Abstract:
A wrist teether relieves teething pain by cooling an infant&#39;s gums without causing either the infant or an adult the discomfort associated with handling a cold teether. The wrist teether is a doughnut-shaped bracelet containing cooled capsules, such as freezer cubes. The wrist teether attaches around the infant&#39;s wrist and permits the infant itself to apply the cooled capsules to its gums without grasping the teether. The wrist teether is elastic and constricts around the infant&#39;s wrist so that it does not fall off. A multi-layered wrist-facing side of the wrist teether insulates the infant&#39;s wrist from the cooled capsules.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to infant care devices and more specifically to infant teethers.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Teethers are devices that diminish the discomfort an infant experiences when the infant&#39;s teeth first protrude through the infant&#39;s gums. Teethers that are cooled can be more effective in relieving the pain associated with teething. Some teethers can be frozen, enabling the teether to cool and numb the infant&#39;s gums.  
           [0003]    It is uncomfortable both for an infant and an adult to handle a conventional cooled teether. Most infants lack the manual dexterity and the attention to grasp an object for an extended period. Even where conventional teethers provide handles or rings, the infant tends to drop the teether. Moreover, the cooled teether will numb not only the infant&#39;s gums, but also the infant&#39;s hand, inducing the infant to drop the teether. An adult can use the handles or rings to insert the cooled teether into the infant&#39;s mouth. Adults often find holding teethers to be tedious. In addition, the adult&#39;s hand will become cold from the frozen teether.  
           [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 (prior art) shows a conventional cooled teether  10  that an adult  11  holds in an infant&#39;s mouth. Although the conventional cooled teether might pacify the infant, the cooled teether does not facilitate the adult&#39;s ability to perform other tasks while the infant is being pacified.  
           [0005]    Thus, a teether is sought that relieves teething pain by cooling an infant&#39;s gums without causing either the infant or an adult the discomfort and tedium associated with holding a cold object.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0006]    A wrist teether relieves teething pain by cooling an infant&#39;s gums without causing either the infant or an adult the discomfort associated with handling a cold teether. In one embodiment, the wrist teether is a doughnut-shaped bracelet containing cooled capsules, such as freezer cubes that are filled with a liquid that can be frozen. The wrist teether attaches losely around the infant&#39;s wrist. The infant, therefore, need not grasp the wrist teether in order to apply the cooled capsules to its gums. The wrist teether is elastic and constricts around the infant&#39;s wrist so that it does not fall off. A multi-layered wrist-facing side of the wrist teether insulates the infant&#39;s wrist from the cooled capsules. Individual capsules bulge under a single layer of fabric on the outer side of the bracelet so that the infant can insert a portion of a cooled capsule into its mouth.  
           [0007]    A method is disclosed for making a wrist teether from a rectangular piece of fabric.  
           [0008]    Other embodiments and advantages are described in the detailed description below. This summary does not purport to define the invention. The invention is defined by the claims.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]    The accompanying drawings, where like numerals indicate like components, illustrate embodiments of the invention.  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 (prior art) is a depiction of an adult holding a cooled teether in an infant&#39;s mouth.  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is a depiction of an infant applying the wrist teether of the present invention to the infant&#39;s mouth.  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a top-down view of the wrist teether of FIG. 2.  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the wrist teether of FIG. 2.  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional top view of the wrist teether of FIG. 2.  
         [0015]    FIGS.  6 A-G show steps in a method of making the wrist teether of FIG. 2 from a piece of cloth.  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a flowchart of a method of making the wrist teether of FIG. 2. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0017]    Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 shows a wrist teether  12  according to one specific embodiment of the present invention. An infant  13  is applying the wrist teether  12  to the infant&#39;s mouth by biting or gnawing or mouthing the cooled teether. The wrist teether  12  is toroidal and doughnut-shaped and resembles a bracelet. The wrist teether  12  passes around a wrist  14  of the infant  13 . The wrist teether  12  is elastic and constricts in a very soft and loose manner around the wrist  14  of the infant  13 . The wrist teether  12  is attached to the infant&#39;s wrist  14  without the infant  13  grasping the wrist teether  12 .  
         [0019]    The wrist teether  12  has a fabric shell and contains several capsules. The capsules contain a substance that can be frozen, for example, by placing the wrist teether  12  in a freezer. Alternatively, the substance in the capsules can be cooled in a refrigerator. The infant&#39;s wrist  14  is insulated from the cooled or frozen substance in the capsules by several layers of fabric on an inside, wrist-facing side  15  of the fabric shell. An outer side  16  of the fabric shell has only one layer of fabric, allowing the frozen capsules to come in close proximity with the gums of the infant  13 . The fabric shell of the wrist teether  12  is flexible and pliant and stretches over the contours of the capsules. The fabric permits a large portion of an individual capsule to bulge under the fabric and to fit into the mouth of the infant  13 , without the capsule becoming a choking hazard.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 3 is a top-down view of the wrist teether  12 , showing a seam  17  that separates the wrist-facing side  15  of the fabric shell from the outer side  16 . The stitching of the seam  17  is on the inside of the shell. An outside seam  18  connects two ends of a tube of fabric to form the doughnut-shaped bracelet that is the wrist teether  12 . A few hand stitches  19  of the outside seam  18  are shown.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the wrist teether  12 , showing capsules  20  within the shell of the wrist teether. The wrist-facing side  15  of the fabric shell has three layers of fabric, whereas the outer side  16  has only one layer. The wrist teether  12  has generally circular cross-sections  21  on either side of the center of its doughnut shape. The capsules  20  are filled with a substance  22  that can be cooled or frozen. For example, the capsules  20  can be plastic freezer cubes that are filled with a gel. Or the capsules  20  can be filled with water or a water solution. The capsules are smaller than the size of an infant&#39;s mouth in order to allow the infant  13  to suck on individual capsules through the fabric. The fabric should be non-absorbant so that it does not become wet with the infant&#39;s saliva or with condensation from the cold capsules  20 . Wrist teether  12  is machine washable. Thus, the fabric can be a microfiber fabric that is machine washable, and the capsules  20  are made of a material that is not damaged by a washing machine.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional top view of wrist teether  12  showing how the capsules  20  are disbursed around the doughnut-shaped bracelet of wrist teether  12 . When wrist-teether  12  is not over the infant&#39;s wrist  14 , the doughnut-shape of wrist-teether  12  has an uneven inner circumference  23 .  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 6A is a top view of a rectangular piece of fabric  24  that is used to make wrist teether  12 . FIGS. 6A through 6G illustrate steps in a method of making wrist teether  12 . Fabric  24  has a length of about eleven inches and a width of about 8 inches. Fabric  24  is sectioned into four lengthwise strips, with a strip  25  on one side of fabric  24  being wider than the other three strips  26 - 28 . An edge  29  of fabric  24  forms one of the longer sides of wider strip  25 . The other longer side of wider strip  25  is a crease  30 . Two other creases  31  and  32  separate the three narrow strips  26 - 28 . Opposite crease  32  of narrow strip  28  is an edge  33  of fabric  24 . The wider strip  25  becomes the outer side  16  of the fabric shell. The three narrow strips  26 - 28  become the wrist-facing side  15 .  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 6B shows a side view of the piece of fabric  24  and illustrates how the fabric  24  is folded before two seams are sewn. Edge  29  is brought into contact with crease  31 , and crease  31  is folded over onto edge  33 .  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6C shows the piece of fabric  24  after it has been folded at creases  30 - 32 . As wider strip  25  has more fabric  24  than the other three strips  26 - 28 , there is more fabric  24  between crease  30  and edge  33  than between crease  32  and edge  33 .  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 6D shows a top view of the folded fabric  24  of FIG. 6C, on which two seams have been sewn. A first elastic band  34  is stretched and laid along crease  30 . Then a first seam  35  is sewn near and parallel to crease  30 , attaching crease  30  to crease  32 , as well as attaching first elastic band  34  to fabric  24 . A second elastic band  36  is stretched and laid along edge  29 , which lies above crease  31  and edge  33 . Then a second seam  37  is sewn near and parallel to edge  29 , attaching edge  29  to crease  31  and to edge  33 , as well as attaching second elastic band  34  to fabric  24 . A sewing machine can be used to sew seams  35  and  37 . The excess fabric  24  between crease  30  and edge  33  forms a fold  38 .  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 6E shows a side view of the folded fabric  24  of FIG. 6D, into which first seam  35  and second seam  37  have been sewn. The excess fabric  24  of wider strip  25  forms fold  38 . Folded fabric  24  now has four layers  39 .  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 6F shows how wider strip  25  is pulled to one side, while the other three strips  26 - 28  are pulled to the other side. A tube of fabric  24  is formed, with seams  35  and  37  on the outside of the tube.  
         [0029]    In FIG. 6G, the tube of fabric  24  of FIG. 6F has been turned inside out. Seams  35  and  37 , as well as elastic bands  34  and  36 , are now on the inside of the tube of fabric  24 . Several capsules  20  filled with freezable liquid are inserted into the tube of fabric  24 . Three layers  40  of fabric  24  form wrist-facing side  15  of the fabric shell of wrist teether  12  and insulate the infant&#39;s wrist  14  from the cold capsules  20 . Outer side  16  of the fabric shell has only one layer of fabric  24 , which is more pliant than the three layers  40 . Thus, infant  13  can more easily use its lips to move a capsule  20  that is on the other side of a single layer of fabric  24 .  
         [0030]    In a final step, the two ends of the tube of fabric  24  are sewn together in such a way that the three-layered wrist-facing side  15  is on the inside of the resulting doughnut-shaped bracelet. The two ends of the tube can be connected by sewing a connecting seam through all the layers with a sewing machine. This creates an area near the connecting seam that cannot be occupied by larger-sized capsules. Alternatively, the two ends of the tube can be hand sewn together, maintaining a toroid shape of wrist teether  12 . Elastic bands  34  and  36  are stretched as they are sewn into seams  35  and  37 . In their contracted state, elastic bands  34  and  36  reduce inner circumference  23  (shown in FIG. 5) and impart a doughnut shape to wrist teether  12 .  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing seven steps  41 - 47  in a method of making wrist teether  12 .  
         [0032]    In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a tag or label is added to the outer side  16  of the wrist teether  12  explaining how to use the bracelet. The label explains that wrist teether  12  is placed in a freezer for at least a few hours before the teether is placed on wrist  14  of teething infant  13 .  
         [0033]    Although the present invention has been described in connection with certain specific embodiments for instructional purposes, the present invention is not limited thereto. In the embodiments described above, the wrist teether has two elastic bands. In another embodiment, however, the shell of the wrist teether is made of elastic material. The purpose of the elastic bands is obviated where the material itself is elastic. In yet another embodiment, a separate elastic band within the volume of the doughnut-shaped wrist teether is used instead of sewing two elastic bands into the seams of the wrist teether.  
         [0034]    Although the wrist teether in the embodiments described above are made of fabric, the shells of other embodiments of the wrist teether are made of plastic polymers or even of leather. Plastic shells of wrist teethers can be made without stitching by glueing or melting the seams. Two thicknesses of plastic can be used instead of various numbers of layers of fabric. In other embodiments, the number of layers on the wrist-facing side of the wrist teether is other than three. In yet other embodiments, the capsules are not individual cubes, but rather are a single structure with several compartments. A wrist teether need not include a doughnut-shaped container of fabric that encloses cooled capsules, but rather may include a single ring structure of compartments where the wrist-facing side of the ring is covered with an insulating layer.  
         [0035]    Although the wrist teether is used primarily to relieve teething pain by cooling an infant&#39;s gums, the wrist teether can also be used to relieve pain by cooling scrapes and bumps on children. Accordingly, various modifications, adaptations, and combinations of various features of the described embodiments can be practiced without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.