US2868203A - Anti-colic nursing device - Google Patents

Description

1959 w. c. TICHY 2,868,203

ANTI-COLIC NURSING DEVICE Filed April 15, 1957 INVENT WULLIAM G. TIC

United es Patent "2,868,203 ANTI-COLIC NURSING DEVICE William C. Tichy, Levittown, N. Y. Application April 15 1957, Serial No. 652,936 Claims. (C1. izs-zsz The present device relates to an improved valve and siphon attachment particularly suitable for nursing bottles and the like. The device set forth and claimed in this application constitutes an improvement of the invention described and claimed in application Serial No.

383,306, filed September 30, 1953, now Patent No. 2,744,529 issued May 8, 1956 and assigned to the same assignee.

The present invention is directed towards an improved construction and arrangement of the parts of the valve casing set forth in the referenced application. This valve: casing is disposed within the nipple at the neck portion of a nursing bottle, and houses both the top of a siphon tube and a check valve arrangement, whereby flow through the siphon is unidirectional. The siphon is formed of a long flexible tube disposed within the nursing bottle, and communicates with the nipple through a passage in the valve device. In utilizing anursing bottle of this type, the infant sucks on the nipple and sips up the liquid contents of the bottle through the tube, without being constrained to keep the bottle in an upwards tilting position, thus the infant can sit up comfortably and does not have to support the weight of a full bottle.

The check valve element interposed between the siphon tube and the nipple operates to keep the nipple substan tially filled with liquid drawn up from the siphon tube,. said liquid being prevented from leaking back down the tube into the bottle. Imprisoning liquid within the nip ple has the very valuable result of preventing air from collecting therein. This protects the infant from the in jurious effects of air swallowing. Among such injuriouseffects is the possibility that such swallowing may be a predisposing cause of infants colic. In utilizing the pres-- ent invention the infant can swallow the liquid contentsof the nursing bottle with the minimum admixture of air..

However, this valuable result requires positioning the valve mechanism in a relatively small area, namely within the confines of the nipple at the neck of the nursing bottle. This necessarily results in miniaturization of the parts of the valve, with consequent problems in manufacturing, maintenance and cleansing after use, and with. relatively difiicult access to the interior of the device for purposes of inspection and sterilization. For more efiective utilization of the device it is therefore desirable that. the valve casing be readily accessible for purposes of inspection and cleaning, so that no imperfection or clog-- ging cantake place.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide valve means suitable for a nursing device, said valve means being readily accessible for rapid inspection and sterilization.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide valve means having a casing of relatively open construction, thus permitting rapid inspection and cleaning.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a valve casing of simple design thus providing economy and ease of manufacturing.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide within a nipple in a nurslng bottle, thereby minimizing.

Patented Jan. 13, 1959 positive means for preventing the accumulation of air the swallowing of air by the user.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide siphon means in a nursing bottle whereby the bottle is used by an infant with maximum ease and comfort in supporting and holding said bottle.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide means for easily positioning and securely maintaining siphon and valve means within a nursing bottle, whereby these can be rapidly transferred from one bottle to another.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 shows, partly in section, a nursing bottle con- 1, taining an apparatus of this invention.

Figure 2 shows a plan view of the apparatus of this invention, partly in section.

Figure 3 shows a vertical cross section taken along the line '3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 shows a vertical cross section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Referring nowto the figures, the device, designated generally by 2, is disposed at the neck portion 3, of nursing bottle 4, and is retained in place by nipple 5. This 1. nipple is of flexible rubber construction, and securely engages the surface 6 of bottle 4 by means of a collar portion 7 fitted into the base of nipple 5. Collar 7 is provided with internal threads 8 which register with external threads 9 of the bottle in liquid-sealing relationship.

1 Plug 10 forms a valve casing for the device of the present invention and is retained in place by an internal ridge 12 on'nipple 5, which registers with an annular recess 13 in plug 10. 1

Plug 10 is a cylindrical member having a hole 14 therew through, the upper opening of which gives access to nipple 5, the lower end communicating with. tube 15. This tube is of flexible composition, preferably of vinyl plastic or the like, and may be conveniently fitted with a weight 16 to position the lower opening of said tube at the bottom portion of the nursing bottle.

Tube 15 terminates at its upper portion inside plug element 10, the inner bore of said tube communicating with hole 14. The infant sucking on the nipple, lifts ball 17 as indicated by the dashed outline 17a and thereby sipsliquid up through the tube, filling the inside of the nipple. Return of this liquid down the tube is blocked by a check valve element comprising a plastic ball 17 and ball seat 16, said ball seat being formed by the square cut end of tube 15.

Tube 15 is retained in position in plug 10 by adhesive means or by bonding thereto by dielectric heat sealing. Ball 17 lifts freely as liquid is drawn up the tube into the nipple portion, then returns to ball seat 16 to block return of liquid down the tube. This effectively retains liquid within the nipple portion 5 and consequently reduces the amount of air within the nipple to a minimal amount at all times. Thus the infant swallows liquid from the bottle with a minimum admixture of air.

In the presently preferred embodiment of plug 10, ball 17 can travel axially in hole 14, but radial movement is prevented by the dimensioning and construction of the plug as set forth in further detail hereafter.

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, plug 10 has a transverse slot 18 extending through the upper surface 20 thereof. As indicated in Figure 2, slot 18 commences at a point 19 which is a distance from the periphery of the plug and then deepens gradually as the slot approaches the central portion of the plug, where it merges with hole 14 at the point 21 where ball seat 16 is positioned.

As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the vertical walls 27 of slot 18 have an arcuate cut therein at points 28, 28 to define axial grooves 29 in each vertical wall. These grooves merge with hole 14 at the base of plug 10, and serve'as guide channels whereby ball 17 can travel axially. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, each groove-is terminated some short distance from the upper surface 20 of plug ltl by. the presence of a lip portion 31, which is in efi ect the continuation of vertical slot walls 27 with no axial cut therein.

Ball 17 has a diameter greater than the width of slot: 18, therefore ball 17 is effectively confined within the central portion of-plug 10, being able to move axially in this central portion bounded by hole 14 but constrained from radial or transverse movement into the slot portion. However ball 17 can move freely upward till it is blocked by lip 31, seat 16. 7

As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the ball remains visible and accessible to cleaning at all times, due to the substantially open construction of plug 10 and the visible aspect of guide channels 29. Malfunction and blockage can be quickly corrected and rapid easy sterilization of the parts can be eflected. There has thus been provided a plug element permitting positive access and cleaning, and possessing high efficiency in a small area.

It is to be noted that only an extremely small portion of the ball'is covered by the guide channels.

While I have set forth a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that changes can be made in the apparatus of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, and that the scope of the invention is set forth in the accompanying claims.

What-is claimed is:

1. A valve means for use in combination with a nursingbottle having a mouth portion and a resilient nipple attached to said bottle contiguous with said mouth opening, said valve means including a casing adapted to be retained by said nipple proximate to the mouth portion of said bottle, said casing comprising a top wall normally and can movedownward till it rests on ball- I mally facing the interior of facing the interior of said nipple, a bottom wall norsaid bottle, means integral with said casing adapted to be engaged by said nipple so as to form a liquid tight seal, a valve seat positioned within said casing, a cavity formed in said casing characterized by a pair of parallel walls defining a flow passage from said valve seat to said top wall, said passage being larger at said top wall than at said valve seat, a length of flexible tubing having a first end attached to said casing and communicatingwith said valve seat and a second end adapted to be disposed within said bottle, a movable ball disposed in said cavity cooperating with said valve seat to provide a substantially liquid-tight seal, ball guide means integral with said casing, said ball guide means extending axially from said valve seat to proximate to said top wall, said ball being caged within said guide means and constrained thereby to move axially only, said top wall opening being sufficiently long so that the said ball seat is exposed when said ball is in its highest position.

2 A device as in claim '1 wherein said guide channel comprises two grooves formed in longitudinal confronting relation within said casing and integral therewith, said grooves opening into said cavity, said ball being caged between said grooved channels-for axial movement only.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein said opening of said cavity in said top wall comprises a transverse slot to define an aperture downwardly converging within said casingtowards said bottom wall.

4. A device as in claim 1 including a concave arcuate bottom wall transverse to said parallel Walls.

5. A device as in claim 1 wherein said valve seat is formed by said first end of saidtf'lexible tubing.

References (Tited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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