WO2008068785A1

WO2008068785A1 - Holder for a comforter, and method for keeping a comforter near a user's mouth

Info

Publication number: WO2008068785A1
Application number: PCT/IT2006/000840
Authority: WO
Inventors: Barbara Nejrotti
Original assignee: Barbara Nejrotti
Priority date: 2006-12-07
Filing date: 2006-12-07
Publication date: 2008-06-12

Abstract

The support according to the invention comprises an arm (3) to which a pacifier is fixed (7). The arm (3) is fixed to a fixing member (5), made for example as a pectoral, a harness or a garment. The fixing member (5) allows the arm (3) to be fixed to the trunk of a newborn, so as to keep the pacifier (7) near to the newborn's mouth, so that he/she can remove the pacifier from or put in his/her mouth by him/herself and even in the dark. This way the baby keeps more quiet, and disturbs less his/her parents at night.

Description

"HOLDERFORACOMFORTER, AND METHOD FORKEEPINGA COMFORTERNEAR

A USER'S MOUTH" Field of the invention

The present invention relates to a holder for a comforter, for allowing a newborn or a small baby to retrieve a comforter such as a pacifier, by himself and even in the dark.

The invention further relates to a method for keeping a comforter near the mouth of a newborn, a small baby or another user.

Background art

A fact that often causes a small baby to wake up and cry at night is loosing his/her pacifier. Such wakings up and cryings turn out to be quite tiring also for the parents, often deprived of the possibility to sleep enough for several months. Various expedients have been conceived, in order to avoid such wakings up, or to allow the baby to fall asleep quicker.

A homely method is fastening the pacifier in the baby's mouth by means of a handkerchief tied around the baby's head. Nevertheless such expedient has several drawbacks: if the wrapping is elastic, it tightens excessively the baby's head and pushes the pacifier in his/her mouth with excessive force, inflaming the lips, causing pain or however a remarkable annoyance and hindering regurgitations, if any, with the risk Qf causing suffocation or however respiratory difficulties. On the contrary, if the wrapping is not elastic, it unavoidably loosen, it does not keep the pacifier in the desired position and risks to strangle the baby if it winds around his/her neck. In order to avoid these drawbacks a number of other arrangements have been developed. The document FR2636233 describes to an article provided with a soft cylindrical body and a rubber teat of fixed on the cylindrical body, in order to be found easier by the newborn during the night.

In the applicant's opinion however a newborn, expecially if he/she is quite small, cannot retrieve such article so easily by groping at night in his/her bed; therefore the applicant deems the solution disclosed in FR2636233 not satisfactory.

An object of the present invention is therefore supplying a device allowing a newborn or a small baby to find a pacifier or other type of comforter, by him/herself and easily even at night and in the dark, so that he /she falls asleep quickly by him/herself.

Summary of the invention In a first aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved with a holder for a comforter, having the features according to claim 1. in a second aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved with a method for keeping a comforter near a user's mouth having the features according to claim 12.

In a third aspect of the present invention, this object is achieved with a method for keeping a comforter near a user's mouth having the features according to claim 13.

The advantages attainable with the present invention will appear more evident, to a technician of i the field, from the following detailed description of some preferred and non-limiting embodiments, provided with reference to the following schematic Figures.

List of Figures

Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a holder for a comforter according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 2 shows the holder for a comforter of Figure 1 worn by a newborn; the Figures 3A, 3B show, in a disassembled and assembled configuration respectively, the fastening arrangement of a pacifier on the support member of the support of Figure 1;

Figure 4 shows a perspective view of a holder for a comforter according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 5 shows a perspective view of a holder for a comforter according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description

Figures 1, 2 relate to a first embodiment of a holder for a comforter according to the present invention. In the present description the term "coηfortatore" (in English "comforter" ) is to be understood as meaning in general an object arranged for being sucked or bitten by babies so as to calm them. Examples of comforters are teats, pacifiers and teethers .

According to the present invention, the holder for a comforter, indicated as a whole with the reference numeral I₅ comprises: - a support member 3;

- a fixing member 5 arranged so as to fix the support member 3 to the trunk of a user - such as a baby- so as to keep a comforter 7 near the user's mouth.

Preferably the fixing member 5 is arranged so as to keep the comforter 7 at a distance, from the user's mouth, substantially smaller than or equal to twice - more preferably substantially smaller than or equal to the width of the mouth- of the user him/herself.

Preferably the fixing member 5 is arranged so as to keep the comforter 7 at a distance, from the user's mouth, substantially smaller than or equal to five centimeters and, more preferably, substantially smaller than or equal to three centimeters.

According to the embodiment of Figure 1, the support member 3 comprises an arm, having for example a substantially flattened cross-section, made of a suitable elastic or however suitably deformable material, such as a plastic, elastomeric or non-elastomeric material. The arm 3 can possibly be provided with - possibly inside itself- a core made of an easily deformable metal without excessive springbacks -that is, deformable with a mostly plastic deformation-, so as to allow the pacifier 7 to be arranged in the desired spatial position by deforming the arm 3 also with bare hands. However, as it will appear more evident later on, a certain degree of elasticity^' of the support member 3 can turn out useful.

Clearly in order to manufacture plastic deformable support members 3 other solutions and/or materials can be used, such as shape memory materials, bodies provided with an internal chamber filled with pressurized air or other gases/ fluids etc. Alternatively, the support member 3 can be articulated or bendable in other ways. Turning back to the embodiment of Figure 1, the fixing member 5 is formed as a pectoral 13 - for example made of fabric, knotted fabric or mesh- to be fixed on the baby's chest through the shoulder straps 9 and the belt 11, as shown in Figure 2. The shoulder straps 9 and the belt 11 can be made of for example of straps of fabric, woven-not-woven fabric or suitable synthetic material, and can be adjustable and/or fastened for example with buttons -common buttons or press studs, buckles, laces, VELCRO fastenings or simply knots.

Advantageously the point - or the points, or the zones- at which the support member 3 is fixed to the fixing member 5 can be displaced, so as to allow adjustment of the height (arrow F in Figure 1) at which the pacifier or comforter 7 is positioned, or the lateral position or the inclination of support member 3 as well. In the preferred embodiment of Figure 1 this is provided by fixing the arm 3 to the pectoral 13 through a VELCRO fastening: reference 15 indicates a patch provided with the hooks or the flocks or loops of the VELCRO fastening, sewn or applied in another way on the pectoral; the other patch, not shown, with the flocks or loops or the hooks respectively, of the VELCRO fastening, is sewn or applied in another way on the arm 3. Preferably the support member 3 is arranged so that the pacifier 7 or another kind of comforter can be reversibly fixed to and reversibly removed from it: Figures 3A, 3B show an example of such a reversible fixing. The ring 70 of the pacifier 7 is inserted in the slot 32 made on the support member 3, and then is blocked by being fastened by the flexible tab 30, which in its turn is fastened by a press stud. Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of an holder for a comforter 1' according to the present invention, in which the support member 3' is substantially arch-shaped and is fixed at two points to the fixing member 5'. The references 15' indicate two patches, provided with the hooks or the flocks or loops of a VELCRO fastening, sewn or applied in another way on the pectoral so as to fix the support member 3' to the latter, at an adjustable position. In this embodiment the fixing member 5' is embodied as a harness made of straps or ribbons of suitable material, to be fixed on the baby's chest through the shoulder straps 9' and the belt 11'.

Figure 5 shows a third embodiment of a holder for a comforter 1 " according to the present invention, wherein the fixing member 5 " it made as a garment - such as a smock, rompers, pyjamas, a T-shirt, a shirt, an apron that can be worn by the baby or another user. Also in this embodiment the support member 3" is arranged so that it can be firmly fixed to the garment 5" in, any suitable manner, such as through button/eyelet connections, one of which provided on the v garment and the other one on the support member, or through buckles, laces, pins, clips. The references 15", 17" in Figure 5 indicate the patches, some of them provided with the hooks, the other ones the flocks or loops - or viceversa- of the VELCRO fastening. Also in this embodiment the patches 15" can be directly sewn, or fixed in another way, on the garment 5". Moreover in this embodiment, several patches 15 " are applied in different zones of the garment 5", so as to allow the support member 3 " be fixed in different zones.

During the use of supports for comforters according to the invention it has been observed that they allow the comforter be positioned almost always near the mouth. Fixing the support member 3, 3' or 3" to the baby's trunk allows the comforter 7 to be kept in the desired position even if the baby moves while sleeping, and regardless of the fact that the baby lies on the stomach, on the back or on a side. By making the support member suitably flexible and deformable, and through a suitable adjustment of the support, the baby can easily expel the comforter from his/her mouth with instinctive movements of the mouth itself or of the head when he/she feels the need - for example for regurgitating or coughing- with no risk of suffocation. If he/she wakes up at night because he/she has lost his/her pacifier, he/she can find the comforter and put it in his/her mouth again with instinctive movements as well -such as by simply stretching his/her head or lips out, as when searching something to suck, and without using his/her hands, for example by grazing it with his/her cheek, lips or nose. The supports for comforters according to the invention allow to achieve the advantages set forth just above also with newborns and quite small babies. Moreover they allow to eliminate the danger of accidental stranglings. Finally they allow to keep the baby quiet also in other situations, such as during long travels by car.

The preferred embodiments previously described may undergo several modifications and changes without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, the support member can be fixed to the fixing member firmly and in a stable way through button/eyelet arrangements, press studs, straps, buckles, pins, laces and other cords, clips, snap fittings, pockets etc. The fixing member itself can be made up of a simple lace or strap of suitable length that, with a suitable winding, fastens the support member to the baby's trunk with suitable, firmness passing around the baby's waist and shoulders. The fixing member can also be fixed to the lower part of the user's trunk, for example to the pelvis, and for example can be shaped as pants. A plurality of pacifiers, teats, or teethers can be simultaneously fixed to the support member as well. The terms "VELCRO fastening" is to be understood as meaning an arrangement for joining two parts in general commonly called "hook-and-loop fastening" or "touch fastening". The comforter can be fixed to the support member also in a permanent and irreversible way, for example by being welded to or formed integral with it. The examples and listings of possible versions in the present application are to be understood as non-exhaustive.

Claims

1) Holder for a comforter (1, 1¹, 1 "), comprising:

- a support member (3, 3', 3 "), comprising a seat (30, 32) arranged so as to hold and fix a comforter (7); • - a fixing member (5, 5', 5 ") arranged so as to fix the support member (3, 3', 3 ") to a user's trunk so as to keep the comforter (7), fixed to the seat (30, 32), near the user's mouth.

2) Holder for a comforter (1, 1', 1 ") according to claim 1, comprising a comforter (7) fixed to the support member (3, 3', 3 ").

3) Support (1, 1', 1 ") according to claim 1 or 2, arranged so as to keep the comforter (7) substantially in front of the user's mouth.

4) Support (1, 1', 1 ") according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the support member (3, 3', 3 ") is able to stand or however to support itself.

5) Support (1, 1', 1 ") according to one or more, of the preceding claims, wherein the support i member (3, 3', 3 ") is articulated or however bendable. ..

6) Support (1, 1', 1 ") according to one or more of the preceding claims, arranged so as to adjust the position of the comforter (7), fixed to the support member (3, 3', 3 "), relative to the mouth of the user wearing the support (1, 1', 1 "), through a plastic deformation of the support member (3, 3', 3 ").

7) Support (1, V, 1 ") according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the support member (3, 3', 3 ") comprises an element chosen among the following ones: an arm, an upright, a rod , an elongated appendix, a body having substantially arched shape, a section bar, a bar.

8) Support (1, V, 1 ") according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing member (5, 5', 5 ") comprises an element chosen from the following group: a harness, a pectoral, a garment, an apron, a clip, a pin, an element of a VELCRO fastening or another kind of hook- and-loop- and/or touch fasteners, a belt, a strap, a lace, a shoulder strap, a button, a press stud ,. an eyelet, a snap fastener .

9) Support (1, 1', 1 ") according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the support member (3, 3', 3 ") is fixed to the fixing member (5, 5',.5 ") through an element chosen from the following group: a clip, a pin, a VELCRO fastening arrangement or another kind of hook-and- loop- and/or touch fastening , a belt, a strap, a lace, a button/eyelet arrangement, a press stud, a snap fastener.

10) Support (I₅ V, 1 ") according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the support member (3, 3', 3 ") comprises a seat (30, 32) arranged so as to reversibly hold and fix a pacifier or another comforter (7).

11) Support (1, 1', 1 ") according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein the fixing member (5, 5', 5 ") is arranged so as to fix to himself the support member (3, 3', 3 ") in a plurality of different positions (15 ", F) relative to the fixing member (5, 5', 5 ") itself.

12) Method for keeping a comforter (7) near a user's mouth, comprising the following steps : - providing a support member (3, 3', 3 "), to which a comforter is fixed (7);

-fixing the support member (3, 3', 3 ") to the user's trunk through a fixing member (5, 5', 5 "), so as to keep the comforter (7) near the user's mouth .

13) Method for keeping a comforter (7) near a user's mouth, comprising the following steps : - providing a support member (3, 3', 3 "), which comprises in its turn a seat (30, 32) arranged so as to fix a comforter (7);

- fixing the support member (3, 3', 3 ") to the user's trunk through a fixing member (5, 5', 5 "), so as to keep the comforter (7), fixed to its seat (30, 32) near the user's mouth .