1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to a leakage preventive device for use on a milk bottle or the like to prevent the milk in the bottle from leaking out.
2. Description of Related Art
A baby milk bottle typically includes a teat secured by a ring on the top opening of the bottle. The teat is customarily made from a soft, flexible material with a small hole for the baby to suck the milk contained in the bottle. In use, however, the milk in the bottle can leak out of the bottle through the hole of the teat when the bottle falls aside or is subjected to violent shaking, which would cause taints to the nearby furniture, clothing, or bedding.
In view of the foregoing problem, various leakage preventive devices have been provided to milk bottles so as to prevent leakage of the milk out of the bottle.
One conventional leakage preventive device for milk bottle includes a teat which is formed with a chamber with a large inside space near the sucking hole, and an elastic ring mounted in the chamber. The wall of the chamber is constricted near the bottom that allows the teat to be fastened to the bottle. The ring is made from an elastic material. When the ring is accommodated in the chamber of the teat, it is urged forcibly by the constricted portion of the chamber against the inner wall of the teat, thereby preventing the milk in the bottle from leaking out. When the baby sucks the teat, a gap can be formed between the ring and the inner wall of the chamber, thereby allowing the milk in the bottle to flow through the gap to the baby's mouth.
There are, however, some drawbacks to the above-mentioned prior art. First, since the chamber is relatively spacious and provided near the sucking hole of the teat, dust and bacteria can easily grow there, which can be sucked along with the milk into the baby's body. Moreover, the elastic ring is too tightly mounted in the teat which makes it hard to remove for cleaning. Second, when a baby sucks the teat for milk, it requires the baby to suck forcibly in order to make the gap between the ring and the inner wall of the teat to allow the milk to flow therethrough into the baby's mouth. It is therefore quite wearisome for the baby to drink milk from the bottle with the conventional leakage preventive device. Third, the elastic ring can easily loosen out of position from the teat after a long period of use due to fatigue of the elastic property thereof This can cause a large opening in the teat, making the teat unusable.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds