Importance

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Abstract

A teat for feeding liquids to animals has a fastening member enabling the teat to be fastened to a source of liquid such as pipe or drum in use to project outwardly from the source. The teat is resilient having an outer end which is closed apart from a slit in it which slit is itself normally adapted to be closed to provide a liquid seal. The closed outer end is preferably concave, coned, cusped or otherwise reentrant. Integral reinforcing members such as webs are located internally on either side of the slit so that if the end of the teat is squashed or compressed by sucking forces exerted by the animal with components along the direction of slit, the reinforcing member causes the slit to be stretched open, thereby allowing liquid to flow out of it in use. The pulling or stretching action allows an acceptable flow rate from a comparatively small slit which is less prone to tear than a large slit. Also a wall-stiffening web is provided, preferably as transverse web integral with the reinforcing members webs, extending from at or near the slit towards the inlet end of the teat, to provide internal stiffening, and acting in conjunction with the resilients to hold the slit closed when no sucking is occurring.

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First Claim