GB2168283A - Moulding a baby pacifier - Google Patents

Abstract

A teat for a baby's feeding bottle or pacifier in which the selected material is liquid silicon rubber, and the manufacturing method involves making an injection moulding and vulcanising the material in that mould. Figure 3 shows a typical baby's feeding bottle teat made by the method of the present invention.

Description

SPECIFICATION Baby pacifier This invention relates to babies pacifiers or "dummies" comprising teat substitutes, and the invention also applies to teats for babies feeding bottles. The teat substitutes and the teats will collectively be referred to herein by the term teats.

It is known to make teats from latex by dipping operation. This conventionally involves limitation in that the dipping tends to produce an article which is of uniform thickness overall. Moreover, latex which is suitable for this dipping operation may not be of satisfactory purity by the most exacting standards of today.

In accordance with the present invention a method of making a teat comprises injecting a liquid silicon rubber into a mould cavity and vulcanising the moulding in that cavity prior to removal of the product.

According to a feature of the invention, a complete baby pacifier comprising a teat is made as a one-piece vulcanised moulding by the method of the invention.

One embodiment of the invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:~ Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of a teat for a baby's feeding bottle; Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same; and Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section.

The teat comprises a flange 10 which is relatively thick, a generally cylindrical main body portion 12, and the teat portion per se, that is to say the portion which is essentially to be received in the infant's mouth when the feeding bottle is in use, which is part-circular in plan view as seen in Figure 1 and indicated by the reference numeral 14, but is of flattened shape as seen in the other two views. The actual teat orifice through which the food is to be extracted is shown by the reference numeral 16 and appears in the centre of the generally circular area of the teat per se.

The exterior form of the teat as illustrated is to be moulded in a pair of die halves meeting at the plane P-P Figure 3, and the interior form is provided by a core, which also forms the face 20 of the flange 10 and closes off the otherwise open mould cavity.

This three-part mould construction enables a neck 22 to be provided between the largest portion 12 of the body and the flange 10 and a further constricted portion 24 between the teat per se and the portion 12.

The manufacturing method involves using an injection screw at ambient temperature, or at any rate at a temperature suitable for the liquid silicon rubber being injected, and either a measured quantity is injected in to the assembled mould and core parts, or alternatively the injection continues until a particular pressure is achieved.

The mould parts are then heated as mentioned to vulcanise the rubber, and subsequently two exterior forming dies are separated to leave the finished product on the core from which it is then stripped.

The interior of the teat may be plain as shown, or areas may be locally thickened or thinned by provision of grooves or ribs on the core, to vary the strength at different points.

As mentioned, but not shown in the drawings, the invention may be applied to a baby pacifier to make the complete article as a one-piece moulding by the method of the invention. A complete baby pacifier comprises a mouth shield, from which the teat according to the present invention projects on one side, and (usually) a ring on the opposite side of the shield which can be gripped between the fingers when the baby pacifier is being handled.

1. A method of making a teat comprising injecting liquid silicon rubber into a mould cavity, and vulcanising the moulding in that cavity prior to removal of the product.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 comprising the use of a pair of die halves which meet at a plane containing the axis of the teat, and a third die part in the form of a core extending between said two die parts to define the interior shape of the teat.

3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the teat comprises a teat substitute for a baby pacifier.

4. A method as claimed in Claim 3 wherein said teat substitute is moulded integrally with a mouth shield and a ring on the opposite side of the shield from the teat substitute.

5. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the teat is a baby's feeding bottle teat and the method includes the step of providing a feeding orifice in the teat after the vulcanisation step.

6. A teat made by the method according to the preceding claim.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (6)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. SPECIFICATION Baby pacifier This invention relates to babies pacifiers or "dummies" comprising teat substitutes, and the invention also applies to teats for babies feeding bottles. The teat substitutes and the teats will collectively be referred to herein by the term teats. It is known to make teats from latex by dipping operation. This conventionally involves limitation in that the dipping tends to produce an article which is of uniform thickness overall. Moreover, latex which is suitable for this dipping operation may not be of satisfactory purity by the most exacting standards of today. In accordance with the present invention a method of making a teat comprises injecting a liquid silicon rubber into a mould cavity and vulcanising the moulding in that cavity prior to removal of the product. According to a feature of the invention, a complete baby pacifier comprising a teat is made as a one-piece vulcanised moulding by the method of the invention. One embodiment of the invention is more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:~ Figure 1 is a sectional plan view of a teat for a baby's feeding bottle; Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same; and Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section. The teat comprises a flange 10 which is relatively thick, a generally cylindrical main body portion 12, and the teat portion per se, that is to say the portion which is essentially to be received in the infant's mouth when the feeding bottle is in use, which is part-circular in plan view as seen in Figure 1 and indicated by the reference numeral 14, but is of flattened shape as seen in the other two views. The actual teat orifice through which the food is to be extracted is shown by the reference numeral 16 and appears in the centre of the generally circular area of the teat per se. The exterior form of the teat as illustrated is to be moulded in a pair of die halves meeting at the plane P-P Figure 3, and the interior form is provided by a core, which also forms the face 20 of the flange 10 and closes off the otherwise open mould cavity. This three-part mould construction enables a neck 22 to be provided between the largest portion 12 of the body and the flange 10 and a further constricted portion 24 between the teat per se and the portion 12. The manufacturing method involves using an injection screw at ambient temperature, or at any rate at a temperature suitable for the liquid silicon rubber being injected, and either a measured quantity is injected in to the assembled mould and core parts, or alternatively the injection continues until a particular pressure is achieved. The mould parts are then heated as mentioned to vulcanise the rubber, and subsequently two exterior forming dies are separated to leave the finished product on the core from which it is then stripped. The interior of the teat may be plain as shown, or areas may be locally thickened or thinned by provision of grooves or ribs on the core, to vary the strength at different points. As mentioned, but not shown in the drawings, the invention may be applied to a baby pacifier to make the complete article as a one-piece moulding by the method of the invention. A complete baby pacifier comprises a mouth shield, from which the teat according to the present invention projects on one side, and (usually) a ring on the opposite side of the shield which can be gripped between the fingers when the baby pacifier is being handled. CLAIMS

1. A method of making a teat comprising injecting liquid silicon rubber into a mould cavity, and vulcanising the moulding in that cavity prior to removal of the product.

2. A method as claimed in Claim 1 comprising the use of a pair of die halves which meet at a plane containing the axis of the teat, and a third die part in the form of a core extending between said two die parts to define the interior shape of the teat.

3. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the teat comprises a teat substitute for a baby pacifier.

4. A method as claimed in Claim 3 wherein said teat substitute is moulded integrally with a mouth shield and a ring on the opposite side of the shield from the teat substitute.

5. A method as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2 wherein the teat is a baby's feeding bottle teat and the method includes the step of providing a feeding orifice in the teat after the vulcanisation step.

6. A teat made by the method according to the preceding claim.