LIQUID MEDICATION DISPENSING DEVICE FOR A CHILD

FIELD OF THE INVENηON

The present invention relates to a device for the delivery of medication to a child and, in particular, to a specially designed dummy, also known as a pacifier, used for containing and orally dispensing small quantities of liquid medication to a small child, and particularly to a baby, in need of same,

Although the background, objects and preferred embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to a device and to a process employing that device for the delivery of liquid medication to a small child, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but has wider application. For example _* the device may be used for containing and orally dispensing small quantities of veterinary medication or other liquids to animals undergoing recovery from illness or extreme physical exertion.

It is to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting. For instance, the terms "comprising" or "comprises" are to be understood as meaning "including", unless otherwise stated. Also, the term "medication" is to be understood as including agents that are not only medicinal but may be dietary supplements, therapeutic or preventative.

BACKGROUND QF THE INVENTION

A common problem that many parents have experienced in dealing with their sick children is the accurate measurement and faithful ingestion of liquid medication.

There are many different ways in which liquid medication can be administered to a sick child, The most popular way is by spoon, but the absence of indicators of the dosage volume of a liquid contained in the spoon may lead to a child ingesting a volume other than a prescribed dose. There is also commonly confusion as to whether a teaspoon or a tablespoon should be used.

Other dosing devices for children include oral syringes _* medicine cups, cylindrical dosing spoons and medicine droppers.

However, whilst these dosing devices may improve the accuracy of dosage, a young child, and particularly a baby, may reject the medication by not opening their mouth or by allowing the medication to spill out of their mouth if they disapprove of its taste or aspirate at an inappropriate time.

A more natural way for a young child to be administered a liquid is by a dummy, which, takes advantage of the suckling reflex of a baby, and allows a liquid to be administered in an accurate dosage and at a comfortable flow rate.

These advantageous features of a dummy have been found by the present inventor to be ideally suited to the containment and oral administration of small quantities of liquid medication to a small child in need of same.

SUMMARY QF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to address the aforementioned shortcomings of the prior art.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device for the delivery of liquid medication to a small child in the form of a specially designed dummy that can contain an accurate dosage volume of the medication and allow the child to swallow same at a flow rate at which the child is accustomed.

It has been found by the present inventor that these and other objects of the invention may be achieved in general by providing a device for the delivery of liquid medication to a child, the device comprising:

(a) a teat having a cavity for containing the liquid medication, a first extremity of the teat being pierced to allow dispensing of the liquid medication from the cavity by a sucking action within the mouth of the child,

(b) a shield defining a wall of the cavity at a second extremity of the teat, and

(c) a one-way valve for allowing entry and containment of liquid medication within the cavity, the valve being formed in a side wall of the teat and

being adapted to receive a dispensing mouth of a syringe from which the liquid medication is administered into the cavity.

Preferably, the one-way valve includes an outer opening and a pair of flexible flaps at an inner side of the opening which abut against each other when there is no outward pressure exerted through the opening, and which are moved apart from each other when outward pressure is exerted through the opening,

In another preferred form, the one-way valve includes an outer opening and a substantially conically converging structure at an inner side of the opening, the structure comprising stretchable portions which abut against each other when there is no outward pressure exerted through the opening, and which are moved apart from each other when outward pressure is exerted through the opening.

Preferably, the one-way valve is integrally formed with the side wall of the teat.

It is preferred that the shield has a raised circumferential wall portion and surrounds handle support means that include brackets adapted to receive a handle.

In a preferred form, the handle is in the form of a ring that can be gripped by a finger.

The handle is preferably pivotable.

In a preferred embodiment, the teat includes a nipple portion having a bulbous shape and contiguous with a neck portion that is contiguous with an enlarged portion connected to the shield, the enlarged portion including the side walL

The teat may be made of latex, silicone or other rubber based material.

The shield and handle may be made of polystyrene, polypropylene, ABS or other plastic material.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a process for the delivery of liquid medication to a ehild, the process comprising the steps of;

(a) providing the device as described above,

(b) providing a syringe containing liquid medication, the syringe including a dispensing mouth at one end and a plunger operable at the other end to administer liquid medication through the dispensing mouth,

(c) inserting the dispensing mouth of the syringe into the one-way valve of the device so as to open the valve,,

(d) depressing the plunger so as to administer a required dosage of liquid medication from the syringe into the cavity of the device, and

(e) allowing a child to suck on the teat of the device so as to cause the liquid medication, to be dispensed therefrom and be ingested by the child.

There has been thus outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may

be better understood and put into practical effect, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.

There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may be readily utilized as the basis for designing other devices and processes for carrying out the objects of the present invention. It is important., therefore, that the broad outline of the invention described above be regarded as including such equivalent constructions in so far as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of a liquid medication dispensing device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a front elevation, view of the liquid medication dispensing device of Figure 1

Figure 3 is a left side elevation view of the liquid medication dispensing device of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a plan view of the liquid medication dispensing device of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a sectional view through A-A (when viewed from the rear) of the device shown in Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a sectional view through A-A (when viewed from the front) of the device shown in Figure 4 ₅

Figure 7 is a sectional view through B-B (when viewed from the left side) of the device shown in Figure 4, and

Figure 8 is a side elevation view of the device as shown sectionally in Figure 6 receiving a syringe containing liquid medication.

DESCRIPTION QF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference now to the above summarized drawings of Figures 1 to S ₅ a liquid medication dispensing device embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will now be described.

The device 1.0 includes a teat 12, a shield 14, a one-way valve 16 formed in the teat 12, and a handle 18 _> and is used for containing and orally dispensing small quantities of liquid medication to a small child in need of same.

The teat 12, which, in this embodiment, is made of latex, has a cavity 20 for containing the liquid medication.

A first extremity of the teat 12, in the form of a nipple portion 22 having a bulbous shape, is pierced to allow dispensing of the liquid medication from the cavity by a sucking action within the mouth of a child. The piercing in the nipple portion 22 may be in the form of a linear cut or a round aperture, the effective size of which is predetermined, say^ during manufacture.

The nipple portion 22 is contiguous with a neck portion 24 that, in turn, is contiguous with an enlarged portion 26 connected to the shield 14. The shield 14, in this embodiment, is made of polystyrene.

The shield 14 defines a wall of the cavity 20 at a second extremity of the teat 12.

The one-way valve 16, which allows entry and containment of liquid medication within the cavity 2O ₅ is integrally (or continuously) formed with a side wall of the teat 12. The valve 16 is adapted to receive a dispensing mouth of a syringe 27, as shown in Figure 8, from which the liquid medication is administered into the cavity 20.

The one-way valve 16, in one embodiment, has an outer opening 28 and a pair of flexible flaps 30,, 32 at an inner side of the opening that abut against each other when there is no outward pressure exerted through the opening. When outward pressure is exerted through the opening, say, when a

dispensing mouth of the syringe 27 is received therethrough, the pair of flexible flaps 30, 32 are moved apart from each other, thereby opening the valve 16, As is customary of one-way flap valves, the flaps 3O ₅ 32 will not allow release of liquid medication from the cavity through the opening to the outside, and will close the opening tightly, when the pressure applied against them from the liquid medication contained in the cavity is greater than any outward pressure exerted through the opening.

In another embodiment, the one-way valve 16 has an outer opening 18 and a substantially conically converging, but stretchable, structure at an inner side of the opening. The stretchable portions 30, 32 of the structure abut against each other when there is no outward pressure exerted through the opening. When outward pressure is exerted through the opening by the effect of the syringe 27 mentioned above,, the stretchable portions 30.32 are moved apart from each other, thereby opening the valve 16. The stretchable portions 30, 32 will not allow release of liquid medication from the cavity through the opening to the outside, and will close the opening tightly, when the pressure applied against them from the liquid medication contained in the cavity is greater than any outward pressure exerted through the opening.

The shield 14 has a raised circumferential wall portion 34 and surrounds handle support means that include brackets 36, 38. The brackets 36, 38 extend beyond the height of the circumferential wall portion 34 and have respective apertures that pivotally receive the opposed pivot pins 40, 42 _> respectively, of the handle 18.

The handle 18 is in the form of a pivotable ring that can be gripped by a finger.

In use, an accurate and required dosage of liquid medication is administered from the syringe 27 through the one-way valve 16 into the cavity 20 of the device 10. A young child may then be given the device and will suck on the teat 12, during which time liquid medication is gradually dispensed through the piercing in the nipple portion 22 until the medication is depleted.

After use, the device 10 should be sterilized prior to reuse.

It will be readily apparent from the above that there are various advantages of the present invention.

One advantage is that, by using the device of the present invention to dispense liquid medication to a small child, the child will ingest the medication in an accurate dosage and at a comfortable flow rate according to their suckling reflex.

Another advantage is that a small child is unlikely to reject the liquid medication because the device provides a more natural way of dispensing liquid to a child than other prior art devices and processes.

Still further advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.

It will also be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in details of design and construction of the embodiments of the liquid medication dispensing device^ and in the steps of the process using the device described above, without departing from the scope or ambit of the present invention.

One such modification is that the one-way valve is mounted in the shield. A further modification may be in the form of a threaded valve or port through the shield that allows for attachment of a complementarily threaded tip of a syringe. With either of these modifications, a parent would attach the syringe, suitably filled with medication, to the valve and release the medication gradually into the cavity at the same time as, or before, the young child sucks it through the piercing in the teat.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (or information derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not, and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or admission or any form of suggestion that that prior publication (or information derived from it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge in the field of endeavour to which this specification relates before the filing date of this patent application.