Unidirectional valve for presurized containers

Abstract

In a nipple for a baby feeding container, a valve part is disclosed, comprising a unidirectional valve formed of a pliable material and oppositely oriented such that when attached to the container a normal fluid flow through the valve is into the container while a flow from the container to the outside is normally blocked, the valve is characterized by a plurality of normally closed non intersecting slits formed in a deformable wall which blocks the flow of liquid from the container to the outside unless when the slits become temporarily distorted by the natural mouth maneuverings of a baby. The valve is especially advantageous for use in baby feeding containers of inflatable type in which the liquid content is pressurized under the pressure exerted by the stretched elastomeric walls of the container.

1 - 11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . A nipple for baby feeding containers comprising a nipple neck, which nipple neck comprises:
 an outlet, which outlet is positioned near the nipple region suitable for and intended for being placed within a baby's mouth; and   an inlet which inlet is positioned opposite said outlet and which inlet is suitable for and intended for being positioned near the region of said baby feeding container, containing a liquid;   a hollow cylindrical wall extending between said outlet and said inlet; and   a unidirectional valve formed of a pliable material which unidirectional valve comprises a deformable wall disposed substantially perpendicularly to the hollow cylindrical wall, which deformable wall comprises at least two normally closed non intersecting slits and is connected to the hollow cylindrical wall at a region of said nipple neck remote from said outlet in that said deformable wall is connected to said hollow cylindrical wall at a region other than a terminus of said hollow cylindrical wall.   
     
     
         13 . The nipple according to  claim 12 , wherein said deformable wall is a curved wall arranged such that a surface facing said inlet is convex. 
     
     
         14 . The nipple according to  claim 13 , wherein the curved wall is domed or conic. 
     
     
         15 . The nipple according to  claim 12 , wherein the slits are located in respective bulged regions formed in the deformable wall of the valve, wherein each bulged region diverges from a common bulged region free from the slits in a mid-portion of the deformable wall. 
     
     
         16 . The nipple according to  claim 13 , wherein the curved wall has a rotational symmetry. 
     
     
         17 . The nipple according to  claim 16 , wherein an axis of the rotational symmetry is substantially uninclined to a longitudinal axis of the nipple. 
     
     
         18 . The nipple according to  claim 15 , wherein a plurality of slits are formed in and are angularly spaced about a center of symmetry of the deformable wall. 
     
     
         19 . The nipple according to  claim 18 , wherein the angular spaces are substantially equal. 
     
     
         20 . The nipple according to  claim 13 , wherein three non-intersecting angularly spaced slits are provided, diverging from near an apex of the convexity of the curved wall towards a circumference thereof. 
     
     
         21 . The nipple according to  claim 12 , wherein at least three non-intersecting slits angularly spaced about a common center are provided for allowing liquid flow upon distortion of at least one slit. 
     
     
         22 . The nipple  claim 21 , wherein at least some of the slits differ in length. 
     
     
         23 . A method of preventing leakage from an inflatable baby feeding container, said method comprising the step of orienting a unidirectional valve of claim  1  in a nipple of said baby feeding container such that a concaved side of said unidirectional valve faces a liquid outlet opening of said nipple, and a convex side of said unidirectional valve faces a liquid inlet opening of said nipple, which increases resistance of the valve against reverse flow as the pressure from said convex side increases, thereby preventing leakage from an inflatable baby feeding container. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein said unidirectional valve is characterized by at least two normally closed non intersecting slits providing for reverse liquid flow from the container to the outside upon distortion of the slits by natural mouth maneuverings of a baby using said inflatable baby feeding container. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said at least two normally closed non intersecting slits are formed in a deformable curved wall and a convex side of said curved wall is oriented facing a hollow of said container when said nipple is attached to said container. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein a plurality of slits are formed in and are angularly spaced about a center of symmetry of said deformable wall. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 26 , wherein angular spaces between said slits are substantially equal. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said non intersecting slits are three angularly spaced slits diverging from near an apex of a convex side of said deformable curved wall towards a circumference of said valve. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein said non-intersecting slits are three angularly spaced slits diverging from near a mid-point of a convex side of said deformable curved wall towards a circumference of said valve. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein at least a part of said at least two normally closed non-intersecting slits differ in length.