Patent ID: 6238263
Filing Date: 2001-05-29
Classification: A63H

Abstract:
A device for soothing, distracting, and stimulating a child, the device comprising:a rigid, disk-shaped body having a rigid body wall including a cylindrical perimeter wall and opposite first and second circular walls disposed at opposite ends of the cylindrical perimeter wall, the first circular wall and cylindrical perimeter wall forming a gradual curved edge therebetween, the body wall defining an interior cavity,the first circular wall having an outer surface with a light color and a plurality of concave indentations formed in the surface configured for casting shadows on the light color of the surface in the indentation and creating contrast between the shadows and the light color, the indentations being sized and shaped to form a face including first and second indentations forming eyes and a third indentation forming a mouth to stimulate a child;a pair of broadly rounded protrusions extending from opposite sides of the cylindrical perimeter wall of the body, the protrusions each having a broadly rounded perimeter edge and first and second opposite, spaced-apart, crescent-shaped walls, the perimeter edge being rounded and the crescent-shaped walls being concave to form handles, the protrusions having a thickness between the crescent-shaped walls sized to be grasped by a child's hands and extend into a child's mouth, the protrusions being positioned on opposite sides of the face and being generally configured to define ears;a vibration mechanism disposed in the interior cavity of the body and operatively coupled to the body wall configured to vibrate the body to soothe and calm a child;a light source disposed on the body wall configured to emit light to stimulate a child and capture a child's attention;a sound generator disposed in the interior cavity of the body configured to emit sound for capturing a child's attention;a power source disposed in the interior cavity of the body and electrically coupled to the vibration mechanism, light source, and sound generator; anda plurality of push-button type switches each operatively coupled between the power source and one of the vibration mechanism, light source, and sound generator to selectively activate the vibration mechanism, light source, and sound generator, such that any combination of the vibration mechanism, light source, and sound generator may be activated, each of the push-button type switches having a button protruding through the cylindrical perimeter wall between the protrusions and above the first and second indentations to appear as animated hair in combination with the indentations forming the face.