Information
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Patent Grant
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6499615
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Patent Number
6,499,615
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Date Filed
Tuesday, September 11, 200122 years ago
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Date Issued
Tuesday, December 31, 200221 years ago
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Inventors
-
-
Examiners
Agents
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CPC
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US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 215 111
- 215 114
- 215 115
- 215 386
- 215 388
- 222 4644
- 222 4646
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International Classifications
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Abstract
A combination angled cap and vent for connecting a baby bottle with a nipple has an angled cap and a vent tube. The angled cap has an elbow shaped body, a proximal opening, and a distal opening. The proximal opening of the angled cap communicates with the distal opening so that liquid from the baby bottle is transmitted to the nipple. The elbow shaped body is shaped to maintain the proximal opening in non-coaxial alignment with the distal opening. The proximal opening includes an externally threaded portion adapted to threadedly receive a retaining cap that functions to lock the nipple over the proximal opening. The distal opening includes an internally threaded portion adapted to threadedly engage the baby bottle. The angled cap further includes a vent aperture through the angled cap adjacent the proximal opening. The vent tube has an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being in fluid communication with the vent aperture, and the outlet end being positioned to extend upwardly through the distal opening. The vent tube includes a check valve for allowing fluid flow from the inlet end to the outlet end, but preventing fluid flow from the outlet end to the inlet end.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Not Applicable
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to baby bottles, and more particularly to an angled cap and vent that is attached between a baby bottle and a nipple.
2. Description of Related Art
The following art defines the present state of this field:
Brankley, U.S. Pat. No. 5,588,548, teaches an adjustable baby bottleneck for connecting a conventional baby bottle to a conventional rubber nipple through an angular or adjustable bottleneck portion. The angularly adjustable bottleneck portion may be set and fixed from an angle of 0 to 60 degrees and includes a mounting securing ring at one end for mating with the top of a standard nursing bottle and at the other end includes means for mating with a standard nipple.
Gomez-Acevedo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,425 teaches a nursing bottle which allows the intercommunication of at least two closed compartments to mix the contents thereof without any contact with the outside environment.
Chong, U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,042 teaches a handle which is in the shape of a hollow tube whereof one end engages onto a nipple and the other end is engageable to a mounting flange on the bottle top wherein it provides a junction of flexibility between the nipple and bottle.
Hunter, U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,027 teaches a child's drinking cup or bottle, with the cup or bottle having a generally rigid cap upon which there is mounted a relatively soft drinking lip or teat. The cap can mount the teat at an angle.
B. Doner, U.S. Pat. No. 3,071,272 teaches a baby feeding bottle with an air bleeding means that does not flood with the fluid being used and thus eliminates the need to allow air to feed back to the nipple of the bottle during use.
W. G. Canham et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,467,463 teaches a novel and improved baby's nursing unit of simple construction which is provided with automatic pressure equalizing means for providing a substantial continuous flow of fluid to the baby while nursing and wherein the baby may be fed with its head in a comfortable position.
G. C. Apple, U.S. Pat. No. 1,280,942 teaches a flanged cap constituting a cover for a drinking vessel such as a cup, glass or the like.
C. Borgenschild, U.S. Pat. No. 593,830 teaches the combination with a bottle, of a cap adapted to fit thereon and having an opening therethrough surrounded by an upwardly-projecting interiorly-screw-threaded thimble, and air-admitting openings exterior to the thimble.
J. A. Morris, U.S. Pat. No. 280,656 teaches a nipple made to hold a glass tube which extends downward to near the bottom of the bottle, and has a free gravitating movement adapted to any inclination of he bottle, the nipple at the same time being firmly secured to the bottle by an exterior flange or cap or by another portion of the nipple.
Brown et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,779,071, teaches an air venting system assembly that can be positioned within a bottle to enable air to vent into the bottle.
Giles et al., U.S. Des. Pat. No. 382,969 teaches a combined baby nurser and cap.
The prior art teaches baby bottles with angled or adjustable necks or caps. The prior art also teaches venting systems that vent air into the bottle. However, the prior art does not teach a combination angled cap and vent connecting a baby bottle with a nipple. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides further related advantages as described in the following summary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention teaches certain benefits in construction and use which give rise to the objectives described below.
The present invention provides a combination angled cap and vent for connecting a baby bottle with a nipple. The combination includes an angled cap having an elbow shaped body, a proximal opening, and a distal opening. The proximal opening of the angled cap communicates with the distal opening so that liquid from the baby bottle is transmitted to the nipple. The elbow shaped body is shaped to maintain the proximal opening in non-coaxial alignment with the distal opening. The angled cap includes a means for removably connecting the proximal opening with the nipple and a means for removably connecting the distal opening with the baby bottle. The angled cap further includes a vent aperture through the angled cap adjacent the proximal opening. The combination further includes a vent tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being in fluid communication with the vent aperture, and the outlet end being positioned to extend upwardly through the distal opening. The vent tube includes a check valve means for allowing fluid flow from the inlet end to the outlet end, but preventing fluid flow from the outlet end to the inlet end.
A primary objective of the present invention is to provide combination angled cap and vent for connecting a baby bottle with a nipple, the combination having advantages not taught by the prior art.
Another objective is to provide an angled cap that enables a baby to be held upright while feeding from the baby bottle, thereby maintaining the baby's ear canal above his or her mouth and helping to prevent the baby from getting an ear infection.
A further objective is to provide a venting system that enables air to vent directly into the baby bottle through the vent and without bubbling through the fluid that the baby is drinking.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following more detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The accompanying drawings illustrate the present invention. In such drawings:
FIG. 1
is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the present invention being used to feed a baby;
FIG. 2
is a sectional view thereof taken along line
2
—
2
in
FIG. 1
; and
FIG. 3
is an exploded perspective view thereof.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The above described drawing figures illustrate the invention, a combination angled cap and vent
10
for connecting a baby bottle
12
with a nipple
20
. The combination
10
includes an angled cap
30
having an elbow shaped body
32
, a proximal opening
34
, and a distal opening
36
. The proximal opening
34
of the angled cap
30
communicates with the distal opening
36
so that liquid from the baby bottle
12
is transmitted to the nipple
20
. The elbow shaped body
32
is shaped to maintain the proximal opening
34
in non-coaxial alignment with the distal opening
36
. The angled cap
30
includes a means for removably connecting the proximal opening
34
with the nipple
20
. The angled cap
30
also includes a means for removably connecting the distal opening
36
with the baby bottle
12
. The angled cap
30
further includes a vent aperture
50
through the angled cap
30
adjacent the proximal opening
34
. The combination
10
further includes a vent tube
52
having an inlet end
54
and an outlet end
56
, the inlet end
54
being in fluid communication with the vent aperture
50
, and the outlet end
56
being positioned to extend upwardly through the distal opening
36
. The vent tube
52
includes a check valve means
60
for allowing fluid flow from the inlet end
54
to the outlet end
56
, but preventing fluid flow from the outlet end
56
to the inlet end
54
.
As shown in
FIG. 1
, the angled cap
30
has the elbow shaped body
32
between the proximal opening
34
and the distal opening
36
so that the proximal opening
34
is maintained in non-coaxial alignment with the distal opening
36
. The distal opening
36
is positioned approximately 10-90 degrees, most preferably approximately 45 degrees, out of coaxial alignment with the proximal opening
34
, to enable the baby to be held upright while feeding from the baby bottle
12
, thereby maintaining the baby's ear canal above his or her mouth and helping to prevent the baby from getting an ear infection. The specific angle of the angled cap
30
can be varied by those skilled in the art as long as the angle is suitable to protect the baby from an ear infection as described above. The angled cap
30
is preferably constructed of molded plastic, and is most preferably transparent so that one can visually determine how much liquid is in the angled cap
30
when the baby is drinking from the baby bottle
12
.
As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the means for removably connecting the proximal opening
34
with the nipple
20
is preferably provided by an externally threaded portion
40
of the proximal opening
34
. The externally threaded portion
40
includes an external thread
42
that is adapted to threadedly engage an internally threaded cap portion
28
of a retaining cap
24
. A proximal perimeter
44
of the proximal opening
34
is adapted to conform to a nipple flange
22
of the nipple
20
such that the nipple
20
functionally seals the proximal opening
34
when the nipple
20
is positioned through a central aperture
26
of the retaining cap
24
, the nipple flange
22
is positioned against the proximal perimeter
44
, and the retaining cap
24
is used to locked the nipple flange
22
down against the proximal perimeter
44
. This arrangement is equivalent with various alternative structures, including an alternative nipple (not shown) in which the retaining cap
24
is integral with the nipple
20
so that the nipple
20
does not include a flange that contacts the proximal perimeter
44
.
As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the means for removably connecting the distal opening
36
with the baby bottle
12
is preferably provided by an internally threaded portion
46
of the distal opening
36
. The internally threaded portion
46
has an internal thread
48
that is adapted to threadedly engage the externally threaded bottle portion
18
of the baby bottle
12
. While the threaded engagements shown herein are the preferred embodiments of the means for removably connecting the proximal and distal openings
34
and
36
can be provided by equivalent locking mechanisms known to those skilled in the art.
As shown in
FIG. 2
, the combination
10
includes a vent aperture
50
through the externally threaded portion
40
. As shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the vent aperture
50
is in fluid communication with an inlet end
54
of a vent tube
52
. The vent tube
52
has an outlet end
56
opposite the inlet end
54
. The outlet end
56
is positioned to extend upwardly through the distal opening
36
such that the outlet end
56
can be positioned near the bottom of the baby bottle
12
when the combination
10
is operably mounted upon the baby bottle
12
. The vent tube
52
is preferably a plastic tube that includes a lower tube portion
58
and an upper tube portion
59
. The lower tube portion
58
is preferably integral with the angled cap
30
. The upper tube portion
59
is preferably frictionally engageable with the lower tube portion
58
so that the upper tube portion
59
can be connected with the lower tube portion
58
to form a single tube. The ability to divide the vent tube
52
into two parts makes shipping and storage of the combination
10
easier, and it also facilitates cleaning of the combination
10
, a critical concern since the combination
10
is used for feeding babies.
As shown in
FIGS. 1-3
, the combination
10
further includes a check valve means
60
for allowing fluid flow from the inlet end
54
to the outlet end
56
, but preventing fluid flow from the outlet end
56
to the inlet end
54
. The check valve means
60
is preferably a duck bill valve
60
constructed of a resilient material such as rubber and operably positioned over the outlet end
56
of the vent tube
52
.
In the preferred embodiment, as shown in
FIGS. 2 and 3
, the combination
10
also includes a rubber washer
62
that is adapted to be operably positioned in a washer receiving portion
64
of the distal opening
36
. The rubber washer
62
is adapted to form a seal between the bottle perimeter
16
and the distal opening
36
. Of course, other materials that are equivalent to rubber, including plastics and other resilient and fluid-proof materials, may be used and should be considered within the scope of the enclosed claims.
In use, the upper tube portion
59
is frictionally connected to the lower tube portion
58
to form the vent tube
52
. The rubber washer
62
is positioned in the washer receiving portion
64
, the vent tube
52
is positioned within the baby bottle
12
, and the angled cap
30
is attached to the baby bottle
12
, preferably by threadedly engaging the internally threaded cap portion
28
with the externally threaded bottle portion
18
. The angled cap
30
is tightened until the bottle perimeter
16
abuts the rubber washer
62
and firmly clamps the rubber washer
62
against the washer receiving portion
64
, thereby sealing the distal opening
36
around the bottle aperture
14
.
The nipple
20
is then positioned through the central aperture
26
of the retaining cap
24
such that the nipple flange
22
abuts the retaining cap
24
. Of course, some nipples
20
are integrally formed with the retaining cap
24
, so this step is not required. It is considered that integrally forming the nipple flange
22
with the retaining cap
24
is equivalent to the structure described as the preferred embodiment herein, so a more detailed description of the alternative structure is not provided. The retaining cap
24
is then attached to the proximal opening
34
of the angled cap
30
, preferably by threadedly engaging the externally threaded portion
40
of the angled cap
30
with the internally threaded cap portion
28
.
Once assembled, as shown in
FIG. 2
, the internally threaded cap portion
28
serves to exclude dirt from entering the vent aperture
50
, while allowing air to enter the baby bottle
12
by passing around the external thread
42
, through the vent aperture
50
, through the vent tube
52
, through the duck bill valve
60
, and into the baby bottle
12
, when the baby suckles on the nipple
20
. The duck bill valve
60
and the length of the vent tube
52
, together, prevent the liquid from draining through the vent tube
52
and out of the baby bottle
12
when the baby bottle
12
is inverted.
While the invention has been described with reference to at least one preferred embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction with the appended claims.
Claims
- 1. A combination angled cap and vent for connecting a baby bottle with a nipple, the combination comprising:an angled cap having an elbow shaped body, a proximal opening, and a distal opening, the proximal opening communicating with the distal opening, the elbow shaped body maintaining the proximal opening in non-coaxial alignment with the distal opening; a means for removably connecting the proximal opening with the nipple; a means for removably connecting the distal opening with the baby bottle; a vent aperture through the angled cap adjacent the proximal opening; a vent tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being in fluid communication with the vent aperture, and the outlet end being positioned to extend upwardly through the distal opening; and a check valve means for allowing fluid flow from the inlet end to the outlet end, but preventing fluid flow from the outlet end to the inlet end.
- 2. A combination angled cap and vent for connecting a baby bottle with a nipple and a retaining cap, the baby bottle having a bottle aperture having a bottle perimeter and an externally threaded bottle portion, the nipple having a nipple flange, the retaining cap having a central aperture and an internally threaded cap portion, the combination comprising:an angled cap having an elbow shaped body, a proximal opening, and a distal opening, the proximal opening communicating with the distal opening, the elbow shaped body maintaining the proximal opening in non-coaxial alignment with the distal opening; an externally threaded portion of the proximal opening having an external thread, the externally threaded portion being adapted to threadedly engage the internally threaded cap portion of the retaining cap; a proximal perimeter of the proximal opening adapted to conform to the nipple flange such that the nipple seals the proximal opening when positioned against the proximal perimeter; an internally threaded portion of the distal opening having an internal thread, the internally threaded portion being adapted to threadedly engage the externally threaded bottle portion of the baby bottle; a vent aperture through the externally threaded portion; a vent tube having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being in fluid communication with the vent aperture, and the outlet end being positioned to extend upwardly through the distal opening; and a check valve means for allowing fluid flow from the inlet end to the outlet end, but preventing fluid flow from the outlet end to the inlet end.
- 3. The combination of claim 2 further comprising a rubber washer operably positioned in a washer receiving portion of the distal end, the rubber washer being adapted to form a seal between the bottle perimeter and the distal opening.
- 4. The combination of claim 2 wherein the check valve means is a duck bill valve operably positioned over the outlet end of the vent tube.
- 5. The combination of claim 2 wherein the vent tube includes a lower tube portion and an upper tube portion, the lower tube portion being integral with the angled cap, and the upper tube portion being frictionally engageable with the lower tube portion.
US Referenced Citations (41)