Improvements in or relating to Teats for Feeding Bottles.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1899-Accepted, 6th Jan., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to Teats for Feeding Bottles.
I, FERDINAND MÜLIENS, of 27, Glockengasse, Cologne, in the Empire of Ger-
many, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement :-
In sucking milk or other liquids from bottles fitted with the usual hat-shaped
stoppers or rubber teats, apart from the pressure of the lips or of the jaws of
the infant itself, the outer atmospheric air (as soon as the air contained in the
bottle has become rarefied to some extent) acts to compress the comparatively
unresistent walls of the teat so that the latter is in most cases and in a very short
time squeezed flat so as to thereby prevent wholly or partly the further How of
the milk until the child instinctively releases the teat whereupon the walls of the
same can then expand again, and fresh air enters from outside through the teat
into the interior of the bottle. This operation is repeated at very short intervals
of time, and the this taking of food resulting therefrom and which occurs at
periodically irregular intervals serves to rapidly tire the infant, whilst also the
liquid in the bottle becomes cold very soon, and finally the simultaneous absorp-
tion of large quantities of air into the stomach which is thereby produced has
the result of causing the infant after it has taken its food from the bottle always
to throw up wind strongly with the further result of usually throwing up a por-
tion of the food it has taken as well. If it were attempted to avoid to some
extent these drawbacks of the ordinary rubber teat by employing the obvious
means, namely using a solid rubber stopper formed with a central hole, then
the aforesaid drawbacks would certainly be obviated to some extent, but then
there would be produced the drawback which is of great importance in hygienic
respect, that it is only possible to clear the stopper in a faulty manner so that
apart from other drawbacks this last kind of stopper has not become usually
employed.
Now the present invention relates to an insertion piece for the rubber teats
mentioned at the commencement of this Specification which has for object to
obviate or to diminish the drawbacks mentioned by inserting said insertion
piece into the rubber teat when in use so as to fill up the cavity in the same,
whilst the passage of liquid therethrough is allowed by means of channels or
grooves etc. provided in its outer periphery. With this peculiar formation of
the insertion piece, it is only when the sucking power of the child is no longer
sufficient to take up the whole of the liquid contained in the bottle that the
taking of food is interrupted, whereas an interruption takes place in the case
of the usual teat by reason of the air that acts to compress the teat.
This invention is illustrated in several modifications by way of example in
Figures 1 to 8 of the accompanying drawings. Before the rubber teat a
(Figure 1) is slipped over the neck of the bottle F there is inserted into it
an elongated round insertion piece b which is suitably made to conform to the
shape of the teat and is composed of elastic material, rubber, hollow celluloid
with thin walls etc. This piece is formed in its periphery with any kind of
grooves, channels incisions and the like, extending from top to bottom whereby
intermediate air spaces c (Figure 2) are formed between the inner wall of the

page_text: rubber teat a (which fits the insertion piece b wholly or partially, and with some
degree of tightness) and the said insertion piece. Instead of the incisions,
channels, grooves or the like there may also be formed prism-shaped or half-
round ribs d on the periphery of the insertion piece b, it being immaterial
whether these ribs extend on the periphery in an axial manner as shown in the
examples given in Figures 1 and 3, or spirally or helically as in the example
shown in Figure 4. Further the round periphery-piece" might also be pro-
vided with corrugations, round or pyramidal prominences or the like. But in
all cases it is necessary that the body b shall form between its outer periphery,
and the walls of the surrounding rubber teat, air spaces through which the
milk or other liquid being sucked up is enabled to flow upwards. For the pur-
pose of enabling the insertion piece to be readily inserted into and removed from
the rubber teat, there is provided on the lower end of the insertion piece a stem-
like extension a¹, or any other suitable kind of handle. As already stated the
milk flows by the suction between the inner walls of the teat and the outer
periphery of the insertion piece & upwards through the intermediate air spaces c
formed thereby, without allowing the walls of the rubber teat to be compressed
together or collapsed. By this means the amount of flow is always uniform,
and it flows continually into the mouth of the infant. A greater or less amount
of flow is regulated by proportioning the passages provided for the flow. In
order to clean the body the said body after removal from the teat is rinsed
under a water tap or in a vessel or it may be cleansed with the aid of a brush so
as to remove all adhering particles of fluid from the grooves and passages. The
body is then inserted again for use.
b
The insertion piece b may also be made of polygonal shape in cross section
as shown in Figure 7. But in this case the sides of the polygon must be made
concave in order to prevent the walls of the rubber teat a from bearing flat
upon the same. For the purpose of lightness the body may be formed with a
cavity, especially when it is made of celluloid. Further the body & may also be
connected direct or made integral with the teat and formed of the same material.
This modification is illustrated in Figure S, and consists of the insertion piece b
and of the rubber teat a which is connected to it at o and which is of course
provided with suction holes n in the neighbourhood of o. When in use, the teat a
is drawn over the body b and is pushed back again therefrom for the purpose
of cleaning the same.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:-
(1) An insertion piece for rubber teats a characterised by an insertion piece b
which is of rounded form and preferably fits the shape of the upper part of the
teat and may also be provided with a suitable handle and which is formed
on its outer periphery either with grooves c, passages, incisions or the lik
extending towards the top and bottom, or it may be provided with straight or
helical ribs, prominences, corrugations or the like, as set forth.
(2) A form of construction of the insertion piece for rubber teats in accordance
with Claim 1, characterised by the fact that the teat a is made directly of the
same material and in one integral piece with the insertion body b and for use
is slipped over the insertion body, or is pushed back for cleaning, as set forth.
וגו
011
1000
ROBERT E. PHILLIPS, Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., M.I.Mech. E.,
Chartered Patent Agent, 70, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Associate Agent.