Nursing bottle

Claim 1

A composite nursing bottle assembly comprising a collapsible liquid-holding bag housed within generally cylindrical shaped outer and inner telescopically movable bottle shell members of which the outer shell has a bottle mouth for holding the mouth of the collapsible bag in association with nipple means applied thereto, and the inner shell member has an apertured transverse bottom for helping to support, vent and collapse the collapsible bag when initiating nursing use, said nipple means comprising a nipple composed of a rubber or similar essentially permanently elastic material having one enlarged open-end bottle-mouthcooperating portion, a generally funnel-shaped intermediate portion connecting said first-mentioned portion with a constricted generally oval-shaped nipple end portion having a bulbous body portion and punctured so as to form a nursing fluidpassing outlet of an improved self-closing character when not in use, regardless of the attitude of the nursing bottle, said nipple punctured end comprising a small generally hemispherically convex-shaped punctured membrane formed of substantially thinner material than the rest of the bulbous body portion, the material of the bulbous portion in the area directly adjacent and completely surrounding an outer margin of said membrane being substantially thicker than that of said bulbous body portion, said membrane having a thicker radially flaring peripheral margin connecting it with said substantially thicker area of the bulbous portion, said membrane thicker peripheral margin being flared in both an axially inward and axially outward manner with said axially inward flared margin having a thickness greater than said axially outward flared margin, said thicker flared marginal portion of said membrane together with the substantially thicker portion of the bulbous body portion surrounding said membrane collectively serving to give added strength thereto to preclude inwardly collapse of said nipple and membrane portion, even when subjected to a negative pressure from within the assembled bottle and nipple, whereby the fluid outlet closes in a tighter, more effective leakproof manner; and wherein said hemispherically convex membrane portion is at least partially recessed below the exterior bulbous surface of the nipple at least in its marginal area connecting it with said thicker portion of the bulbous body portion, thereby forming a smaller scale hemispherical nipplelike fluid-passing portion within the exterior bulbous portion of the nipple.