Feeding Bottle Teats

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a teat, particularly for feeding bottles for babies, which teat has a nipple portion made particularly with a conically orthopaedic shape upon a base portion with an opening away from the nipple portion, which base portion can be fitted upon a bottle neck so as to grip around the latter with a cylindrical wall portion and also has inwardly directed projections.

Description

Baby feeds are flowable, that is they can be either liquid or gruel-like.

A known teat according to Belgian Pat. specification No. 517,073 has a wall part, of approximately the same size as the nipple portion, below a disc-like outwardly directed concave portion, the wall portion having an inwardly facing screw thread which can be fitted upon a bottle neck. This teat is made of rubber. The outwardly directed disc-like wall part clearly has the purpose of taking up lateral movements of the nipple portion itself and of not transferring them to the mounting upon the bottle neck, so that the seal is not affected at this region.

A teat is known from U.S. Pat. specification No. 2,816,548 having a truncated conical nipple portion which bends back upon its base portion, so as to form the inner wall part of a groove which is surrounded outwardly by a cylindrical wall part. The mouth of a bottle can be inserted into this annular groove. The mouth wall part of the bottle is thus surrounded both inwardly and outwardly, though in addition to requiring a considerable amount of material defects in the sealing can also arise. If tension is applied to the actual teat body, that is the nipple portion, then the inner wall part of the groove is drawn out from the outlet of the bottle opening, so that liquid can pass out. Having regard to the fact that the outermost wall part is accessible from outside and even has an outwardly directed annular flange, a child can readily lift the outer cylindricall wall part, so that the sealing effect becomes broken. Account must also be taken of the fact that the bottle neck is not always made uniformly, so that defective sealing and leakages can occur for this reason as well. In particular with this construction, depression of the base part with the nipple portion is not ensured so that the nipple portion remains firmly held, which is of importance for a conically orthopaedic effect and so that any possible movement of the nipple portion remains without effect upon the sealing action.

The known constructions may have advantages if they are carried out with considerable precision and are used together with correspondingly constructed bottles. In this connection, it is to be assumed that the embodiment described second is also made of rubber.

The present invention is based upon the problem of providing a teat of rubber, particularly of a rubber-like, i.e., thermoplastic plastics material, which because of its construction ensures a satisfactory seating upon a bottle mouth, which may be provided, if necessary, with an external thread for suitable securement of a nipple portion of conically orthopaedic shape, which requires no special measures or parts for its mounting, such as a lock nut, and can be manufactured economically so that it is usable as a one-time or disposable teat member.

This problem is solved in accordance with the invention in that this wall part carries at least one inwardly projecting circumferential bead and further in that, on an upper cover portion of the cup-shaped base portion, a downwardly directed sealing lip member extends in spaced relation from the cylindrical wall part, which sealing lip member fits inside the outlet wall part of a bottle. The arrangement of the sealing lip member on a cover portion of a cup-shaped base part provides a more reliable engagement of the bottle outlet rim, in contrast to known constructions, since a tilting effect of the nipple portion is taken up and a tension effect even improves the sealing action inwardly and outwardly, insofar as these effects of the nipple portion are transferred to the cylindricall wall part and the inner sealing lip member. In this connection, it must be taken into consideration that the cylindrical wall portion and the sealing lip member extend outwardly from a closely adjacent base portion whose lower side forms the base of a groove between the cylindrical wall portion and the sealing lip member.

The co-operation of the circumferential bead with the lip member not only ensures a satisfactory sealing, particularly inside, since the sealing lip member becomes more strongly applied on inward movement of the nipple portion whereas on the application of tension to the nipple portion at least the outer cylindrical wall part becomes more strongly applied with its profiled shape, but also ensures a particularly satisfactory seating for conically orthopaedic purposes because of the narrow base of the dome-like base portion. These actions are improved if the cylindrical wall part and the sealing lip member extend out from a substantially flat cover portion of the teat upon which the conically orthopaedically shaped nipple portion is arranged.

In a particular embodiment, the sealing lip member is directed obliquely outwardly to the cylindrical wall portion and is inclined inwardly at its lower edge. The firm and sealed seating is thus considerably improved, since under the action of tension upon the nipple portion, this construction ensures proper clamping around the bottle neck, which is made relatively easily insertable by the inclined edge portion.

According to a particularly preferred embodiment, at least one at the widest outwardly directed portion of the sealing lip member is arranged at a different level from the one or more annular beads, whereby when arranged in a higher plane than the nipple portion, the tapered edge of the sealing lip member is preferably directed downwardly into the plane or above the plane in which the one annular bead or the lowermost of such beads is arranged. In this way, the space inside between the inwardly directed annular bead and the outwardly directed portion of the sealing lip member is smaller than the thickness of the material at the bottle outlet.

Because of the elasticity of the material used, particularly a thermoplastic rubber-like plastics material, the construction according to the invention can be fitted in a sealed fashion directly upon a bottle neck with an external thread or at least one external annular web. It is preferable for the one or more annular beads to have a spiral shape and to extend over 360.degree.. By this, a particularly tight fit is thus ensured. It is preferable for several, particularly two, annular inwardly projecting beads to be provided and the widest outwardly projecting portion of the sealing lip member to lie approximately at a level between the plane defined by the two annular beads. In this way, a particularly tightly sealing construction is achieved.

According to a preferred embodiment, the teat is made dome-shaped within the sealing lip member up to the opening into the nipple portion and the outwardly directed cover wall portion is reduced in cross-section to the cylindrical wall portion, whereby the sealing lip member at its root portion is substantially thicker than at its free edge. The cross-sectional shape so produced conduces to a tight seating of the teat upon the bottle neck, since the dome-shaped construction resists the transmission of movements or forces from the nipple portion.

It is also preferable for the sealing lip member to include at least two outwardly directed circumferentially running portions or annular beads which are displaced in relation to inner annular beads of the cylindrical wall portion and, if required, run in helical screw shape.

The invention is described below in relation to the examples which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a cross-section through one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a corresponding through a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-section through a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 shows a cross-section through another embodiment of the invention.

In all the Figures, a teat is illustrated which has a cup-shaped and downwardly open base portion with an outer substantially cylindrical wall 1 and an upper cover portion 2, which is substantially flat or which rises upwardly to a centrally located nipple portion 3. The latter has a suction aperture 4. In all embodiments, a downwardly directed sealing lip member 5 extends downwardly from the cover portion 2 in spaced relation to the inside of the cylindrical wall portion 1. This sealing lip member 5 extends obliquely outwardly and has at least one widest outwardly projecting portion 6, below which the outside is inclined inwardly in the portion 7. The lower rim 8 is tapered off to an edge. The inner wall 9 of the sealing lip member 5 is made substantially dome-shaped and extends to the outlet opening 10 into the nipple portion 3. The sealing lip member 5 thus has its greatest cross-section at its root portion at 11. From the root portion, the sealing lip member extends preferably obliquely outwardly to the cylindrical wall portion 1. Its inner wall 12 has at least one inwardly projecting circumferential annular bead 13 which with respect to the nipple portion 3 lies beneath the plane defined by the portion 6 and opposite the obliquely inwardly directed portion 7. The combination of the obliquely inwardly directed portion 7 and the curvature of the bead 13 provides a downwardly widening reception opening for the upper neck of a bottle, whereby the elasticity of the material enables it to slip over the turns of a screw thread.

According to FIG. 2, the cylindrical wall portion 1 has two superposed inwardly projecting annular beads 14, 15 and the widest outwardly projecting portion 6 of the sealing lip member 5 lies in a plane between those defined by the beads 14, 15.

According to FIG. 3, the widest outwardly projecting portion 6 of the sealing lip member 5 has a screw-thread-like shape and extends between an annular bead 16 which defines at least two screw turns on the inside wall of the outer cylindrical wall portion. It is thus possible to screw the teat on to a bottle neck provided with an external thread. Thus a complete and satisfactory sealed seating on a bottle outlet provided with a thread is ensured, even though the arrangement of the inwardly directed beads which are mutually displaced in height and the outwardly directed annular or screw-thread-shaped portions also ensure sealing upon a substantially smooth bottle neck or one provided with annular profiled portions.

FIG. 4 shows a construction in which the inner wall 12 of the outer cylindrical wall portion 1 has three inwardly projecting annular beads 17, 18, 19, which can be formed from parallel rings or from a helical screw thread. The downwardly and outwardly inclined sealing lip member 5 thus has either two outwardly projecting annular portions 20, 21 or a helical screw thread. The outwardly projecting portions 20, 21 each lie at a level between two of the inwardly projecting beads 17, 18, 19.

It will be understood that the inwardly projecting beads are suitably rounded off. However, they can also have a substantially triangular shape in cross-section. The same applies to the one or more portions which project outwardly from the sealing lip member 5.

The dome-shaped inner wall 9 and the associated obliquely outwardly directed arrangement of the sealing lip member 5 conduce to a rigid seating with satisfactory sealing. A liquid or other feed contacting the inner wall 9 presses the sealing member outwardly. A bending moment upon the nipple portion 3 acts similarly. Even if the nipple portion is pulled, with the construction of the cover portion 2 according to FIG. 4, the sealing lip member 5 and the cylindrical wall portion 1 approach one another under a tension effect, whereas on the application of pressure upon the nipple portion 3, the sealing lip member 5 is only moved outwardly at its lower portion. The shoulder-like cover wall 2 and the dome-shaped inner wall thus co-operate together.

Claims

We claim:

1. In a teat for taking a flowable feed, suitable for attachment to a bottle containing the feed and consisting essentially of a substantially cylindrical base part, which can be fitted externally upon the neck of the bottle, having an upper cover wall portion, which extends in from the upper edge of the cylindrical base part and covers the bottle outlet in its central region wherein an opening is provided, a nipple portion which extends particularly in conically orthopaedic shape from the rim of the opening and also extends away from the cylindrical wall portion in comparison with the cover wall portion and has an aperture therein, the cylindrical wall portion having at least one inwardly directed circumferential bead, the improvement which consists essentially in that a circumferential sealing lip member extending inside the cylindrical wall portion is provided upon the upper cover wall portion and is spaced apart from and extends in substantially the same direction as the cylindrical wall portion, which sealing lip member is locatable within an outlet portion of a bottle, wherein the sealing lip member has at least one obliquely and downwardly directed portion extending from the wall portion and, at the bottom edge thereof, an obliquely downwardly and inwardly directed inclined portion.

2. A teat according to claim 1, wherein the sealing lip member is directed externally obliquely downwardly.

3. A teat according to claim 1, wherein the bottom edge of the sealing lip member terminates in a plane inside the cylindrical wall portion which is disposed at a different height from the at least one annular circumferential bead.

4. A teat according to claim 3, wherein the widest outwardly directed portion of the sealing lip member is disposed in a higher plane than the at least one annular circumferential bead, whereby the tapered-off end of the sealing lip member extends downwardly at least into the plane wherein the annular circumferential bead is disposed.

5. A teat according to claim 1, wherein the cover wall portion is made dome-shaped at its underside where the cylindrical wall portion is also located, from inside the sealing lip member to the opening lip member to the opening at which the nipple portion is located on the opposide side of the cylindrical wall portion, wherein the outwardly directed cover wall portion reduces in thickness to the cylindrical wall portion, the sealing lip member being substantially thicker at its root portion adjacent the cylindrical wall portion than at its free end portion.

6. A teat according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of inwardly projecting circumferential beads are provided on the cylindrical wall portion and the wides outwardly directed portion of the sealing lip member lies approximately at a level between the planes defined by two of the annular beads.

7. A teat according to claim 1, wherein at least one annular circumferential bead is made in spiral shape and the widest outwardly directed portion of the sealing lip member is located between adjacent turns of the bead.

8. A teat according to claim 1, wherein the sealing lip member has more than one outwardly directed annular bead around its circumference.

9. A teat according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of inwardly directed annular beads are provided upon the cylindrical wall portion and a lesser number of outwardly directed portions, than the number of such beads, are provided about the circumference of the sealing lip member which portions are so located in height with respect to the circumferential beads on the cylindrical wall portion that an outwardly directed portion of the sealing lip member is disposed at a level between two annular beads of the cylindrical wall portion.

10. A teat according to claim 9, wherein the annular beads are formed by turns of a spiral inwardly directed projection and the outwardly directed portions on the sealing lip member are likewise formed by an outwardly directed circumferential spiral portion.