Patent Description:
Infant feeding bottles are used by parents to feed babies breast milk or formula milk when breast feeding is not possible or as an alternative or supplement to breast feeding. Current baby bottles typically consist of three parts: a container part (usually a bottle) to contain the milk, a silicon teat as drinking part and a screw ring part that connects the teat to a bottle. The silicon teat portion typically embeds an air valve, enabling air to enter the bottle when a baby drinks from the bottle.

The teat design is intended to mimic the feel of the mother's nipple.

<CIT> discloses a teat in which a protuberance is provided which is searched by the tip of the child's tongue. The purpose is to train the child to raise their tongue into an upward position, as this is beneficial for developmental reasons, for example promoting nasal breathing.

<CIT> discloses a teat with a rough zone for mimicking a mothers breast.

<CIT> discloses a teat which mimics the shape of a breast (not only the nipple).

According to examples in accordance with an aspect of the invention, there is provided a teat for a feeding bottle comprising:.

Current teats used feeding bottles are mainly designed to allow good suction. They do not create intentional stimulus on the incisive papilla.

The invention provides a teat which enables stimulation of the incisive papilla without compromising the other orthodontic aspects. The stimulation portion promotes serotonin release, and this provides a soothing effect during feeding.

In one example, the stimulation portion comprises a projection. This projection is then urged against the incisive papilla in use, by the force of the tongue of the user of the device which incorporates the teat (e.g. an infant).

In another example, the stimulation portion comprises a surface pattern, such as ribs.

In another example, the stimulation portion comprises a portion of greater stiffness than the remainder of the teat. The teat may collapse under the force of the tongue, but has additional stiffness in the region of the incisive papilla. This regions then resists collapse to form a projection.

The stimulation portion may surround the intermediate region. In this way, the teat may be rotationally symmetric so that it can be used in any rotational position.

The stimulation portion may instead be around only a portion of the intermediate region. In this case, the teat may be used with a first rotational orientation to provide stimulation and in a second rotational orientation to function as a conventional teat.

The base region may have a lip location which is for alignment with the outer surface of the lips of a user of the teat when the teat is in use, and the stimulation portion is located at a distance from the lip location in the range <NUM> to <NUM>.

A distance in this range will coincide with the location of the incisor papilla. Different teats may have a different value of this distance, for different ages. However, a sufficiently large stimulation portion may be used in a single design of teat to allow different users to benefit from the advantages obtained.

The stimulation portion may be located at a distance from the tip of the teat in the range <NUM> to <NUM>. The stimulation portion is thus set back from the tip of the teat. The normal function of the tip region of the teat is thereby not affected by the provision of the stimulation portion.

The overall length of a comforter is for example in the range <NUM> to <NUM> depending on the age of the intended user.

The teat is preferably a single molded component for example made of silicone.

The invention also provides a feeding bottle comprising a container and the teat as defined above. The feeding bottle thus provides a soothing function while the baby is feeding.

The human body responds to various stimuli in different situations in order to avoid stress, to calm down, and to achieve pleasure. Some responses relate to natural soothing mechanisms, for example controlled by certain types of sensory stimulation of skin or mucosa. For example, some chemicals that relate to hormones and/or neurotransmitters have been shown to support the state of relaxation, pleasure and general well-being. One of them is serotonin. This is produced in the intestines where it acts as a hormonal messenger regulating satiety, food carvings, digestion, nutrient absorption and peristalsis.

Serotonin is one of the most studied neurotransmitters in the human brain, studied due to its relation to pain disorders, regulating mood, fears and anxiety, feelings of relaxation, clarity of thought or learning ability. Studies evaluating the relationship between serotonin and disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, migraine, and other types of headache suggest a clear impact of this neurotransmitter, thereby increasing the interest in serotonin as a possible future therapeutic target.

Serotonin release has been shown to happen as a response to the rhythmical oral movements (e.g. sucking of a feeding baby), especially when occurring at a rate higher than <NUM> sucks/minute. Experimental studies on animals have shown that rhythmic oral movements enhance the firing of some serotonin neurons, and this has an analgesic effect in certain circumstances.

Another mechanism leading to serotonin release seems to be related to pressure applied to the incisive papilla. The incisive papilla (palatine papilla) is a small pear or oval shaped mucosal prominence situated at the midline of the palate, posterior to the palatal surface of the central incisors. The incisive papilla is one of the significant anatomical landmarks in dentistry used for locating the maxillary anterior central incisor position in complete denture fabrication procedures.

The invention provides a teat which has a stimulation portion for stimulating the incisive papilla. The stimulation portion is located at a central region of the teat between a base region and a tip region.

<FIG> shows a standard feeding bottle <NUM>, comprising a container <NUM>, a teat <NUM> and a securing ring <NUM> for securing the teat to the container <NUM>. The teat has an opening or a set of openings at the tip. The teat has a base flange which is sealed against an open top of the container by the securing ring <NUM>.

<FIG> shows an example of a teat for a feeding bottle in accordance with the invention. The teat has a base region <NUM> for mounting over the opening of the container, a tip region <NUM>, and an intermediate region <NUM> between the base region and the tip region. The tip region has a drinking orifice. The teat may also include an air valve.

The intermediate region has a stimulation portion <NUM> for stimulating the incisive papilla. This provides stimulation of the incisive papilla without compromising the normal drinking functionality. The stimulation portion <NUM> promotes serotonin release, and this provides soothing.

In the example shown, the stimulation portion <NUM> comprises a projection. The projection <NUM> is urged against the incisive papilla in use, by the force of the tongue of the user.

There may be only a single projection, positioned such that it is intended to contact the incisive papilla.

In the example of <FIG>, the stimulation portion <NUM> is a single projection that surrounds the intermediate region. In this way, the teat is rotationally symmetric so that it can be used in any rotational position. A single projection may instead be at a single location (or cover a small angular range (e.g. <NUM> to <NUM> degrees) around the teat, if the teat has a particular orientation in which it is used.

<FIG> shows various dimensions of the teat. At or near the base of the teat, there is a lip location <NUM> which is for alignment with the outer surface of the lips of a user of teat when the teat is in use. Thus, from this point forwards (towards the tip), the teat is inserted into the mouth of the user (including between the lips). Behind the lip location <NUM> (toward the base), the teat is intended to be outside the mouth in use.

The stimulation portion (in particular the middle of the stimulation portion) is located at a distance d1 from the lip location <NUM> which is in the range <NUM> to <NUM>. This distance thus represents the amount by which the stimulation portion is inserted into the mouth, measured from the outer surface of the lips. A distance in this range coincides with the location of the incisor papilla. Different teats may have a different value of this distance, for different ages.

The stimulation portion may be located at a distance d2 from the extreme tip of the teat in the range <NUM> to <NUM>. The stimulation portion is thus set back from the tip of the teat. The normal function of the tip region of the teat is thereby not affected by the provision of the stimulation portion.

The tip region <NUM> is a nipple portion which simulates a mother's nipple, and for example has a width (diameter) d3 in the range <NUM> to <NUM>, for example <NUM> to <NUM>.

The stimulation portion in this example is a projection and it may for example project radially (i.e. perpendicular to the tip-to-base axis) by a distance p in the range <NUM> to <NUM>. It may extend along the length direction (the tip-to-base direction) by an amount sufficient to coincide with the expected position of the incisor papilla for all users. It may for example extend over a distance in the range <NUM> to <NUM>, for example <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a feeding bottle <NUM> using the teat of <FIG>, in use. The stimulation portion <NUM> is urged against the incisor papilla <NUM> by the tongue <NUM> of the infant when performing a sucking action for drinking from the bottle.

The teat may be a single molded component for example made of silicone.

In the examples above, the stimulation portion is a projection. In other examples, the stimulation portion may comprise a surface pattern, such as ribs, bristles, or other roughened surface.

Alternatively, the stimulation portion may be a portion of greater stiffness than the remainder of the teat. The teat may collapse under the force of the tongue, but then has additional stiffness in the region of the incisive papilla. The stiffer portion then becomes shaped into a protruding element under the influence of the tongue movement of the infant, in that the remainder of the teat collapses more readily. The stiffer part then protrudes on the upper side and stimulates the incisive papilla.

In the examples above, the stimulation portion <NUM> surrounds the intermediate region. In this way, the teat is rotationally symmetric so that it can be used in any rotational position. The stimulation portion may instead be around only a portion of the intermediate region. In this case, the teat may be used with a first rotational orientation to provide stimulation and in a second rotational orientation to function as a conventional teat. In the latter case, the stimulation portion will rest against the tongue.

The stimulation portion may extend around <NUM> degrees (so there are two rotational positions).

Claim 1:
A teat for a feeding bottle comprising:
a base region (<NUM>) for mounting over an opening of the feeding bottle;
a tip region (<NUM>) having a feeding opening; and
an intermediate region (<NUM>) between the base region and the tip region,
wherein the intermediate region comprises a stimulation portion (<NUM>) adapted for stimulating the incisive papilla thereby to promote serotonin release, wherein the stimulation portion (<NUM>) comprises a projection, or a surface pattern or a portion of greater stiffness than the remainder of the teat,
wherein the base region (<NUM>) has a lip location (<NUM>) which is for alignment with the outer surface of the lips of a user of teat when the teat is in use such that from the lip location forwards towards the tip region, the teat is inserted into the mouth of the user including between the lips, and the stimulation portion is located at a distance (d1) from the lip location in the range <NUM> to <NUM>.