Feeding bottle

Abstract

The present invention relates to a feeding bottle such as a feeding bottle for infants. In particular, the invention relates to a feeding bottle (1) comprising - a container (2) comprising an opening for liquid (2a), - a teat (7) comprising an inlet for liquid and an outlet for liquid (7a), and - a coupling device (8) fixing the teat (7) to the container (2) during use, the container (2) comprises a first compartment (3) defined by inner surfaces (11) of walls of the container (2) which walls during emptying of liquid are configured to give in thereby reducing the volume of the first compartment (3), the first compartment (3) comprises a first part (12) comprising the opening for liquid (2a) and a second part (13) comprising a bottom section (14) adjoined to the first part along a periphery, during emptying, the second part (13) of the first compartment (3) is configured to be displaced into a volume formed by the first part (12) of the first compartment (3), and the bottom section (14) is configured to be displaced in direction along a longitudinal axis l of the feeding bottle (1) and of the container (2), from a position opposite the opening (2a) to a position adjacent to the opening (2a).

Description

[0001] Feeding bottle

[0002] The present invention relates to a feeding bottle such as a feeding bottle for infants.

[0003] More specifically, the invention relates to a feeding bottle comprising a container, a teat, and a coupling device; the container defining a first compartment and being collapsible, having an inner surface facing the first compartment, and having a container opening; the teat having an internal side facing the first compartment and comprising a securing flange encircling the container opening.

[0004] Technical Background

[0005] In typical feeding bottles, the container contains the liquid, such as milk, intended for an infant and the teat is made from a flexible material, such as rubber or silicone, to deliver the liquid to an infant. The teat encloses the container opening so that liquid solely exits the feeding bottle through the teat when an infant sucks on the teat.

[0006] The use of feeding bottles can supplement natural breastfeeding or replace breastfeeding entirely but has several drawbacks, particularly that air can be swallowed during feeding, potentially being a factor in developing colic and that traditional feeding bottles must be turned upside down to allow a liquid flow, which promotes the child to lay down during feeding, providing a suboptimal position for digestion and intimacy.

[0007] It has been attempted to address this problem by implementing a flexible container, which may collapse as the liquid leaves the container. The fact that the container collapses, either caused by the suction of the infant or compression induced by the caretaker or a combination of the two, means that the feeding bottle becomes volumetrically smaller during use. Additionally, the flexibility may allow for the shape of the container to adapt to the feeding situation, thus both allowing the feeding bottle to be held in a position, where the risk of air entering the bottle is reduced, and for a natural contact between infant and caretaker during feeding.

[0008] US 2.446.451 A discloses a baby a nursing unit in form of a baby bottle with a retractable container. The container of the nursing unit is made of a soft and randomly deformed material.

[0009] EP 1698319 A1 discloses a baby bottle comprising a valve and including means for emptying the nipple. The baby bottle comprises a nipple 1 , a rigid body 2, a flexible pouch 21 forming a reservoir, and a valve device separating the nipple 1 and the reservoir 21 . The valve has a rigid part 32 and a flexible membrane 311 blocking a main opening 321 , and the rigid part 32 comprises emptying holes 322 permitting the returning of a liquid contained in the nipple 1 to the reservoir 21 , during dismounting of the nipple. The reservoir 21 has a rigid bottom section and when a baby drinks from the bottle, the side walls of the reservoir 21 are forced together as illustrated by arrows G in fig. 2. The deformation of the side walls during emptying allows for liquid to be isolated near the bottom of the reservoir thereby preventing liquid from leaving through the main opening 321 of the valve. Also, the flexible reservoir makes it necessary to provide the baby bottle with an external rigid body 2 in order to make it easier to handle.

[0010] Summary of invention

[0011] It is therefore an object of the disclosure to provide a feeding bottle that better resembles natural breastfeeding when in use.

[0012] Another object of the invention is to provide a feeding bottle that reduces the risk of the infant swallowing air during feeding.

[0013] According to the disclosure one or both of these objects are achieved by a feeding bottle according to claim 1 .

[0014] In general, the bottom section is displaced toward the opening (2a) of the container (2), and when the container (2) is completely emptied, the bottom section may at least partially cover the opening for liquid (2a).

[0015] According to an embodiment of the invention, the walls of the first part (12) of the first compartment (3) may be rigid meaning that the walls do not give in during emptying. That the walls of the first part (12) of the first compartment (3) do not give in means that the rigid walls of the first part (12) do not change in shape / form or position at a pressure difference p2-p1 normally obtained inside a feeding bottle (1 ) during use, where p1 is the pressure inside the compartment (3) and p2 is the pressure outside the compartment (3).

[0016] According to an embodiment of the invention, the second part (13) of the first compartment (3) either may comprise walls of a soft and flexible material being foldable by nature combined with a rigid bottom section or the second part (13) may comprise walls comprising weakening means (15) allowing a rigid wall to fold in a controlled way at the positioned of the weakening means (15).

[0017] According to an embodiment of the invention, the weaking means (15) may be score or folding lines positioned at or along the inner surface () of second part () of the first compartment (3)

[0018] According to an embodiment of the invention, the container (2) may be round i.e. the container (2) has a round perimeter and preferably a spheric outer surface in a state where the first compartment (3) is filled with liquid. When the container (2) is round or spheric, the container (2) of the feeding bottle can fit onto the rounded shape of a breast following the outer contour of the breast.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the invention, the feeding bottle may further comprise a membrane system (6) comprising a one-way valve (5) which membrane system (6) is positioned between the first compartment (3) and the second compartment (4). The membrane system (6) may comprise two membranes (9, 10). According to this embodiment, the one-way valve (5) may comprise a first side facing the first compartment (3) of the container (2) and a second side opposite the first side facing the second compartment (4) thereby separating the first compartment (3) from the second compartment (4).

[0020] According to an embodiment of the invention, the teat (7) may comprise an internal side facing the second compartment (4), and the teat may comprise a securing flange (7c) encircling the opening for liquid (2a).

[0021] According to an embodiment of the invention, the teat (7), the one-way valve (5), and the container (2) may be interlocked by a set of complementary engagement elements (8a, 8b).

[0022] According to an embodiment of the invention, the container opening (2a) may during operation be fixed to the lower engagement element (8b) thereby further securing the position and the shape of the first part (12) of the first compartment (3). further comprise a one-way valve that inhibits fluid flow into the container, where the one-way valve comprises a first side facing the first compartment of said container and a second side opposite the first side facing the internal side of the teat, thereby separating the first compartment from a second compartment, and where the container, the teat, and the one-way valve are interlocked by the coupling device.

[0023] Due to the one-way valve, a fully air-less container can be given to the infant, even in cases where the container is not initially completely filled with liquid.

[0024] In addition, the combination of the one-way valve and the collapsible container means that, at the same time, air is inhibited from entering the container during feeding and the formation of a vacuum within the container is inhibited. The one-way valve forces the baby to create a vacuum in the mouth in order to open the valve, which may further provide a delayed or diminished liquid flow from the container to the teat.

[0025] The one-way valve further facilitates that the feeding bottle can be used in an upright position, defined as the teat pointing upwards thereby allowing a wide range of natural feeding positions.

[0026] By “air-less” is meant that the first compartment is substantially entirely filled with liquid during the entire feeding process. Air may be dissolved in the liquid, but no air- pockets constituting more that 10% of the initial volume of the first compartment in the non-collapsed state of container is present.

[0027] The container is arranged to be placed directly on the breast or the chest of the caregiver, so to promote a natural breastfeeding position and direct skin contact. The shape of the container is round, so when it is initially emptied from air, prior to be given to the infant, it takes shape of a shell that becomes thinner and thinner when the infant empties it from milk. The round shell shape of the container makes it possible to place it without holding it with the hands on the breast or chest. The substantially spherical shape of the container provides a compact container and thus allow a near contact between infant and caretaker. Moreover, the spherical shape resembles the shape of a breast. The collapsible nature of the container is facilitated by making the container from a suitable material such as but not limited to silicone or rubber. The container may be made of a silicone material, preferably having a Shore A hardness in the range of 25 - 75. The flexible container may be provided with a soft exterior surface that resembles the softness of a human body.

[0028] In an embodiment the teat, the one-way valve and the container may be comprised by a set of complementary engagement elements. This ensures that the teat, the oneway valve and the container can be fixed together. Brief description of the drawings

[0029] In the following, the disclosure will be described in greater details with reference to non-limiting enclosed schematic drawings, on which:

[0030] FIG 1 shows a cross-section of an embodiment of a feeding bottle according to the invention.

[0031] FIG 2 shows an exploded view of the same embodiment of a feeding bottle as disclosed in fig. 1 .

[0032] FIG 3 illustrates emptying of a feeding bottle according to the invention.

[0033] Detailed description

[0034] FIG 1 shows an embodiment of a feeding bottle 1 according to the invention. The embodiment comprises a container 2 comprising one compartment, a first compartment 3 and a teat 7 comprising a second compartment 4 which two compartments are separated by a membrane system 6 comprising a one-way valve 5. The container 2 may as illustrated in the figures have the overall shape of a sphere. The one-way valve 5 is in this embodiment depicted as a stamp-valve and forms a part of the membrane system 6. The container 2, the one-way valve 5 and the teat 7 are assembled by a coupling device 8.

[0035] FIG 2 shows the feeding bottle from FIG 1 in an exploded view.

[0036] The shown one-way valve membrane system 6 consists of a soft membrane 9 and a hard membrane 10. The one-way valve 5 is mounted on the soft membrane 10 and covers a hole 10a in the hard membrane that combined with the hole 9a in the soft membrane 9 allows liquid to flow from the first compartment 3 to the second compartment 4. The soft membrane 9 is shown covering and extending in parallel with the one-way valve 5. In this embodiment the one-way valve membrane system 6 covers the entire container opening 2a.

[0037] The teat 7 has an outlet 7a through which outlet 7a liquid flows from the second compartment 4 upon suction, , the liquid in the second compartment 4 is during suction replaced by liquid flowing through the one-way valve 5 from the first compartment 3. The container 2 comprises a first compartment 3 defined by inner surfaces 11 of walls of the container 2, the first compartment 3 comprises a first part 12 comprising the opening for liquid 2a which may also be referred to as an upper part, and a second part 13 comprising a bottom section 14 which part may also be referred to as a lower part. The second part 13 is adjoined to the first part 12 along a periphery and during suction and emptying of the first compartment 3 of the container, the walls of the first compartment 3 give in and reduce the volume of the first compartment 3. In particular, the second part 13 of the first compartment 3 is displaced into a volume formed by the first part 12 of the first compartment 3 during emptying of the first compartment 3.

[0038] In general, the bottom section 14 is displaced in direction along the longitudinal axis I of the feeding bottle 1 and of the container 2, from a position opposite the opening 2a to a position adjacent to the opening 2a. The bottom section 14 is made of rigid and non-deformable material which may be displaced during emptying of the first compartment 3 and not deformed when the volume of the first compartment 3 is reduced.

[0039] That the bottom section 14 is made of “rigid and non-deformable material" means that the material constituting the bottom section 14 maintains both its size and shape during normal use of the feeding bottle.

[0040] The “bottom section" may be understood to be a portion of the feeding bottle container 2 positioned opposite to the container opening 2a. The bottom section 14 may be provided with supporting means 16 e.g. in form of a surrounding reinforced edge providing a balanced base allowing the feeding bottle stand steadily on a surface. Alternatively, the supporting means 16 may comprise a grid or the like of protruding lines crossing over the bottom section 14.

[0041] Grooves 7b are provided to prevent the inner sides of the teat 7 from coming into contact with each other and closing off the flow through the teat. Similar projections may be provided elsewhere on the soft membrane 9 or the teat 7.

[0042] In fig. 2, the teat 7 is illustrated with a securing flange 7c. The securing flange 7c is in this embodiment pressed towards a securing flange 9b on the soft membrane 9 and a securing flange 2b on the edge of the container 2 by a coupling device engagement, here depicted as two complementary ring threading elements 8a and 8b. Due to these engagement mechanisms 8a and 8b the securing flange of the soft membrane 9b is being clamped between the securing flange of the teat 7c and the securing flange of the container 2b thereby securing an airtight and fluid-tight coupling. FIGs 3A-3C illustrates how a feeding bottle according to the invention may change during emptying. The feeding bottle 1 is the same embodiments as shown in figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 3A shows a first step of reducing the volume of the first compartment 3 where the wall of the second compartment 13 is deformed by bending along a folding line 15a and hereby moving the bottom section 14 a step closer to the opening 2a of the container 2. The folding line 15a may be a continuous line forming a complete circle along the inner surface of the wall of the second compartment 13.

[0043] Fig. 3B shows a second step of reducing the volume of the first compartment 3 where the wall of the second compartment 13 is further deformed by bending along a folding line 15b thereby moving the bottom section 14 yet a step closer to the opening 2a of the container 2. The folding line 15b may also be a continuous line forming a complete circle along the inner surface of the wall of the second compartment 13.

[0044] Fig. 3C shows a third and last step of reducing the volume of the first compartment 3 where the wall of the second compartment 13 is further deformed by bending along a folding line 15c thereby moving the bottom section 14 a last step toward to the opening 2a of the container 2. The folding line 15c may also be a continuous line forming a complete circle along the inner surface of the wall of the second compartment 13.

[0045] Figs. 3A to 3C shows how the second part 13 of the container 2 collapses into the first part 12 of the container when emptying air and liquid from first compartment 3. When the container 2 has a rounded or spheric shape, the container can fit onto the rounded shape of a breast following its outer contour.

[0046] In fig. 3A the first compartment 3 is filled with liquid, and before being given to the infant, the caretaker may push out the air from the top of the first compartment 3 and the second compartment 4 out by pressing on the bottom section 14 of the container 2, making the second part 13 to fold into the first part 12.

[0047] The one-way valve 5 allows only air and liquid to pass one way from first compartment 3 to second compartment 4, thus ensuring that when air or liquid is emptied from the first compartment 3, the container 2 remains collapsed.

[0048] Already from position fig. 3A, the rounded inside of the collapsed container 2 fits onto the rounding of the caretaker’s natural breast, making it possible for the infant to lie in the same position as with natural breastfeeding, while eating of the baby bottle.

[0049] In fig. 3B the infant has been drinking a bit of the liquid from first compartment 3, resulting in the container 2 collapsing further into itself.

[0050] In fig. 3C the first compartment 3 has been emptied completely from liquid, resulting in a hemisphere shape.

Claims

Patent claims:

1. A feeding bottle (1) comprising- a container (2) comprising an opening for liquid (2a),- a teat (7) comprising an inlet for liquid and an outlet for liquid (7a), and- a coupling device (8) fixing the teat (7) to the container (2) during use, the container (2) comprises a first compartment (3) defined by inner surfaces (11) of walls of the container (2) which walls during emptying of liquid are configured to give in thereby reducing the volume of the first compartment (3), the first compartment (3) comprises a first part (12) comprising the opening for liquid (2a) and a second part (13) comprising a bottom section (14) adjoined to the first part along a periphery, during emptying, the second part (13) of the first compartment (3) is configured to be displaced into a volume formed by the first part (12) of the first compartment (3), and the bottom section (14) is configured to be displaced in direction along a longitudinal axis I of the feeding bottle (1 ) and of the container (2), from a position opposite the opening (2a) to a position adjacent to the opening (2a) characterized in that the bottom section (14) is made of rigid and non-deformable material which is displaced during emptying of the first compartment (3) and not deformed when the volume of the first compartment (3) is reduced.

2. A feeding bottle (1) according to claim 1 , wherein the walls of the first part (12) of the first compartment (3) are rigid meaning that the walls are not configured to give in during emptying at a pressure difference p2-p1 normally obtained inside a feeding bottle (1 ), where p1 is the pressure inside the compartment (3) and p2 is the pressure outside the compartment (3).

3. A feeding bottle (1) according to any previous claim, wherein the second part (13) of the first compartment (3)- either comprises walls of a soft and flexible material being foldable by nature combined with a rigid bottom section,- or comprises walls comprising weakening means (15) allowing the rigid walls to fold in a controlled way at the positioned of the weakening means (15).

4. A feeding bottle according to claim 3, wherein the weakening means (15) are score or folding lines positioned at or along the inner surface (11 ) of second part5. A feeding bottle (1 ) according to any previous claim, wherein the first compartment (3) is round i.e. the first compartment (3) has a round perimeter and preferably an at least partly spheric outer surface in a state where the first compartment (3) is filled with liquid.

6. A feeding bottle according to any of the preceding claims, further comprises a membrane system (6) comprising a one-way valve (5) positioned between the first compartment (3) and a second compartment (4) inside the teat (7), the membrane system (6) may comprise two membranes (9, 10).

7. A feeding bottle according to claim 6, where the one-way valve (5) comprises a first side facing the first compartment (3) of the container (2) and a second side opposite the first side facing the second compartment (4) thereby separating the first compartment (3) from the second compartment (4).

8. A feeding bottle according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the teat (7) comprises an internal side facing the second compartment (4), and the teat comprises a securing flange (7c) encircling the opening for liquid (2a).

9. A feeding bottle according to any of the claims 6, 7 or 8, wherein the teat (7), the one-way valve (5), and the container (2) is interlocked by a set of complementary engagement elements (8a, 8b).

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