CN1726000A - Teething device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved teething device for infants. The device maintains a longer period of cold temperature than prior water-filled teething devices, provides an improved teething surface for the infant to chew on, and/or presents a crushed-ice like appearance that conveys to a caretaker (e.g., parent or guardian) or the infant that it is cold.

Description

teething chewing device

related application

This patent application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application Serial No. 10/345,125, filed January 15, 2003, which claims priority over U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/433,335, filed December 13, 2002 rights, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

field of invention

The present invention relates to teething chewing devices for infants.

Background of the invention

Teething, the natural physiological process of teeth erupting through the gums in the mouth, is a normal part of a child's development. Usually, teething begins between the sixth and eighth months of age, but in some cases it can start as early as two months or as late as 12 months. After the first teeth appear (usually incisors and lower teeth), further eruption occurs periodically over the next few months until all 20 teeth of childhood are in place. These childhood teeth are also called baby teeth. Until the age of two and a half years, usually all primary teeth are in place.

This teething process can be very uncomfortable for babies. This uncomfortable feeling is caused by the pressure of the teeth on the tissues of the mouth (periodontal ligament) during teething. To relieve this discomfort during this time, the parent usually rubs the baby's gums with their fingers or with a cold, damp cloth, or better yet, offers the baby something to bite or chew, preferably a cold object. Various objects have been used in the past, such as hard rubber teething bridles, water-filled teething bridles (for cooling icing), cryogenic food, and more.

However, in addition to these current products, the inventors believe that there is a need for improved teething chewing products in the art. For example, water-filled dental products can produce a low-temperature contact surface (hereinafter referred to as the contact surface) after cooling, but after cooling and freezing, it is too hard to cause discomfort and cause damage or cracking of baby teeth .

It is therefore an object of the present invention to produce an improved device for assisting the teething process in infants.

Summary of invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved teething chewing device for infants.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a teething chew that maintains a lower temperature for a longer period of time than prior art water-filled teething chews.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a teething chewing device which exhibits an improved tooth surface which facilitates chewing or biting by the infant.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a teething chewing device whose physical structure provides an improved tooth surface for the infant.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a teething chew device that provides a visually cool impression to the caretaker (eg, parent or guardian) or infant.

Other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the detailed disclosure herein.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved chewing device for teething period. The device comprises at least a portion of an outer layer of material, such as a suitable plastic, which forms a container, ie a structure having a cavity therein. The cavity is at least partially filled, or fully filled with a property-modified inner material, preferably a gel, such that the outer layer of material forms a container for the inner material. The outer material is preferably flexible. In addition, the inner material is preferably selected to have a lower freezing point than water, so that the teething chewing device can provide a more durable after cryogenic cooling (such as in a refrigerator) than traditional water-filled soothing devices. Prolonged low temperature.

Additionally, or when the selected material fills the cavity of the container, the container is at least partially filled with a malleable or flexible material, unlike currently available hard teething chewing devices. Thus, the baby can bite into the container and feel a soft, comfortable tooth surface. Accordingly, a teething chew device that is extremely soft in texture and configuration is provided for infants to chew on. If desired, the flexible material may also include tooth surfaces thereon, such as bumps or grooves, so as to provide texture including raised and depressed areas that act to rub against the baby's gums.

Alternatively, there is another interior material that is chosen to give a crushed ice-like appearance. This option visually gives the caretaker (e.g. parent or guardian) and baby a cool perception of the device and visually conveys the fact that the device is cooler than traditional teething chews, maintaining low temperature. longer; and preferably the material is softer than ice.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the disclosure provided herein.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows an embodiment of the teething chewing device of the present invention, wherein Fig. 1(a) is its front view, and Fig. 1(b) is its side view.

Fig. 2 shows another embodiment of the teething chewing device of the present invention, wherein Fig. 2(a) is its front view, Fig. 2(b) is its side view, and Fig. 2(c) is its bottom view.

Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of the teething chewing device of the present invention, wherein Fig. 3(a) is its front view, and Fig. 3(b) is its side view.

Fig. 4 is a set of figures of the present invention, wherein Fig. 4 (a) is a front view, Fig. 4 (b) is a top view and a bottom view, Fig. 4 (c) is a side view, and Fig. 4 (d) is a perspective view. These figures show the crushed ice-like appearance of the inner material of the present invention in a container. The container is supplied to the infant as a complete teething chew, or attached to some other component. The dotted lines in the figure indicate the periphery of the device, ie they may correspond to any shape of gel-carrying container, said container and device are not limited to ring or donut shape as described here.

Figures 5(a)-(e) are several views of gels of the present invention having a crushed ice-like appearance.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the teething chewing device of the present invention.

Detailed Description of the Invention and Preferred Embodiments

Provided in accordance with the present invention for infants is an improved teething chewing device. The present invention can be used in conjunction with any form of teething device for infants to bite or chew, where the term "teething chewing device" includes teething chewers, soothing devices, pacifiers, baby bottle nipples, etc. But not limited to this. The present invention can be the improved product of any existing teething period chewing device, or the improved product of new device appearing on the market or appearing on the market in the future, comprises the US Patent No. that the inventor published on June 5, 2001. 6,241,110, but not limited thereto. The content of this patent is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

In a preferred embodiment, the teething chew device provided by the present invention is used at low temperature rather than room temperature. This is when the device is placed on the baby's gums and the baby chews or bites the device, the discomfort and irritation of the baby is greatly relieved due to the cool chewing surface.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a teething chew product 18 comprising a portion of outer material 22 having a cavity containing inner material 26 as shown in FIG. 1(a). The outer layer material can be of any desired composition and both the outer layer material and the cavities can be of any desired size. The hard outer layer material is preferably flexible. For example, the outer material 22 container may be a flexible plastic channel of EVA. Alternatively, a hard outer layer material may be used in a less preferred embodiment.

The selected inner material 26 is preferably non-toxic in the event of tearing of the outer material or leakage of the inner material. The inner material is preferably gel. It is also preferred that the selected interior material has a freezing point below that of water, ie below 0°C (32°F). Accordingly, the contents of the present teething chew have a lower freezing point than water-filled teething rings employed in the prior art. As a result, after cooling, the teething chews of the present invention remain cold for a longer period of time than water-filled teething chews. In addition, the outer material provides some insulation to the product's contents, slows down the rate at which the inner material (eg, gel) warms back to room temperature, and provides a slight insulation between the cold temperature of the inner material and the baby's gums .

In another possible embodiment of the present invention, the selected material, when inserted into the flexible material, provides the baby with a softer texture than conventional water-filled rings for the baby to chew or bite. Preferably, a suitable gel is chosen such that when placed inside the device, the device has an eruptive structure that is malleable even after it has been cooled at low temperature (eg, in a refrigerator) for a prolonged period of time. Thus, a container made of flexible material 22 with gel 26 therein remains soft and flexible even after cooling or freezing. This soft and flexible teething structure provides a sense of comfort for the baby. In contrast, frozen teething chewers are often criticized or discarded for being too hard and irritating babies' already delicate gums. For example, when the contents of a water-filled teething chewer freeze, it creates hard ice that can cause discomfort to a baby's gums and can damage or crack a baby's teeth. The flexibility of the gel of the present invention avoids such irritation and discomfort.

In another useful embodiment of the present invention, a material is selected so as to present a crushed ice-like appearance. Thus, the term is intended to denote that the material somewhat resembles the appearance of broken, chipped, chipped, or unevenly shaped ice, such as a blocky, granular, fragmented, or air-filled (cavitation) appearance. Additionally, the material is preferably a gel. Figures 4 and 5 show some of the internal materials. It will be appreciated, however, that, as is generally the case with crushed ice, the exact appearance of the size, configuration and arrangement of the chips, air bubbles, etc. will vary from sample to sample, as will be discussed further below.

The crushed ice-like inner material in this embodiment is preferably visible to consumers or users through the outer material wall of the container. This visible property of the gel or other internal material visually gives the parent, guardian and infant the feeling that the device is cold. Even before placing it in the refrigerator, the device of the present invention appears cooler and remains cold for longer than conventional teething chews. In other words, since the device has an appearance filled with crushed ice-like material, it looks cold psychologically, and this cold feeling can be shown to buyers and users, which can meet the requirements. Also, as discussed above, the chunky, or chipped texture provides an excellent spreadability for infants to chew on.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the internal material is a gel composition of water and propylene glycol. In another preferred embodiment, superabsorbent polyacrylamide, propylparaben, methylparaben, potassium sorbate, and/or citric acid may also be provided. Below is the composition of a preferred formula of the present invention:

High Absorbent Polyacrylamide 1.10%

Propylene Glycol 25.00%

Propylparaben 0.05%

Methylparaben 0.15%

Potassium sorbate 0.40%

Water 73.3000%

The amount of citric acid added must make the pH value between 6.5-7

However, any other suitable interior material that meets the requirements and advantages of the present invention may be substituted. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the components listed above, nor to the specific proportions listed in the above formulation, any composition of internal materials that can satisfy one or more objects and advantages of the present invention can be used in the present invention. For example, other compositions consistent with the present invention may be substituted for the above-listed compositions, provided they are non-toxic, have a freezing point below that of water, and/or resemble crushed ice in appearance, regardless of the current state of the art. Existing, or can be developed in the technical field in the future.

In addition to the container itself, other structures can also be added to the teething chewing device if required, such as hard structures, soft structures, solid and/or hollow structures, as shown in the accompanying drawings 30, 34 or 36 structures, but not limited to these. The parts of the device can be of any desired shape, whether animal shapes, cartoon characters or the like. Likewise, any other part of the device, whether it is the material of the outer layer, the cavity, etc., can be of any desired shape. For example, the outer layer material may be a cylindrical gel-filled container as shown in Fig. 1(a) and Fig. 1(b). Alternatively, it could be an ear 42 as shown in Fig. 3(a), which contains a gel. The container can be attached to any desired other components. These parts can aid in teething, ease of handling by the baby, desired appearance, hard, soft, solid or hollow (for any purpose), any combination of the above, and the like.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 1( a ), the container 22 is mounted on a rigid ring 30 . Likewise, the rigid part may be provided as a handle, or any other part of the device, such as the polypropylene torso 46 shown in Figure 3(a). Fabrics can also be mounted on the product, such as the fabric 48 shown in Figures 3(a) and 3(b), in order to obtain the desired structure and effect.

Similarly, other parts can also be provided as the surface and structure of the device, or for chewing and biting, gripping, appearance and the like. For example, a part may be used as a handle or a part of a handle in the configuration of 30, 34 or 36 as shown in FIG. Also the ring 38 or 44 as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 respectively; and/or there are some structures on the contact surface, such as the structures 34 and 36 shown in FIG. 1 .

The present invention may use any suitable material for construction of these components. Such as ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene), TPE (thermoplastic elastomer), EVA (ethyl vinyl acetate), polypropylene, polycarbonate (PC), etc. Each component can be fabricated using any of a number of techniques known in the art to produce such products. For example, a single structure can be molded and filled with gel for use by an infant, while multiple structures can be molded in parts separately and then assembled together into the desired configuration (one or more parts filled with gel), etc.

Likewise, any desired combination of individual components may be used. For example, as shown in Figure 2, teething chewing devices are provided having a plastic shell (such as ABS) mounted on a gel-containing container (such as a container made of EVA) that also has a ring (such as an overmolded molded TPE ring) and colored inserts (such as polycarbonate inserts) inside. In this embodiment, the container is for cooling the gums and for chewing, and the ring is for aesthetics and/or chewing. The housing provides the infant with holding and/or chewing elements, among other things.

The inner material or gel can be partially or fully filled in the teething chewable product or any part of the product. For example, the fill level can further be used to affect the desired degree of extensibility of the product. Other chewing features may also be present on the device of the present invention, if desired. For example, the flexible material and/or hard or solid portion may also include contact surfaces 34, 36 or 40 thereon, such as raised rubber areas, as in the case of surfaces 34 and 36, or curved portions of any size and shape. (either convex or concave), etc., the structure provided on the device includes a raised area or a concave area that can rub against the baby's gums. These added dental surfaces may be provided on a hard portion of the device, such as dental surfaces 34, 36 or 40, and/or on the flexible material itself, such as curved portion surface 40.

Figures 4 and 5 are a set of other views showing the shattered ice-like appearance of the material of the invention discussed above. As shown in these two figures, the material is placed in a container, which is a plastic container with a cavity as previously discussed. The container can be placed in a complete teething chew for infants, or can be used as a complete teething chew by itself, or can be connected to other components, as shown in Figures 1-3 and 6.

The dotted lines indicate the perimeter of the device; thus, the cavity may conform to any shape of container that holds the inner material, and is not limited to the ring or donut shapes shown here. Also, according to the present invention, there may be blocks of any size and any spacing within the cavity. Figure 5 shows some other sub-views of internal materials placed within the sub-figures of Figure 4 (or within any other figure in this application). However, as in the case of crushed ice, it will be appreciated that the size, configuration and arrangement of the debris, bubbles, etc., of the internal material may vary from sample to sample. As used herein, the term crushed ice is intended to include all such fragments, bubbles, etc. configurations. Likewise, the present invention intends to clearly illustrate through these figures that the size, configuration and arrangement of the "fragments" and air bubbles in the gel can be changed as required, while still falling within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

In the case of a teat set for crying babies, the inner material may be enclosed in its pouch (teak) and/or be part of the shield. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, there is a device 52 having a shield 56 within which the inner material 26 is placed. The teat assembly 52 has a capsule 60 and, if desired, a handle 62. There are eleven receptacles 22 placed in each of the four corners of the teat unit shield, but could also be placed in one or more corners, or in any other position on the shield. The interior 54 of the teatset shield 56 of FIG. 6 can be any hard material for conventional teatsets. Alternatively, a container or containers may be used to form the entire shield.

As an alternative or additional container to the shield, the capsule 60 can be filled with gel according to the invention. Likewise, the pouches may have curved tables for chewing purposes. The vesicle can be a material with a hardness, or a plurality of materials with different hardnesses. For example, the vesicle can have a curved surface with a higher hardness than other parts, as published in US Patent 6,241,110 on June 5, 2001 ( referred to as the '110 patent). This patent is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Likewise, the shield of the teat assembly can be fabricated from a variety of materials of varying durometers and/or have curved surfaces thereon, as discussed in the '110 patent.

The present invention has been described by some specific embodiments, but it should be understood that these descriptions do not limit the invention, because other embodiments, modifications and changes will be obvious to those skilled in the art, as long as all these embodiments, Modifications and changes are included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (20)

1. method, it comprises:

(a) a kind of device that provides the baby to use, described device comprises container, and a kind of material is housed in the described container, described container is used for placing in the baby oral cavity, and a kind of comfort is provided when teething for the baby;

(b) freezing point of the described material in the described container is lower than 0 ℃;

(c) described material also has the trash ice of being similar to shape outward appearance.

2. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that: described device is cooled earlier before in placing the baby oral cavity.

3. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that: described device in placing the baby oral cavity before earlier at the refrigerator internal cooling.

4. the method for claim 1, it is characterized in that: described material is a gel.

5. method as claimed in claim 4 is characterized in that: described gel comprises propylene glycol.

6. the method for claim 1 also has: the parts that the baby can hold, these parts are contained on the described container.

7. the method for claim 1 is characterized in that: except described container, described device also has the surface of biting for the baby.

8. the method for claim 1, it is characterized in that: described device also comprises a kind of parts, it presents required outward appearance.

9. the method for claim 1, it is characterized in that: the end user can see described material by described container.

10. method, it comprises:

(a) a kind of device that provides the baby to use, described device comprises container, and a kind of material is housed in the described container, described container is used for placing in the baby oral cavity, and a kind of comfort is provided when teething for the baby;

(b) gel in the described container is that the freezing point that has is lower than 0 ℃ material;

(c) described gel has the trash ice of being similar to shape outward appearance.

(d) described gel is visible by described container.

11. method as claimed in claim 10 is characterized in that: described device is cooled earlier before in placing the baby oral cavity.

12. method as claimed in claim 10 is characterized in that: described device in placing the baby oral cavity before earlier at the refrigerator internal cooling.

13. method as claimed in claim 10 is characterized in that: described material is a gel.

14. method as claimed in claim 13 is characterized in that: described gel comprises propylene glycol.

15. method as claimed in claim 10, the parts that also have a baby to hold, these parts are contained on the described container.

16. method as claimed in claim 10 is characterized in that: except affiliated container, described device also has the surface of biting for the baby.

17. method as claimed in claim 10 is characterized in that: described device also comprises a kind of parts, and it presents required outward appearance.

18. a method, it comprises:

(a) device that provides the baby to use, described device comprises container, has gel in the described container, described container is used for placing in the baby oral cavity, and a kind of comfort is provided when teething for the baby;

(b) gel in the described container is that the freezing point that has is lower than 0 ℃ material;

(c) described gel has the trash ice of being similar to shape outward appearance.

(d) described gel is visible by described container.

(e) described device also has the parts that a baby can hold, and these parts are to be contained on the described container.

19. method as claimed in claim 18 is characterized in that: described gel comprises propylene glycol.

20. method as claimed in claim 18 is characterized in that: except described container, described device also has a surface that supplies the baby to bite.

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