WO2002028344A2

WO2002028344A2 - Adaptor for feeding liquids to infants

Info

Publication number: WO2002028344A2
Application number: PCT/IL2001/000894
Authority: WO
Inventors: Doron Ben-Eli
Original assignee: Ben Eli Doron
Priority date: 2000-10-05
Filing date: 2001-09-25
Publication date: 2002-04-11
Also published as: IL138898A0; WO2002028344A3; AU2001294158A1

Abstract

The invention provides a universal liquid feeding adapter device (10), comprising a flexible, elastomeric adapter body having an open base (18), a hollow interior (20) and a tip end with at least one liquid outlet aperture (16), the hollow interior being provided with an upper passage area (22) bound by elastomeric inner walls (24) sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks (26) of standard mineral water and soft drink plastic bottles (28), and the base (18) being provided with a peripheral edge (36) sized to override and engage the rim (38) of a standard soft drink can (40).

Description

ADAPTOR FOR FEEDING LIQUIDS TO INFANTS

The present invention relates to an adapter for feeding of liquids to infants and young children. More particularly, the invention provides a liquid feed adapter device, which is directly attachable to a variety of containers interchangeably used for mineral water, juice, soft drinks, and milk products. The device is also attachable to the regular feed bottle used for babies and infants.

Parents or others taking care of small children are sometimes confronted with the need to let a young child drink from a bottle or can containing water or a soft drink. Most small children being provided with a baby feed bottle, the person in charge opens the baby bottle, pours the beverage therein, and re-closes the baby bottle. This procedure is difficult to perform in a moving vehicle, and is anywhere likely to result in some spillage. Furthermore, it is often not known how much the infant will drink, and the surplus may then be wasted. Many infants, even those old enough to be able to use a drinking cup, still prefer to suck fluid through a nipple. The standard nipple used in baby bottles cannot be attached to the bottles and cans used for marketing beverages to adults.

Specialty nursing nipples have been known for many decades. Dunfee in US Patent 1 ,175,054 describes a rubber nipple, which is claimed to cause intermittent fluid delivery. The nipple fits a baby feed bottle having a projecting rim.

In US Patent 3,334,764 Fouser discloses an infant nurser having a collapsible container to which a nipple can be attached, and includes means for piercing the container before use.

White in US Patent no. 4,623,069 describes a nipple having a complex form which has two levels of resistance to lateral compression and allows fluid flow responsive to infant suckling. The nipple fits the special container described.

The multi-use infant-feeding nipple system disclosed by Moser in US Patent no. 5,573,507 allows an infant to suck fluid from any container by use of a tube, which connects said container to the nipple. The tube can allow the feed bottle to be located more conveniently than the conventional arrangement. However the proposed system also has substantial disadvantages - spillage may occur while in use, cleaning is difficult and the tube can easily become disconnected at either extremity when in use. Furthermore, the tube increases the sucking effort required, which will poses a difficulty for the very young.

It is therefore one of the objects of the present invention to obviate the above problems and provide a universal liquid feeding adapter device suitable for use with standard, commercially available, beverage bottles and cans.

It is a further object of the present invention to obviate the disadvantages of prior art feed nipples and to provide a feed nipple device, which is easily and directly attachable to a standard baby, feed bottle and also to various bottles and cans containing soft drinks and juices.

The present invention achieves the above objects by providing a universal liquid feeding adapter device, comprising a flexible, elastomeric adapter body having an open base, a hollow interior and a tip end with at least one liquid outlet aperture, said hollow interior being provided with an upper passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of standard mineral water and soft drink plastic bottles, and said base being provided with a peripheral edge sized to override and engage the rim of a standard soft drink can.

In preferred embodiments of the present invention said universal liquid feeding adapter device further comprises an intermediate passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of infant feeding bottles.

In especially preferred embodiments of the present invention there is provided a universal infant feeding nipple device, comprising a flexible, elastomeric nipple body having an open base, a hollow interior and a tip end with at least one liquid outlet aperture, said hollow interior being provided with an upper passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of standard mineral water and soft drink plastic bottles, an intermediate passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of infant feeding bottles, and said base being provided with a peripheral edge sized to override and engage the rim of a standard soft drink can. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided a universal infant feeding nipple device wherein said intermediate area is sub-divided into several sections, and wherein the cross-sectional area of an uppermost section is smaller than the cross-section of a section therebelow.

In a most preferred embodiment of the present invention there is provided nipple device made of a soft elastomeric material providing a liquid-proof seal without requiring the addition of a rubber seal washer. Advantageously the device is further provided with a seating for a protective cover enclosing the upper part of the device.

The following patents describe means of attaching covers or outlet adapters where several different sizes are to be catered for; however these disclosures do not relate to nursing nipples,

Essmuller in US Patent 893,469 discloses a cover having a multitude of discrete recesses for seating on vessels of different diameters.

Bonn et al propose in US Patent 1 ,163,805 a tapered hollow cone faced internally with a resilient material for use as a bottle stopper, which is retained by friction when in use.

Somewhat similar in principle is the faucet connection described by Sutton et al in US Patent no.1 ,984,347, the elastic body deforming to grip the faucet outlet.

A closure disk, which can be fitted onto rimmed bottles or cans, is described by Bart in US Patent 3,850,341. Three sets of closure lips extend down from the cover for frictional engagement with the face of a container opening.

Similarly, Heubel proposes a cap for cans of different size in US Patent 5,062,552. The cap includes a pouring attachment.

A closure cover for cans of pet food having different diameters is disclosed by Viola in US. Patent 5,695,086. Except for the addition of lifting tabs and decorative features, the form is similar to that described by Bart.

As will be realized, even though some of said patents were issued decades ago, heretofore no one has proposed a universal infant feeding nipple device as hereindefined.

It will thus be realized that the novel device of the present invention serves to allow an infant to imbibe fluid from a standard drink can or bottle, the connection being direct and more reliable than the tube connected device proposed by Moser. The device is of particular value for passengers in a vehicle as spillage is prevented under all circumstances.

It will also be understood that due to the flexible material of which the device is made, a bottle having an external screw thread is attachable to the device whatever the pitch or form of said thread, as the device deforms to accept whatever bottle spout is inserted therein.

The invention will now be described in connection with certain preferred embodiments with reference to the following illustrative figures so that it may be more fully understood.

With specific reference now to the figures in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only and are presented in the cause of providing what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the nipple device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the same embodiment connected to a bottle of a soft drink;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the same embodiment connected to a standard baby feed bottle;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the same embodiment connected to a standard metal can; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a second embodiment provided with a stepped section and a cover cap.

There is seen in FIG. 1 a universal infant feeding nipple device 10, comprising a flexible, elastomeric nipple body 12. The head 14 of the device is shaped and sized similarly to artificial nipples in common use, and is likewise provided with a liquid outlet aperture 16.

Advantageously the device 10 is made of a soft elastomeric material, for example a thermoplastic elastomer such as a styrene block copolymer, providing a liquid-proof seal without requiring the addition of a rubber seal washer.

Referring now to Fig 2, it is seen that the device 10 has an open base 18, a hollow interior 20 and a tip end leading to aperture 16. The hollow interior 20 is provided with an upper passage area 22 bound by elastomeric inner walls 24 sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks 26 of standard mineral water and soft drink plastic bottles 28, seen assembled to the device. As seen in the figure, the more rigid screw thread 26 of the bottle 28 has temporarily deformed the walls 24. On separation of the bottle 28 from the device 10, the walls 24 regain their original smooth face. Wall thickness is selected to give the required balance between flexibility and ease of assembly to a container.

The device 10 also has an intermediate passage area 30 bound by elastomeric inner walls 32. Area 30 is sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of infant feeding bottles 34, as seen in FIG. 3.

Additionally the base 18 is provided with a peripheral edge 36 sized to override and engage the rim 38 of a standard soft drink can 40, shown in FIG. 4.

Referring now to FIG. 5, similar reference numerals have been used to identify similar parts.

There is seen a further embodiment of a universal infant feeding nipple device 42. The intermediate area 44 is sub-divided into several sections 46, 48, 50. The cross-sectional area of an uppermost section 50 is smaller than the cross- section of a section therebelow 48. The device 42 is more adaptable to diameter variations in the threaded portion of baby bottles 34.

The present embodiment is further provided with a seating 52 used for assembling thereto a protective cover 54 enclosing the upper part of the device 42.

The cover 54 can suitably be made of ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) or of a similar thermoplastic. It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing illustrative embodiments and that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A universal liquid feeding adapter device, comprising a flexible, elastomeric adapter body having an open base, a hollow interior and a tip end with at least one liquid outlet aperture, said hollow interior being provided with an upper passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of standard mineral water and soft drink plastic bottles, and said base being provided with a peripheral edge sized to override and engage the rim of a standard soft drink can.

2. A universal liquid feeding adapter device according to claim 1 , further comprising an intermediate passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of infant feeding bottles.

3. A universal infant feeding nipple device, comprising a flexible, elastomeric nipple body having an open base, a hollow interior and a tip end with at least one liquid outlet aperture, said hollow interior being provided with an upper passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of standard mineral water and soft drink plastic bottles, an intermediate passage area bound by elastomeric inner walls sized to engage in a liquid-tight fit the threaded necks of infant feeding bottles, and said base being provided with a peripheral edge sized to override and engage the rim of a standard soft drink can.

4. A universal liquid feeding adapter device according to claim 2, wherein said intermediate area is sub-divided into several sections, wherein the cross-sectional area of an uppermost section is smaller than the cross-section of a section therebelow.

5. A universal liquid feeding adapter device according to claim 1 , wherein said device is made of a soft elastomeric material providing a liquid-proof seal without requiring the addition of a rubber seal washer.

6. A universal liquid feeding adapter device according to claim 1 , further provided with a seating for a protective cover enclosing the upper part of the device.