WO1990007320A1

WO1990007320A1 - Baby bottle comprising an adjustable air inlet valve

Info

Publication number: WO1990007320A1
Application number: PCT/FR1989/000667
Authority: WO
Inventors: Maurice Louis Dufort
Original assignee: Maurice Louis Dufort
Priority date: 1988-12-23
Filing date: 1989-12-21
Publication date: 1990-07-12
Also published as: FR2640875A1; FR2640875B1

Abstract

Baby bottle comprising a cylindrical container for holding a liquid food. Said bottle is provided with a bottom (16) comprising an air inlet valve (8, 26) consisting of a pliable membrane (8) having an air inlet opening (31) and a sealing element (26) comprising an air inlet opening (29). By varying the position of the sealing element (26) in relation to that of the membrane (8) it is possible to adjust the depression produced by opening the latter.

Description

Baby bottle with adjustable air intake valve

The present invention relates to a baby bottle with an adjustable air intake valve.

Generally, a bottle consists of a glass or transparent plastic container intended to contain a liquid food such as milk, and a teat perforated with holes or slits made of a flexible material, for example the latex. The teat is generally mounted on the reservoir via a tight collar using an assembly ring screwed onto the reservoir. The nipple collar is provided with means such as radial ribs which maintain a slight clearance between the reservoir and the nipple collar. This play allows an admission of air into the tank so as to compensate for the depression which appears there when the infant sucks the milk.

However, with such a system, depression cannot be precisely controlled. If the ring is too tight on the reservoir, a nipple pinching phenomenon appears. If, on the other hand, the ring is not tight enough, leaks of liquid occur between the collar and the tank.

During feeding, as a result of the air intake both at the neck and the suction opening of the nipple, an air emulsion is created in the milk. The infant thus absorbs a large amount of air.

In addition, the nipples of the prior art described above have an additional drawback of the fact that their orifices (circular holes or slots) remain open permanently, even when the baby does not head. As a result, when the bottle is inverted, in particular to introduce the teat into the mouth of the infant or when the bottle is shaken to homogenize the food or the temperature of the food liquid, leaks occur. We tried to remedy the drawbacks described above by creating a baby bottle with an air intake located at the bottom of the tank. For example: Canadian patent 1 035 728 describes a baby bottle having a domed bottom provided with a central orifice. An elastic membrane is pressed against the bottom. It has an air intake opening offset from the bottom opening. Under the effect of a depression appearing in the tank, the membrane rises and leaves the passage to air.

This device overcomes some of the drawbacks listed above in that liquid leaks between the nipple collar and the reservoir are avoided, and the emulsion is limited because the air intake is above liquid level. However, it has the disadvantage of a low sensitivity because the surface of the membrane is relatively reduced compared to the section of the tank. On the other hand, the value of the vacuum for which the membrane opens is not adjustable. Finally, the problem of leaks at the teat orifices is not resolved by the device described in this document.

Finally, there is known (FR-A-2 232 301) a bottle equipped with a teat comprising a non-return air inlet valve on the collar of the teat. This orifice allows air to enter through a cross or straight slot.

However, with a teat of this type, the air intake and therefore the vacuum inside the tank are not adjustable.

The object of the present invention is precisely a bottle which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art listed above.

This bottle must make it possible to easily and continuously adjust the value of the vacuum inside the tank to a predetermined chosen value. This setting must be precise and sensitive.

The air in milk emulsion should be removed. Finally, the benefits listed above should be achieved without undue complexity. The bottle should be kept simple, practical, easy to fill, to assemble, to clean and to sterilize.

These characteristics are achieved, in accordance with the invention, thanks to the fact that the bottle comprises a reservoir of generally cylindrical shape intended to contain a liquid food such as milk, provided with a bottom and with an open upper end forming a neck. , a nipple mounted on the neck of the reservoir and having at least one orifice for the flow of said food liquid, an intake valve located on the bottom of the reservoir, this valve consisting of a deformable membrane pierced with an orifice d air intake and a shutter element comprising an air intake orifice offset with respect to said air intake orifice of the membrane, the membrane being applied elastically with a certain prestress against said element d shutter so as to shut off the air intake orifice of the membrane. This bottle is characterized in that the position of the closure element can be adjusted relative to that of the membrane so as to adjust the preload of the membrane, and consequently, the value of the depression for which the opening of the membrane is obtained.

Preferably, the reservoir and the closure element bear marks allowing the closure element to be brought to predetermined positions corresponding to predetermined values of the prestressing of the membrane, and therefore to adjust to predetermined values. the values of the depression for which the opening of the membrane is obtained.

Thanks to these characteristics, automatic depression regulation is obtained at a preset value. The nipple is not pinched because the depression inside the nipple never drops below a predetermined value and the infant can suck the milk without unnecessary sucking effort. Leaks at the collar are eliminated as since the presence of ribs or the like to maintain an air intake is no longer necessary. The fact that the air intake is located clearly above the liquid level makes it possible to avoid air emulsion.

According to a preferred embodiment, the closure element is screwed into a part linked to the reservoir, the membrane being fixedly mounted on this reservoir, the rotation of the closure element making it possible to bring the element closer or further away from it. obturation of the membrane so as to adjust the preload of this membrane. This device allows precise adjustment of the value of the vacuum for which the membrane opens.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become apparent on reading the following description of an exemplary embodiment given by way of illustration:

FIG. 1 is a half-section view of a bottle according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the lower part of the bottle of FIG. 1 showing the air intake valve and its adjustment device,

FIG. 2A is a view showing the detail of the edge of the membrane,

FIG. 3 is a sectional view identical to FIG. 2 showing the closure element in the position for adjusting the vacuum to a maximum value,

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is an alternative embodiment of the closure element shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

There is shown in Figure 1 an overall view, half-cut, of a bottle according to the present invention. It consists of a reservoir 2, made of glass or plastic, and having graduations which indicate the amount of liquid it contains. At its upper part, the reservoir 2 has a neck 4. At its lower part 6, it is not closed by a bottom, as is generally the case, but open. The opening has the same section as the tank body, so, as will be explained in more detail later, that the surface of the membrane is maximum.

A nipple 10 is fixed to the upper part of the reservoir. This nipple has a convex part 10a, extended by a nipple 10b. A collar 10c is connected to the convex part 10a.

This collar is tightened on the tank by a ring 12 screwed on the neck of the tank. Alternatively, the nipple 10 could be fixed without a ring on the reservoir, directly by clamping.

However, in each of these two cases, no air intake is permitted at the level of the attachment of the nipple 10 to the reservoir 2, so as to avoid the formation of an emulsion. The nipple 10b has a milk suction port.

There is shown in Figure 2 an enlarged view of the lower part of Figure 1. It is seen that the membrane 8 has a bead 14 formed on its underside. The bead 14 is received in a circular groove formed in a ring 16 screwed onto the reservoir 2, the internal diameter of this groove being at least equal to the internal diameter of the reservoir. The periphery of the membrane 8 is clamped between this ring 16 and the thickness of the wall of the reservoir. Note that the ring

16 has a shoulder 18 on which the ring is tightened. This makes it possible not to crush the bead 14.

However, the tightening is sufficient to ensure complete sealing of the liquid, especially since the membrane 8 comprises at least one sealing rib 20 as can be seen in FIG. 2A, which shows the detail of the periphery of the membrane.

Furthermore, the ring 16 is extended at its lower part by a part 16a comprising indentations 16b which allow it to be screwed and unscrewed more easily on the reservoir. Inside the part 16a there is a part 26 screwed into the part 16a and constituting a closure element. The closure element 26 has a cone 28 in its central part. This cone plugs an orifice 31 formed in the center of the membrane in a zone 8a in excess thickness to increase the contact surface between the cone 28 and the orifice 31 of the membrane 8. Of course, the orifice has a shape adapted to the angle of the cone 28. It is noted that the cone 28 has an orifice 29 formed outside of its Mountain peak. This orifice, offset from the orifice 31 of the membrane, allows the admission of air inside the tank. It can also be used in part 16a so as to allow the entry of air between the cone 28 and the membrane 8.

In order to ensure perfect centering of the membrane relative to the obturation element 26, the diameter of the groove in which the bead 14 is received is slightly greater than the diameter of this bead so as to ensure a slight tension of the membrane.

The assembly of these elements is carried out as follows:

The membrane 8 is first mounted, with a slight prestress, as we have seen previously, in the groove of the ring 16. This ring is then screwed onto the reservoir 2, until it is tightened on the shoulder 18. The closure element 26 is finally screwed into the ring 16.

As can be seen in FIG. 3, which is a view similar to FIG. 2, but in which the closure element 26 has been shown in the position of maximum tightening, the membrane can be stretched more or less by screwing more or less the closure element 26. Thus in FIG. 2, the closure element 26 is completely retracted, in such a way that the membrane remains flat, without undergoing any tension other than its low initial prestress. In FIG. 3, on the contrary, the closure element 26 is in the position of maximum tightening since it is in abutment against the flange 30 of the ring 16. In this position of the closure element 26 the tension of the membrane, that is to say its prestress, is maximum. Consequently, the value of the vacuum inside the tank 2 for which the orifice of the membrane will rise from the tip of the cone 28 is maximum. It can be seen in FIG. 4, which represents a bottom view of the bottle of the invention, that the ring 16 has numbered marks, designated by the references going from R0 to R7. Furthermore, the shutter element 26 has a mark, for example an arrow 32. It is thus possible to continuously and precisely bring the shutter element 26 into a desired relative position relative to the ring 16. When the item 32 is opposite one of the items R0, R1, ... R7, the prestressing of the membrane is precisely adjusted to a determined value, corresponding to a determined value of the depression for which the membrane will peel off from the shutter element 26 when the baby suckles. The intermediate positions between marks allow the vacuum to be set to intermediate values.

FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of the closure element 26. In this alternative, the closure element comprises, instead of a cone 28, a truncated cone 28 ′, terminated by a substantially flat part 34. The orifice 31 ′ of the membrane, which may have an extra thickness at this location, has the shape of a cross, or a rectilinear shape. With these differences, the operation is analogous to that of the previous embodiment.

The adjustment device which has just been described makes it possible to obtain a highly sensitive adjustment since the cross section of the membrane and consequently its deflection possibilities are maximum. This characteristic constitutes an improvement compared to the previously known devices comprising a membrane of smaller area which does not allow precise adjustment.

Claims

- Baby bottle comprising a reservoir [2] of generally cylindrical shape intended to contain a liquid food such as milk, provided with a bottom and an open upper end [4] forming a neck, a teat [10] mounted on the neck [4] of the reservoir, and having at least one orifice for the flow of said liquid food, an inlet valve [8,26] located on the bottom of the reservoir, this valve being constituted by a deformable membrane [8] pierced with a PP air intake orifice [31] and a sealing element [26] comprising an air intake orifice [29] offset with respect to said air intake orifice [ 31] of the membrane, the membrane being applied elastically with a certain prestress against said obturation element [26] so as to close the air intake orifice of the membrane, characterized in that the position of the obturation element [26] can be adjusted ι compared to that of the membrane [8] so that era to adjust the prestressing of the membrane, and consequently, the value of the depression for which the opening of the membrane is obtained.

2 - Bottle according to claim 1 characterized in that the reservoir and the closure element bear marks R0 to R7 making it possible to bring the closure element [26] to predetermined positions corresponding to predetermined values of the prestressing of the diaphragm, and consequently, of adjusting the values of the depression for which the opening of the diaphragm [8] is obtained at predetermined values.

3 - Bottle according to claim 1 or 2 characterized in that said closure element [26] is screwed into a part [16] linked to the tank [2], said membrane [8] being fixedly mounted on this tank [2] , the rotation of the shutter element [26] making it possible to move the shutter element [26] closer to or away from the membrane [8] so as to adjust the preload of this membrane. 4 - Bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the closure element [26] comprises a central zone [28] of conical shape which cooperates with a seat of substantially equal taper formed in excess thickness in the membrane [8] said orifice [31] of the membrane being located in the center of the conical seat formed in this membrane, the orifice [29] of the closure element being placed outside the top of the conical seat.

5 - Bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the closure element [26] comprises a central zone [28 '] of frustoconical shape terminated by an end part comprising a substantially flat zone [ 34], said air intake orifice [29 '] of the shutter element [28'] being situated outside the substantially planar zone [34], the membrane having an excess thickness of an intake orifice 'air [31'] in the form of a slit or cross located opposite the substantially flat area of the membrane.

6 - Bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that said part connected to the reservoir is a ring [16] having a circular groove intended to receive a bead [14] of the sealing membrane, the internal diameter of this groove being at least equal to the internal diameter of the reservoir, the internal diameter of this groove being slightly greater than the diameter of the bead [14] and the ring [16] being screwed onto the reservoir has a shoulder [18] which limits the tightening of the membrane [8].

7 - Bottle according to any one of claims 1 to 6 characterized in that the membrane [8] is clamped between the bottom of the circular groove of the ring [16] and the edge of the reservoir [2], this membrane [8 ] comprising at least one rib [20] forming a seal.