Bottles and jars – Nursing bottles and nipples – With vent or valve for air
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-07
2004-09-07
Ngo, Lien (Department: 3727)
Bottles and jars
Nursing bottles and nipples
With vent or valve for air
C215S011100, C248S102000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06786345
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from Great Britain application 00.29883.6, filed Jul. 12, 2000, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to feeding bottles, for example feeding bottles for feeding babies and infants.
A range of feeding bottles are known, comprising a bottle body and a teat or nipple assembly, upon which a baby sucks to draw liquid (such as formula milk) stored in the bottle body out of the bottle body through the nipple.
A problem with conventional bottles is that as the baby sucks and liquid is drawn out of the bottle, a partial vacuum develops in the bottle body. It is believed that this can give rise to colic in babies. One hypothesis is that owing to the vacuum, when the bottle is in use air breathed in through the nose of the baby is drawn into the bottle through the nipple assembly, mixing as it does so with the liquid therein. Also, during feeding breaks, air is drawn into the bottle through the nipple assembly, leading to aeration of the liquid, particularly when the bottle is still partially inclined. The aerated liquid is then ingested by the baby causing colic. This can also give the baby wind with associated pain and stomach distension, and may lead to posseting.
Furthermore, the baby has to suck progressively harder to overcome the vacuum, and this can be off-putting and prematurely stop the baby feeding. Unwell, or weak babies may not be able to suck with sufficient force to overcome some vacuum strengths. Further still, the sucking action and the vacuum formed in the bottle body can lead to the baby experiencing ear-ache, or even developing an ear infection. Yet another problem is that a build up of the vacuum in the bottle can lead to nipple collapse.
In International Patent Application No. WO 99/11218 it is proposed to overcome some of these problems by the provision of a bottle vented by means of a perforated elastomeric diaphragm or “vent disc” attached to an open base of the bottle. When the bottle is inverted to feed the baby, air flows through a plurality of valves in the diaphragm to alleviate the vacuum in the bottle. When the bottle is upright, pressure equalises through the teat so that the valves are sealed.
However, inverting the bottle is not effective to open all the valves for all liquid levels, and so only partial vacuum alleviation is achieved. The plurality of valves are easily blocked, being necessarily of a small size and fragile in construction. The diaphragm is difficult to clean, particularly because the valves can be easily damaged. The complexity of the diaphragm means it is relatively costly and difficult to manufacture.
Another known solution is to use a disposable liner into which the liquid is placed, the liner being provided inside a conventional rigid bottle. The liner gradually collapses as liquid is drawn out. However, air is still drawn into the liner through the liquid aperture since sucking and reduction in liquid inside the liner leads to a vacuum forming in the liner. A mechanism to alleviate the vacuum is described in International Patent Application No. WO 98/38963 but requires a complex push-rod construction that is difficult to operate and inefficient. The liners are also not reusable, and thus the bottle is costly both to manufacture and use on a regular basis.
In addition known systems for filling and sealing bottles are known from, for example, International Patent Application No. WO 00/54818 (PCT/GB00/00928). However yet further improvements are envisaged to such arrangements.
Various other problems arise with known feeding bottles. Feeding bottles are conventionally heated to a desired temperature largely by trial and error, for example by the mother testing the temperature of the feed on her wrist. Various systems do not address the problem of taking a direct, accurate reading of the temperature of the feed. In addition in known systems there may “overshoot” in that the desired temperature may be exceeded such that the mother has to wait for the feed to cool down again as a result of the failure of take accurate readings of the feed temperature.
According to the present invention there is provided a feeding bottle comprising a bottle body including an open end for mounting a teat assembly, and an air inlet; and a stopper assembly, the stopper assembly being mounted to the bottle body and including a stopper manually moveable between a closed position in which the air inlet is closed by the stopper, and an open position in which the air inlet is open.
The feeding bottle of the present invention offers several advantages. When the bottle is not being used for feeding, the stopper can be moved to the closed position to prevent leakage of liquid from within the bottle body. When feeding, the stopper can be moved to the open position so that air can pass into the bottle body to alleviate, or control, any vacuum formed therein by the baby's sucking and subsequent liquid withdrawal. Liquid flow during feeding is improved. Also, because the vacuum is alleviated, less air is drawn into the bottle body through the teat assembly to mix with the liquid in the bottle body, and therefore the baby ingests less air. The bottle thus leads to a reduction in colic, ear-ache and/or infection, possetting, the need for babies to suck increasingly hard during feeding, and nipple collapse.
The bottle is of a simple construction that is reusable, simple to manufacture and easy to clean. Provision of an air inlet, rather than a plurality of perforations provided in a diaphragm, for example, means that the bottle of the present invention does not include a pressure-alleviation means that is prone to becoming ineffective due to clogging.
Preferably, the stopper is biased to the closed position. This means that the “default mode” for the bottle is that it does not leak.
Preferably, the bottle body includes a base end and the air inlet is provided at or near the base end. This has the advantage that when the bottle is in a feeding position and the stopper is moved to the open position, air is received into the bottle body to an area of the bottle body not occupied by liquid and there is no leakage.
Preferably, the stopper assembly includes a pivot arm bearing the stopper, the pivot arm being actuable to move the stopper between the open and closed positions. When the bottle is held in one hand in use, the pivot arm is preferably operable by one finger of the hand. It is therefore easy for the person using the bottle to feed a baby, to open or close the aperture as desired. The pivot arm further provides a mechanical advantage, together with the small stroke required by the stopper, allowing a strong biasing force to be applied to close the air inlet. Preferably this is done by placing the pivot arm near the stopper assembly such that gentle pressure is sufficient to overcome the strong sealing force.
Preferably, the stopper assembly is releasably attachable to the bottle body. This means that the bottle body and stopper assembly can be separated for ease of cleaning. The stopper assembly is preferably a slide and snap fit to the bottle body.
The stopper assembly may be pivotal to move the stopper between the closed and open positions, providing a bottle that is simple to use and manufacture.
Preferably, the bottle body includes a recess adapted to receive the stopper assembly. The bottle therefore retains its ergonomic appeal, since the stopper means can be located substantially flush with the bottle walls. The recess may be radiused to facilitate attachment of the stopper assembly to the bottle body. The bottle body may comprise a base end and side wall, the recess extending from the base end along a portion of the side wall. When the bottle is in use, this enables air to enter part of the bottle body not occupied by liquid.
The stopper assembly may further include a stopper retainer moveable between a first position in which the stopper retainer retains the stopper in the open position or a position permitting movement of
Cardona, Esq. Victor A.
Heslin Rothenberg Farley & & Mesiti P.C.
Ngo Lien
LandOfFree
Feeding bottles does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Feeding bottles, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Feeding bottles will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-3203127