The present invention relates to a comfort aid for a baby, toddler, or child.
A number of types of comfort aid are commonly used to soothe and aid sleep in babies, toddlers, and children. One such comfort aid is a soother, also known as a ‘pacifier’ or ‘dummy’. Other known comfort aids include comforters and teethers. Comforters typically comprise a soft piece of fabric to be held or stroked. Teethers are used as a soothing tool for inflamed gums during teething.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a comfort aid for a baby, toddler, or child, wherein the comfort aid comprises a soother and a fascia; wherein the soother comprises a shield and the fascia overlies at least a part of the shield; and the fascia is configured to grip at least a part of an edge of the shield.
Preferably, the fascia is a teether.
Preferably, the fascia comprises a resiliently deformable material.
Preferably, the fascia comprises one or more raised elements.
Preferably, the one or more raised elements comprise one or more nodules or ridges.
Preferably, the fascia comprises a perimeter flange configured to grip the edge of the shield.
Preferably, the fascia encapsulates the shield.
Preferably, the fascia comprises a first fascia portion and a second fascia portion.
Preferably, the first fascia portion is a first teether portion and the second fascia portion is a second teether portion.
Preferably, the second fascia portion extends from a teat of the soother.
Preferably, a distal edge of the first fascia portion is adhered to a distal edge of the second fascia portion.
Preferably, the fascia is detachable from the soother.
Preferably, the soother comprises a pivotable handle, wherein the pivotable handle has a first position in which the fascia is removable from the soother.
Preferably, the pivotable handle has multiple positions other than the first position, in which the fascia is secured to the soother.
Preferably, the comfort aid further comprises a detachable comforter.
Preferably, the comforter comprises attachment means for attachment to the soother.
Preferably, the soother comprises a detachable teat cap.
In a second aspect, the present invention provides a toy having a head and a body, wherein the head comprises the comfort aid of the present invention and the body comprises the comforter.
In a third aspect, the present invention provides a soother comprising: a shield; and a hub comprising a hub body and a hub fascia; wherein the shield comprises a protrusion; the hub body comprises at least one aperture; and the hub fascia comprises at least one compressible tang for snap-fit engagement with the aperture, the tang comprising a slot; wherein the shield, the hub body, and the hub fascia are assembled such that the protrusion extends into the slot to prevent compression of the tang.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The soother 11 is illustrated in greater detail in
A central region 100 of the second surface 22 of the shield 20 may comprise a substantially annular wall 101 extending away from the second surface 22. The annular wall 101 may be provided with two slot regions 102. An exterior surface of the annular wall 101 may be provided with one or more zero tolerance ribs 103. A ridge 104 may be provided on the second surface 22 around at least a part of the annular wall 101. Within the annular wall 101, the central region 100 may comprise a central aperture 105 and one or more projections 106 that may extend away from the second surface 22.
A teat 30 may extend from the first surface 21 of the shield 20. The teat 30 may be sized and shaped for sucking by a baby, toddler, or child, as is well known in the art. The teat 30 may be made of silicone, latex, or any other suitable material. The teat 30 may be hollow (as shown in
A handle 40 may be pivotally connected to the second surface 22 of the shield 20. As illustrated, the handle 40 may be pivotally connected to a hub 41 extending from the second surface 22. A maximum width of the handle 40 may be greater than a maximum width of the hub 41.
The hub 41 may comprise a hub body 80 (shown in
The hub body 80 may be provided with one or more apertures 90 for receiving the one or more tangs 84 of the hub fascia 81. An interior of the hub body 80 may be provided with an annular projection 91, within which there may be a central projection 92. Two slots 93 may be provided in a side wall 94 of the hub body 80, to accommodate the handle 40.
The shield 20 and the hub body 80 may be made of polypropylene, or any other suitable material. The hub fascia 81 may be made of silicone rubber, or any other suitable material.
The hub 41 may thus be assembled by inserting the one or more tangs 84 of the hub fascia 81 though the one or more apertures 90 of the hub body 80. The slots 87 in the one or more tangs 84 allow the tang 84 to pass through the smaller aperture 90, to achieve the snap-fit connection. The orientation keys 88 on the hub fascia 81 and the hub body 80 aid in orientating the two parts prior to insertion of the tangs 84. In an alternative embodiment, the hub 41 may comprise a single element.
To assemble the soother 11, the teat 30 may be mated with the shield 20 such that the neck portion 34 of the teat 30 sits within the central aperture 105 of the shield 20, with the annular flange 33 lying substantially against the second surface 22 of the shield 20. Opposing ends of the handle 40 may be slotted into the two slot regions 102 of the annular wall 101 of the central region 100 of the second surface 22 of the shield 20. The hub 41 may then be mated to the shield 20 by fitting the side wall 94 of the hub body 80 around the annular wall 101 of the central region 100, with the two slots 93 of the hub body 80 corresponding with the two slot regions 102 of the annular wall 101. As this occurs, the central projection 92 of the hub body 80 may extend into the opening 31 of the teat and exert an outward force on it, with the annular projection 91 of the hub body 80 contacting the annular flange 33 of the teat, thereby securing the teat 30 to the shield 20. The one or more projections 106 may extend into the slots 87 of the one or more tangs 84 of the hub fascia 81 and exert an outward force on them, to further secure the connection between the hub fascia 81 and the hub body 80. The side wall 94 of the hub body may sit over the ridge 104 provided around at least a part of the annular wall 101. The one or more zero tolerance ribs 103 may aid in achieving a friction fit between the side wall 94 of the hub body 80 and the annular wall 101 of the central region 100. Complementary orientation keys (not shown) may be provided on the shield 20 and the hub body 80 to aid in orientating the two parts when mating them. Finally, the hub 41 may be welded to the shield 20 by any suitable method. For example, high frequency welding (also known as radio frequency welding) may be used, during which the ridge 104 may melt to form the weld.
The teether 12 is illustrated in greater detail in
The second surface 51 of the teether 12 may be provided with one or more raised elements 56 such as nodules or ridges. The second surface 51 may be further provide with design elements 57. The design elements 57 may be flush with the second surface 51, for example printed design elements, or they may be in relief.
Whilst a teether 12 has been described above, the described constructional details may be applied to any form of fascia 12. It may be the case that the fascia 12 does not comprise a reliantly deformable material. The fascia 12 may be made of polypropylene, or another suitable material.
A removable teat cap 60, as illustrated in
A hollow enclosure 66 may project from the second surface 63 of the base element 61 of the teat cap 60, around an aperture 67. The hollow enclosure 66 may be configured to fit around the teat 30 of the soother 11. Preferably, clearance is provided between the teat 30 and the hollow enclosure 66.
One or more airflow apertures 68 may be provided in the base element 61 of the teat cap 60, although these are not required.
A comforter 70 (illustrated in
In use, the handle 40 of the soother 11 may be moved to a first position, substantially perpendicular to the shield 20 of the soother. With the handle 40 in the first position, the teether 12 may be fitted to the soother 11 by passing the aperture 53 and slots 54 of the teether 12 over the hub 41 and handle 40 of the soother, and using the perimeter flange 52 to grip the shield 20 of the soother 11. The handle 40 of the soother 11 may then be moved to a position other than the first position, in which the teether 12 may not be able to pass over the handle 40 and therefore is secured to the soother 11. Due to the perimeter ridge 26 on the second surface 22 of the shield 20 of the soother 11, in the combined soother 11 and teether 12 assembly a gap (not shown) is provided between the second surface 22 of the shield 20 of the soother 11 and the first surface 50 of the teether 12. In some embodiments, However, in an alternative embodiment the teether 12 may be adhered to the shield 20, for example via an adhesive (for example, a medical grade adhesive such as an adhesive from the Dymax MD range of adhesives, available from Dymax Corporation), such that the teether 12 is not detachable from the soother 11.
To attach the comforter 70 to the combined soother 11 and teether 12, or to the soother 11 on its own, the distal end of the tag 73 may be passed through the handle 40 of the soother 11 and secured via the securing means 74.
The teat cap 60 may be fitted to the soother 11 by passing the one or more hooked projections 64 of the teat cap 60 through the one or more airflow apertures 23 of the soother 11, such that the one or more hooked projections 64 grips the corresponding one or more flanges 25 at the edge of the airflow aperture 23. The soother 11 alignment features 24 and the corresponding teat cap 60 alignment features 65 may also mate. When the teat cap 60 is fitted to the combined soother 11 and teether 12 assembly, the mated hooked projection 64 and flange 25 may sit within the gap provided between the second surface 22 of the shield 20 of the soother 11 and the first surface 50 of the teether 12.
The various components of the comfort aid 10 may be disassembled by reversing the above steps.
The teether 12 of the second embodiment may comprise a first teether portion 58 and a second teether portion 35.
The first teether portion 58 (shown in
The second teether portion 35 (shown in
Whilst a teether 12 has been described above in relation to the second embodiment, the described constructional details may be applied to any form of fascia 12. Like the teether 12, the fascia 12 may extend around the first surface 21 of the shield 20. The fascia 12 may encapsulate the shield 20. The fascia 12 may comprise a first fascia portion 58 and a second fascia portion 35. It may be the case that the fascia 12 does not comprise a reliantly deformable material. The fascia 12 may be made of polypropylene, or another suitable material.
The soother 11 of the second embodiment may comprise the same shield 20, handle 40, and hub 41 as described with respect to the first embodiment. The teat 30 of the second embodiment may comprise all of the features of the teat 30 of the first embodiment, with the addition of the second teether portion 35.
To assemble the comfort aid 10 of the second embodiment, the teat 30 may be mated with the shield 20 such that the neck portion 34 of the teat 30 sits within the central aperture 105 of the shield 20, with the annular flange 33 lying substantially against the second surface 22 of the shield 20. The second teether portion 35 may lie substantially against the first surface 21 of the shield 20, with the perimeter flange 36 of the second teether portion 35 sitting around a perimeter of the shield 20 and the one or more aperture flanges 38 of the second teether portion 35 sitting within the one or more airflow apertures 23 of the shield 20. Opposing ends of the handle 40 may be slotted into the two slot regions 102 of the annular wall 101 of the central region 100 of the second surface 22 of the shield 20. The hub 41 may then be mated to the shield 20 by fitting the side wall 94 of the hub body 80 around the annular wall 101 of the central region 100, with the two slots 93 of the hub body 80 corresponding with the two slot regions 102 of the annular wall 101. As this occurs, the central projection 92 of the hub body 80 may extend into the opening 31 of the teat and exert an outward force on it, with the annular projection 91 of the hub body 80 contacting the annular flange 33 of the teat, thereby securing the teat 30 to the shield 20. The one or more projections 106 may extend into the slots 87 of the one or more tangs 84 of the hub fascia 81 and exert an outward force on them, to further secure the connection between the hub fascia 81 and the hub body 80. The side wall 94 of the hub body may sit over the ridge 104 provided around at least a part of the annular wall 101. The one or more zero tolerance ribs 103 may aid in achieving a friction fit between the side wall 94 of the hub body 80 and the annular wall 101 of the central region 100. Complementary orientation keys (not shown) may be provided on the shield 20 and the hub body 80 to aid in orientating the two parts when mating them. The hub 41 may be welded to the shield 20 by any suitable method. For example, high frequency welding (also known as radio frequency welding) may be used, during which the ridge 104 may melt to form the weld.
The first teether portion 58 may then be fitted to the soother 11 by first moving the handle 40 of the soother 11 to a first position, substantially perpendicular to the shield 20 of the soother. With the handle 40 in the first position, the aperture 53 and slots 54 of the first teether portion 58 may be passed over the hub 41 and handle 40 of the soother 11, such that the first surface 50 of the first teether portion 58 lies substantially against the second surface 22 of the shield 20. The perimeter flange 52 of the first teether portion 58 may sit around the perimeter of the shield 20, and the one or more aperture flanges 58 of the first teether portion 58 may sit within the one or more airflow apertures 23 of the shield 20. Finally, the perimeter flange 36 and the one or more airflow apertures 37 of the second teether portion 35 may be adhered to the perimeter flange 52 and the one or more airflow apertures 58 of the teether 12. This may be done using an adhesive (for example, a medical grade adhesive such as an adhesive from the Dymax MD range of adhesives, available from Dymax Corporation), via a welding method (such as high frequency or ultrasonic welding), by compression moulding, or by any other suitable method.
In use, the comforter 70 may be attached to the soother 11 by passing the distal end of the tag 73 through the handle 40 of the soother 11, and securing the tag 73 via the securing means 74.
The combined assembly of the soother 11, teether 12, and comforter 70 may form a toy. For example, the toy may resemble a character having a head and a body, such as an animal or a person. In such an arrangement, the soother 11 and/or teether 12 may form the head of the character and the comforter 70 may form the body of the character. For example, the design elements 57 on the teether 12 may represent the ears of an animal, while the hub 41 of the soother 11 may be decorated to represent at least part of an animal's nose.
Embodiments of the invention are considered as set out in the following numbered clauses:
1. A comfort aid for a baby, toddler, or child, wherein the comfort aid comprises a soother having a detachable teether.
2. A comfort aid according to clause 1, wherein the teether comprises a resiliently deformable material.
3. A comfort aid according to clause 1 or clause 2, wherein the teether comprises one or more raised elements.
4. A comfort aid according to clause 3, wherein the one or more raised elements comprise one or more nodules or ridges.
5. A comfort aid according to any one of the preceding clauses, wherein the soother comprises a shield and the teether overlies at least a part of the shield.
6. A comfort aid according to clause 5, wherein the teether is configured to grip at least a part of an edge of the shield.
7. A comfort aid according to clause 6, wherein the teether comprises a perimeter flange configured to grip the edge of the shield.
8. A comfort aid according to any one of the preceding clauses, wherein the soother comprises a pivotable handle.
9. A comfort aid according to clause 8, wherein the pivotable handle has a first position in which the teether is removable from the soother.
10. A comfort aid according to clause 9, wherein the pivotable handle has multiple positions other than the first position, in which the teether is secured to the soother.
11. A comfort aid according to any one of the preceding clauses, further comprising a detachable comforter.
12. A comfort aid according to clause 11, wherein the comforter comprises attachment means for attachment to the soother.
13. A comfort aid according to any one of the preceding clauses, wherein the soother comprises a detachable teat cap.
14. A toy having a head and a body, wherein the head comprises the comfort aid of any one of clauses 1 to 10 and the body comprises the comforter of clause 11 or clause 12.
15. A soother comprising:
a shield; and
a hub comprising a hub body and a hub fascia; wherein
the shield comprises a protrusion;
the hub body comprises at least one aperture; and
the hub fascia comprises at least one compressible tang for snap-fit engagement
with the aperture, the tang comprising a slot; wherein
the shield, the hub body, and the hub fascia are assembled such that the protrusion extends into the slot to prevent compression of the tang.
16. A comfort aid according to any one of clauses 1 to 14 comprising the soother of clause 15.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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1710451.4 | Jun 2017 | GB | national |
This application is a national stage entry under 35 U.S.C. 371 of PCT Patent Application No. PCT/GB2018/051846, filed Jun. 29, 2018, which claims priority to United Kingdom Patent Application No. 1710451.4, filed Jun. 29, 2017, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/GB2018/051846 | 6/29/2018 | WO | 00 |