Vented baby bottles such as those described in McKendry et al. U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,086 have an integral nipple and top cap. The present invention, made by the inventors of U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,086, is directed to various vented baby bottles having a nipple separate from the top cap. U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,086 is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In keeping with one aspect of the invention, a baby bottle has a generally barrel shaped container and a top cap having a top portion and a threaded side portion. The top portion has a circular central opening and a top cap vent opening between the circular central opening and the side portion.
The bottle has a nipple having a small opening at one end and a large opening at the other end. The nipple can be secured in the top portion circular central opening. A flange surrounds the large opening and extends outwardly from the large opening. The flange has a vent opening and a boss for securing a vent to the nipple in communication with the vent opening.
The top cap vent opening, flange vent opening and the vent create a passageway from the outside atmosphere to the inside of the container. A filter and a one-way valve can be provided in the passageway, if desired. The one-way valve opens to allow atmospheric air to enter the container, and closes to prevent liquid in the container from escaping from the container through the passageway.
The vent is typically a tube that extends from the top of the container to near the container bottom. When the tube is secured, the air enters the assembled baby bottle through the passageway, into the container.
There are other aspects of the invention, such as a circular channel in the top cap that maintains the passageway even if the top cap vent opening and vent opening are not aligned. The container can be double-walled for improved thermal stability, and a nipple insert can be used to better seat the nipple in the top cap.
The above mentioned and other features of this invention and the manner of obtaining them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
a is a perspective view of the inside of the top cap used in the embodiments of
b is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 5b-5b, in
As seen in
A nipple 26, made of any suitable material such as silicone, TPE or latex, has a small opening 28 at an end 30, and a large opening 32 at its other end. The nipple can be secured in the top circular central opening 23 by providing an indented portion 34 near the large opening 32.
A flange 36, having an upper side and a lower side, includes a vent opening 37 (
A filter 44 is provided in the passageway 41, in the top cap opening in
The baby bottle 10 in
The filter 44 can be any suitable filter, such as a Pall filter. The filter 44 can be located in any suitable location in the passageway 41, including the top portion vent opening 24, as in
The indentation 34, which is formed in part by the flange 36, secures the nipple in the top portion 20. Among other things, the indentation 34 better secures the nipple in the top cap 18, even if the nipple is pushed down. The flange 36 provides additional security in this regard.
In
As seen in
The container 60 has an open end 66 and a threaded side portion 68. The top cap 64 includes a second side portion 70 having threads 71 that engage threads in the side portion 68. A downwardly extending flange 72 is provided to maintain a fixed space between the outer container 60 and the inner container 12.
The nipple insert 62 is located between the nipple flange 36 and the open end 14 of the container 12. The insert 62 has a flange 74, a circular cylindrical wall 76 around a central opening 78, and an opening 79. The wall 76 fits inside the nipple opening 32, and presses snugly against the inner sidewall of the nipple indentation 34. In this manner, the nipple is better locked in place in the cap with a frictional fit, preventing the nipple from being pulled out in an undesired manner. The nipple insert also improves the seal between the nipple 26 and the top cap 64, to prevent leak of liquids when the bottle is turned upside down.
The opening 79 is aligned with the circular boss 38. The nipple insert 62 can be a separate part or it can be over-molded or co-molded to the nipple 26, if preferred. The nipple insert 62 can be attached to the nipple 26 by welding, or with a mechanical latch mechanism.
Assembly of the bottle of
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The outer container 82 has a generally barrel shape with a closed bottom 90 and an open top 92 having interior threads 94 (
The inner container 84 has a bottom 96, an open top 98, outer threads 100 for engaging the threads 94 of the outer container 82, and outer threads 102 adjacent the open top 98, and above the outer threads 100, as seen in
The nipple 26 is secured in the top cap 47 in the manner previously described, and the top cap 47 is threadedly secured to the inner container 84 by using the threads 102. In this manner, the top cap 47 and the outer container 84 are independently secured to the inner container 84 and the outer container 82.
Milk or other liquid or solid materials can be stored in the inner container 84 for transportation using the sealing cap 106 shown in
Another embodiment of the present invention is shown in
The outer container 112 can be made by any suitable manner such as blow molding. The inner container 114 can also be made in any suitable manner, such as injection molding.
The container 112 has a bottom 118, an open top 120, a sealing lip 122 and exterior threads 124 (
The inner container 114 also has outer threads 136 for engagement with inner threads 138 of the top cap 47. The nipple 26 is installed in the top cap 47 in the manner previously described. In addition, the top cap 47 can have the channel 48, the vent opening 24 with the filter, and the vent tube.
The embodiments of
The baby bottle 160 includes an outer container 162 and an inner container 164 that form a thermal isolation space 166 between the two containers. The outer container 162 has outer threads 168 adjacent an open top 170, and the inner container 164 has outer threads 172 adjacent a top opening 174. The containers 164 and 162 are secured to each other by an adapter 176 which includes a flange 178 having an inner wall 180 and an outer wall 182. The inner wall 180 has inside threads 184, and the outer wall 182 has inside threads 186. A sealing lip 188 is also provided, for sealing the contents of the inner container 164. The inner wall 180 has an extension 190 which seals the contents of the outer container 162 in the space 166.
The adapter 176 also has outer threads 192 at the end of the adapter 176 opposite the outer wall 182. The threads 192 accept the interior threads of a top cap 47, in which a nipple 26 is secured. The top cap 47 can also have a channel 198, and a filter 24 and a vent 202, as previously described.
With this embodiment, the outer container 162 is not needed, and can be removed in favor of the inner container 164. On the other hand, more milk or other substances can be given to a baby by removing the inner container 164 and filling the outer container 162 with nutritious substances.
While the principles of the invention have been described above in connection with specific apparatus and applications, it is to be understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation on the scope of the invention.
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Nalgene GoCup™; webmaster@nalgenunc.com; 2004. |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20090200257 A1 | Aug 2009 | US |