US2227389A - Nipple for nursing bottles - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 31, 1940. i Q EDWARDS 2,227,389

NIPPLE FOR NURSING BOTTLES Filed May 2, 1959 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEY Patented Dec. 31, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE NIPPLE FOR NURSING BOTTLES German 0. Edwards, Oakland, Calif.

Application May 2, 1939, Serial No. 271,255

'1 Claims. (01. 128-252) The present invention relates to a nipple for nursing bottles and particularly to a nipple designed to simulate as nearly as possible natural nursing exercises of the jaws and thereby to correct and prevent facial, oral and dental malformations in children which may result from congenital conditions or improper nursing as well as from other causes. In Patent 1,990,225, issued to me on February 5, 1935, for a Mandible developer,

there is disclosed a device adapted to be attached to a nursing bottle for the purpose of causing the nursing infant to receive the nipple in its mouth in a proper manner and in a manner that will encourage development of the mandible or lower jaw. The present invention is for a nipple that will accomplish the same results as the mandible developer and which has certain advantages not possessed by the latter, among which are that it requires no adjusting and is more comfortable to the infant.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a nipple for a nursing bottle which will cause the nursing infant to receive the nipple in its mouth in a proper postion and encourage normal exercise of those portions of the mouth, throat, face, and jaws necessary to effect strong natural development of the oral features and jaws. This will produce in the growing child a mandible of a shape that will accommodate properly a normal eruption of teeth and facial contour. It is a further object of the invention to provide a nipple that may be received only in the anterior portion of the mouth and that can not during nursing project into the posterior oral cavity and that will thus prevent air from being mixed with the milk as it is drawn fromthe nipple and will cause the infant to reach forwardly with the lower jaw as well as with the tongue and to extract milk from the nipple with a normal chewmg motion making swallowing easier and reducing choking. Further objects and advantages of the invention will be made apparent in the following specification, wherein a preferred form of the invention is described in detail, and wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a nursing bottle nipple embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional View taken on line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on line IVIV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the nipple;

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a modified form of the invention which consists of an attachment for a standard nipple; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the form shown in Fig. 5, the attachment being shown in place upon a nipple of conventional design. 5

Referring to Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawing, the invention is illustrated as comprising a nipple shaped with the usual enlarged open end Hi adapted to be placed over the neck of a nursing bottle, with the reduced closed end ll adapted to 10 be taken into the mouth of the infant and provided with the usual perforations through which milk may be sucked. The present invention provides in conjunction with this nipple a pad I2, I preferably formed of rubber and molded in- 16 tegrally with the nipple. This pad is positioned transversely of the nipple as best illustrated in Fig. 2 to engage the upper lip or the space between the nose and the mouth of the infant when the nipple is taken into its mouth, thus to limit the 20 distance to which the nipple may be taken into the mouth and to cause the lower jaw to be thrust forwardly in order that milk may be sucked through the nipple. A fin l3, also integrally formed with the nipple, is preferably disposed 25 behind the pad l2 and longitudinally of the nipple to serve as a support to lend rigidity to the pad l2 and insure its being held in a position substantially perpendicular to the mouth end of the nipple. The fin I3 may, if desired, be en- 30 larged as shown at M to serve as a finger grip by means, of which the nipple may conveniently be picked up and manipulated in placing it over the neck of the bottle. Ribs l5 (see Figs. 4 and 5), similar to but smaller than the rib l3, serve '35 to lend further rigidity to the pad l2 and to prevent the wing-like ends thereof from being too readily bent back. While the nipple is considerably thickened by the reinforcing ribs l3 and I5 along its top surface, the opposite or lower sur- 40 face thereof, and particularly that portion shown at It in Fig. 3, is not thickened but is preferably made slightly thinner than is customary practice in most nipples so as to permit free forward and chewing motion of the lower jaw during nursing. 45

The modified form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 comprises a pad I! similar to the pad l2 shown in the other form, but joined to a ring 18 rather than being formed as a part of the nipple itself. The ring l8, as illustrated in Fig. 6, 50

is adapted to he slipped over a conventional nipple so that the benefits derived from the present invention may be obtained through the medium of an attachment to the nipple as well as through a specially designed nipple. The pad I1 is pref- 5 erably also reinforced and held in an erect position by a rib I9 which bears against the nipple upon which it is placed. The ring [8 as here shown is formed of rubber sufficiently resilient to admit of its being placed over the nipple and caused firmly to adhere thereto. This ring, however, may be formed of metal or other material and any suitable means may be used for securing the pad I! in proper position relative to the nipple.

It is an established fact that the formation of the lower jaw is largely responsible for the position in which the teeth erupt. A receding or under-developed lower jaw results in crowding, misalignment, and irregularity of teeth, and even though o-rthodontia is resorted to for aligning the teeth, there is a great tendency for them to return to their irregular position as the result of antagonistic forces exerted by the bones of the underdeveloped jaw. It has been established through clinical tests that development of the lower jaw, especially prior to the eruption of the first teeth, is extremely valuable not only as a preventative of misaligned or crooked teeth, but also to improve the general appearance of the face and to insure proper development of the respiratory passages which prevents the growth of adenoids and other related disorders.

The practice of encouraging growth or development of the lower jaw in infancy is increasing rapidly among the medical and dental professions, and a nipple constructed in accordance with the present invention provides a simple and inexpensive device by which such development may be produced with remarkable facility and without the necessity of costly appliances, uncomfortable to the child and requiring technical supervision during their adjustment. The nipple causes the same exercise to the muscles of the lower jaw, throat, and tongue which is an aid in developing the lower jaw as of breast feeding. The baby at the breast always thrusts the lower jaw forward to relieve the pressure on the nostrils so it can breathe. This nipple, by having the contact only on the upper lip, the lower part of the nipple being quite resilient, invites the lower jaw and tongue to come forward, relieving the blocking of the throat and automatically produces exercise encouraging jaw development.

While the invention has been set forth herein by description of a specific form, it is to be understood that it is not limited to this particular form, which may be varied within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1 A nursing nipple comprising in combination with the usual mouthpiece an integrally formed resilient pad extending transversely and above the mouthpiece to engage the upper lip only of the nursing infant and encourage the lower jaw being thrust forwardly during nursing.

2. A nursing nipple having the usual mouthpiece and comprising a transversely resilient integrally formed pad engageable with the upper lip only of the nursing infant and reinforced against rearward flexing movement by integrally molded ribs.

3. An attachment for a nursing nipple comprising a member supported by the nipple in a position to engage the upper lip of the nursing infant and positioned to permit free forward movement of the lower jaw.

.4. An attachment for a nursing nipple comprising a pad shaped for engagement with the upper lip of an infant and means for securing said pad to the nipple in a position to limit the distance to which the nipple may be drawn into the mouth without obstructing forward movement of the lower jaw during nursing.

5. The combination with a nursing nipple of a pad shaped to conform to the upper lip of an infant and positioned to engage the upper lip while the infant is nursing and to permit the lower jaw to be thrust forwardly, and reinforcing means between the pad and the nipple whereby the pad. will be sufiiciently rigid to prevent the end of the nipple being drawn too far into the mouth.

6. The combination with a nursing nipple of a pad positioned adjacent the end of the nipple substantially at a right angle thereto and extending transversely of the nipple to bear against the upper lip of a nursing infant to prevent the nipple being taken too far into the mouth and to encourage the infant to exercise its lower jaw in nursing, and reinforcing means comprising rib's formed on the back of said pad and extending to the nipple.

7. In combination with a nursing nipple having the usual mouthpiece and bottle engaging portion, a lip engaging pad formed integrally with the nipple substantially perpendicular to the mouthpiece, said pad being of a size and shape to engage the upper lip of a nursing infant but to permit the lower jaw to be thrust forwardly in nursing, and a plurality of integral reinforcing ribs extending from the back of the pad to the said bottle engaging portion of the nipple to prevent collapse of the nipple behind the pad and retain the pad in its proper position during use.

CORMAN O. EDWARDS.

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