EP2579833A1

EP2579833A1 - Feeding bottle

Info

Publication number: EP2579833A1
Application number: EP11730561.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Eckhard Itzek
Original assignee: Mapa GmbH
Current assignee: Mapa Spontex Deutschland GmbH
Priority date: 2010-06-14
Filing date: 2011-06-14
Publication date: 2013-04-17
Also published as: DE102010024873A1; WO2011157393A1; DE102010024873B4

Abstract

The invention relates to a feeding bottle, comprising a bottle having a bottle neck and an opening that is surrounded by an opening rim of the bottle neck, the rim comprising at least one rim section that protrudes outwardly in the direction of the centre line of the bottle less far than other rim sections of the opening rim, and further comprising a closure membrane sealed onto the opening rim, a rotating ring arranged on the outside on the bottle neck, wherein the rotating ring and the bottle neck comprise cooperating means for guiding the rotating ring on a circular path around the centre line of the bottle, and wherein the rotating ring has cutting means, which in a starting position are arranged above a membrane section of the closure membrane that protrudes outwardly in the direction of the centre line of the bottle less far than other membrane sections of the closure membrane and which, by turning the rotating ring, can be displaced towards other membrane sections of the membrane in which said cutting means cut into the closure membrane, and further comprising a teat, the lower edge of which is fastened in a sealing manner to the rotating ring.

Description

feeding bottle

The invention relates to a feeding bottle especially for infants and toddlers.

Suction bottles are used for the administration of milk and other liquid foods especially to infants and toddlers. Known feeding bottles have a bottle and a teat, which is fixable by means of a screw ring on an external thread of the bottle, which surrounds the mouth of the bottle. Such a feeding bottle is described in DE 197 39 91 1 AI.

Furthermore, suction bottles are already known in which the bottle and the teat are integrally connected. According to DE 1 541 354 AI and DE 1 918 688 AI bottle and teat are made of the same material. These bottles have a not sufficiently solid bottle or not sufficiently soft elastic teat.

From WO 2009/098078 AI is a suction bottle with a teat made of a soft elastic plastic, a one-piece connected by injection molding with the teat bottle of a plastic with higher strength than the soft elastic plastic and extending from the bottle through the teat to the drinking hole Reinforcement thread known. On the teat a molded from the drinking hole plug is molded. By turning off or cutting off the plug, the drinking hole can be made free. The food can be introduced through a lower opening in the feeding bottle, which is then closed with a bottom. To protect the teat, the suction bottle on a protective cap, which has a snap or screw connection with the upper portion of the bottle. The

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CONFIRMATION COPY Suction bottle is pre-filled with liquid food. It can be used advantageously under conditions in which the sterility of the food must be ensured or the effort for the preparation of the food must be kept low, for example in nurseries or while traveling.

From US 4 640 424 a teat for attachment to a sealed food bottle is known which has access means for establishing access to the bottle contents by manipulating the teat. The access means are disposed within the flexible teat and are movable to penetrate the container wall upon lateral or axial compression or rotation of the teat. For this purpose, in some embodiments in the teat additional body integrated with a cutting edge at the bottom, which are axially displaceable with respect to the teat and thereby cut a penetrable container wall. In other embodiments, the teat is connected to a ring having inside a needle-like piercing element, which is guided in a guide tube which is fastened via a flange to the bottle opening. By axial displacement or screwing of the ring, the piercing element can be pushed with a cutting edge through the wall, which closes the bottle opening. These constructions are very complex and only release small flow cross sections.

Based on this, the present invention seeks to provide a pre-filled with liquid food and sterile storing this suction bottle is available, which is easier to manufacture and handling.

The object is achieved by a suction bottle with the features of claim 1. Advantageous embodiments of the feeding bottle are specified in subclaims. The fiction, contemporary feeding bottle has a bottle with a bottle neck and an opening which is bounded by a Öffhungsrand the bottle neck, which has at least one edge portion which protrudes less far outward in the direction of the central axis of the bottle, as other edge portions of the opening edge, on the Öffhungsrand aufgesiegelte closure membrane, an outside of the bottle neck arranged rotary ring, wherein the rotary ring and the bottle neck cooperating means for guiding the rotary ring in a circular path around the center axis of the bottle and the rotary ring has cutting means which are arranged in a starting position above a membrane portion of the closure membrane which protrudes less far outwardly towards the central axis of the bottle than other membrane sections of the closure membrane and which are displaceable by turning the rotary ring towards other membrane sections of the membrane in which they enter the closure membrane n cut, and a teat, which is fastened with its lower edge sealingly on the rotary ring.

In the suction bottle according to the invention, the bottle is sealed in the closed state above by means of the sealed-on closure membrane. In the closed bottle, liquid food can also be stored sterile for longer storage periods. When the suction bottle is closed, the cutting means of the rotating ring is above one Membrane portion of the closure membrane arranged which projects less far outward in the axial direction, as other membrane sections of the closure membrane. By rotating the rotary ring, the cutting means is moved on a circular path, so that it is moved to membrane portions of the sealing membrane, which protrude further outward in the axial direction. The cutting means cuts these membrane sections, destroying them and allowing liquid food to pass through. For this purpose, the cutting means in the initial position is preferably arranged eccentrically with respect to the central axis of the bottle, which runs centrally through the opening. Thus, it is possible by simply turning the rotary ring to open the sealing membrane. Here, the user does not come in contact with the liquid food, so that it is not contaminated by the opening of the bottle. Through the opened closure membrane, the liquid food enters the teat to be withdrawn from the suckling infant or toddler. Thus, the feeding bottle according to the invention allows a sterile storage of liquid food for long periods of time and a simple administration of the liquid food, without being exposed to these impurities. The feeding bottle is therefore particularly suitable for use in clinics and by the end user under conditions in which hygienic preparation of liquid food is difficult or impossible, for example when traveling.

According to a preferred embodiment, the Öffhungsrand extends in an acute angle to the central axis of the bottle inclined plane. In this course, the Öffhungsrand has a low point and a high point. The sealing membrane and the sealing seam, with which the sealing membrane is attached to the opening edge, also extend in the plane. This facilitates the sealing of the sealing membrane. However, the invention also includes other geometries of the opening edge. For example, the opening edge can only be inclined in one part in an acute angle to the central axis of the surface Level that includes the low point. In an adjoining part, the opening edge may extend in a plane directed perpendicularly to the central axis of the bottle, forming a high area in which the opening edge projects furthest outwards. In this embodiment, the sealing membrane extends beyond the corners between the two adjoining planes and is sealed in both planes. Preferably, the opening edge has two sections on the two sides of a longitudinal center plane through the bottle neck, which run parallel to each other. This is the case, for example, when the opening edge as a whole extends in a plane inclined at an acute angle to the central axis of the bottle. This has the advantage that the sealing membrane only has to be bent and not stretched differently in different directions in order to be fastened to the opening edge. Furthermore, in at least one region, the opening edge can have a plurality of adjacent low points that complement one another to a low region of the opening edge. Basically, however, the invention includes any gradients of Öffhungsrandes, as long as they have at least one low point. In all embodiments, the cutting means is arranged in the starting position in the vicinity of the low point.

According to a preferred embodiment, the sealing membrane is an aluminum membrane. Instead, the closure membrane may also be a membrane of a metal other than aluminum. Furthermore, the closure membrane may consist of one or more plastics. Furthermore, the sealing membrane may be a composite membrane of a plurality of materials, for example, an aluminum and a plastic. A sealing membrane made of a plastic or a composite membrane comprising a plastic layer can be connected by melting with the plastic at the opening edge of a bottle. Furthermore, the closure membrane may be provided with a thermo-lacquer on the side facing the opening edge, which serves as a binder between the closure membrane and the opening edge of the bottle. The thermal paint can be connected by heating with the opening edge. In particular, an aluminum membrane or a membrane made of another metal may be provided with a thermal lacquer as a binder.

According to a preferred embodiment, the bottle is made of plastic. Further preferably, the bottle is made of a multilayer plastic, having on the inside a plastic layer which forms a barrier to prevent the passage of molecules from the wall of the bottle into the liquid food. The bottle may in particular be produced by the blowing process, in particular by coextrusion blowing.

According to one embodiment, the rotary ring and the bottle neck have snap means for snapping the rotary ring to the neck of the bottle. The snap means have, for example, an elastically expandable skirt at the lower edge of the rotary ring with a peripheral circumferential projection on the inside and a cooperating, circumferentially circumferential rib on the outside of the bottle neck. The rotary ring is snapped by pushing the skirt over the rib of the bottle neck with the bottle.

According to a preferred embodiment, the means for guiding at least one on the outside of the bottle neck in the circumferential direction circumferential guide rib and a guide rib comprehensive guide contour on the inside of the rotary ring. The guide means may also be the snap means, wherein the guide rib are the circumferential on the outside of the bottle neck rib and the guide contour of the protruding from the inside of the rotary ring projection of the snap means. According to one embodiment, the cutting means comprise a hook extending from the rotating ring and curved over the opening, with a free end facing the closing membrane. Preferably, the hook is provided at the free end or in its neighborhood with a cutting contour.

According to one embodiment, the rotating ring and the bottle neck have an unlockable anti-twist device for preventing twisting of the rotary ring relative to the neck of the bottle. The rotation prevents unintentional rotation of the rotary ring with respect to the neck of the bottle and thus opening the closure membrane. It is selectively dissolvable to open the closure membrane by turning the rotary ring with respect to the neck of the bottle. According to one embodiment, the anti-rotation on at least one recess in the guide rib and at least one engaging in the recess engagement element of the rotary ring. By engaging the engagement element in the recess unintentional rotation of the rotary ring with respect to the bottle neck is prevented. This rotation can be resolved by applying a particularly high torque, which leads to a lifting of the engagement member from the recess due to elastic expansion of the rotary ring, targeted. According to a further embodiment, means for canceling the rotation are present. This may be, for example, an embodiment of the engagement element on a resilient hook, which can be selectively lifted out of the recess by hand. The hook can be bounded laterally by axially extending slots in the jacket of the rotary ring. According to a further embodiment, the means for canceling the rotation can have a tamper-evident closure. The tamper-evident closure can consist, for example, of breakable plastic bridges which bridge the spacing regions between hooks and adjacent regions of the rotating ring. According to a preferred embodiment, the rotary ring made of a hard plastic and / or the teat of a soft plastic. According to a further embodiment, the rotary ring consists of a polypropylene and / or the teat of a thermoplastic elastomer and / or of a silicone rubber and / or natural rubber.

The teat can be a conventional teat, which is snapped with its lower edge outside on a circumferential sealing area of the rotary ring. Furthermore, the rotary ring may have means for securing the lower edge of the teat, which press from the outside against the lower edge of the teat. According to a preferred embodiment, the teat is integrally connected to the rotary ring. For this purpose, the teat can be sealed with the rotary ring or glued to this. According to a preferred embodiment of the teat and the rotary ring are sprayed together. Preferably, the teat is molded onto the rotary ring. The syringes can be done so that teat and rotating ring are materially and / or positively and / or non-positively connected to each other. For cohesive connection of teat and rotating ring, the materials of teat and rotating ring can be selected so that they are fused together. For positive connection can teat and rotating ring in the connection area have interlocking contours. Thus, the rotary ring can be provided with holes, which the teat with bolt-head-like projections from the outside passes through and engages behind from behind. For non-positive connection, teat and rotating ring can be made of materials that shrink to varying degrees after injection molding, so that they rest after curing with high voltage to each other. Preferably, teat and rotating ring are produced in multi-component injection molding. According to a further embodiment, at least one circumferential sealing element is present between the rotary ring and the bottle neck. The sealing element can be arranged on the rotary ring and / or on the bottleneck. This may be, for example, a sealing lip. The sealing lip may be made of polypropylene or of a soft elastic material. In particular, when made of polypropylene, it may be formed of the same material as the rotary ring. A sealing lip made of a soft elastic material may be molded onto the inner circumference of the rotary ring. The sealing lip can also be connected to parts of the teat, which pass through holes of the rotary ring from the outside of the rotary ring and are connected to each other on the inside of the rotary ring by the sealing lip. The sealing lip then secures the teat at the same time form-fitting on the turning ring. The sealing lip prevents inadvertently leaking liquid food between the neck of the bottle and the rotating ring during feeding.

For ventilation, the teat can be provided with a vent valve. Furthermore, between the rotary ring and the neck of the bottle, a ventilation channel can be prepared which has sections in the bottle neck and in the rotary ring which do not communicate with each other in the starting position of the rotary ring and communicate with each other in the opening position of the rotary ring when it cuts open the closing membrane.

A further embodiment has a Stülpbecher, which covers the teat and has a seat on the outside of the rotary ring and / or the lower edge of the teat. The Stülpbecher protects the teat from impurities. Prior to administration of the liquid food, the Stülpbecher must be removed. Then it can be put on again. In order to facilitate the placement and removal, the Stülpbecher according to one embodiment has a Clamping seat on the outside of the rotary ring and / or the teat. According to a further embodiment, the Stülpbecher is secured by a tamper-evident closure on the rotary ring and / or teat. The tamper-evident closure is, for example, a plastic shell which is separated before use. In this case, it may in particular be a shrink tube, which covers the Stülpbecher and the rotary ring at least in sections and prevents pulling apart Stülpbecher and rotary ring.

The slip lid and the teat can be configured so that the slip lid seals at least one drinking opening of the teat when the slip lid is placed on the rotary ring and / or the teat. For this purpose, slip-on lid and teat can in particular be designed as described in WO 2010/006739 AI. The relevant embodiments in the aforementioned patent publication are incorporated by reference into the present application.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, which shows an embodiment of the suction bottle according to the invention in a partial vertical section.

The feeding bottle 1 comprises a bottle 2 with a bottle neck 3 and an opening 4, which is bounded by an opening edge 5. The opening edge 5 extends overall in an acute angle to the central axis 6 of the bottle 2 inclined plane 7. The opening edge 5 has a low point 8 and a high point 9.

Around the neck 3, a radially projecting guide rib 10 runs annularly. This is interrupted at a point of the circumference by a recess 11. The bottle 2 is made of one or more plastic layers by coextrusion blown. It consists for example of polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or another suitable plastic.

On the opening edge 5, a closure membrane 12 is sealed. The sealing membrane 12 is made of aluminum and is provided on the underside with a thermal resist as a binder for establishing the connection between the sealing membrane 12 and the opening edge 5.

Outside the bottle neck, a rotary ring 13 is arranged. The rotary ring 13 has at the bottom of a radially inwardly projecting, circumferential lower projection 14 which engages under the guide rib 10. Further, the rotary ring 13 on the inner circumference engagement means 1 1.1, which engage in the recess 1 1 and is entered in dashed lines in the drawing. At a distance from the lower projection 14, the rotary ring 13 on the inside a circumferential upper projection 15 which is supported on the upper side of the guide rib 10.

From the inside of the upper edge of the rotary ring 13 is a hook 16, which is bent over the opening edge 5 of time and in the free end 17 has a cutting edge. The hook 16 is a cutting means for cutting the sealing membrane. In the illustrated home position of the rotary ring, the hook 16 is spaced a millimeter (e.g., 1-3 mm) from the sealing membrane 12.

Above the guide rib 10, a sealing element 18 is present between the rotary ring 13 and the bottle neck 3. This is a circumferentially circumferential elastic sealing lip 18 on the inside of the rotary ring 13, which sits sealingly outside on the circumference of the bottle neck. Further, the suction bottle 1 has a teat 19, which is attached at its lower edge 20 outside of the upper edge of the rotary ring 13. The teat 19 has adjacent to its lower edge 20 a spout-like body 21 and adjacent thereto a suction body 22. The absorbent body 22 has adjacent to the body 21 a neck 23 and adjacent thereto an orthodontically shaped nipple 24th

In the example, the central axis 25 of the absorbent body 22 is slightly inclined relative to the central axis of the bottle 2 to the outside. The nipple 24 has on its side remote from the central axis of the bottle outside a drinking opening 26 which is formed as a hole or slot.

Furthermore, the teat 19 in the body 20 at the side facing away from the drinking opening 26 side an integrated vent valve 27, which may be formed, for example, as a slit valve.

The teat 19 and the sealing element 18 are integrally connected by injection molding with the rotary ring 13. Preferably, the materials of rotary ring 13 and teat 19 and sealing element 18 are selected so that a solid cohesive connection between the rotary ring 13, teat 19 and sealing element 18 is achieved. For example, the rotary ring 13 made of polypropylene and the teat 19 and the sealing element 18 made of a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) polyolefin-based, which combines well with polypropylene.

Furthermore, the suction bottle 1 has a Stülpbecher 28. The Stülpbecher has a conical jacket 29 which is clamped with its lower edge on the outer circumference of the rotary ring 13. Furthermore, the Stülpbecher 28 has an inwardly bulging bottom 30. The shape and dimensions of the Stülpbechers 28 are selected so that the nipple 24 is clamped or fixed between the bulge of the bottom 30 and the inside of the jacket 29, wherein the drinking opening sealingly abuts the inside of the jacket 29, as described in WO 2010/006739 AI.

In addition, the connection region between Stülpbecher 28 and rotary ring 13 by a - not shown - shrink tubing be covered of a suitable plastic, which forms a tamper-evident closure.

The Stülpbecher 28 is made of a suitable hard plastic, such as polycarbonate (PC).

From the manufacturer, the bottle 2 is filled with liquid food and then sealed with the sealing membrane 12. Thereafter, the rotary ring 13 is snapped with the one-piece drinking teat 19 connected thereto in the position shown. Furthermore, the slip lid 28 is pressed and finally attached to the shrink tube.

For removal of the liquid food, the shrink tube is separated and removed. Thereafter, the slip lid 28 can be deducted. Further, by rotating the rotary ring 13, the cutting means 16 cut into the closure membrane 12 and thereby the bottle 2 are opened. In this case, the engagement of the engagement means in the recess 1 1 is specifically canceled that elastically evades to the outside. Optionally, the slip lid 28 can be used here as a rotation aid.

Thereafter, the liquid food from the bottle 2 can flow into the teat 19 and administered to the child. Air can flow through the ventilation valve 27. Due to the oblique orientation of the absorbent body 23 for Central axis 6, the Saugkö he 23 has an advantageous orientation, which facilitates the administration of food.

For temporary closing of the bottle, the slip lid 28 can be placed again so that it seals the Trinköffhung 26.

Before or after removing the slip cover 28, the liquid food in the bottle 2 can be heated with a suitable heating device.

Claims

A suction bottle comprising a bottle (2) having a bottle neck (3) and an opening (4) delimited by an opening edge (5) of the bottle neck (3), which has at least one edge portion facing towards the central axis (3). 6) of the bottle (2) protrudes less far outward than other edge portions of the Öffhungsrandes (5), on the opening edge (5) sealed closure membrane (12), a outside of the bottle neck (3) arranged rotary ring (13), wherein the Rotary ring (13) and the bottle neck (3) cooperating means (10, 14, 15) for guiding the rotary ring (13) on a circular path around the central axis (6) of the bottle (2) and the rotary ring (13) cutting means (16 ), which are arranged in a starting position above a membrane portion of the closure membrane (12) which protrudes less far outward in the direction of the central axis (6) of the bottle, than other membrane portions of the closure membrane (12), and by turning the rotary ring ( 13) are displaceable towards other membrane sections of the membrane (12), in which they cut into the closure membrane (12), and a teat (19), which is fastened with its lower edge (20) sealingly on the rotary ring (13).

2. suction surface according to claim 1, wherein the Öffhungsrand (5) in an acute angle to the central axis (6) of the bottle (2) inclined plane (7).

3. Suction bottle according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the closure membrane (12) is a membrane made of aluminum and / or of one or more plastics and / or provided with a thermo-treated membrane.

4. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the bottle (2) consists of plastic.

5. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rotary ring (13) and the bottle neck (3) snap means (10, 14) for snapping the rotary ring (13) with the bottle neck (3).

6. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the means for guiding at least one on the outside of the bottle neck (3) in the circumferential direction at least partially encircling guide rib (10) and the guide rib (10) at least partially comprehensive guide contour (14, 15) on the inside of the rotary ring (13).

7. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the cutting means a from the rotary ring (13) outgoing and over the opening (4) curved hook (16) with a closure membrane (12) facing free end (17).

8. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the rotary ring (13) and the bottle neck (3) have a reversible anti-rotation (1 1, 1 1.1) for preventing twisting of the rotary ring (13) with respect to the bottle neck (3).

9. Suction bottle according to claim 8, wherein the rotation of a recess (1 1) in the guide rib (10) and at least one engaging in the recess engagement element (1 1.1) of the rotary ring (13).

10. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the rotary ring (13) made of a hard plastic and / or the teat (19) made of a soft plastic.

1 1. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the teat (19) and the rotary ring (13) are injected together.

12. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 1 1, in which between the rotary ring (13) and bottleneck (3) at least one circumferential sealing element in the circumferential direction (18) is present.

13. Suction bottle according to claim 12, wherein the sealing element (13) consists of a soft elastic material.

14. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the teat (19) is provided with a ventilation valve (27) and / or between the rotary ring (13) and bottleneck (3) a ventilation channel is present.

15. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 14, which has a Stülpbecher (28) which covers the teat (19) and a seat on the outside of the rotary ring (13) and / or the lower edge (20) of the teat (19 ) Has.

16. Suction bottle according to claim 15, wherein the Stülpbecher (28) is secured by a tamper-evident closure on the rotary ring (13) and / or the teat (19).

17. Suction bottle according to claim 16, wherein the tamper-evident closure is a heat-shrinkable tube.

18. Suction bottle according to one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the slip lid (28) and teat (19) are designed so that the slip lid (28) at least one Trinköfmung (26) of the teat (19) seals when the slip lid on the Rotating ring (13) and / or the teat (19) is placed.