Patent Application
20070260280
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to the field of infant feeding and care products, and more specifically to infant pacifiers.
2. Description of the Related Technology
A pacifier is a soft, elastomeric rubber or plastic nipple with a retainer that is designed to be given to an infant or small child to suck upon. A pacifier is alternatively sometimes termed a “dummy” (mainly in the UK) or a “soother” (mainly in Canada).
The first mention of pacifiers in western medical literature was circa 1500 in Germany, but similar 2000-3000 year-old specimens have been excavated from graves in Italy and Cyprus by archeologists. These include small clay horses and frogs that possessed handles and were evidently meant to be hung around the neck. One opening permitted the insertion of some viscous material, perhaps honey, while small orifices at the animal's mouth permitted the infant to suck out the honey. Such feeding pacifiers were made in Europe until the Middle Ages. Pieces of fabric with foodstuffs tied inside were also given to babies in many parts of Northern Europe. In some places a piece of meat or fat was tied in cloth, and sometimes the fabric was moistened with brandy. German-speaking areas might use Lutschbeutel, which was a cloth wrapped around sweetened bread, sometimes containing poppy seeds. A pacifier popular in 19th century America was the “sugar teat.” This was made by tying cloth or gauze around a small amount of sugar and soaking it, then giving it to baby to suck. Hard teething articles such as teething rings have also been in use for hundreds of years.
Modern pacifiers were a follow-on development of both hard teething rings and the earlier pacifiers discussed above. The first recognizable modern pacifier is thought to be the “baby comforter” invented by C. W. Meinecke, U.S. Design Pat. No. D33,212.
The use of expensive materials for infant products is not a new concept. Silver teethers and pacifiers were often given to babies born to wealth in earlier centuries. Coral was believed to guard against all kinds of evil and according to the Oxford English Dictionary, in England in the 17th-19th centuries, a coral meant a teething toy made of coral, ivory or bone.
Very recently, pacifiers have appeared on the market that have components that are studded with gemstones. Although these products may be commercially attractive to some consumers, they are potentially unsafe for a number of reasons. The gemstones can become detached from the pacifier, particularly if they are touched by the infant or someone else, and can potentially be aspirated or swallowed by the infant. The risk of the gemstones becoming detached is exacerbated through extended use of the pacifier, and particularly by washing and drying of the pacifier using a dishwasher. In addition, the mounting of the gemstones to the pacifier in such products typically creates small crevices in which bioactive material such as saliva and bits of dried milk and food can collect, meaning that potentially unhealthy bacteria would be expected to propagate on the surface of the pacifier. This will pose a health risk to the infant. Finally, from a purely aesthetic standpoint, exposure of the gemstones to dirt, wax and grease will tend to dull the brightness of the gemstones over time.
A need exists for a gemstone display pacifier that is safer, more sanitary, more durable, and that retains its beauty for a longer period of time than the gemstone pacifiers that have very recently appeared on the market.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide a gemstone display pacifier that is safer, more sanitary, more durable, and that retains its beauty for a longer period of time than the gemstone pacifiers that have very recently appeared on the market.
In order to achieve the above and other objects of the invention, a pacifier according to a first aspect of the invention includes a teat, a main body assembly secured to the teat, a plurality of gemstones, and a protective cover, the protective cover being mounted to the main body assembly so as to prevent infants, small children and consumers from touching the gemstones, the protective cover further being constructed and the gemstones being positioned so that the gemstones may be visible to infants, small children and consumers through the protective cover.
A pacifier component according to a second aspect of the invention includes a teat connector that is constructed and arranged to have an elastomeric teat mounted thereto, and a display face, the display face having a plurality of cavities defined therein, each of the cavities being sized and shaped to receive an individual gemstone for seating therein.
A pacifier display assembly according to a third aspect of the invention includes a display face having a plurality of cavities defined therein, each of the cavities being sized and shaped to receive an individual gemstone for seating therein, the display face further being adapted for connection to a main body assembly of a pacifier; a plurality of gemstones, each of said gemstones respectively being seated in one of said cavities; and a protective cover that is constructed and arranged to prevent infants, small children and consumers from touching said gemstones while permitting said gemstones to be viewed therethrough.
According to a fourth aspect of the invention, a pacifier includes a teat holder having a teat connector on a first side thereof and a display face on a second side thereof, a teat securely mounted to the teat connector, a plurality of gemstones mounted to the display face, a mouth plate, and a protective cover, the protective cover being mounted to the teat holder so as to prevent infants, small children and consumers from touching the gemstones, the protective cover further being constructed so that the gemstones may be visible to infants, small children and consumers therethrough.
These and various other advantages and features of novelty that characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, its advantages, and the objects obtained by its use, reference should be made to the drawings which form a further part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding structure throughout the views, and referring in particular to
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The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends using a pacifier at nap and nighttime during an infant's first year to help reduce the risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Further information and guidelines on these recommendations are provided at www.aap.org and www.firstcandle.org. Because the pacifier 10 appears to resemble jewelry, it may attract and hold the interest both of infants and caregivers more frequently and for a longer period of time than a conventional pacifier. This may encourage pacifier use, both at home and when traveling, which in turn may help reduce the risk of SIDS.
According to one particularly advantageous feature of the invention, a protective cover 22 is mounted to the teat holder 12 so as to prevent infants, small children and consumers from touching the gemstones 26. The protective cover 22 is preferably constructed so that the gemstones 26 will be visible to infants, small children and consumers when the pacifier 10 is not being used. When the pacifier 10 is being used, the gemstones 26 ordinarily will not be visible to the infant or small child who has the pacifier 10 in his or her mouth. However, the gemstones 26 still typically will be viewable by others when the pacifier 10 is being used, unless a caregiver or other person is in the process of attempting to grip the handle 24 of the pacifier 10 or the protective cover 22 of the pacifier 10 to remove the pacifier 10 from the mouth of the infant or small child.
Another benefit of the protective cover 22 is that it permits a wide assortment of decorative materials that would otherwise be too fragile for use on a pacifier to be used in the creation of a decorative pattern beneath the protective cover 22. For example, glitter material, which may be a vacuum metalized plastic material, could be used in conjunction with gemstones in the preferred embodiments of the invention.
In the preferred embodiment, display face 16 preferably has a plurality of cavities 28 molded therein, and each of the cavities 28 is preferably sized and shaped appropriately for receiving an individual gemstone 26 for seating therein. Each of the plurality of gemstones 26 is respectively then preferably securely seated and adhesively fastened within one of the individual cavities 28 that are provided within the display face 16 of the teat holder 12. The array of cavities 28 on the display face 16 is preferably customized for the particular gemstone design that is to be shown. This customization is effective not only by varying the location and spacing of the individual cavities on the display face 16 but also by varying the size and depth of the individual cavities. By varying the size of the individual cavities, gemstones of different diameters can be used in the design. By varying the depth of the individual cavities, gemstones of different depths can be used in the design. Moreover, by varying the depths of the individual cavities, gemstones having the same depths can be used in a manner to create a design pattern that is non-uniform in height.
Each of the gemstones 26 may be a genuine gemstone, but it is preferably a gemstone simulant, such as a rhinestone. A rhinestone or paste is a diamond simulant made from rock crystal, glass, acrylic or other suitable material. For purposes of this document, the term “gemstone” shall be interpreted as including both genuine gemstones and gemstone simulants such as diamond simulants, e.g. rhinestones.
The protective cover 22 is preferably fabricated from a transparent material, which could be clear or tinted, but is preferably clear. The transparent material could be glass or a plastic material, but is preferably a durable dishwasher safe plastic material such as polycarbonate. Protective cover 22 includes a viewing surface or lens 44 that is constructed and arranged to provide an unobstructed view of the display face 16 and the gemstones 26. Lens 44 preferably has a convex outer surface and is optically neutral. In alternative embodiments, lens 44 could be constructed to be optically active so as to provide magnification of the display face 16 and the gemstones 26, or to provide other optical effects. Lens 44 could also alternatively be mounted so as to be rotatable and be made optically active so as to provide kaleidoscopic effects. Lens surface 44 may have a nonreflective coating provided thereon to reduce glare and improve the appearance of the pacifier 10 in certain light conditions.
The exterior of protective cover 22, including the viewing surface 44 is preferably constructed so as to be substantially smooth and free from small crevices in which bioactive material such as saliva and bits of dried milk and food could potentially collect. A small crevice for purposes of this document is hereby defined as a concave radius of curvature less than 0.05 inches.
Protective cover 22 is also preferably permanently mounted to the teat holder 12, whereby consumers will not be able to gain access to the gemstones 26 without destroying the pacifier 10. In the preferred embodiment, this is achieved by effecting a weld 42 between a sidewall 46 of the protective cover 22 and a circumferential outer surface 47 of the teat holder 12. Weld 42 is preferably but not necessarily a sonic weld. A weld is also preferably formed between the sidewall 46 of the protective cover 42 and a mounting flange 50 of the mouth plate member 20, as is best shown in
According to one particularly advantageous feature of the invention, the gemstones 26 are preferably of more than one color and may be arranged in discrete patterns according to color.
Referring now to
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It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
