GB2269754A - Infants dummy vapourdum - Google Patents

Abstract

A dummy adapted for the dispensing of vaporizing medicine to an infant by inhalation and having a teat 10 which is connected to a sealing means. The sealing means includes a compartment, defined by body 22, sleeve 24 and cap 28 for receiving vaporizing medicine (decongestant), wherein said means defining said compartment is adjustable to control the release of inhalant vapour. The adjustability may be such that there are various intermediate vapour release levels between zero and the maximum with lock means 32, 40, 46. The dummy is held by sterilizing container 12. Body 22 includes outlets 48, 54, 50, 56, 52, 58 which can register with openings 42, 44 of sleeve 24 or blanked off upon rotation after dummy handle 18 is pressed to release the locks 32 engaging with recesses 46 through cut-outs 40. <IMAGE>

Description

Infants Dummy This invention relates to an infants dummy adapted to function also as an inhaler.

It is not uncommon for infants to require inhalants such as medicines and the nature of this treatment and the time of its administration can vary enormously. Infants which are teething and/or suffer from congestion may require extra attention at any time during the night or day. Hitherto, this has involved a diligent parent listening for, or observing, signs of distress and then acting accordingly.

However, when an infant is in pain or distress during the night it may not be possible for a parent promptly to respond to the infants needs. Typically, if an infant is distressed during the night, when the parent is not close by, its screams of distress would alert the parent to take some course of action. Similarly, this method of signalling is also effective during the day if an infant is left unattended.

It is common to comfort a distressed infant by giving it a dummy teat, commonly referred to as a "dummy", to suck, and it is an object of the invention effectively to adapt a dummy to enable it also to serve as an inhaler.

According to the invention there is provided a dummy also adapted to function also as an inhaler, comprising a teat and a means defining a compartment for containing an inhalant, and wherein said means defining said compartment is adjustable to control the release of inhalant vapour.

The adjustability may be such that the release of vapour inhalant can be controlled between no release and a maximum.

The adjustability may be such that there are various intermediate vapour release levels between zero and the maximum.

The means defining the compartment may comprise a rotatable body for containing the inhalant and contained in a sleeve, the sleeve having diametrically opposite windows and the body having release apertures which can be aligned with the windows selectively to provide said adjustability by rotating the body in the sleeve. There may be releasable lock means to lock the body in adjusted position, and the lock means may be operatively connected to a dummy handle so that by squeezing the handle the lock means is released.

It is envisaged that the invention will commonly be used when an infant is sleeping. Thus, a parent would be able to place the invention into a sleeping infants mouth or indeed leave it at the infants side and, with the adjustment means appropriately positioned, inhalant may be administered.

The present invention will now be described further with reference to the accompanying drawings which show one embodiment in accordance with the invention, and wherein; Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a dummy according to the embodiment of the invention when held by a sterilizing container.

Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the elements of the dummy of Fig. 1; and Figs. 3 to 6 illustrate how the dummy can be manipulated for use.

Referring to the drawings, the dummy shown in Fig. 1 comprises a teat 10 which is shown as being held in a sterilizing container 12, and the teat 10 is held on an adjustment flange 14 above which is located a compartment 16 for holding a decongestant material. A handle 18 extends from the chamber 16 and by use of the handle 18 and the flange 14, the dummy can be adjusted in a manner to be explained in more detail hereinafter.

The sterilizing chamber 10 is for containing sterilizing liquid which conditions the outer surface of the teat 10 to sterilize same in order to prevent transference of infection to the infant who will use the dummy.

The sterilizing container 12 is in fact clipped to the flange 14 as indicated generally by reference 20, so that the dummy and container 12 can be unclipped or clipped together at will.

The flange is provided with vent apertures 22 in order to ventilate the chamber 12.

Referring now to Figure 2, the chamber 16 is made up of three circular sectioned components namely a body 22 which is cup shaped in that it is closed at the base and has an manual wall, as sleeve 24 which is provided with a closure plate 26, and a cap 28 which is adapted to fit over the sleeve 24.

The handle 18 is shown operatively coupled to the cap 28, insofar as the ends of the handle 18 have stub shafts 30 on the ends of which are enlarged disks 32 to form part of a locking means to be described hereinafter.

Centrally of the plate 26 is an aperture 34 which is closed by a plug 36 on the underside of the top of cap 28, when the cap 28 is applied over the sleeve 24.

Sleeve 24 on the top edge has four arcuate cut-outs 38 for receiving the lower sides of the stub shafts 30 when the cap is applied to the sleeve 24.

The closure plate 26 in register with the cut-outs 38 has openings 40 and finally the sleeve 24 has a pair diametrically wall apertures 42 and 44.

The body 22 is provided on its top edge with cut-outs 46 and in the wall and arranged peripherally thereof are a series of outlets 48, 50, 52, 54, 56 and 58.

Finally, on the base of the body 22 is a plug 60 which is adapted to enter the mouth of the teat 12 when teat and adjustment disk 14 are applied to the body 22 as will be described.

In order to assemble the dummy, body 22 is applied by inserting plunger 26 in teat 12, thereby to bind the body and teat and its adjustment disk 14 together as a unit which in use of the dummy can be rotated. The sleeve 24 fits over the body 22 so that the openings 42 and 44 register with a pair of the outlets 48, 54, 50, 56 or 52, 58, or indeed so that the apertures 42 and 44 are blanked off.

The body 22 is for holding the quantity of decongestant.

An explanation has already been given in relation to the positioning of the cap 28 over the sleeve 24.

When the dummy is thus assembled, the enlarged disks 32 extend through cut-outs 40 in the plate 26 and engage a pair of the recesses 46 on the upper edge of the body 22 and in this condition, the body 22 cannot be rotated, its rotation being blocked by the disks 32. To enable the body 22 to be rotated by turning the disk 14, the handle 18 has contracting pressure applied thereto so that the disks 32 move towards each other and in fact clear of the recesses 46 in the body 22. The cut-outs 40 are large enough for this purpose.

The body 22 by means of the disk 14 can now be adjusted to any appropriate position and in the example given there are four possible positions of the body. In the first or closed position, none of the outlets 48 to 58 register with the apertures 42 and 44, and therefore no decongestant can escape from the body 22 through apertures 42 and 44.

In the next position, the single aperture 48 registers with opening 42 and aperture 54 registers with aperture 44.

Thereby, vapour can escape for example through aperture 48, and replacement air can flow in through aperture 54. If a greater flow of decongestant is required, the body 22 is turned until the pair of apertures 50 register with the window aperture 42 and in this case the vent aperture 56 registers with the other aperture 44. When maximum flow of decongestant is required, the group of apertures 52 is arranged to be placed in register with aperture 42 and again aperture 58 would provide a vent in registering with aperture 44.

When the compression force on the handle 18 is released, by virtue of the handle resiliency the disks 32 spring apart and engage recesses 46 in the top edge of the body 22 thereby once more preventing it from being rotated.

To prevent the disc 14 from rotating relative to the body 22, there may be pipes or projections 60 on the disc 14, and recesses or sockets 62 (which do not open into the interior of the body 22) on the underside of the body 22 and in which the pipe is projections 60 engage.

The invention provides an effective means for permitting an appropriate amount of decongestant to be released to meet an infants needs.

The components of the dummy may be formed of a suitable material, but it is envisaged that as far as possible relatively inexpensive plastics material will be used.

Figs. 3 to 6 illustrate how the dummy can be used. Fig. 3 shows how the dummy is held by the respective hands engaging the disk 14 and the handle 18.

In Fig. 4, the handle 18 has been compressed as indicated by the arrows so that the disk 14 and the body 22 can be turned using the left hand, as illustrated in Fig. 5 to bring an aperture into register with the opening 42.

Fig. 6 shows how the dummy may again be moved to the closed position wherein there is no escape of decongestant vapour.

An effective and simple means for providing vapour flow adjustment in a dummy is provided.

Claims (17)

1. A dummy ("VapourDum") adapted for the dispensing of medicine or other substances by inhalation.

2. A dummy according to claim 1, having a teat which is adapted at one end to be sucked by an infant and the other end to a sealing means, said sealing means including a compartment for receiving vaporizing medicine and a means for allowing said vaporizing medicine to escape.

3. A dummy according to claim 2, wherein sealing means comprises a plate (flange).

4. A dummy according to claim 3, wherein the plate (flange) is circular or oval.

5. A dummy according to claims 3 and 4, where the flange is provided with vent holes.

6. A dummy according to claim 2, wherein the compartment comprises a body extending vertically outwards from the uppermost surface of the plate (flange).

7. A dummy according to claims 2 and 6 wherein the compartment for holding a decongestant material has three circular/sectioned chambers (i.e. body, sleeve or closure plate and cap).

8. A dummy according to claim 7, wherein the cap fits over the sleeve, the sleeve fits over the body (cup-shaped), which fits on to the teat which then fits to the flange which is clipped to the sterilizing container.

9. A dummy according to claims 2, 6 and 7, where a handle extends from the chamber which is operatively coupled to the cap chamber in so far as the ends of the handle have stub shafts on the ends of which are enlarged disks to form part of a locking means.

10. A dummy according to claims 7 and 8, where in the centre of the plate of the sleeve has an aperture which is closed by a plug on the underside of the top of the cap, when the cap is applied over the sleeve.

11. A dummy according to claims 7, 8, 9 and 10, wherein on the top of the sleeve edge there are four arcuate cut outs for receiving the lower sides of the stub shafts of the handle when the cap is applied to the sleeve.

12. A dummy according to claims 7-11 wherein the upper part of the sleeve, known as the closure plate, in register with the cut-outs has openings.

13. A dummy according to claims 7-12 wherein the sleeve has a pair of diametrically positioned wall apertures.

14. A dummy according to claims 7 and 8 wherein the body is provided on its top edge with cut-outs and in the wall and arranged peripherally there are a series of outlets.

15. A dummy according to claims 7, 8 and 14 wherein on the base of the body is a plug which is adapted to enter the mouth of the teat and flange (plate).

16. A dummy according to claims 3-6 and 15 wherein on the flange there may be pipes or projections and recesses or sockets on the underside of the body in which the pipe is engaged.

17. A dummy substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1-6 of the accompanying drawing.