US2942746A - Nurser - Google Patents

Description

June 28, 1960 c. R. Pom-House ETAL 2,942,746

NURSER Filed May 3l, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 l Arron/vir June 28, 1960 c. R. PoRTHousE l-:TAL 2,942,746

NURSER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 3l, 1957 lVV//hawf E. MCI/7 fos Cy/v/ f?. Por/house INVENTORS BY@ United States Patent O NURSER Cyril R. Porthouse, Kent, and William B. McIntosh,

Akron, Ohio, assignors to The Pyramid Rubber Company, Ravenna, Ohio, a corporation 'of Ohio Filed May 31, 1957, Ser. No. 662,795

3 Claims. (Cl. 21S-11) This invention pertains to nursing bottles, better termed nursing units or simply nursers, i.e., a bottle or other container for liquid having a nipple at the mouth of the bottle through which the liquid can be withdrawn. The invention pertains 'particularly to nursers having some means for admitting air to the nurser as liquid is withdrawn, thereby preventing a vacuum from building up inside.

This application is a continuation in part of our prior copending application S.N. 453,292, tiled August 31, 1954, entitled Nurser, which was a continuation-inpart of our application S.N. 441,784, filed .Tuly 7, 1954, now abandoned, which was tto-pending therewith, entitled Nursen A vacuum makes it dicult to suck liquid from a nurser and ultimately causes. the nipple to collapse completely, preventing further withdrawal of liquid. When an infant cannot easily suck liquid from the nurser it begins to swallow air which causes stomach distress known as colic. v

On the other hand, if a nurser is too freely vented the liquid will flow out of the nipple by gravity withoutany sucking by the infant. Filling the infants mouth with liquid when it is not prepared to receive it may cause the liquid to run down the windpipe instead of into the stomach, thereby preventing normal respiration and also irritating the lining of the windpipe, this type of distress being known as choking or gagging.

A nurser which is vented sumciently to prevent substantial vacuum buildup but not so much as to allow substantial gravity feed may be said to -be properly vented. However, the degree of venting corresponding to proper venting may occupy a certain range within which changes in the size of the Vent opening will serve to regulate the rate of flow from the uurser.

lt is an object of the invention to provide a nurser having venting means which can be adjusted to bring the venting within the proper range. A

it is a further object of the invention to provide a nurser having venting means which can be adjusted wihtin the rmge of proper venting to regulate therate of liquid ilow from the nurser.

It is'another object of the invention to provide anurser l which will not leak liquid through the venting means.

A further object of the invention is to provide better means for securing the` nippleV to the mouth of the liquid container. t

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the. following description of preferred. embodiments thereof in which:`

Figure lis a vertical section through a nurser embodyingthe invention;

Figure 1A is a front elevation of the nipple shown in Figure 1; l

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the screw cap forming part of the nurser shown in Figure l;

Figures 3 and 4 are vertical sections through a nurser l embodying the invent-ion showing a modied form Mice thereof, the sections being taken on lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Figure 5;

Figure 5 is a top view of a bottle used in the nurser of the Figures 3 and 4 embodiment of the invention, and also for comparison showing at 1 1 the plane of Vthe Figure 1 section;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section through the top of the nurser of the Figures 3 and 4 embodiment taken on line 6-6 of Figure 7; and

Figure 7 is a vertical section on the line 771ofrFig ure 6.

Figure 8 is a plan View of a seal disc suitable for use with either embodiment of the invention;

Figure 9 is a quarter section showing the nurser of Figure 1 with the nipple inverted and the seal di'sc in place to seal the nurser for storage or travel; and

FigureslOA, 10B, and 11 are fragmentary vertical sections showing `further modified forms of the invention.

Referring now to Figure l there is shown a nurser comprising a glass bottle or other liquid container 11, only the upper portion of which is shown. The bottle is provided with a decorative bead 12 around its neck and a screw thread 13 near its mouth. The lip 14 is rabbeted at l5 around its outer periphery.

Over the mouth of the bottle is disposed a rubber nipple 21, also shown separately in Figure 1A. The nipple has a tubular discharge tip 22, the upper end of which is closed except for one or more small dischargeo'penings (see Figure 3). ri`he lower end of the tip merges with a hollow hemispherical body portion 23. There is an annular shoulder 24 around the lower part of the body portion 23. ree or more radial lugs such as that shown at 25 depend from the underside of shoulder 24. The lower end of the body portion 23 merges with a cylindrical conduit portion 25. Three or more vertical ribs such as that shown at 26A project radially'from conduit 25, preferably being disposed under lugs 25'. At the lower end of the conduit portion is an exterior radial ange 27 which rests on lip 14 of the bottle. The juncture of the yange 27 with conduit portion 26 is of reduced thickness, as shown at 28, in order to permit easy ilexure. A plurality of holes, such as 29, 30, extend through the nipple ange, the outer edges of the holes being tangent to the inner edge of the bottle lip.

A Bakelite cap 4%, also shown separately in Figure 2, holds nipple 2l on bottle 11. The cap has a flat circular disc shaped top portion 41 through the center of which is a hole 42 of slightly larger diameter than the outer diameter of the conduit portion 26, of the nipple, leaving an annular passage 39 therebetween, but of smaller diameter than the outer diameter of shoulder 24. The thickness of the top portion of the cap is equal to the distance between the top of flange 27 and the bottoms of lugs 26. On the lower face of the top portion 41. is a circular -bead or axially extending circular flange 43. Depending from the outer edge of top portion 41 is a'cylindrical skirt 44 which has an internal screw thread 45 which meshes with thread 13 at the bottle mouth. Around the outside of the skirt are disposed three group of three' vertical flutes S1-S9 (see also Figure 7). f

The inner idarneter of the skirt 44 is substantially equal to the outer diameter of m'pple flange 27, and radius of hole 42 is substantially equal to the radial distance from the nipple axis to the extremity of ribs 25A, whereby the nipple 2l is positively centered in cap 4t) and hencel on bottle 11.

In assembling the nurser the nipple tip and body are pushed through the hole in the cap, the nipple collapsing enough to allow shoulder 24 to pass through the ,hole and then expanding again so that shoulder 24 overlaps the inner periphery of the cap, locking the cap between' the nipple llange and the lugs under the shouldero'n' the 3 nipple. 'Ihe cap is then screwed on to the bottle, thereby holding the nipple over the bottle mouth. The bead 43 presses into the top of the ange and the lip Vpresses in to the undersideY of the ange, thereby locking the '-mpple 1n place against radial inward strains created by VV(tugging on the nipple during feeding.

In operation, as liquid is withdrawn Yfrom'the nurser throughthe tip of the nipple, the'lowered pressure in the nurser causes the nipple ange to flex Yinwardly under atmospheric pressure, thereby creating an air pas- `sage Vbetween the top of the flange and underface of the fc'ap-leading' to the holes 29, 30; then entersV the nurserrto equalize the pressure between therinside there- 'of-andthe atmosphere, v4thereby-preventing nipple coli lapse and making vit easier to withdraw'more liquidV from the nurser. Y I Y, i i Y Y The path of 'the air entering the nurser is indicated -by'the' arrows in Figure Yl. lTheV air Venters over the top lportion 41`of cap 40, passing under shoulder 24 between -silmes its original position with the top of its ange in engagement with the-underside of the top of the Cap, vtherebydcovering over the holes 29, 30 and closingV the -passage between cap and flange leading-to the holes 29, 30.1:ron1 annularpassage 39.

vvThe yexact position of the holes 29, 30, .adjacent the inner edge o'f the bottle lip is important. "If the holes were moved outwardly over the bottle lip, theyiwould be `partially or entirely blockedby the bottle. If the holes 'were spaced inwardly from the bottle lip, they might not 'always be tightly blocked by the top of the cap when the`pre'ssures were equalized, thereby allowing liquid to 'leak out of the nurser when turned on its side or upside down as is usual during use. By placingthe holes next tothe inner edge of the bottle where the angeY of the nipple is clamped between the cap'and bottle, there is a strong force tending to hold the portion of the nipple i vangeV around the holes tight against the underside of the cap. This is due partly tothe. thick sectionof the nipple ange and partly to the rigid support provided by the the nurser fast enough to allow as fast discharge as will larger openings. The range of regulation will lie within the total range of adjustment and cover only thatportion of the totali-ange of adjustment corresponding to sufficient but not excessive venting.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 7, there is shown a nurser generally similato that's'hown in Figures l and 2. l

, Vbottle 111 is the same as bottle11 except-for the addi- .tion of'a plurality of radial lugssuch as the three lugs 161, 162, 163 extending across the lip of the nipple.

As shown best in Figures 3 and 5, lug 163 is disposed near the upper and lower ends 164, 165 of the thread A113 at the mouth of the bottle. The thread 113 is the same as thread 13 of bottle 11, and is depressed at 166, 167 over the Vvertical parting line between the two halves `of the molded glass bottle. As shown in Figure 5, the

two lugs 161, 162 are each .spaced 120 degreesY azimuth-- allyY around Vthe vertical axis of the bottle from lug 163. The lugs 161,-162 thuslie near to they thread depressions 166, 167. Y i

When the screw Vcap Y1740 is tightened on bottle 111, the vnipple ange '127 is pressed down tight on bottle lip 114 V(see Figure 4) and the rubber of the nipple ange flows Vto t closely around the'lugs`161, 162, 163. Unless the cap is screwed on very tight, however, passages will be `left under the nipple ange and over Vthe bottle lip Von each vside of each lug. -See for example passages 168, 169 adjacent Vlug Y163 in Figure 3 and 7, shown greatly exaggerated in size for clarity.

The assembly of the nurser ofV Figures 3-7 is thesame as that of the nurser of Figures 1 and 2. The operation is similar.` However, in the embodiment of Figures 3-7 the passages for air flow are never closed when the nurser is in use, the natural resistance to liquid ow of capillary passages such as 168, 169 being relied upon to cap `and bottle immediately adjacent to the holes which tends to keep the flange parallel to and in contact with the'underside of the cap; Farther toward the center ofY the nipple, there is a tendency for the nipple to sag, particularly as the thin section 28 is approached. By making the nipple ange flexible, especially near the center,

and placing the holes as far from the center as possible, i

. from the nurser.

A most important advantage of placingj'the holes in the Anipple adjacent the inner edge of the bottle lip lies in the fact that when so placed the size of the holes prevent leakage of liquid from the nurser.

VYThe air intakes paths of the Figures 3-7 are best shown in Figures 3 and.7. The air enters under the'lower edge of skirt 154v and passes between the bottle and cap at each of the thread depressions 166, 167 to the nearby passages over the bottle lip adjacent lugs 162, 163, .and passes between the bottleV and cap between the thread ends 164, 16S, to the nearby passages 168, 169 over the bottle lip adjacent lugs 163.

I As best shown in Figures 6 and 7,-the bead 143 cooperates with the lugs 161, 162, 163, by concentrating thepressure and causing the rubber to ow in closer against the lug than at Vpoints not under the bead. Bead 143 thus has a dual function inthe embodiment of can lbe Vadjusted by screwing the cap up tighter or less tially incompressible Vat ordinary pressures, itfiows when .subjected to unequal pressure, and hence ows inwardly to close up `the holes 29, 30 when the cap isV screwed on tight.Y The sizeof the openings can Y.thus be adjusted ac- Y cording to the degree of tightness of the screw. cap 'which tight on the bottle. Since rubber, like water, is ,substan- In addition, the Y'size of the openings can be reduced-.or 1

enlarged within therange` of proper venting to regulate time: rate/ ot teeding,.since small openings willjnot Yvent Fig1'1res`3-7.v As in the vFigures 1 and 2 embodiment, the size of the vent openings is adjusted by varying the tightness of the screw cap. In this way` vthe sizeof the kopenings can be adjustedjuntil brought with the range of properventingunder widely Vvarying circumstances, and

thereafter the flowrof the nurser, can be regulated within suchrangeby minor adjustments of the tightness of the screw cap. 'l 1 l, Y

l Referring now to Figure 8, there is shownV a Bakelite seal disc 200 comprising a Yflat outer rim 201,` a'circular central `depressed area 202A,Y 202B,.an upstanding semicircular flange 20,3, and an upstanding Valmularilange or bead 204. j Y VFigure 9 shows how Vthe nurser is arranged forstorage and travel, the nipple21 Vbeing invertedA and the seal disc being disposed over the nipple andthe cap 40 screwed nrlac' @ver them with the .flange v2.04` extendiagthrough holed?, lto neutralize the u,disc over the nipple. The depressed'area ofthe disc seals against the conduit portion 2,6 of the nipple to prevent liquid leaking through the discharge holes such as 70 in the tip of the nipple ,from escaping, and the rim 201 sealing over the vent holes such as 29 to prevent leakage therethrough. Since the central area of ther disc is depressed slightly below the rim 201, it causestthe nipple to he pushed down into the bottle slightly so that the elasticity of the nurser pushes it tight against the disc -to form a tight seal.

'The' nurser of the Figures -3-7 embodiment is also sealed for travel and storage by means of the seal disc shownY inFigure 8, the disposition of the discrelative to the nipple beingA the same as that shown in Figure `9. By screwing the cap on very tight the vent passages adjacent lugs 1.61, 162 can be completely closed. When it is desired to `use the nurser after storage, the cap is unscrewed and the nipple anddisc are picked up together between thumb and foreiinger placed at diametrically opposite 'sides of the peripheries thereof. The nipple tip is then placed in the hole in the cap and the body and shoulder of the nipple are pushed through using the seal disc as a pushing tool. The seal disc is easily held by the iiange 203 between thumb and forenger. After the nipple has been locked in place inthe cap, the cap is screwed onto the bottle and the disc laid aside for future use. By this method of assembly the nipple tip and body need not be touched with the hand.

It is to be noted that in both embodiments of the invention there is provided a nurser which has venting means that can be adjusted to the proper range and -by minor adjustments within that range the iiow can be regulated. To the achievement of this fine control the vertical ribs 151-159 forming a good hand grip make an important contribution.

The nipple shown in the Figures 1 and 9 embodiment may be used with the bottle of the Figures 3-7 embodiment, the cap shown in Figure 2 and the disc shown in Figure 8 being the same in both embodiments. By combining the nipple shown in Figures 1 and 9 with the bottle shown in Figures 3-7, a dual venting system is provided which permits a wider range of adjustment. Such an arrangement is shown in Figure 10B. Also, in such a dual venting construction, the holes in the nipple could be moved inwardly away from the bottle lip, as shown in Figure 10A, so as to be unaiected by the compression of the nipple ange by the screw cap. In such case the holes through the nipple flange would provide a constant amount of venting which would be made small enough so that a certain amount of additional venting over the bottle lip would be desirable and regulation would be accomplished by varying the size of the vent passages over the bottle lip. A dual venting system makes possible the use of lower ribs across the bottle lip since a part of the venting is through the holes in the nipple flange. This decreases any tendency for leakage over the bottle lip and enhances capability of smooth regulation.

Figure 11 shows a modification of the Figure l embodiment in which the single annular bead 43 on the underside of the screw cap is moved inwardly adjacent the inner edge of the bottle lip to the position shown at 43A whereby the bead serves not only to retain the nipple better but also assists in Varying the size of hole 29 enhancing regulation of the nurser. If desired, an additional annular bead 43B may be provided nearer the outer periphery of the bottle lip where it can more easily force the outer edge of the nipple down into rabbet 15. For clarity in showing the rabbet 1S the rubber of the nipple flange is not shown as pushed down into the rabbet in any of the drawings although obviously it is actually so displaced. It may also be mentioned in connection with the drawings that the outer edge of the nipple ange will preferably actually be in contact with the inner periphery of the skirt of the screw cap whose internal diameter at this point is equal to the internal diameter of the crest of its screw thread. Thus the edge of `the nipple flange is closely v`supported on .sides `so that compression of the ange -Will more positively cause tlow of the rubber radially inwardly and vary the fsize of the vent hole 29.

The Figure 11 dual bead ,cap can `be used also With the bottle and nipple shown in Figure 3 .or Figure 10A or Figure 10B as well as with the Abottle and nipple o f Figure l as shownin Figure 11. ,K

While preferred embodiments ofthe invention have been shown and described, many modifications .thereof can be made by one skilled in the art `without departing from the `spirit of the invention and -itis desired to protect by Letters Patent all forms of the linvention falling VWithin the scope of the following claims.

We claim: j l

l. In a nurser comprising a bottle having a screw thread around its neck, a rubber nipple having an annular flange extending radially therefrom, the youter portion of Asaid flange extending over and being supported by thelip of the bottle, and a cap having an apertured discrpQrtion ttng over the nipple ange clamping vsaid outer portion of the nipple flange to said bottle lip and having a depending annular skirt portion internally threaded to engage the bottle thread, the inner diameter of said ange being smaller than the inner diameter of said lip, leaving an inner portion of said ilange unsupported by said bottle lip, said nipple flange having a vent hole of uniform crosssection extending transversely through said unsupported portion thereof, said disc portion of said cap normally engaging said inner portion of the nipple ange inwardly from said vent hole, the portion of the lip-facing surface of said ange immediately adjacent said Vent hole being iiat and the terminus of said vent hole at said surface being coplanar with the undersurface of said outer portion of said flange that is supported by the lip lof the bottle, said inner portion of the nipple flange having an annular portion of reduced thickness located inwardly from said vent hole providing flexibility to the nipple ange, Whereby there is provided a valve action in that on creation of a partial vacuum in the bottle said inner portion of the nipple flange exes away from the disc portion of the cap covering the top of said vent hole to relieve the vacuum following which said inner portion of the ange returns to engagement with the underside of the cap to close the top of the vent hole against leakage of liquid from the nurser; the improvement according to which said Vent hole through the inner portion of the nipple ange is located at the juncture of said outer portion and said inner portion of said nipple flange immediately adjacent and tangent to the inner edge yof the bottle lip; and there is provided a rabbet around the outer periphery of the bottle lip cooperating with annular retaining means between the underside of the screw cap and the top of the nipple iiange overlying the bottle lip to maintain precisely said location of said vent hole despite tension on said nipple during use, said rabbet receiving rubber owing from said outer portion `of said nipple lange in response to engagement of said annular retaining means between said cap and nipple iiange; said cap, bottle lip, and inner portion of said nipple iiange then coniining said outer portion of said nipple iiange in that the under surface of said disc portion of the cap fully and directly engages the top of said outer portion of the nipple flange, and the top of the bottle lip fully and directly engages the bottom of said outer portion of nipple flange, and the inner diameter of the upper portion of the skirt is las small as the inner diameter of theV crest of the thread inside the skirt, and the outer diameter of the nipple flange directly and fully engages the inside of said upper portion of the skirt, the fact that the outer diameter of the nipple ange equals the inner diameter tof the uppermost portion of the skirt also serving to position said vent hole precisely initially; yand in addition to said annular retaining means there is provided between the underside of the `screw cap and the

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