Vent valve assemblies for baby bottles
View Patent ↗A vent valve, and a vent valve assembly, for a liquid dispensing container, employ a vent disc having small open vent holes in cooperation with an overlying thin flexible flap that covers and closes the vent holes to limit liquid pressure on the holes when the container is upright, yet require little suction pressure to move the flap to draw liquid or vent through the holes. The vent valve can be used in a bottom cap that is attachable to the bottom open end of the container. The vent valve assembly includes such a bottom cap, a sealing member for sealing the bottom cap to the container, and a vent valve. The vent valve and/or bottom cap have an elevated vent disc and a top portion having the thin flexible flap.
1. A bottom cap for connection to the bottom open end of a liquid dispensing container, comprising:
a bottom wall with a central portion;
a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion; and
a side wall extending upwardly from the peripheral portion, the central portion including a raised inner wall and a rigid vent disc having a plurality of holes extending therethrough, the vent disc extending substantially horizontally across the inner wall and having a radially outer portion that merges with the inner wall, and the side wall having an interior surface with structure for connecting the bottom cap to the bottom open end of the container;
wherein the plurality of holes are each positioned radially proximal the side wall, and each of the plurality of holes has a diameter in the range of about 0.005 inch to about 0.125 inch.
2. The bottom cap of claim 1 , wherein the diameter of each of the plurality of holes is in the range of between about 0.010 inch and about 0.040 inch.
3. The bottom cap of claim 1 , wherein the vent disc includes a top surface, and the plurality of holes extend through the top surface, and a portion of the top surface has a texture.
4. The bottom cap of claim 3 , wherein the portion of the top surface having a texture is located radially outside of and peripheral to the plurality of holes, and wherein the textured surface area consumes substantially all of the peripheral portion of the vent disc located radially outside of the plurality of holes.
5. The bottom cap of claim 4 , wherein the portion of the top surface having a texture is roughened relative to a remainder of the top surface.
6. The bottom cap of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of holes has a circular shape, a tapered shape, or a frustoconical shape, or a combination thereof.
7. The bottom cap of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of holes has an upper portion and a lower portion, such that a portion of the lower portion has a larger diameter than a portion of the upper portion.
8. The bottom cap of claim 1 , wherein the central portion is substantially flat.
9. The bottom cap of claim 1 , wherein the side wall has a shape that is one of straight, circular, domed, frustoconical, tapered, or sloped.
10. The bottom cap of claim 1 , wherein the structure for connecting the bottom cap to the liquid dispensing device is at least one thread.
11. The bottom cap of claim 1 wherein the plurality of holes are configured such that a surface tension of a liquid disposed within the container will prevent passage of liquid through the plurality of holes absent an application of a pressure difference across the plurality of holes other than any pressure difference associated with the liquid disposed within the container.
12. A vent valve assembly for connection to a bottom end of a liquid dispensing container, comprising:
a bottom cap including:
a bottom wall having a central portion;
a peripheral portion surrounding the central portion; and
a side wall extending upwardly from the peripheral portion, the central portion including a raised inner wall and a rigid vent disc having a plurality of holes extending there through, the vent disc extending substantially horizontally across the inner wall and having a radially outer portion that merges with the inner wall, and the side wall having an interior surface with structure for connecting the bottom cap to the bottom open end of the container;
wherein the plurality of holes are each positioned radially proximal the side wall, and each of the plurality of holes has a diameter in the range of about 0.005 inch to about 0.125 inch; and
a vent valve having a flexible flap that extends over the plurality of holes in the bottom cap and which vent valve is disposable in a first configuration wherein the flexible flap is disposed in contact with central portion over the plurality of holes and in a second configuration wherein the flexible flap is separated from a portion of the central portion having the plurality of holes.