AU594191B2 - Child feeding bottle - Google Patents

Description

S F Ref: 18363 FORM COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA madez~ PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE

SPECIFICATION{

(ORIGINAL)

LOGDAT OBOPICE -2 SEP 1987 t

I

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Class P H 7 0 Accepted: Puoi i snr.! Name -rt.

Address for Service'.

On I' V7 a~ em: THAI LA14D Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys, Level 33 St 14artins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney, N'eW South wales, 2000, Aust' alia Complete Specification for the invention entitled' CHILD FEEDING

BOTTLE

The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 5815/2 APPLICAT ON ACCEPTED AND AMENDMENTS AILOWED A LLO W ED l.l DF/156M The present invention relates to baby feeding containers, commonly known as baby feeding bottles, and more particularly but not exclusively to a disposable baby feeding bottle.

Traditionally baby feeding bottles have consisted of a glass or plastic container to which there is fitted a cap to sealingly connect a teat to the container. The various items of the bottle require sterilisation prior to use. An alternative to this known construction employs a flexible bag. The bag is supported within a hollow housing and a cap with a teat applied thereto which sealingly engages the bag. The use of such a bag eliminates the problem of sterilising the actual container itself however the cap and teat still require sterilising.

The above discussed known baby feeding bottle constructions have the disadvantage that it is generally inconvenient and time consuming to carry out the sterilisation process. This problem is exacerbated when it is considered that the bottle will often require filling in the middle of the night when the child's parent may not be totally alert and may be in an irritated state.

It is the object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the above disadvantages.

There is i disclosed herein a teat assembly for a baby's feeding bottle, the bottle including a hollow body having an open neck, said teat assembly comprising a teat means, an annular cap having a top from which there depends an annular peripheral flange to engage the neck of the bottle to secure the cap and teat means thereto, said top providing an aperture through which said teat means extends in normal use of the bottle, a bag to receive a liquid to be dispensed by the bottle, said bag having an open end sealingly secured to said cap so that the interior of said bag communicates with said aperture, a seal extending across said cap so as to sealingly close said aperture, and wherein said teat means is said cap in a non-operative position projecting from said cap towards the interior of said bag so that said teat means is enclosed by the cap, bag and I seal.

Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein: jS. Fig. 1 is a schematic front elevation of a baby's feeding bottle; Fig. 2 is a schematic parts exploded front elevation of the f ?j~bottle of Fig. 1; JC/505t 2 PH 7800

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KLN/14741 Fig. 3 is a schematic sectioned side elevation of the teat assembly of the bottle of Fig. 2 sectioned along the line 3-3; Fig. 4 is a schematic enlarged sectioned elevation of a portion of the teat assembly of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a schematic sectioned side elevation of the body of the bottle of Fig. 2 sectioned along the line Fig. 6 is a schematic parts sectioned enlarged view of a portion of the bottle of Fig. Fig. 7 is a schematic parts sectioned front elevation of the bottle of Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a schematic front elevation of a teat assembly employed in the bottle of Fig. 1; Fig. 9 is a schematic enlarged sectioned side elevation of the teat assembly of Fig. 9 sectioned along the line 9-9; Fig. 10 is a schematic sectioned side elevation of a cap o employed in the bottle of Fig. 1; Fig. 11 is a schematic parts exploded side elevation of the teat S assembly of Fig. 8; Fig. 12 is a schematic sectioned side elevation of the bottle of Fig. 1 in an assembled operative mode; and ,Fig. i3 is a schematic sectioned side elevation of a teat and S cap assembly employed in the bottle of Fig. 1.

t In Fig. 1 there is schematically depicted a baby feeding bottle consisting of hollow body 13 within which two or more teat assemblies 28 are located. The body 13 has an open top 18, open bottom 19 and internal wall 23. A teat 11 is mounted on top of the body 13. The teat assembly 28 will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 and 4, and 8 to 13.

The body 13 can be provided with side apertures 36 to aid a user in determining the quantity of liquid 35 still remaining in the bottle 10. The body 13 is provided with a cylindrical flange 21 having threads 22 to threadably engage a cap 12 of each teat assembly 28.

However, it should be appreciated that the threads 22 could be replaced with either projections or recesses to snap engage complementary projections or recesses on the cap 12.

The teat assembly 28 consists of a cap 12 having an annular flange 25 which engages the externally threaded annular flange 21 of the body 13 by means of internal threads 26. The cap 12 has a further JC/505t -3- PH 7800 annular Flange 27 which extends inwardly of the body 13 and to which a flexible bag 14 is securely and sealingly attached. The flanges and 27 are connected by a bridge portion 24, with the flanges 25 and 27 defining an annular recess within which the flange 21 is located.

Each assembly 28 further includes a teat carrier 16 which supports a teat 11 with the co-operation of a sealing member 17. The teat carrier 16 is of an annular construction and has a flange 47 which in the operative position engages an annular shoulder 49 on the cap 12.

More particularly the flange 47 has a sealing lip 51 to engage the cap 1U to sealingly connect the teat carrier 16 to the cap 12. It should be noted that in Fig. 13 the sealing lip 51 is shown as engaging a downwardly facing surface of the shoulder 49. It should further be appreciated that the lip 51 snao engages over the surface 52 of the S shoulder 49 to retain the teat carrier 16 in the operative position as ~1 depicted in Fig. 13. The flange 27 is also provided with a further o annular shoulder 53 against which the lower end of the flange 47 abuts to further aid in retaining the carrier 83 in the operative position S, if so required.

In the stored position, as shown in Fig. 9, the teat 11, sealing member 17, and carrier 16, as well as the protective cover 31, project inwardly of the cap 12. A cover 29 extends over the bag 14 and is secured to the cap 12.

The radially inner portion of the carrier 16 cooperates with the sealing member 17 to sealingly connect the teat 11 to the carrier 16.

The carrier 16 has a shaped recess 41 of annular configuration which snap engages with an annular barb 42 formed on the sealing member 17 to securely locate the sealing member 17 in position relative to the I carrier 16. The carrier 16 and the sealing member 17 cooperate to define an annular generally "L-shaped" cavity 38 within which an S 30 enlarged lower end 51 of the teat 11 is located in compression in order to sealingly engage the carrier 16. The sealing member 16 is of an annular configuration and cooperates with the cap 12 to sealingly connect the teat 11 to the cap 12 around a considerable portion of the lower end 54- of the teat 11. The sealing member has an annular extremity 39 which compresses a portion of the teat against the surface 37 of the carrier 16.

The carrier 16 has an annular cam surface 43 to engage the surface 44 of the barb 42, to aid in location of the barb in the JC/505t -4- PH 7800 recess 41. The surfaces 45 and 46 abut to prevent withdrawal of the barb 42.

While in the stored position, as shown in Fig. 7, the teat 11 is i retained in a sterile environment by means of the protective cover 31 and the further protective cover 32. The protective cover 32 extends across the open top of the cap 12 and more particularly the bridge portion 24 thereof. The covers 31 and 32 may be formed of resilient plastics sheet material. A replaceable cover 15 is provided to cover the teat 11 when in the operative position of Fig. 7.

The teat assembly 28 referred to earlier is basically the teat arrangement as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. When the teat assembly 28 is to be used, the cap 12 is removed from the threaded flange 21 and a liquid placed within the bag 14. The cap 12 is then placed back on tco the flange 21 and the blister cover 31 is removed to expose the teat o 5 11.

0 oWhen one of the teat assemblies 28 is to be used, the cover 32 So is removed and the teat 11 and carrier 16 removed from within the cap 12 so as to expose the interior of the bag 14. Thereafter a liquid is placed into the bag 14 and then the carrier 16 is snap engaged within the cap 12. The cover 31 is then removed when the teat 11 is about to be used. Once the teat 11 has been exposed, it can be at least partly protected by inserting the cover 15 thereover. The cover engages the carrier 16 by means of the annular flange 34 engaging within the annular recess 48 in the carrier 16. The cover 15 further has a frustoconical wall 33.

In the embodiment described above the teat assemblies 28 are stored within the body 13 to reduce the overall volume of the product marketed. Each teat assembly 2q provides a sterile environment for ,I the interior of the bag 14 as well as the teat 11. Each teat assembly S 30 28 is stored in an inverted position within the body 1.3.

The above described preferred embodiment of the present invention provides the following advantages; the baby feeding bottles are packaged as sealed hygenic units and in use there is no physical contact with internal milk contacting surface or oral intake areas; the baby feeding bottles lend themselves to be constructed in various sizes, accordingly two size bottles and associated bag sizes may be easily manufactured PH 7800 the baby feeding bottles may be packaged in single or multiple set packs; the baby feeding bottles are relatively cheap to manufacture and accordingly are suitable for disposal purposes thereby eliminating the need for sterilizing; and since a bag is employed which collapses as milk is withdrawn from within the bottle, problems in respect of colic are minimised.

t r f t l i.I JC/505t 6 PH 7800

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Claims (11)

1. A teat assembly for a baby's feeding bottle, the bottle including a hollow body having an open neck, said teat assembly including a teat means, an annular cap having a top from which there depends an annular peripheral flange to engage the neck of the bottle to secure the cap and teat means thereto, said top providing an aperture through which said teat means extends in normal use of the bottle, a bag to receive a liquid to be dispensed by the bottle, said bag having an open end sealingly secured to said cap so that the interior of said bag communicates with said aperture, a seal extending across said cap so as to sealingly close said aperture, and wherein said teat means ism ste, said cap in a non-operative position projecting from said cap towards the interior of said bag so that said teat means is enclosed by the cap, bag and seal. i I Ira r P tra

2. The teat assembly of claim 1 wherein said teat means includes a teat and a teat carrier, with said teat carrier being adapted to engage said cap to secure said teat in- operative position.

3. The teat assembly of claim 2 wherein said cap has a further flange depending from the cap top, which further flange is spaced from said peripheral flange radially inwardly relative to the longitudinal axis of the cap, and wherein said bag is sealingly attached to said further flange.

4. The teat assembly of claim 3 further including shoulder means formed on the interior of said further flange and positioned to engage said carrier to secure the carrier and teat in said operative position, and wherein said carrier has barb means to engage said shoulder means.

The teat assembly of claim 2, 3 or 4 further including seal means to sealingly connect said teat to said carrier.

6. The teat assembly of claim 5 wherein said carrier has a teat aperture through which said teat extends, with said aperture being defined by an annular surface, and wherein said seal means engages an internal surface of said teat to press said teat against said annular surface so as to sealingly mount the teat in said carrier.

7. The teat assembly of claim 6 wherein said carrier has an annular recess and said seal means has an annular barb means to engage the recess of said carrier to secure said seal means to said carrier. JC/505t -7- PH 7800

8. The teat assembly of any one of claims 2 to 7 including a further seal, which further seal is attached to said carrier and extends over said teat.

9. The teat assembly of any one of claims 2 to 8 further including a cover attached to said peripheral flange and extending over said bag so that said bag is covered thereby.

A teat assembly substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

11. A baby's feeding bottle including a hollow body within which one or more of the teat assemblies of claims 1 tolo are located. DATED this SECOND day of SEPTEMBER 1987 ROYAL INDUSTRIES THAILAND CO LIMITED Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON I 1C I JC/505t -8- PH 7800