Pacifiers

Abstract

Pacifiers of integral construction have a shield with handle portions forming co-planar extensions which increase the overall shield area in one position and which are foldable to second positions to form a handle.

Parent Case Text

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application, Ser. No. 815,749, filed Apr. 14, 1969, now abandoned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention pertains to pacifiers and like devices finding employment in the field of infant care.

2. Statement of the Prior Art

It has heretofore been known practice to supply pacifiers comprised of a base or shield, a nipple, and a handle. These components have conventionally been separately formed and assembled by friction fit or otherwise. Various special pacifier forms have also been proposed to overcome the difficulties inherent in the conventional separable manner of construction. Examples of these prior proposals are given in the following U.S. patents:

Patent No. Patentee Issue Date __________________________________________________________________________ 2,811,949 Rothbard Nov. 5, 1957 2,834,350 Beck et al. May 13, 1958 2,888,929 Bray June 2, 1959 3,363,630 Hines Jan. 16, 1968. __________________________________________________________________________

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention presents a means of providing a pacifier having no detachable components which might, if separated, be swallowed by an infant or otherwise cause serious difficulties. The invention, moreover, provides a means for simple, low-cost manufacture of pacifiers having an integral handle, nipple and shield. An objective of this invention, therefore, is to supply a pacifier of integral form having new and novel components operating after initial formation of the device to provide manipulative components.

In accordance with the aforesaid aims and purposes of the invention, this construction is such that the pacifier may optionally have a handle of novel form which is readily gripped and held by an infant, or may have an enlarged shield and no handle. The latter has been found advantageous in the case of some infants who habitually assume certain rest positions wherein a pacifier is best supported with respect to them on a flat surface.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of the following specification when read in conjunction with the annexed drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pacifier constructed and assembled in accordance with the teachings of this invention in a first operational condition of use;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, but showing the pacifier in a second possible position;

FIG. 3 is a frontal plan view on slightly enlarged scale with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a medial cross section taken substantially on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view indicating the manner of manipulation of the handle portions hereof in phantom lines;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view with the components in the position of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a top plane view of a modified form of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken substantially on line 9--9 of FIG. 7, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 10 is a bottom plan view showing the handle portion of the modification in a folded position; and

FIG. 11 is a side view of the device as shown in FIG. 10.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally identifies the pacifier hereof per se in a representative first embodiment. The pacifier is to be formed of various semi-rigid plastics, or of suitable types of rubber, and as emphasized above, is cast or otherwise formed in integral, one piece construction so that there are no separable components.

For purposes of description, the pacifier 10 has an initially flat body portion 12 which includes a central shield portion 14 having a front 16 and back 18, and having opposite, diametric hinge sections 20 and 22. The hinge sections are separated by outer peripheral edges 24, 26 of the shield section, and each of the hinge sections has a first side edge 28 and a second side edge 30.

Projecting outwardly at the approximate center of the shield 14, from the side 16 thereof, is a nipple 32. The nipple is hollow, and opens at 34 on the side 18 of the shield.

A first handle portion 36, having terminal ends 38, is joined, by reduced sections 42, to the first side edges 28 of the hinge sections 20 and 22. The portion 36 has an inner marginal edge 44 which is outwardly spaced from the shield peripheral edge 24 in one position of the handle, in which position the section is co-planar with the main shield portion 12 and is separated therefrom by a space 45 as appears below in more detail. In like manner, a second generally semi-circular handle portion 46 is joined at its terminal ends 47 to the opposite second side edges 30 of the hinge sections by reduced portions 48. The second handle portion has an inner marginal edge 50 which is disposed outwardly of the peripheral edge 26 of the shield when aligned therewith to form a space 51 therebetween.

The first handle portion has an aperture 52 formed therein, and the second handle portion has a protruding nub 54, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The nub 54 and aperture 52 provide interfitting connection means which serve to retain the handles in the position shown in FIG. 2 when this is desired.

In some circumstances of employment of the pacifier, it is desirable to use it in the condition shown in FIG. 1. When this is the case, the handle portions frictionally engage the shield at the side extremities of the marginal edges and peripheral edges, respectively, thereof. When a handle for the device is needed, the handle portions 36 and 46 are folded rearwardly about the reduced portions 42 and 47, and connection is effected between the nub 54 and aperture 52, thereby retaining the handles in this location.

Referring to FIGS. 7 through 10, inclusive, the form of pacifier therein disclosed is identified by reference numeral 100 and includes a body section 102 having a central shield portion 104 with a front side 106 and back side 108. Side connecting portions 110, 112 extend from the diametrically opposed sides of the shield. As in the case of the first described form of the invention, the pacifier 100 has a central nipple 114. The nipple is hollow and opens, at 116, on the bottom or back side 108 of the shield.

The handle means 118 of this form of the invention comprises a continuous loop 120 of elliptical form and of integral construction, joined to the shield at its approximate minor axis by the integral connecting portions 110 and 112. As shown to best advantage in FIGS. 8 and 9, the loop is of maximum depth at this area of connection and tapers to a lesser thickness as it approaches its major axis. The purpose of this thickening of the material at the minor axis with gradual tapering to the major axis is to enhance the tendency of the material to maintain a selected, curvilinear position, as described below.

The loop 120 has inwardly projecting securing flaps 122, 124 on the ends coincident with the aforesaid major axis. The flap 122 has an aperture 126 formed therein, and the flap 124 carries a nub 128. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the nub is engageable, releasably, in the aperture to connect the flaps together. This places the handle in the positions shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 wherein it is readily grasped by an infant or the like.

Claims

I claim:

1. A pacifier comprising:

a central body section having a shield portion;

a nipple projecting from the shield portion;

handle means, including loop ends collectively forming an enlarged, substantially ellipsoidal loop;

the loop being secured to the shield at at least two diametrically opposed positions;

the loop ends being pivotal from first positions in which they form co-planar lateral extensions of the shield to second positions in which they are connected together;

interfitting connection means on the loop ends whereby the loop ends are connected to form a handle on the pacifier on the side thereof opposite the nipple;

the central body section having opposite, diametrically extended hinge sections with first and second side edges;

the shield section having outer peripheral edges between the hinge sections; and

the loop ends comprising a first substantially semi-circular handle portion, having terminal ends, the ends being hingedly connected, respectively, to the first side edges of the hinge sections, and a second semi-circular handle portion having second terminal ends, the second terminal ends being hingedly connected, respectively, to the second side edges of the hinge sections.

2. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the terminal ends of the handle portions are secured to the side edges of the hinge section by reduced portions.

3. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the pacifier is formed of a non-rigid material.

4. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the connection means comprises an aperture formed in the first handle portion, and a nub on the second handle portion which is frictionally engageable in said aperture.

5. The invention of claim 1, wherein:

the loop ends have inwardly directed flaps carrying the connection means.

6. A pacifier of unitary, one piece construction comprising:

an enlarged substantially discoidal body portion having a central shield section with opposite, diametrically extended hinge sections with first and second side edges;

the shield section having outer peripheral edges between the hinge sections;

a nipple projecting substantially perpendicularly from the shield sections;

a first substantially semi-circular handle portion, having terminal ends, the ends being hingedly connected, respectively, to the first side edges of the hinge sections;

a second semi-circular handle portion having second terminal ends, the second terminal ends being hingedly connected, respectively, to the second side edges of the hinge sections;

each of said handle portions being pivotal about the hinge sections from first positions in which they form co-planar lateral projections spaced outwardly from the shield section to second positions substantially perpendicular thereto;

interfitting connection means on the first and second handle portions for connection of the handle portions in said second positions to form a handle on the pacifier on the side thereof opposite the nipple; and

the handle portions having inner marginal edge portions arranged to frictionally engage the adjacent outer peripheral edges of the central shield for retention of the handle portions in substantially co-planar relation to the shield.

7. The invention of claim 6, wherein:

the terminal ends of the handle portions are secured to the side edges of the hinge section by reduced portions.

8. The invention of claim 6, wherein:

the pacifier is formed of a non-rigid material.

9. The invention of claim 6, wherein:

the connection means comprises an aperture formed in the first handle portion, and a nub on the second handle portion which is frictionally engageable in said aperture.

10. The invention of claim 6, wherein:

the nipple is hollow.

11. The invention of claim 6, wherein:

the handle portions, when engaged with one another in said perpendicular position extend from the body portion in a direction opposite to that of the nipple.