EP0311596A1 - Feeding bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

PCT No. PCT/AT88/00075 Sec. 371 Date Mar. 14, 1990 Sec. 102(e) Date Mar. 14, 1990 PCT Filed Oct. 3, 1988 PCT Pub. No. WO89/03204 PCT Pub. Date Apr. 20, 1989.A feeding bottle comprises a bottle body of a wide neck with an opening, a substantially rigid upwardly dome-shaped adapter ring detachably fitting to the neck and having an upper supporting surface defining a central opening, a teat with its flat radial flange merely resting on the supporting surface, and a clamping cap to retain the teat by clamping the teat flange against the supporting surface of the adapter ring. The supporting surface serves as a counterclamping surface for the clamping attachment of the teat. The outer diameter of the teat flange is substantially smaller than the inner diameter of the opening of the wide bottle neck.

Description

The invention relates to a suction bottle with a bottle body with a wide bottle neck, on which a teat with a small diameter compared to the bottle neck can be attached or attached with the aid of a cap, in particular a screw cap which is like a union nut, the cap having a central opening for the teat.

Numerous suction bottles are known (see, for example, GB-PS 1 027 101, US-A-2 959 314, US-A-3 495 993 and FR-A-2 446 632), which in the usual way have a relatively narrow bottle body or have at least a narrow bottle neck, on which a teat is attached to use the bottle. It is also known to insert disk-like valve elements between the bottle neck and the teat in order to prevent air being sucked in (GB-PS 1 027 101, US-A-2 959 314 and FR-A-2 446 632). From US-A-3 495 993 such a "narrow neck" suction bottle is also known, in which a hermetically sealed cap is provided between the teat and the bottle neck, which must be pressed in before the bottle is used.

In comparison to these known "narrow-neck" suction bottles, the provision of wide bottle necks with a diameter that is not or only slightly smaller than the diameter of the bottle body has proven to be advantageous, since this makes it easier to clean the inside of the bottle. For this purpose, it is also advantageous to make the bottle diameter comparatively large, which enables a more compact, lower shape of the bottle with the same capacity. This also leads to an increased stability of the bottle.

Such a wide-neck bottle is known from EP-A-9460, in which the teat is attached in a conventional manner to the upper neck edge of the bottle by means of a screw cap. The teat is clamped against the upper edge of the bottle neck with a radial flange, but the clamping area is only very narrow. As a result, the teat can be accidentally pushed into the inside of the bottle or pulled out of its clamp holder, even by the baby, and consequently there is a risk of the baby being swallowed and suffocated.

The greater the bottle neck, and the further the suction cup is, the greater the risk of the suction cup becoming detached. Another disadvantage of this known suction bottle is that appropriately sized suction cups with a wide base corresponding to the bottle neck must be used, the suction material currently preferred for hygienic and processing reasons, namely silicone rubber, being relatively expensive, so that the costs for the suction cup get very high. Since different liquid foods, such as milk, tea, porridge, etc., are usually administered with one and the same feeding bottle, a supply of suckers with differently sized outlet openings must be kept, just as it is expedient to reserve a range of suckers in reserve hold. With such a supply of suction devices, however, the above-mentioned high costs for the relatively large suction devices are all the more significant.

From US-A-3 650 270, US-A-3 182 841 and WO 86/06273 then designs are already known in which a suction cup with a smaller cross-section than the bottle neck is attached to the bottle opening in that a Screw cap is used, which has a central receiving opening for the suction cup, in which the suction cup is fixed. According to US-A-3 650 270 and US-A-3 182 841 this is done by interlocking flange and web parts of the screw cap and the suction cup, but the suction cup cannot be anchored sufficiently securely, so that those described above Disadvantages of unwanted detachment and the risk of swallowing arise. According to WO 86/06273, the silicone rubber suction cup is to be permanently anchored in the opening of the screw cap made of thermoplastic material by means of an injection molding process. If the suction cup has to be replaced in this suction bottle, the unit suction cup screw cap must always be replaced, just like such units must be kept in stock, which is uneconomical and moreover takes up a relatively large amount of space.

The aim of the invention is to remedy this and to enable the use of comparatively small suction cups. which can nonetheless be securely anchored to the wide bottle neck.

For this purpose, the suction bottle according to the invention of the type mentioned at the outset is characterized by an essentially rigid adapter ring between the bottle neck and the teat or cap, the top of the adapter ring forming a counter-clamping surface for the cap and the teat or its lower, radial flange.

By means of the adapter ring provided according to the invention, the outlet diameter is reduced to a smaller dimension than the diameter of the wide bottle neck, this reduced outlet diameter appropriately corresponding to the diameter of the commercially available suction cups for narrow suction bottles. The adapter ring can provide a relatively wide, annular clamping surface for the suction flange, so that it is also possible to use commercially available suction cups with varying diameters and nonetheless to securely clamp them between the adapter ring and the cap. As is conventional, the cap can be tightened to the bottle by means of a screw thread or a bayonet lock. Due to the relatively wide annular clamping surfaces on the adapter ring (and in a corresponding manner on the inside of the upper wall of the cap), the advantage is also achieved that the suction cup is held securely over its suction flange despite a smaller surface pressure, which is gentle on the material. As mentioned, this secure clamping is not impaired even when suction cups with slightly different dimensions are used.

By using smaller suction cups, on the other hand, there is less material and cost, so that the above-mentioned stockpiling is favored. The adapter ring, which can also be called a reducer, can be made of much cheaper plastic material, in contrast to the teat, which is preferably made of silicone rubber, and it is only needed once for a bottle.

It should be mentioned that a baby milk bottle with an opening and removal cap is known from EP-A-137 458, with a cylindrical one on the upper edge of the bottle Stop element with the same outer diameter as the bottle neck can be attached. A suction cup is then clamped to the top of this cylindrical stop element by means of a screw cap, which is screwed onto the cylindrical stop element and then screwed to the bottle neck. The suction cup has a lower radial flange with a diameter approximately equal to the - narrow - bottle neck. In order to avoid an unwanted pushing of the teat through the upper opening of the cylindrical stop element into the bottle, the cylindrical stop element has a flange-like raised opening edge at the top, around which the bottom of the teat is clamped on the outside. As a result, this known design is only suitable for the use of a predetermined suction device having certain dimensions. In addition, it should above all be pointed out that this cylindrical stop element is intended to open a bottle stopper provided for sterile use with profile elements present in its interior by means of an attachment formed thereon and a predetermined breaking point.

In the bottle according to the invention, the adapter ring, i.e. more specifically its top, e.g. be dome-shaped or frusto-conical, the cap advantageously being designed with its upper wall on the inside accordingly. For production as well as for handling, however, it has proven to be particularly advantageous if the upper side of the adapter ring is flat, at least in the inner region adjoining the ring opening. The cap is correspondingly flat. This flat design also takes into account the fact that a horizontal radial suction flange is provided in most commercially available suction cups, which can thus be clamped particularly gently and securely between the two flat clamping surfaces while exerting a uniform pressure.

In order to make it possible for air to flow into the inside of the bottle in a particularly simple manner when drinking from the feeding bottle, in order to equalize the pressure, it is also advantageous if at least one of the inner ring opening in the top of the adapter ring Circumferential edge leading ventilation groove is attached. Preferably, two diametrically opposite, radially extending ventilation grooves are provided. These ventilation grooves, which can have a width of 1 - 2 mm and a depth of 0.5 - 1 mm, for example, do not hinder the inflow of air, even if the suction flange is firmly clamped against the top of the adapter ring, but they provide sufficient great resistance to flow for the liquid food contained in the bottle, especially if it is of a pulp-like consistency, so that its - undesirable - leakage is effectively prevented.

With regard to a uniform surface pressure on clamping surfaces of the same size and to enable the suction cup to be easily attached in a position turned by 180 ° in which it projects into the bottle interior, for storage or transport purposes, for example, it is also advantageous if the inner opening of the adapter ring has a diameter which is at least substantially equal to the diameter of the central opening in the cap.

For fixing the position when assembling the feeding bottle, it is also advantageous if the adapter ring has a downwardly projecting axial flange with which it fits into the bottle neck opening, for example in a press fit. It is also advantageous if the adapter ring has a radially extending stop, for example in the form of a circumferential collar, with which it rests on the top of the bottle neck in the position of use. In itself, however, it would also be conceivable, instead of a circumferential flange-like collar, to provide a plurality of nub-like projections distributed over the circumference on the outside of the adapter ring.

A particularly simple design can be obtained in that the adapter ring is formed by a flat washer.

As already mentioned, the ring-shaped counter-clamping surface of the adapter ring can preferably be designed to be flat, but if desired it can also be frustoconical or dome-shaped. In all of these cases, however, it has proven particularly advantageous to uniformly clamp the suction flange proven if the annular counter-clamping surface of the adapter ring runs parallel to the annular clamping surface of the cap on the inside of its upper wall.

An advantageous embodiment of the suction bottle according to the invention is further characterized in that the adapter ring is cup-shaped, with its outside conforming to the inside of the likewise cup-shaped cap, wherein preferably the outside of the cap is in turn conforming to the inside of a mounting section of a cup-shaped end cap, which in the Snap fit is attached or attachable to the cap. In the assembled state, in this embodiment, three shell-shaped or dome-shaped components are arranged one inside the other, so that an extraordinarily stable, compact configuration is obtained overall. The end cap can be used as a drinking cup.

To improve handling, it is also favorable here if the bowl-shaped cap, when placed on the bottle neck, secures in its axial position a retaining ring which sits on a shoulder transition between the bottle body and neck and carries projecting handles. For reasons of stability, it is furthermore advantageous if the retaining ring contains a guide section which extends axially downward from the shoulder transition along the cylindrical bottle body and which is adjoined at the top by a support section which is curved inwards in cross section in accordance with the shoulder transition.

As already mentioned, the adapter ring can be made from a relatively inexpensive plastic material. Preferably, the adapter ring as well as the retaining ring and the cup-shaped end cap are made of polypropylene. The cap provided for fastening the nipple is preferably also made of polypropylene. In contrast, the bottle body can be made of a clear polycarbonate.

• Fig. 1 in einer auseinandergezogenen Darstellung, in Ansicht bzw. in einem axialen Schnitt, eine Saugflasche mit zugehörigen Teilen, wie Sauger und Kappe;
• Fig. 2 in vergrößertem Maßstab einen axialen Teilschnitt der Saugflasche im Bereich des Flaschenhalses, mit aufgesetzten Kappen und festgeklemmtem Sauger;
• Fig. 3 einen axialen Teilschnitt ähnlich Fig. 2, jedoch mit modifiziertem Sauger;
• Fig. 4 eine axialen Teilschnitt ähnlich Fig. 2 und 3, wobei jedoch der Sauger in einer umgekehrten Lage festgeklemmt veranschaulicht und ein Verschlußdeckel oberhalb des Saugers angebracht ist; und
• Fig. 5 einen axialen Teilschnitt einer Saugflasche im Bereich des Flaschenhalses, mit einem abgeänderten Adapterring zum Festklemmen des Saugers.

The invention is explained in more detail below with the aid of preferred exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing, to which it should not be restricted, however. Show it:

• Figure 1 in an exploded view, in view or in an axial section, a feeding bottle with associated parts, such as suction cup and cap.
• Figure 2 is an enlarged partial axial section of the feeding bottle in the area of the bottle neck, with attached caps and clamped suction cup.
• Fig. 3 is a partial axial section similar to Figure 2, but with a modified suction cup.
• Fig. 4 is a partial axial section similar to Figures 2 and 3, but illustrating the sucker clamped in an inverted position and a closure lid is attached above the sucker. and
• Fig. 5 is a partial axial section of a feeding bottle in the area of the bottle neck, with a modified adapter ring for clamping the teat.

The feeding bottle shown in the drawing is to be regarded as a "system" bottle, the individual parts of which can be combined depending on the current use - storage, transport, administration of baby food. A main component is the bottle body 1, hereinafter referred to as bottle for short, which has a wide bottle neck 2 with a threaded or bayonet closure, for example a multi-start thread 3. Slightly below half its height, the bottle 1 has a bead-like recess 4, in which a temperature measuring ring 5 with liquid crystal display areas 6 is detachably fastened, e.g. snapped on. The bottle 1 is, as can be seen from Fig. 1, relatively wide and low, which makes it easy to clean the inside and moreover the stability is increased.

On this bottle 1, a holding ring 7 shown in FIG. 1 in a view or in axial section can be placed, an upper, inwardly curved support section 8 of this holding ring 7 in the attached state on a correspondingly curved shoulder transition 9 of the bottle 1 below the neck 2 rests, cf. see also the sectional representations according to FIGS. 2 and 3. Below the support section 8 of the retaining ring 7 there is an axially downwardly extending guide section 10 which, in the attached position, on the cylindrical bottle body 1 rests on the outside, and the inside diameter thereof is accordingly only slightly larger than the outside diameter of the cylindrical bottle body 1.

The retaining ring 7 is further provided with two diametrically opposed, circular arc-shaped handles 11, 12 which are integrally formed on the ring 7 in the transition region from the support section 8 to the guide section 10.

A cap in the form of a screw cap 14 is then provided in a conventional manner for fastening a suction device 13. In order to use conventional narrow suction cups, as also shown in FIG. 1, the diameter of the bottle neck 2 must be reduced to a smaller diameter, corresponding to the dimensions of the lower, radial flange 15 of the suction cup 13, and to this Purpose is a reducer in the form of an adapter ring 16 which defines with its top a counter clamping surface 17 for clamping against the suction flange 15 when screwing the cap 14 onto the bottle neck 2. The adapter ring 16 has a concentric ring opening 18 with a diameter approximately equal to the diameter of a central concentric opening 19 provided in the upper wall 20 of the screw cap 14 for receiving the nipple 13.

From Fig. 1 are still a conventional closure lid 21 which can be snapped into the opening 19 of the screw cap 14 with a locking projection 22 (see also Fig. 4), and a cup-shaped end cap 23 can be seen, which has a lower attachment section 24 conform to the outside of the cap 14 and can be snapped onto the latter with the aid of a thickened lower bead 25, cf. also, for example, the illustration in FIG. 2.

In the at least currently particularly preferred embodiment according to FIGS. 1 to 4, the adapter ring 16 is essentially bowl-shaped, its outer side being essentially conformal, ie running parallel to the inside of the likewise bowl-shaped screw cap 14, cf. In particular, the illustration in Fig. 2. It is particularly important that the counter-clamping surface 17 of the. To achieve a uniform surface pressure of the suction flange 15 of the suction 13 Adapter ring 16 runs parallel to the clamping surface 26 on the inside or underside of the upper wall 20 of the screw cap 14. In the illustrated embodiment, both clamping surfaces 17, 26 are flat surfaces, but they could also be frustoconical or dome-shaped, for example in the form of spherical surface parts. In the top, ie counter-clamping surface 17, of the adapter ring 16, at least one ventilation groove 27 extending outward from the ring opening 18 is also provided, cf. Fig. 2. Preferably, two diametrically opposite, radially extending ventilation grooves 27 are formed in the top 17 of the adapter ring 16.

1 to 4 has a downwardly projecting axial flange 28 which tapers downwards on the outside, and with which the adapter ring 16 is inserted into the opening of the bottle neck 2, in particular with a slight clamping. The insertion of the adapter ring 16 with the axial flange 28 into the bottle neck opening is limited by a radially extending stop, in the present embodiment in the form of a circumferential collar 29, this collar resting on the upper edge of the bottle neck 2 in the attached position.

Of course, the screw cap 14 in the form of a union nut has, in its lower region, an - optionally multi-start - internal thread or the like 30 which matches the thread 3 on the bottle neck 2.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, in the assembled state, the teat 13 is clamped with its flange 15 between the adapter ring 16 and the upper wall 20 of the cap 14, with considerably wider clamping surfaces being possible compared to the upper edge of the bottle neck 2. 1 and 2, the nipple 13 is further provided with a smaller, upper radial flange 31 which rests on the top of the upper wall 20 of the cap 14, whereby a preassembly of the nipple 13 in the opening 19 (Fig. 1) Cap 14 is eased before screwing it onto the bottle neck 2.

As can thus be seen, by using the adapter ring or reducer 16 made of relatively cheap plastic, a small teat 13 of conventional dimensions can be placed on the bottle 1 designed as a wide-mouth bottle. It is possible to use bottles with different cross-sections together with the associated adapter rings 16 in combination with one and the same suction cup sizes. On the other hand, it is also possible to accept different sizes of the suction pad 13 due to the relatively wide annular concentric clamping surfaces 17 and 26, since the suction flange 15 is still sufficiently secure between the clamping surfaces 17 even with somewhat smaller suction pads than shown in FIG. 2 and 26 can be clamped. On the other hand, the wide clamping surfaces 17 and 26 for the suction flange 15 also have the advantage of a lower surface pressure, i.e. a low load per unit area, which is gentle on the material. This is also important, as is the possible use of smaller nipples per se, with regard to the preferred material for the nipple 13, namely silicone rubber. Of course, it is also possible per se to manufacture the nipple 13 from other materials, such as natural rubber.

As mentioned, due to the large clamping surfaces 17 and 26, deviations in the size and shape of the suction cups used can be tolerated without the safety of clamping being reduced. Fig. 3 shows how a suction cup 13 can be properly clamped with a considerably thinner radial flange 15.

4 shows a combination with a teat 13 similar to that according to FIGS. 1 and 2, but this teat 13 has been turned through 180 °, ie protrudes into the inside of the bottle, as is usually provided for example for transporting the feeding bottle. The end cover 21 shown in FIG. 1 is attached above the teat 13, ie above its teat flange 15, whereby it is first snapped onto the screw cap 14, more precisely in its opening 19, with the aid of its snap rim or bead 22 and together with this is placed on the unit, consisting of bottle 1, adapter ring 16 and suction cup 13, and screwed on. This makes a poet Completion of the bottle. Subsequently, the end cap 23 can be snapped onto the screw cap 14, as has already been explained with reference to FIG. 2.

The end cover 21 is hat-shaped in cross-section, an outer edge flange 32 being clamped together with the suction flange 15 between the adapter ring 16 and the screw cap 14.

5 shows an embodiment with a modified adapter ring 16 in an axial partial section. Specifically, in this exemplary embodiment, the adapter ring 16 is designed in the form of an essentially flat annular disk 33, which has a downwardly projecting axial flange 28 somewhat within its outer peripheral edge, as a result of which a stop or support collar corresponding to the collar 29 from FIG. 2 is obtained. With a flat washer 33 of this type as an adapter ring 16, a lower structure can be achieved when a suction cup 13 is clamped, the cap nut-like screw cap 14 correspondingly being made lower. For reasons of strength, it can furthermore be expedient in this embodiment to provide stiffening ribs or the like on the underside of the adapter ring 16, such as in particular radially extending stiffening ribs 34.

Such stiffening ribs or the like are usually unnecessary in the bowl-shaped design of the adapter ring 16 according to FIGS. 1 to 4, since the curved construction ensures a greater strength from the outset against inward bending.

If the invention was explained in more detail above on the basis of particularly preferred exemplary embodiments, modifications and modifications are of course possible within the scope of the invention. For example, it is possible to make the opening 18 of the adapter ring 16 narrower, that is to say with a smaller diameter, than the opening 19 in the cap 14, as a result of which the suction pad 13 is additionally pressed inward. The disadvantage here is that it may then no longer be possible to use the suction device 13 in the position shown in FIG. 4 clamped, inwardly projecting position bottle, since the ring opening 18 may be too small for this. Furthermore, it is of course also possible to provide a quick-release fastener, such as a bayonet-type fastener connection, instead of the threaded connection shown between the bottle neck 2 and the cap 14. It is only important here that a sufficient clamping force between the cap and adapter ring is achieved when the cap is tightened. In order to be able to accommodate suction cups with suction cup flanges of different thicknesses, a screw cap is therefore usually the cheapest, since it is easiest to enable a relatively large distance between cap 14 and adapter ring 16, depending on the thickness of the suction cup flange, when clamping.

The retaining ring 7 can also, instead of being secured by the attached cap 14 in its position of use on the shoulder transition 9 of the bottle 1 against axial displacement upwards, also fastened to the bottle 1 by means of a snap or snap connection, similar to the temperature measuring ring 5 will.

While a glass-clear polycarbonate is preferably used as the material for the bottle 1 itself, polypropylene is preferably used for the parts 7, 16, 21, 14 and 23. This plastic material is sufficiently strong and heat-resistant, and it can also be colored differently.

Claims (17)

1.Sucking bottle with a bottle body with a wide bottle neck, on which a teat with a small diameter compared to the bottle neck can be attached or attached with the aid of a cap, in particular a screw cap like a union nut, the cap having a central opening for the teat, characterized by a essentially rigid adapter ring (16) between bottle neck (1) and teat (13) or cap (14), the top of the adapter ring (16) providing a counter-clamping surface (17) for the cap (14) and the teat (13) or its lower radial flange (15). 2. Suction bottle according to claim 1, characterized in that the top of the adapter ring (16) is flat at least in the inner region adjoining the ring opening (18). 3. Suck bottle according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that in the top of the adapter ring (16) at least one of the inner ring opening (18) leading to the peripheral edge leading ventilation groove (27) is attached. 4. Suck bottle according to claim 3, characterized in that two diametrically opposite, radially extending ventilation grooves (27) are provided. 5. Bottle according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the inner opening (18) of the adapter ring (16) has a diameter which is at least substantially equal to the diameter of the central opening (19) in the cap (14) . 6. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the adapter ring (16) has a downwardly projecting axial flange (28) with which it fits into the bottle neck opening, for example in a press fit. 7. Suck bottle according to claim 6, characterized in that the adapter ring (16) has a radially extending stop (29), for example in the form of a circumferential collar, with which it rests on the top of the bottle neck (2) in the position of use. 8. Sucking bottle according to one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the adapter ring (16) is formed by a flat annular disc (33). 9. Bottle according to one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the annular counter-clamping surface (17) of the adapter ring (16) runs parallel to the annular clamping surface (16) of the cap (14) on the inside of its upper wall (20). 10. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 7 or 9, characterized in that the adapter ring (16) is cup-shaped, with its outside conforming to the inside of the likewise cup-shaped cap (14). 11. A bottle according to claim 10, characterized in that the outside of the cap (14) conforms to the inside of a mounting section (24) of a gift-shaped end cap (23) which is or can be fastened in a snap fit on the cap (14). 12. A feeding bottle according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the bowl-shaped cap (14) in the state placed on the bottle neck (2) has a retaining ring (7) seated on a shoulder transition (9) between the bottle body (1) and neck (2) ), which carries protruding handles (11, 12), secures them in their axial position. 13. A feeding bottle according to claim 12, characterized in that the retaining ring (7) contains a guide section (10) extending axially downward from the shoulder transition along the cylindrical bottle body (1), to which a cross-section corresponding to the shoulder transition (9) is curved inwards running support section (8) connects. 14. Suction bottle according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that the retaining ring (7) consists of polypropylene. 15. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the adapter ring (16) consists of polypropylene. 16. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the cap (14) consists of polypropylene. 17. Suction bottle according to claim 11, characterized in that the cup-shaped end cap (23) consists of polypropylene.

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