Pacifier

• US 4,715,379 A
• Filed: 08/28/1986
• Issued: 12/29/1987
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/1986
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mary D. Mccormick
• Original Assignee: Mary D. Mccormick
• Inventors: McCormick, Mary D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kartchner, Gene B.
• Application Number:
  US06/901,280
• Time in Patent Office: 488 Days
• Field of Search: 128/359-360, D25/45-46
• US Class Current: 606/234
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 15/0003 Nasal or oral feeding-tubes, e.g. tube entering body through nose or mouth
• CPC Class Codes: A61J 17/001 Baby-comforters

Abstract

A pacifier (7) is constructed for a relatively thin generally curved base (8) for conforming to the contour of an infant'"'"'s face in its mouth and surrounding skin areas. A nipple (12) is suitably attached generally centrally of the base. The base is provided with one or more slots (15) extending inwardly from the base edge (9), with the slots forming tube receiving recesses (16), which may hold one or more feeding and ventilation supply tubes (13, 14) of different sizes. The slots (15a) may be substantially larger than a tube (13a, 14a) passing therethrough, to thus provide a spitup bypass (19). The pacifier is freely releasable from the tubes and will fall away therefrom if the pacifier or tubes are disturbed.

Claims

1. An infant pacifier (7) for use independent of but along side nonremovable tubes (13, 14) supplying air and food for insertion into an infant'"'"'s body through its mouth, said pacifier comprising:

(a) a base (8) having a generally peripheral edge (9), said base being adapted to symmetrically engage an infant'"'"'s face in its mouth area,

(b) a nipple (6) attached to said base,

(c) and a pair of opposed slots (15) disposed in said base and extending into said base from said peripheral edge,

(d) said slots comprising recesses (16) through which said tubes go into the mouth for unrestricted air and food supply, and with said slots being formed in a manner so that said pacifier is freely releasable from said tubes at all positions of the tubes within said slots and falls away from the tubes if said pacifier and/or tube means are disturbed.

2. The infant pacifier of claim 1 in which the width of said slots (15) throughout their inward extent is greater than the diameter of supplied tubes.

3. The infant pacifier of claim 2 in which said base (8) is generally H-shaped and forms a pair of legs (17) at each end, each said leg pair in turn forming one of said opposed slots (15).