Teat

1. A teat comprising:

a nipple adapted to be received within a baby's mouth;

shaft; and

a lip abutment region interconnecting the shaft and the nipple;

the nipple comprising a concave outer surface extending around a circumference of the nipple;

the lip abutment region comprising a convex outer surface extending around a circumference of the lip abutment region;

structured surface areas configured to be contacted by the baby's mouth, said structured surface areas formed by at least one textured surface;

the at least one textured surface extending continuously within and above the concave outer surface on a first side of the nipple and upwardly and over an upper side of the nipple, and down into a second opposite side of the concave outer surface of the nipple;

at least a portion of an outer surface of the teat having a smooth surface, the smooth surface being other than a textured surface; and

wherein a horizontal cross section of the teat passes through both the structured surface areas and the smooth surface.

2. A teat according to claim 1 , wherein:

the smooth surface is a non-textured surface and has a stickiness.

3. A teat according to claim 2 , wherein:

the non-textured surface is a transparent or translucent surface.

4. A teat according to claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one textured surface extends within the outer convex surface of the lip abutment region.

5. A teat according to claim 4 , wherein:

the outer convex surface of the lip abutment region does not include any outwardly projecting nodules.

6. A teat according to claim 1 , wherein:

the teat is an injection-molded teat.

7. A teat according to claim 1 , wherein:

the teat is made of an elastomer and the smooth surface has a stickiness.

8. A teat according to claim 7 , wherein:

the elastomer is latex.

9. A teat according to claim 7 , wherein:

the elastomer is silicone.

10. A teat according to claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one textured surface extends within the lip abutment region.

11. A teat according to claim 10 , wherein:

the shaft has a certain wall thickness, the lip abutment region has a certain wall thickness, and the nipple has a certain wall thickness; and

the wall thickness of the shaft exceeds the wall thickness of the lip abutment region and the wall thickness of the nipple.

12. A teat according to claim 11 , wherein:

the wall thickness of the shaft ranges from 2.00 mm to 2.5 mm; and

the wall thickness of the nipple and of the lip abutment region ranges from 1.20 mm to 1.50 mm.

13. A teat according to claim 11 , wherein:

the lip abutment region comprises at least one thinner zone having a wall thickness slighter than the wall thickness of a remaining lip abutment region.

14. A teat according to claim 13 , wherein:

the at least one thinner zone extends into the portion of the concave outer surface of the nipple; and

the at least one textured surface and the at least one thinner zone are arranged so as to at least partially overlap.

15. A teat according to claim 14 , wherein:

the at least one thinner zone is reinforced by at least one stiffening rib inside the teat.

16. A teat according to claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one textured surface comprises a surface formed by having been molded from a mold having been surface-roughened by spark erosion or chemical etching.

17. A teat according to claim 1 , wherein:

the at least one textured surface has a surface roughness within a range of 10 μm to 50 μm.

18. A teat according to claim 1 , further comprising:

at least one stiffening projection in the form of a rib provided on an inner side of the teat configured to reinforce the at least one textured surface at least in an area of the nipple.

19. A teat according to claim 18 , wherein:

on an outer surface of none of the at least one textured surface is there a projection having an elevation as great as an elevation of a stiffening projection of the rib.

20. A teat comprising:

a nipple having a circumferentially extending concave outer surface;

a lip abutment region below the nipple;

a shaft below the lip abutment region;

the lip abutment region extending continuously into the shaft;

at least one rough surface zone having a roughness depth of 10 μm to 50 μm;

at least one smooth surface zone having a stickiness;

the at least one rough surface zone having a greater roughness depth than a roughness depth of the at least one smooth surface zone;

the at least one rough surface zone having a soft, skin-like appearance and feel and a lesser stickiness than the stickiness of the at least one smooth surface zone;

the teat being transparent or translucent in the at least one smooth surface zone;

the at least one rough surface zone extending above the lip abutment region and continuously within a length of the nipple within and above the concave outer surface on a first side of the nipple and upwardly and over an upper side of the nipple, and down into a second opposite side of the concave outer surface of the nipple to configure the at least one rough surface zone to be positioned to be contacted by a baby's tongue during a feeding or sucking position of the nipple received in a baby's mouth; and

wherein a horizontal cross section of the teat passes through both the structured surface areas and the smooth surface.

21. A teat according to claim 20 , wherein:

the teat is made of a material selected from the group consisting of a rubber or silicone that provides the at least one smooth surface zone with the stickiness; and

the roughness depth of the at least one rough surface zone provides the teat, in the at least one textured zone, with a greater softness and the lesser stickiness than in the at least one smooth surface zone.

22. A teat according to claim 20 , wherein:

the lip abutment region comprises an outer convex surface; and

the at least one textured surface extends within the outer convex surface of the lip abutment region and at least within the outer concave surface of a lower region of the nipple.

23. A teat according to claim 20 , wherein:

a combination of at least a lower extent of the nipple and at least an upper extent of the lip abutment region, but not the shaft, constitute at least one baby-tongue-and-palate-stripping portion of the teat; and

said at least one rough surface zone consists of said at least one baby-mouth-and-palate-stripping portion of the teat.

24. A teat according to claim 23 , wherein:

said at least one baby-tongue-and-palate-stripping portion of the teat comprises at least two baby-tongue-and-palate-stripping portions of the teat arranged diametrically opposite each other.

25. A teat according to claim 23 , wherein:

said at least one baby-tongue-and-palate-stripping portion of the teat is substantially triangular.