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WO2003068132A1 - Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles - Google Patents

Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2003068132A1
WO2003068132A1 PCT/GB2003/000662 GB0300662W WO03068132A1 WO 2003068132 A1 WO2003068132 A1 WO 2003068132A1 GB 0300662 W GB0300662 W GB 0300662W WO 03068132 A1 WO03068132 A1 WO 03068132A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
teat
collar
bottle
moulded
baby
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/GB2003/000662
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Christopher Mallet
Original Assignee
Steribottle Limited
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Steribottle Limited filed Critical Steribottle Limited
Priority to AU2003208414A priority Critical patent/AU2003208414A1/en
Publication of WO2003068132A1 publication Critical patent/WO2003068132A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61J—CONTAINERS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR MEDICAL OR PHARMACEUTICAL PURPOSES; DEVICES OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR BRINGING PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS INTO PARTICULAR PHYSICAL OR ADMINISTERING FORMS; DEVICES FOR ADMINISTERING FOOD OR MEDICINES ORALLY; BABY COMFORTERS; DEVICES FOR RECEIVING SPITTLE
    • A61J11/00—Teats
    • A61J11/04—Teats with means for fastening to bottles

Definitions

  • TITLE Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles
  • This invention concerns improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles.
  • Baby and infant feeding bottles are fitted with a teat through which the bay or infant can suck liquid feed, such as, milk from the bottle.
  • the teat will have one or more small holes in its end through which the liquid feed can be drawn.
  • the teat is secured over the neck of the bottle by means of a flange trapped between the neck of the bottle and a sealing ring that is usually screwed onto the neck of the bottle.
  • Teats are traditionally made of latex, although more recently they have been made of silicone rubber, which is more robust than latex allowing greater numbers of reuse.
  • silicone rubber teats are more expensive than latex teats and almost impossible to recycle.
  • thermoplastics elastomer TPE
  • This material has many advantages over both latex and silicone rubber, in that it has better heat dissipation qualities, is cheaper to manufacture and is recyclable.
  • baby feeding bottles are reusable and to ensure that a baby's feed is not contaminated, it is usual to sterilise the bottle before use, such as by cleaning the bottle in a sterilising liquid or using a steam steriliser. The same needs to be done with the teat and the cap of the bottle to ensure their sterility.
  • sterilisation, or even thorough cleaning of a baby's bottle may be overlooked, or carried out inadequately, causing the feed to become contaminated.
  • baby feed bottles should be non-reusable, such as by providing a locking closure for the bottle, whereby the bottle cannot be reopened once sealed and has to be disposed of after one use.
  • the teat has a flange that is trapped between the bottle neck and a closure that cannot be removed once it is in place.
  • An object of the present invention is to provide an improved teat for a non-reusable baby feeding bottle.
  • a teat for a non- reusable baby feeding bottle having a locking collar for irremovably locating the teat on the neck of the bottle.
  • the teat has a relatively rigid base forming the collar.
  • He collar is preferably provided with locking formations thereon that cooperate with corresponding locking formations of the bottle, whereby the teat cannot be removed from the bottle to allow re-use thereof.
  • the locking formations preferably comprise a ratchet formation and lugs for engagement with the ratchet formation.
  • the ratchet formation is preferably on the bottle and the lugs on the collar.
  • the teat be shaped so as to be engaged with a locking collar.
  • the teat may have an annular groove or channel that locates the teat on an edge of an aperture through the collar.
  • localised bonding of the teat to the collar may be used, such as by means of adhesive or heat bonding.
  • the teat preferably has a flange that is preferably shaped to match the contours of the surrounding collar.
  • the teat and collar are co-moulded to form an integral unit.
  • the teat is preferably moulded from a thermoplastic elastomer and the collar is preferably moulded from polypropylene, although other suitable materials may be use for either part. It is also envisaged that the teat and collar may be made entirely from the same material, especially form thermoplastic elastomer, although it may be possible to co-mould in the ratchet lugs from another material that may be a more rigid material, such as polypropylene.
  • the invention further provides a baby feeding bottle having a teat according to the invention.
  • a baby feeding bottle (not shown) of conventional type will have an open neck with a screw thread formed on its outer surface and below which is a lug to cooperate with a ratchet type formation of a closure for the bottle.
  • the closure for the bottle is shown in the drawing and comprises a teat 10 and a collar 12, whereby the teat is retained on the neck of the bottle.
  • the teat is preferably moulded from thermoplastic elastomer and is of conventional shape, i.e. with a narrower free end 14, a wider main body 16 and a flange-like base 18.
  • the narrower end 14 has one or more holes 20 therein, through which liquid feed from the bottle can be drawn by a baby sucking on the teat end.
  • the teat is combined with the collar so that they form a single unit.
  • the collar is preferably moulded from polypropylene. In the embodiment shown, the teat and collar are formed, so that they interengage.
  • the collar 12 has a top 22 with an aperture 24 therethrough for receiving the teat and a depending skirt 26.
  • the top 22 has a stepped perimeter 28.
  • the skirt 26 has three sections, the first 30 adjacent the stepped perimeter 20 is shaped and sized so as to accommodate the flange 18 of the teat, which will be described in detail later.
  • the second or mid-section 32 of the skirt has screw threading moulded therein, whereby the collar is screwed onto the neck of the bottle.
  • the third section 34 of the skirt has a ratchet formation on its inner surface in the form of spaced wedged shaped formations 36 having a long face 38 at a shallow angle to the collar wall and a short face 40 at a steeper angle to the collar wall 42.
  • the ratchet formations 36 are intended to allow the collar to be screwed onto the neck of the bottle with the longer faces passing over the aforementioned lug but unscrewing of the collar being prevented by the lug abutting against one of the shorter faces of the ratchet mechanism.
  • the teat has a stepped flange with a skirt, so that its outer shape closely conforms to the inner contours of the collar. Between the flange and the wider part of the teat, the teat has an annular groove in which the edge of the aperture of the collar locates when the teat is correctly positioned.
  • the outer flange part of the teat has a hole therethrough, whereby air can enter the bottle to replace the liquid feed as it is sucked out. Whilst the teat flange is a close fit with the collar, it will not be so tight as to prevent air passing between them.
  • the teat may be further secured to the collar by means of localised adhesion, such as by means of adhesive or welding.
  • the teat and collar will be co-moulded, so that they are in effect integral.
  • the teat of this embodiment may correspond in shape and size to the teat of the illustrated embodiment or may be only a part thereof providing sufficient area of overlap with the collar for an effective union between them.
  • the aim of the teat/collar combination of either embodiment is to provide a teat that is simple to lock in place and that cannot be removed for the bottle to be re-used.

Landscapes

  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
  • Medical Preparation Storing Or Oral Administration Devices (AREA)

Abstract

A teat (10) for a non-reusable baby feeding bottle has a locking collar (12) for irremovably locating the teat on the neck of the bottle, wherein the teat has a rigid base forming the collar.

Description

TITLE: Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles
DESCRIPTION
This invention concerns improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles.
Baby and infant feeding bottles are fitted with a teat through which the bay or infant can suck liquid feed, such as, milk from the bottle. The teat will have one or more small holes in its end through which the liquid feed can be drawn. The teat is secured over the neck of the bottle by means of a flange trapped between the neck of the bottle and a sealing ring that is usually screwed onto the neck of the bottle.
Teats are traditionally made of latex, although more recently they have been made of silicone rubber, which is more robust than latex allowing greater numbers of reuse. However, silicone rubber teats are more expensive than latex teats and almost impossible to recycle.
A new material being used for the manufacture of teats is a thermoplastics elastomer (TPE). This material has many advantages over both latex and silicone rubber, in that it has better heat dissipation qualities, is cheaper to manufacture and is recyclable.
Traditionally, baby feeding bottles are reusable and to ensure that a baby's feed is not contaminated, it is usual to sterilise the bottle before use, such as by cleaning the bottle in a sterilising liquid or using a steam steriliser. The same needs to be done with the teat and the cap of the bottle to ensure their sterility. However, sterilisation, or even thorough cleaning of a baby's bottle, may be overlooked, or carried out inadequately, causing the feed to become contaminated.
It has been proposed that baby feed bottles should be non-reusable, such as by providing a locking closure for the bottle, whereby the bottle cannot be reopened once sealed and has to be disposed of after one use. In such bottles the teat has a flange that is trapped between the bottle neck and a closure that cannot be removed once it is in place.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved teat for a non-reusable baby feeding bottle.
According to the present invention there is provided a teat for a non- reusable baby feeding bottle having a locking collar for irremovably locating the teat on the neck of the bottle.
Preferably the teat has a relatively rigid base forming the collar. He collar is preferably provided with locking formations thereon that cooperate with corresponding locking formations of the bottle, whereby the teat cannot be removed from the bottle to allow re-use thereof. The locking formations preferably comprise a ratchet formation and lugs for engagement with the ratchet formation. The ratchet formation is preferably on the bottle and the lugs on the collar.
To provide the teat with a rigid base, it is proposed in one preferred embodiment that the teat be shaped so as to be engaged with a locking collar. For example, the teat may have an annular groove or channel that locates the teat on an edge of an aperture through the collar. Alternatively, localised bonding of the teat to the collar may be used, such as by means of adhesive or heat bonding. The teat preferably has a flange that is preferably shaped to match the contours of the surrounding collar.
In an alternative preferred embodiment of the invention, the teat and collar are co-moulded to form an integral unit.
The teat is preferably moulded from a thermoplastic elastomer and the collar is preferably moulded from polypropylene, although other suitable materials may be use for either part. It is also envisaged that the teat and collar may be made entirely from the same material, especially form thermoplastic elastomer, although it may be possible to co-mould in the ratchet lugs from another material that may be a more rigid material, such as polypropylene.
The invention further provides a baby feeding bottle having a teat according to the invention.
This invention will now be further described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a section through a baby feeding bottle teat and retaining collar.
Referring to the accompanying drawing, a baby feeding bottle (not shown) of conventional type will have an open neck with a screw thread formed on its outer surface and below which is a lug to cooperate with a ratchet type formation of a closure for the bottle. The closure for the bottle is shown in the drawing and comprises a teat 10 and a collar 12, whereby the teat is retained on the neck of the bottle.
The teat is preferably moulded from thermoplastic elastomer and is of conventional shape, i.e. with a narrower free end 14, a wider main body 16 and a flange-like base 18. The narrower end 14 has one or more holes 20 therein, through which liquid feed from the bottle can be drawn by a baby sucking on the teat end.
The teat is combined with the collar so that they form a single unit. The collar is preferably moulded from polypropylene. In the embodiment shown, the teat and collar are formed, so that they interengage. The collar 12 has a top 22 with an aperture 24 therethrough for receiving the teat and a depending skirt 26. The top 22 has a stepped perimeter 28. The skirt 26 has three sections, the first 30 adjacent the stepped perimeter 20 is shaped and sized so as to accommodate the flange 18 of the teat, which will be described in detail later. The second or mid-section 32 of the skirt has screw threading moulded therein, whereby the collar is screwed onto the neck of the bottle. The third section 34 of the skirt has a ratchet formation on its inner surface in the form of spaced wedged shaped formations 36 having a long face 38 at a shallow angle to the collar wall and a short face 40 at a steeper angle to the collar wall 42. The ratchet formations 36 are intended to allow the collar to be screwed onto the neck of the bottle with the longer faces passing over the aforementioned lug but unscrewing of the collar being prevented by the lug abutting against one of the shorter faces of the ratchet mechanism.
The teat has a stepped flange with a skirt, so that its outer shape closely conforms to the inner contours of the collar. Between the flange and the wider part of the teat, the teat has an annular groove in which the edge of the aperture of the collar locates when the teat is correctly positioned.
The outer flange part of the teat has a hole therethrough, whereby air can enter the bottle to replace the liquid feed as it is sucked out. Whilst the teat flange is a close fit with the collar, it will not be so tight as to prevent air passing between them. The teat may be further secured to the collar by means of localised adhesion, such as by means of adhesive or welding.
In another embodiment (not illustrated), it is envisaged that the teat and collar will be co-moulded, so that they are in effect integral. The teat of this embodiment may correspond in shape and size to the teat of the illustrated embodiment or may be only a part thereof providing sufficient area of overlap with the collar for an effective union between them.
The aim of the teat/collar combination of either embodiment is to provide a teat that is simple to lock in place and that cannot be removed for the bottle to be re-used.

Claims

1. A teat for a non-reusable baby feeding bottle having a locking collar for irremovably locating the teat on the neck of the bottle.
2. A teat as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the teat has a rigid base forming the collar.
3. A teat as claimed in claim 2, wherein the collar has locking formations thereon that cooperate with corresponding locking formations of the bottle.
4. A teat as claimed in claim 3, wherein the locking formations comprise a ratchet formation and lugs engageable with the ratchet formation.
5. A teat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the teat is shaped so as to engage with a locking collar.
6. A teat as claimed in claim 5, wherein the teat has an annular groove or channel that locates the teat on an edge of an aperture through the collar.
7. A teat as claimed in claim 5, wherein the teat is locally bonded to the collar.
8. A teat as claimed in claim 7, wherein said localised bonding is by means of adhesive.
9. A teat as claimed in claim 7, wherein said localised bonding is by means of heat bonding.
10. A teat as claimed in claim 7, 8 or 9, wherein the teat has a flange that is shaped to match the contours of the surrounding collar.
11. A teat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the teat and collar are co-moulded to form an integral unit.
12. A teat as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the teat is moulded from a thermoplastic elastomer.
13. A teat as claimed in claim 11 or 12, wherein the collar is moulded from polypropylene.
14. A teat as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the teat and collar are made from the same material.
15. A teat as claimed in claim 14, wherein the teat and collar are moulded from thermoplastic elastomer material.
16. A teat as claimed in claim 14 or 15, wherein locking formations of the collar are co-moulded in from a more rigid material.
17. A teat as claimed in claim 16, wherein the locking formations of the collar are lugs.
18. A baby feeding bottle having a teat as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 17.
19. A teat for a baby feeding bottle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
20. A baby feeding bottle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.
PCT/GB2003/000662 2002-02-15 2003-02-14 Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles WO2003068132A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
AU2003208414A AU2003208414A1 (en) 2002-02-15 2003-02-14 Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB0203583A GB0203583D0 (en) 2002-02-15 2002-02-15 Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles
GB0203583.0 2002-02-15

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2003068132A1 true WO2003068132A1 (en) 2003-08-21

Family

ID=9931122

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/GB2003/000662 WO2003068132A1 (en) 2002-02-15 2003-02-14 Improvements in and relating to teats for baby and infant feeding bottles

Country Status (3)

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AU (1) AU2003208414A1 (en)
GB (1) GB0203583D0 (en)
WO (1) WO2003068132A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008148135A2 (en) * 2007-05-27 2008-12-04 Michael John Hamilton-Hall A feeding bottle for babies

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4053648A (en) * 1973-11-21 1977-10-11 Manfred Carl Schmid Bottle for sterile dispensing of flowable contents
US4676386A (en) * 1984-11-21 1987-06-30 Royal American Industries, Inc. Nipple
DE4131996A1 (en) * 1991-09-26 1993-04-01 Guertler Hubert Teat for baby's feeding bottle - has outlet formed by slit which is self-sealing when not in use
EP0819417A1 (en) * 1995-11-14 1998-01-21 José Rafael Arrebola Sanz Disposable feeding bottle
WO1999042074A1 (en) * 1998-02-21 1999-08-26 Steribottle Limited Feed bottles for babies

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4053648A (en) * 1973-11-21 1977-10-11 Manfred Carl Schmid Bottle for sterile dispensing of flowable contents
US4676386A (en) * 1984-11-21 1987-06-30 Royal American Industries, Inc. Nipple
DE4131996A1 (en) * 1991-09-26 1993-04-01 Guertler Hubert Teat for baby's feeding bottle - has outlet formed by slit which is self-sealing when not in use
EP0819417A1 (en) * 1995-11-14 1998-01-21 José Rafael Arrebola Sanz Disposable feeding bottle
WO1999042074A1 (en) * 1998-02-21 1999-08-26 Steribottle Limited Feed bottles for babies

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2008148135A2 (en) * 2007-05-27 2008-12-04 Michael John Hamilton-Hall A feeding bottle for babies
WO2008148135A3 (en) * 2007-05-27 2009-02-05 Michael John Hamilton-Hall A feeding bottle for babies

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU2003208414A1 (en) 2003-09-04
GB0203583D0 (en) 2002-04-03

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