Vent System

Abstract

A vent system for preventing leakage from a liquid container while allowing ambient air to enter the container, wherein the air inlet of the liquid container does not require a vent hole in the bottom of the container. Rather, ambient air enters the container between complementary mating portions of the container body and the closure member through an air conduit of the vent system, the air conduit including an air vent recess or perforation defined in a peripheral lip of the sealing element, an air vent groove defined in a bottom surface of the sealing element, a bore in the sealing member configured to selectively communicate with the interior of the container body, and a one-way valve in the sealing member that seals the bore against passage of liquid from the container and selectively allows passage of air through the bore to the interior of the container.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to vent systems, and more particularly to vent systems for liquid containers, particularly baby bottles. [Background technology]

[0002] Specialized baby bottles are manufactured with features designed to reduce colic symptoms in bottle-feeding infants, particularly those aged 0 to approximately 4 months. Typically, a vent insert, used in conjunction with the bottle top, provides a passageway for air from the outside of the bottle to the inside of the bottle. These bottles must be equipped with an anti-bubble tube to allow air bubbles to migrate through the drinking liquid or from the top of the bottle to the bottom of the bottle (which is higher than the top while the baby is drinking). These top-vent systems have a dispensing opening through which the liquid passes for dispensing.

[0003] To facilitate easier internal cleaning and to eliminate the need for anti-bubble tubes, various baby bottles have been developed with bottom openings that allow air to enter the bottle during feeding. While these bottom air-receiving openings can be small, they can also allow dirt to enter the bottle along with the outside air, and the openings can be difficult to clean to prevent blockage. Therefore, efforts have been made to eliminate the air-receiving openings.

[0004] One such baby bottle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 10,226,402 (issued to Berkovitch) dated February 16, 2014, and is shown in Figure 1 of the patent. The bottle includes a body having a top opening configured to accommodate a dispensing element and a bottom open end. The bottle further includes a solid closure member for closing the open bottom end of the container body. The closure member includes a bottom and a peripheral sidewall having a mating element configured to engage with a mating element on the bottom of the container body. Because the closure member is perforated, the mating element on the bottom open end of the container body and the mating element on the peripheral sidewall of the closure member are configured to define an air passage therebetween when the container is assembled. The bottle further includes a sealing element configured to be disposed within the closure member and a peripheral sealing lip for sealing the edge of the bottom open end of the container body. The sealing element further includes a bore configured to selectively communicate with the interior of the container body, and a one-way valve that seals the bore against the passage of liquid from the container and selectively allows the passage of air through the bore to the interior of the container. An air conduit is defined in a bottom surface of the sealing element that communicates with the air passage between the coupling elements and the bore to allow air from the air passage between the coupling elements to reach the bore.

[0005] This air conduit, which extends from the bore through the peripheral sealing lip of the sealing member, defines a single open groove or trench extending into the bottom surface and sealing lip of the sealing member. While the open groove allows air entering between the mating elements to flow around the sealing member to the bore, because the open groove is actually a trench cut into the sealing member, it weakens the structure of the sealing member, and particularly the sealing lip, to the point where pressure exerted by the edge of the open bottom end of the container body on the sealing lip when the closure member is tightly fastened can cause the sealing lip to collapse and fail the sealing member, which prevents liquid from leaking from the bottle. Bottle embodiments according to the U.S. patent to Berkovitch having more than one vent groove increase the likelihood of sealing lip collapse when the closure is tightly fastened, thus increasing the likelihood of leakage from the bottle.

[0006] Thus, there is a long-felt need for a baby bottle having a vent system that does not require a hole in the bottom closure of the bottle to allow ambient air to enter the bottle when liquid is dispensed from the bottle, and therefore is less susceptible to the ingress of dirt along with ambient air, and it would be desirable to have such a practical vent system that has a resilient sealing member that does not collapse when the closure member is securely fastened to the container, thus preventing leakage from the container. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention relates to a vent system for preventing leakage from a liquid container while allowing ambient air to enter the container, wherein the air inlet of the liquid container does not require a hole in the bottom of the container to vent the container. Rather, ambient air enters the container between complementary mating portions of the container body and the closure member through an air conduit of the vent system, which air conduit includes an air vent recess or perforation defined in the peripheral lip of the sealing element, an air vent groove defined in the bottom surface of the sealing element, a bore in the sealing element configured to selectively communicate with the interior of the container body, and a one-way valve in the sealing element that seals the bore against the passage of liquid from the container and selectively allows the passage of air through the bore into the interior of the container. This container design, which does not require a hole in the bottom of the container, is less likely to allow dirt and germs to enter the container along with the air. Furthermore, this design is less likely to cause liquid to leak from the container.

[0008] According to the present invention, there is provided a vent system for a liquid container having a container body with a top dispensing opening and a bottom opening, a lower part of the container body having a mating element, the vent system including: a solid closure member for closing the bottom opening of the body; a sealing member disposed on the closure member, the sealing member configured to seal the edge of the container bottom opening, the sealing element having a bore and a one-way valve sealing the bore against passage of liquid from the container and selectively allowing passage of air into the container through the bore; a complementary mating element on the closure member for mating with the mating element on the bottom of the container, configured to allow ambient air to enter between the container body and the closure member; and an air conduit of the vent system, the air conduit including an air vent recess or perforation defined in a peripheral lip of the sealing element, an air vent groove defined in a bottom surface of the sealing element, the bore in the sealing member configured to selectively communicate with the interior of the container body, and the one-way valve in the sealing member sealing the bore against passage of liquid from the container and selectively allowing passage of air through the bore into the interior of the container.

[0009] According to the present invention, there is provided a vent system for a liquid container having a body including a top opening configured to receive a dispensing element, a bottom opening having a rim, and a bottom having a coupling element. The vent system comprises a solid closure member for the bottom opening of the container body, and a sealing member. The closure member comprises a bottom and a peripheral sidewall without an aperture, and a complementary coupling element extending from the sidewall and configured to couple to a coupling element on the bottom of the container body. The sealing member is disposed within the closure member and comprises a sealing element configured to seal the edge of the bottom opening of the container, the sealing element comprising: a bore in selective operative communication with the interior of the container body; a one-way valve that seals the bore against the passage of liquid from the container and selectively allows the passage of air into the container through the bore; a peripheral sealing lip for sealing the edge of the open bottom end of the container body; and an air conduit including at least one air vent groove defined in at least a portion of the bottom surface of the sealing element facing the peripheral side and bottom walls of the closure member and extending to a vent system space within the sealing element, and at least one air vent recess defined in the peripheral sealing lip separate from but in operative communication with the vent groove and in operative communication with the air passage when the container is assembled. The closure member and the bottom connecting element are adapted and configured to define an air passage therebetween when the container is assembled so that ambient air can enter between the container body and the closure member, and the vent system space is defined by the inner surface of the bottom wall of the closure member and the inner walls of the bore and valve when the seal member is installed on the closure member, and is in operative communication with the bore.

[0010] Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a vent system for a liquid container having a container body with a top dispensing opening and a bottom having a coupling element and a bottom opening, the method comprising: providing a solid one-piece closure member for closing the bottom opening; disposing a sealing member on the solid closure member, the sealing member being configured to seal a rim of the container bottom opening, the sealing member including a sealing element having a bore, and a one-way valve sealing the bore against passage of liquid from the container and selectively allowing passage of air into the container through the bore; providing a complementary coupling element on the closure member for coupling to the coupling element on the bottom of the container, the coupling element and the complementary coupling element being adapted to couple to an ambient air providing an air conduit configured to allow air to enter between the container body and the closure member; an air conduit including at least one air vent groove in at least a portion of the bottom surface of the sealing element, the air conduit extending to a vent system space within the sealing element that is defined by the inner surface of the bottom wall of the closure member and the inner walls of the bore and valve and that is in operative communication with the bore when the sealing member is installed on the closure member; and defining at least one air vent recess in the peripheral sealing lip, separate from but in operative communication with the vent groove, and that is in operative communication with the air passage when the container is assembled.

[0011] The present invention will be better understood and appreciated from the following detailed description read in conjunction with the drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view of a prior art liquid container reflected by the above-mentioned U.S. patent to Berkovitch. [Figure 2] 1 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a liquid container according to some embodiments of the present invention in a bottom-open orientation. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a sealing member of a vent system for a liquid container according to some embodiments of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 4]FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional and partially cutaway exploded view of a vent system according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] The present invention relates to a vent system for a liquid container that provides for the ingress of ambient air into the container to relieve a vacuum formed when the contents of the container are removed by drinking. One particularly suitable implementation of the liquid container is a vented baby bottle with features designed to alleviate colic symptoms and reduce ear infections in infants. A vent system located at the bottom of the container provides a passage for ambient air from the exterior of the container to the interior of the container during drinking, while simultaneously preventing leakage of liquid from the container through the air passage. More specifically, the liquid container has an open-ended body with a top opening and a bottom opening, and a vent system according to an embodiment of the present invention is located at the bottom opening. The vent system includes a one-way valve that is removably connected to the bottom opening of the container and allows air to enter the container when a vacuum is formed within the container, but does not allow liquid to exit the container through the vent system. The valve is integrally formed with or coupled to a sealing element, thereby forming a seal member and completely sealing the bottom opening of the container. The valve covers and selectively and reversibly seals a bore formed through the sealing element.

[0014] The solid closure member holds the sealing member and functions as the bottom wall of the container body. The solid closure member closes the bottom of the container such that the sealing member completely seals the edge of the bottom opening of the container while selectively allowing ambient air to enter the container. The sealing member is sized and shaped to close and seal the entire bottom opening of the container body when pressed against the edge of the bottom of the container by the closure member, but has a bore through the sealing member for the passage of air that is selectively sealed by the one-way valve. The closure member is designed so that when the closure member is tightly closed on the container, ambient air can enter the container between the coupling element on the closure member and the complementary coupling element on the container body and pass through the vent system.

[0015] For purposes of the present invention, "solid" means without interruptions or openings. Thus, the closure member is solid and has no holes in its bottom wall or peripheral side wall.

[0016] At least one air conduit is provided extending from the coupling element to a space within the vent system that is in operative communication with the bore. The air conduit may include an air vent groove defined in a bottom surface of the seal member, extending to a vent system space within the seal member that is in operative communication with the bore, and having an opening in operative communication with the vent system space, and an air vent recess defined in a sidewall of the peripheral lip of the seal element, separate from but in operative communication with the air vent groove, or a perforation in the seal lip. The recess according to embodiments of the present invention is no deeper than necessary to allow free passage of air through the seal lip. Alternatively, the perforation is no larger than necessary to allow free passage of air from the space through the seal lip.

[0017] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, unlike the U.S. patent to Berkovitch in which the sealing lip is cut from its circumference to the point where the vent groove extends at the bottom surface of the seal member to define the vent groove, the vent recesses or perforations in accordance with the present invention do not need to extend to the vent groove and can therefore be shallower or smaller, respectively, and the sealing lip is therefore more resilient and does not collapse as easily under pressure.

[0018] The vent system space is defined by the inner surface of the bottom wall of the closure member and the inner walls of the bore and valve. An upper side of the air vent recess or perforation is in operative communication with a mating element on the closure member and a complementary mating element on the container body, and a lower side of the air vent recess or perforation is in operative communication with an air vent groove which is in operative communication with the bore and the one-way valve. In this way, when liquid is withdrawn from the container, such as when a baby drinks from a bottle, a vacuum created within the container draws ambient air into the liquid container through the air passage between the complementary elements, from the air conduit, through the vent system space, the bore and the valve, and into the container body.

[0019] It will be appreciated that the air conduit of the vent system is sealed from the liquid within the container by a one-way valve, thereby preventing liquid within the container body from flowing out of the container through the air conduit.

[0020] Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view in a bottom-open orientation of a portion of a liquid container according to some embodiments of the present invention, shown here as a baby bottle, solely for non-limiting example. Baby bottle 10 has an open-ended body 12 having a top opening (not shown for clarity) and a bottom opening 14 having a rim 16. The open-ended body provides easy access to its interior from both ends of the bottle, which is particularly useful during cleaning. A top neck having external threads is formed near the top opening for receiving a conventional nipple or teat and collar (not shown for clarity), as is well known. A bottom 18 of body 12 having a coupling element 20, shown here as externally threaded, is formed near bottom opening 14. A solid closure member 22 having a coupling element (shown in FIG. 4 at reference numeral 84) with internal threads complementary to coupling element 20 is provided to be securely threaded onto body 12 and close bottom opening 14 of bottle 10. It will be appreciated that, alternatively, the coupling element may include an external thread on the closure member and an internal thread on the bottom of the bottle. Alternative coupling elements, such as a snap-fit ​​arrangement, are also effective as long as they hold the closure member securely in place while allowing ambient air to pass from outside the bottle between the coupling element and the complementary coupling element (for purposes of this invention, these coupling elements are also referred to as "coupling means") and into the bottle. In this embodiment, the closure element 22 has a flat bottom wall 24 and a peripheral side wall 26.

[0021] To allow ambient air to enter the bottle body 12 to relieve a vacuum created within the bottle during drinking, the bottle 10 includes a vent system 28 comprising the closure member 22 and a seal member 30. The seal member 30 includes a seal element 32 (shown in this embodiment as a flat disk) for selectively admitting air into the bottle body 12 while preventing the passage of liquid from the interior through the vent system to the exterior of the bottle. The seal element 30 includes a one-way valve 36 having a bore 34 and a valve opening 38 (shown in this embodiment as a top slit) for selectively admitting air into the bottle body 12 while preventing the passage of liquid from the interior through the vent system to the exterior of the bottle. Alternatively, any other valve may be utilized that has the characteristics of a pressure-responsive valve, meaning that the slit remains closed when the pressure inside the bottle is the same as atmospheric pressure, but opens to admit air when the internal pressure drops below atmospheric pressure due to removal of the bottle contents, thereby creating a vacuum. The bore 34 is integrally formed with the seal element 32.

[0022] The sealing element 32 is pressed against the rim 16 by the closure member 22 to completely seal the bottom opening 14, but those skilled in the art will understand that in order for ambient air to reach the bore 34, an air conduit must be formed in the sealing member for the air to pass through.

[0023] Preferably, the valve 36 is integrally formed with the bore 34 which is integrally formed with the sealing element 32 so that the sealing member 30 is a single piece. Alternatively, the sealing element 32 can be a sealing disc and the valve 36 can be formed separately and sealingly engage the sealing disc directly or through the bore 34. Preferably, the sealing element 32, bore 34 and valve 36 are formed from a flexible material, such as a silicone material.

[0024] Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a perspective view of a seal member 40 for a vent system for a liquid container, shown here as a seal member for a baby bottle, by way of non-limiting example only.

[0025] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the seal member 40 is formed from a flexible material, such as silicone, and has a complementary U-shape with the U-shaped bottom wall (designated 102 in FIG. 4 ) of the closure member so that a tight fit is formed therebetween when the seal member 40 is installed on the closure member. This tight fit allows the seal member 40 to tightly engage with the rim 16 of the container body when the closure member is securely screwed onto the container body, thus preventing leakage from the container. The seal member 40 shown in this embodiment has two main portions: a seal element 42 and a one-way valve 44 including a slit 46. The seal element 42 includes a raised central flat portion 48 that defines a through bore 50 selectively sealed by the one-way valve 44 and the slit 46, and a peripheral sealing lip 52 for sealing against the rim 16 of the bottom opening 14 of the vial body 12. The sealing lip includes a circular, substantially flat portion 54 and a circumferential sidewall 56, preferably integrally formed with and substantially perpendicular to the outer diameter of the flat portion 54. The flat portion 54 is adapted and configured for sealing engagement with the rim of the bottle body and is sized to have an inner diameter less than or equal to the inner diameter of the rim 16 of the bottle body 12 and an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the rim of the bottle body so as to provide a liquid seal with the bottle bottom.

[0026] As is well known, when a sealing member made of silicone is firmly pressed against the bottom rim of a bottle body, the sealing member and the rim tend to adhere to each other, requiring the user to apply force to separate them. Furthermore, as is well known, glass is primarily composed of sand, which is primarily composed of silica. Therefore, if a baby bottle body is made of glass, which is now widely used due to the health risks posed by plastic bottles to babies, the sealing member made of silicone containing silica will adhere more strongly to the rim of the bottle body, which contains sand, creating a serious defect in such a baby bottle. To address this defect, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the flat portion 54 may include bumps or small protrusions 58 that roughen the surface of the flat portion to reduce the adhesion of the sealing member to the rim of the bottle body.

[0027] The sealing element 42 further includes at least one, and preferably a plurality of, vent grooves 60. The vents are open grooves (indicated by reference numeral 96 in FIG. 4 ) formed in the flexible sealing element 42, preferably in the surfaces of the sealing element facing the peripheral side and bottom walls of the closure member. The vent grooves 60 extend from the bottom surface (indicated by reference numeral 98 in FIG. 4 ) of the flat portion 54 of the sealing lip 52 to the inner surface of the bottom wall (indicated by reference numeral 102 in FIG. 4 ) of the closure member, to the vent system space (indicated by reference numeral 100 in FIG. 4 ) defined by the inner surface of the bottom wall (indicated by reference numeral 102 in FIG. 4 ) of the bore 50 and the inner wall of the valve 44. The vent grooves 60 have an open end (indicated by reference numeral 104 in FIG. 4 ) in operative communication with the vent system space (indicated by reference numeral 100 in FIG. 4 ). As noted above, these features are best seen in FIG. 4 .

[0028] Although the bore 50 and valve 46 are shown here in the center of the seal element 42 in Figure 3, they can be located anywhere on the flat portion 48, so long as the groove 60 extends to the vent system space in the surfaces of the seal element facing the peripheral side and bottom walls of the closure member. This vent groove is best seen in Figure 4 and will be described below.

[0029] Additionally, the sealing element 42 includes at least one recess 62, and preferably multiple recesses, defined in the surface of the circumferential sidewall 56 facing the closure member (shown in FIG. 4 ), separate from but in operative communication with the groove 60, shown here solely by way of non-limiting example. According to this embodiment, the recess in the circumferential sidewall is sized no deeper than required for the free passage of air through the sealing lip, so as not to weaken the sealing lip. Alternatively, at least one perforation, preferably multiple perforations, may be defined in and extending through the flat portion 54 of the sealing lip (not shown). While the present invention has been described with particular reference to recesses in the circumferential sidewall of the sealing element solely by way of non-limiting example, it will be understood that perforations may be formed in the flat portion of the sealing lip to provide an air passage through the sealing lip, according to alternative embodiments of the present invention. Thus, the recess (or perforations) is located outside the outer diameter of the bottom edge of the bottle body when the bottle is assembled. The recess 62 includes an open top end 64 in operative communication with the space between the mating element on the bottle body (designated by reference numeral 20 in FIG. 2) and the complementary mating element on the closure element (designated by reference numeral 84 in FIG. 4), and an open bottom end 66 in operative communication with the groove 60 spaced therefrom. Preferably, the recess is a shallow recess, no deeper than necessary to allow the free flow of air.

[0030] 4, there is shown a partial cross-sectional and cutaway exploded view of a vent system 200 according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, illustrating a seal member 70 (partially cutaway cross-sectional view) having a valve 78 with a sealing element 74, a bore 76 and a slit 79, and a closure member 80 (cross-sectional view) having a top opening 82 and a coupling element 84 extending inwardly from a sidewall 85 of the closure member for complementary coupling with coupling means 20. Closure member 80 is preferably formed from a rigid material, whereas seal member 70 is formed from a flexible material such as silicone.

[0031] The seal element 74 has an annular U-shaped bottom wall 86, a raised central flat portion 88, and a seal lip 90 including circumferential sidewalls 92 and a flat portion 94. The seal element 74 further includes a vent groove 96 defined in its underside, which here extends from a bottom surface 98 of the seal lip 90 to a vent system space 100 defined by the inner surface of a bottom wall 102 of the closure member 80 and the inner walls of the bore 76 and valve 78 when the seal element is installed in the closure member. The vent groove 96 has an opening 104 in operative communication with the vent system space 100.

[0032] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the vent groove defined in the seal element 74 extends around the curvature 106 of the annular U-shaped bottom wall 86 of the seal element to the underside of the seal element and into the vent system space 100. It will further be understood that the vent groove may be formed by an open groove in the upper surface of the bottom wall of the closure member (not shown).

[0033] Additionally, the sealing element 74 includes a recess 108 defined in the circumferential sidewall 92 of the peripheral sealing lip 90, extending therethrough, and having a top end 110 and a bottom end 112, the top end operatively communicating with the space between the coupling means and the bottom end operatively communicating with but spaced from the groove 96. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that providing the recess in the circumferential sidewall as an air conduit separate from the vent groove allows air passing between the coupling means to reach the bore, while eliminating the need to form an interruption or cut through the entire width of the peripheral sealing lip to connect to the vent groove to allow air to reach the bore. This interruption clearly weakens the peripheral lip to the point where it may collapse under pressure exerted by the rim of the container body when the closure members are securely fastened. Such collapse could certainly result in liquid leakage from the bottle.

[0034] 4, the bottom wall 102 of the closure member 80 is an annular U-shaped wall including a central raised portion 114 and a peripheral channel 116 that is adapted and configured to receive and support the complementary annular U-shaped bottom wall 86 of the seal member 70. Alternatively, any other suitable shape of the closure member 80 can be utilized.

[0035] The method of operation of the vent system 200 for the embodiment of Figures 2 and 4 is as follows: To introduce ambient air into the baby bottle 10, the seal member 70 is installed within the closure element 80, and the closure member is securely screwed onto the lower portion 18 of the bottle body 12. In this manner, the seal member 70 is pressed against the bottle body, and the flat portion 94 of the sealing lip 90 sealingly engages the rim 16 of the bottom opening 14, sealing the opening. When the seal member 70 is installed within the closure member 80 and the closure member is securely screwed onto the lower portion 18 of the bottle body 12, the coupling means, recess, and vent groove function as an air conduit, allowing ambient air to flow from the space between the coupling means, through the recess, through the vent groove, to the vent system space, the bore and valve, and, optionally, to the bottle. In this manner, the recess and groove are two separate air passages in operative communication with each other, allowing ambient air to enter the vent system space. If there is a vacuum inside the bottle, air will be drawn from the vent system space into the bore, through the valve protruding into the bottle body, and optionally through the slit into the bottle.

[0036] As described above, to introduce air into the baby bottle 10, the sealing element 70 is disposed in the closure member 80, forming at least one air conduit from the periphery of the sealing element 70 to the bore 76, in this case from the recess 108 to the vent groove 96. Thus, in these embodiments, the air conduit extends partially through the recess of the sealing element and partially within the vent groove of the sealing element to the bore of the sealing element, and is in operative communication with the coupling means and a one-way valve coupled to the sealing element for selectively closing the bore. The closure member 80 is then coupled to the bottom opening 14 of the lower portion of the bottle body 12 via the coupling element 20 on the bottle and the complementary coupling element 84 on the closure member 80, causing the sealing element to sealingly engage the rim 16 of the bottle. Next, when a vacuum is created inside the bottle by suction, ambient air from outside the bottle flows between the coupling means, from the recess to the vent groove bore, to the valve of the vent system, and through the one-way opening or slit in the valve into the interior of the bottle.

[0037] It will be appreciated that because the vent grooves and recesses are provided in the sealing element operatively coupled to the space between the coupling means, no exposed holes in the closure member are required to allow ambient air to enter the bottle.

[0038] Although each of the above-described embodiments includes a single air passage bore, it will be understood that there may be more than one bore for air passages, each selectively sealed by its own one-way valve, or multiple bores selectively sealed by a single one-way valve.

[0039] From the above, it will be appreciated that contact between the sealing element and the edge of the bottom opening of the bottle body seals the bottom opening of the bottle against the escape of liquid. Because ambient air enters the bottle from the side through the coupling means, an air passage must be formed around the sealing element. It will further be appreciated that the structure according to the present invention avoids the need for a hole through the bottom closure element, since the air passage allows the passage of ambient air from the threads of the closure element, around the sealing element, and into the bottle.

[0040] Although the present invention has been described above with particular reference to baby bottles as an exclusively non-limiting example, it will be appreciated that the vent system of the present invention may alternatively be utilized to close and seal the bottom opening of any other liquid container from which it is desired to dispense liquid, the container having a body with a bottom opening.

[0041] In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, the seal member 80 of FIG. 4 may be utilized with a substantially flat closure member.

[0042] Although the vent system is shown as round or circular, it will be understood that the seal member and closure member can have any suitable geometric shape, so long as the seal member fits into the closure member to seal the bottom opening of the container and the mating elements are complementary to the mating elements on the container body.

[0043] It will be appreciated that in any embodiment of the present invention, a hole in the bottom of the closure member is not required. As such, the liquid containers of the present invention in general, and baby bottles in particular, are less likely to allow dirt and germs to enter the container along with air than prior art baby bottles.

[0044] It will further be appreciated that, because no interruption or discontinuity in the sealing lip is required, the liquid containers in general, and baby bottles in particular, of the present invention are less susceptible to seal member collapse and therefore less susceptible to leakage.

[0045] While the present invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments, it will be understood that many variations, modifications, and other applications of the present invention are possible. It will further be understood that the present invention is not limited to what has been described hereinabove by way of example only. Rather, the present invention is limited only by the scope of the claims which follow.

Claims

1. 1. A vent system for a liquid container having a container body including a top opening configured to receive a dispensing element, a bottom opening having a rim, and a bottom having a coupling element, the vent system comprising: a solid closure member for a bottom opening of the container body, the solid closure member comprising: a bottom and a peripheral sidewall without holes; a complementary coupling element extending from the sidewall and configured to couple to a coupling element on a bottom of the container body; a solid closure member comprising: A sealing member, a sealing element disposed within the closure member and configured to seal an edge of the bottom opening, the sealing element comprising: a bore in selective operative communication with the interior of said container body; a one-way valve sealing the bore against the passage of liquid from the container and selectively allowing the passage of air through the bore to the container; a peripheral sealing lip for sealing the edge of the open bottom end of the container body; a sealing element comprising: an air conduit including at least one air vent groove defined in at least a portion of the bottom surface of the sealing element facing the peripheral side and bottom walls of the closure member and extending to a vent system space within the sealing element, and at least one air vent recess defined in the peripheral sealing lip separate from but in operative communication with the vent groove and in operative communication with an air passage when the container is assembled; a seal member comprising: Equipped with the closure member and the bottom coupling element are adapted and configured to define an air passage therebetween when the container is assembled, so that ambient air can enter between the container body and the closure member; a vent system space defined by an inner surface of a bottom wall of the closure member and an inner wall of the bore and valve when the seal member is installed on the closure member, and in operative communication with the bore;

2. The vent system of claim 1 , wherein the air vent channel comprises an opening in operative communication with the vent system volume.

3. The vent system of claim 1 , wherein the air vent recess extends through the peripheral sealing lip.

4. 4. The vent system of claim 3, wherein the air vent recess is no deeper than necessary for the free passage of air through the sealing lip.

5. 2. The vent system of claim 1, wherein the air vent recess is a perforation in the sealing lip, the perforation being no larger than necessary for the free passage of air through the sealing lip.

6. 2. The vent system of claim 1, wherein the peripheral sealing lip comprises a circular flat portion having an inner diameter less than or equal to the inner diameter of the rim of the bottom of the bottle and an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of the rim of the bottom of the bottle so as to provide a liquid seal with the bottom of the bottle.

7. 7. The vent system of claim 6, wherein the circular flat portion includes bumps or small protrusions that roughen the surface of the flat portion to reduce adhesion of the seal member to the rim of the bottle.

8. The vent system of claim 6 , wherein the peripheral sealing lip includes a circumferential sidewall.

9. 9. A vent system according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the peripheral sealing lip is integrally formed with the circular flat portion at an outer diameter of the flat portion and includes a circumferential sidewall perpendicular thereto.

10. 10. The vent system of claim 8 or 9, wherein the air vent recess is defined in the circumferential sidewall and has a top end in operative communication with an air passage between the closure member and a connecting element at the bottom of the container body, and a bottom end in operative communication with the vent groove.

11. 2. The vent system of claim 1, wherein the sealing member at least partially conforms to the closure member to have a tight fit that allows for close engagement of the sealing member against the edge of the container body when the closure member is securely screwed onto the container body, thereby preventing leakage from the container.

12. 12. The vent system of claim 11, wherein the bottom wall of the seal member has a complementary annular U-shape with the annular U-shape of the bottom wall of the closure member to form a tight fit therebetween.

13. A vent system according to any preceding claim, wherein the valve is integrally formed with a bore which is integrally formed with the sealing element such that the sealing member is a single piece.

14. 1. A method of manufacturing a vent system for a liquid container having a container body with a top dispensing opening and a bottom having a coupling element and a bottom opening, the method comprising: providing a solid closure member for closing said bottom opening; disposing a seal member in the solid closure member, the seal member comprising: a sealing element configured to seal an edge of the bottom opening and having a bore; a one-way valve sealing the bore against the passage of liquid from the container and selectively allowing the passage of air through the bore to the container; and providing a complementary coupling element on the closure member for coupling to a coupling element on the bottom of the container, the coupling element and the complementary coupling element being configured to allow ambient air to enter between the container body and the closure member; at least one air vent groove in at least a portion of a bottom surface of the seal element, such that when the seal element is installed on the closure member, an air conduit is defined by an inner surface of the bottom wall of the closure member and an inner wall of the bore and valve, extending to a vent system space within the seal element in operative communication with the bore; defining at least one air vent recess in the peripheral sealing lip separate from but in operative communication with the vent groove and in operative communication with an air passage when the container is assembled; A method comprising:

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