Patent Application

App. No. 12/325,850

Abstract

Claims (26)

1 . A nipple comprising:

a bulbous portion;

a tubular portion having a central axis and a first end of the tubular portion connected to the bulbous portion, the tubular portion including a texture band about an exterior surface, the texture band including a first pattern of surface features having a nominal height in a range from about 0.125 millimeters (mm) to about 0.500 mm; and

a flange connected to a second end of the tubular portion.

2 . The nipple of claim 1 , wherein a diameter of the bulbous portion is greater than a diameter of the tubular portion.

3 . The nipple of claim 1 , wherein the texture band extends from the first end of the tubular portion to the second end of the tubular portion.

4 . The nipple of claim 1 , wherein the first pattern of surface features include rings of surface features about the circumference of the tubular portion.

5 . The nipple of claim 4 , wherein each ring of surface features includes a plurality of individual surface feature nodes.

6 . The nipple of claim 4 , wherein the rings of surface features are separated by a nominal spacing in a range from about 0.200 mm to about 0.500 mm.

7 . The nipple of claim 1 , wherein the first texture band has a first end and a second end and a length of about 10 millimeters between the first end and the second end.

8 . The nipple of claim 1 , further comprising a second texture band about the tubular portion exterior and extending from the first texture band toward the flange, the second texture band having a second pattern of surface features, the surface features including a plurality of ribs, each rib having an apex.

9 . The nipple of claim 8 , wherein the plurality of ribs extend parallel to the central axis.

10 . The nipple of claim 9 , wherein each rib has a uniform height in a range from about 0.125 mm to about 0.500 mm.

11 . The nipple of claim 10 , wherein the apex of neighboring surface feature ribs are separated by a uniform distance in a range from about 0.200 mm to about 0.500 mm.

12 . The nipple of claim 8 , wherein the bulbous portion includes a third pattern of surface features.

13 . The nipple of claim 12 , wherein the third pattern of surface features includes rows of surface features extending from a distal end of the bulbous portion to the tubular portion.

14 . The nipple of claim 13 , wherein each row of surface features of the third pattern of surface features extends from the distal end of the bulbous portion according to a helical path toward the tubular portion.

15 . The nipple of claim 1 , further comprising a pacifier attachment coupled to the flange and adapted to pneumatically couple the nipple to a non-nutritive suck entrainment device.

16 . The nipple of claim 1 , further comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip coupled to the nipple.

17 . A nipple comprising:

a bulbous portion having a first pattern of surface features, each surface feature of the first pattern of surface features having a uniform height in a range from about 0.125 millimeters (mm) to about 0.500 mm;

a tubular portion having a first end connected to the bulbous portion, wherein the tubular portion includes a texture band about an exterior surface, the texture band having a second pattern of surface features; and

a flange connected to a second end of the tubular portion.

18 . The nipple of claim 17 , wherein the first pattern of surface features includes rows of surface feature nodes extending from a distal end of the bulbous portion to the tubular portion.

19 . The nipple of claim 18 , wherein each row of the first pattern of surface feature extends from the distal end of the bulbous portion according to a helical path toward the tubular portion.

20 . The nipple of claim 19 , further comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip coupled to the nipple.

Assignments (9)