Bottles and jars – Nursing bottles and nipples – With vent or valve for air
Reexamination Certificate
1998-05-08
2001-09-11
Weaver, Sue A. (Department: 3727)
Bottles and jars
Nursing bottles and nipples
With vent or valve for air
C215S011100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286697
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to a re-useable nursing bottle and teat assembly for feeding infants which suckle, including humans and animals. More particularly the invention relates to a nursing teat and teat and bottle assembly in which the flow of contents from the bottle is responsive to the demands of the infant and which, preferably, can be easily adjusted to any preset level to suit any infant.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Often, in nursing bottle and teat assemblies of this type, the liquid withdrawn from the bottle by an infant sucking is not replaced by air at a rate which correlates to the rate demanded by the infant. The demand will vary from infant to infant and for any one infant may also vary from one feed to the next or from time to time during a single feed. Such a mis-match between the rate of outflow of liquid and inflow of air can produce a large variation in the vacuum produced in the bottle. At one extreme, the infant will need to release the teat to allow air to enter the bottle through the exit hole or holes of the teat before the infant can withdraw more liquid. At the other extreme, during a pause in feeding by the infant, liquid outflow from the bottle may occur solely due to the force of gravity, which can lead to a possible choking effect when the infant receives liquid unexpectedly when suckling is temporarily stopped.
One method proposed to ameliorate these problems is by the use of ribs or grooves on the underside of the flange on the teat or on the rim of the bottle neck, which enable air which has passed around the threads on the bottle neck to pass into the bottle interior through the passages thus formed between the teat and the mouth of the bottle. In these bottles, limited adjustment of the rate of inflow of air into the bottle is possible by tightening or untightening the cap so as to deform the resilient flange and to thereby alter the aperture of the air passages.
These bottles, however, still suffer a number of disadvantages. If the bottle is inverted or shaken during use, the contents of the bottle can leak out through the air passages. Further, shaking the bottle can also lead to the narrow passages becoming blocked, resulting in teat collapse. In addition, the narrow range of adjustment of the aperture size of the air passages may not be sufficient to accommodate the rate of feed demanded by the infant.
These problems have also been addressed in a bottle and teat assembly in which a valve, and more particularly, a flap valve, is used in combination with one or more air passages. The flap valve, which is normally closed to prevent leakage through the air passages, is formed by a resilient, annular skirt depending from the lower face of the flange. The diameter of the annulus formed by the edge of the resilient skirt is less than the internal diameter of the bottle neck so as to enable it to be inserted into the neck. When the cap is screwed into place, the cap acts on the flange which in turn causes the resilient skirt to deform outwardly in a radial direction so as to engage and seal against the vertical inner side wall of the bottle. The flap valve is opened by deforming inwardly away from the inner side wall of the bottle as the pressure in the bottle is reduced by an infant sucking the teat. However in this prior art arrangement the positioning of the flap valve against the inner wall of the bottle requires that one or more air passages be provided between the flange of the teat and the rim of the bottle mouth. As in the valveless prior art arrangements, the air passages are formed by ribs or grooves on the lower face of the flange or on the rim of the bottle neck. Once the cap is screwed into place, the flange of the teat is forced against the rim of the bottle mouth and the ribs or grooves on the lower face of the flange or on the rim of the bottle neck act to provide air passages.
In addition, it has also been suggested that a means for regulating the rate of air flowing into a bottle in which a flap valve arrangement is utilised may be by tightening or untightening the cap so as to vary the force applied and thus adjust the aperture of the air passages.
In each of these prior art flap valves, the flap valve seals against the bottle under an indirect force exerted by the cap on the valve. In particular, as the cap is screwed on the bottle, an axial force is exerted by the cap on the flange of the teat so as to stretch an annular area of the flange which has a radius which is smaller than the radius of the bottle mouth, thereby resulting in a turning moment being generated in the annular skirt. This causes the skirt to deform outwardly in a radial direction; that is, at right angles to the axial tightening force, and to seal against the vertical inner side wall of the bottle.
The conversion of an axial force applied to the teat flange by screwing the cap onto the bottle into an indirect radial force which is required in order for the skirt to contact the wall at all points is difficult to control. As a result, the valve may not seal reliably, and the pressure at which the valve opens is difficult, if at all possible, to accurately regulate. In addition, the rotary motion of the cap can cause the teat to twist as the cap is fastened, which tends to buckle the skirt and to prevent the flap valve from forming an effective seal.
Furthermore, and importantly, in nursing bottle and teat assemblies with the flap valves used in conjunction with air passages, it is the air passages rather than the flap valve which regulate the maximum rate of airflow into the bottle.
The present invention therefore seeks to overcome or reduce some or all of the disadvantages outlined above by providing an improved flap valve arrangement in a teat and bottle assembly, or a teat for use in the assembly.
One object of the present invention is to provide nursing bottle and teat assembly utilizing a flap valve which seals reliably in the absence of an infant sucking on the teat.
Another object of the invention is to provide a nursing bottle and teat assembly utilizing a flap valve wherein the minimum vacuum pressure at which the flap valve opens can be varied so as to accord with the demands of any infant.
BRIEF DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It has been surprisingly found that the control of the flow of air into a nursing bottle, and thus control of the flow of liquid from the bottle, can be enhanced by using a teat having a flange forming a flap valve with a wall or mouth of the bottle wherein the sealing surface of the flap valve is adapted to be directly forced against the wall or the mouth of the nursing bottle.
Preferably the flange of the teat has a resilient skirt dependent therefrom which provides the sealing surface of the flap valve.
Preferably the teat is retained on the bottle by a retaining cap, said retaining cap applying a force to the teat which directly presses the sealing surface of the flap valve against the wall or the mouth of a nursing bottle. That is, the force pressing the sealing surface of the flap valve against the wall or mouth of the nursing bottle is in substantially the same direction as the force applied by the retaining cap to the teat.
Preferably there is an axial force between the sealing surface of the flap valve and the wall or the mouth of the nursing bottle; that is, a force in the direction of the principal axis of the bottle.
The present invention also provides, in one preferred form, a teat having a flange forming a flap valve wherein the sealing surface of the flap valve can be progressively and directly forced against the wall or mouth of the nursing bottle. In this form the invention provides a degree of control or regulation over the vacuum pressure required to open the flap valve. This ability to regulate the vacuum required to open the flap valve allows infants of differing physical developments to feed in comfort.
The flange of the teat, being integral with and of the same material as the teat, is able to flex under force to enable a variable force to be applied between the sealing surface of
Jott Australia Pty. Ltd.
Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP
Weaver Sue A.
LandOfFree
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