1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pacifier devices and more particularly pertains to a new retractable tether pacifier device for holding a pacifier to a user when not in use.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of pacifier devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, pacifier devices heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art pacifier devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,504; U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,698; U.S. Pat. No. Des. 274,379; U.S. Pat. No. 4,165,713; U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,261; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,392,729.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new retractable tether pacifier device. The inventive device includes a housing with a slot providing an opening into the interior space of the housing. The first end of an elongate flexible ribbon is disposed in the interior space of the housing with the flexible ribbon extending through the slot of the side wall of the housing such that a second end of the flexible ribbon outwardly extends from the side wall of the housing. The second end of the flexible ribbon is attached to a holding ring of a pacifier. The length of the flexible ribbon is retractably extendable from the interior space of the housing. The back face of the housing has a fastener for attaching the housing to a garment of the user.
In these respects, the retractable tether pacifier device according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of holding a pacifier to a user when not in use.