This invention relates generally to pacifiers. More specifically, this invention relates to a pacifier with a detachable body that is capable of cleaning the nipple by use of bristles, as well as the method of use.
Parents commonly use pacifiers to quiet and soothe crying infants. Because a pacifier is held in an infant's mouth, it is particularly important that the pacifier is clean and germ-free. However, because an infant often allows a pacifier to fall out of its mouth, pacifiers are easily and frequently soiled. Unfortunately, when the infant is away from home or other readily-available sources of running water, it is often difficult for the parent to clean the soiled pacifier. Traditionally, if there is nothing convenient to wash the pacifier off with, the parent or guardian of the child might lick or stick the pacifier in their own mouth to rid the pacifier of any germs or debris collected when it came in contact with the surface on which it was dropped. However, this only replaces or adds to the germs from the ground with the germs from the parent or guardians mouth. Thus, an apparatus which allows a parent to clean a pacifier “on the go” offers great utility.
Some devices have been developed to clean pacifiers; however, these devices are usually separate from the pacifier, requiring the parent to keep both the pacifier and the cleaning device handy. One patent (U.S. Pat. No. 4,329,996) integrates the cleaning device into the pacifier, but lacks both bristles that will facilitate removing germs or debris and a guard to keep a infant from swallowing or choking on the pacifier.
Therefore, there is a need for a safe pacifier with a guard and detachable body capable of cleaning the nipple by use of a cleaning solution and bristles.
The present invention overcomes these and other deficiencies of the prior art by providing a pacifier comprising a guard, having a first surface and an opposing second surface, the second surface having a threaded connector, a nipple attached to and outwardly extending from the first surface of the guard, a detachable cleaning component, having an opening and an interior surface, and a plurality of bristles attached to the interior surface and extending inwardly, where the opening is configured to receive the threaded connector, sealingly connecting the guard and the cleaning component.
In an embodiment of the invention, the pacifier can have a tether connecting the guard to the cleaning component. In an embodiment, a sanitizing solution can be added to the cleaning component to sanitize the nipple.
In addition, a method of using the pacifier is provided in the present invention that includes separating the guard from the cleaning component, inserting the nipple into the cleaning component through the opening, moving the nipple within the cleaning component, such that the bristles contact the nipple, removing the nipple from the cleaning component; and sealing the cleaning component to the guard.
The foregoing, and other features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent from the following, more particular description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.
For a more complete understanding of the present invention, the objects and advantages thereof, reference is now made to the ensuing descriptions taken in connection with the accompanying drawings briefly described as follows:
In an embodiment, a tether 69 can be connected to the outside to cleaning component 40 in order to more easily carry or hold onto pacifier 10. In a preferred embodiment, the strap or tether would be positioned on the enclosed end 48 of cleaning component 40 (see
In an embodiment, nipple 20 is an orthodontic nipple designed to help support the natural shape of the palate of the infant and can take a bulbous shape. In an embodiment, nipple 20 is made of a flexible material including, but not limited to, silicone, rubber, latex, plastic, or any combinations thereof.
The invention has been described herein using specific embodiments for the purposes of illustration only. It will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, however, that the principles of the invention can be embodied in other ways. Therefore, the invention should not be regarded as being limited in scope to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but instead as being fully commensurate in scope with the following claims.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4329996 | Copeland | May 1982 | A |
4493324 | Johnston | Jan 1985 | A |
4867159 | Fulton | Sep 1989 | A |
5606871 | Hansen | Mar 1997 | A |
5964784 | Wang | Oct 1999 | A |
20030217423 | Larsen | Nov 2003 | A1 |
20050065551 | Rosuck | Mar 2005 | A1 |
20060226044 | Lobl | Oct 2006 | A1 |
20060265013 | Holley, Jr. | Nov 2006 | A1 |
20070012248 | Aucoin | Jan 2007 | A1 |
20090242000 | Jimenez | Oct 2009 | A1 |
20120203277 | Forestieri | Aug 2012 | A1 |
20130089276 | Noble | Apr 2013 | A1 |
20130197485 | Gardner | Aug 2013 | A1 |
20150017871 | Deane | Jan 2015 | A1 |
20150148740 | McNac, III | May 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
20160206518 A1 | Jul 2016 | US |