A problem with artificial teats for infants or young animals is that with repeated use the opening in the nipple end of the teat usually becomes enlarged causing a change in the flow rate though the teat. Disclosed is an artificial teat that is made of an elastomeric material and which includes a base end and a nipple end. The base end is configured to mate with a container or liquid supply, and the nipple end has one or more slits through which a liquid is able to flow when an infant or young animal is suckling. And the artificial teat includes a body member in which the or each slit is cut, and the body member has at least one slit assist member that is formed or made separate to the body member and which is integrated into the body member during manufacture.

According to a first embodiment, a feeding bottle comprises a vessel, collar, and nipple. The nipple comprises a base portion, a teat portion, an areola portion allowing movement of the teat portion towards and away from the base portion. According to a second embodiment, a feeding bottle comprises a vessel, collar, nipple and handle portion removeably secured to the vessel by the collar. The invention includes a flexible region or regions to provide a more natural feeding by closely mimicking the human breast.

A teat (10) for an infant feeding bottle (1), including a resilient wall (12) defining a central nipple (14a) and an areola (14b) that extend around a central axis (L), said teat being elastically transformable between a distended state in which the nipple defines a global maximum (38) and at least one depressed state that is accessible from the distended state by forcing the nipple at least partially into the areola along the central axis, and in which said wall (12) additionally defines an annular double fold (32) that defines an outer local maximum (34) and an inner local minimum (36), both extending circumferentially around the global maximum, wherein the wall defines a circumferential fold region (30) that, in said at least one depressed state, ranges from the local maximum to the local minimum of the double fold, and wherein said fold region has a rotationally asymmetric stiffness distribution.

The present disclosure is directed to a universal food and drink lid. The lid is formed of a stretchy material so that it can fit on a plurality of containers of different sizes. The lid is also formed of a material with sufficient elasticity so that once it is fit onto a container, such as a cup or a bowl, the lid forms a seal therewith that allows for a spill-proof connection between the container and the lid. The lid may further include an outlet for removing the contents of the container without removing the lid. The lid may further include an outlet that is a spout, an opening with a movable stopper, a straw opening or an opening sized to fit the hand of a user.

A bottle teat (1) having a base portion (2), which has a connecting flange (3) and in which the bottle teat (1) is substantially circular in a cross section running perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis (9), having a lip-support portion (5) and having a nipple portion (6), which opens out in a teat tip (7), wherein, in a direction perpendicular to its longitudinal axis (9), the bottle teat (1) has, in the lip-support portion (5), a non-circular cross section with a longitudinal axis (10) and a transverse axis (11), which is shorter than the longitudinal axis (10), characterized in that the base portion (2) and the lip-support portion (5) have provided between them a flex portion (4), which has enhanced flexibility in relation to the base portion (2) and the lip-support portion (5), wherein the flex portion (4) has a circumferentially encircling depression (15) in the form of anindent (19) and/or of a smaller wall thickness than in the portions adjacent to the depression (15), and therefore, about an axis running substantially in the direction of the transverse axis (11), the bottle teat (1) has a level of flexibility, for the purpose of pivoting the lip-support portion (5) and nipple portion (6), which is enhanced in relation to a similarly designed bottle teat without a depression.

A method for making teat unit including providing a support body and a securing part, the support body including a plurality of recesses, forming a teat by overmolding the teat over the support body and over the recesses of the support body so that the teat covers the recesses, and overmolding the teat over an upper edge of the securing part, thereby forming a connection between the securing part and the support body which connects the securing part to the support body. In another method, the support body and the securing part are already one single piece and the teat is overmolded at least over the support body.

A teat for use with a fluid container comprises a deformable mouthpiece for an infant to suck on during a fluid intake action and an inner core (20) disposed within the mouthpiece. An exterior surface (21) of the inner core (20) is spaced from an interior surface of the mouthpiece at the position of a fluid pocket guiding face (22) of the exterior surface (21) of the inner core (20) so that a fluid duct between the mouthpiece and the inner core (20) is defined which allows the infant to perform a peristaltic fluid intake action. At least one of the interior surface of the mouthpiece and the exterior surface (21) of the inner core (20) has at least one protrusion (23) that is designed to form a fluid barrier between the mouthpiece and the inner core (20) at a position for delimiting the fluid duct at the sides thereof.

A teat (1, 1′, 1″) comprising at least a shaft (4) and a nipple (2), wherein structured surface areas are provided at least in a partial region thereof, and the structured surface areas are formed by at least one rough surface zone (7) having a surface roughness of 100 μm at the most, in particular of 50 μm at the most.

According to a first embodiment, a feeding bottle comprises a vessel, collar, and nipple. The nipple comprises a base portion, a teat portion, an areola portion allowing movement of the teat portion towards and away from the base portion. According to a second embodiment, a feeding bottle comprises a vessel, collar, nipple and handle portion removeably secured to the vessel by the collar. The invention includes a flexible region or regions to provide a more natural feeding by closely mimicking the human breast.