Squeezable, fillable feeding device

Abstract

An easy to use, squeezable device with a soft, flexible tube for feeding liquid nutrition to a person, includes: a) a squeezable bottle portion for holding the ingestible liquid therewithin, the bottle portion comprising an opening at its top surrounded by a neck; and b) a cap assembly comprising: flexible fluid-flow tubing, a spout or nipple assembly, and a threaded collar, an upper portion of the spout assembly being insertable through a central aperture in the collar, the flexible tubing having a first end in fluid communication with the bottle portion and a second end insertable in the patient's mouth, the flexible tubing extending through or encircling a central aperture in the spout assembly. The spout assembly preferably includes a leakproof flange, and a valve assembly for controlling flow. The device is particularly intended for use where suction such as nipples, straws, or sip cups are contraindicated after craniofacial surgery.

1 . A squeezable feeding device for feeding an ingestible liquid to a patient, the feeding device comprising: 
 a) a squeezable bottle portion comprising a top opening surrounded by a neck; and    b) a cap assembly comprising: flexible fluid-flow tubing, a separate spout or nipple assembly, and a detachable collar, an upper portion of the spout or nipple assembly being insertable through a central aperture in the collar, the flexible tubing comprising a first end in fluid communication with the bottle portion and a second end insertable in the patient's mouth the flexible tubing extending through a central aperture in the spout or nipple assembly the collar extending in a downward direction over the neck of the bottle portion an interior portion of the collar being engageable with an exterior portion of the neck; and    further comprising a separate flared tubing section at a lower end of the flexible tubing, the flared tubing section comprising a central aperture that is wider at a base of the flared tubing section than at an opposite, upper end of the flared tubing section, the flexible tubing being insertable through the flared tubing section aperture, the diameter of the aperture at the upper end of the flared tubing section closely corresponding to an outer diameter of the flexible tubing; and    further comprising a valve device comprising a resilient member disposed therewithin, and a movable valve member for releasably controlling a flow of the liquid through the valve device.    
   
   
       2 . The feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein the collar comprises interior threading engageable with the correspondingly threaded exterior portion of the neck of the bottle portion.  
   
   
       3 . A bottle device for feeding an ingestible fluid to a patient, the feeding device comprising: 
 a) a squeezable bottle portion for holding the ingestible fluid therewithin, the bottle portion comprising an open top surrounded by a neck; and    b) a leakproof cap assembly comprising: a nipple or spout assembly, a collar, and fluid-conducting tubing, the collar and bottle neck comprising corresponding threading, the nipple or spout assembly comprising a nipple or spout on its upper portion and a flange on its lower portion, the flange extending closely into the open top of the bottle portion, a portion of the nipple or spout assembly being mounted on the neck of the bottle portion, the fluid-conducting tubing extending from the interior of the spout or nipple assembly, the fluid-conducting tubing comprising an external flexible tube portion extending from an upper end of the nipple or spout assembly.    
   
   
       4 . A bottle device for feeding liquid nutrition to a patient, the feeding device comprising: 
 a) a squeezable bottle portion for holding the ingestible fluid therewithin, the bottle portion comprising an open top surrounded by a neck; and    b) a leakproof cap assembly comprising: a spout assembly, a collar, and fluid-conducting tubing, the collar and bottle neck comprising corresponding interior threads, the spout assembly comprising a peg on its upper portion and a flange on its lower portion, the peg extending in an upward direction through a central aperture in the collar, the fluid-conducting tubing having a first, upper end that is insertable into a mouth of the patient and a second, lower end that is removably attachable over the peg, the flange extending closely into the open top of the bottle portion, a portion of the spout assembly being mounted on the neck of the bottle portion, the spout assembly comprising a central channel.    
   
   
       5 . The feeding device according to  claim 4 , further comprising a liquid control valve assembly mounted in a lower portion of the spout assembly.  
   
   
       6 . The feeding device according to  claim 4 , further comprising a substantially rigid straw comprising a first, upper end extending into the spout assembly channel and a second, lower end extending in a downward direction into the bottle portion.  
   
   
       7 . The feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein the flexible tubing comprises a flared lower end portion for preventing the flexible tubing from sliding completely through the spout aperture.  
   
   
       8 . The feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein the spout or nipple assembly is a nipple assembly comprising a nipple on its upper portion; and further comprising a straw section for connecting the flexible tubing to the nipple, the straw section comprising a cylindrical upper end piece having a greater diameter than an angled lower end portion of the straw section, the lower end portion of the straw section being insertable through an aperture in an upper end of the nipple, the cylindrical upper end piece being insertable into a lower end of the flexible tubing.  
   
   
       9 . The feeding device according to  claim 1 , wherein the spout or nipple assembly is a nipple assembly comprising a nipple on its upper portion; and the flexible tubing comprises a plug at its lower end, the plug comprising a central aperture.  
   
   
       10 . The feeding device according to  claim 3 , further comprising a fluid control valve device in a space in the lower portion of the spout assembly, the fluid control valve device comprising a resilient member disposed therewithin, and a movable valve member.  
   
   
       11 . The feeding device according to  claim 3 , further comprising a fluid control valve assembly comprising a floppy disc comprising a central slit, the floppy disc being suspended across the lower bore end of the extended spout by a frame, the frame closely fitting into the flange, the frame comprising a central orifice surrounding the slit.  
   
   
       12 . The feeding device according to  claim 4 , further comprising a fluid control valve assembly comprising a floppy disc comprising a central slit, the floppy disc being suspended across a lower end of the spout channel by a frame, the frame closely fitting into the flange, the frame comprising a central orifice surrounding the slit.  
   
   
       13 . A bottle device for feeding an ingestible fluid to a patient, the feeding device comprising: 
 a) a squeezable bottle portion for holding the ingestible fluid therewithin, the bottle portion comprising a bottle neck, the bottle neck comprising an opening in its upper portion; and    b) a cap assembly comprising: a detachable, extended spout comprising a central bore with an opening at its upper end, and a detachable collar, an interior portion of the collar being engageable with an exterior portion of the bottle neck, the extended spout comprising a vertically extended upper spout portion, the extended spout bore decreasing in diameter from a wider lower bore end to a narrower upper bore end; a lower portion of the extended spout comprising a flange connected to a bottom surface of a base, the extended upper spout portion extending in a generally upward direction from a top surface of the base, an outside diameter of the flange generally corresponding to an inside diameter of the bottle neck.    
   
   
       14 . The feeding device according to  claim 13 , wherein the collar has an inside diameter generally corresponding to the outside diameter of the bottle neck, the base has a diameter generally corresponding to the outside diameter of the bottle neck, and the collar aperture has a diameter greater than the diameter of the lower portion of the extended spout and less than the diameter of the base.  
   
   
       15 . The feeding device according to  claim 14 , wherein an outside of the extended upper portion is marked with a plurality of horizontally oriented cut marks.  
   
   
       16 . The feeding device according to  claim 14 , further comprising a generally circular valve assembly inserted in the generally circular lower bore end of the extended spout.  
   
   
       17 . The feeding device according to  claim 13 , further comprising a valve assembly comprising a floppy disc, the floppy disc being suspended across the lower bore end of the extended spout by a frame, the frame closely fitting into the flange, the frame comprising a central orifice surrounding a central slit of the floppy disc.  
   
   
       18 . The feeding device according to  claim 13 , further comprising a length of flexible, fluid-conducting tubing inserted through the spout bore, with an upper end portion of the length of flexible tubing extending out through the upper bore end, and a lower end portion of the length of flexible tubing extending down through the lower bore end into the bottle portion.  
   
   
       19 . The feeding device according to  claim 18 , wherein the length of fluid-conducting tubing comprises a flared lower end portion.  
   
   
       20 . A kit for feeding an ingestible fluid to a patient, the kit comprising: 
 (a) a bottle portion of a feeding device;    (b) flexible, fluid-conducting tubing of a length that is less than the length of the bottle portion;    (c) at least one spout or nipple assembly of the feeding device;    (d) at least one fluid control valve for insertion in a lower portion of the nipple or spout assembly; and    (e) a substantially rigid straw for use in threading the flexible tubing through an orifice of a nipple of the nipple assembly.    
   
   
       21 . A method for assembling a bottle feeding device, comprising the steps of: 
 (a) inserting an angled upper end of a substantially rigid straw through a central lower space in a nipple assembly of the feeding device up through an orifice in an upper end of a nipple in an upper portion of the nipple assembly;    (b) threading a length of flexible, fluid-conducting tubing up through the straw, the flexible, fluid-conducting tubing having an outside diameter that is less than the inside diameter of the straw; and    (c) removing the straw by pulling it up through the nipple orifice, leaving a portion of the flexible, fluid-conducting tubing projecting from the nipple.    
   
   
       22 . The method according to  claim 21 , further comprising the steps of: 
 (d) inserting a generally cylindrical-shaped fluid control valve into a central, generally cylindrical-shaped space in a lower portion of the nipple assembly;    (e) filling a bottle portion of the feeding device with a desired amount of ingestible fluid; and    (f) detachably attaching the nipple assembly to a neck of the bottle portion.    
   
   
       23 . The method according to  claim 22 , wherein step (f) comprises the substeps of: 
 (f 1 ) inserting the nipple assembly through a central aperture in a threaded collar until a first projection and a second projection on a lower portion of the nipple assembly lodge on opposite sides of the central aperture; and    (f 2 ) screwing the internally threaded collar onto the correspondingly threaded outside of the bottle neck.