Abstract:
A clip-on nursing nipple assembly is disclosed which is readily portable by itself without being attached to a fluid supply and is adapted to be affixed to commonly sold water bottles or the like. The assembly has a funnel member with a nursing orifice at one end and a flanged base at the other. A skirt attached to the base forms a socket which fits over the spout of a commercially available water bottle or similar container. There is a clamping member which includes a funnel member engagement portion disposed on the funnel member, a jaw portion engageable on the spout of a water bottle, and a yoke portion connecting the funnel member engagement portion and the jaw portion and urging the base member into sealing engagement on the spout.

Description:
[0001]    This application is a continuation-in-part of the same inventor&#39;s co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/121,150, filed Aug. 7, 2014, and claims the priority of the filing date of that application as well as the priority of (1) the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/99,514, filed Apr. 5, 2014, and (2) the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/996,650, filed May 13. 2014, which are claimed at the outset in application Ser. No. 14/121,150. The entire content of each of these applications is incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
       [0002]    Except for the applications just referred to, there are no patent applications related to this one. None of these applications is subject to any federally sponsored research or development or to any joint research agreement. 
       FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0003]    The invention described herein relates to nursing nipples which are applied to bottles of infant formula, water or similar fluids given to infants. More particularly, it relates to nipple assemblies which may be carried by themselves, independently from any fluid supply, and are adapted to be placed on the necks or spouts of bottles which are readily available containing soft drinks, mineral water, or the like. 
       FIELD OF INVENTION 
       [0004]    In U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,341, the patentee describes a nipple adapter for a bottle of mineral water having a threaded neck, said to be about 26-28 mm in diameter. In that patent, an adapter ring is shown which is screwed onto a bottle neck, and there is another threaded ring member screwed onto exterior threads on the adapter. The second threaded ring member threadably grasps a collar on the lower end of the nipple, thus holding the nipple on the bottle. 
         [0005]    A generally similar arrangement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,449. There, the patentee describes a housing which screws onto the threaded neck of a bottle and also has external threads which engage other threads on the inner walls of a cup-shaped cap. The cap, which rests on top of a flange extending outwardly from the bottom end of a nipple, is arranged to screw down upon the external threads of the housing, thereby pulling the flange of the nipple down against a seal located on the top end of the housing. While the patent describes its device as “a nipple adapter in the form of a unitary assembly,” there are a number of parts in the device which have to be assembled before the device is complete. 
         [0006]    The adapter shown in the “341 patent and the housing shown in the “449 patent are reflected in various forms in other patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,415,937; 6,851,565 and 7,185,775. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,481,324, the lower portion of an adapter is press-fit into the neck of a bottle, and its upper end is screwed into the internal threads of a cap which holds the bottom end of a nipple inside the cap. In U.S. Pat. No. 7,552,831 a special nipple, with a sealing flange about its middle and thread engaging sealing flanges at its lower end, is fastened onto the threaded outside of a bottle neck by a separate internally threaded sleeve which draws the nipple and bottle together with its threads. 
         [0007]    A variety of other bottle cap systems may be found in United States Classes 206, 215, 222 and 227. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    Each of the above described inventions strives to sealingly connect a nursing nipple to an ordinary commercial bottle. Such bottles usually have a short tubular neck with external threads, or engageable lugs, or have internal passageways engageable with press-fitting connectors. Each of the patentees seems to have recognized the desirability of connecting nipples to bottles which are easily obtained wherever and whenever a need arises and thus avoid any necessity for carrying pre-prepared, pre-filled bottles. Yet all of the disclosed inventions seem to incorporate connectors which complicate the sealing interface between a nipple and the neck of a bottle. It is an object of the present invention to simplify that interface connection and also enable a user to make fluid-tight easy-to-make connections to a variety of readily available bottles at a moment&#39;s notice. 
         [0009]    Thus, the present invention incorporates several elements in a nipple assembly which may be used with bottles that are readily available to a user. It utilizes a funnel member having an orifice at a first end for transmitting fluid out of the funnel member, a base member at a second end of the funnel member, and a clamping member which includes a funnel member engagement portion disposed on the funnel member, a jaw portion engageable on the spout of a water bottle, and a yoke portion connecting the funnel member engagement portion and the jaw portion and urging the base member into sealing engagement on the spout. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]    The invention described herein will be well understood from the following description, given by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0011]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a nursing nipple; 
           [0012]      FIG. 2  is a sectional view in elevation of the nursing nipple of  FIG. 1  taken along the line  2 - 2  in  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0013]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the nursing nipple shown in  FIG. 2  showing the skirt member of the nursing nipple constrictively applied to the neck portion of a bottle shown in phantom; 
           [0014]      FIG. 4  is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of the nursing nipple shown in  FIG. 2  modified by including an ordinary bottle cap constrictively engaged in a socket formed within the skirt member of the nursing nipple shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0015]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of the nursing nipple of  FIG. 1  modified by including a cable tie loosely disposed in and on the skirt member of the nipple; 
           [0016]      FIG. 6  is an enlarged sectional view of the nursing nipple of  FIG. 5  modified by a constrictive position of the cable tie holding the skirt member snugly about the neck portion of a bottle shown in phantom; 
           [0017]      FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the nipple unit of  FIG. 6  taken along the line  7 - 7  in  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0018]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the nursing nipple assembly of  FIG. 1  which utilizes an improved clamping member engaged over the skirt of the nipple member and on a bottle, the bottle being shown in section; 
           [0019]      FIG. 9  is a perspective and enlarged view of the nursing nipple member of the assembly in  FIG. 8 ; 
           [0020]      FIG. 10  is a sectional view in elevation of the nursing nipple member in  FIG. 9  taken along line  10 - 10  in  FIG. 9 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged view of a portion of the nursing nipple member of  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0022]      FIG. 12  is an exploded view in perspective of the nursing nipple and clamping member of the assembly in  FIG. 8  arranged for engagement on the neck portion of a bottle, the bottle being shown in section; 
           [0023]      FIG. 13  is an elevational view partially in section of the nursing nipple and clamping member of  FIG. 8  in an initial position being applied to the neck portion of a bottle; 
           [0024]      FIG. 14  is a sectional view in elevation of the nursing nipple and clamping member shown in  FIG. 13  fully applied to the neck portion of a bottle taken in the direction of arrows  14 - 14  in  FIG. 13 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 15  is an enlarged sectional view in elevation, and partially in perspective, of a portion of the clamping member and nipple disposed on the spout of the bottle, and looking from the opened sectioned side on through the distant side of the spout at portions of the nipple and clamping member; 
           [0026]      FIG. 15A  is an enlarged perspective view of the improved clamping member of the nipple assembly shown in  FIG. 15 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 15B  is an elevational view of the improved clamping member shown in  FIG. 15A ;  FIG. 15C  is a sectional view, partially in perspective of the improved clamping member shown in  FIG. 15B ; and 
           [0028]      FIG. 16  is a sectional view in elevation of an alternative embodiment of the nursing nipple and clamping member assembly shown in  FIGS. 8 through 16 . 
       
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0029]    A nipple unit  10  which embodies the present invention is shown in  FIG. 1 . The upper portion of the unit includes a nipple shaped funnel member  11  with an orifice  20  at its first end  12 . A base member  13 , shown as a flat flange extending outwardly from funnel member  11 , is disposed adjacent the funnel member&#39;s second end  14 . The funnel member  11  and base member  13  are usually formed together and often made of a flexible silicone compound which can be readily used by an infant to nurse. A flexible skirt member  15  is attached to the base member  13  on its underside, as shown in  FIGS. 2 through 4 , so that the skirt extends away from the base member  13 . The skirt may be affixed on the underside of the base member, as shown in  FIG. 2 , or only to the periphery of the base member, as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         [0030]    The inner wall  17  of skirt  15  forms a socket  22  inside the skirt adjacent to the base member  13 . Together, the inner walls  17  of skirt  15  and the inner walls  19  of funnel member  11  form a channel, shown at  21 , in the unit  10  extending through the skirt member  15 , base member  13  and funnel member  11  for transmitting fluid to orifice  20  at the funnel member&#39;s first end  12 . 
         [0031]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the nipple unit  10  may be mounted on the spout  23  of a bottle  24  utilizing threads  25  on the skirt walls  17  and arranged for sealing engagement on the complementary threads  26  on the bottle&#39;s spout  23 . The threads may be continuous members, as in  FIG. 2 , or spread-apart lugs as shown in section in  FIG. 3 , inside the skirt  15 , so long as a sealing engagement is achieved and maintained between the inner walls  17  of the skirt  15  and spout  23 . Those skilled in the art will recognize, too, that a frictional, sealing engagement between walls  17  and spout  23  can also be achieved without the use of threads or lugs so long as skirt member  15  is sufficiently constrictive. 
         [0032]    In  FIG. 4 , the nipple unit  10  as shown in  FIG. 1  is modified by including a bottle cap  27  inside skirt  15 . That cap  27  may be sized to fit the spouts of bottles having relatively common diameters in the range of 26-28 mm. The cap  27  is fixed inside skirt  15  by external corrugations  28  on the cap being embedded in the skirt member  15  of nipple  10 . Oftentimes the corrugations result by forming cap  27  out of metal when the cap is manufactured in order to form threaded configurations on the inside of the cap, although, if the cap is made of molded plastic, external configurations are frequently provided in the molding process in order to achieve an easily gripped outer surface. Corrugations  28  may be regarded as illustrative of these alternatives. To engage them, the skirt member  15  of assembly  10  may be formed, as shown in  FIG. 2 , with lands and grooves, i.e., thread elements formed in walls of the skirt member  15  around the socket  22 , which are complementary to the corrugations  28  and interfit with them when cap  27  is twisted into engagement thereon. Alternatively, cap  27  may be fixed on the base member with an adhesive or by molding the cap and the base member together at the time the base member  13  and funnel member  11  are manufactured. 
         [0033]    The lid portion of cap  27  is provided with a hole  18  accessing the second end  14  of funnel  11  and leading into the cavity inside funnel  11 . The hole  18  thus allows fluid to be drawn from a bottle (not shown) when cap  27  is affixed thereto, on into funnel  11 , and from there drawn through orifice  20  in the first end of funnel  11  into an infant&#39;s mouth as the infant nurses. 
         [0034]    The flexibility of skirt  15 , which allows the skirt to slip over a variety of sizes and configurations of bottle spouts, may be further enhanced by engaging a clamping member  29  on the skirt  15  or embedding the clamping member in the skirt, as shown in  FIG. 5 . A clamping member so arranged provides for constricting the socket inside the skirt onto a spout when the clamping member is tightened. A plastic strip such as a cable tie may be used, illustrated here as clamping member  29 . It may be disposed outside of skirt  15 , as shown by the upper leg  30  of clamping member  29 , or it may be embedded in skirt  15  as shown by the lower leg  31  of clamping member  29  in  FIG. 5 . A clamping member such as cable tie  29  can be easily tied around a bottle spout as shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  and not loosened by an infant, thus making the assembly  10  secure and safe for infant use. An elastic band wound entirely and tightly around the outside of skirt  15  in place of the cable tie  29  may be utilized as an alternative form of clamping member. 
         [0035]    A nursing nipple assembly  32  which also embodies the present invention is shown in  FIGS. 8 through 15C . The assembly  32  includes a nipple shaped funnel member  33  with an orifice  34  at its first end  35 . A base member  36 , shown as a flat flange extending outwardly from funnel member  33 , is disposed adjacent the funnel member&#39;s second end  37 . The funnel member  33  and base member  36  are usually formed together and often made of a flexible silicone compound which can be readily used by an infant to nurse. A flexible skirt member  38  is attached to the base member on its underside, as shown in  FIGS. 9 through 11 , so that the skirt extends away from the base member  36 . 
         [0036]    The inner walls  40  of skirt  38  form a socket  42  inside the skirt adjacent to the base member  36 . Together, the inner walls  40  of the skirt  38  and the inner walls  44  of the funnel member  33  form a channel, shown at  46  in assembly  32 , extending through the skirt member  38 , the base member  36  and the funnel member  33  for transmitting fluid to orifice  34  at the funnel member&#39;s first end  35 . 
         [0037]    The flexibility of skirt  38 , which allows the skirt to slip over a variety of sizes and configurations of bottle spouts and threads, may be further enhanced by engaging a clamping member  48  on the skirt  38 , as shown in  FIG. 12  for example, or embedding a similar clamping member  98  in the skirt  100 , as shown in  FIG. 16 . A clamping member so arranged either way allows the walls  40  of the socket to be tightly engaged on the outside of the spout after the skirt has been slipped onto it. 
         [0038]    The clamping member  48 , as illustrated in  FIG. 8  and as described above, holds the funnel member  33  securely on the spout of a bottle. In the enlarged views,  FIGS. 9 and 10 , the funnel member  33  includes a ring element  52 , which may take the form of a continuous or discontinuous bulbous portion disposed on the funnel member&#39;s exterior adjacent its second end  37 , just above and spaced apart from the base member  36 . That arrangement assists in forming a channel  54  around the outside of the funnel member  33  suitable for receiving a collar or lug  76  in the clamping member  48 . The collar  76  grasps the funnel member and holds its base member  36  upon the upwardly facing edges of a spout  92  on a bottle  56 , thus creating a first sealing engagement point  58  of the assembly  32  on the bottle at that junction. 
         [0039]    The first sealing engagement point  58 , just described, may be supplemented by a second sealing engagement point  60 , shown in  FIG. 11 , between the inner walls of the skirt  38  and the horizontally facing outside surfaces of the spout  92  above the threads on the spout and adjacent to the first sealing engagement point  58 . There, an indent  62  may be formed on the funnel member&#39;s second end  37  adjacent base member  36 &#39;s junction with the skirt  38 . When horizontally inward pressure toward the open mouth of the spout is exerted on the indent, the upper end of the skirt member above the bottle threads is pushed inwardly for a firmer engagement of the skirt member onto the sides of the spout and creates a seal against the spout  92  on the spout&#39;s outwardly facing sides adjacent to its open end. 
         [0040]    The flexibility of the skirt member provides for a third sealing engagement location at area  66  along the inner walls of the skirt member which contact the threads on the outside of the spout. This is accomplished, as shown in  FIG. 14 , when segments  84  of the clamping member  48  are disposed along and against the outside of the skirt. There, because the clamping member pushes segments  84  against the skirt  38 , the skirt is in turn pressed against the threads on the outside of the spout and seals against any leakage of the bottle&#39;s contents there also. 
         [0041]    The distal extremities of the skirt member  38  may be drawn into a fourth sealing engagement point  68  when they are pressed against a fin or ring  88  frequently found on the outer walls of the spout some distance away from the second engagement point  60  and the threaded area on the outside of the spout. See  FIGS. 12 and 15 . Most bottle spouts include external threads or lugs which engage complementary threads or lug engagements inside the bottle caps. While it is advantageous to seal the inner walls  40  of the skirt member  38  against the bottle spout&#39;s threads or lugs, it is also helpful to bind the extremities of the skirt below the spout&#39;s threaded area.  FIGS. 12 through 15  illustrate one form of clamping member  48  arranged to accomplish the fourth sealing engagement point adjacent to the ring  88 . 
         [0042]    In particular, as shown in  FIG. 15 , clamping member  48  includes a tubular shaped yoke portion  70  which fits onto the lower, second end  37  and around skirt member  38  of nipple  33 . The yoke  70  has a first end  72  and a second end  74 . A collar portion  76  of clamping member  48  is joined to the yoke&#39;s first end  72  along the collar portion&#39;s outer edges  78 . The inner edges  80  of collar  76  extend inwardly from the walls  82  of yoke  70  adjacent to the first end  72  of the yoke toward the center of the tubular configuration of the yoke. The walls  82  are joined together around the first end  72  of yoke  70  along the collar portion&#39;s outer edges but are divided into individually moveable segments  84  toward and around the yoke&#39;s second end  74 . There the distal ends of segments  84  are pivotally disposed from a fulcrum formed at the tubular portion&#39;s first end  72  at the junction between the segments  84  and the outer edges of collar  76 . Each distal end of the segments  84  is provided with at least a lug  86 A which may be supplemented by a lug  86 B (collectively, lugs  86 ). The lugs  86  extend toward the center of the tubular configuration of yoke  70  substantially parallel to the plane of the collar portion  76  and are substantially coextensive with it. The lugs  86  form jaw members which engage either external threads on the bottle spout or engage a fin around the outside of the spout beyond the threads and cooperate with the collar portion  76  of clamping member  48  to pull the collar portion downwardly, thus clamping the collar portion firmly in place onto bottle spout  92 . This clamping is accomplished when the yoke  70  formed by segments  84 , extending between the collar portion  76  and lugs  86 , urges the collar portion  76  down upon the base member  36  and presses it against the upturned edges of the spout  92 . 
         [0043]    The indent  62  assists in making a sealing engagement of the nipple  33 &#39;s base member  36  on the upturned edges of the spout  92 . A ledge  85  inside the clamping member  48 &#39;s yoke  70  adjacent collar  76  engages the funnel member&#39;s indent  62  at the funnel member&#39;s second end  37  and presses the funnel member against the outwardly facing sides of spout  92 . The pressure on ledge  85  to engage and press indent  62  against the spout is supplied when segments  84  of the clamping member  48  are pressed downwardly onto the spout  92 . The lugs  86  on the segments  84  are spread outwardly when they pass over the threads on the outside of the spout but spring back and press inwardly as lugs  86  pass the threads on the spout and spring into clamping engagement on the spout below the threads as will now be described. 
         [0044]    Commercially available bottles normally have a fin  88  on the bottle spout encircling the spout just below the threads on the spout. This construction is illustrated in  FIG. 15  where the fm  88  on the spout  92  is arranged on the spout between the spout&#39;s threaded portion  94  and the body of bottle  56 . 
         [0045]    Fin  88  thus disposed may be utilized to clamp the nipple assembly  32  on a bottle. To do so, collar  76  of clamping member  48  is engaged in the channel  54  around funnel member  33  by inserting the funnel member&#39;s first end  35  through the collar until the inner edges of the collar are slipped past the funnel member&#39;s exterior ring element  52  and nested in the channel  54 . Thus assembled, the unit  32  is pressed onto the uncovered spout of the bottle, lugs  86  of the segments  84  first, until lugs  86  are engaged over ring  88  on the spout and base member  36  of the funnel member  33  is seated on the upwardly facing edges of the spout. So disposed, each of the four sealing points  58 ,  60 ,  66  and  68  will be firmly engaged on the spout as described above. 
         [0046]    A second embodiment  96  of a nipple unit assembly embodying the present invention is illustrated in  FIG. 16 . Clamping member  98  is embedded inside the flexible skirt  100  of the assembly  96  instead of being outside the skirt. A collar  102  of the clamping member is engaged in a base member  104  of the nipple shaped funnel member  106  inside the base member. There the collar  102  is in position to urge the base member  104  toward the upturned edges of a bottle spout (not shown) and hold the base member  104  in a sealing engagement on those edges. 
         [0047]    The assembly  96  includes a flexible skirt member  100  which is joined to the underside of the assembly&#39;s base member  104  and sized to fit over and surround a bottle spout&#39;s exterior threads. An indent  110 , located in the clamping member  98  near the junction of the skirt  100  and base member  104 , is also connected to a separately moveable segment or leg portion  112  of the clamping member embedded in the skirt. The indent  110  is moveable toward the open end of the spout, and when it is urged in that direction by the leg portion of the clamping member it presses the inside of the skirt against the outwardly facing surfaces of the spout adjacent the spout&#39;s open end. 
         [0048]    The leg portion  112  of clamping member  98  extends inside the skirt to the skirt&#39;s distal areas and is thus arranged to overlie a spout&#39;s externally threaded portions When the leg portion  112  springs toward the spout it not only urges the indent  110  to engage the outer walls of the spout but also seals the inner walls of the skirt against the threads and adjacent portions of the spout. 
         [0049]    As shown in  FIG. 16 , the distal extremities of skirt  100  are provided with lugs  114  which are arranged to engage a fin or similar ring below the threaded area of a common water bottle spout. When the lugs are so engaged, drawing the base member  104  onto the upwardly facing bottle edges at the open end of the spout, the assembly  96  is firmly affixed on the spout, and leaks are avoided by the seals created at the base member of the assembly on the upwardly facing edges of the spout, at the indent, at the spout threads, and on any fin below the threads. 
         [0050]    Although the invention described above has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art undoubtedly will find alternative constructions after reading this disclosure. The following claims are intended to define and cover the full scope of protection to which the inventor is entitled, and they should be deemed to include all equivalent embodiments.