Patent Grant
10251817
The invention relates to a teat comprising at least one shaft and a nipple, wherein structured surface areas are provided at least in a partial region thereof.
In known teats, structured surface areas are formed by thickened material portions, i.e., projections, or depressions, respectively, between the projections, wherein particularly ribs, nodules or also honeycomb-like structures are known, cf., e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,110-B1, DE 32 41 845-A1, U.S. Pat. No. 2,366,214-A and AT 408 185-B. Generally, these projections, or depressions, respectively, are provided around the teat, and they should be of help during teething, provide saliva-flow-channels or imitate a mother's breast so as to provide for a pleasant sucking sensation during drinking in case of feeding bottle teats for infants, cf. in this context also DE 466 541-C or also DE 197 16 534-A; in the latter one, particularly ledge-shaped or winding elevations have been described which each are preferably formed on a broadside of the cross-sectionally oval nipple of the teat.
However, the known teats imitate a mother's breast only very insufficiently, since the projections result in an excessive structuring so that a similarity with a mother's breast with a view to the surface structure is not really achieved. Moreover, the comparatively highly structured surface, in particular ribs, nodules and the like projections have the undesired effect of providing an excessive stiffening of the teat in the region in question. In practice, this has the consequence that particularly soft materials are used for producing the teat so as to compensate for the undesired stiffness, which in turn causes an insufficient strength of the teat in the remaining regions.
It is an object of this invention to provide a teat of the type as defined above which provides as close an imitation of a mother's breast as possible while nevertheless guaranteeing the required strength or stiffness of the teat without having to put up with a regionally excessive strength and which, in particular, regionally resembles the skin as closely as possible.
According to the present invention, the teat has surface structures that are formed by at least one rough surface zone having a surface roughness of 100 μm at the most or, in particular, 50 μm at the most. By the roughness of the surface of the teat being in the range of several 10 μm, a soft, skin-like appearance is not only already optically conveyed, in these regions the teat also feels like skin, comparable to a mother's breast, and particularly soft. Tests have shown that it is particularly suitable if the rough surface zone has a surface roughness of from approximately 10 μm to 40 μm, preferably from 15 μm to 30 μm.
It is also advantageous if the rough surface zone is substantially triangular in perspective view. In this embodiment, the rough surface zone may triangularly extend towards the nipple or tip of the nipple, respectively, and when drinking, in case of a teat for a feeding bottle, or when sucking, in case of a teat for a pacifier, the tongue which then comes into contact with this surface resembling a mother's breast will be efficiently stimulated thereby. Accordingly, advantageously the rough surface zone extends at least partially into the nipple.
For reasons of hygiene it is, moreover, suitable if several rough surface zones are provided which are separated from one another by transparent zones. Through the transparent zones or regions, soiling etc, in the interior of the teat (feeding bottle teat or pacifier teat) can immediately be detected, even in the region on the inner side of the rough surface zones, just as well as any possible lumps forming in milk or the like in case of a feeding bottle teat.
The rough design of the surface in the aforementioned zones makes it seem somewhat softer (gives a softer feel) in these zones as compared to the remaining regions of the teat, where the surface is smooth, and in order to prevent an undesired pressing together or collapsing of the teat in the region of these rough surface zones, it is also advantageous if the rough surface zone is reinforced by at least one stiffening rib. To avoid undesired elevations on the outer side of the teat, it is furthermore preferred if the stiffening rib is provided in the region of the rough surface zone on the inner side of the teat. Also with regard to the preferred extension of the rough surface zone as far as into the nipple, it is suitable if the stiffening rib extends at least partially into the nipple.
Preferably, the nipple has a substantially oval cross-section, whereas the shaft has a circular cross-section. By this, the teat can comfortably be taken into the child's mouth only in two defined positions, and this also has the effect that in this case the rough surface zones can be provided at precisely defined sites on the teat. Accordingly, it is furthermore suitable if two diametrically oppositely located rough surface zones are provided. Moreover, it is advantageously provided the two rough surface zones are located in the region of the flatter sides of the nipple.
In order to allow for a reliable accommodation of the teat in the oral cavity, for designing the teat as a pacifier teat it is advantageous if the teat is configured with a nipple that has a cross-sectional area larger than the cross-sectional area of the shaft.
On the other hand, when designing the teat as a feeding bottle teat, it is suitable for imitating feeding from a mother's breast as closely as possible if the teat is configured with a lip abutment region connecting the shaft and the nipple, the rough surface zone being provided in the lip abutment region.
To simulate the child's sucking at a mother's natural breast, it is furthermore suitable if the wall thickness of the shaft is larger than the wall thickness of the nipple in the lip abutment region and in the region of the nipple. By configuring the teat with differing wall thicknesses, there results a comparatively solid base by the shaft of greater wall thickness that resiliently carries the remaining teat, i.e., the lip abutment region and the following nipple, largely imitating the feel of lying at a mother's natural breast. For, so far, the babies' intake of food via conventional feeding bottle teats has clearly been different from feeding at mother's breast. At a mother's breast, the extremely soft nipple is almost exclusively stripped by the baby's tongue and palate, and since this does not cause any negative pressure (vacuum) in the mother's breast, a completely uniform drinking is possible, in particular, no vacuum or merely a slight vacuum is employed by the baby itself so as to get the milk into his/her mouth and then swallow it. Drinking practically corresponds to drinking from a cup, with an additional stripping.
Conventional feeding bottle teats with relatively high wall strengths are comparatively stiff and hard. Such a stiff feeding bottle teat, however, does not allow for a stripping, whereby the child receives the milk and also the unintended air practically merely by sucking. There, a negative pressure forms within the bottle already with the first sucking, which is counteracted by the baby by producing a stronger vacuum (sucking). This manner of sucking will then have as a consequence that also air is sucked and swallowed from the cavity of the mouth. This air then will lead to the extremely uncomfortable colics which are stressful for mother and child.
Tests have shown that the natural breast of a mother is particularly closely simulated if the shaft substantially has a wall thickness of from 2.00 mm to 2.50 mm, in particular of 2.25 mm, and the nipple and the lip abutment region, respectively, substantially have a wall thickness of from 1.20 mm to 1.50 mm, in particular 1.35 mm.
To facilitate the child's above-described stripping on the teat, it is, moreover, advantageous if within the lip abutment region, at least one zone having a wall thickness lower than the wall thickness of the remaining lip abutment region is provided. Here, again, tests have shown that for the aforementioned stripping by the baby it is particularly advantageous if the zone substantially has a wall thickness of from 1.30 mm to 1.60 mm, in particular 1.45 mm.
If the zone of reduced wall thickness extends as far as into the nipple, the zone of reduced wall thickness is provided in the entire abutment region of the child's mouth or tongue, respectively, thereby further facilitating stripping by the child. There, it is suitable that the zone is substantially triangular in an elevational view. Therefore, in this embodiment, in which the zone of reduced wall thickness extends into the nipple, a combination of at least a lower extent of the nipple and at least an upper extent of the lip abutment region, but not the shaft, can be said to constitute at least one baby-tongue-and-palate-stripping portion of the teat.
In order to avoid an undesired pressing together or collapsing of the teat in the region of the zones of reduced wall thickness, it is suitable if the zone of reduced wall thickness is reinforced by at least one stiffening rib.
To avoid undesired elevations on the outside of the teat, it is preferred if the stiffening rib in the region of the zone of reduced wall thickness is provided on the inner side of the teat.
Particularly in connection with the preferred extension of the zone of reduced wall thickness into the nipple, it is suitable if the stiffening rib extends as far as into the nipple.
If the nipple has a substantially oval cross-section, whereas the shaft has a circular cross-section, the teat can comfortably be taken into the child's mouth only in two defined positions, and consequently the zones of reduced wall thickness can be provided at precisely defined locations on the teat. Accordingly, it is further suitable if two diametrically oppositely located zones of reduced wall thickness are provided. Furthermore, in this connection it is suitable if the two zones of reduced wall thickness are located in the region of the flatter sides of the nipple.
If the rough surface zone and the zone of reduced wall thickness are arranged so as to at least partially overlap, this will result in a partial region of the teat to be formed comparatively yielding and skin-like so that a close imitation of a mother's breast is achieved.
For a particularly close simulation of the surface quality as well as the firmness of a mother's natural breast, it is advantageous if the zone of reduced wall thickness is provided in a partial region of the rough surface zone.
Preferably, the teat is provided as an injection-molded member, with the rough surface zones of the teat being produced by correspondingly rough regions in the injection mold. These rough regions may, e.g., be produced by spark erosion or by chemical etching of the mold surfaces of the injection mold.
Preferably, the teat is made of a thermoplastic elastomer or of silicone, latex, or the like elastomer material.
The teat may also have a nipple of circular cross-section, and in case of a “bent up” so-called “one-sided” configuration of the teat nipple it is also conceivable—with a single correct position within the mouth provided thereby—to provide a rough surface zone on one side only, the lower side of the teat, in the lip abutment region and nipple region.
Nowadays, an essential problem consists in that breast-feeding of the child and, thus, feeding with breast milk for the first 6 months is almost a must for health reasons, on the one hand, yet mothers in many instances cannot breast-feed their children every 4-6 hours because they are not in the child's vicinity, on the other hand. Particularly in the U.S.A., mothers often have to appear on their job again already 6 weeks after having given birth.
Now, mothers try to pump off milk by means of breast pumps, which milk will then be fed to their children in a bottle by someone else, in the mothers' absence. Thus, children must practically switch daily between a feeding bottle teat and a mother's breast, which very often leads to great problems with many of such children who can be of an age of only a few weeks. In most instances, the mother must wean the child and feed the child artificial food. This is absolutely undesirable from a medical viewpoint. American pediatricians even officially recommend breastfeeding of children until their first birthday, giving rise to enormous technical problems, as mentioned above. By providing as small a suction opening in the feeding bottle teat as possible it is being attempted to accustom the child to one and the same suction performance and effort as when sucking on a mother's breast, yet in many instances this has proved to be not enough. Both the “taste” and also the stickiness of rubber or silicone teats is completely different from the feel that the child gets at a mother's breast. Also the manner of sucking milk from a feeding bottle teat is completely different from the drinking movement at a mother's breast.
By the changes in the wall thickness discussed in detail here, the quite essential surface design by roughness, and the special adaptation of these properties, a large step is taken in the direction towards “a mother's breast”, and mothers are allowed a substantially longer period of breastfeeding.
The following refer to various particular aspects of the invention that can be provided individually or in various combinations:
In the following description, the invention is explained in more detail by way of preferred exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings to which, however, the invention shall not be restricted. In detail, in the drawings,
In
On the two wide sides of the teat 1, i.e., at the two sides that extend in parallel to the longer axis of the oval cross-section of nipple 2, diametrically opposite structured (textured) surface areas 6 in the form of rough surface zones 7 are provided. Seen in elevational view, as in
At the inner side of teat 1, in the region of the rough surface zones 7, i.e., the opposing surface textured areas 6, stiffening ribs 10 are located which, according to a central plane 11 of teat 1, extend from bottom to top and enhance the strength of the teat 1 in the region of the rough surface zones 7. This is advantageous because on account of the surface roughness in zones 7, the softness of the teat 1 increases so that—also when using an appropriately soft material for teat 1—the teat 1 could unintentionally become extremely depressed in this lip abutment region 3 when the teat 1 is used. That is, these textured surface zones 7, that is, the so-called baby-tongue-and-palate-stripping portions of the teat are soft zones that simulate the corresponding areas of a mother's breast.
Preferably, the surface roughness of the textured zones is approximately 100 μm at the most or, in particular 50 μm at the most, and tests have shown that optimum roughness depths range between 10 μm and 40 μm, preferably between 15 μm and 30 μm. Such values for the roughness depths result in an optimum imitation of a mother's breast.
When producing the teat 1, these surface roughnesses are obtained, e.g., during injection molding, in that the mold used during the production, in particular an injection mold, is surface-roughened by spark erosion or by chemical etching at the respective areas where the zones 7 are produced.
By the triangular shape of the zones 7 with the triangle tip pointing towards the tip of the teat, where a feeding opening 12 is provided in a conventional manner, it is ensured that, during drinking, also the infant's tongue will come into contact with the roughened zone 7, which is similar to a mother's breast, and is stimulated thereby.
As mentioned above, the area in question of the teat is stiffened by the stiffening ribs 10 so that it cannot “collapse” during drinking and thereby cannot block the continued flow of the drinking liquid, in particular milk.
For hygiene purposes, not the entire surface of the teat is roughened, much rather, as illustrated, preferably two diametrically oppositely located rough surface zones 7 are provided, and at least in the regions 13 between these rough surface zones 7, preferably in the entire remaining region of the teat 1 outside of the rough surface zones 7, the teat 1 is designed to be transparent, having a smooth surface, so that soilings, the formation of lumps and the like will immediately be visible from the outside.
Accordingly, a thermoplastic elastomer or a latex or silicone material is preferably used as the material for the teat 1, which is translucent or transparent and which is also suitable for a production by injection molding.
In
Also, the teat 1 according to
From the illustrations of
Furthermore, the teat 1 may be reinforced in the region of the drinking opening 12 by thickened portions 15 on the outer side as well as on the inner side so as to ensure an increased strength on the front side of nipple 2, which is advantageous for drinking.
In
To further facilitate this stripping by the child and to simulate sucking at a mother's breast, two zones 17 are provided in the lip abutment region 3 which zones—as is particularly visible in
Just as the previously described teat 1 of uniform wall thickness, teat 1′ is rotation-symmetrically designed in the region of its shaft 3, i.e., its cross-section is circular, and the nipple 2 is oval in cross-section so that it can be comfortably correctly taken into the mouth by an infant in two positions only, i.e., with the longer axis in transverse direction. In the lip abutment region 3, the cross-sectional shape merges from the oval shape of the nipple 2 into the circular shape of shaft 4, whereby the shape of the nipple 2 corresponds to the natural shape of the mammilla as closely as possible, while a baby sucks or strips at the mammilla.
Here, the two zones 17 of reduced wall thickness are arranged to be diametrically oppositely located at the two broadsides of the teat 1′, i.e. at those sides which extend in parallel to the longer axis of the oval cross-section of the nipple 2, and they are designed to be approximately triangular in elevational view so that they will extend with their broad basis region in the lip abutment region 3 and with their narrower tip region as far as into the nipple 2.
On the inner side of each zone 17, four stiffening ribs 10 are provided so as to enhance the strength of teat 1′, in particular in the zones 17 of reduced wall thickness, so that there will be no unintentionally strong pressing in of the teat 1′ in the lip abutment region 3 even when soft materials are used for teat 1′. Thus, a collapsing of the teat 1′ by which the continuous flow of drinking liquid, in particular milk, would be blocked, is reliably prevented by the stiffening ribs 10.
Moreover, the surface of teat 1′ has an increased surface roughness on the lip abutment region 3 as well as on the nipple 2 as compared to the remaining teat 9 so that the nature of a mother's breast can better be simulated.
In the teat 1′ shown in
In
For as close an imitation as possible of sucking on a mother's breast, also the pacifier nipple 1″ has a rough surface zone 7 provided in the region of nipple 2, which will be contacted by the baby's tongue in the functional position of the pacifier teat 1″ received in the baby's mouth. In the pacifier teat 1″, the rough surface zone 7 mainly extends on the diametrically oppositely located broadsides of nipple 2.
Furthermore, to imitate the natural breast of a mother, raised areas are provided on the broadsides of nipple 2 in the rough surface zone 7. In the exemplary embodiments illustrated in
In
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| GM 298/2003 U | Apr 2003 | AT | national |
| GM 734/2003 U | Oct 2003 | AT | national |
This application is a continuation under 35 USC § 120 of nonprovisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/828,118, filed Apr. 20, 2004, which claims the benefit under 35 USC § 119 of Austrian patent application GM 298/2003, filed Apr. 29, 2003, and Austrian patent application GM 734/2003, filed Oct. 23, 2003, the disclosures of all of the aforementioned applications being hereby incorporated by reference thereto in their entireties.
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170296437 A1 | Oct 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
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| Parent | 10828118 | Apr 2004 | US |
| Child | 15637786 | US |
