Patent Publication Number: US-7214239-B2

Title: Anti-swallow pacifier with bivalve shell

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,058 (the prior art) issued to the same inventor of this application disclosed a hygienic pacifier having a bivalve shell hingedly secured to the base member for closing the nipple portion protruding from the base member for preventing contamination of the nipple portion. 
     However, such a prior art still has the following drawbacks:
     1. When the two half-shell pieces ( 31 ) are opened for baby&#39;s soothing, the two half-shell pieces ( 31 ) will be obstructed beyond the baby&#39;s mouth, being unable to be swallowed by the baby. However, when the bivalve shall ( 3 ) is closed, the pacifier may be possibly swallowed by a baby to possibly cause baby&#39;s fatal suffocation.   2. It is lacking of automatic closing mechanism for closing the bivalve shell ( 3 ). Even a pair of meshed gears  34   a  are provided for simultaneously closing the two half-shell pieces ( 31 ), at least one half-shell piece ( 31 ) should be continuously driven for closing the two half-shell pieces, still being inconvenient for closing the bivalve shell for protecting the nipple portion.   

     The present inventor has found the drawbacks of the prior art and invented the present anti-swallow pacifier. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The object of the present invention is to provide an anti-swallow pacifier including: a base member having nipple member protruding forwardly from the base member, a bivalve shell having a pair of half-shell pieces hingedly secured to the base member having a restoring spring retained on the base member for resiliently automatically closing the two half-shell pieces for covering the nipple portion such as when the pacifier is dropped to the ground, an anti-swallow shield circumferentially formed on a rear portion of the base member for preventing from swallow of the pacifier by a baby as the shield may be obstructed beyond the baby&#39;s mouth without being swallowed. A handle may be further secured to the anti-swallow shield. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is an exploded view showing the elements of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a rear-view perspective illustration of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an illustration of the present invention showing the opening of the two half-shell pieces. 
         FIG. 4A  shows the relationship of the cam portion with the restoring spring in  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5  shows the initiating for closing the bivalve shell after  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 5A  shows the relationship of the cam portion with the restoring spring in  FIG. 5 . 
         FIG. 6  shows a closed bivalve shell of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6A  shows the cam portion with the restoring spring in  FIG. 6 . 
         FIG. 7  is an illustration of the restoring spring of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a rear-view perspective drawing showing another preferred embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As shown in the drawing figures, the present invention comprises: a base member  1 ; a nipple member  2  formed on a front portion of the base member  1 ; a bivalve shell  3  hingedly secured to the base member  1 ; an anti-swallow shield  5  circumferentially secured to the base member  1  allowing a rearward protruding of the bivalve shell  3  (when opened) and for retarding the pacifier beyond a baby&#39;s mouth for safely preventing from swallowing of the pacifier into the baby&#39;s mouth, throat or trachea; and a handle  4  secured to the shield  5  or secured to the base member  1 . 
     The shapes or structures of the shield  5  are not limited in this invention. The typical examples of the shield  5  are respectively shown in  FIG. 1  (or  FIG. 2 ) and in  FIG. 8 . 
     The base member  1  includes a base  11  for forming the nipple member  2  on a front portion of the base  11  and for fixing the anti-swallow shield  5  on a rear portion of the base  11 , a cover  12  formed on a front portion of the base  11  allowing the nipple member  2  protruding forwardly through a central portion of the cover  12 , two pairs of double pivot holes (i.e., four pivot holes)  13  diametrically formed on a front rim portion of the base  11  adjacent to the cover  12  for respectively pivotally engaging the two half-shell pieces  31  of the bivalve shell  3  for pivotally securing the bivalve shell  3  on the base member  1 , and a pair of pin holes  14  formed in two lugs  15  protruding rearwardly from the base  11  for pivotally engaging the two ratchet-toothed pins  41  of the handle  4  through the anti-swallow shield  5 . 
     The nipple member  2  includes a nipple portion  21  formed on a front end of a shank portion  22  protruding forwardly from the base member  1  and a flange portion  23  formed on a rear end of the shank portion  22  to be secured in the base member  1 . 
     The bivalve shell  3  includes: a pair of half-shell pieces  31  each having a pair of pivots  33  formed on two opposite pivotal portions  311  each pivot  33  pivotally engaged in each pivot hole  13  formed in the base member  1 , and each half-shell piece  31  having a peripheral ring portion  32  formed on a periphery of the half-shell piece  31 , and each pivot  33  having a cam portion  34  perpendicularly secured to the pivot  33  to be resiliently tensioned by a restoring spring  36  retained on the base member  1 , and each half-shell piece  31  defining a notch  35  within the two pivotal portions  311  allowing a free opening of the two half-shell pieces  31  when rearly opened to prevent from being obstructed by the front cover  12  of the base member  1 ; whereby upon engaging two pivots  33  of two half-shall pieces  31  in the two pivot holes  13  in the base member  1 , the two half-shell pieces  31  will be pivotally secured to the base member  1  to combinably encase the nipple portion  21  within the two half-shell pieces  31  ( FIG. 6 ). The cam portion  34  may also serve as a stopper to be pivotally limited in the base member to prevent from releasing of the shell  3  from the base member  1  and the anti-swallow shield  5  when opening or closing the shell. 
     The restoring spring  36  is formed as a ring member and includes a pair of fixing end portions  361  diametrically retained in a front rim portion of the base member  1 , or retained in two retaining portions formed in the anti-swallow shield  5  adjacent to the front portion of the base  11 ; and two movable forcing portions  362 ,  362   a  each movable forcing portion  362  or  362   a  angularly deviated from each fixing end portion  361  in a right angle ( FIG. 7 ), and each movable forcing portion  362  or  362   a  resiliently urging each cam portion  34  of each half-shell piece  31  for normally resiliently closing the two half-shell pieces  31  for encasing the nipple portion  21  therein (such as when dropped downwardly to the ground). 
     One movable forcing portion may be formed as an open ring portion  362   a  so that upon extension of the two movable forcing portions  362 ,  362   a  of the restoring spring  36  as shown in  FIG. 7  (dotted line), such an open ring portion  362   a  may allow the extension of the spring  36  as biased by the two cam portions  34  formed on the pivots  33  of the half-shell pieces  31 . 
     The anti-swallow shield  5  includes: a cap portion  51  secured to a rear portion of the base member  1  (e.g., the cap portion having a plug to be engaged with a central hole formed in the shank portion  22  of the nipple member  2  and the nipple member  2  already fixed in the base member  1  to thereby secure the cap portion  51  with the base member), a pair of wing portions  52  disposed on opposite sides of the cap portion  51 , each wing portion  52  having an opening  53  formed therein for rearwardly protruding each half-shell piece  31  of the bivalve shell  3  through the opening  53  when opened ( FIGS. 3 &amp; 4 ) for stably opening the bivalve shell  3  (without retarding the rearward protruding of the half-shell piece  31 ) allowing a smooth soothing of the nipple portion  21  by a baby. The opening  53  may also serve as a ventilation opening to prevent from a baby&#39;s suffocation. 
     The cap portion  51  of the anti-swallow shield  5  includes two outer pin holes  54  formed through the cap portion  51  for passing each of the two ratchet-toothed pin  41  of the handle  4  through each outer pin hole  54  to be engaged in each pin hole  14  formed in the base member  1 , thereby allowing a pivotal connection of the handle  4  to the base member  1  through the anti-swallow shield  5 . 
     The two wing portions  52  are integrally formed with the cap portion  51  of the shield. Of course, the two wing portions  52  may also be separated from the cap portion  51 , and then secured or assembled to the cap portion  51 . 
     The shield  5  may be formed as a flower shape as illustrated in  FIG. 8  (or other shapes). 
     The nipple member  2 , the base member  3  and the anti-swallow shield  5  may be integrally formed. 
     The anti-swallow shield  5  should have a size or area larger than an average opening area of a baby&#39;s mouth to prevent from swallow of the pacifier into the baby&#39;s mouth or trachea. 
     The present invention is superior to the prior art because the anti-swallow shield  5  may prevent from swallow of the pacifier by a baby and the automatic resilient closing of the two half-shell pieces  31  of the bivalve shell  3  for protecting of the pacifier when dropped to the ground. 
     The automatic resilient closing operation of the bivalve shell  3  may be clearly described hereinafter with reference to  FIGS. 4˜6 . When opening the shell  3 , the resilience F of the spring  36  will force at the pivot center without biasing the half-shell piece  31  to thereby stably open the shell ( FIG. 4 ,  4 A). 
     When closing the bivalve shell  3 , an initial depression D may be actuated on any one of the half-shell piece  31  ( FIG. 4  to  FIG. 5 ) to produce a biasing force “f” acting on the cam portion  34  of the half-shell piece  31  ( FIG. 5 ,  5 A, like a lever action) to thereby drive a rotation movement of the half-shell piece  31  about the pivot  33 . The resilience of the restoring spring  36  will urge the cam portions  34  of the two half-shell pieces  31  to finally close the two half-shell pieces  31  for encasing the nipple portion  21  in the shell  3  ( FIG. 6 ,  6 A) for a hygienic protection of the nipple portion  21  when dropped to the ground. 
     The present invention may be modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.