Abstract:
A development-promoting device for infants that combines image-based stimulation with other sensory stimuli. The device includes a teething device usable as a teething ring by an infant. The teething device is capable of housing a photograph, such as a photograph of parents. The teething device is constructed to prevent saliva from deteriorating a photograph held by the teething device when the teething device is being used as a teether. The teething device is mountable to a stand, at which point a picture frame is formed for displaying the teething device&#39;s photograph. The stand may include a suction cup to provide tip-resistant mounting of the picture frame to a smooth surface, such as a highchair&#39;s tray.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/661,579, filed Mar. 14, 2005, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     The present invention relates generally to a cognitive and developmental device for infants, wherein the device provides a repetitive visual and tactile stimulus that facilitates infant development.  
       DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0003]     It has long been known that infants generally respond well to human faces, in particular to familiar faces. Applicants have discovered that combining one or more of such stimuli with other sensory stimuli, such as touch, creates a positive effect on an infant&#39;s cognitive and motor development, and is further promoted with repetitive exposure to such stimuli.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     The present invention provides a device that combines image-based stimulation, e.g. via a photograph of a human face, with other stimuli, in particular touch and/or taste. Such devices can be used to enhance an infant&#39;s cognitive abilities, including sensory/perceptual acuities, discriminations, and response; acquisition of object constancy; memory, learning, and problem solving; vocalization, beginning of verbal communication; basis of abstract thinking; habituation; mental mapping; and the like. In addition, such a device can be used to develop motor skills, including degree of body control, large muscle coordination, finer manipulatory skills of the hands and fingers, dynamic movement, dynamic praxis, postural imitation, and stereognosis.  
         [0005]     According to certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, a developmental device is provided in the form of a teething device specially configured as an image frame, e.g. for housing a photographic or holographic image of a familiar person or persons. The teething device has tactile attributes, such as those found in baby teethers. The teething device includes an outer teething ring constructed of a suitable resilient material, such as a firm rubber material, to be used to promote eruption and emergence of teeth from the infants gums.  
         [0006]     Optionally, the teething device is specially configured to be selectively repeatedly attachable to and detachable from a stand for supporting the teething device so that the teething device can be used as a picture frame to display a photograph/image in a manner similar to a self-standing table-mounted picture frame.  
         [0007]     The image of a familiar face attracts and holds the attention of the infant and will encourage the infant to use the tactile features of the device. Such tactile and visual stimuli facilitates the infant&#39;s cognitive and motor development. This embodiment of the device is generally intended for infant development from birth through the first year of his or her life. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The present invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following drawings in which:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a top view of an exemplary teething device in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is an exploded front perspective view of the teething device of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is an exploded rear perspective view of the teething device of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 4  is a top view of an exemplary teething device in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0013]      FIG. 5  is a front perspective view of the teething device of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0014]      FIG. 6  is an exploded front perspective view of the teething device of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0015]      FIG. 7  is a rear perspective view of the teething device of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is an exploded rear perspective view of the teething device of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is a cross-sectional view of the teething device of  FIG. 4  taken along line A-A′ of  FIG. 7 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 10  is a front view of a picture frame including the teething device of  FIG. 5  mounted on a stand;  
         [0019]      FIG. 11  is a front perspective view of the picture frame of  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0020]      FIG. 12  is a side perspective view of the picture frame of  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0021]      FIG. 13  is a right side view of the picture frame of  FIG. 10 , the left side view being a mirror image thereof; and  
         [0022]      FIG. 14  is a rear perspective view of the picture frame of  FIG. 10 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0023]     The present invention provides an infant developmental device including a teething device, and optionally an attachable stand to support the teething device as a table-mounted picture frame.  
         [0024]     Referring now to the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , the teething device  10  is capable of housing an image object, such as a photograph, in an enclosed manner that protects the image object from an infant&#39;s saliva when the teething device is used as an infant teether to facilitate eruption and emergence of teeth from the infant&#39;s gums by having the infant chew on the teething device.  
         [0025]     As shown in  FIGS. 1-3 , the teething device  10  includes a teething ring  18  configured as a closed loop enclosing a central section. The teething ring is preferably constructed of a semi-firm material, such as rubber, an elastomeric polyethylene or other material of a type generally used for constructing infant teethers (collectively, a “rubbery material”). The teething ring  18  is preferably comprised of visually discrete segments,  18   a,    18   b,    18   c,    18   d,  each of which is colored a respective one of four different easily distinguishable colors, such as red, blue, green and yellow. These colors provide visual stimulation to an infant user of the teething device  10 . Preferably the teething ring  18  further includes a preferably continuous flange circumventing the central section.  
         [0026]     The teething device  10  further includes a backing plate  16  and a face plate  14  capable of sandwiching a substantially planar image bearing object, such as a photograph  12 , therebetween. The face plate  14  includes a member  17  that is constructed of a transparent acrylic or other transparent, non-toxic plastic material. The transparent nature of the face plate allows the infant to view the photograph  12  while protecting the photograph from the infant&#39;s saliva or from other physical damage. The photograph is interchangeable by a parent, etc., and preferably the teething device is used to house a photograph of a person recognizable to the infant to further visually stimulate the infant particularly during use as a teether.  
         [0027]     The backing plate  16 , face plate  14  and teething ring  18  are configured to interlock with one another to enclose the image object  12 . In the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , face plate  14  is provided with screw-receiving bosses,  14   a,    14   b,    14   c,    14   d  that project from a surface of the face plate  14  through apertures  20   a,    20   b,    20   c,    20   d  of the teething ring  18 . Corresponding apertures  16   a,    16   b,    16   c,    16   d  are provided in the backing plate  16  through which screws are passed to secure the backing plate  16  to the teething ring, a team and face plate  14 , and sandwich therebetween the photograph/image object  12 . Thus, the face plate  14  and backing plate  16  are secured to the teething ring  18  by attaching the two plates to each other with screws as they sandwich and enclose the image object, as best shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 . More specifically, in this embodiment, the flange, which is made of a rubbery material, is squeezed between the face plate  14  and backing plate  16  to form a liquid-resistant seal, and thus protect the enclosed image object/photograph  12  from deteriorative effects of saliva, etc. The screws may subsequently be removed to separate the plates and replace the image object  12  with a different image object.  
         [0028]     Alternatively, the face plate  14  is connected to the backing plate  16  via other releasable connectors such as snaps, Velcroφ hook and loop fasteners, or the like. In highly preferred embodiments, the face plate  14  and backing plate  16  are attached to the teething ring  18  so as to create a seal to prevent in ingress of matter, such as saliva, that would be deteriorative to the photograph  12 .  
         [0029]     Preferably, the teething device  10  further includes a mounting member that may be used to repeatedly and releasably mount the teething device  10  to a stand capable of supporting the teething device in a substantially upright position, i.e. with the image object  12  in a substantially vertical position much like a conventional table standing picture frame. In the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , the mounting member is provided on the backing plate  16 , although the mounting member could be provided on the teething ring  18 . In the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , the mounting member is provided as a mounting lug  30  having an overall spherical shape for receipt in a corresponding socket of the stand to form a ball and socket type joint, as best shown in  FIG. 3 . The exemplary spherical mounting lug  30  shown in  FIG. 3  is sectioned so that it may be injection molded as a unitary body in a relatively inexpensive and straightforward manner, as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0030]     An alternative embodiment of the teething device  10  is shown in  FIGS. 4-9 , in which components corresponding to components of the exemplary embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3  are labeled with corresponding reference numerals. Referring now to  FIGS. 4-9 , the teething device  10  includes a similar segmented teething ring  18 , as best shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 . The teething device  10  further includes a transparent face plate  14  and a backing plate  16  that can be interconnected with the teething ring  18 , while sandwiching a photograph or other image object  12  therebetween.  
         [0031]     Unlike the embodiment of  FIGS. 1-3 , no screws or other separate fasteners are required to interconnect the face plate  14 , backing plate  16 , and teething ring  18 . Instead, the teething ring  18  is configured to define a groove  40  around its inside perimeter that is dimensioned to receive the face plate  14 , the backing plate  16  and a substantially flat image object, such as a conventional photograph, as best shown in  FIGS. 6, 8  and  9 .  
         [0032]     The material used to construct the teething ring  18  is selected to be sufficiently stretchable and/or resiliently deformable to allow the teething ring  18  to be stretched around the face plate  14  and backing plate  16  until they seat in the groove  40 , at which point the teething ring  18  is permitted to resile to capture the face plate  14  and backing plate  16  in the groove  40 .  
         [0033]     Optionally, the face plate  14  and backing plate  16  may include complementary mounting fiducials to ensure positive engagement of the face plate  14  and backing plate  16  in proper alignment. In the exemplary embodiment shown in  FIGS. 4-9 , the face plate  14  includes a peripheral lip  13  extending beyond a planar surface of the face plate  14 , as best shown in  FIG. 8 , and the backing plate  16  includes a peripheral recess  15  recessed below a planar surface of the backing plate  16 , as best shown in  FIG. 6 . Various suitable alternative mounting fiducials may be employed, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. However, interfitting lip and recess fiducials that extend around the entire perimeter of the face plate  14  and backing plate  16 , as shown in  FIGS. 4-9 , are preferred because of their ability to tightly enclose the image object and form a liquid-resistant seal protecting the image object from deteriorative effects of any saliva, etc. present during use of the teething device  10  as a teether.  
         [0034]     As will be noted from  FIGS. 6-9 , this exemplary embodiment includes a spherical mounting lug  30 , similar to that described above with reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , for mounting the teething device  10  to a stand for use to display the image object  12  in a manner similar to that of a conventional picture frame.  
         [0035]      FIGS. 10-14  show the teething device  10  of  FIGS. 4-9  mounted to a stand  40  for use to display the image object,  12  in a manner similar to that of a conventional picture frame. As shown in  FIGS. 10-14 , a picture frame  50  in accordance with the present invention includes a teething device  10 , e.g. the teething device  10  of either  FIGS. 1-3  or  FIGS. 4-9 , and a stand  40 .  
         [0036]     Referring now to  FIGS. 10-14 , the stand  40  includes an upright support member  42  and a base  46 . The base  46  has a cross-sectional area greater than that of the upright member, to promote stability in mounting the stand  40  on a flat surface such as a table, highchair tray, etc. In one embodiment, the base  46  is rigid, e.g. a hard plastic, member, that will stand securely on a flat surface. In an alternative embodiment, the base  46  is a supple member, e.g. a soft plastic or rubber member, capable of functioning as a suction cup to secure the stand  40  to a flat surface, such as a table or highchair tray.  
         [0037]     As best shown in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the upright support member  42  defines toward its upper end opposite the base  46  a socket  44  capable of releasably receiving the mounting lug  30  of the teething device  10 . In the exemplary embodiments shown, the socket  44  is preferably dimensioned to releasably receive the spherical mounting lug  30  of the teething device  10  in a manner permitting the mounting lug  30  to be snapped into the socket  44  and snapped out of the socket  44  with a moderate amount of manual force easily applied by an adult human. The socket  44  may be dimensioned as a partial sphere for this purpose. In other words, the mounting lug  30  and socket  44  and dimensioned for an interference fit to form a ball and socket joint. The ball and socket type joint allows for pivoting of the teething device  10  relative to the stand  50  to allow for positioning of the image object within an infant&#39;s field of view; thus providing visual stimulation.  
         [0038]     Optionally, the upright support member  42  includes a gooseneck or other flexible, selectively positionable portion so that the socket  44  may be adjustably positioned relative to the base  46 .  
         [0039]     For example, this allows a parent to keep the teething device  10  mounted on the stand  40  to display the image object/photograph  12  as in a picture frame  50 , and to subsequently remove the teething device  10  when desired to permit an infant child to hold the teething device  10  and use it as a teether to visually and physically stimulate the child, and to promote tooth/mouth development.  
         [0040]     While there have been described herein the principles of the invention, it is to be understood by those skilled in the art that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims, to cover all modifications of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.