diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/datefmt.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/datefmt.cpp
index b437f070b0..f04a41a4ec 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/datefmt.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/datefmt.cpp
@@ -275,29 +275,6 @@ DateFormat::createInstance()
     return create(kShort, (EStyle) (kShort + kDateOffset), Locale::getDefault());
 }
 
-//----------------------------------------------------------------------
-DateFormat* U_EXPORT2
-DateFormat::createPatternInstance(const UnicodeString& skeleton,
-                                  const Locale& locale,
-                                  DateTimePatternGenerator* dtpng,
-                                  UErrorCode& status) 
-{
-    if ( U_FAILURE(status) ) {
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    const UnicodeString pattern = dtpng->getBestPattern(skeleton, status);
-    if ( U_FAILURE(status) ) {
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    SimpleDateFormat* dtfmt = new SimpleDateFormat(pattern, locale, status);
-    if ( U_FAILURE(status) ) {
-        delete dtfmt;
-        return NULL;
-    }
-    return dtfmt;
-}
-
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 DateFormat* U_EXPORT2
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/dtitvfmt.cpp b/icu4c/source/i18n/dtitvfmt.cpp
index 4b9f23f6ae..a38fb5e646 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/dtitvfmt.cpp
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/dtitvfmt.cpp
@@ -429,8 +429,8 @@ DateIntervalFormat::DateIntervalFormat(const Locale& locale,
         return;
     }
     fDtpng = DateTimePatternGenerator::createInstance(locale, status);
-    DateFormat* dtfmt = DateFormat::createPatternInstance(*skeleton, locale, 
-                                                          fDtpng, status);
+    SimpleDateFormat* dtfmt = createSDFPatternInstance(*skeleton, locale, 
+                                                    fDtpng, status);
     if ( U_FAILURE(status) ) {
         delete dtItvInfo;
         delete fDtpng;
@@ -449,7 +449,7 @@ DateIntervalFormat::DateIntervalFormat(const Locale& locale,
         fSkeleton = *skeleton;
     }
     fInfo = dtItvInfo;
-    fDateFormat = (SimpleDateFormat*)dtfmt;
+    fDateFormat = dtfmt;
     if ( dtfmt->getCalendar() ) {
         fFromCalendar = dtfmt->getCalendar()->clone();
         fToCalendar = dtfmt->getCalendar()->clone();
@@ -461,6 +461,28 @@ DateIntervalFormat::DateIntervalFormat(const Locale& locale,
 }
 
 
+SimpleDateFormat* U_EXPORT2
+DateIntervalFormat::createSDFPatternInstance(const UnicodeString& skeleton,
+                                             const Locale& locale,
+                                             DateTimePatternGenerator* dtpng,
+                                             UErrorCode& status)
+{
+    if ( U_FAILURE(status) ) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+
+    const UnicodeString pattern = dtpng->getBestPattern(skeleton, status);
+    if ( U_FAILURE(status) ) {
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    SimpleDateFormat* dtfmt = new SimpleDateFormat(pattern, locale, status);
+    if ( U_FAILURE(status) ) {
+        delete dtfmt;
+        return NULL;
+    }
+    return dtfmt;
+}
+
 
 DateIntervalFormat* U_EXPORT2
 DateIntervalFormat::create(const Locale& locale,
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/datefmt.h b/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/datefmt.h
index 86de11d26d..5b91ac1f08 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/datefmt.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/datefmt.h
@@ -414,36 +414,6 @@ public:
      */
     static DateFormat* U_EXPORT2 createInstance(void);
 
-    /**
-     * This is for ICU internal use only. Please do not use.
-     * Create a date/time formatter from skeleton and a given locale.
-     *
-     * Users are encouraged to use the skeleton macros defined in udat.h.
-     * For example, MONTH_WEEKDAY_DAY, which is "MMMMEEEEd",
-     * and which means the pattern should have day, month, and day-of-week 
-     * fields, and follow the long date format defined in date time pattern.
-     * For example, for English, the full pattern should be 
-     * "EEEE, MMMM d".
-     * 
-     * Temporarily, this is an internal API, used by DateIntevalFormat only.
-     * There will be a new set of APIs for the same purpose coming soon.
-     * After which, this API will be replaced.
-     *
-     * @param skeleton  the skeleton on which date format based.
-     * @param locale    the given locale.
-     * @param dtpng     the date time pattern generator.
-     * @param status    Output param to be set to success/failure code.
-     *                  If it is failure, the returned date formatter will
-     *                  be NULL.
-     * @return          a simple date formatter which the caller owns.
-     * @internal ICU 4.0
-     */
-    static DateFormat* U_EXPORT2 createPatternInstance(
-                                        const UnicodeString& skeleton,
-                                        const Locale& locale,
-                                        DateTimePatternGenerator* dtpng,
-                                        UErrorCode& status);
-
     /**
      * Creates a time formatter with the given formatting style for the given
      * locale.
diff --git a/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/dtitvfmt.h b/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/dtitvfmt.h
index 86184ef6d4..61a3875307 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/dtitvfmt.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/i18n/unicode/dtitvfmt.h
@@ -609,9 +609,28 @@ private:
                                                 const UnicodeString* skeleton,
                                                 UErrorCode& status);
 
+    /**
+     * Create a simple date/time formatter from skeleton, given locale,
+     * and date time pattern generator.
+     *
+     * @param skeleton  the skeleton on which date format based.
+     * @param locale    the given locale.
+     * @param dtpng     the date time pattern generator.
+     * @param status    Output param to be set to success/failure code.
+     *                  If it is failure, the returned date formatter will
+     *                  be NULL.
+     * @return          a simple date formatter which the caller owns.
+     * @internal ICU 4.0
+     */
+    static SimpleDateFormat* U_EXPORT2 createSDFPatternInstance(
+                                        const UnicodeString& skeleton,
+                                        const Locale& locale,
+                                        DateTimePatternGenerator* dtpng,
+                                        UErrorCode& status);
+
 
     /**
-     *  Below are for generating interval patterns locale to the formatter 
+     *  Below are for generating interval patterns local to the formatter 
      */