Nursing unit with improved plastic liner

Claim 2

A nursing unit for liquid infant food including, in combination: an impervious, reusable bottle having an annular neck at the top and terminating in a peripheral lip defining an open mouth, and the bottle having an external annular recess at the lip; a nursing nipple overlying the bottle mouth and lip; a disposable, impervious plastic liner received in the bottle for holding the liquid infant food and having an upper portion extending over the bottle lip under the nursing nipple and turned downwardly outside the bottle neck, the plastic liner having a peripheral width approximating that of the internal circumference of the bottle and a length greater than the height of the bottle, and the plastic liner being closed at the bottom and open at the upper portion; venting means on the outside of the plastic liner and integral therewith and extending over the bottle lip to provide a gap between the liner and the bottle lip for continuously venting the area between the bottle and liner to atmosphere so the liner collapses as the liquid infant food is dispensed therefrom; and a removable retaining cap overlying a portion of the nursing nipple for clamping the nursing nipple against the liner to provide a liquid-tight seal therebetween.

Claim 3

A nursing unit as set forth in claim 1 wherein the venting means comprises a longitudinally-extending rib integral with the plastic liner and extending over the bottle lip.

Claim 4

A nursing unit as set forth in claim 2 wherein there are a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs spaced about the periphery of the plastic liner.

Claim 5

A nursing unit as set forth in claim 2 wherein the rib extends generally the full length of the plastic liner.

Claim 6

A nursing unit as set forth in claim 4 wherein the plastic liner has reentrant folds at each side so that its flattened width is considerably less than half its peripheral width to facilitate entry into the bottle mouth.

Claim 7

A nursing unit as set forth in claim 5 including a seal at the bottom of the plastic liner to close the same, the seal extending through the ribs anD through the reentrant folds to hold the same in position.

Claim 8

In a nursing unit for liquid infant food including an impervious, reusable bottle having a neck at the top and terminating in a peripheral lip defining an open mouth; a nursing nipple overlying the bottle mouth; and mounting means for mounting the nursing nipple at the bottle mouth; the improvement comprising: a disposable, impervious liner received in the bottle for holding the liquid; at least one longitudinally-extending rib on the outside of the liner and attached thereto; the rib being arranged to extend over the bottle lip and provide a gap between the liner and bottle lip thereby venting the area between the bottle and liner to atmosphere so that the liner collapses as the liquid infant food is dispensed therefrom.

Claim 9

In a nursing unit for liquid infant food including an impervious, reusable bottle having a neck at the top and terminating in a peripheral lip defining an open mouth; a nursing nipple overlying the bottle mouth; and mounting means for mounting the nursing nipple at the bottle mouth; the improvement comprising: a disposable, impervious liner received in the bottle for holding the liquid; at least one longitudinally-extending rib on the outside of the liner and attached thereto; the rib being arranged to extend over the bottle lip and provide a gap between the liner and bottle lip thereby venting the area between the bottle and liner to atmosphere so that the liner collapses as the liquid infant food is dispensed therefrom.

Claim 10

The combination of claim 7 wherein the rib is formed of the same material as the liner, is integral therewith, and extends the full length of the liner.

Claim 11

The combination of claim 8 wherein there are a pair of parallel ribs spaced apart to provide a longitudinal gap therebetween.

Claim 12

The combination of claim 9 wherein each rib has a tapering section on the side away from the longitudinal gap to merge the rib with the liner.

Claim 13

A continuous length of internally sterile, separable, flexible, and collapsible synthetic plastic liners; each liner, when separated from the length of liners being open at the top for use in a relatively stiff baby bottle having a circular open mouth with the liner being flexible to enable th top of the liner to be pulled out and down over the lip of the baby bottle; the liners also being imperforate for holding a quantity of liquid baby food to be dispensed through a nursing nipple attached to the baby bottle; the continuous length of liners comprising a flattened, elongated, thin, flexible plastic tube which is one-piece and seamless in the longitudinal direction; the flattened tube having flat outer sides and a crosswise periphery approximating the inside diameter of the baby bottle; a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs on the outer surface of the tube and integral therewith; the ribs arranged to extend over the bottle lip and provide gaps between the liner and bottle lip thereby venting the area between the bottle and liner to atmosphere so that the liner collapses as the liquid baby food is dispensed therefrom; a series of transverse seals extending fully across the flattened width of the tube to define the individual liners; the transverse seals being spaced longitudinally a distance greater than the height of the baby bottle to provide sufficient length to be folded down over the lip of the bottle; transverse lines of localized weakening in the sides of the tubes; there being a single line of weakening between each pair of transverse seals and adjacent one of the seals; and the lines of weakening defining potential lines of detachment between adjacent liners.

Claim 14

A continuous length of internally sterile, separable, flexible, and collapsible synthetic plastic liners; each liner, when separated from the length of liners being open at the top for use in a relatively stiff baby bottle having a circular open mouth with the liner being flexible to enable th top of the liner to be pulled out and down over the lip of the baby bottle; the liners also being imperforate for holding a quantity of liquid baby food to be dispensed through a nursing nipple attached to the baby bottle; the continuous length of liners comprising a flattened, elongated, thin, flexible plastic tube which is one-piece and seamless in the longitudinal direction; the flattened tube having flat outer sides and a crosswise periphery approximating the inside diameter of the baby bottle; a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs on the outer surface of the tube and integral therewith; the ribs arranged to extend over the bottle lip and provide gaps between the liner and bottle lip thereby venting the area between the bottle and liner to atmosphere so that the liner collapses as the liquid baby food is dispensed therefrom; a series of transverse seals extending fully across the flattened width of the tube to define the individual liners; the transverse seals being spaced longitudinally a distance greater than the height of the baby bottle to provide sufficient length to be folded down over the lip of the bottle; transverse lines of localized weakening in the sides of the tubes; there being a single line of weakening between each pair of transverse seals and adjacent one of the seals; and the lines of weakening defining potential lines of detachment between adjacent liners.

Claim 15

A disposable plastic liner for use in a baby bottle; the liner being of the type which is sterile, flexible and collapsible, and arranged to be disposed with its top portion to be pulled out over the lip of the bottle and down alongside the neck of the bottle; the improvement comprising: a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs on the outside of the top portion of the liner; and the ribs being arranged to extend over the bottle lip and provide an air gap between the liner and bottle lip; whereby the area between the bottle and liner is vented to atmosphere.

Claim 16

A disposable plastic liner for use in a baby bottle; the liner being of the type which is sterile, flexible and collapsible, and arranged to be disposed with its top portion to be pulled out over the lip of the bottle and down alongside the neck of the bottle; the improvement comprising: a plurality of longitudinally-extending ribs on the outside of the top portion of the liner; and the ribs being arranged to extend over the bottle lip and provide an air gap between the liner and bottle lip; whereby the area between the bottle and liner is vented to atmosphere.