US2803365A - Nursing unit - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 20, 1957 M, ALLEN 2,803,365

NURSING UNIT Filed NOV. 18, 1952' 3 Sheeis-Sheet l ATTORNEY Aug. 20, 1957 ALLEN 2,803,365

NURSING UNIT Filed Nov. 18, 1952 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ADDA 'u. ALLEN W; Mun

ATTORNEY A. M. ALLEN NURSING UNIT Aug. 20, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 18, 1952 .INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,893,365 Patented Aug. 20, 1957 ice NURSING UNIT Adda M. Allen, The Plains, Va., assignor to Disposable Bottle Corporation, Washington, D. C., a corporation of Delaware Application November 18, 1952, Serial No. 321,173

12 Claims. (Cl. 215-11) The present invention relates to a nursing unit, and particularly to such a unit including a bag or container portion, and a breast and nipple portion, all formed integrally of a thin pliable film-like plastic material. The nursing unit of the present invention is completely disposable, in the sense that it may be thrown away, after its initial use.

It is an object of the invention to provide such a nursing unit of cheap and simple construction, which as stated, may be disposed of after the initial use, thereby eliminating the trouble and labor which is now commonly involved, in the sterilization of parts of nursing units of conventional design.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a nursing unit which provides for sterile sealing of the nursing liquid in the disposable container, and in view of the disposable nature of the unit, contamination of the nursing liquid is avoided.

Another important object of the invention is to provide such a nursing unit which does not employ any rigid parts, but which is characterized throughout by a softness and pliability, whereby the unit stimulates the softness of the mothers breast, during the nursing operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a nursing unit which has a breast portion consisting of air pockets or chambers, separated from the liquid chamber of the unit. These air chambers are capable of being inflated with air, so as to provide a soft and yielding area surrounding the nipple, which is presented to the infants lips and cheeks, thereby simulating the softness of the mothers breast during the nursing operation.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as the description progresses.

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a nursing unit formed in accordance with the present invention.

.Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the nursing unit, showing the container bag partially cut away and indicating the presence of nursing liquid therein.

Fig. 3 is a central transverse vertical sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a similar transverse vertical sectional view through the nursing unit taken generally in a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 3. Certain of the parts are broken away in order to illustrate the relative arrangement of the air and liquid chambers and the outlet of the liquid into the nipple structure.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail view, showing the air chamher and associated valve for filling same.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of the nipple or staff of the nursing unit.

Figs. 9 through .13 are views of the tubular plastic stock, showing the sequence of heat sealing and cutting operations which are involved in forming the nursing unit of the present invention, Fig. 11 being a side elevational view of Fig. 10.

The entire nursing unit is made of a satisfactory commercial non-toxic plastic material, in sheet or tubular form, which is thin, pliable, and preferably transparent, in order to perform during nursing in the manner described herein. Of course, the material must be strong and tough enough to withstand the use to which it is being put. I have found one acceptable material which is known as polyethylene, a film-like material, transparent, on the order of .002" in thickness, capable of retracting as the contents of the container are being withdrawn by nursing action, so that the nursing unit will be self-lactating. When the container is filled, it may be pressed by the fingers to initially expel any air prior to nursing and to assist the discharge of the formula through the nipple in the case of difiicult feeders. An acceptable material is that which is described in my Patent No. 2,508,481, dated May .23, 1950, and the references referred to therein, and the disclosure of this prior patent with respect to the material referred to is made a part hereof by reference.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the nursing unit, which is of integral construction, is formed entirely of this plastic material, as referred to, and it consists of a main container portion C having a breast portion B at one end thereof, and an extending nipple or staff portion N, which is suitably perforated to permit the nursing action. The container portion C may be of generally cylindrical shape, although its contour will be altered somewhat by the heat sealing operations described herein, and, of course, the shape of the container will be somewhat altered by the presence of the nursing liquid therein.

The container portion of the unit is preferably initially heat sealed at the bottom along the area 26' (Fig. 2), and it is filled through a suitable one way valve structure as indicated and hereinafter described.

The container portion of the unit may be left open at and filled from the bottom, with the nursing liquid, and after it is filled the bottom open edges of the container bag may be closed by a suitable clamp, for instance, as described in the Allen et al. Patent 2,460,329, of.Feb. .1, 1949, and illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 of that patent. Of course, other suitable means may be employed to close the open lower or filling end of the container, after it has been filled.

The upper end of the container bag is formed in a generally curved surface 10, simulating the contour of the mothers breast, and this end or breast portion, also comprises separate air chambers A which may be inflated at the time of manufacture or at the time the container is filled. The air chambers A are separate and isolated from the interior of the main container portion C which carries the nursing liquid. The air chambers, on the .opposite sides of the structure, as viewed in Fig. 2, are connected by vertical passages 14 and 16 and a top passage 18, which passages surround a central nursing liquid passage 20, which forms the center portion of the nipple structure, and which is hollow and in communication with the main interior of the liquid chamber C. Suitable nursing openings 22 may be punched in the side wall of the channel 20, for discharge of the nursing liquid during the nursing operation. As perhaps best shown in Fig. 8,

the nipple structure is such that there is an interior liquid channel 20 forming an extension of the main liquid chamber C, and air passages 14, 18 and 16, extend upwardly and over the liquid chamber, td join the opposite air chambers A, so that when one air chamber is inflated, the chamber on the opposite side is likewise filled with air.

in the nursing operation, the staff of the nipple end is taken into the infants mouth, .and when suction is applied by the infant in the nursing action, the liquid is withdrawn from the container C through the openings 22 in the central liquid portion of the nipple end. The air passages 14, 18 and 16 of the nipple staff, when they are inflated, provide for rigidity of the nipple structure, so that the infant will have no difliculty in holding samein its mouth. On the other hand, by reason of thesoftness of the material, and the presence of these air chambers, the nipple is soft and pliable, and will be comfortably received and manipulated in the infants mouth. 7

Similarly, the inflated air chambers A will provide a soft and yielding breast portion, to be presented to the infants cheeks and lips, during the nursing operation.

The construction of the nursing unit, as briefly described above, may perhaps -best be illustrated by a discussion of the method of forming the unit, fromthe flat plastic or film stock, as illustrated in Figs. 9 through 12. I

Fig. 9 illustrates a now conventional method of fabricating this plastic film, into individual units or packages. In Fig. 9, a long length of tubular stock is illustrated, and when thi tubular stock is flattened, it forms a twoply sheet which is customarily heat sealed, to join the plies, as illustrated at 26, whereby the stock may be cut transversely, for instance on the lines 28 and 31 to form a panel P which is closed at the top by the heat seal 26, and open at the bottom, the panel being open at the bottom by reason of the fact that the transverse cut is made along the line 39 just above the heat seal 26'. This illustrates the general manner of forming the container, in accordance with the present invention, except that a novel method of heat sealing is employed in the present invention, along the upper edge of the container panel, in substitution for the heat sealed line 26 of Fig. 9, in order to form the nipple contour and the air chambers of the nursing unit of the present invention as hereinafter described.

Referring to Fig. 10, a two-ply panel of tubular stock is shown at P, and a heat sealing operation is performed along the full line 30 in a curved manner, as illustrated, in order to form the breast portion edge 32 and the nipple structure 34. This heat sealing operation may be performed in any manner well known in the art, as by lowering a heated die of proper contour onto the two-ply stock, and holding this instrument against the stock for a suflicient time, and at a suflicient temperature, to attach the two-plies together along'the lines 30 and Y34.

Thereafter, the stock is out along the dotted line 36, so

that a container is thereby removed from the length of stock, having an upper end formed into the shape of a breast, and protruding nipple, as will be apparent from consideration of Fig. 2.

However, as has been indicated, this invention contemplates a method wherein the air chambers A are formed in the two-ply film stock at the same time that the breast and nipple contours are outlined by the heat sealing. Accordingly, my method provides for a sealing die which will be of such design as to likewise heat seal along the curved lines 49, inwardly of the breast portion, and along the curved extending line 42, within that sealing line 34 previously referred to which establishes the outer'contour of the nipple. Accordingly, when the die of proper design is applied at suitable pressure and with suitable heat to the two-ply stock, the outer contour of the breast and nipple is established and heat sealed, as previously described, and at the same time the inner boundary of the air chamber A is likewise established, by the heat sealing along the lines 40, and similarly, the inner edge of the connecting air chambers 14,

16 and 18 is likewise established, by that portion of the heat-sealing line 42, which extends upwardly into the nipple structure.

As stated, after the heat sealing lines are formed, as previously described, the upper edge of a panel is cut through both plies, along dotted line 36, which is closely adjacent to the lines 30 and 34, whereby the upper end of a panel is removed from the two-ply stock, formed with the breast and nipple contours, and heat sealed so as to provide the air chambers A which are separated from the interior of the main nursing liquid chamber C, as will be apparent from the description previously given. The lower end of a particular nursing unit panel may be out along a line such as 31 (in Fig. 9), so that the lower end of a particular nursing unit or panel will be open, for purposes of filling the main body of the container, at the time the nursing unit is to be used. After filling, the lower end of the unit may be closed in any suitable manner, as by the use of a suitable clamp or the like, as described in the Allen et al. Patent 2,460,329, previously referred to, and as particularly described therein in connection with Figs. 2 and 3 of that patent. However, as otherwise indicated herein, it is preferred to have the bottom end of the container sealed closed, and to fill the same with nursing liquid through a one way valve.

The resulting panel, thus formed, will be generally of the construction illustrated in Fig. 13, after the cutting operation. For purposes of inflating the air chambers A, a suitable opening may be made in the side wall of one air chamber, as at 44, and a small tubular inlet structure 46 may be applied over this opening, to be used for inflating the air chamber, as by the use of a small pump or other suitable inflating implement. Any suitable one way valve structure may be employed, in connection with the fitting 46, so that the air chambers may be sealed, after they are inflated. Fig. 7 illustrates a common means which may be employed for this purpose, comprising a small sheet of plastic 48 which is heat sealed to thewall of the unit, in such manner as to form a confined pocket in which the tubular part 46 of the inlet may be folded and inserted, in order to close off the inlet when the air chambers are inflated. As stated, any other suitable means may be employed for inflating and closing the air chambers, but I have disclosed here the simple expedient of a valve stem 46, with a bottom flange which may be heat sealed to the body of the unit around the opening formed therein, and the overlying heat sealed pocket, all as previously described, the simple means disclosed being only one expedient which may be employed. In general, I contemplate that any type of one way valve structure may be employed to permit inflation of the air chambers while preventing the escape of air after they are filled.

It will be understood that only one inflating opening and valve structure is required, by reason of the fact that the opposite chambers A are connected by the top passages 14, 18 and 16 surrounding'and'overlying the liquid extension chamber 20, all as shown in Fig. 2.

It will also be understood that the two-ply plastic stock, as illustrated in Fig. 10 will be manufactured under sterile conditions, so that when the heat sealing lines are made, as disclosed in Figs. 10 and 11, the product will still'be maintained in a sterile condition, and as individual panel units are removed from the elongated tubular stock, they may likewise be packaged under sterile conditions. Accordingly, when the nursing units are purchased for use in the home or at a hospital, they may be safely filled with the nursing liquid without further sterilization. After filling, the filled units may be stored in a refrigerator in the home. When it is time to nurse the infant, they may be removed from the refrigerator, and the holes 22 may be punched in the nursing liquid channel 20, which forms a part of the nipple structure, after which the unit is in final condition for the feeding operation. After these holes are punched, any air which might remain in the container C may be expelled by simply pressing the container near the lower end thereof, the air being thereby expelled through the openings 22. During nursing, and as the infant withdraws liquid from the container, the material of the main container body C will retract, following the liquid as it is withdrawn, whereby no air will be admitted into the container, to be taken by the infant. If the infant has any difficulty in taking the liquid, or is slow in nursing, the nursing operation may be accelerated by pressing gently against the side walls of the main container body C, thus increasing the flow of the nursing liquid through the openings 22. Of course, any number of openings 22 may be pierced through the walls of the channel 29 depending on the desires and vigor of the infant being fed.

As has been mentioned, that portion of the air chamber which extends throughout the nipple structure gives stability to the nursing staff during the nursing operation. Likewise, the inflated chambers A forming a part of the breast portion give stability to that portion of the nursing unit during the nursing operation. Furthermore, the inflated breast and nipple structure provides a suficient end barrier, which does not reduce in volume during the nursing operation, so that the infant is unable to take more than the nipple structure of the device, into its mouth. It will also be understood that the air chamber, formed as it is to extend throughout the nipple structure, prevents any collapsing of the nipple during the nursing operation, it being understood that collapse of the nipple in the nursing units of the prior art has been a serious problem.

While I have suggested herein the closing of the lower end of the nursing unit by a clamp or the like after the unit is filled, it is preferred that a suitable one. way valve structure for filling the container be provided, such as the type of valve structure which is disclosed for inflating the air chamber A, as illustrated in Figs. 7 and 13. If such a valve is used for filling the container C with liquid, the lower end of the container could be heat sealed as at 26 (Figs. 9 and 1G), and thereafter cut along the line 59, as indicated in the same figures, thus providing a unit which is closed along its lower edge, but formed into the breast, nipple and air chamber structures, along its upper edge as previously described. Prior to the time of use, such unit could be filled through a valve structure similar to that described, which might be located near the lower end of the container as indicated at 52 in Fig. 10.

It will be understood that I do not intend that the structures and methods be limited to the precise form disclosed herein, but that various modifications of the invention can be made which will fall within the claims defining the invention.

1 claim:

1. A disposable nursing unit for infants comprising a hollow container bag for the nursing liquid and a hollow nursing nipple, said bag and said nipple being integrally formed of thin pliable film-like material with said nipple extending from one end of said bag and with its hollow interior communicating with the hollow interior of said bag, the material of said bag on opposite sides thereof being joined together along lines which extend inwardly of the edges thereof to form hollow air receiving chambers adjacent said nipple, said lines including portions which extend transversely of the length of said bag, the interior of said air chambers being separated from the hollow interior of said bag whereby they may be inflated with air to simulate the softness of the mothers breast during nursing.

2. A construction in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are separate air chambers on opposite sides of said nipple, with a passage formed to maintain said air chambers in communication with one another.

3. A construction in accordance with claim 1, wherein there are separate air chambers on opposite sides of said nipple, which are maintained in communication with one another by a connecting air passage which extends upwardly and across the nipple structure and which serve to maintain the nipple against collapsing during nursing.

4. An integrally formed nursing unit of thin pliable film-like material comprising a hollow container bag portion and a hollow nipple portion extending from one end of said bag portion and in interior communication 6 therewith, and hollow air chambers formed from the material of said bag portion adjacent to said nipple portion and separated along a line extending transversely of the length of said bag portion from communication with the interior of said bag portion.

5. A construction in accordance with claim 4, wherein a fitting is provided with an opening therethrough for inflating said air chambers, with means for closing said opening when the air chambers are inflated.

6. A construction in accordance with claim 4, wherein a fitting with an opening therethrough is provided for filling the hollow container bag portion, said fitting having means for closing said opening when the container bag is filled.

7. A nursing nipple for infants comprising a breast portion made of thin pliable film-like material and having a hollow interior and an integral hollow central nursing staff extending outwardly therefrom, said breast portion comprising spaced walls forming a closed chamber adja cent said staff and separated from the hollow interior of said breast portion to receive air in order to simulate the softness of the mothers breast, said chamber being provided with a fitting having an opening therethrough for inflating said chamber with air.

8. A construction in accordance with claim 7, wherein there is an air passage extending upwardly along said staff, and which is in communication with said closed chamber, whereby the staff is held rigid when the interior of the breast portion is filled with air.

9. A construction in accordance with claim 7, wherein said staff is formed with a pair of air passages on opposite sides thereof, and in communication with one another across the top of said staff, and in which said passages are in communication with said closed chamber to provide rigidity for said staff and to maintain it against collapse during the nursing operation.

16. A nursing unit of thin film-like pliable plastic material having a hollow tubular container portion and an integral hollow nipple portion extending from one end thereof, the interior of said nipple portion being in communication with that of said container portion for flow of nursing liquid into said nipple portion, the opposite plies of the material of said container portion at the end thereof adjacent said nipple portion being sealed together along spaced lines extending inwardly of the edges thereof to form a breast portion comprising closed air chambers to simulate the softness of the mothers breast when said chambers are filled with air, said lines including portions which extend transversely of the length of said container portion.

11. The method of forming nursing units from thin pliable thermo-sealing plastic sheet material comprising forming the material into flat tubular form with opposite plies of the tube substantially in contact, applying sealing heat to the flattened material along such curved exterior lines as to join the plies together while defining an individual nursing unit having a nipple formed to extend from one end thereof, similarly applying such heat along interior lines to join the plies and form separate air chambers at the same end of the unit adjacent to said nipple, and cutting both plies of the material outwardly of said exterior lines to form separate nursing units.

12. A method in accordance with claim 11, wherein the sealing heat is applied to define both a rounded breast and a nipple protruding therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 611,207 Morrill Sept. 20, 1898 1,107,339 Milliron Aug. 18, 1914 1,644,096 Voit Oct. 4, 1927 2,245,738 Taylor June 17, 1941 2,344,369 Salfisberg Mar. 14, 1944 2,382,817 Reiss Aug. 14, 1945 (Other references on following page) Allen et a1 Feb. 1, 1949 Kennedy May 24, 1949 Morner Nov. 20, 1951 Allen Jan. 8, 1952 8 Salfisberg Aug. 12, 1952 Hood Dec. 21, 1954 Walter Feb. 15, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Mar. 26, 1913

Images