WO1999003442A1

WO1999003442A1 - Liquid feed bottle

Info

Publication number: WO1999003442A1
Application number: PCT/GB1998/002102
Authority: WO
Inventors: Christopher John Andrew Barnardo
Original assignee: Cambridge Consultants Limited
Priority date: 1997-07-17
Filing date: 1998-07-16
Publication date: 1999-01-28
Also published as: GB9715013D0

Abstract

A liquid feed bottle holds a liquid feed (such as milk) for consumption by a baby. The bottle has a body with a container portion (12) and a teat (15) with an outlet orifice. A cap (13) covers and protects the teat (15). The cap (13) conforms to the external surface of the teat (15) in order practically to eliminate any space between the cap (13) and the teat (15). A portion (13a) of the cup (13) is detachable from the body by rupturing a tear strip (17).

Description

TITLE: LIQUID FEED BOTTLE

This invention relates to liquid feed bottles and concerns an improvement or development of the liquid feed bottle disclosed in the applicants' published patent specification WO 96/27361.

According to the present invention there is provided a liquid feed bottle holding a liquid for internal consumption by a young mammal, the bottle comprising a body which holds the liquid and which has a container portion and a teat or spout with an outlet orifice, and a cap which covers and protects the teat or spout, wherein the cap is bonded or sealed to the body, wherein the internal surface of the cap substantially conforms to the external surface of the teat or spout in order substantially to eliminate or minimise any space between the cap and the teat or spout, after rupturing a tear strip at least a portion of the cap being repeatedly detachable from the body and securable on the body by a snap action press fit. Leakage of the liquid between the cap and the teat or spout is eliminated or minimised by making the internal surface of the cap complementary in shape to the external surface of the teat or spout.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of a bottle according to the invention, the parts being shown separated,

Figures 2 and 3 are fragmentary sectional views, to an enlarged scale, showing the upper region of the bottle at two stages in its manufacture.

The liquid feed bottle comprises two plastics components, namely a body 12 and a transparent cap 13 injection moulded from a plastics material. The body 12 has a container portion 14 and a teat 15 which are attached together and enclose a volume of sterilised liquid milk for feeding to a baby, for example in a maternity unit of a hospital or by a mother after she has left hospital with a new baby.

When the bottle is supplied to the hospital the cap 13 is sealed to the body 12 so as to enclose the teat 15 in a sterile environment. The extremity of the teat, having an outlet orifice or orifices, is sealed by the inner surface of the cap. The attachment of the cap 13 to the body 12 can be broken by removal of a tear strip 17, as described in WO 96/27361. Hence, when it is required to feed milk to a baby, the user takes the bottle, removes the tear strip 17 so as to release the major portion 13a of the cap 13 to enable the portion 13a to be removed from the body 12 to expose the teat 15 for insertion in the baby's mouth.

The body 12 and the cap 13 have formations which enable the major portion 13a of the cap 13 to be repeatedly removed from the body and replaced on the body with a snap action press fit so as to protect the teat, enabling the milk to be kept clean for later consumption. The inter-engaging formations are an external rib 20 on the body 12 and a thickened lower edge rim 22 of the cap, as disclosed in WO 96/27361.

The cap 13 has an internal surface of a shape and size closely conforming to the shape and size of the external surface of the teat 15, to eliminate (or at lease minimise) any space between the cap and teat, so as to minimise risk of leakage of milk between the cap and the body. Hence, referring to Figures 2 and 3, the cap has a neck 23 extending upwardly from a sloping shoulder 24 which curves downwardly towards the lower peripheral edge of the cap, this shape being complementary to the shape of the teat 15.

At the top of the cap 13, its inner surface 25 is shaped to seal against the top of the teat 15, to prevent milk from leaking out of the outlet orifice or orifices in the top of the teat.

In the transition region where the shoulder 24 merges into the neck 23, the cap 13 has on its internal surface a circular bead or ridge 26 which engages the teat 15.

The bottle is made and filled with milk as disclosed in WO 96/27361. The sealed and filled bottle is then fed to a retort where a retort cycle is carried out to heat and thereby sterilise the liquid feed without harming the plastics material of the container portion, teat or cap.

Initially (Figure 2) in the retort cycle, the pressure (arrows 27) in the body is greater than the pressure in the small space 28 between the teat 15 and the cap 13, due to the additional air and vapour pressure in the body 12. This causes the teat 15 to expand and conform to the internal shape and size of the cap 13 so as practically to eliminate any space between teat and cap.

As the teat further expands (Figure 3), the ridge 26 engages and locally deforms the teat 15 to seal the cap/teat interface above the ridge 26 from the cap/teat interface below the ridge 26. Thus, any milk which does leak into the cap/teat interface cannot pass below the ridge, either before or after removal of the cap portion 13a.

The liquid feed may be a liquid other than milk, for example a fruit juice or water.

Claims

1. A liquid feed bottle holding a liquid for internal consumption by a young mammal, the bottle comprising a body which holds the liquid and which has a contain,_* portion and a teat or spout with an outlet orifice, and a cap which covers and protects the teat or spout, wherein the cap is bonded or sealed to the body, wherein the internal surface of the cap substantially conforms to the external surface of the teat or spout in order substantially to eliminate or minimise any space between the cap and the teat or spout, after rupturing a tear strip at least a portion of the cap being repeatedly detachable from the body and securable on the body by a snap action press fit.

2. A liquid feed bottle according to claim 1, wherein the cap has on its internal surface a bead or ridge which engages the teat or spout so that any liquid leaking into the cap/teat interface is prevented by the bead or ridge from passing beyond the bead or ridge.

3. A liquid feed bottle according to claim 1, wherein the cap has a neck extending upwardly from a sloping shoulder which curves downwardly towards a peripheral edge of the cap.

4. A liquid feed bottle according to claims 2 and 3, wherein the bead or ridge is located in a transition region where the shoulder of the cap merges into the neck of the cap.