Abstract:
A cleaning and storage unit for pacifiers comprises a cylindrical enclosure including a top center with a hinged lid which swings open to expose an internal cleaning assembly which comprises a cavity containing a cleaning fluid and a plurality of brushes. A standard pacifier can be inserted nipple-first into a top opening and against the brushes which automatically starts an electric motor which spins the brushes, thereby cleaning the pacifier. After a suitable period of time, the cleaned pacifier is removed. Clean pacifiers may be stored on removable hooks located around the perimeter of the enclosure.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     There are currently no applications co-pending with the present application. 
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present subject matter is directed towards baby pacifiers. More particularly, the present invention is directed towards devices for cleaning and storing baby pacifiers. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     As any parent will surely attest, the pacifier is an indispensable piece of equipment in the raising of a child. A simple pacifier allows a parent to satisfy a child&#39;s natural instinct to suckle, which is an activity that has been proven to calm and quiet the child. This enables a care-giver to obtain peace of mind and time to do other tasks while also assisting the child to relax and sleep. 
     As with any item exposed to a child the caregiver must ensure that a pacifier is kept as clean and germ-free as possible. However, it is extremely difficult to determine whether or not a pacifier is clean or dirty by simply looking at it. While ideally pacifiers are cleaned at a sink with soap and plenty of running hot water, access to a sink having soap and running hot water is not always possible. As an example, the ideal items are not available when a parent is running to the store or performing other errands away from home. At such times some parents simply resort to placing the nipple in their own mouth to remove dirt and contaminants. In actuality this only exposes the parent to germs and bacteria on the pacifier while leaving behind a wealth of other germs and bacteria which can result in thrush and other problems for the child. 
     Accordingly, there exists a need for devices that can provide cleaned and sanitized pacifiers without using running water, while still supporting a healthy infant, and without creating health risks to care providers. Beneficially, such a device would be both portable, easy to use, and provide for save pacifier storage when they are not in use. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention provides for portable devices that clean pacifiers without the use of running water and that can store cleaned pacifiers in a readily accessible manner. Beneficially, those principles provide for portable devices that clean pacifiers and that are easy to use. 
     A pacifier cleaning system in accord with the present invention comprises an upper enclosure having a central aperture over a cavity. A hinged cover is attached to the upper enclosure. That hinged cover selectively covers the central aperture. A reservoir bottom cup is in the cavity below the hinged cover while a reservoir cover selectively closes the reservoir bottom cup with a watertight closure. Inside the reservoir bottom cup is a cleaning assembly with rotatable bristles that are attached to a cleaning motor via a watertight coupling. When the cleaning assembly is pressed down it activates a motor switch which applies power from a battery to the cleaning motor. This turns the rotatable bristles which cleans a pacifier nipple inserted between the bristles. 
     A bottom base enclosure connects to the upper enclosure to protect the internal components and to retain the battery. Cleaned pacifiers can be stored on one (1) or more repositionable storage hooks disposed in slots formed between the bottom base enclosure and the upper enclosure. 
     Preferably, the watertight coupling includes engagement pins that mate with the cleaning assembly and a grommet between a motor shaft and the cleaning assembly and the hinged cover is attached to the upper enclosure by mounting pins. 
     Beneficially the cleaning assembly includes a cleaning fluid retained in an enclosure. The cleaning assembly also includes recirculation tunnels having lower recirculation apertures and upper recirculation apertures. Drain apertures in the enclosure enable cleaning fluid to flow into the lower recirculation apertures. When the motor turns, the cleaning fluid passes through the drain apertures into the lower recirculation apertures, up the recirculation tunnels and out of the upper recirculation apertures onto the rotatable bristles. Those rotatable bristles can be configured as an upper brush and a lower brush that are located within the enclosure. 
     The bottom base enclosure preferably has a power input jack for applying power to recharge the battery by way of a battery charger. Power from the battery is also applied to a light within the upper enclosure via a light switch. When the light switch is activated, the light emitted passes through the light cover. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The advantages and features of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following more detailed description and claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like elements are identified with like symbols and in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a side view of an automated pacifier cleaning system  10  that is in accord with the principles of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  shown in  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an assembly diagram depicting components of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  shown in  FIG. 1  and in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is another assembly diagram depicting assorted components of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-3 ; 
         FIG. 5  is a section view of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  taken along line I-I of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 6  is a section view of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  taken along line II-II, of  FIG. 1 ; and, 
         FIG. 7  is an electrical schematic depicting the electrical components of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  shown in  FIGS. 1-6 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIVE KEY 
     
         
         
           
               10  automated pacifier cleaning system 
               15  bottom base enclosure 
               20  upper enclosure 
               25  battery access door 
               30  cover 
               35  reservoir cover 
               40  clean pacifier storage hooks 
               45  slot openings 
               50  motor 
               55  night light lamp 
               60  night light cover 
               65  night light pushbutton switch 
               70  reservoir bottom cup 
               75  cleaning assembly 
               76  enclosure 
               77  drain aperture 
               78  recirculation tunnel 
               79   a  lower recirculation aperture 
               79   b  upper recirculation aperture 
               80  upper brush 
               81  lower brush 
               84  recharging jack 
               85  recharging adapter 
               90  first direction arrow 
               95  locking clips 
               100  mounting flange 
               105  mounting pin 
               110  female mounting aperture 
               115  second direction arrow 
               120  mounting coupling 
               125  shaft 
               130  engagement pins 
               135  engagement pin receptacles 
               140  bottom mounting plate 
               145  third direction arrows 
               150  rubber grommet 
               155  motor switch 
               160  night light cavity 
               165  recharging regulator circuit 
               170  rechargeable battery pack 
               175  cleaning fluid 
               180  center opening 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The best mode for carrying out the invention is presented in terms of its preferred embodiment, herein depicted within  FIGS. 1 through 7 , and a person skilled in the art will appreciate that many other embodiments of the invention are possible without deviating from the basic concept of the invention, and that any such work around will also fall under scope of this invention. It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention, and only one particular configuration shall be shown and described for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not by way of limitation of scope. 
     The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced items. 
     The principles of the present invention are presented in terms of a preferred embodiment is depicted in  FIGS. 1-7 . Referring now to  FIG. 1 , a side view of an automated pacifier cleaning system  10  that is in accord to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  includes a bottom base enclosure  15  and an upper enclosure  20 . Those enclosures are envisioned are being made of plastic using an injection molding process. 
     The bottom base enclosure  15  has a battery access door  25  which houses batteries for portable operation. The upper enclosure  20  retains a clear, protective hinged cover  30  which opens for access to the interior of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10 . Beneficially, the cover  30  forms a water-resistant seal with the remainder of the upper enclosure  20 . Visible through the cover  30  and within the upper enclosure  20  is a reservoir cover  35 , whose function is subsequently described in more detail. Also shown in  FIG. 1  are clean pacifier storage hooks  40  upon which a user can store cleaned pacifiers. 
     To provide a useful scale the overall size of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  is approximately six inches (6 in.) in diameter and five to six inches (5-6 in.) tall. Under normal operation the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  would be placed on a countertop for use. 
       FIG. 2  shows an exploded view of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10 . As shown, the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  includes the bottom base enclosure  15 , the upper enclosure  20 , the battery access door  25 , the cover  30 , the reservoir cover  35 , a central aperture  180 , and the clean pacifier storage hooks  40 . The clean pacifier storage hooks  40  selectively fit into slot openings  45  (only one (1) shown) that are located between the bottom of the upper enclosure  20  and the top of the bottom base enclosure  15 . The central aperture  180  provides an opening to access internal features within the automated pacifier cleaning system  10 . The automated pacifier cleaning system  10  also includes a motor  50  within the upper enclosure  20  that provides the mechanical power necessary to clean pacifiers. Additionally, there is a night light lamp  55  that is located next to the motor  50  and immediately below a night light cover  60  of a night light pushbutton switch  65 . 
     Cleaning is performed in the upper enclosure  20  within a waterproof reservoir bottom cup  70  that houses a replaceable cleaning assembly  75 . The cleaning assembly  75  comprises an enclosure  76 , a pair of drain apertures  77 , a pair of recirculation tunnels  78 , a pair of lower recirculation apertures  79   a , a pair of upper recirculation apertures  79   b . Referring now to  FIG. 5 , the cleaning assembly further includes an upper brush  80 , and a lower brush  81  within the enclosure  76  In use, the cleaning assembly  75  is inserted into the reservoir bottom cup  70  which is subsequently filled with a cleaning fluid  175  (reference  FIG. 6 ), which may be water and/or a disinfectant that is safe for infants. In operation a pacifier is placed in the center of the cleaning assembly  75  where the brushes  80 ,  81  and the cleaning fluid  175 , as well as the rotary action of the cleaning assembly  75  act to cleanse the pacifier. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 ,  5 , and  6 , the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  circulates the cleaning fluid  175  from the bottom of the reservoir bottom cup  70  to the top of the cleaning assembly  75  through the recirculation tunnels  78  using centrifugal force created by spinning the cleaning assembly  75 . The recirculation tunnels  78  are spiral-shaped, open-ended tubular members integrally molded along opposing outer surfaces of the enclosure  76 . During recirculation, the cleaning fluid  175  enters the lower recirculation aperture  79   a  of each recirculation tunnel  78  where the cleaning fluid  175  is propelled upward through the recirculation tunnels  78  to re-enter the enclosure  76  via the upper recirculation apertures  79   b . The cleaning fluid  175  cascades down over the brushes  80 ,  81  toward the bottom of the enclosure  76  and passes through a pair of drain apertures  77  near the bottom of the enclosure  76 . The drain apertures  77  allow the cleaning fluid  175  to re-enter the reservoir bottom cup  70 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the brushes  80 ,  81  comprise a plurality of synthetic or natural bristles that form an overall cylindrical shape. The brushes  80 ,  81  are permanently attached to the inside of the enclosure  76  and extend toward the center of the enclosure  76 . The upper brush  80  has horizontally extending bristles while the bristles of the lower brush  81  angle upward, beneficially at approximately forty-five degrees (45°). This bristle arrangement provides multi-angular pacifier cleaning. 
     Referring to  FIGS. 2 and 5 , the reservoir cover  35  is envisioned as being made from a soft expandable plastic or rubber material. This enables the bottom of the reservoir cover  35  to expand across the top of the reservoir bottom cup  70  so as to provide a water-tight seal for the enclosed cleaning assembly  75 . The cover  30 , the reservoir cover  35 , the reservoir bottom cup  70 , and the cleaning assembly  75  may be easily removed for cleaning as needed. As previously noted the clean pacifier storage hooks  40  are adjustable and removable and can be slid and repositioned as needed. The bottom base enclosure  15  also houses a recharging jack  84  that provides an electrical connection for a recharging adapter  85  (see  FIG. 7 ). 
     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , an assembly diagram depicting various components of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10 , the upper enclosure  20  and the bottom base enclosure  15  can be disassembled by a twist-to-lock motion defined by first direction arrows  90  to lock and release from four (4) locking clips  95 . This allows for easy replacement and cleaning of the components described in  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring next to  FIG. 4 , another assembly diagram depicting various components of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10 , the cover  30  is retained by a mounting flange  100  having two (2) snap-in mounting pins  105 . The mounting pins  105  engage with a pair of integrally-molded female mounting apertures  110  via a friction fit. Engagement is performed by pushing the cover  30  along a travel path defined by a second direction arrow  115 . This operation can be reversed by reversing the second direction arrow  115  for removal. 
     Refer now to  FIG. 5 , which is a section view of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  taken along line I-I of  FIG. 1 . A mounting coupling  120  sits on top of the shaft  125  of the motor  50 . The mounting coupling  120  includes a pair of engagement pins  130  which correspond to a pair of engagement pin receptacles  135  on a bottom mounting plate  140  of the cleaning assembly  75 . Engagement is performed by pushing the engagement pins  130  into the engagement pin receptacles  135  along a travel path defined by a set of third direction arrows  145 . A rubber grommet  150  is anchored to the bottom surface of the cleaning assembly  75  to enable the rotary motioning of the cleaning assembly  75  as well as providing rotational waterproof sealing against a bottom opening portion of the reservoir bottom cup  70 . 
     Refer now to  FIG. 6 , which is a section view of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  taken along line II-II of  FIG. 1 . The upper enclosure  20  and the bottom base enclosure  15  mate as described above with reference to  FIG. 3 . The cover  30  is shown in an open and ready to use state. In use, the user would pour a volume of suitable cleaning fluid  175  into the reservoir bottom cup  70  such that the cleaning assembly  75  is partially or completely submerged. 
     The night light lamp  55  is located immediately below the night light cover  60  in a night light cavity  160  so that heat from the night light lamp  55  does not dry out the cleaning assembly  75 . The night light lamp  55  enables the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  to be used at night or during low ambient light conditions. The motor  50 , its mounting coupling  120 , and the engagement pin receptacles  135  are mated together as described above with reference to  FIG. 5 . Recharging power is input by the recharging jack  84 . Activation of the motor  50  is enabled by a motor switch  155  whenever the assembly formed by the motor  50 , the reservoir cover  35 , the reservoir bottom cup  70  and the cleaning assembly  75  is pushed down. The motor switch  155  is envisioned to be a normally-open spring-return device capable of lifting the assembly formed by the motor  50 , the reservoir cover  35 , the reservoir bottom cup  70 , and the cleaning assembly  75  when not activated by the user. 
     Referring finally to  FIG. 7 , an electrical schematic depicting the electrical components of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10 . Power to operate the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  is provided via a recharging adapter  85  which connects to the recharging jack  84 . That input power is applied to a charging regulator circuit  165  that charges a rechargeable battery pack  170 . Power from the rechargeable battery pack  170  is selectively routed by the night light pushbutton switch  65  to the night light lamp  55  and/or by the motor switch  155  to the motor  50 . The use of the rechargeable battery pack  170  enables true independent operation of the automated pacifier cleaning system  10 . 
     It is envisioned that other styles and configurations of the present invention can be easily incorporated into the teachings of the present invention. While only one particular configuration is shown and described, that is for purposes of clarity and disclosure and not limitation of scope. 
     The automated pacifier cleaning system  10  can be used by the common user in a simple and effortless manner with little or no training. It is envisioned that the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  would be constructed in general accordance with  FIG. 1  through  FIG. 7 . The majority of the components used in the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  preferably will be made of plastic using an injection molding process. Electrical connections should be made as shown in  FIG. 7 , and the rechargeable battery pack  170  should be charged by electrically connecting the recharging adapter  85  to the recharging jack  84  for a suitable period of time. Finally, a volume of a suitable cleaning fluid  175  should be poured into the reservoir bottom cup  70  such that the cleaning assembly  75  is partially or completely submerged. At this point in time, the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  is ready for operation. 
     During use, the automated pacifier cleaning system  10  would normally be placed upon a suitable horizontal surface. With a dirty or soiled pacifier in one (1) hand, using the same hand (back surface) the cover  30  would be opened. The latex or silicone portion of the pacifier is then inserted through the opening in the reservoir cover  35  and pushed downward such that the motor switch  155  is closed and the motor  50  activated to turn the cleaning assembly  75 . After a suitable period of time, envisioned being approximately ten to fifteen seconds (10-15 sec.), the cleaned and sanitized pacifier is removed and placed on an open clean pacifier storage hook  40  to dry. The parent or care provider can then take another clean pacifier from a clean pacifier storage hook  40  for an infant. 
     The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention and method of use to the precise forms disclosed. Obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, and to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is understood that various omissions or substitutions of equivalents are contemplated as circumstance may suggest or render expedient, but is intended to cover the application or implementation without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims of the present invention.