A valved feeding bottle teat

Abstract

A feeding bottle teat 100 comprising a nipple having connected bulbous 102 and conical 104,106 sections, with one or more support structures 134A-C extending substantially circumferentially about an i

Description

This document claims priority to AU 2024901424 filed on 15 May 2024, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Field of the Invention The present disclosure relates to a teat for a feeding bottle, and more particularly to a valved teat for a feeding bottle and a method of making the valved teats. Background of the Disclosure Infant feeding bottles are used to feed infants breast milk or formula milk when breast feeding is not possible or as a supplement to breast feeding. Such feeding bottles may also be used to feed infants or toddlers other liquids. Typically, baby bottles have a soft flexible teat that mimics a breast shape and physical behavior. However, when using a bottle with a standard teat, turbulence in flow of liquid proximate the teat outlet / hole (which is in the nipple of the teat) can cause the introduction of air bubbles which are then swallowed by the infant. Additionally, the amount of work (suction) required to draw the liquid from the teat can cause the infant to take in additional air by breaking the latch (seal between lips and outside of the teat). Regardless, air intake causes discomfort, and can be a source of "colic." In addition, the removal of liquid by the infant sucking on the teat creates a vacuum in the feeding bottle if expelled liquid is not replaced by air. This can result in the infant to need to create even more suction which, as stated above, can lead to additional air intake and discomfort. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a teat for a feeding bottle which can ameliorate at least some of the problems of the prior art or which can provide a useful alternative. Other benefits and advantages will become clear from the disclosure provided herein and those advantages provided above are for illustration. Summary of the Disclosure This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify al! key features or essentia! features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. The present disclosure is directed to a feeding bottle teat including a nipple having a bulbous section and a conical section connected to the bulbous section; one or more support structures located on an inner surface of the nipple and extending substantially about an inner circumference of the nipple; an annular flange portion having an upper surface and a lower surface, the annular flange being connected to the conical section opposite the bulbous section; and a valve extending from the upper surface of the annular flange through the annular flange to the lower surface of the annular flange, the valve having a protruding section extending below the lower surface of the flange, the protruding section of the valve terminating in two opposing walls that converge so as to form a flattened end with a slit. The feeding bottle teat may be a narrow-necked or standard bottle teat, or a widenecked bottle teat. A narrow-necked teat fits bottles with a narrower neck, typically about 3.5cm, and has a slightly tapered profile. In contrast, wide-necked teats fit bottles with a wider neck, typically about 4.5cm, and have a wider sloped nipple designed to mimic the shape of a mother’s breast. In embodiments, the feeding bottle teat may be a narrow-necked teat. According to another embodiment, the disclosure is directed to a method for producing a feeding bottle teat including a nipple portion; one or more support structures located on an inner surface of the nipple and extending substantially about an inner circumference of the nipple; an annular flange portion having an upper surface and a lower surface; and a valve extending from the upper surface through the flange to the lower surface and having a portion extending below the lower surface of the flange, the valve terminating in two opposing walls that converge so as to form a flattened end with a slit. The present disclosure relates to a teat for a feeding bottle, and more particularly to a valved teat for a feeding bottle and method of making a valved teat. More particularly, this disclosure describes a teat that may reduce or prevent introduction of air bubbles which are then swallowed by the infant. The teat according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure also aims to enable stable air pressure within a feeding bottle when in use as liquid within the bottle is expelled. According to one or all embodiments, the valve enables the introduction of air into the bottle without allowing liquid to leave the bottle through the valve. Instead, air is introduced to the bottle via the valve as the liquid leaves the bottle through a nipple opening thus ensuring a smooth egress of liquid with the creation of a vacuum in the bottle. As such, the teat, according to the present disclosure, may reduce discomfort of the infant due to, for example, air intake. Numerous other modifications or configurations for the baby bottle teat will become apparent from the description provided below. An exemplary teat in accordance with an embodiment may include a nipple that includes a bulbous section and a conical section. According to one or all embodiments, the conical section may include an upper conical section and a lower conical section. The nipple may further include an opening (or hole) at the top of the bulbous section. The opening may be circular in shape. However, other shapes, such as a straight slit, angled slit or oval may be used. The upper conical section and the lower conical section may meet at a transition region. The upper conical section may have a narrower diameter than the lower conical section such that the teat tapers from the bulbous section towards the annular flange portion. The upper conical wall section and the lower conical section may form a first hollow interior chamber. The bulbous section may also have a second hollow interior chamber that is in fluid communication the first hollow interior chamber, such that when in use with a feeding bottle assembly, liquid, or other material, contained within the feeding bottle assembly may be delivered and expelled through the opening. The nipple may have one or more support structures located on an inner surface of the nipple. The support structure may be formed by an area of increased thickness relative to adjacent areas. The support structures may project inwardly into the interior chamber of the nipple such that the outer surface of the nipple is substantially smooth. The hollow interior chambers may be defined by the one or more support structures. For example, the second hollow interior chamber may be defined by the top of the bulbous section and a support structures located between the bulbous section and the upper conical section. The support structures may extend at least partially about an inner circumference of the nipple. In some embodiments, the support structures may extend substantially about an inner circumference of the nipple. The support structures may be a series of thickened areas in an annular progression. One of the one or more support structures may be located between the bulbous section and the conical section. In embodiments where the conical section comprises an upper and lower conical section which meet at a transition region, a first one of the one or more support structures may be located between the bulbous section and the conical section and a second one of the one or more support structures may be located between the transition region and the lower conical section. In other embodiments, a third one of the one or more support structures may be located between the upper conical section and the transition region. According to one or all embodiments, the outer surface of the upper conical section or the lower conical section may be labeled to indicate a nipple size, such as, for example, XS (extra small), S (small), M (medium), L (large), or XL (extra-large). One of these two sections could also be labeled with an indicator such as a number or letter indicating a particular liquid flow rate of the nipple opening combination. According to one or more embodiments, the thickness of the nipple may be between about 1 mm to about 6 mm, about 2 mm to about 4 mm, or even about 3 mm thick. Moreover, the bulbous section, the upper conical section, and / or the lower conical section may be of the same thickness. Alternatively, one or more of the bulbous section, the upper conical section, and the lower conical section may be of a different thickness. The thickness of the nipple in the area of the support structure may be about 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm thicker than adjacent sections of the nipple. In some embodiments, the thickness of the nipple in the area of the support structure may be about 2.0 mm thicker than adjacent sections. An annular flange portion may extend down from the lower conical section of the teat. The annular flange may include an upper surface and a lower surface. Moreover, the annular flange portion of the teat may fit into a collar for securing the teat to a bottle. The teat may be pushed through a bottom portion of the collar such that the upper surface of the annular flange portion contacts the bottom portion of the collar allowing the annular flange to rest within an interior section of the collar to secure the teat into place. According to one or all embodiments, the teat may include an annular ridge connecting the annular flange portion to the lower conical section which enables the interior of the collar to fit securely thereby snugly securing the teat into the collar. The external diameter of the annular ridge may be narrower than the external diameter of the conical section to which the annular ridge is connected. The external diameter of the annular ridge may be narrower than the external diameter of the annular flange portion to which the annular ridge is attached. According to one or more embodiments, the thickness of the annular flange may be between about 1 mm to about 6 mm, about 2 mm to about 4 mm, or even about 3 mm thick. A valve may be formed in the annular flange. According to one or all embodiments, the valve may be a one-way or duck-billed valve that is formed in the annular flange so that it extends from the upper surface through the annular flange to the lower surface and terminates below the annular flange. According to one or all embodiments, the valve is positioned in the annular flange, so that the valve is inside the bottle assembly once the collar containing the teat is connected to the bottle. According to one or all embodiments, the valve may be in the shape of a rectangular hole in the upper surface of the annular flange. However, the hole may be in the form of other shapes such as, for example, a square, circle or oval. According to one or all embodiments, the valve may remain hollow as it passes through the annular flange and may remain hollow still as it extends below the lower surface of the annular flange. The valve may terminate with two opposing walls that converge so as to form a flattened end with a slit. In one or all embodiments, a support shoulder may be formed on either side of the valve so as to aide in maintaining the shape of the flange and / or the closure of the opposing walls to restrict liquid from leaving a bottle when the valve is not allowing air to enter the bottle. As mentioned above, the valve may extend below the annular flange so that it extends into the interior chamber of the bottle when connected to the bottle. In addition, the valve may be positioned in the annular flange so that the valve is inside the feeding bottle when attached to the feeding bottle. The valve may allow air to enter a feeding bottle when in use to allow a liquid to flow more smoothly through the teat and out of the opening. The opposing side walls may be connected to each other at or near their peripheries, such that the two side walls may form a substantially continuous surface extending about the periphery of the valve. The opposing side walls may converge in a lower region thereof so as to form a flattened end with a slit. The flattened end is distal to the opening of the valve in the annular flange. The opposing side walls may contact at an edge wall, wherein the side walls are each connected by the edge wall. The edge wall may form a substantially continuous surface extending about the periphery of the valve. The edge wall may form a flattened end with a slit distal to the opening of the valve in the annular flange. The opposing side walls of the valve may form an inner profile having any suitable shape in cross-section. For instance, the opposing side walls may form an inner profile having a cylindrical shape, a conical shape, a triangular prism, a cube, a rectangular prism, a frusto-conical shape, a truncated hemisphere shape, or a truncated pyramid shape. The opposing side walls of the valve may be substantially parallel, forming a rectangular or box-like shape in cross-section. In use, a valve having a rectangular shape in cross section offers a much wider setting to the base of the teat, which may increase the strength of the valve, reducing deformation of the valve during venting. Preferably, a vertex may be formed in a lower region of the valve between the opposing side walls forming a substantially V- or triangular-shape in cross-section. In use, the valve achieves its purpose and functionality through the narrowing of the valve to a flattened end thereby exerting the necessary pressure to open the valve to equalise the internal negative pressure difference thus improving the mechanical performance of the valve. Providing a vertex attached to the base of the rectangular frame may improve strength and robustness against everyday use and cleaning. The opposing walls of the valve may be 0.2 mm to 3.0 mm thick. Moreover, the hole of the valve may be 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm wide. Furthermore, the walls may be 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm thick. According to one or all embodiments, the teat may be made of a single piece of elastic material, or multiple pieces of material moulded together. The elastic material used in making the teat may include, for example, latex or silicone. Moreover, the teat may be made to be of any size and to have any flow rate of choice. The teat may be formed by for example, blow moulding, injection moulding, extrusion, compression moulding or vacuum forming. Brief Description of the Drawings The accompanying drawings described herein are used to enable further understanding of the present disclosure and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The example embodiments of the present disclosure and the description of the example embodiments are used to illustrate the present disclosure, and do not constitute any limitation to the present disclosure. In the drawings: FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a teat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 2 shows a side view of a teat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of a teat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 4 shows a top view of a teat according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG 5A shows an embodiment of the valve having a rectangular or box-like shape and FIG. 5B shows an alternative embodiment of the valve having a v-shape. Figure 5C shows a bottom view of the teat in FIG 5B. In general, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts. The figures are not to scale. Connecting lines or connectors shown in the various figures presented herein are intended to represent example functional relationships and / or physical or logical couplings between various elements. Detailed Description The present disclosure relates to a teat for a feeding bottle, and more particularly to a valved teat for a feeding bottle and method of making a valved teat. More particularly, this disclosure describes a teat that may reduce or prevent introduction of air bubbles which are then swallowed by the infant. The teat according to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure also aims to enable stable air pressure within a feeding bottle when in use as liquid within the bottle is expelled. According to one or all embodiments, the valve enables the introduction of air into the bottle without allowing liquid to leave the bottle through the valve. Instead, air is introduced to the bottle via the valve as the liquid leaves the bottle through a nipple opening thus ensuring a smooth egress of liquid with the creation of a vacuum in the bottle. As such, the teat, according to the present disclosure, may reduce discomfort of the infant due to, for example, air intake. Numerous other modifications or configurations for the baby bottle teat will become apparent from the description provided below. Turning to FIGs. 1-4, an exemplary teat 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. The teat 100 may be part of a feeding bottle assembly (not shown). The teat 100 may include a nipple 136 (FIG. 2) that includes a bulbous section 102, an upper conical section 104, and a lower conical section 106. The nipple 136 may further include an opening (or hole) 108 at the top of bulbous section 102. The opening 108 may be circular in shape. However, other shapes, such as a straight slit, angled slit or oval may be used. The upper conical section 104 and the lower conical section 106 may meet at a transition region 110. The upper conical section 104 having a narrower diameter than the lower conical section 106 such that the teat tapers from the bulbous section 102 towards the annular flange portion 116. The upper conical section 104 and the lower conical section 106 may form a first hollow interior chamber 112. The bulbous section 102 may also have a second hollow interior chamber 114 that is in fluid communication with the first hollow interior chamber, such that when in use with a feeding bottle assembly, liquid, or other material, contained within the feeding bottle assembly may be delivered and expelled through the opening 108. According to one or all embodiments, the outer surface of the upper conical section 104 or the lower conical section 106 may be labeled 132 to indicate a nipple size, such as, for example, XS (extra small), S (small), M (medium), L (large), or XL (extra-large). One of these two sections could also be labeled with an indicator such as a number or letter indicating a particular liquid flow rate of the nipple opening combination. According to one or more embodiments, the thickness of the nipple may between about 1 mm to about 6 mm, about 2 mm to about 4 mm, or even about 3 mm thick. Moreover, the bulbous section 102, the upper conical section 104, and / or the lower conical section 106 may be of the same thickness. Alternatively, one or more the bulbous section 102, the upper conical section 104, and the lower conical section 106 may be of a different thickness. The nipple may have areas where the thickness of the nipple is of increased thickness relative to adjacent sections. The areas of increased thickness may be located on an inner surface of the nipple, The areas of increased thickness may be between adjacent sections of the nipple (e.g. between the bulbous section and the upper conical section). The thickened areas extends at least partially about an inner circumference of the nipple to substantially about an inner circumference of the nipple. The thickened area may be in the form of a ridge, a flange, a ring or other annular structure. The support structures project inwardly into the interior chamber of the nipple such that the outer surface of the nipple is substantially smooth. In use, these areas of increased thickness may provide reinforcement to the nipple and help prevent the nipple from collapsing due to a build up of pressure in the bottle. The thickness of the nipple in the area of the support structure may be about 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm, 1.5 mm, 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm thicker than adjacent sections of the nipple. That is, the height of the area projecting from an inner surface of the nipple into the hollow interior chambers is about 0.5 mm to about 2.5 mm. In FIGs 1-3, teat 100 has three support structures, namely a first structure 134A between the bulbous section 102 and the upper conical section 104, a second structure 134B between the upper conical section 104 and the transition region 110 and a third structure 134C between the transition section 110 and the lower conical section. In alternative embodiments, the teat may have two internal support structures, namely a first structure 134A between the bulbous section 102 and the upper conical section 104, and a second structure 134C between the transition region 110 and the lower conical section. An annular flange portion 116 may extend down and radially from the lower conical section 106 of the teat 100. The annular flange 116 may include an upper surface 118 and a lower surface 120. Moreover, the annular flange portion 116 of the teat 100 may fit into a collar (not shown) for securing the teat 100 to a bottle (not shown). The teat 100 may be pushed through a bottom portion of the collar such that the upper surface 118 of the annular flange portion 116 contacts the bottom portion of the collar allowing the annular flange 116 to rest within an interior section of the collar to secure the teat 100 into place. According to one or all embodiments, the teat may include an annular ridge 138 (FIG 2) connecting the annular flange portion 116 to the lower conical section 106 which enables the interior of the collar (not shown) to fit securely thereby snugly securing the teat 100 into the collar. The external diameter of the annular ridge 138 is narrower than the external diameter of the conical section 106 to which the annular ridge is connected. The external diameter of the annular ridge 138 is narrower than the external diameter of the annular flange portion 116 to which it is attached. According to one or more embodiments, the thickness of the annular flange may between about 1 mm to about 6 mm, about 2 mm to about 4 mm, or even about 3 mm thick. As may be seen more clearly in FIGs. 2 and 3, a valve 122 may be formed in the annular flange 116. According to one or all embodiments, the valve 122 may be a duck-billed valve that is formed in the annular flange 116 so that it extends from the upper surface 118 through the annular flange 116 to the lower surface 120 and terminates below the annular flange 116. According to one or all embodiments, the valve 122 is positioned in the annular flange 116, so that the valve 122 is inside the bottle assembly once the collar containing the teat 100 is connected to the bottle. According to one or all embodiments, the valve 122 may be in the shape of a rectangular hole 126 in the upper surface 118 of the annular flange 116. However, the hole 126 may be in the form of other shapes such as, for example, a square, circle or oval. According to one or all embodiments, the valve 122 may remain hollow has it passes through the annular flange 116 and may remain hollow still as it extends below the lower surface 120 of the annular flange 116 The valve 122 may terminate with two opposing walls 128 that converge so as to form a flattened end with a slit 124. In one or all embodiments, a support shoulder 130 may be formed on either side of the valve 122 so as to aid in maintaining the shape of the flange and / or the closure of the opposing walls 128 to restrict liquid from leaving a bottle (not shown) when the valve 122 is not allowing air to enter the bottle. The support shoulder 130 extends downwardly from the lower surface 120 of the annular flange portion along at least part of the length of the valve. As mentioned above, the valve 122 may extend below the annular flange 116 so that it extends into the interior chamber of the bottle when connected to the bottle. In addition, the valve 112 may be positioned in the annular flange 116 so that the valve 122 is inside the feeding bottle when attached to the feeding bottle. The valve 122 may allow air to enter a feeding bottle (not shown) when in use to allow a liquid to flow more smoothly through the teat 100 and out of the opening 108.The opposing walls of the valve 122 may be 0.2 mm to 3.0 mm thick. Moreover, the hole 126 of the valve may be 0.5 mm to 3.0 mm wide. Furthermore, the walls 128 may be 1.0 mm to 3.0 mm thick. Figure 5A shows alternative exemplary embodiments of the valve 122. In Figure 5A, the opposing walls are rectangular or box-like in shape. Alternatively, as shown in Figures 5B and 5C, the opposing walls of the valve 222 form a first region having an internal profile having a rectangular shape in cross section and a second region having an internal profile having v-shaped profile in cross section. In Figure 5A, the opposing side walls 128 of the valve 122 are substantially parallel to one another, an edge wall 142 connects the opposing side walls forming a substantially continuous surface extending about the periphery of the valve. The opposing side walls 128 converge in a lower region of the valve so as to form a flattened end 144 with a slit. The valve has a substantially rectangular internal profile in cross section. A support shoulder 130 extends downwardly from the lower surface of the annular flange 116 on each side of the valve 122 to provide support to the valve. In Figures 5B and 5C, a valve 222 having an upper region 248 having a substantially rectangular internal profile in cross section and a lower region 250 having a substantially V-shaped internal profile in cross section is illustrated. In Figure 5B, the shoulder 230 terminates just above the upper region 248 of the valve such that a portion of the upper region 248 of the valve (the part of the valve having a rectangular inner profile) extends below the lowest point of the shoulder 230. The vertex of the valve 222 may be chamfered. In this instance, it will be understood that the chamfered vertex truncates the vertex, providing the valve with a flattened end 244 with a slit. An edge wall 242 connects the opposing side walls. Due to the vertex formed between the opposing side walls 228 of the valve 222, the upper portion has a diameter greater than the lower portion. The lower region 250 of the valve 222 therefore has a dimension that tapers from an upper portion to a lower portion providing an internal profile having a substantially truncated V- or triangle-shape in cross section. According to one or all embodiments, the teat 100 may be made of a single piece of elastic material, or multiple pieces of material moulded together. The elastic material used in making the teat may include, for example, latex or silicone. Moreover, the teat 100 may be made to be of any size and to have any flow rate of choice. The teat may be formed by for example, blow moulding, injection moulding, extrusion, compression moulding or vacuum forming. Throughout this disclosure and claims which follow, unless the context requires otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps. The reference in this disclosure to any prior publication (or information derived from it, or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgment or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates. While various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. It will be apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the abovedescribed exemplary embodiments.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. A feeding bottle teat comprising:a nipple having a bulbous section and a conical section connected to the bulbous section;one or more support structures located on an inner surface of the nipple and extending substantially about an inner circumference of the nipple;an annular flange portion having an upper surface and a lower surface, the annular flange being connected to the conical section opposite the bulbous section; anda valve extending from the upper surface of the annular flange through the annular flange to the lower surface of the annular flange, the valve further having a protruding section extending below the lower surface of the flange, the protruding section of the valve terminating in two opposing walls that converge so as to form a flattened end with a slit.

2. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 1, wherein the conical section comprises:an upper conical section proximal to the bulbous section and a lower conical section distal to the bulbous section, the upper conical section and the lower conical sections meeting at a transition region,wherein a first one of the one or more support structures is located between the bulbous section and the upper conical section, and a second one of the one or more support structures is located between the transition region and lower conical section.

3. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 2, wherein a third one of the one or more support structures is located between the upper conical section and the transition region.

4. The feeding bottle teat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the valve is a one-way valve.

5. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 4, wherein the valve is a duck-billed valve.

6. The feeding bottle teat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein twoopposing walls of the valve are substantially parallel forming an inner profile having a rectangular or box-like shape in cross-section and wherein the two opposing walls converge in a lower region of the valve so as to form a flattened end.

7. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 6, wherein a vertex is formed in a lower region of the valve between the two opposing walls forming an inner profile having a V- ortriangular-shape in cross section and wherein the two opposing walls converge in a lower region of the valve so as to form a flattened end.

8. The feeding bottle teat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein a support shoulder is formed on either side of the valve.

9. The feeding bottle teat according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising an annular ridge connecting the annular flange portion to the conical section, the annular ridge configured to mate with a collar of a feeding bottle when assembled.

10. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 9, wherein the external diameter of the annular ridge is narrower than the external diameter of the conical section to which the annular ridge is connected.

11. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the external diameter of the annular ridge is narrower than the external diameter of the annular flange portion to which the annular ridge is attached.

12. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 2, wherein the upper conical section has a narrower diameter than the lower conical section such that the teat tapers from the bulbous section towards the annular flange portion.

13. The feeding bottle teat according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the interior of the teat comprises a plurality of fluidly connected chambers.

14. The feeding bottle teat according to claim 13, wherein the chambers are defined by the one or more support structures.

15. The feeding bottle teat according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more markings on an outer surface of the conical section to indicate a nipple size and / or a liquid flow rate.

16. The feeding bottle teat according to any of the preceding claims wherein the teat is a narrow-necked teat.

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