Patent Application
20200077623
The invention relates in general to teats or nipples for animals; teats having means for regulating the flow rate by size or shape of the opening; teats with means for fastening to bottles with interlocking means; and teats with means for supplying air without dripping fluid.
Feeding infant dairy animals frequently involves the use of imitation teats attached to liquid containers. A common apparatus is a bottle with an elastomeric nipple attached. Such nipples are commonly tube-like with a larger-diameter base. The base attaches to a bottle or other container. The tube approximates the size and shape of a teat, having a proximal end in fluid communication with the base and a distal end for dispensing liquid. The distal end of common tubes has an orifice, also referred to as an aperture, that is designed to self-seal to prevent leakage. A cross-shaped cut in the distal end of the tube is a common, self-sealing orifice, or aperture, when used with rubber nipples or other elastomeric materials used for nipples.
A conventional nipple attached to a bottle seals the opening of the bottle and allows liquid to flow through a self-sealing orifice, also referred to as a nipple aperture, in the distal end of the tube. Self-sealing orifices are commonly a cross-shaped cut in the distal end of the tube. As a calf suckles the tube, liquid is drawn from inside the nipple, creating a partial vacuum, or lower-than-ambient pressure inside the bottle.
A one-way valve, otherwise referred to as a check valve, is a valve which allows a gas or fluid to flow in one direction. Commonly, an air vent is molded into the nipple with a cut into the nipple after molding. The air vent closes to prevent fluid leakage because of pre-stress in the material before the slit is cut.
A flow control valve is a valve which prevents fluid flow until a certain differential pressure is achieved. In a flow control valve, the valve material is designed to flex back to the original, closed position below a certain differential pressure. A flow control valve is a commonly used valve in the food industry and is often seen in bottles that dispense condiments such as ketchup or mustard.
Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) are also referred to as thermoplastic rubbers or castable elastomers and are a class of copolymers or physical mix of polymers which provide a combination of the properties of the mixed components. For example, a thermoplastic or injection-moldable plastic combined with a rubber provides an injectable rubber material.
The shape of the nipple, shape of the aperture and the shape of the vent can affect the flow rate of the nipple. Specifically for animal feeding, keeping a uniform flow rate is important, as drinking fluid too quickly can cause an animal bowel and intestinal issues, and too slow of a flow rate can frustrate the animal, and cause the farm worker to spend too much time feeding an animal. Commonly, the flow rate can increase due to damage to the nipple aperture, eventually resulting in discarding a nipple which has too large an aperture.
The wear of the nipple aperture and the shape of the air vent can affect nipple leakage. Leakage can be caused by a lack of pressure differential inside the bottle, liquid drips out of the nipple. Leakage also occurs when an aperture eventually fails to close because of material tearing (due to, for example, an infant animal chewing it during feeding), or general wear or reduced resiliency. Leakage also can occur through the air vent if the head pressure of the fluid within the bottle exceeds the capacity of the air vent to prevent leakage.
An apparatus for feeding an infant animal has in one embodiment a nipple combination comprising a flow control valve engaged with the proximal end of the tube of a nipple and a vertically oriented tube extending upward from the base toward an upper end, terminating within a nipple housing that has an open feeding orifice. A common cavity is formed by the flexible wall of the inner diameter of the vertically extending tube and its upper end. An elastomeric check valve air vent prevents milk from leaking out of the bottle. In some embodiments the check valve is molded into the elastomeric material that comprises the base. A base is designed to engage with common types of animal feed vessels. In some embodiments the base of the nipple is designed to snap onto a vessel. In other embodiments the base of the nipple is mated with a collet that threads onto the throat of a vessel to engage the base of the nipple with the collet and so with the vessel.
The upper end of the tube resides in a half-spherical nipple. The half-spherical end has an open rather than self-sealing nipple aperture of no less than one millimeter to no more than 5 millimeters in diameter. The need for a self-sealing nipple aperture is obviated by the valve in the distal end of the tube of the nipple combination of the present disclosure.
In one embodiment a TPE flow control valve resides in an insert which is in the base of the tube portion of the nipple and prevents leakage. The flow control valve is a flanged cylindrical form. A cut in the bottom of the flanged cylinder opens when the pressure at the distal end of the nipple is greater than the pressure inside the fluid feed vessel. The pressure differential required to open the flow control valve may be regulated by the design of the flanged cylindrical shape, the thickness of the elastomeric material and the size of the cut(s) that make up the valve opening. In some embodiments the flow control valve is designed to hold a head pressure between 20 cm H2O and 70 cm H2O and preferably about 40 to 50 cm H2O. Being situated in the base the valve is separated from and avoids damage caused by the feeding infant animal, and obviates the need for a cross-cut aperture at the end of the nipple, instead affording an open orifice. Furthermore, locating the valve in the base of the nipple allows for a more delicate valve that can have a uniform flow rate by maintaining its integrity. Since the valve is not in contact with the animal's mouth, it does not incur wear during feeding and the system may be more precisely designed for a specific flow rate while maintaining consistency far longer than a valve at the aperture of the nipple.
A flow control valve holding a head pressure of up to 50 cm H2O requires a moldable air vent check valve capable of preventing fluid leakage with such head pressures. One embodiment of this check valve involves a blister form, otherwise referred to as spherical form or semi-spherical form, that is molded into the base of the nipple. The blister form has a single slit cut into it to create the valve. The blister form has at least one protrusion(s) molded into the nipple base along which the slit is cut. These protrusions are designed to increase the amount of material around the slit thereby strengthening the slit and preventing its leakage in high head pressures.
The aforementioned features provide a nipple that does not leak when not being suckled by an infant animal. Only the suckling motion of the infant animal results in the flow of liquid feed through the nipple. Liquid flow through the nipple is precisely controlled by a valve that does not reside in the mouth of the animal and therefore is protected from wear. This allows for the use of an orifice that is normally open in the tip of the nipple, thus providing a significant increase in the life of the nipple and precise control of the flow of liquid feed.
Other objects and features will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are designed to illustrate rather than define of the limits of the invention.
To assist those of skill in the art in making and using the disclosed invention and associated methods, reference is made to the accompanying figures, wherein:
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Furthermore, flexing a spherical form requires more force than flexing a flat form as the spherical form requires greater deformation of material to flex than that of a flat form.
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One skilled in the art understands that the bottle is shown for reference; the nipple combination is designed to fit on varying types of vessel.
These embodiments should not be construed as limiting; additions and modifications to what is expressly described herein are understood to be included within the scope of the invention.
