US3468446A - Infant feeding device - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 23, 1969 w. H. WELCH 3,468,445

INFANT FEEDING DEVICE Filed Aug. 18, 1967 24 v w 1 Q22 arm M MgM United States Patent US. Cl. 215-11 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An infant feeding device assembly including a nipple having air vent holes therein adjacent the finish of the container and provided with flapper valves to seal the vent holes to prevent leakage of the fluid contained within the feeding unit assembly. The assembly also includes a protective cap or shroud structure including a retaining ring which clamps and secures the assembly together. The protective cap covers the nipple during the storage period and is fitted to the assembly in such a manner that it compresses the portion of the nipple containing the vents to positively close them and seal the assembly until it is to be used.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to a novel nipple structure for use with a feeding bottle or container assembly.

In the prior art, it has been found that infant feeding devices which include feeding nipples require means to vent the interior of the container to the atmosphere exterior of the container to equalize pressure therebetween to afiord a regular and easy liquid flow. Otherwise, as the child sucks on the nipple and draws the fluid from the container, a vacuum will be formed within the container causing the nipple to collapse and interrupt the flow of fluid from the container. This situation will frustrate the child, cause excessive sucking, and disrupt the otherwise normal and enjoyable feeding experience.

Vents have been previously provided in infant feeding nipples, such as an arrangement which utilizes the clearance between the retaining ring and the bottle and the nipple structure to allow outside air to pass therebetween. Such arrangements require manual manipulation of the retaining ring to open and close the venting means. An example of this type of structure is found in U.S. Patent No. 2,982,432, granted to R. M. Mehl. Other venting arrangements which are part of the nipple have also been used, which vents have been located inwardly of the finish of the bottle.

With the increasing demand of mothers for convenience foods, it is desirable to have infant formulas commercially available in retail store outlets in sealed containers capable of storage in compact spaces for long periods of time. These containers must be designed to provide an entire infant feeding device including a disposable dispenser container and nipple unit which are maintained under sterile condition while in storage and which must be so constructed as to remain completely sealed and allow no leakage of the fluid therein. Also, when they are to be used, such completely disposable feeding units must provide the required venting means for optimum feeding conditions.

Summary of the invention In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a novel nipple structure having integral venting means which will be effective at all times to prevent the collapsing of the nipple due to pressure reduction within the feeding bottle assembly as the volume of fluid is withdrawn from the container by the infant. The novel nipple structure includes integral venting means which is located outwardly of the bottle finish and requires no manipulation or adjustment prior to or during the feeding process. The novel nipple structure when used in combination with the protective cap or shroud and the retaining rlng means for clamping the assembly together will have its vents sealed and protected prior to its being used.

The structure by which the above advantages and obects of the invention will be obtained is fully described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the feeding unit assembly shown in a closed or sealed position for storage; FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the feeding unit assembly shown in FIGURE 1 with the protective cap or shroud removed from the assembly and the feeding unit ready for use;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the feeding unit assembly having a modified form of nipple structure, which assembly is shown in the closed or sealed condition for storage; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of the modified feeding unit assembly shown in FIGURE 3 with the protective cap or shroud removed and the feeding unit ready for use.

As shown in the drawings, FIGURES 1 and 2, the assembly includes a bottle or container 10, a nipple 12, and a unitary protective cap or shroud and retaining ring assembly indicated generally by the numeral 14.

The bottle 10 has a neck portion 16 and an open end defined by an annular edge 18, conventionally known as the bottle finish. The construction of the container or bottle is generally conventional and will not be discussed further, except to note that the outer periphery of the neck portion 16 has an annular ridge or bead 20. The ridge or bead 20 may be in the form of a helical screw thread of at least one turn extending around the neck 16 or as a continuous coplanar head. The use of either of these two common constructions will depend on the construction of the clamping or retaining ring, which in the present embodiment is a portion of the assembly shown generally at 14.

The retaining cap and clamping ring assembly indicated by the numeral 14, in the present construction, is unitary and comprises a generally cylindrically shaped dome 22 having a closed end 24, depending sidewalls 26, an outwardly extending annular shoulder or flange 28, and an annular depending skirt portion 30. The annular skirt 30 terminates at the point of connection to a retaining or clamping ring 32. The connection of the skirt 30 of the protective cap 22 to the retaining ring 32 is by suitable means such as frangible connect-ions (not shown) which can be readily severed when the feeding unit is readied for use.

The retaining ring 32 comprises an inwardly extending annular flange 34, a depending annular skirt 36, and an inwardly extending annular flange 38. In the illustrated embodiment, the flange 38 is crimped to embrace the lower edge of the bead or ridge 20 to maintain and secure the feeding unit assembly.

The novel nipple structure shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 is made of conventional rubber material, or the like, and has a teat portion 40 defining at least one feeding aperture 42 located at the end thereof. The nipple is hollow and has an outwardly flaring annular lower port-ion 44, an outwardly extending annular base portion including an annular flange 46, an annular vertical sidewall 48, and a larger diameter base flange 50. The base flange 50 is seated and sealingly engages the upper edge surface of the head or ridge 20 of the bottle and is secured thereto 3 by the inwardly extending flange 34 after retaining or clamping ring 42.

On the inner periphery of the annular vertically extending sidewall 48 of the nipple 12, there is provided an inwardly extending annular flange or shoulder 52 which forms with the inner periphery of wall 48 an annular recess 54 providing a flow path over the bottle finish 18. A pair of vent holes are formed in a downwardly extending wall portion 48 of the nipple adjacent the shoulder 50 of the base flange of the nipple and extend therethrough. These vent holes, indicated by the numeral 56, when unlocked are designed to allow air to pass from the exterior of the nipple to the recess 54 on the inside of the nipple and through it to the interior of the container to prevent a vacuum from being formed therein.

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a small flexible upwardly extending projection 58 adjacent the vent holes 56 in the recess 54 which serves as flapper valves. These valves are designed to permit the ingress of air through the vent voles when a partial vacuum is created within the container. They also act to seal the vent holes when the pressure is equalized between the inside and outside of the bottle to seal the feeding unit from leakage of the fluid. There is one flapper valve 58 for every vent hole 56, as can be seen in FIGURE 1, which illustrates two diametrically opposed vent holes and flapper valves in the compressed or storage position.

Also, it will be noted in FIGURES 1 and 2 that there is provided an annular disk 60 which is located in an annular recess portion 62 of a nipple 12 immediately above the internal flange 52. When the assembly is as shown in FIGURE 1, the disk 60 provides a seal between the container and the teat portion of the nipple to prevent liquid from flowing into the teat portion and out through the opening 40 into the space between the shroud 14 and nipple. It will be noted that the disk has formed therein a series of grooves 64 to allow for the passage of fluid from the container 10 to the hollow portion of the nipple 12 during the feeding process as shown in feeding position illustrated in FIGURE 2. The structure of the disk is not a part of the present invention and could be made in many forms, For example, a series of notches could be cut in the outer circumferential edge of the disk or holes could be provided in the disk, which holes would be closed by the nipple when the shroud was on the bottle.

The nipple structure shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is similar to the arrangement shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, except that no disk is employed and the shoulder 46 and recess 62 have been eliminated.

One further modification of the nipple structure shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 relates to the disposition and arrangement of the flapper valves for the vent holes 56. In this particular embodiment, the flapper valves 66 depend from the lower surface of the internal annular shoulder 52, rather than extending upwardly, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. The valves 66 otherwise operate in the same manner as valves 58 discussed in detail above.

In operation, it will be seen in FIGURE 1 that the unitary protective cap and clamping ring 14 compress the shoulder 46 against the sealing disk 60 and further compress the internal parts of the nipple structure, and the vertical sidewall 48 so that the vent holes 56 are closed and the inwardly extending annular shoulder 52 is sealingly engaged against the upper edge 18 of the finish and the recess 54 is filled with the compressed nipple material. In this position, the valves 58 are compressed between the sidewall 49 of the nipple and the bottle finish 18. When the feeding unit is prepared for use, the protective cap 22 is deformed enough to sever it from its frangible connections to the retaining or clamping ring 32 and removed from the feeding unit so as to allow the nipple to expand and assume its relaxed feeding position. When the shroud is removed and the nipple is in the position in FIGURE 2, the vent holes are open and the recess 54 is free to allow air communication therethrough. As the infant sucks and draws the fluid from the bottle, the flapper valves 58 or 66 will open allowing the ingress of air through vent holes 56, into the recess 54, over the bottle finish 18, to the interior of the container 10, thus equalizing the pressure between inside and outside of the bottle. In other words, air replaces the volume of fluid removed from the container during the feeding process, and prevents a vacuum from forming within the feeding unit.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the operation is essentially identical. The cap 22 is removed from the clamping ring 32 and the nipple 12 expands to the position shown in FIGURE 4. Thus, the depending valve 66 will respond in the same manner as the fluid is withdrawn from the container.

It will be seen that under normal conditions, with the feeding units shown in the positions of FIGURES 2 and 4, the pressure conditions inside and outside of the container are equalized. The flapper valves 58 and 66 are disposed against the inside of the nipple wall 49 to close the vent holes 56, to prevent fluid leakage therethrough.

As the infant feeds and the fluid flows from the container, a suction is created which will cause the resilient flapper valves 58 and 66 to move inwardly, thereby opening the vents 56 and permitting a passage of air into the container to eliminate the possibility of a vacuum being formed therein. Of course, it will be realized that fluid cannot flow out of the vents 56 because the suction condition within the can causes only inward flow of air. As soon as the pressure conditions are equalized, the flapper valves again move against the internal wall of the recess 54 to close the vents.

Although the invention has been described by making a detailed reference to two embodiments of the invention, such detail is to be understood as instructive, rather than in a restrictive sense, as many details of the construction may be modified or changed without departing from spirit or the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having a neck portion including an annular bead and an open end defined by an annular outer peripheral surface, an annular inner surface, and an annular finish portion therebetween, a nipple encircling the outer peripheral surface of said neck portion, the nipple having a teat portion at one end thereof and an open end portion at the opposite end thereof defined by an outwardly extending annular flange, means for sealing the outwardly extending annular nipple flange to said annular bead, the nipple also including an integral annular vertical wall disposed outwardly of said outer peripheral surface between said teat portion and said outwardly extending annular flange and defining vent means therethrough, an annular inwardly extending flange formed on the interior of said nipple and disposed between said teat portion and said vent means, the annular inwardly extending flange positioned adjacent said bottle finish, flapper valve means secured to the lower surface of the annular inwardly extending flange and disposed outwardly of the outer peripheral surface adjacent the inner end of said vent means to control the flow through said vent means, means for closing said valve means and for sealing the lower surface of the annular inwardly extending flange against the annular finish portion to seal the bottle against leakage, which last mentioned means when released will permit the nipple to move to the feeding position, whereby as the fluid is removed from the container through said teat portion of the nipple air will flow through said vent means past said flapper valve between the bottle neck portion and the internal wall of the vertically extending annular wall of said nipple, and over the top of the bottle finish into the interior of the bottle while preventing the leakage of fluid out of said bottle.

2. A feeding bottle assembly comprising a bottle having a neck portion including an annular bead an an open end defined by an annular outer peripheral surface, an annular inner surface, and an annular finish portion therebetween, a nipple encircling the outer peripheral surface of said neck portion, the nipple having a teat portion at one end thereof and an open end portion at the opposite end thereof defined by an outwardly extending annular flange, means for sealing the outwardly extending annular nipple flange to said annular bead, the nipple also including an integral annular vertical wall disposed outwardly of said outer peripheral surface between said teat portion and said outwardly extending annular flange and defining vent means therethrough, an annular inwardly extending flange formed on the interior of said nipple and disposed between said teat portion and said vent means, the annular inwardly extending flange positioned adjacent said bottle finish, flapper valve means secured to the internal surface of the annular vertically extending wall adjacent to and extending upwardly and overlying the vent means formed in the wall and disposed outwardly of said outer peripheral surface adjacent the inner end of said vent means to control the flow through said vent means, means for closing said valve means and for sealing the lower surface of the annular inwardly extending flange against the annular finish portion to seal the bottle against leakage, which last mentioned means when released will permit the nipple to move then to the feeding position, whereby as the fluid is removed from the container through said teat portion of the nipple air will flow through said vent means past said flapper valve between the bottle neck portion and the internal Wall of the vertically extending annular wall of said nipple, and over the top of the bottle finish into the interior of the bottle while preventing leakage of fluid out of said bottle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,720,328 10/ 1955 Clemens. 3,335,890 8/1967 Grundmann 2l5--11 3,358,864 12/1967 Meierhoefer 2l51l GEORGE E. LOWRANCE, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 128252

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