

Referring now to Figure 10, a nursing bottle holder of the present invention may be used as follows. The user first fastens the shoulder strap 102 over one of his or her shoulders and around his or her torso. As shown in Figure 10A, the user drapes one end of the shoulder strap 102 over one of his or her shoulders so that a first end of the strap hangs over the user's chest and piece of hook and loop fastener material 106 faces away from the user and hangs at or slightly above the user's waist. The other end of the shoulder strap hangs over the user's back such that hook and loop fastener 112 hangs at or below the user's waist. As shown in Figure 10B, the user then wraps the second end of the shoulder strap 102 around his or her torso under the opposite shoulder and brings hook and loop fastener material 112 into contact with hook and loop fastener material 106, thereby fastening the two pieces of hook and loop material together and securing the shoulder strap so that it maintains

its position across the user's chest. As shown in Figure IOC, the user may then fold the second end of the shoulder strap 102 behind the first end of the shoulder strap 102 and bring hook and loop fastener material 112 into contact with hook and loop fastener material 108, thereby fastening the first end of the shoulder strap to the region of the shoulder strap adjacent to the second end of the shoulder strap. This step may be omitted if the user prefers or if the user is so large that there is little or no extra shoulder strap material to fold onto hook and loop fastener material 108. As shown in Figure 10D, the user then wraps the nursing bottle 120 in the bottle strap 104 and fastens hook and loop fastener material 114 at a first end of the bottle strap to hook and loop fastener material 116 at a second end of the bottle strap. As shown in Figure 10E, the user then fastens the bottle strap 104 to the shoulder strap 102 by fastening hook and loop fastener material 118 to hook and loop fastener material 110. This connection can be made more secure if the user supports the shoulder strap by placing a hand behind the shoulder strap in the region of the place of hook and loop fastener 110 when fastening the bottle strap to the shoulder strap. The orientation of the nursing bottle can be infinitely adjusted by adjusting the nursing bottle strap as shown in Figure 6. An infant can then be nursed using the nursing bottle holder as shown in Figure 1.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the invention. For example, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention one or more of the pieces of hook and loop fastener material may be formed to define an indentation 130 therein, as shown in Figure 7. Such an indentation 130 may be formed by stitching or otherwise attaching two pieces of hook and loop fastener material 132 and 134 adjacent to one another. Such indentations have been found to strengthen the attachment formed by the hook and loop fastener material. It is particularly advantageous to have this configuration on the shoulder strap in place of hook

and loop fastener material 110 for fastening the bottle strap to the shoulder strap, since the bottle may be subject to pulling during nursing.

In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the hook and loop fastener may be optically coded to indicate to the user which pieces of hook and loop fastener should be fastened to one another as shown in Figure 9. Thus, in a preferred embodiment, pieces of hook and loop fastener material 106, 108, and 112, as well as 114 and 116 are a first color, and pieces of hook and loop fastener material 110 and 118 are a second color. A wide variety of alternative optical coding systems are also possible.

In another alternative embodiment (not shown), the shoulder strap has a slit in the first end and is adapted to wrap completely around the waist of the user, passed through the slit, across the user's chest, over a shoulder of the user, and across the user's back. The second end of the shoulder strap can then be fastened to the portion of the shoulder strap around the user's waist at the user's back.

In another alternative embodiment (not shown), the shoulder strap is adapted to be placed across the user's chest, over the user's shoulder, and across the user's back. The first and second ends of the shoulder strap can then be fastened to a belt or other article of clothing on the user's torso, thereby maintaining the shoulder strap in position across the user's chest.

In addition, it will be understood that the dimensions of the straps and the pieces of hook and loop fastener material can vary substantially without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the invention. Similarly, it will be understood that a wide variety of materials can be employed for the shoulder strap and bottle strap without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the present invention. It will also be understood that

a variety of fasteners, other than hook and loop fasteners, such as snaps or buttons, could be employed to fasten the ends of the straps together and/or to fasten the bottle strap to the shoulder strap without departing from the spirit or essential attributes of the present invention.

It will be further understood that various other changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of the parts which have been described and illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the principle and scope of the invention as expressed in the following claims.