Nipple for nursing bottle

• US 5,101,991 A
• Filed: 08/27/1990
• Issued: 04/07/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JEX Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: JEX Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Takao, Yoshifumi, Morifuji, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Weaver, Sue A.
• Application Number:
  US07/572,599
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• Field of Search: 215/11.1, 215/11.3-11.6, 215/311
• US Class Current: 215/11.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 11/002 by using valves
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 11/02 with means for supplying air
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 11/045 with interlocking means, e.g. protrusions or indentations on the teat

Abstract

A nipple (3) for a nursing bottle (1) is made from a soft elastic material, such as plastic. The nipple comprises a front end portion (7) serving as a mouthpiece, a bottle mouth fitting portion (9) to be removably fitted to the opening (5) in the bottle body (2) by a clamping ring (4), and an inverted funnel-shaped intermediate portion (8) disposed intermediate between these portions. A partition wall (11) having a milk sucking hole (12) is integrally formed in the interior.

Claims

1. A nipple for nursing bottles, comprising:

a nipple body having a pair of openings provided at front and bottom ends thereof and including an inverted funnel-shaped intermediate portion;

at least one air valve slit provided in a vicinity of said bottom end for communicating an inside portion of said nipple to an outside portion thereof; and

a partition diaphragm provided inside of said nipple body and integral thereto and disposed in a region remote from said front and bottom ends of the nipple body in a vicinity of a boundary between said front end and said inverted funnel-shaped intermediate portion and at a position where external pressure is exerted by a mouth of an infant during feeding, said partition diaphragm including a spherical recess at a central portion thereof defining a thin diaphragm portion thereat such that said partition diaphragm is easily deformable particularly at said thin diaphragm portion,

wherein said partition diaphragm has a cut through said thin diaphragm portion and forms a milk sucking passage therein, said cut being normally closed,

wherein said cut is opened only when said partition diaphragm is deformed in response to said external pressure exerted by a mouth of an infant upon said nipple body during feeding.

2. A nipple for nursing bottles as set forth in claim 1, including an inner wall depending form the front end of the nipple, wherein said partition diaphragm is positioned at an end of said inner wall opposite said front end of the nipple.

3. A nipple for nursing bottles as set forth in claim 1, including a frusto-conical inner wall extending upwardly from the bottom end of the nipple body, wherein said partition diaphragm is positioned at an end of said inner wall opposite the bottom end of the nipple body.

4. A nipple for nursing bottles as set forth in claim 1, wherein said cut and said air valve are opened and closed in response to a sucking action.

5. A nipple for nursing bottles according to claim 1, wherein said cut comprises an x-shaped cross cut.

6. A nipple for nursing bottles according to claim 1, wherein said cut comprises a Y-shaped triple cut.

7. A nipple for nursing bottles according to claim 1, wherein said cut comprises an I-shaped single cut.