Kodiak company wins federal design patent for portable bottle warmer

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday granted Kodiak company Smily Mia LLC a design patent for a portable bottle warmer. The patent protects the product's look for 15 years.

Kodiak resident Yelong Huang is listed as the inventor, and the rights belong to the company. A design patent covers how a product looks, not how it works. This one covers "the ornamental design for a portable bottle warmer as shown and described" across nine drawing sheets. Parts drawn in broken lines aren't protected, according to the patent.

The company filed its application Sept. 19, 2025, about 13 months before approval. The patent lists the existing designs the examiner cited, including 13 earlier U.S. design patents, four portable bottle warmers sold on Amazon, one Korean design registration and two Chinese ones.

It is not the company's first. Patent records list seven earlier U.S. design patents issued to Smily Mia with Huang as inventor, all for baby products: five teethers and teething toys, a white noise machine and, in May, a milk warmer with a different design.

Smily Mia's website lists a portable baby bottle warmer for breast milk and formula. The site says it's wireless and rechargeable, with multiple heat settings and a built-in sterilizer.

For Alaskans with their own ideas, the patent office says Alaska inventors are served by the California Inventors Assistance Program, which connects qualifying inventors with volunteer patent attorneys and other patent professionals. The agency's Silicon Valley Regional Office also includes Alaska in its service area.