EP2211821A1

EP2211821A1 - Device for holding a dummy

Info

Publication number: EP2211821A1
Application number: EP08806582A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Robert David Sayer; Steve Vincent Clyde Fernando
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2007-10-18
Filing date: 2008-10-13
Publication date: 2010-08-04
Also published as: WO2009050438A1; GB2453932B; GB0720367D0; GB2453932A

Abstract

A device (1) for holding one or more dummys (6) comprises a body having a base portion (3) shaped so as to be tiltable away from a substantially upright orientation when struck. The base portion includes a weight (4) arranged so as to return the body to its substantially upright orientation when freestanding, and at least one connecting member (5, 5a) on, or projecting from, an outer surface of the body for detachably holding the or each dummy.

Description

Device for Holding a Dummy

This invention relates to a device for holding a dummy.

A dummy, also known as a pacifier or soother, is commonly used to comfort babies and young infants. A dummy usually comprises a rubber, plastic or silicone nipple portion (or teat) which is sucked by the baby, and a mouth guard portion, usually having a handle.

A disadvantage exists with the use of dummys in that the dummy will often fall out of the baby's mouth, particularly with very young babies and/or when the baby is laying down. Due to their limited vision and physical dexterity, the baby often cannot locate the dummy (particularly in the dark) and then replace it in their mouth. This will usually cause the baby to become quickly distressed until such time as a parent or carer can attend to the baby in order to locate and replace the dummy for them. Indeed, it is common for parents to scatter multiple dummies in a baby's cot or playpen in the hope that, during the night, their baby will be able to locate one on their own before they become distressed. However, experience has shown this method to have limited success.

According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for holding a baby's dummy comprising a body having means for externally holding at least one dummy and biasing means arranged so as to return the body into a substantially upright orientation if tilted away therefrom.

The device enables one or more dummys (attached to the device) to be held in position in order that the baby can suck on the dummy when the device is in its upright orientation, or even when tilted slightly away from the upright orientation should the baby's head move. Should the dummy come out of the baby's mouth, the biasing means ensures that the dummy will return substantially to its original position and therefore the baby can locate the dummy more easily, and without necessarily requiring the baby to use their hands or even to see where the dummy is. The term 'externally holding' is intended to mean that the dummy, or at least its teat portion, is external to an outer surface of the body in order that the baby can suck on it.

Preferably, the biasing means comprises a weighted ballast located at a predetermined position within, or on an outer surface of, the body. The weighted ballast serves both to return the body substantially to the upright position whilst also preventing the device from moving significantly away from the baby if he or she strikes the device. The weighted ballast may be located in a fixed position within the interior of the body in the region of, or adjacent to, its lowermost point when positioned in the substantially upright orientation.

The weighted ballast can be provided in a number of different forms, the simplest being to locate a metal disc in the region of, or adjacent to, the lowermost point. Alternatively, or additionally, the lowermost point may be formed of a thicker or denser material than the rest of the body. A liquid ballast may also be employed.

The body preferably comprises a substantially curved base portion. In this way, the device can easily tilt away from its upright orientation should the baby's head move whilst allowing the baby to keep the dummy in their mouth. The position of a baby's mouth will vary with head size and/or age and so the tilting mechanism enables its use with babies of all sizes and/or ages. In the preferred embodiment, the base portion is part-sperical but tilting may also be achieved, for example, using a multi-faceted base portion whereby the faces are small enough to provide the effect of a curved base portion. The latter term is intended to cover such a multi-faceted implementation.

The or each dummy holding means is preferably located at a position above the lowermost point of the body when the device is positioned in the substantially upright orientation. This position may be arranged such that, in use, an attached dummy is held remotely from an underlying flat surface when the body is positioned in the substantially upright orientation. This has an advantage in that it is easier for the baby to locate the dummy if it is remote, or spaced from, an underlying surface and also means that the dummy is not contaminated by particles on the underlying surface. The or each dummy holding means may comprise an arm extending outwards from the upright axis of the body. The or each arm may extend substantially perpedicular to the upright axis of the body. The or each arm may be formed integrally with the body.

The or each dummy holding means may comprise jaws for detachably holding a dummy. The or each jaw may be formed of a resilient plastics material.

In the preferred embodiment, the device comprises a plurality of arms. This makes it particularly easy for a baby to quickly locate a further dummy, particularly if the baby strikes the device in such a way that it rotates.

The or each dummy holding means may alternatively comprise a plug/socket-shaped part arranged to receive a correspendingly socket/plug-shaped part of a dummy.

Preferably, the dummy holding means allows the dummy to rotate with respect thereto to enable the dummy, particularly its teat, to be accessible when the baby is laying on its side or back.

In the preferred embodiment, the body has a hollow interior and further comprises a lid for covering at least part of an aperture providing access to said interior. In this way, the interior of the body provides a container which can be used to store one or more dummies. The lid may be detachable from the body, for example using a push- click mechanism or a screw-thread mechanism. Alternatively, the lid can be connected to the body by a hinge so as to be movable between open and closed positions.

As indicated above, the volume of the hollow interior is preferably sufficiently large to contain at least one dummy.

The lid and/or body may have a decorative pattern thereon. In this sense, the appearance of the device may be made visually appealing to babies so that they regard the device as a toy. The lid may, for example, have decorative eyes printed thereon so that the device resembles a character or animal. At least part of the lid may be transparent to enable the hollow interior to be viewed when the lid is in the closed position. In this way, a parent can see how many spare dummies are contained inside.

According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a device for detachably holding at least one dummy, the device comprising a body having a lower base portion shaped so as to be tiltable away from a substantially upright orientation when struck, weighted ballast means arranged so as to return the body to its substantially upright orientation when freestanding, and at least one connecting member on, or projecting from, an outer surface of the body for detachably holding a dummy.

According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a dummy for use with a device as defined above, the dummy having a teat portion and a connecting portion, the connecting portion being arranged to be connected to a holding means/connecting member of the device in such a way that the teat portion extends substantially away from the upright axis of the body.

The invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a dummy holder in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is an exploded view of the dummy holder shown in Figure 1 ;

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the dummy holder shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a schematic view of the dummy holder when in use, the dummy holder being shown in section; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of a dummy holder in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention.

The device described below is a dummy holder 1 (hereafter referred to as "the holder") enabling a plurality, in this case up to four, dummies to be held in position in order that the baby can suck on one of the dummies when the device is in its upright orientation, or even when tilted away from the upright orientation.

Referring to Figure 1, a dummy holder 1 comprises two main parts, namely a lid 2 and a base 3. The base 3 comprises within its interior a weight 4 which acts as ballast for the base (and therefore the complete holder 1 when assembled) to hold it in a substantially upright orientation when freestanding on an underlying flat surface. In Figure 1, this upright orientation is indicated by vertical axis 15. The base 3 has a curved underside allowing it to be tilted from its upright orientation by an external force, for example if struck or held by a baby. In this case, the curved underside is part-spherical but it will be appreciated that other profiles could be employed, for example a part- oval, egg shaped or multi-faceted outer surface. If tilted by external force, the effect of the weight 4 is to return the base 3 substantially back to the upright orientation when the force is removed. For illustrative purposes, arrows 21 indicate how the device may be tilted about respective axes 19, although the curved enderside allows tilting about any axis perpendicular to the vertical axis 15. The base 3 is also rotatable about the vertical axis 15.

The base 3 includes four connecting arms 5 extending outwardly from its surface and spaced apart by approximately ninety degrees. The arms in this case are integrally formed with the base 3 but can formed and fitted separately to the base at their proximal ends. At the distal end of each arm 5 is provided a connector 5a for detachably mounting a dummy 6. The dummy 6 in this example is a conventional dummy comprising a teat 61, mouth guard 62, base 63 and handle 64. The connector 5a of each arm comprises a pair of normally-closed jaws formed of a resilient plastics material which deform to allow the jaws to open when a sufficient opening force is applied. In use, a user, e.g. an adult, simply passes the dummy handle 64 through the jaws with said sufficient opening force until the handle is located within the mouth of the connector 5a. The jaws then return to their normally-closed position to secure the dummy 6 in place. The location of the arms 5 and/or connectors 5a is arranged so that the teat 61 of the dummy 6, when attached, is spaced above the lowermost point of the base 3 when in the upright position. This ensures the teat 61 is easily accessible by the mouth of a baby (described further below) and reduces the amount of contaminants picked up from the underlying surface. In Figure 1, it will be seen that one connector 5a is used for holding a strap 8 which can be used to secure a dummy at an extended position from the holder 1 and allows the dummy to remain accessible to the baby's mouth if they move away from the holder.

Referring to Figure 2, the lid 2 is formed of a relatively thin plastics material, approximately half-egg shaped, which can be detachably connected to the base 3 by means of, for example, a snap-fit or screw-thread engagement. Alternatively, a hinged connection can be used to secure the lid 2 to the base 3. The lid 2 and base 3 are both substantially hollow and so together define an interior volume which provides internal storage space accessible from the exterior when the lid is detached or open. The internal storage space volume 23 is sufficient to store at least one dummy 6 which can be used as a spare should an attached dummy require replacement or cleaning. The voume may be made sufficiently large to store a plurality of dummys and/or other devices such teething rings, wet wipes etc. For safety reasons, the connection between the as lid 2 and base 3 should be sufficient to prevent a very young baby from opening the lid.

The lid 2 and/or base 3 may be decorated to make the holder 1 visually appealing to a baby or infant. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the lid includes as decoration a pair of eyes 7 and a mouth giving the general appearance of a cartoon character or animal. In this sense, the holder 1 is also a type of toy for the baby. The baby is therefore more likely to feel relaxed when placed close to the holder 1 and so stay in its general proximity. The lid may also be made at least partially transparent so that a parent can see within the storage space 23.

Referring now to Figure 3, the holder 1 is shown in section in its freestanding upright orientation when placed on a flat surface 9. The weight 4 here is shown embedded in the lowermost portion of the base 3 with its centre of gravity point in line with the upright vertical axis 15. The weight 4 could alternatively by fixed on the interior surface of the base 3 by adhesive or mechanical securing means. The weight 4 in this case is a metal disc but alternatively, or additionally, the lowermost point may be formed of a thicker or denser material than the rest of the base 3. A liquid ballast may also be employed.

As indicated above, the weight 4 acts as ballast to enable the base 3, and therefore the entire holder 1, to be 'self-righting' if tilted from its upright orientation. This is indicated by the phantom lines in Figure 3 which show the outline of the holder 1 when tilted either side of the upright orientation. The weight value can be determined by routine experiment. It should be heavy enough to provide 'self-righting' but light enough to allow a baby to tilt the device with minimal force. The weight also serves to retain the holder 1 substantially in position on the underlying surface 9 if rotated about its upright axis 15 by a baby, as indicated by arrow 17.

As shown in Figure 3, the arms 5 and dummy connectors 5a extend substantially perpendicular to the holder's upright axis 15. This is by no means essential and the arms can extend outwards from the base 3 above or below the perpendicular. As the Figure shows, the dummies 6, when connected to a respective connector 5a, are held above the underlying surface 9 to make the teat 61 accessible to a baby when lying to the side of the holder 1. As the phantom lines indicate, the connected dummies 6 are also accessible when the holder 1 is tilted and so a baby can easily locate the teat 61 if the holder is held or struck by the baby, as indicated in Figure 4, or if the underlying surface 9 is not perfectly flat. This also makes the holder 1 suitable for babies of different ages and sizes. The connectors 5a can be arranged to hold the dummy 6 in alignment with the arm 5 but alternative dummy orientations can be employed, for example with the teat 61 pointing downwards so that the baby can lie on their back. As indicated in Figure 4, in this case the connectors 5a allow the dummy a large degree of movement with respect to the arm 5 so that the teat 61 remains in the baby's mouth if the holder 1 is tilted or the baby's head moves. Due to the relatively loose engagement between the dummy connectors 5 a and the dummy handle 64, the dummy 6 is able to rotate both laterally and vertically with respect to the arm 5.

Referring to Figure 4, in use the holder 1 enables up to four dummies 6 to be held in position in order that the baby 10 can suck any one of the dummies when the device is in its upright orientation or when tilted slightly away from the upright orientation should the baby touch the holder or move its head. Should a dummy 6 come out of the baby's mouth, the weighting ensures that the dummy will return substantially to its upright orientation and the baby 10 can locate the dummy more easily, and without necessarily requiring it to use their hands or even to see where the dummy is. Arrow 17 indicates that the holder 1 can rotate substantially about its upright axis if struck from the side, in which case one of the other dummies will be in close proximity to the baby's mouth.

Referring now to Figure 5, a second embodiment of the invention is now described. The second embodiment is identical to the first embodiment with the exception that the dummy connectors 5a' are shaped in such a way as to engage a correspondingly- shaped dummy connecting part 63' of the dummy 6'. As will be seen, the engagement between each dummy connector 5a' and dummy connecting part 63' is a ball and socket joint enabling the dummy 6' to be moved in a number of axes. As shown in Figure 5, for example, the dummy 6' can rotate vertically and laterally with respect to its dummy connector 5a' as well as being able to rotate about its own longitudinal axis. The dummy connecting part 63' of the dummy 6' comprises a ball integrally formed with the rest of the dummy, particularly the mouth guard 62. The dummy connector 5a' comprises jaws formed of a resilient plastics material within which a recess is formed providing a socket corresponding to the shape of the ball 63'. The resilient jaws allow the ball 63' to be pushed into the socket where it is retained. Removal of the ball 63' requires the dummy 6' to be pulled away from the socket.

A number of modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. For example, the arms 5 could be attached to the lid 2 instead of the base 3. The arms 5 might be positioned at different respective heights above the base's lowermost point. The arms 5 might be rotatably attached to the lid 2 or base 3 so that they rotate about their longitudinal axis to allow easy manipulation by a baby 10. Where the holder 1 is provided as a toy, the holder may have a decorative outer appearance, incorporate tactile surfaces such as soft fabric or rubber and/or include interactive means for making a sound or initiating a light. In this way, the baby 10 is more likely to be relaxed when placed next to the holder 1 since they will regard it as an attractive plaything.

Claims

1. A device for holding a dummy comprising a body having means for externally holding at least one dummy and biasing means arranged so as to return the body into a substantially upright orientation if tilted away therefrom.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the biasing means comprises a weighted ballast located at a predetermined position within, or on an outer surface of, the body.

3. A device according to claim 2, wherein the weighted ballast is located in a fixed position within the interior of the body in the region of, or adjacent to, its lowermost point when positioned in the substantially upright orientation.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein the weighted ballast is a metal disc.

5. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the body comprises a substantially curved base portion.

6. A device according to claim 5, wherein the base portion is part-sperical.

7. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one dummy holding means is located on the body at a position above the lowermost point of the body when positioned in the substantially upright orientation.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein the position of the at least one dummy holding means is arranged such that, in use, an attached dummy is held remotely from an underlying flat surface when the body is positioned in the substantially upright orientation.

9. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one dummy holding means comprises an arm extending outwards from the upright axis of the body.

10. A device according to claim 9, wherein the at least one arm extends substantially perpedicular to the upright axis of the body.

11. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one dummy holding means comprises jaws for detachably holding a dummy.

12. A device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the at least one arm is formed integrally with the body.

13. A device according to any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the at least one jaw is formed of a resilient plastics material.

14. A device according to any one of claims 8 to 13, comprising a plurality of arms.

15. A device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the at least one dummy holding means comprises a plug/socket-shaped part arranged to receive a correspendingly socket/plug-shaped part of a dummy.

16. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the body has a hollow interior and further comprises a lid for covering at least part of an aperture providing access to said interior.

17. A device according to claim 16, wherein the lid is detachable from the body.

18. A device according to claim 16, wherein the lid is connected to the body by a hinge so as to be movable between open and closed positions.

19. A device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the volume of the hollow interior is sufficiently large to contain at least one dummy.

20. A device according to any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein the lid has a decorative pattern thereon.

21. A device according to any one of claims 16 to 20, wherein at least part of the lid is transparent thereby to enable the hollow interior to be viewed when the lid is in the closed position.

22. A device for detachably holding at least one dummy, the device comprising a body having a lower base portion shaped so as to be tiltable away from a substantially upright orientation when struck, weighted ballast means arranged so as to return the body to its substantially upright orientation when freestanding, and at least one connecting member on, or projecting from, an outer surface of the body for detachably holding a dummy.

23. A dummy for use with a device according to any preceding claim, the dummy having a teat portion and a connecting portion, the connecting portion being arranged to be connected to a holding means/connecting member of the device in such a way that the teat portion extends substantially away from the upright axis of the body.

24. A dummy for use with a device according to any one of claims 1 to 22, the dummy having a teat portion and a connecting portion, the connecting portion being shaped so as to engage with a correspondingly shaped holding means/connecting member of the device, the engangement being such as to allow movement of the dummy with respect to the device.

25. A dummy according to claim 24, wherein the connecting portion is a ball arranged to engage with a correspondingly shaped socket holding means/connecting member of the device so as to form a ball and socket joint.

26. A device constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore shown in, and described with reference to, the drawings.

27. A dummy constructed and arranged substantially as hereinbefore shown in, and described with reference to, Figure 5 of the drawings.