Amusement devices: toys – Convertible from – or serving as diverse article – Including figure toy
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-23
2002-10-08
Ackun, Jacob K. (Department: 3712)
Amusement devices: toys
Convertible from, or serving as diverse article
Including figure toy
C446S227000, C446S390000, C606S234000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06461214
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of Invention
The present invention pertains to a unique, wand-type holder or tool for securely supporting an infant's pacifier in use, while at the same time providing an easy to grasp extension wand as part of the holder for enabling the infant to reinforce his/her grasping skills. My pacifier holder further provides a consistent perioral stimulation, and enhances the infant's ability to control and keep the pacifier in his/her mouth for independent sucking. More particularly, my unique invention holds or fixes the pacifier near one end of the wand, and enables the infant to grasp, manipulate, and cuddle the wand along its extended length. Thus, my invention permits the infant to safely hold and manipulate the pacifier within his/her mouth by grasping and manipulating the extension wand. Moreover, by grasping and manipulating the extension wand, the infant is able to reinsert the pacifier nipple should it fall from or be removed from his/her mouth. Therefore, my invention facilitates the infant's non-nutritive sucking skills, while at the same time exercising and enhancing the infant's grasping and motor skills. Accordingly, my invention also satisfies the infant's need for physiological stability.
As compared with the prior art, my invention performs all of these functions with a safe, hygienic, low cost, and simple construction.
My invention is also unique because it enhances the nonnutritive sucking of infants, especially medically compromised infants who may experience oral-motor difficulties. Because conventional pacifiers easily fall from such an infant's mouth, and are difficult or impossible to retrieve by the infant, their use by medically compromised infants is often difficult. Thus, conventional pacifiers increase the medically compromised infant's frustration, rather than satisfying his/her physiological needs which is supposed to be the function of a pacifier.
My invention is further novel because it also benefits healthy infants and young children, even after the need for a pacifier is no longer required. This is so because it has the shape of an adorable and engaging animal toy, along with its ability to securely hold the pacifier. Moreover, after the infant has matured to the point where the need for a pacifier has passed, certain embodiments of my invention include a unique overlapping tab-flap holder for the pacifier which can also be used as the loosely flapping arms or flippers for the animal toy.
The unique overlapping tab-flap pacifier holder also functions to hold a variety of different sizes and shapes of pacifiers. The present apparatus includes several further embodiments as compared with my parent apparatus, whereby the number of types and variety of pacifiers that can be accommodated is substantially enhanced. Moreover, some embodiments of my invention facilitate the easy interchanging of pacifiers, of the same or different type, so that a fresh and hygienically clean pacifier can always be made available to the infant, and different types of pacifiers can be used dependent on the infant's needs. This is especially important in a hospital environment where infection control and safety are of utmost importance, and where different infant's needs can vary widely.
When using the overlapping tab-flap construction of some of the embodiments of my invention, it securely holds the pacifier near one end of the extended wand so that neither the pacifier nor the tab-flap construction itself can be easily worked loose by the infant in use. Thus, my holder replaces the hand made, jerry built, prior art pacifier holders which usually rely on medical or Scotch R tape to hold the pacifier to a rolled towel as the holder. The use of a rolled towel and tape to hold the pacifier is unsanitary, and the tape may easily pull loose to represent a choking hazard. My device, on the other hand, is not only effective, it is hygienic and will not easily pull apart to form a choking hazard.
In certain embodiments, the pacifier nipple can be actually molded as part of the holder, which is also inexpensive, hygienic and strongly resists pulling apart.
Further, each embodiment of my invention is of a simple construction so that its cost of manufacture is greatly reduced as compared with other patented versions of the prior art.
My invention is manufactured from a non-allergenic, nontoxic, elastomeric material which has a soft texture, and it is flexible, long-wearing, scuff resistant, heat resistant and inexpensive. As such, my invention is also easily cleaned and sanitized by any number of techniques. For example, my invention can be sterilized in hot water, by alcohol, other disinfectants, it can be manually washed with conventional soap and water, or it can be washed with any kitchen or laundry detergent. Moreover, my invention can also be easily cleaned automatically in a dishwasher. Alternatively, my invention can be cleaned in a laundry washing machine. Thus, my invention can be cleaned and sanitized either with the dishes or with the laundry. Finally, some embodiments of my invention can also be cleaned and sterilized in many of the sterilizing machines typically used in hospital environments.
2. Discussion of the Background of the Invention
As pointed out in great detail in my parent application, which is hereby incorporated by reference, for many years the use of pacifiers has been commonplace to soothe restless infants and to satisfy their non-nutritive sucking needs. Pacifiers take several general shapes and constructions. Thus, commercial pacifiers may include different sizes and shapes for the nipple, they may have a multi-part construction, they may be of one-piece construction, they may come with or without a handle, they may have several different types of handles, or they may have different shapes for the annular flange or shield. Pacifiers are also provided with an annular flange or shield to prevent the infant from sucking the nipple too far into his/her mouth.
Whether to use a pacifier has been at times a problem for caregivers. For example, over the years pacifiers were sometimes frowned upon by the medical and dental professions who thought that they may be harmful to the developing infant. In fact, some medical professionals, especially those who are strong advocates of breast feeding, consider pacifiers to be an “abomination.” See, Reisser et al. (Reisser), “
COMPLETE BOOK OF BABY@ CHILD CARE
,” Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Ill., 1997, page 138. Another baby book states: “Some doctors think that constant use of a pacifier can affect a child's ability to make sounds and talk.” This book further states: “Many doctors recommend orthodontic-type pacifiers to minimize possible tooth-alignment problems in the future.” See, “
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION COMPLETE GUIDE TO YOUR CHILDREN'S HEALTH
,” Traisman et al. (Traisman), Random House, New York, N.Y., 1992, pages 40-41. Other doctors maintain that putting a baby to bed with a pacifier should be minimized. They assert: “A pacifier may interfere with your child's ability to develop his or her own self-comforting techniques and the child could wake up when the pacifier falls out of his or her mouth.” See, Traisman, supra, page 57.
These professionals apparently assume that only nutritive sucking is healthy for the proper perioral and physiological development of infants. Thus, they assert that non-nutritive sucking devices are not only unnecessary, but may even cause problems for the developing infant. However, most of the medical profession, parents and caregivers have now found pacifiers to be invaluable in practice. This is because the non-nutritive sucking needs of an infant have proven to be very important to the developing infant who needs the consistent perioral stimulation and the physiological satisfaction that is provided by a pacifier. Thus, for example, even infants in the womb have been shown by sonograms sucking their thumbs. Moreover, later during teething, infants also benefit from
Ackun Jacob K.
Lynch Thomas E.
LandOfFree
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