US2796188A - Automatic nipple and sealing disc releasing means - Google Patents

Description

June 13,1957 IY,H KURKJ|AN A 2,796,188

AUTOMATIC NIPPLE AND SE'ALING DISC RELEASING MEANS Filed Nov. 9, 1954 klm H/S ATTORNEY United States Patent O AUTOMATIC NIPPLE AND SEALING DISC -RELEASING .MEANS Yervant H. Kurkjian, Clifton, N. J., assignor to Kurk Products Co., Clifton, N. I., a corporation of New Jersey Application November 9, 1954, Serial No.467,796

2 Claims. (Cl. 21S- 11) 4This invention relates to automatic nipple and sealing disc releasing means, and has for one of its objects the production of a simple and efficient means for automatically breaking the vacuum seal between a nursing bottle and nipple as the nipple retaining cap is loosened upon the bottle of a nursing unit.

A further object of this invention is the production of a simple and etlicient means carried by the resilient flange of a nursing nipple for automatically breaking the vacuum seal between a nursing bottle and the nipple flange when lthe nipple retaining cap is loosened upon the bottle of a nursing unit.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the sealing disc of the nursing unit, looking at the under face thereof;

Figure 2 is an inverted perspective view of the nipple of the nursing unit;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View of the sealing disc;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of the nipple;

Figure 5 is a side elevational view of the nursing unit, certain parts being shown in section, the nipple and sealing disc being shown in a venting position;

Figure 6 is a similar view to Figure 3, the parts being in a vacuum sealed position;

Figure 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the parts ofthe nursing unit in a venting position;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the parts of the nursing un'it in a vacuum sealed position;

Figure 9 is a vertical sectional view'of a modified form ofthe invention, the parts being ina venting position;

Figure l is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View of the form shown in Figure 9, the parts being in a vacuum sealed position;

Figure l1 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of a further modified form of the invention;

Figure l2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the nipple showing the nipple in a locked operative position upon a bottle.

By referring to the drawing in detail, it will be seen that 10 designates a rigid container or nursing bottle which preferably is of the wide-mouth type. A flexible or elastic nipple 11 having a flexible or elastic annular vented flange 12 is shown in an inverted position in Figures and 6. The nipple 11 in the inverted position, extends down into the wide mouth of the bottle 10, and the vented flange 12 in the nipple-inverted position rests upon the upper edge of the container or neck of the nursing bottle when storing the container and its contents within a refrigerator or other refrigerated unit. A

sealing disc 13 preferably of rigid material such as plastic and the like, rests upon the flange 12 of the inverted nipple 11. The disc 13 is preferably provided with an upstanding nger grip flange 14 upon the top face thereice of to facilitate the placing of the vdisc 13 in position. A central reinforcing portion 15 is preferably carried by the under face of the disc 13.

It has been yfound that when the bottle or container 10 is filled with hot or Warm lmilk or other fluid, and is placed within a refrigerator with the flange 12 of the inverted nipple 11 and disc 13 clamped in a sealing position upon the neck of the bottle or container by means of the conventional adjustable 'retaining cap or ring 16, the cooling-off process of the milk or fluid within the container or bottle will build up a vacuum Within the container or bottle 10. This causes the flange 12 to tightly adhere or stick to the upper edge of the neck of the container or bottle 10, and also causes the sealing disc 13 to adhere or stick to the flange 12 and thereby provide a vacuum seal, so las to make it difficult, Without great effort, to release the disc 13 from the flange 12 and to release the flange from the upper edge of the neck of the container or bottle 10 after the retaining cap or ring has been loosened or removed.

In order to automatically break this vacuum seal immediately upon the loosening yof the retaining cap, the resilient or rubber flange 13 is provided with a plurality of minute or relatively vsmall resilient nibs, teats, or other protuberances 17 formed integral with the flange 12 upon the inverted face of the flange 12, near the outer edge or periphery thereof, as shown in the drawing. Like- Wise, a plurality of nibs, teats or other integral protuberances 18 are formed or carried by the under face of the sealing disc 13, as shown in the drawing.

When ythe nipple 10 is in an inverted position within the neck of a container or bottle, as shown in Figures v5 and 6, the nibs, teats, or other protuberances 17 of the flange 12 rest upon or incontact with, the upper edge ofthe neck of the container or bottle 1i), in the manner shown in Figures 5 and 7. The nibs, teats, or other protuberances 18 of the disc 13 rest upon or in contact with, the abutting face of the vented flange 12 of the nipple 1-1, as shown in Figures 5 and 7. As the retaining cap or ring 16 is threaded upon the neck of the container or bottle 10 to a sealing position, the disc 13 will be forced ytightly upon ythe flange 12 and the flange 12 will be forced tightly upon the upper edge of the neck of the container or bottle 10 to properly seal the neck of the container or bottle. As the contents of the container or bottle cools a vacuum is built up within the container or bottle, as is obvious. "However, because of -these nibs, teats, or protuberances, as soon as the retaining cap or ring 16 is loosened upon .the neck of the .container -or -bottle and removed, the nibs, teats `or protuberances expand and cause the flange 12 to be released or raised from the upper edge of the neck of the bottle 10, and the disc 13 to be raised above the flange 12, thereby breaking the vacuum seal and permitting the disc 13 and flange 12 of the nipple to be easily lifted from the neck of the container or bottle.

When the cap or ring 16 is tightened to a sealing position, the nibs, teats, or other protuberances 1'7, because of their elastic or resilient nature, will be compressed and embedded into the inverted face of the flange 12, as shown in Figure 8. The rigid nibs, teats or other protuberances 18 of the disc 13 will be embedded into the abutting face of the flange 13, as shown in Figure 8. As soon as pressure of the cap or ring is removed or released, the elastic or resilient nature of the flange will cause the nibs, teats, or protuberances 17 to expand downwardly against the upper edge of the neck of the bottle 10 and thereby raise the inverted face of the flange 12 out of contact with the upper edge of the neck of the bottle 10 to break the vacuum seal and permit air to rush into the container or bottle. The elastic or resilient nature of the flange 12 will also cause the nibs, teats, or other protuberances 18 to be pushed outwardly, thereby raising thel disc 13 out of contact with the abutting face of the iiange 12 to release t'nel vacuum seal between the parts.

In the form shown in Figures 9 and 10, the elastic or resilient ange 121i of the nipple 11a is provided with vintegral nibs, teats, or protuberances 19 upon the inverted face of the flange 12a, and integral nibs, teats or protuberances 20 formed upon the upper face of the flange 12a, as shown in Figure 9. A sealing disc 21 is proferably placed thereon in the nature of a retaining element in conjunction with the adjustable retaining cap or ring 16a. When the cap or ring 16a is tightened, the nibs, teats, or protuberances 19 and 20 will be compressed, as shown in Figure 10, to provide a proper seal. When the cap or ring 16a is removed or loosened, the nibs, teats, or protuberances 19 and 20 will expand to separate the ilange 12E from the neck of the bottle 10a, and the disc 21 from the tlange 12a to release the vacuum seal.

In Figure 11, the neck of the bottle b is provided with a plurality of nibs, teats, or protuberances 22, which extend slightly above the bottle neck and normally support the inverted elastic vented nipple flange 12b. As the retaining cap 16h is tightened upon the bottle neck, the nibs, teats, or protuberances 22 will be forced into the nipple ange 12b to seal the flange 12b tightly upon the outer end of the neck of the bottle. When the retaining cap 16b is removed, the elastic nature of the iiange 12b will raise the ange 12b upon the nibs, teats, or protuberances 22 and out of contact with the upper end of the bottle neck to break the vacuum seal within the bottle 10b. The sealing disc 13b is interposed between the cap or ring 16b and the bottle neck 10b.

As shown in Figure 12, when a cap or ring 16 is used, having a wedge shaped nipple retaining rib Z2, the teats 23, similar to the teats 17, abut against the rib 22 as the cap or ring 16a is tightened upon the bottle 24, and when the nipple 11c is in an operative position. This rib 22 acts to retain and lock the edge of the ange 12c of the nipple 11c in position, so that the nipple 11c cannot be pulled out of the cap. Therefore, the teats 23 which are inwardly spaced from the outer edge of the flange 12C, as shown, and are located outwardly of the rib 22 to abut the rib 22, perform a two-fold function, first, as an automatic vacuum seal breaking means, as previously described, and second, as a flange locking means.

It should be understood that certain detail changes may be employed without departing from the spirit of the invention, so long as such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new is:

1. In combination with a rigid container having an open outer end, a nipple having a resilient flange iitting upon said open outer end of said container, a retaining cap adjustably secured to said container and receiving said flange to seal said flange upon the open outer end of said container, a plurality of spaced integral resilient nibs carried by said flange and contacting the outer end of said container, said nibs being compressible into said resilient iange of said nipple when said cap is adjusted upon said container to seal said flange upon said container, and said nibs being adapted to yexpand outwardly beyond saidresilient flange when said cap is adjusted to release pressure of said cap from said resilient flange of said nipple, to thereby automatically move said resilient flange away from an out of contact with said container to automatically break the seal between the outer end of said container and said resilient flange, a rigid sealing disc carried by said cap and contacting one face of said resilient ange, said disc having a plurality of spaced small rigid nibs contacting one face of said flange when the nipple is in an inverted position to penetrate said flange to move said disc into sealing contact with said resilient flange when said cap is clamped to a sealing position upon said container, and the resiliency of said resilient iiange being adapted to force said nibs out of penetrating engagement with said flange to thereby automatically separate and break the sealing contact between said disc and resilient flange when said cap is released from said container to thereby release pressure of the cap from said sealing disc.

2. In combination with a rigid container having an open outer end delining a rigid nipple flange abutment portion, a nipple having a resilient flange, a retaining cap adjustably mounted upon said container and movable to and from a ange sealing position, a rigid sealing disc carried by said cap and contacting one face of said resilient flange, said disc having a plurality of spaced small rigid nibs contacting one face fof said resilient ange when the nipple is in an inverted position to penetrate said ange to move said disc into sealing contact with said resilient flange when said cap is clamped to a sealing position upon said container, and the resiliency of said resilient ilange being adapted to force said nibs out of penetrating engagement with said resilient flange to thereby automatically separate and break the sealing contact between said disc and said resilient Flange when said cap is released from said container to thereby release pressure of the cap from said sealing disc.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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