Improvements in Babies' Teats or Nipples for use with Babies' Bottles, or without Bottles, also in the Means of Supply of Food to Babies.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd June, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Mar., 1893-Accepted, 17th June, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Babies' Teats or Nipples for use with Babies'
Bottles, or without Bottles, also in the Means of Supply of
Food to Babies.
I, ADELINE MARIA SMALL, Milliner and Dress Maker, of 21 Highbury Park,
Highbury, N., in the County of London, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The baby soothers or teats at present in use, which the child sucks, are made of
india rubber, solid and without perforations.
The present invention consists in perforating hollow teats, so that they can be
provided, from time to time, with sugar, raisins, biscuits, or other nourishing foods.
They are made either of india rubber, cotton silk, twine, or of any material that
is capable of being woven, netted, stamped, or sewn together. By netting, knitting,
or otherwise making the teat with small meshes and providing it with a piece of
sponge or other absorbent material, the teat can be supplied with condensed milk,
beef extract, honey, or other suitable substance for the comfort or nourishment of
the baby.
In one plan, the teat is slipped over a tube having a fluid-tight stopper with or
without a capillary hole length-wise, at the outer end; the teat has a double
collar, so as to secure the shield from slipping off over the teat or over the tube.
In this plan, there is no absolute necessity for a tube, the end of the teat serving
to receive the stopper. To secure the teat to the baby's arm, or dress, a string or
silken cord, for instance, may be fixed to the tube or to the shield by holes
therein or in any other suitable way. The tube also serves for a handle; it may
be made of any material, such as ivory, bone, wood, metal, vulcanite, or india
rubber, and it may
be of a shape or design fitted for the way in which it is used
or to the fancy of the purchaser. The stopper may be either an ordinary stopper
or a screw stopper.
In another arrangement, the tube is made of a length and size to serve as a
reservoir; it has lugs, projecting pins, or eyelets by which to fasten the cord.
The reservoir may be separate from the stoppered tube and made to screw on to
its outer end over the stopper; or the reservoir may be hinged to the tube, or it
may slide on and off by friction. The reservoir may be divided into compartments,
each containing a separate substance, or liquid, or a small bottle of the substance
or liquid.
Another part of this invention consists in protecting the teat by means of a
sliding case or cover made on the tube similar to that of a stove broom; or the
cylindrical case, carrying the shield, at its outer end may screw on to the tube, or
it may be brought over the teat by screwing. Or the case may be made with a
catch or bayonet joint, or in any other convenient manner, so that it may be capable
either of being away from the teat or over it, as desired. This cover or case is
applicable to the teats on babies' bottles. The stopper may be removed from the
end of the reservoir or of the case (when the food is consumed, for instance) and
placed at the external part of the case. The case may be in the form of a cap
and removable from one end of the tube to the other; or both ends of the tube
may have a cap.
The various parts of this invention, or comprised in it, are, with the exception of
the reservoir, also applicable to babies' bottles, or to the mounts of the teat.
With a view to cleanse the teat from the remains of food left after it has been
used, by turning it inside out, the teat may be made with a flange which is secured
to the shield by four metal pins, for instance. The aperture in the shield is large
in order to admit the thick end of the teat in turning it inside out.
The teat may

page_text: be fastened, in this way, between the shield and a washer; in this plan, either
side of the teat may be the inside or outside respectively.
Dated this 22nd day of June 1892.
ADELINE MARIA SMALL.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Babies' Teats or Nipples for use with Babies'
Bottles, or without Bottles, also in the Means of Supply of
Food to Babies.
I, ADELINE MARIA SMALL, Milliner and Dress Maker, of 21 Highbury Park,
Highbury, N., in the County of London, 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 :-
The baby soothers or teats at present in use, which the child sucks, are made of
india rubber, solid, and without perforations.
The present invention consists in perforating hollow teats, so that they can be
provided, from time to time, with sugar, raisins, biscuit, or other nourishing foods.
They are made either of india rubber, cotton, silk, twine, or of any material that is
capable of being woven, netted, stamped, or sewn together. By netting, knitting,
or otherwise making the teat with small meshes, and providing it with a piece
of sponge or other absorbent material, the teat can be supplied with condensed
milk, beef extract, honey, or other suitable substance for the comfort or nourishment
of the baby.
In one plan, the teat is slipped over a tube having a fluid-tight stopper, with or
without a capillary hole, at the outer end; the teat has a double collar, so as to
secure the shield from slipping off over the teat or over the tube. In this plan,
there is no absolute necessity for a tube, the end of the teat serving to receive the
stopper. To secure the teat to the baby's arm, or dress, a string, or silken cord,
for instance, may be fixed to the tube or to the shield by holes therein, or in any
other suitable way.
The tube also serves for a handle; it may be made of any
material, such as ivory, bone, wood, metal, vulcanite, or india rubber, and it
may be of a shape or design fitted for the way in which it is used, or to the
fancy of the purchaser. The stopper may be either an ordinary stopper or a
screw stopper.
In another arrangement, the tube is made of a length and size to serve as a
reservoir; it has lugs, projecting pins, or eyelets by which to fasten the cord.
The reservoir may be separate from the stoppered tube and made to screw on to
its outer end, over the stopper; or the reservoir may be hinged to the tube, or it
may slide on and off by friction. The reservoir may be divided into compartments,
each containing a separate substance, or liquid, or a small bottle of the substance
or liquid.
Another part of this invention consists in protecting the teat by means of a
sliding case or cover made on the tube, similar to that of a stove broom; or the
cylindrical case, carrying the shield at its outer end, may screw on to the tube, or
it may be brought over the teat by screwing. Or, the case may be made with a
catch or bayonet joint, or in any other convenient manner, so that it may be
capable either of being away from the teat or over it, as desired. This cover or
case is applicable to the teats on babies' bottles. The stopper may be removed
from the end of the reservoir, or of the case (when the food is consumed, for
instance) and placed at the external part of the case. The case may be in the
form of a cap and removable from one end of the tube to the other; or both ends
of the tube may have a cap.
The various parts of this invention, or comprised in it, are with the exception of
the reservoir, also applicable to babies' bottles, or to the mounts of the teats.
With a view to cleanse the teat from the remains of food left after it has been

page_text: used, by turning it inside out, the teat may be made with a flange which is secured
to the shield by four metal pins, for instance. The aperture in the shield is large,.
in order to admit the thick end of the teat in turning it inside out. The teat may
be fastened, in this way, between the shield and a washer; in this plan, either side
of the teat may be the inside or outside respectively.
In practically carrying out this invention, the following statement is requisite to
make the subject matter of this Specification so clear that a skilled workman can
make the various articles set forth in the above description and hereinafter more.
fully treated of.
The ordinary soothers are of solid rubber, but they are hollow and able to be
compressed, and have narrow necks. But according to the present invention, the
nipples or teats are hollow and have holes, the hollow in the nipple and the holes.
being contrived on purpose for the taking of food or sweets by the baby instead of
allowing it to suck air as in the ordinary soothers. Also the necks of the nipples.
made according to this invention are of sufficient size to admit of the supply of
food freely to the baby. The sponge which may be employed in woven or netted.
nipples when liquids are to be provided for the baby must be carefully cut to the
shape of the interior of the nipples before being placed therein.
In the first arrangement, the tube over which the nipple is slipped is of a certain
length, the distance between the end of the tube and a contracted part being such.
as to allow a full grip of the nipple on to the tube and of a suitable distance-
being preserved between the shield and the part where the extremity of the
nipple closes on to the contracted part of the tube. To supply air to the interior
of the nipple and thus permit of effective suction, a capillary hole may be made
in the stopper. In a modification, where the stopper (of cork or india rubber)
goes directly into the open end of the india rubber nipple, the shield is secured
from slipping off over the nipple by means of a double collar, which may be-
moulded on to the nipple.
In the second arrangement, the reservoir is made separate from the stoppered
tube so that the material may be stored and be supplied in a fresh condition to.
the soother. It is preferred to divide the reservoir into two compartments,
where more than one is used, as more than two compartments make the soother
too heavy. The open end of the nipple may be made as a bulb to act as a
reservoir; this plan has the advantage of aiding the supply of food by the
compression of the bulb in the act of sucking; the bulb slipped over a ring
which is covered by a cap. The cap is preferably placed on the ring by a bayonet
joint.
The protection of the nipple by drawing over it a sliding case, or by screwing.
a case, so as to cover it, is necessary, because hot weather parches the nipple
on the outside and tends to decompose the food inside. The sliding case, or
sheath, may be of telescopic construction, sliding over the tube or solid cylinder
to which the nipple is attached, the tube or cylinder being either a reservoir
for food, or a handle. To keep the nipple from dust and from the outward air
when not in use, a plug may be screwed or otherwise placed in the end of the
sheath. At the outer end (that end which may cover the nipple) the shield is
either screwed or otherwise attached. When a cover or covers is or are used,.
instead of the telescopic slide, for the purpose of protecting the nipple, this cover
or these covers may be either screwed on to the tube, or cylinder, or fastened
to it by a bayonet joint, or by other suitable means. Two covers cannot be used
with babies' bottles.
When the nipple is to be capable of being turned inside out, the necessary flange
may be screwed to the shield by a screwed washer, or by other suitable means.
The materials mentioned in the herein before description of the soothers form an
important part of the invention. The reservoir, stopper, sheath, covers, caps and
other accessories, when used, may be made of bone, ivory, celluloid, xylonite,
ebonite, vulcanite, parchment paper, cork, or of any innocuous metal such as silver,.
or aluminium.

page_text: In order that this invention may be properly understood, reference is made to
the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures marked thereon. In all
the figures, the same letters refer to the same parts. The drawings represent
examples of the invention.
Figure I represents the first arrangement in which the nipple a is slipped over
a tube b. A part of this figure is a partly longitudinal cross section showing a
stopper e with a capillary hole d and screwing into the tube, with an internal screw.
The other part of the figure shows the external end of the tube with an external
screw to receive the screwed end of the stopper. The shield is marked e. The
two small rings ff, are to receive the cord for attaching the entire apparatus to
the baby's dress.
Figure II consists of a first part, and a second part and represents the case in
which the end of the nipple receives the stopper. The cord may be either secured
to the shield, or, as represented in the second part, it may be attached to the
stopper. In the second part of the figure the stopper screws on to an external
screw formed on the collar which receives the nipple.
Figure III shows the reservoir g.
In Figure IV the reservoir is divided into three compartments.
Figure V shows the sliding case / together with the plug in the stopper c.
c2 is a cap which may be screwed into the end of the case which carries the
shield.
Figure VI shows the removable case in the form of a cap, the cap having an
outside screw. The nipple is reversible.
Figure VII shows the removable cap with an inside screw.
Figure VIII shows the formation of the shield when it is provided that the
nipple may be turned inside out. i is the screwed washer. The second part of
this figure shows the tube from the baby's bottle attached to the cap.
Figure IX shows the reservoir in the bulb of the nipple itself, and the ring
covered by a cap by means of a bayonet joint.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my inven-
tion and the manner in which the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The woven or netted teats, or nipples, with or without sponge, substantially as
herein described and for the purposes set forth.
2. The rubber bulb acting as a reservoir, also flanged rubber teats, or nipples
capable of being turned inside out, substantially as herein described and for the
purposes set forth.
3. The reservoirs forming a part of the teats or nipples, or attached to them,
substantially as herein described, and for the purposes set forth.
4. The telescopic, or screw sheath for preserving teats, or nipples from fouling,
either to slide, screw, or fix to the soother or bottle, in any convenient way,
substantially as herein described and for the purposes set forth.
5. The plan of putting food, medicine, liquid, and material in teats, or nipples,
and reservoirs, substantially as herein described and for the purposes set forth.
6. Employing soothers to give food and not empty as hitherto, substantially as
herein described and for the purposes set forth.
7. The divisions in the reservoirs for various foods, substantially as herein
described and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof I, the said Adeline Maria Small, have hereunto set my
band and seal this Twenty-second day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and ninety-three.
A. M. SMALL.