EP1532957B1 - Nipple for nursing bottle - Google Patents

Abstract

The nipple has a body (2) extending outwardly and axially by a hollow tubular nozzle (3) terminating by an open free end. A transversal partition (7) is pierced by a liquid distribution orifice (8) to distribute the liquid. The nozzle has an annular flange (6) near the free end, where the flange extends outwardly and radially to hold the nozzle against a dorsal surface of a tongue of an infant, while nursing the infant.

Description

The present invention relates, in general, to a teat adapted to be fitted on a container.

More particularly, the invention relates to an infant nipple adapted to be fitted on a container such as a bottle body, of the type comprising a substantially cupular nipple body whose free peripheral edge is secured and surrounded by a radial collar in protrusion, the body extending axially and externally by a hollow tubular end piece terminating in an open free end, said teat being separated internally in two compartments by a transverse partition pierced with at least one liquid dispensing orifice and located at a part between and including the birth of the tip and the other end of it.

Breastfeeding infants with a division of the palate is often difficult or impossible because the child can not suck with all the power.

In a normal situation, the soft palate, which separates the oral cavity from the nasal cavity during suction, helps to create a vacuum. If there is an opening between these cavities, this vacuum can not be obtained, which significantly reduces the suction power. Breastfeeding may be attempted when a palatal plate is placed to help create this vacuum but in many cases it is necessary to resort to bottle feeding by making use of a nipple specially designed for these cases of infirmity.

Pacifiers for such use are known. For example, there has been described in US Pat. No. 4,632,263 a teat formed of a hollow flexible tube whose one end is closed and pierced with a liquid dispensing orifice, this tube supporting a concave plate covering the front and rear faces of the tubes. gums of the child.

Similarly, US patent 4856663 has reported a pacifier comprising a tubular element whose closed end is pierced with a liquid dispensing orifice, this tubular element being provided on its underside with a beak-shaped shield. duck intended to seal the infant's palate.

Mention may also be made of US Pat. Nos. 1,012,980 and 1385450, the objects of which relate to a conventional teat comprising, molded or attached thereto, a wafer intended to seal the cleft of the palate during feeding.

However, these pacifiers are likely to have disadvantages due in particular to the possibility of injury they could cause following the presence of such platelets in the oral cavity of the child.

Teats, whose cup body is extended by a tip are also known.

In this regard, there may be mentioned US6343704 patent relating to a pacifier provided with such a tip partially open at its free end and split transversely by a wall. This wall, which is provided with a protuberance pierced with a hole frustoconical, originates at the level of the convex central part of the nipple.

Similarly, there is described in US981072, a nipple having a tip fully open at its end and whose outer and inner faces respectively come from a cylinder and a truncated cone. In addition, a concave transverse wall pierced with an orifice separates this tip from the body of the nipple.

Moreover, there is known from GB2226014 a teat provided with a tubular tip whose free end, partially open, curls inwardly while a transverse wall, pierced with at least one orifice, is located at the birth of this mouthpiece.

During a feed, the liquid feed through teats of this type can be dumped behind the oral cavity thus avoiding opportunities for regurgitation through the nasal cavity in children with cleft palate. However, these nipples are not appropriate for this kind of morphology causing such infants lack of comfort doubled an unsuitable suction force can, in some cases, result in a refusal to suck.

The present invention aims to provide a pacifier intended to be adapted to a container, generally of the bottle body type, which overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.

To achieve this purpose, the nipple of the type indicated above is characterized in that the tip, in its part near the free end, is provided with an annular bead which extends externally and radially and which is configured so to help maintaining said tip against the dorsal surface of the infant's tongue during feeding.

The nipple body, usually of conventional shape, preferably corresponds to an annular body of revolution of cupular profile, the convex central portion of which extends axially outwards through the tubular endpiece.

On the other hand, this cup body is provided, at its free end, with a radial collar adapted to ensure the installation of the nipple on the neck of a wide-mouthed container such as a bottle, this nipple being further held on this neck by a retaining means, for example a screw clamping ring, an elastic ring, a split ring or any other similar device.

Preferably, the face of the flange, facing the tubular endpiece, is provided with an annular rib extending along its free edge so as to ensure increased sealing by crushing during the installation of the teat on the container.

The tubular tip, forming part of the pacifier according to the invention usually takes birth substantially at the domed central portion of the teat body.

This tubular tip has an inner face and an outer face whose profiles generally correspond to cylinders and / or truncated cones of revolution rotating around the axis of revolution of the nipple.

Consequently, according to another characteristic of the invention, the profile of the inner and outer faces of the tubular endpiece comes from cylindrical and / or coaxial truncated cones.

Usually, the profile of the inner face of the nozzle to its open free end comes from a first cylinder and the profile of the outer face of this tip comes from a second cylinder or a truncated cone, the one or the other coaxial to the first cylinder. However, the profile of this outer wall is partially cylindrical or partially frustoconical because interrupted by the birth of the annular bead.

Conversely, the inner face may adopt a frustoconical profile while the outer face may have a cylindrical profile, the latter being interrupted by the birth of the annular bead.

However, it should be pointed out that, by "frustoconical profile", we mean above a profile either slightly tapered or slightly widened towards the free end of the nozzle.

The length of this tubular tip depends in particular on the morphology of the infant to receive the pacifier but will usually be of the order of 10 to 15 mm from the transverse wall.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the annular bead is located in the upper part of the tubular endpiece, that is to say in the part near its free end.

The presence of this bead has the effect of substantially reproduce the natural functional characteristics of the breast and to help maintain the tip against the dorsal surface of the tongue of the infant during feeding.

The shape and thickness of this bead will therefore be determined according to these criteria.

The transverse partition, meanwhile, is preferably at the birth of the tubular end and has two preferably parallel flat faces.

As mentioned above, this transverse partition is pierced with at least one liquid dispensing orifice.

According to a preferred embodiment, this orifice consists of a hole, advantageously in the form of a truncated cone, whose opening facing the nipple body is less important than that facing the tubular tip or, in other words, other words, whose widest opening is directed towards the inside of the tubular end.

However, according to another embodiment, the orifice may take the form of a V-shaped slot having a truncated tip, the opening facing the nipple body being smaller than that facing the tubular tip, or in other words, whose widest opening is directed towards the inside of the tubular endpiece.

Such orifice configurations, essentially the frusto-conical configuration, allow both a better dispersion of the liquid passing from the pacifier body to the tip and, in case of non-use, an equilibrium of the pressures in the pacifier body and in the body. tip.

When the orifice is in the form of a truncated V slot, the nipple body may, if necessary, be provided with marks each corresponding to a position of this slot

By varying the position in question according to the marks, it becomes possible to obtain a pre-determined opening of this slot and, consequently, a pre-determined flow of liquid. In this way, it appears easy to cause an opening where a gradual closure of the slot and a variable flow of liquid, respectively increasing or decreasing flow.

The teat according to the invention usually comes from molding for example by injection. It can be made in one piece from one or more natural or synthetic elastomeric materials.

These deformable materials will offer both flexibility and strength while being physiologically acceptable in that they will be compatible with food contact and devoid of toxicity.

By way of example, mention may be made, as preferred elastomer, of a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer ("SEBS") having the above qualities.

The pacifier according to the invention is usually used in infants with cleft palate but also in young children experiencing difficulties during the transition from breastfeeding to breast breast bottle-feeding because of an insufficient suction force .

The liquid food, passing through this nipple, can be dumped behind the oral cavity avoiding, in this way, opportunities for regurgitation through the nasal cavity in children with cleft palate. On the other hand, the presence of the annular bead at the tip contributes effectively to maintaining this tip against the dorsal side of the tongue of the infant during feeding.

The pacifier according to the invention will therefore replace, advantageously, the conventional pacifier unable to perform all the functions listed above.

Moreover, this nipple of the invention, simple design and non-traumatic because no molded insert or reported, but provided with an annular bead will be able to offer the infant comfort during feeding.

• la figure 1 montre une vue en coupe frontale d'une tétine conforme à l'invention
• la figure 2 est une coupe en plan de la tétine selon la ligne A-A à la figure 1
• la figure 3 est une vue en coupe frontale agrandie d'une cloison transversale dans laquelle est ménagé un trou d'écoulement de liquide
• la figure 4 est une vue en coupe frontale et partielle d'une tétine selon l'invention positionnée sur le col d'un biberon.

The invention will be better understood and other objects, features and advantages thereof will appear more clearly in the following explanatory description given with reference to the schematic drawings given solely as examples illustrating embodiments and wherein :

• Figure 1 shows a front sectional view of a pacifier according to the invention
• FIG. 2 is a plane section of the nipple along the line AA in FIG.
• FIG. 3 is an enlarged frontal sectional view of a transverse partition in which a liquid flow hole is made;
• Figure 4 is a front and partial sectional view of a nipple according to the invention positioned on the neck of a baby bottle.

Thus, with reference to FIG. 1, the one-piece molded nipple made of flexible elastomer, usually made of styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer ("SEBS") generally designated by reference 1, namely a substantially cupular nipple body 2, the convex central portion of which extends axially towards the outside thereof body by a tubular end 3 ending in an open end.

The nipple body 2, at its free peripheral edge, is integral and surrounded by a radial flange 4, projecting outwards and oriented perpendicularly to the axis of revolution of the nipple.

The face of this collar, in the direction of the end piece 3, is provided along its outer edge with an annular rib 5 while the opposite face is a flat bearing face intended to be applied against the bearing face. , opposite, a bottle-like container.

It is also observed that the tip 3 originates substantially at the domed portion of the nipple body which extends externally the inner and outer faces of the wall. However, the inner face of this tubular tip is of cylindrical shape while the outer face, substantially frustoconical, is slightly tapered towards the free end of this tip outside the teat body. The thickness of the walls of the nipple body and its tubular tip is usually of the order of mm except for the upper part of the tip, close to its free end, where the presence of an annular bead is noted 6. This annular bead, which extends outwardly and radially, is of gently rounded profile so as to mimic the characteristics of the maternal breast.

Figure 1 also shows a transverse partition 7 located substantially at the birth of the tubular nozzle and internally dividing the teat 1 into two separate compartments. This partition is usually of a thickness slightly less than mm.

In addition, so as to allow the escape of the liquid contained in a container provided with the nipple 1, an orifice is formed in the transverse partition 7 consisting of a frustoconical hole 8, visible in FIG.

The profile of this hole, as shown enlarged in Figure 3, shows that the widest opening thereof is directed towards the inside of the tubular nozzle 3.

The introduction of the nipple 1 on a container, in particular a feeding bottle, can be ensured, as illustrated in FIG.

By way of example, the teat 1, used in this embodiment, comprises an orifice 8 which, in a variant, is a slot in the form of a truncated tip V whose widest opening is directed towards the inside of the tubular endpiece 3.

Furthermore, the nipple body 2 is provided with markers 9, here in the form of dashes, each corresponding to a position of the orifice 8 so as to cause gradual opening and a variable flow of liquid.

This setting up usually requires an intermediate retaining ring 10, visible in FIG. 4. This ring, made for example of a thermoplastic material, is of cylindrical shape and has in its internal lateral skirt 11 a tapping adapted to cooperate with the threading. of the neck 12 of the bottle and, at its end opposite this bottle neck, an upper bottom 13, established in annular form for engagement around the nipple body 2, at the collar 4.

During this installation, the teat 1 is first engaged, by its tubular end 3 and its cup body 2, in the central passage formed in the retaining ring 10 until the flange 4, by its ribbed face, comes into abutment against the inner face of the annular bottom 13 of the retaining ring. This retaining ring 10 is then tightened, by screwing, on the neck 12 of the bottle up to the sealed contact of both the ribbed face of the flange 4 against the inner face of the annular bottom 13 and the bearing face of the this flange 4 against the circular edge of the neck 12 of the bottle.

This sealing is furthermore reinforced by the crushing of the rib 5 against the inner face of the annular bottom 13.

Claims (10)

1. Infant nipple designed to be adapted for use on a recipient such as the body of a bottle, comprised of the body of the nipple (2), which is substantially cupulate, the peripheral free edge of which is continuous and encircled by a projecting radial collar (4), the body axially and exteriorly prolonged by a tubular end (3) that is hollow and which ends in an open free end, the interior of said nipple being separated into two compartments by a transversal partition (7) that is pierced by at least one liquid distribution orifice (8) and situated on one hand between and including the base of the tip and on the other hand its free end characterised in that the tip, in the part that is near the free end, is equipped with an annular strip (6) that extends radially and externally and which is configured in such a way as to help to maintain said tip against the dorsal surface of the infant's tongue during feeding.
2. A nipple according to claim 1, characterised in that the profile of the internal and external sides of the tubular tip (3) are derived from the truncated coaxial cylinders and/or cones.
3. A nipple according to claim 2, characterised in that the profile of the internal side of the tip (3) up to its open free end is derived from a first cylinder and the profile of the external side of said tip (3) is partially derived from a second cylinder or partially from a truncated cone, one or the other being coaxial to the first cylinder.
4. A nipple according to claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the transversal partition (7) comprises two flat sides.
5. A nipple according to claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the transversal partition (7) is pierced by at least one orifice (8), which is a trunconical hole with the larger opening directed towards the interior of the tubular tip (3).
6. A nipple according to claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the transversal partition (7) is pierced by at least one orifice (8) that is a V-shaped slit with a truncated point, the larger opening of which is directed towards the interior of the tubular tip (3).
7. A nipple according to claims 1 to 6, characterised in that the body of the nipple is equipped with markings (9) each corresponding to a position of the orifice (8).
8. A nipple according to claims 1 to 7, characterised in that the side of the collar, with regard to the tubular end, is equipped, along its free edge, with an annular rib (5).
9. A nipple according to claims 1 to 8, characterised in that it is made of a material appropriate for coming into contact with foodstuff.
10. A nipple according to claim 9, characterised in that it is made of a styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene copolymer.

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