WO1993009037A1

WO1993009037A1 - Container for heating fluids in a pop-up toaster

Info

Publication number: WO1993009037A1
Application number: PCT/US1992/009619
Authority: WO
Inventors: Georges Cardona
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1991-11-06
Filing date: 1992-11-06
Publication date: 1993-05-13
Anticipated expiration: 1994-05-06

Abstract

A container (10) for liquids designed to be heated rapidly and simply using one of several commonly available means, without the need for extensive preparation or specialized devices. The container (10) comprises a liquid bearing chamber (12) and an integral threaded orifice (15). The chamber (12) is dimensioned to fit substantially within the slot (14) of a conventional pop-up toaster during the heater cycle. Once a proper heat setting for the toaster has been established, liquids such as infant formula may be heated quickly and reliably. The chamber (12) is constructed of a material chosen to have high thermal conductivity to enable rapid heat transfer to the liquid contained therein. Depending on the container's intended use, the orifice (15) may be of such dimensions to accommodate a commercially available, nipple bearing infant nursing bottle top once a disposable screw-on cap (30) has been removed.

Description

5 CONTAINER FOR HEATING FLUIDS IN A POP-UP TOASTER

* FIELD OF THE INVENTION

^ This invention relates to liquid bearing containers, and more particularly to a container suitable for heating infant formula and the like in a conventional pop-up toaster.

10 BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Formula and other fluids fed to infants must be raised to close to body temperature to avoid physical reactions such as colic or indigestion in the infant. One current method for delivering heated formula to the infant involves heating

15 the formula in one container and attempting to transfer it to an infant nursing bottle for feeding before it cools and without excessive spillage. Other methods often involve the purchase and preparation of special heating devices which act on the infant formula once the intermediate step of

20 transferring the formula into the bottle has been accomplished. One such method is described in U.S. Patent No. 3,385,950 (Lipor) , which discloses a unique electric bottle warmer to which water must be added. The bottle is then inserted, and one must wait for the water to boil. Heat

25 is thereby slowly transferred from the water to the bottle.

Another device requiring the steps of adding a specified amount of water to a unique device is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,892,945 (Lerner) . First, water is poured into the device's receptacle. Next, the feeding bottle is filled

30 with formula or other fluid to be heated, and is placed in the receptacle. Again, one must wait for the water to begin boiling, but in this case it must boil long enough to give

_Λ off sufficient steam to thoroughly heat the bottle and its fluid contents. A similar chain of steps to produce heated ^35 formula is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 3,804,076 (Fant et al.), except that some form of flammable liquid such as oil or alcohol must be added to a reservoir in order to keep a fuel burning wick lit. The lit wick in turn keeps the infant bottle warm. One drawback with the two latter devices is that the heat source is principally below the bottle, and an extended period of time must pass before the entire contents of the bottle are heated consistently. Perhaps the simplest method currently available of heating a liquid for an infant is the use of boiling water. Unfortunately, even this method still requires the time- consuming steps of filling the bottle, heating the water on a stove or the like, and waiting for the boil. Next, one immerses the bottle into the boiling water, allows sufficient time to elapse to heat the contents of the bottle evenly, and finally test the liquid's temperature.

All of the referenced patents describe devices solely designed for heating infant formula; they may in most cases be used for little else. Additionally, they all require varying degrees of special preparation, and require not an insignificant amount of patience on the part of the preparer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a container or liquids designed to be heated rapidly and simply using one of several commonly available means, without the need for extensive preparation or specialized devices.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the container comprises a liquid bearing chamber having a threaded orifice attached thereto. The chamber is dimensioned to fit substantially within the slot of a conventional pop-up toaster during the heating cycle. The chamber is constructed of a material chosen to have high thermal conductivity to enable rapid heat transfer to the liquid contained therein, whether the heat source is the conventional pop-up toaster, a source of infrared or ultraviolet radiation such as the sun for absorptive heating, or a source of hot water for immersion heating. The dimensioning for use within the conventional pop-up toaster eliminates the requirement for specialized heating equipment. Once a proper heat setting for the toaster has been established, liquids such as infant formula may be heated quickly and reliably.

In further accord with the invention, an upper portion 5 of the container can be formed such that a perforation can be made therethrough similar in shape to those used in commercial vending machines, as is known in the art. This perforation can accommodate various lifting means, as well as enabling the storage and display for sale of the

10 containers on a rod. Additional circular perforations are provided to enable the use of a handle or carrying strap.

The orifice is manufactured integrally with the container. It may be of such dimensions to accommodate a commercially available, nipple bearing infant nursing bottle

15 top once a disposable screw-on cap has been removed. The orifice may alternately be similar in shape and operation to "pop-top" closures commonly found on aluminum soda and beer containers. It may further be a removable glued-on pull tab found on some juice cans.

20 A feature of the invention includes a removable handle made of non-conductive material suitable for lifting the container. The handle is a spring loaded clip functioning similar to a clothes pin, but with wide clasping members and wide lever members. One clasping member has at least one pin

25 suitable for passing through the perforation on the container, and also has at least one magnet which serves to further hold the clasping members together about the upper portion of the container. In addition to providing a means for lifting the container, the handle acts as a stabilizer

30 when the container is on a flat surface. With the handle in place, the container is rotated 90 degrees so that one ή. normally vertical edge of the container and two ends of the lever members are resting on a surface simultaneously in a configuration not unlike a tripod.

35 According to another embodiment of the invention, a lower corner of the container is machined so that an inverted, heart shaped tab is formed, attached to the container at the uppermost point of the tab. This tab may be manually turned 90 degrees in either direction so that it is substantially perpendicular to the side walls of the container. In this configuration, the tab provides two stabilizing points on either side of the container.

Other features of the invention include constructing the chamber to have at least one side wall of a color with a high absorption coefficient to facilitate heating by infrared or ultraviolet radiation. The container may also be manufactured to be stackable for ease of storage. Further, the inner surface of the chamber may be lined in order to minimize adverse interaction between the chamber contents and the chamber material.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features, objects and benefits of the invention can be more clearly understood with reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment, and to the drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of a container according to the invention inserted into a slot of a conventional pop-up toaster;

Fig. IA is a perspective view of the illustrative embodiment of Fig. 1 with the heating cycle of the toaster begun;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the container of Fig. 1; Fig. 2A shows a handle arrangement for the container; Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the container of Fig. 2, taken along the line A - A; Fig. 4 is a representational side elevational view of a chamber of the container of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the container of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is an exploded, cross-sectional view of an orifice integral to the container of Fig. 1, also showing a gasket, a nipple, and a threaded retaining ring;

Fig. 7A is a top plan view of the gasket of Fig. 6; and 5 Fig. 7B is a bottom plan view of the gasket of Fig. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION With reference now to Figs. 1 and IA, a container 10 for heating liquids has a chambers 12 dimensioned to fit substantially within a conventional pop-up toaster slot 14

10 when the heating cycle is in progress, as in Fig. IA. This facilitates quick and even heating of the liquid contents of the chamber 12. In an illustrative embodiment, the chamber 12 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity to promote efficient warming of the liquid contents, whether the

15 heating means is the conventional pop-up toaster, a source of infrared or ultraviolet radiation such as the sun, or immersion in hot water. Alternatively, the high thermal conductivity of the chamber 12 would facilitate fast cooling of a liquid if desired. The preferred chamber 12 material

20 includes but is not limited to aluminum or thermally conductive ceramic. Preferably, the chamber 12 is of a color with a high absorption coefficient so that the chamber could be heated more efficiently by a source of infrared or ultraviolet radiation. Such a color may be black, or dark

25 blue, brown or green, among others.

Additionally, the chamber 12, dimensioned to substantially fit within a slot 14 of a conventional pop-up toaster, would preferably have a capacity of approximately 50 to 350 millimeters, roughly equivalent to the capacity of

30 commercially available infant nursing bottles. Integral to

•- the container 10 is an orifice 15 which provides direct access to the interior of the chamber 12.

Referring to Fig. 2, the container 10 of this embodiment is machined to form a thin width area 16. This area 16 has

35 a perforation 20 of a shape compatible with commercial vending machines. The perforation also has a notch 22 to hang the container 10 on display bars commonly found in stores. The area 16 also has at least one hold 24 which enables the user to attach a carrying strap or handle thereto.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the partial diameter 26 and thread spacing 28 of the orifice 15, and an aperture 66 shape are chosen to be compatible with commercially available, nipple bearing infant nursing bottle tops. A disposable screw-on cap 30 is removed prior to attaching such a nursing bottle top.

In order to provide stability when resting the container 10 on its base 40, an area 44 is crimped to isolate the liquid bearing chamber 12, and a tab 42 is cut or stamped out except for an attaching member 46. The tab 42 can be turned approximately 90 degrees so the points 48 of the tab 42 extend beyond side walls 50, preventing the container 10 from tipping.

In the illustrative embodiment of Figs. 3 and 4, the side walls 50 of the chamber 12 are substantially parallel to each other. Further, in this embodiment the side walls 30 are rippled or waffled providing strengthening hollows and ridges forming angles 52 and 54 with respect to axes 56. This shaping provides greater surface area of the chamber 12 for more rapid and even heating or cooling of the liquid contents.

While the side walls 50 of Fig. 4 provide greater rigidity and more surface area, other embodiments of the side walls 50 are possible. For example, the side walls 50 can have a wavy or sinusoidal cross-section, or for potentially more economical manufacturing and ease of cleaning for reuse, flat surfaces. In one embodiment, the shape of the side walls 50 is chosen so that two or more containers 10 can be stacked side by side or one atop another. In Fig. 2A a handle of an insulating material such as plastic is shown which is attached, for example by spring clips 25 on a hinge 27 having pins 29 through holes 24.

Alternative embodiments for the location of the orifice 15 are foreseen. One such embodiment is illustrated in Fig. 5, in which a round orifice 68 is built into one side wall 50.

This is in contrast with the orifice 15 of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, which is approximately rectangular in shape. As shown in Fig. 6, once the disposable cap 30 is removed from the orifice 15, a gasket 54 of rubber or similar material is inserted over the orifice 15. The gasket 54 has an opening 64 of roughly equivalent shape to the aperture 66 of orifice 15, though slightly smaller. Two small key tabs 60 extend downward from the gasket 54 into the aperture 66 to prevent the gasket 54 from moving out of alignment with the aperture 66. In this embodiment, a nipple 56 is placed over the gasket 54. The fluid path 70 of the nipple 56 corresponds substantially with the opening 64 in the gasket 54. Finally, a threaded retaining ring 58 is screwed onto the threads 62 of the orifice 15, holding the nipple 56 and the gasket 54 in place.

It is envisaged that the overall dimensions of the chamber 12, which is formed by spin or injection molding aluminum, or stamping the side wall 30 material and crimping the edges together, may be such that more than one container 10 may fit into a conventional pop-up toaster slot 14. Alternatively, it is possible that the overall chamber 16 dimensions are such that it would require the use of pop-up toasters with longer slots 14 as often found in commercial establishments such as restaurants. Finally, while configured for use in pop-up toasters, the present invention could also be heated lying on one of its side walls 30 in a conventional toaster oven. The orifice diameter 26 and thread spacing 28 have been described as being designed to be compatible with commercially available infant nursing bottle tops. However, it is also possible in another embodiment that the screw-on cap 30 incorporate a nipple similar to those found on commercially available infant nursing bottle tops, eliminating the requirement for such compatibility. The invention may also be sold commercially with formula in it. Other embodiments for the orifice 15 are foreseen. The "pop-top" closure frequently used on soda or beer cans may be used in place of the threaded orifice 15 when the container 10 is used for liquids other than infant formula. Also, the orifice could be covered by a glued on, removable metallic pull tab.

Thus, the container 10 for heating liquids in a pop-up toaster provides a fast and efficient means for heating infant ormula and the like to a desired temperature without the need for preparing unique devices or waiting for water to boil. Other conventional means of heating can also be used, including but not limited to immersion in hot water or via absorptive means using an infrared or ultraviolet radiation source such as the sun.

Additionally, the invention is described as part of a method for heating liquids such as infant formula. It is also envisaged that the invention could be used to cool liquids through refrigeration or thermal radiation to the surrounding atmosphere.

These and other examples of the concept of the invention illustrated above are intended by way of example and the actual scope of the invention is to be determined from the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMSI claim:

1. A container for liquids to be heated in a toaster, said container comprising: first and second spaced side walls separated by only so great a distance as to be insertable into a slot of a pop-up toaster; said first and second side walls being constructed of a material with high thermal conductivity; and an orifice opening to said chamber.

2. The container of claim 1, wherein said side walls are made of aluminum.

3. The container of claim 1, wherein said side walls are made of a thermally conductive ceramic material.

4. The container of claim 1, wherein an exterior surface of said side walls are of a radiation absorbing color which increases the absorption coefficient of said chamber.

5. The container of claim 1, wherein said chamber has a capacity in a range of approximately 50 and 350 millimeters.

6. The container of claim 1, wherein said side walls are textured to increase strength and thermal transfer properties.

7. The container of claim 1 including an area of thin width perforated in order to be compatible with automatic vending machines.

8. The container of claim 7, wherein the perforation accommodates a lifting means in the form of a handle.

9. The container of claim 7, wherein said thin width area is perforated by at least one hole suitable for attaching a handle or carrying strap.

10. The container of claim 1, wherein said threaded orifice is of a diameter and has a thread spacing which accommodates commercially available, nipple bearing infant nursing bottle tops.

11. The container of claim 1, wherein said orifice is a pop-top opener.

12. The container of claim 1, wherein said orifice is covered with a metallic, glued on pull tab.

13. The container of claim 1, wherein said container has side walls formed to enable stacking of containers.

14. A method of heating contents of a container having a chamber and a threaded orifice, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) inserting liquid into said chamber;

(b) inserting said chamber into a slot of a pop-up toaster; (c) initiating a heating cycle of said pop-up toaster; and

(d) removing said container from said slot of said pop¬ up toaster at the completion of said heating cycle.

15. The container of claim 8 further including an insulating handle adapted for releasable securing to said perforations.