Baby bottle nipple opener
OwnerFrancis A. Cabaninventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A device for making, or enlarging, an opening in the tip of a rubber baby bottle nipple. One embodiment of the device has a lancet which can be selectively extended from a housing to cut an opening in the tip of a nipple. Alternatively, the lancet may be fixedly extended a predetermined distance from the housing and the nipple pushed onto the exposed end of the lancet by compression of a hinged, U-shaped handle. Other embodiments of the invention comprise a freestanding structure having the shape of a baby bottle nipple with a blade either mounted in a socket attached thereto on a flexible arm or string or in the structure itself.
Claims20
A hand-operated device for making an opening of a predetermined size in a tip of a baby bottle nipple, the device comprising:
- a generally tubular housing having a first end with a first opening therein, said first end having a hemispheric shape corresponding to the interior of a baby bottle nipple so that a baby bottle nipple may be conformably placed on said housing first end with a tip of the baby bottle nipple covering said first opening;
- a lancet carried within said housing and having a first end that may be moved along a longitudinal axis of said housing and extended through said first opening, said lancet first end having a blade for piercing a baby bottle nipple;
- engaging means in said housing for controlling movement of said lancet through said housing so that said blade may be extended a predetermined distance from said housing first end and so that the size of an opening made in a baby bottle nipple may be controlled;
- and
- grasping means attached to said housing for holding said device with one hand.
A device for providing an opening in a tip of a baby bottle nipple comprising:
- a cylindrical housing having two ends, each with an opening therein, a first end of said cylindrical housing having a shape generally conforming to the interior of the tip of a baby bottle nipple;
- sliding means carried within said cylindrical housing and able to move longitudinally therein;
- a lancet connected to a first end of said sliding means said lancet being able to extend through the opening in said first end of said housing;
- a press-to-extend mechanism at the second end of said housing for selectively controlling movement of said sliding means, said press-to-extend mechanism having a portion contacted by an operator of said device that returns to the same position relative to said housing after operation of said press-to-extend mechanism;
- a pad suitable for a human thumb affixed to said press-to-extend mechanism;
- and
- a crossmember affixed externally to said cylindrical housing and projecting laterally therefrom, said crossmember having two pads, each suitable for a human finger,
- whereby a baby bottle nipple conformably placed onto said housing first end is pierced to provide an opening therein when said press-to-extend mechanism is operated to extend said lancet from said housing first end, and whereby the size of the opening so made may be controlled by selective operation of said press-to-extend mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.