US3077279A

US3077279A - Infant medicine self-feeder

Info

Publication number: US3077279A
Application number: US848175A
Authority: US
Inventors: Donita L Mitchell
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1959-10-19
Filing date: 1959-10-19
Publication date: 1963-02-12
Anticipated expiration: 1980-02-12

Description

Feb. 12 1963 D. l.. MncHELL 3,077,279

INFANT MEDICINE SELF-FEEDER Original Filed Dec. 5. 1956 v 70 8 64 I 74l`n`\ 6? .1 f6 f l j l 56 f4 Fig 4 72 6 'INVENTOR.

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sans? Eiatented Feb. l2, 1953 SAY/7,279 WANT l'viEBICiNE SELF-FEEDER Bonita L. Mitchell, 2096 Benson Garden Bird., rnnha, Nebr. Continuation of appiication Ser. No. @ef-%, Dec. 5, 1956. This application Det. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 34S,l7 1 Ciaim. (Cl. 21S-l) This invention relates to a device for the giving of medicine to infants which has problems quite unique aS compared with bottle feeding of milk to infants.

When medicine is fed to a baby with a spoon the babll frequently knocks the spoon away, spilling valuable medicine.

Also use of a spoon is very inaccurate because spoons are, as a rule, seldom of standard size.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide the Worlds first medicine nipple having volume calibrations relating specifically to the volume of the space between the lower end opening of the nipple and the various calibrations.

A particular object is to provide an infants medicine self-feeder which is adapted to remain in a -babys mouth during most of the sleeping movements of a tiny baby and while the baby is unattended whereby the sleeping infant can slowly drink the medicine in between naps and even substantially without awakening. This is attained through my concept of an infants self-feeder of such a short total length from its bottom end to its upper end and particularly being suiiiciently short in height and of suiciently little weight in those parts of the feeder which are above the nipple and the feeder being otherwise so shaped and Weighted yas not to be excessively top heavy so that an infant'can easily hold the self-feeder in its mouth for the gradual drinking of the medicine by the baby while unattended.

A particular object is to provide the worlds irst babys medicine feeder having calibrations on a flexible nipple. I am aware that medicine droppers and other rigid devices have been calibrated heretofore and that one is shown in the Italian patent to Savary, Patent No. 501,932, printed Dec. 1955. However such a device is not adapted to be held by a baby in its mouth because it lacks a flexible resilient nipple as is vital because of familiarity to small children because of its similarity to the mothers breast. I am also aware that the common baby bottle has a ilexible nipple and that the bottle in a sense functions as a cap. However such nipples are never calibrated as iS necessary for my new concept and use, a medicine feeder specifically.

Also the commonbaby bottle is much too long and top heavy to serve as a self-feeder capable of being held by an infant in its mouth unattended as is one of my main concepts.

This application is a continuation of the applicants co-pending patent application Serial 626,435, filed December 5, 1956, and now abandoned.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the invention embodies an elongated nipple having a small mouth engaging portion of soft rubber and a larger body portion of relatively heavy rubber, a container in which the nipple is positioned, and a cap for gripping a rim on the large portion of the nipple for supporting the nipple in the container and for holding the nipple in use.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection withthe drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded View showing the cap, nipple and container with parts broken away and with remaining portions of the parts shown in section;

FiG. 2 is a side elevational view of a medicament aclministering nipple assembly with the nipple shown in `broken lines therein;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the assembly with the parts as shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section through the upper portion of a medicament administering nipple assembly, illustrating a modification wherein the container is provided with a `collar that is threaded on the container and on which the cap is threaded for retaining the nipple in position as it is `filled and used.

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the above-referred-to drawings, it is to ybe understood that they are merely for the purpose of illustration, and that various changes in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that the invention may be utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from the spirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only in accordance with the appended claim. And while there is stated the primary field of utility of the invention, it remains obvious that it may be employed in any other capacity where-in it may be found applicable.

in the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, the same reference characters are used to designate the same parts and elements throughout, and in which the numeral It) refers to the invention in its entirety, numeral l2 indicating a nipple having a small lowerI portion ld of thin resilient material, such as rubber, and having radially disposed slits lo therein, and a large upper portion 18 of relatively thick resilient material, such as rub-ber or plastic, numeral 2i) indicating a container hav.

ing a concave base 22, and numeral 24- indicating a cap. having a base 26 with a rim 28, U-shaped in cross section, a peripheral flange Si! frictionally retained on the upper edge of the container and extended from the rim 28, and a handle 32 extended from the rim 2S, and a handle 32 extended from the base 25.

The large upper portion 18 of the nipple is provided with an annular ring 3d that extends outwardly to engage the inner surface of the container wall, then upwardly to provide an inner cylindrical portion 36 from which an annular ring 38 extends, and which is connected by the annular ring to a cylindrical flange 4f) which forms a rim at the open end of the nipple.

The flange dit is positioned in an annular recess i2 in the rim 2S of the cap Zd, as shown in FIGURE 3, and when it is desired to fill the nipple with medicament or the like the nipple is positioned in the container 2t? and the cap removed. A shoulder 4d at the lower end of the flange dit rests upon the upper edge of the container wall,

`and after `a measured amount of medicament is deposited in the nipple, until it reaches one of the graduations do,

cap is replaced with lthe flange dit nested in the recess d2. The base 26 of ti e cap is provided with an opening d@ providing a vent to facilitate drawing the medicament from the nipple.

The wall of the container 2i?, which is also formed of transparent material, is provided with graduations Si?, representing teaspoonsful or tablespoonsful, or parts thereof, as indicated by the numeral 52.

The graduations 52 (FEGURE 2) can be called calibrations and the teaspoonsful or tablespoonsful 52 can be called indicia, and both indicate the volume of the nipple in the space from the calibration 4to the lower end at the slits lo, and each are spaced vdifferent distances from the lower end of the nipple.

In the design shown in 17`IGURE 4, the upper end of the wall of a container 5d is threaded and an internally threaded fiange 56 of a collar 58 is threaded thereon. The collar is provided with an inner annular fiange 6i) and an internally threaded cylindrical wall 62 extends up- YA nipple 72 used in the container shown in FIGURE is providedwith an annular flange .74 and .an annularV .bead k76 on the outer. surface of the nipple and spaced fromthe .ange4 7d provides a.recess 78 into which the inne-rjedgefof the flange 7d provides a recess '78v into whiclrthe inner edge of the iiangc'stl extends.` 'With the inner edgeof the `flange 160 inthe recess'78 andthe peripheral edge of the flange 7d held'by the' flange `of the cap 64 the nipple is securely held in the collar and cap 'so' thatit may readily b'e held by bandas it is inserted in the mouthsoflan infant inuse, and with'the cap rel# inoved the nipple is s upported'in aniinverted position to facilitateplacing medicament therein. l

" The nipple is made of rubbenplastic, or4 other suitable flexible 'or'resilient' material; yand as'stated heretoforeythe small portion'is ofjrelatively thin material so'thatit is soft and the pupperjorlarger Vportion is 'of relatively thick or stifjmaterialwherebyl therim has sufficient body or rigidity to provide `holding means ywhenY positionedon the"container-or nestednthecap.' ""`With-the nipplesubstantiallynealedin -the container it isprotected romdust, dirt, and the like, so that 'after being sterilized thereis` no possibility 'of "the `nipple being contaminated'bylc'orning'. in contactwithother'objects'or devices; f"'The` nipple 'shouldbe formed'integr'ally of a single piece of` material. V:Neverthelessit-is believed advantageous that the yupper portion ofthe nipple includingk the flange aor'nars wardl'y from'the fangelri'nlhe device is provided with a fla larger infants will drink the medicine before they are likely to turn over' any way.

While the total height l that is preferred is 3 and 5/{52 inches or approximately 3 and 1/z inches nevertheless the total height fof approximately four inches or less is also workable, itl-will Aalso be seen'thatA other vvariations in dimensions will serve to substantially I it the intended operation of -t'ne self-feeder. Y

` It Willbe seen that the essencevoflthe invention is that my medicine feeder has` a stability against tipping over when the feedenis inI an--infants mouth unsupported, .which is substantially that of a feederhaving the following characteristics: arnaximum' height or length of feeder,

' Whendisposednipple downwardly jof substantially four inches,' preferably substantially three and ivethirtyseconds inches and a total maximum width, ofsubstantially one yand one-fourth inches, yand otherwise'sof a construction having an interior of substantially a maximum size'proportional't0l the outside dimensions 4of the feeder 40,- the'cylindrical portion 36and preferably also. the i' annular ring portion Sdi-and'possibly other pcn'tions'witlrv the lexception :of thesmall lower portion ftd can 'be more stii thanthepreferablyfvery-'flexiblyA lower portion/so that'the 'nippletends to'y hold it's'po'sition and not collapse at its-upper-'end and is suiiiciently exible'foi' 'comfortable tllselbyeani infantfat the-flower end. 'e `Since' Athe main-object of the invention is to provide an infants medicine self-feeder which is adapted to, remain in'its mouth `during-mostiofitheisleep movements of the i y tinybaby wherethe babyis unattended' whereby the lin-I faut canslowly drink the -rnedicine'during naps andjeven substantially 'not awakening, -myeinfanfs short?` feeder' is of a totallengthfrom-its'bottom and'at the ltip `of 'its nip- 4 ple xto its 'upper end, v-orin'o-ther words fro-inthe bottom' to the top of the feeder, as i't'isseeninthe center viewof FIG; 1. This total length or height is preferably `short and-the nipple itself is of sufficiently 'little-weight: in those parts-ofthe feeder which areabovethe nipple: andtheY .feeder isfotherwise so shapednand weighted so as"not to be excessively top-heavy so that the infant can easilyhold. y, the .self-feeder in its mouth vfor thegradualldrinking of l the r'ri'edicine'by the baby .while unattended. I prefer' atotalheightor length `ofthe feederlvas these terms'tarelthusfdescribed/which is 3 and I@g2 inches and -the ,total.width of the ,uppermost portion of. the feeder. 'fat the flange 40 is preferably 1 and 1A inches, -the width and'diameter of the larger'upper portion 1S of the nipple being-,l and'ls inches.

The lower' tip ,of the nippleitsel'fhas an inner diameter sothat the feeder is substantiallywithoutv unnecessary weight; the nipple and cap portions Aall being formed of substances iof substantially lno 'greater specific weight than naturalrubber for avoidance'of-excessivev weight.

- Vt isthoughtthat personsskill'edintheart -to which the invention relates will be able tolobtain a clear nnders'tandingofithe- -inventionafter considering the descriptio'nfin connection withthedrawings. vvTherefore, a-more lengthy' description" is "regarded ias unnecessary.

' Changesl-in-shapeysize,` and-rearrangement'of details and parts, `'such y-asvoome Within the purview of` the'invention claimedmaybe resorted to in Yactual practice, if c-lesired.

U A-'medicament"feeder-comprisinga tapered exible, resilient' transparent-*nipple having a smaller? lower Yend and' a 'larger--upwardly-fopening upper end; -anda Acap removably `attached ltol and substantially sealing saidopen upper endv `of 'said nipple; ysaid -selfeeder being of such a-i-short-len'g'thi-froni its' bottoml-endto'its'upperfend-and being so shaped and weighted as not to be excessively topheavyJ so thats-an infant canfeasily hold-itin'itsemouth withlthe smallend 'of the nipple' downward whereby the l infant can-graduallydrinKLthelrnedicine'while asleep/and unattended without' disturbingt-he infantsirest andthereby avoiding l awakening the '-child-Jandlthe possibility -ofY the c'hilds knt'ncki'ngf the self-feeder away,- said lnipple -being =hollow with a.-substantiallyf open interior" `for-'receiving and permitting thel free 'f'tldw fof lmedicineftheretbrough, sa'idnipple'having a lower Iiend-openingrfofdelivery--of fourth-inches; whereby. saidk feedert has'stability 'againsty niedicinaameansf for venting fSaid fself-fe'eder fabove the majonpart 'ofisaidnipple to permitl'sucking off'medicine by the finfant,vl the:v nipple'.y and -capvportions'fofsaidfeeder both y being formedl Tof VLm'aterial:which is fof a: specic gravity not substantially greater than natural rubber, said feeder. having an 'interior v`of substantiallyl '-a maximum sizeproportional. to its'routsidevdimensions so 'as to `be substantially without:unnecessaryweight, and at leastone calibration spaced from the said lower end andindicating the volume of medicine intheinippl'e betweensaid lower end and Lsaidlcalibration whereby accuracy can be attained, the total height ofssaid feeder whendisposed nipplefdownward being substantially ffour inches or less and the total maximum width being .substantially one `and onetipping Aover whenzthefeeder is in an infants mouth.

. "References Cited in the levofbthispatent .IUNITED STATES PATENTS Range slslrlrnlrcn-; Mar. 5, s