Apparatus with mesh and manducable protrusion

• US 8,282,518 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/01/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Got II LLC
• Original Assignee: Got II LLC
• Inventors: Silverglate, David E., Gulassa, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, STEVEN B
• Application Number:
  US12/615,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20100056310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 473/575, 473/576, 473/596, 473/613, 473/614, 473/612, 606234-236, 119/707, 215/11.6, D24/199
• US Class Current: 473/612
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 17/001 Baby-comforters
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 17/02 Teething rings
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 17/1111 conjoined with soft cushions or toys
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 9/0623 facilitating gripping
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2071/0633 without electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2208/12 specially adapted for children
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 39/00 Hollow non-inflatable balls , i.e. having no valves rigid balls A63B37/00
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/00 Balls with special arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 43/002 with special configuration, e.g. non-spherical discs for throwing A63B65/10
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 33/006 Infant exercisers, e.g. for attachment to a crib
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 5/00 Musical or noise- producing devices for additional toy effects other than acoustical musical tops A63H1/28; sound-producing dolls A63H3/28; musical toy vehicles A63H17/268; acoustical vehicle-signalling devices A63H17/32; whistling toy locomotive arrangements A63H19/14; music, sound or noise production in general G10

Abstract

An apparatus is provided, which includes a plurality of elongated strands having joinder regions uniting adjacent strands at a distance along a length of an outer perimeter of the elongated strands, the elongate strands being configured to couple together for a distance along their lengths. The elongated strands form a surface of a mesh when the joinder regions are coupled. The apparatus may further include a manducable protrusion coupled to the mesh and extending a distance away from an exterior surface of the mesh.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of elongated strands having joinder regions uniting adjacent strands at a distance along a length of an outer perimeter of the elongated strands, the elongated strands being configured to couple together for a distance along their lengths, wherein the elongated strands form a surface of a mesh when the joinder regions are coupled and include a plurality of openings each having a curved perimeter including a convex cross section; and

a manducable protrusion coupled to a container and extending a distance away from an exterior surface of the mesh, the container coupled to the mesh and extending through two openings a distance away from the exterior surface of the mesh, the container including a surface in face sharing contact with the curved perimeters of the two openings.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the manducable protrusion is formed in a shape of a nipple.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mesh encloses a void, and the manducable protrusion extends a distance away from the exterior surface of the mesh, away from the void.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mesh is in the shape of a polyhedron.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the mesh is in the shape of a truncated icosahedron, a dodecahedron, a tetrahedron, an icosahedron, or an icosadodecahedron.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is a bottle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the container is removably coupled to elongated strands of the mesh at each of two opposite sides of the mesh, so as to extend through respective open spaces defined by the elongated strands on each of the two opposite sides of the mesh.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a mesh including a plurality of mesh structures each bounding an opening having a curved perimeter including a convex cross section, the mesh structures having cooperative mating surfaces disposed at least partially around an outer perimeter of each mesh structure, wherein the cooperative mating surfaces of adjacent mesh structures are configured to couple together for a distance along their lengths, wherein the mesh structures form a surface of the apparatus when the cooperative mating surfaces are coupled with each other; and

a manducable protrusion coupled to a container and extending at a distance from an exterior surface of the mesh and away from a void enclosed by the mesh, the container coupled to the mesh and extending through two openings a distance away from the exterior surface of the mesh, the container including a surface in face sharing contact with the curved perimeters of the two openings.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the manducable protrusion is formed of a deformably resilient material.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the manducable protrusion is removably coupled to the mesh structure.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a mesh including a plurality of mesh structures each bounding an opening having a curved perimeter including a convex cross section, the mesh structures having cooperative mating surfaces disposed at least partially around an outer perimeter of each mesh structure, wherein the cooperative mating surfaces of adjacent mesh structures are configured to couple together for a distance along their lengths, wherein the mesh structures form a surface of the apparatus when the cooperative mating surfaces are coupled with each other, and wherein the surface of the mesh is formed in the shape of a polyhedron; and

a manducable protrusion coupled to a container, the container coupled to at least one mesh structure, the manducable protrusion extending outwardly at a distance from an exterior surface of the mesh and away from a void enclosed by the mesh, wherein the manducable protrusion is formed in the shape of a nipple, the container coupled to the mesh and extending through two openings a distance away from the exterior surface of the mesh, the container including a surface in face sharing contact with the curved perimeters of the two openings.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the container is a bottle.