Nipples for baby feeding are used both in hospital surroundings and in private households, wherein in a hospital it is usually a matter of once-only use while at home the nipples can be boiled.
The present invention relates to a nipple comprising:
Such a nipple is known from US-A-3 203 569.
The non-return valve of this known nipple shows a limited degree of flexibility, which is inherently due to the shape and structure of this non-return valve.
It is an object of the present invention to improve upon this known nipple with non-return valve.
The nipple according to the present invention is characterized in that said non-return valve is dish-shaped comprising a flat bottom part provided with a hole and a radially diverging side wall ending in a sealing edge which forms the edge of said dish-shape and which goes over into the flange so as to connect the valve to said flange.
Using the nipple according to the present invention prevents an underpressure being built up in a bottle or supply holder for baby food through the sucking of the baby, which makes sucking difficult, while it also prevents baby food being able to leak out of the supply holder in the absence of underpressure; a non-return valve is provided which gives a good sealing against a holder screw to be arranged on the supply holder in addition to a non-return valve which opens at a small underpressure.
The nipple is preferably injection moulded from synthetic, non-silicon holding rubber, also referred to as thermoplastic rubber, which has the same properties as rubber but which requires no vulcanizing. Tensile strengths of 1035-34.475 Pa (150-5000 psi) and a Shore A-hardness of 28-95 can be used with this material. A strong nipple is provided herewith, while because of the strength of the material the non-return valve can be embodied with a small thickness of this material. The non-return valve will therefore open easily, while the sealing edge gives good sealing against a holder screw if no under pressure is built up in the holder. It is moreover important that this material is absolutely safe for a baby.
Further advantages, features and details are elucidated in the light of the following description with reference to a drawing, in which:
Onto a supply holder or bottle 1 can be screwed a holder screw or closing means 2 between which a nipple (fig. 1) can be clamped. A sucking end 4 of the nipple 3 is provided with three conical holes 6. By moving insert pieces in an injection moulding die (not shown) penetration of cones can be adjusted wherewith the size of the passage opening from the interior of the sucking end 4 to a baby is determined.
Arranged in a flange or collar 7 which is injection moulded from one piece with the sucking end 4 is a non-return valve 8 which is injection moulded together with the nipple 3. If through the sucking of a baby an underpressure results in the bottle 1 (fig. 2), air can pass between the holder screw edge and the neck of the nipple into a dish 9 since the sealing edge 11 is released through the underpressure. From the dish 9 the underpressure passes into the interior of the bottle 1, whereafter the sealing edge 11 closes and prevents the liquid content leaking out of the bottle along the neck of the nipple.
A nipple according to the present invention is preferably injection moulded from a thermoplastic rubber such as commercially available under the names KratonR and EvopreneR. This material has a high tensile strength with rubber-like properties without vulcanizing having to take place. In addition the material displays good temperature characteristics.