pacifier

Abstract

The pacifier (1) has a nipple (2) and a shield (3) with an opening (4) in which the nipple is fixed by means of a plug (5). The plug has an insertion part (10) inserted into an open end (6) of the nipple and an end part (11) extending from a plug side (9) of the shield. A ring-formed element (12) has a central opening (13) being arranged at the plug side of the shield, and the plug extends through the central opening of the ring-formed element so that the end part of the plug extends from the ring-formed element. The plug is rigidly connected to the shield through the central opening (13) of the ring-formed element (12), and the nipple (2) is provided with a thickened edge (14) being trapped in a ring-formed cavity (15) formed between the opening (4) of the shield (3) and the plug (5).

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a pacifier having a nipple and a shield with an opening in which the nipple is fixed by means of a plug, the nipple being formed from an elastic material and having an open end and a closed end, the shield having a nipple side from which the closed end of the nipple extends and a plug side from which the plug is accessible, the plug having an insertion part inserted into the open end of the nipple and an end part extending from the plug side of the shield, a ring-formed element having a central opening being arranged at the plug side of the shield, and the plug extending through the central opening of the ring-formed element so that the end part of the plug extends from the ring-formed element.

[0002] In various well-known prior art pacifiers, a ring-formed element arranged at the plug side of the shield is formed by a bead of the open end of the nipple. This distinctly visible ring-formed element is considered an iconic design element, but it may also have various technical functions. Most notably, the ring-formed element may provide friction and / or a support for well-known pacifier holders. Such pacifier holders typically include a band having a first end provided with an elastic ring and a second end having a clip for attachment to a piece of garment or the like. The elastic ring of the pacifier holder is used to connect to the pacifier whereby the elastic ring is stretched and fitted snugly around the plug of the pacifier. However, if the pacifier is not fitted with the well-known ring-formed element, the elastic ring of the pacifier holder may not attach as good to the plug as when the pacifier is fitted with the ring-formed element. Furthermore, the ring-formed element may block or support a handle arranged pivotally in the end part of the plug from being able to move from side to side.

[0003] However, in such prior art pacifiers having a ring-formed element formed by a bead of the open end of the nipple, a wall part of the nipple extending from the bead and through the opening in the shield is heavily compressed between the plug and the opening in the shield in order to fix the plug securely in the shield. If the nipple is made of, for example, latex, a heavy compression of said wall part is not problematic. However, if the nipple is made of other attractive materials, such as silicone, this material may not readily accept such heavy compression, and consequently, in the case of this material, the nipple wall may brake as a result of compression.

[0004] DE 3117 348 C2 discloses an example of a pacifier having a ring-formed element formed by a bead of the open end of the nipple, wherein a wall part of the nipple extending from the bead and through the opening in the shield is compressed between the plug and the opening in the shield in order to fix the plug securely in the shield. Because the plug is only supported in the shield through the elastic wall part of the nipple, said wall part must be heavily compressed in order to securely fix the plug in the shield.

[0005] For the above reasons, in order to be able to use other materials such as silicone for the nipple, various attempts have been made in order to provide a pacifier of the traditional type having a nipple with a visible beaded end, however, whereby the material of the nipple is not compressed excessively by the attachment of the nipple to the shield. Such attempts have so far not proven fully successful.

[0006] DE 91 07 347 U1 discloses a pacifier in which the nipple is attached to the shield by means of an intermediate expansion element which is inserted into the open end of the nipple and subsequently expanded by insertion of the plug element into the intermediate expansion element.

[0007] WO 2023 / 169636 A1 discloses a solution similar to that of DE 91 07 347 U1.

[0008] Various other methods of attaching the nipple to the shield without substantial compression of the nipple wall exist; however, such solutions inherently lack the above described well-known and distinctly visible ring-formed element.

[0009] ES1000890 UA discloses an example of a pacifier in which a thickened edge of the nipple is trapped in a cavity between the plug and an opening in the shield. A peripheral edge of the plug is rigidly connected to the opening in the shield and consequently, the thickened edge of the nipple is completely hidden by the plug.

[0010] TW M624274 U discloses another variant of a pacifier in which a cap covers the opening of the shield at the side opposite the nipple. The cap is fixed to the shield and forms an internal plug inserted into the open end of the nipple. A thickened edge of the nipple is trapped between the plug and the opening in the shield and is covered by the cap.

[0011] Therefore, there exists a desire to provide an alternative pacifier having the same aesthetic and technical qualities as the traditional type of pacifier having a distinctly visible ring-formed element, but wherein the nipple may be produced from alternative materials.

[0012] The object of the present invention is to provide a pacifier as mentioned in the introductory part, however, wherein the material of the nipple is at least not substantially compressed by its attachment in the shield.

[0013] In view of this object, the plug is rigidly connected to the shield through the central opening of the ring-formed element, and the nipple is provided with a thickened edge being trapped in a ring-formed cavity formed between the opening of the shield and the plug.

[0014] In this way, because the plug is rigidly connected to the shield through the central opening of the ring-formed element, the thickened edge of the nipple may be fixed in the ring-formed cavity formed between the opening of the shield and the plug without any substantial compression of the material of the nipple. The plug may be supported directly on the shield as opposed to being supported via an elastic wall of the nipple, and therefore the plug may be securely fixed to the shield and consequently firmly hold the thickened edge of the nipple in the ring-formed cavity without any substantial deformation of the material of the nipple. The ring-formed element may be maintained visible and accessible, because the plug is rigidly connected to the shield through the central opening of the ring-formed element, as opposed to being connected to the shield around the periphery of the ring-formed element by forming a cap covering the ring-formed element. The iconic design of the pacifier is therefore not negatively affected and the technical qualities of the ring-formed element may still be present.

[0015] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element forms part of the nipple, a number of wall portions of the nipple connect the ring-formed element to the rest of the nipple, the wall portions of the nipple extend through respective cut-outs arranged in the shield or in the plug at different angular positions about a central axis of the pacifier. Thereby, both the ring-formed element and the thickened edge may serve to securely hold the nipple fixed in the opening of the shield. Furthermore, the ring-formed element and the nipple may easily be mounted in the shield in one operation, thereby facilitating production.

[0016] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element and the nipple are formed as two separate elements of the pacifier. Thereby, the plug may be supported directly on the shield along the entire periphery of the plug and thereby provide a secure rigid connection between the plug and the shield. The production of the nipple and ring-formed element, for instance by injection moulding, may be simpler due to simpler geometry of the nipple and ring-formed element. In addition, according to this embodiment, the ring-formed element may easily be formed of any suitable material independently of the material of the nipple, and the ring-formed element may be replaceable by other ring-formed elements having different properties.

[0017] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element carries an NFC-tag, an RFID-tag, or the like. Thereby, it may be possible to read information from the pacifier by means of a smart device such as a smart phone or the like.

[0018] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element is made of a luminescent material in order to produce a glowing effect. Thereby, it may be easier finding the pacifier during nighttime.

[0019] In an embodiment, the shield forms a tubular part extending from the plug side of the shield and surrounding the opening of the shield, and the plug abuts the tubular part of the shield. The tubular part may serve to provide sufficient space for the ring-formed cavity in order to securely trap the thickened edge of the nipple in the ring-formed cavity. The tubular part may also serve to provide support for the ring-formed element on an outer surface thereof.

[0020] In an embodiment, the tubular part of the shield has an end face abutting a shoulder of the plug. Thereby, the plug may be efficiently supported by the tubular part of the shield. Furthermore, the end face of the tubular part of the shield may suitably be welded to the shoulder of the plug, thereby providing a secure connection there between.

[0021] In an embodiment, the plug has an outer peripheral face being at least substantially flush with an outer peripheral face of the tubular part of the shield. Thereby, a smooth appearance may be obtained, and it may be possible to arrange the ring-formed element both on the outer peripheral face of the tubular part of the shield and on the outer peripheral face of the plug.

[0022] In a structurally particularly advantageous embodiment, the ring-formed element is attached to the outer peripheral face of the tubular part of the shield and / or to the outer peripheral face of the plug.

[0023] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element has a first annular edge and a second annular edge being opposed to each other seen in an axial direction of the ring-formed element, and the first annular edge of the ring-formed element abuts a central part of the shield having a larger diameter than a maximum outer diameter of the tubular part of the shield. Thereby, the first annular edge of the ring-formed element may be securely supported on the shield and the position thereof may be determined by the central part of the shield.

[0024] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element and the central part of the shield forms a radially outwardly open groove preferably having an at least substantially V-formed or U-formed cross-section. The radially outwardly open groove may serve to at least partly take up an elastic ring of a pacifier holder and thereby securely connect the pacifier holder to the pacifier, as explained above.

[0025] In an embodiment, the second annular edge of the ring-formed element is arranged at an axial position of the pacifier corresponding at least substantially to or being slightly above that of the end face of the tubular part of the shield. Thereby, it may be possible to mount the ring-formed element on the tubular part of the shield before possibly welding the end face of the tubular part to the shoulder of the plug, because the welding position may still be accessible. This may be advantageous in the case that the plug is provided with a handle, because the handle may prevent mounting the ring-formed element after mounting the plug in the tubular part of the shield.

[0026] In an embodiment, the second annular edge of the ring-formed element is arranged at an axial position of the pacifier corresponding at least substantially to or being slightly nearer the shield than a lower edge of the pivotal handle when the pivotal handle is directed away from the shield. Thereby, the ring-formed element may support the pivotal handle and prevent it from rocking too much from side to side.

[0027] In a structurally particularly advantageous embodiment, the ring-formed element protrudes radially from an outer peripheral face of the plug.

[0028] In a structurally particularly advantageous embodiment, the ring-formed element, seen in a radial cross-section of the pacifier, has a rounded outer face.

[0029] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element, seen in a radial cross-section of the pacifier, has a flat inner face. Thereby, the ring-formed element may better connect and securely attach to the outer face of the tubular part of the shield or the outer face of the plug.

[0030] The invention will now be explained in more detail below by means of examples of embodiments with reference to the very schematic drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an axial cross-section through a prior art pacifier; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a pacifier according to the present invention; Fig. 3 is a side view of the pacifier of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a top view of the pacifier of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an axial cross-section through the pacifier of Fig. 2 along a first plane; Fig. 6 is an exploded axial cross-section through the pacifier of Fig. 2 along the first plane; Fig. 7 is an exploded axial cross-section through the pacifier of Fig. 2 along a second plane being at right angles to the first plane; Fig. 8 is an axial cross-section through part of another embodiment of the pacifier according to the present invention; Fig. 9 is a perspective view of part of a pacifier holder connected to an embodiment of a pacifier according to the present invention; Fig. 10 is an exploded axial cross-section through yet another embodiment of the pacifier according to the present invention; and Fig. 11 is a top view of the nipple of Fig. 10.

[0031] In the following, generally, similar elements of different embodiments have been designated by the same reference numerals.

[0032] Fig. 1 illustrates a prior art pacifier 1 having a nipple 2 and a shield 3 with an opening 4 in which the nipple 2 is fixed by means of a plug 5. The nipple 2 is formed from an elastic material and has an open end 6 and a closed end 7. The shield 3 has a nipple side 8 from which the closed end 7 of the nipple 2 extends and a plug side 9 from which the plug 5 is accessible. The plug 5 has an insertion part 10 inserted into the open end 6 of the nipple 2 and an end part 11 extending from the plug side 9 of the shield 3. A ring-formed element 12 arranged at the plug side 9 of the shield 3 is formed by a bead of the open end 6 of the nipple 2. However, in this prior art pacifier 1, a wall part 39 of the nipple 2 extending from the ring-formed element 12 and through the opening 4 in the shield 3 is heavily compressed between slightly flexed portions 37 of the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 and the opening 4 in the shield 3 in order to fix the plug 5 securely in the shield 3. If the nipple 2 is made of, for example, latex, a heavy compression of said wall part 39 is not problematic. However, if the nipple 2 is made of other attractive materials, such as silicone, this material may not readily accept such heavy compression, and consequently, in the case of this material, the compressed wall part 39 of the nipple 2 may brake as a result of compression. According to the present invention, as described in the following, this problem has been resolved in that heavy compression of the material of the nipple is avoided.

[0033] Figs. 2 to 7 illustrate a first embodiment of a pacifier 1 according to the present invention. The pacifier 1 has a nipple 2 and a shield 3 with an opening 4 in which the nipple 2 is fixed by means of a plug 5. The nipple 2 is formed from an elastic material and has an open end 6 and a closed end 7. The shield 3 has a nipple side 8 from which the closed end 7 of the nipple 2 extends and a plug side 9 from which the plug 5 is accessible. The plug 5 has an insertion part 10 inserted into the open end 6 of the nipple 2 and an end part 11 extending from the plug side 9 of the shield 3. A ring-formed element 12 having a central opening 13 is arranged at the plug side 9 of the shield 3, and the plug 5 extends through the central opening 13 of the ring-formed element 12 so that the end part 11 of the plug 5 extends from the ring-formed element 12. As seen in Fig. 5, the plug 5 is rigidly connected to the shield 3 through the central opening 13 of the ring-formed element 12, and the nipple 2 is provided with a thickened edge 14 being trapped in a ring-formed cavity 15 formed between the opening 4 of the shield 3 and the plug 5. It is understood that, according to this first embodiment of the present invention, the ring-formed element 12 and the nipple 2 are formed as two separate elements of the pacifier 1.

[0034] Because the plug 5 is rigidly connected to the shield 3 through the central opening 13 of the ring-formed element 12, and effectively through a space formed between the ring-formed element 12 and the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2, the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 may be fixed in the ring-formed cavity 15 formed between the opening 4 of the shield 3 and the plug 5 without any substantial compression of the material of the nipple 2. The plug 5 may be supported directly on the shield 3, i.e. rigidly connected to the shield 3, as opposed to being supported via an elastic, compressed wall part 39 of the nipple 2, and therefore the plug 5 may be securely fixed to the shield 3 and consequently firmly hold the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 in the ring-formed cavity 15 without any substantial deformation of the material of the nipple 2. The ring-formed element 12 may be maintained visible and accessible, because the plug 5 is rigidly connected to the shield 3 through the central opening of the ring-formed element 12, as opposed to being connected to the shield 3 around the periphery of the ring-formed element 12 by forming a cap covering the ring-formed element 12, which type of connection is known from prior art pacifiers as discussed above. According to the present invention, the iconic design of the pacifier 1 is therefore not negatively affected, and the technical qualities of the ring-formed element 12 may still be present.

[0035] It is noted that, according to the present invention, although the plug 5 is supported directly on the shield 3, i.e. it is rigidly connected to the shield 3, as opposed to being supported via an elastic, compressed wall part 39 of the nipple 2, the plug 5 may be supported directly and rigidly on the shield 3 by means of, i.e. through, another at least relatively rigid component. Such component may for instance by made of the same material as the material of the plug and may simply form an intermediate part between the plug 5 and the shield 3. The material of such intermediate part may in any case be at least substantially less flexible than the material of the nipple.

[0036] The material of the nipple 2 may advantageously be silicone, because according to the present invention, the material of the nipple 2 is at least not substantially compressed, and therefore a tendency of silicone to break if heavily compressed may not pose any problem. Silicone is an industrially manufactured hypoallergenic, odourless, and taste-neutral material that is known for its purity. However, any other suitable elastic material may be used for the nipple, such as latex. The shield 3 and plug 5 may for instance be made of any suitable food-safe plastic material, such as polypropylene. Preferably, the shield 3 and plug 5 are made of a material being at least substantially less flexible or elastic than the material of the nipple 2. However, it may be preferred that the material of the plug 5 is sufficiently elastic for the portions 37 of the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 to flex slightly when inserting the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 into the open end 6 of the nipple 2 in order to secure the nipple in the shield.

[0037] According to the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 2 to 8, the ring-formed element 12 and the nipple 2 are formed as two separate elements of the pacifier 1, and the ring-formed element 12 may therefore be formed of any suitable material independently of the material of the nipple 2. However, a plastic material with a surface providing some friction may be preferred in order to better hold an elastic ring 33 of a pacifier holder 31 around the plug 5 as further explained below. It may be preferred that the ring-formed element 12 is made of a material matching the appearance of the nipple 2, and it may therefore be preferred that the ring-formed element 12 is made of the same material as that of the nipple. However, the ring-formed element 12 may also be made of the same material as that of the shield 3 or the plug 5. The colour of the material of the ring-formed element 12 may be the same as or may be different from that of the material of the nipple. For instance, the ring-formed element 12 may function as an indicator ring. Thereby, it may be possible to show for example the size of the pacifier or the nipple type of the pacifier. For instance, a white ring may indicate that it is a size 1 and an orange ring may indicate that it is size 2.

[0038] When the ring-formed element 12 and the nipple 2 are formed as two separate elements of the pacifier 1, it may also be possible for the user of the pacifier 1 to change the ring-formed element 12 of the pacifier 1 according to taste. For example, the pacifier 1 may be sold with a number of ring-formed elements 12 having different colours.

[0039] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element 12 may carry an NFC-tag, an RFID-tag, or the like in order to be able to read information from the pacifier 1 by means of a smart device such as a smart phone or the like.

[0040] In an embodiment, the ring-formed element 12 is made of a luminescent material in order to produce a glowing effect. Thereby, it may be easier finding the pacifier 1 during nighttime.

[0041] In the illustrated embodiments, the shield 3 forms a tubular part 18 extending from the plug side 9 of the shield 3 and surrounding the opening 4 of the shield 3, and the plug 5 abuts the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. The tubular part 18 may serve to provide sufficient space for the ring-formed cavity 15 in order to securely trap the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 in the ring-formed cavity. The tubular part 18 may also serve to provide support for the ring-formed element 12 on an outer surface thereof.

[0042] In particular, in the illustrated embodiments, the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 has an end face 19 abutting a shoulder 20 of the plug 5. Thereby, the plug 5 may be efficiently supported by the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. Furthermore, the end face 19 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 may suitably be welded to the shoulder 20 of the plug 5, thereby providing a secure connection there between. As further seen in Fig. 6, the end face 19 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 may be provided with an upstanding ridge 43 facilitating welding to the shoulder 20 of the plug 5. Alternatively, of course, the shoulder 20 of the plug 5 may be provided with a ridge facilitating welding to the end face 19 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiments, a recessed intermediate part 41 of the plug 5 formed at the shoulder 20 has an outer cylindrical face 46 abutting an inner cylindrical face 47 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. Thereby, the plug 5 may be even better supported by the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. As seen, in the illustrated embodiments, the inner cylindrical face 47 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 also forms an outer cylindrical limitation of the ring-formed cavity 15.

[0043] Fig. 8 illustrates a second embodiment of the pacifier 1 according to the present invention. Compared to the embodiment of Fig. 5, in the embodiment of Fig. 8, a free end of the tubular part 18 of shield 3 is provided with a radially inwards protruding locking part 40 engaging a locking groove 42 formed in the recessed intermediate part 41 of the plug 5. The engagement between the radially inwards protruding locking part 40 and the locking groove 42 may be achieved by elastic deformation of the tubular part 18 of shield 3 and or elastic deformation of the recessed intermediate part 41 of the plug 5 during insertion of the plug 5 into the opening 4 of the shield 3. Thereby, the plug 5 may possibly be secured in the shield 3 even without welding.

[0044] In the illustrated embodiments, the ring-formed cavity 15 formed between the opening 4 of the shield 3 and the plug 5 is delimited in the direction of the plug side 9 of shield 3 by means of a second shoulder 48 of the plug 5 formed between the recessed intermediate part 41 of the plug and the insertion part 10 of the plug.

[0045] In the illustrated embodiments, the ring-formed cavity 15 formed between the opening 4 of the shield 3 and the plug 5 is delimited in the direction of the nipple side 8 of shield 3 by means of a radially inwardly protruding flange 44 of the opening 4 of shield 3. The radially inwardly protruding flange 44 is preferably provided with an upstanding ridge 45 extending into the ring-formed cavity 15 and thereby being slightly pressed into a lower side of the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2. The radially inwardly protruding flange 44 may thereby provide a good grip on the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 and thereby add to a secure connection between the nipple 2 and the shield 3.

[0046] A ring-formed space formed between the radially inwardly protruding flange 44 and the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 allows a wall part of the nipple to extend into the ring-formed cavity 15 in which the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 is trapped. Because the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 is at least substantially thicker in the radial direction of the nipple 2 than said ring-formed space formed between the radially inwardly protruding flange 44 and the insertion part 10 of the plug 5, the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 may be securely trapped in the ring-formed cavity 15 without any substantial compression of the material of the nipple 2.

[0047] Comparing Figs. 5 to 7, it is seen that the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 is split up into two portions, thereby forming a gap 36 there between. The gap 36 connects to a pivot hole 35 in the end part 11 of the plug 5. Before securing the nipple 2 in the opening 4 of the shield 3 by insertion of the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 into the open end 6 of the nipple 2, a pivot pin 34 of a pivotal handle 29 is inserted through the gap 36 into the pivot hole 35, whereby the two portions of the insertion part 10 flex elastically in order to open the gap 36 sufficiently for the pivot pin 34 to pass. Subsequently, the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 may be inserted into the open end 6 of the nipple 2 which has been arranged with its thickened edge 14 inside the tubular part 18. Thereby, the ring-formed cavity 15 is closed and the thickened edge 14 of the nipple 2 is securely trapped therein without any substantial compression of the material of the nipple 2. Possibly, during insertion of the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 into the open end 6 of the nipple 2, the two portions of the insertion part 10 may flex slightly towards each other, thereby slightly reducing the size of the gap 36, and thereby providing a little pressure on the nipple material; however, according to the present invention, this is not necessary in order to securely fix the nipple 2 in the shield 3.

[0048] It is noted that the gap 36 may provide a necessary ventilation to an inside of the nipple 2 via the pivot hole 35.

[0049] Although the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 is divided into two portions by the gap 36, the insertion part 10 of the plug 5 may also have alternative configurations, such as one simple cylindrical part fitted into the open end 6 of the nipple 2. A separate ventilation hole could be provided for the ventilation of the inside of the nipple. A handle need not necessarily be provided, although this is preferred.

[0050] Figs. 10 and 11 illustrate a third embodiment of the pacifier 1 according to the present invention. According to this embodiment, the ring-formed element 12 forms part of the nipple 2, and a number of wall portions 16 of the nipple 2 connect the ring-formed element 12 to the rest of the nipple 2. The wall portions 16 of the nipple 2 extend through respective cut-outs 17 arranged in the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 at different angular positions about a central axis A of the pacifier 1. Thereby, both the ring-formed element 12 and the thickened edge 14 may serve to securely hold the nipple 2 fixed in the opening 4 of the shield 3. Furthermore, the ring-formed element 12 and the nipple 2 may easily be mounted in the shield 3 in one operation, thereby facilitating assembly. As seen in Fig. 11, through holes 38 of the nipple 2 are formed between the wall portions 16 of the nipple 2. It is understood that apart from the wall portions 16 connecting the ring-formed element 12 to the rest of the nipple 2 and the cut-outs 17 arranged in the tubular part 18 of the shield 3, through which the respective wall portions 16 extend, the embodiment of Figs. 10 and 11 resembles the embodiment of Figs. 2 to 7.

[0051] In an alternative not shown embodiment, the wall portions 16 of the nipple 2 may alternatively or additionally extend through respective cut-outs arranged in a part of the plug 5 at different angular positions about the central axis A of the pacifier 1. For instance, the plug 5 may be formed with a tubular portion abutting the shield 3, and said cut-outs may be formed in such tubular portion of the plug at different angular positions about the central axis A of the pacifier 1.

[0052] According to the third embodiment of the pacifier 1 illustrated in Figs. 10 and 11, it may be preferred that the ring-formed element 12 and the nipple 2 are made of the same material; however, these elements may also be produced of different materials. For instance, by injection moulding of the nipple 2 including the ring-formed element 12, a technique combining two different plastic materials may be used. Such technique is known as two-component (2C) moulding.

[0053] According to the embodiments illustrated in Figs. 2 to 8, the ring-formed element 12 and the nipple 2 are formed as two separate elements of the pacifier 1. Thereby, the plug 5 may be supported directly on the shield 3 along the entire periphery of the plug 5 and thereby provide an even better secure rigid connection between the plug 5 and the shield 3. The production of the nipple 2 and of the ring-formed element 12, for instance by injection moulding, may be simpler due to simpler geometry of the nipple 2 and of the ring-formed element.

[0054] In the illustrated embodiments, the plug 5 has an outer peripheral face 21 being at least substantially flush with an outer peripheral face 22 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. Thereby, a smooth appearance may be obtained, and it may be possible to arrange the ring-formed element 12 both on the outer peripheral face 22 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 and on the outer peripheral face 21 of the plug 5.

[0055] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiments, the ring-formed element 12 is attached to the outer peripheral face 22 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. Alternatively or additionally, the ring-formed element 12 is attached to the outer peripheral face 21 of the plug 5.

[0056] As illustrated in Fig. 6, the ring-formed element 12 has a first annular edge 23 and a second annular edge 24 being opposed to each other seen in an axial direction D of the ring-formed element 12. In the illustrated embodiments, the first annular edge 23 of the ring-formed element 12 abuts a central part 25 of the shield 3 having a larger diameter than a maximum outer diameter of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. Thereby, the first annular edge 23 of the ring-formed element 12 may be securely supported on the shield 3 and the position thereof may be determined by the central part 25 of the shield 3.

[0057] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiments, the ring-formed element 12 and the central part 25 of the shield 3 forms a radially outwardly open groove 26 preferably having an at least substantially V-formed or U-formed cross-section. As illustrated in Fig. 9, the radially outwardly open groove 26 may serve to at least partly take up an elastic ring 33 of a pacifier holder 31 and thereby securely connect the pacifier holder 31 to the pacifier 1. Although the ring-formed element 12 and the shield 3 could be moulded in one piece and thereby create the radially outwardly open groove 26, injection moulding such shield could be somewhat challenging when it comes to removing the shield from the form. In any case it is preferred that the material of the ring-formed element 12 is different than that of the shield 3 for reasons of the different properties obtainable by different materials, as explained above.

[0058] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiments, the second annular edge 24 of the ring-formed element 12 is arranged at an axial position of the pacifier 1 corresponding at least substantially to or being slightly above that of the end face 19 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. Thereby, it may be possible to mount the ring-formed element 12 on the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 before possibly welding the end face 19 of the tubular part 18 to the shoulder 20 of the plug 5, because the welding position may still be accessible. This may be advantageous in the case that the plug 5 is provided with a handle 29 as it is the case in the illustrated embodiments, because the handle may prevent mounting the ring-formed element 12 after mounting the plug 5 in the tubular part 18 of the shield 3. The end face 19 of the tubular part 18 may alternatively be connected to the shoulder 20 of the plug 5 by other means than welding, such as gluing.

[0059] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiments, the second annular edge 24 of the ring-formed element 12 is arranged at an axial position of the pacifier 1 corresponding at least substantially to or being slightly nearer the shield 3 than a lower edge of the pivotal handle 29 when the pivotal handle is directed away from the shield 3 as seen for instance in Fig. 3. Thereby, the ring-formed element 12 may support the pivotal handle 29 and prevent it from rocking too much from side to side.

[0060] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiments, the ring-formed element 12 protrudes radially from an outer peripheral face 21 of the plug 5. This may be preferred, in order for the ring-formed element 12 and the central part 25 of the shield 3 to form a radially outwardly open groove 26 as explained above.

[0061] Furthermore, as in the illustrated embodiments, preferably, the ring-formed element 12, seen in a radial cross-section of the pacifier 1, has a rounded outer face 27.

[0062] Furthermore, in the illustrated embodiments, the ring-formed element 12, seen in a radial cross-section of the pacifier 1, has a flat inner face 28. Thereby, the ring-formed element 12 may better connect and securely attach to the outer face 22 of the tubular part 18 of the shield 3 or the outer face 21 of the plug 5.List of reference numbers

[0063] Acentral axis of the pacifier Daxial direction of ring-formed element 1pacifier 2nipple 3shield 4opening of shield 5plug 6open end of nipple 7closed end of nipple 8nipple side of shield 9plug side of shield 10insertion part of plug 11end part of plug 12ring-formed element 13central opening of ring-formed element 14thickened edge of nipple 15ring-formed cavity 16wall portion of nipple 17cut-out 18tubular part of shield 19end face of tubular part 20shoulder of plug 21outer peripheral face of plug 22outer peripheral face of tubular part of shield 23first annular edge of ring-formed element 24second annular edge of ring-formed element 25central part of shield 26radially outwardly open groove 27rounded outer face of ring-formed element 28flat inner face of ring-formed element 29pivotal handle 30through hole in shield 31pacifier holder 32band of pacifier holder 33elastic ring of pacifier holder 34pivot pin of pivotal handle 35pivot hole of end part of plug 36gap between portions of insertion part of plug 37portion of insertion part of plug 38through hole between wall portions of nipple 39compressed wall part of prior art nipple 40radially inwards protruding locking part of tubular part of shield 41recessed intermediate part of plug 42locking groove of intermediate part of plug 43upstanding ridge of end face 19 of tubular part 44radially inwardly protruding flange of opening of shield 45upstanding ridge on radially inwardly protruding flange of opening of shield 46outer cylindrical face of recessed intermediate part of plug 47inner cylindrical face of tubular part of shield 48second shoulder of plug

Claims

1. A pacifier (1) having a nipple (2) and a shield (3) with an opening (4) in which the nipple (2) is fixed by means of a plug (5), the nipple (2) being formed from an elastic material and having an open end (6) and a closed end (7), the shield (3) having a nipple side (8) from which the closed end (7) of the nipple (2) extends and a plug side (9) from which the plug (5) is accessible, the plug (5) having an insertion part (10) inserted into the open end (6) of the nipple (2) and an end part (11) extending from the plug side (9) of the shield (3), a ring-formed element (12) having a central opening (13) being arranged at the plug side (9) of the shield (3), and the plug (5) extending through the central opening (13) of the ring-formed element (12) so that the end part (11) of the plug (5) extends from the ring-formed element (12), characterised in that the plug (5) is rigidly connected to the shield (3) through the central opening (13) of the ring-formed element (12), and in that the nipple (2) is provided with a thickened edge (14) being trapped in a ring-formed cavity (15) formed between the opening (4) of the shield (3) and the plug (5).

2. A pacifier according to claim 1, wherein the ring-formed element (12) forms part of the nipple (2), wherein a number of wall portions (16) of the nipple (2) connect the ring-formed element (12) to the rest of the nipple (2), wherein the wall portions (16) of the nipple (2) extend through respective cut-outs (17) arranged in the shield (3) or in the plug (5) at different angular positions about a central axis (A) of the pacifier (1).

3. A pacifier according to claim 1, wherein the ring-formed element (12) and the nipple (2) are formed as two separate elements of the pacifier (1).

4. A pacifier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the shield (3) forms a tubular part (18) extending from the plug side (9) of the shield (3) and surrounding the opening (4) of the shield (3), and wherein the plug (5) abuts the tubular part (18) of the shield (3).

5. A pacifier according to claim 4, wherein the tubular part (18) of the shield (3) has an end face (19) abutting a shoulder (20) of the plug (5).

6. A pacifier according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the plug (5) has an outer peripheral face (21) being at least substantially flush with an outer peripheral face (22) of the tubular part (18) of the shield (3).

7. A pacifier according to claim 6, wherein the ring-formed element (12) is attached to the outer peripheral face (22) of the tubular part of the shield (3) and / or to the outer peripheral face (21) of the plug (5).

8. A pacifier according to any one of the claims 4 to 7, wherein the ring-formed element (12) has a first annular edge (23) and a second annular edge (24) being opposed to each other seen in an axial direction (D) of the ring-formed element (12), and wherein the first annular edge (23) of the ring-formed element (12) abuts a central part (25) of the shield (3) having a larger diameter than a maximum outer diameter of the tubular part (18) of the shield (3).

9. A pacifier according to claim 8, wherein the ring-formed element (12) and the central part (25) of the shield (3) forms a radially outwardly open groove (26) preferably having an at least substantially V-formed or U-formed cross-section.

10. A pacifier according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the second annular edge (24) of the ring-formed element (12) is arranged at an axial position of the pacifier (1) corresponding at least substantially to or being slightly above that of the end face (19) of the tubular part (18) of the shield (3).

11. A pacifier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the second annular edge (24) of the ring-formed element (12) is arranged at an axial position of the pacifier (1) corresponding at least substantially to or being slightly nearer the shield (3) than a lower edge of the pivotal handle (29) when the pivotal handle is directed away from the shield (3).

12. A pacifier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ring-formed element (12) protrudes radially from an outer peripheral face (21) of the plug (5).

13. A pacifier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ring-formed element (12), seen in a radial cross-section of the pacifier (1), has a rounded outer face (27).

14. A pacifier according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the ring-formed element (12), seen in a radial cross-section of the pacifier (1), has a flat inner face (28).

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