Pacifier

Swedish patent application Ser. No. 771219, 11 filed Oct. 28, 1977 in the Sweden Patent Office.

A baby's pacifier that includes a rigid disc of sufficient size as to not be insertable in the child's mouth, with the disc having a handle projecting outwardly from a first side, and a hollow nipple from the second side.

The nipple contains a material such as table salt that has a disagreeable taste and that will cause the baby to reject the pacifier if the baby severs a portion of the nipple from the disc. The nipple preferably has a non-toxic dye on the interior thereof that will mix with the baby's saliva when the nipple is partially severed and visually indicate to the mother that the pacifier, or at least the nipple thereof, should be replaced with one that does not have a partially severed nipple.

A baby that is using a pacifier with a nipple that is partially severed may complete the severance, and swallow or choke on the severed nipple portion. When the material of disagreeable taste is table salt, the salt not only serves the function of causing the baby to reject the pacifier when the nipple is partially severed but the salt also tends to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria within the nipple.

A major object of the present invention is to provide a pacifier that will not only cause a baby to reject the same when the nipple thereof is partially severed, but will also visually indicate to the mother than the nipple is unsatisfactory for further use, and the material used in the interior of the nipple to create a disagreeable taste not only serving this function but also preventing the growth of harmful bacteria within the interior of the nipple.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the pacifier;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the device;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a first form of the device taken on the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a second form of the device; and

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the components that comprise the device.

A first form A of a pacifier is shown in FIGS. 1-4 that causes a baby (not shown) to reject the same when a nipple B that forms a part thereof is partially severed. The pacifier A includes a rigid disc C that is of sufficient size that a baby cannot place the same within his mouth.

The disc is preferably formed from a light weight rigid material such as a polymerized resin, and includes a first side 10 from which a pair of spaced brackets D project. The brackets D include axially aligned apertures 12 that pivotally engage end potions 14 of a ring-shaped handle E. The adjacent end extremities 16 of end portions 14 are transversely expanded to prevent separation of handle E from brackets D.

The nipple B is formed from a soft resilient material and includes a hollow bulb that develops into a tubular neck 24 in which a circular recess 22 is defined.

When neck 24 is inserted in a centered opening 18 in disc C, and a tubular expander 26 moved longitudinally in neck 24 to the position shown in FIG. 4, the recess 22 is transversely expanded into gripping contact with disc C. Expander 26 has a longitudinal bore 26a therein. Disc C is lightened by having a number of spaced openings 18a therein.

When the pacifier A is disposed with the nipple B in a downward position an aqueous solution containing a non-toxic material such as common table salt and a non-toxic dye is introduced into the bulb 20 through the bore 26a and allowed to dry as a film on the interior surface of the bulb. The time for drying may be lessened by heating the pacifier A to cause vaporization of the water in the solution, with the vapor escaping through the bore 26a. The water soluble material 28 and dye 30 are shown as a film on the interior surface of nipple B in FIG. 4. When a baby (not shown) bites through a portion of the nipple B, the baby's saliva will mix with the material 28, and due to the disagreeable taste of the latter the baby will reject the pacifier A. Concurrently the dye 30 will mix with the baby's saliva, and the area around his mouth will be colored to visually indicate to the baby's mother that the nipple B is no longer satisfactory and must be replaced. No non-toxic dye has been specified, as any dye that has been approved for food products may be used in the invention for the above-described purpose.

A second form of pacifier A' is shown in FIG. 5, that is similar to first form A, but does not employ the tubular expander 26. Elements of the second form A' that are common to the first form A are identified by the numerals and letters previously used but with primes added thereto.

In the second form A', a concentrated aqueous saline solution 34 is injected into the interior of nipple B to partially fill the same, and this solution containing a non-toxic dye. The expander 26 is replaced by a solid expander 34 to maintain the solution 34 within the nipple. When a baby (not shown) severs a portion of the nipple B', the baby will immediately taste the bitter saline solution 34 and reject the pacifier A'. The area around the baby's mouth will be colored by the dye in the same manner as when the first form A of the invention is used.

The use and operation of the invention has been described previously in detail and need not be repeated.