Apparel – Garment protectors – Aprons
Reexamination Certificate
1999-10-18
2001-04-03
Vanatta, Amy B. (Department: 3741)
Apparel
Garment protectors
Aprons
C002S049200, C606S235000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209133
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a bib for an infant and, more particularly, to a bib with a teething material integral thereto.
2. Background Art
Infant bibs have been known in the art for many years. In particular, many of these bibs have had various articles, such as toys, playthings or pacifiers, directly attached by a tether, loop or stitching. Attaching these articles directly to the bib provides an infant with easy access to these articles, while preventing the articles from becoming easily lost.
Yet other bibs have included teething material attached directly thereto. For instance, Kamrath, U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,510 discloses a bib with a teething material attached to the bottom of the bib on both the front and back sides. The teething material may be molded, sewn, or snapped onto the bottom of the bib.
While Kamrath provided an advantage by integrating teething material directly into the bib, teething material is typically heavier than the remainder of a cloth bib. As a result, a large piece of rubber attached to and covering a substantial portion of the bottom of a bib is heavy and provides additional strain when the bib is placed around an infant's neck. Moreover, such a design provides teething material in essentially only one location, at the bottom of the bib, thus leaving the remaining sides of the bib susceptible to biting, sucking or chewing by the infant and potential fraying and/or eroding of the bib. Bib fraying or eroding, in turn, may lead to ingestion of portions of the bib by the infant.
Accordingly, there remains a need for a bib having teething material integrated thereto which more evenly distributes the weight of the teething material over the entirety of the bib. Moreover, there also remains a need for a bib with teething material distributed over a larger portion of the outer periphery of the bib to permit infant access to the teething material at virtually any accessible point on the outside of the bib. Finally, it is desirable to provide a teether bib that may be folded up to form a pocket for catching crumbs and other food, while also facilitating the teething process.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a teething bib having a front side, a back side, an upper half, a lower half, a bottom, an outer periphery having an outer peripheral edge and teething material operably associated with at least a portion of the outer periphery of the bib. The bib includes an opening for an infant's head.
The teething material preferably emanates from the outer peripheral edge of the bib. In one embodiment, the teething material extends around the substantial entirety of the outer periphery of the bib. In another embodiment, the teething material extends around the substantial entirety of the bottom half of the bib and at least a portion of the upper half of the bib. In yet another embodiment, the teething material is located on both the front and back of the bib and includes gaps to reduce the weight of the bib.
The bib preferably further includes a fastening member for folding the bottom of the bib into a pocket. The pocket may function as a crumb catcher, or a hiding place for food and toys for infant amusement. Furthermore, folding the bib may also conveniently place the teething material closer to the infant's mouth, and remove the bib from any chance of interfering with the diaper changing process.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 4475250 (1984-10-01), Savin et al.
patent: 4694510 (1987-09-01), Kamrath
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patent: 4719650 (1988-01-01), Milloy
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patent: 4733411 (1988-03-01), Foti
patent: 5147384 (1992-09-01), La Rocca
patent: 5469580 (1995-11-01), Sobol
patent: 5477560 (1995-12-01), Shope
patent: 5522849 (1996-06-01), Xiques et al.
patent: 5530968 (1996-07-01), Crokett
patent: 5960471 (1999-10-01), Burton
patent: 2418 (1903-01-01), None
patent: 1193862 (1959-11-01), None
Dick and Harris
Sassy, Inc.
Vanatta Amy B.
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