Abstract:
A calf bottle is characterized by an improved neck design which prevents deposits and microbes from collecting therein. The bottle is in the form of a hollow container having top, side and bottom walls which define a chamber for receiving formula for feeding calves. The top wall includes a neck portion having a central opening and an annular lip surrounding the opening for receiving a removable nipple. The inner wall of the neck portion has a cylindrical configuration of constant diameter.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In the course of rearing calves, they are often fed a formula via a bottle. The bottle includes a removable nipple configured to resemble a cow teat to deliver a controlled amount of formula to the calf as the calf sucks on the bottle. The bottle is re-usable and washed before being re-filled with formula or another nutritional supplement. 
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART 
     Nursing bottles for calves are well-known in the prior art. Such bottles are typically formed of synthetic plastic material and include a tapered neck portion having an opening in the top through which formula or other nutritional materials are inserted into the bottle. A nipple is fastened about an outer annular lip surrounding the neck area for suckling by a calf to remove the formula from the bottle. 
     A major drawback to conventional calf bottles lies in the configuration of the inner wall surface in the neck area of the bottle. That is, for ease of manufacture by a molding process, the entire bottle has a uniform thickness. Thus, the inner surface of the bottle conforms with the configuration of the outer surface. In the neck area, an annular cavity is formed beneath the opening and inside the lip of the neck. During use, the cavity accumulates deposits such as calcium, microbes, and other materials from the formula being fed to the calf. These deposits often dry and harden between the time the bottle is used and the time it is cleaned. During cleaning, the deposits are not always completely removed from the bottle and they contaminate the next batch of formula or supplements added to the bottle. The present invention was developed in order to overcome these and other drawbacks of the conventional calf bottles by eliminating the cavity within the bottle behind the lip. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Accordingly, the present invention relates to a bottle for nursing calves. The bottle is a hollow container including top, side and bottom walls defining a chamber, with the top wall including a neck portion containing an opening which communicates with the chamber. The neck portion has an outer annular lip which surrounds the opening and provides a structure for removably connecting a nipple on the top of the container. The neck further includes an inner cylindrical wall portion having a constant diameter. The cylindrical inner wall prevents deposits from collecting in the neck area of the container. 
     The bottom wall of the container includes a plurality of spaced protrusions extending downwardly therefrom which assist in leveling the container when it is place on a horizontal surface. 
     The container is preferably formed of synthetic plastic material which is blow-molded to the desired configuration. The inner wall surface of the container is finished to a degree of smoothness of no greater than four microns so that bacteria can not accumulate thereon. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the calf bottle according to the invention; 
         FIG. 2  is a front sectional view of the bottle of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIGS. 3 and 4  are top and bottom plan views, respectively, of the bottle of  FIG. 1 ; and 
         FIG. 5 . is a partial sectional view of a calf bottle according to the prior art. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The calf bottle according to the invention is shown in  FIGS. 1-4  and comprises a hollow container  2  having top  4 , side  6  and bottom walls  8  defining a chamber  10  which is filled with formula or other nutritional materials for delivery to a suckling calf as will be developed below. The top wall rises upwardly from the side walls and terminates in a neck portion  12  containing a central opening  14  which communicates with the chamber for filling and emptying the contents of the bottle. 
     The neck portion  12  extends vertically upwardly from the top wall  4 . As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , the neck portion includes an outer annular lip  16  which extends around the opening  14 . The lip defines a ledge about the bottom portion of a nipple (not shown) is arranged so that the nipple can be removably connected with the bottle. As is known in the art, the nipple has an upper end portion configured to resemble the teat of a cow so that a calf can suck on the nipple to draw formula from the container. 
     The inner wall  18  of the neck portion has a generally cylindrical configuration as shown in  FIG. 2 . Preferably, the inner wall has a constant diameter along its length so that as shown in cross-section in  FIG. 2 , the wall is straight and vertical, although manufacturing tolerances may result in some variation in the inner wall surface configuration. The thickness t 1  of the neck portion is thus greater than the thickness t 2  of the remaining wall portions of the container. Because the inner wall has a cylindrical configuration, there are no cavities in the neck area in which deposits may collect. This facilitates cleaning of the bottle for re-use without contamination from prior contents of the bottle. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 4 , the bottom wall  8  of the container includes an outer rim  20  and an inner rim  22  which has a plurality of protrusions  24  extending therefrom. The protrusions are preferably equally spaced about the inner rim and assist in leveling the container when it is placed on a horizontal surface. The container preferably has four side walls which define a square horizontal cross-sectional configuration as shown in  FIGS. 1 and 4 . With such a configuration, four protrusions are spaced about the bottom wall as shown in  FIG. 4 . 
     The container is preferably formed of synthetic plastic material by a blow-molding process. Suitable materials are copolymers or medium to high density polyethylene based composite materials which provide sufficient strength and durability for sudden shock loading impacts and harsh environments. The inner wall surfaces of the container are finished to a smoothness of four microns or better to prevent bacteria from adhering thereto. 
     The blow-molding process for forming the calf bottle is unique in that it enables the bottle to be formed with a thicker neck region required by the cylindrical inner wall portion thereof relative to the thickness of the remaining portions of the bottle. The bottom wall can also be thicker than the side walls if desired for increased durability. The variable thickness of the bottle in different regions thereof is achieved through the use of variable extrusion orifices in the blow molding apparatus throughout the length of the bottle. In addition, defining the inner wall surface of the bottle with the desired degree of smoothness is achieved via a combination of the variable extrusion orifices and variable temperature cooling mechanisms at specific locations of the molded bottle. 
     The thermal transfer within the bottle during the blow molding process varies considerably from the bottom to the top, causing the bottle to shrink unevenly and distorting its final shape. To counteract these variations, chilled water at different temperatures and volumes is circulated through the mold apparatus in the neck, side and bottom regions of the bottle so that the bottle cools uniformly. 
     In  FIG. 5  is shown a conventional calf bottle  102 . The neck area  112  has an outer annular lip  116  for attachment of a nipple. The inner wall surface  118  of the neck area conforms to the configuration of the outer wall surface of the neck area and the thickness of the neck area is uniform. Because of the configuration of the inner wall, a cavity  119  is defined within the neck area behind the lip  116 . This cavity collects deposits from the contents of the bottle which are retained in the cavity after the bottle has been used. The deposits harden within the cavity and are difficult to remove when the bottle is cleaned. Deposits which remain in the bottle for re-use contaminate the formula added to the bottle for feeding a subsequent calf. In addition, the conventional bottles include a sharp edge  121  where the top edge of the inner wall meets the opening. This edge often cuts the fingers and hands of those handling the bottles during cleaning, filling, or application and removal of the nipple. 
     The calf bottle according to the invention eliminates the cavity in the neck area and the sharp edge around the inner circumference of the opening. Thus, contamination of the bottle contents and injury to bottle handlers is avoided. 
     While the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without deviating from the inventive concepts set forth above.