US2558195A - Nursing container - Google Patents

Description

-June 26, 1951 M. s. PEARL NURSING CONTAINER Filed Aug. 15, 1949 INVENTOR: o'rz'mz S. Pearl ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 26, 1951 NURSING CONTAINER Morton S. Pearl, Lancaster, Pa., assigner of lifty per cent to Leonard Mirsky Application August 13, 1949, Serial No. 110,063

(Cl. 21S-11') 4 Claims.

This invention relates to a uid container, and more particularly to a sanitary disposable container for the transportation, sterilization and dispensing of infant feeding iluids.

In the feeding of milk and other iiuids to infants in accordance with currently available techniques, considerable handling and rehandling of the fluid is undertaken prior to the consumption of the iiud by the infant. Infants milk, for example, is delivered to the home in various forms of containers. In the home, the milk is frequently transferred from its original bottle or can to a mixing container for mixing it with additional ingredients to produce the desired formula in accordance with the prescription of a physician. The restutant formula is then transferred to a nursing bottle and heated for feeding to the infant. This procedure is objectionable in that it requires the performance of tedious transfer operations and subjects the feeding fluid to the deleterious eiect of germs and other organisms detrimental to the health of the infant. While the foregoing objection might be overcome by using the original container customarily provided by a dairy, or by a distributor of evaporated milk, for feeding the infant, the containers heretofore available have been relatively bulky and expensive to make and of such character that they are not adapted to be used either for the mixing of the ingredients of a formula, or for the application of a nipple whereby the container may be used for direct feeding to the mouth of an infant. Moreover, other forms of containers are relatively fragile and are not Well adapted for holding fluid during heating and sterilizing operations since the containers tend to crack, rupture or break When subjected to sudden temperature changes or to internal pressures.

It is accordingly the principal object of this invention to provide a disposable container for infants feeding fluids which is inexpensive to manufacture and which is suitable vfor all of the operations involved, including the original packaging of the basic ingredient, the mixture therewith of additional ingredients, heating or cooling of the same, and nal use as a nursing bottle to which a nipple can be readily applied. Another object of the invention is to provide a sanitary container for infants feeding fluids which is cf light Weight and inexpensive material but of sufficient strength to remain intact when the container and `the fluid contained therein are heated. Further objects .and advantages of the invention and the means for carrying them into effect Will appear from the description of an embodiment of the invention which follows hereinafter, havingr reference to the accompanying drawings, whereof: V

Fig. l is a perspective View of a disposable fluid container of this invention in the form which it assumes originally as a package for the transportation of milk;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fluid container of this invention showing the same in the form which it assumes when a feeding nipple has been applied to the top of the container in substitution for the original removable cap;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the container and nipple shown in Fig. 3.

With reference to Figs. l and 2, the illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a Acylin-y drical container having a metal bottom Il and an upwardly extending translucent side wall t2 enclosing a space for containing a fluid. Extending around the periphery of the bottom is an annular recess i3 which is adapted for the accommodation of the cylindrical wall I2 which may be sealed thereto by waterproof glue or the like. The cylindrical wall l2 comprises an outer layer I4 and inner layer l5 of transparent celluloseimpregnated cardboard.

Layers lli and l5 are each composed of a continuously wound spiral of cardboard strip in which the lower edge of each successive winding is in contact with the upper edge of the previous winding. The completed outer and inner laminations are accordingly substantially cylindrical and divided along spiral or helical dividing lines I6 and il' respectively. The side Wall layers are conveniently constructed by cutting out flat sheets `of paper or cardboard to 4forni strips of suitable shape and Winding the cardboard strips successively around a mandrel. The helical dividing line I6 of one strip is preferably spaced from and free of contact with dividing line il of the other strip, thereby attaining optimum fluid retention and side Wall strength. The outside surface of the side Wall is suitably graduated to indicate by visual inspection the amount of fluid present in the container. Alxed to the top of the cylindrical Wall I2 is a metal rim I8 which comprises a turned over edge I9, a cylindrical portion 29 depending downwardly from the edge i9, and an inwardly directed flange 2i which is substantially horizontal and is adapted to receive and retain a flexible disc-shaped cap 22. Flange 2l and the cylindrical portion 2e of the rim i8 lform a seat for snugly accommodating the cap 22 which is suitably shaped for frictional contact with the rim, thus providing an initial waterproof closure. Preferably the removable cap 22 comprises a pair of rings 23 of impregnated cardboard witha rubber or flexible disc-shaped element 24 secured between such cardboard rings and disposed across the top of the container to provide a flexible Waterproof closure which serves as a diaphragm permitting expansion of the contents without bursting the container. The upper cardboard ring 23 is provided with a tab 2% for convenient removal of the flexible cover. The side wall I2 and rim i8 are sealed together to form a unitary structure by cementing the adjacent edges and surfaces with a waterproof glue or the like.

With reference to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the disposable container of this invention is shown in the form which it assumes when provided with a flexible feeding nipple 2t of rubber or the like. Nipple 26 comprises an upper orioed fluid dispensing section of relatively small diameter with a relatively thin wall and a lower section flaring outwardly and downwardly and of greater wall thickness. The lower section of nipple 26 includes a flexible element 2l for frictional contact with the outer surface of cylindrical wall l2, and a flexible inner element 28 extending downwardly and outwardly. The inner depending element 28 is spaced from the outer element 27 to form a recess snugly accommodating metal rim I3. Flexible flange 29 of nipple 26 is adapted to snap under and detachably interlock with flange 2| of rim I8. The upper surface of flange 29 is in contact with the under surface of flange 2l when the surface at the top of the recess is in contact with the top of the metal rim I8.

While suitable container walls according to this invention may be constructed of fibrous materials such as paper or cardboard impregnated With wax or the like, it is preferred in practicing my invention to impregnate the container walls with ethyl cellulose or nitro cellulose to give enhanced strength and fluid retentivity. This is preferably accomplished by dissolving the desired oellulosic ingredient in a solvent which may consist of benzene, toluene, xylene or a suitable ketone solvent such as acetone, methyl-ethyl-ketone or the like. The solvent is mixed with an alcohol which is a co-solvent. Suitable alcohols for the purpose are methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, and similar volatile alcohols. Tri-cresol phosphate or other suitable non-toxic plasticizers may be added to form the impregnative mix. A particularly desirable impregnating solution contains approximately 2-20% ethyl cellulose, r1'2-89% toluol, and 8-10% volatile alcohol by weight.` The container is impregnated after assembly by submersion in the impregnating solution either at normal or suitably increased temperature or pressure. Upon removal of the container from the impregnating bath the solvents evaporate from the container, producing a container having side walls comprising a fibrous material interspersed with a cellulosic impregnant such as ethyl cellulose or nitro cellulose. The thus impregnated container is capable of holding liquids for particularly long periods of time without substantial deterioration of the container or the contents and is characterized by translucency and by a highly desirable resistance to physical shock and external stress.

It will be appreciated that my container with either of the alternative closures described and illustrated herein is particularly suited for heating the fluid contents thereof since the heating operation may be carried out when the container is entirely full without danger of rupturing the 'side or end walls of the container. This is of advantage in the dairy and in the home. Evaporated milk, for example, is frequently heated at the dairy while packaged within the sealed container in order to attain terminal sterilization of the milk, and such milk is also desirably reheated in the home prior to feeding it to the infant.

Although the fluid container of this invention has been described in detail with reference to a specific embodiment adapted for a particular purpose, it will be readily apparent that the device has other uses, that the form of the container and its closure members may be considerably varied, and that equivalent structures and materials may be employed for accomplishing the same result. Such obvious changes, including reversals of parts and the use of certain features of the invention independently of other features are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

l. In combination, a container having an upwardly extending wall, a reinforcing rim at the top of said wall, a ilange spaced below the top of said wall forming a seat within the container for reception of a removable cap for sealing the container, and a resilient feeding nipple having a base portion surrounding and gripping the exterior surface at the top of said container and including a flexible element extending below the top of said wall and into the container for detachable interlocking engagement with said flange.

2. In combination, a container having a curved upstanding wall forming a space for accommodating a liquid, an annular reinforcing member extending around the upper portion of said wall, an annular flange depending from and spaced below said reinforcing member, said annular flange and reinforcing member forming a seat within the container for reception and retention of a removable cap for sealing the container, and a feeding nipple having a resilient base portion surrounding and gripping the exterior container surface and including a flexible flange element extending below the top of the container wall and into the container for detachable interlocking vengagement with said annular flange.

3. In combination, a disposable fluid container having a bottom, a closed upstanding Wall, a reinforcing rim inside the top of said wall, a fixed annular flange depending from said rim and spaced below the top of said wall forming a seat within the container for reception and retention of a removable cap, and a resilient feeding nipple having a base portion comprising inner and outer flexible depending walls with an annular recess interposed therebetween, said outer flexible depending wall surrounding and resiliently gripping the upper portion of the container wall, and said inner flexible depending wall carrying a resilient ange member adapted to snap under and thereby detachably interlock With said xed annular ange, when the top edge of the container is fitted into said recess.

4. The combination defined in claim 3 further characterized by the fact that the upper surfacee of the resilient ange is in contact with the bottom surface of the xed flange when the top edge of the container is in contact with the body of the nipple at the top of said recess.

MORTON S. PEARL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number

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