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 Title: |
US4304227:
Device for treatment of snoring, bruxism or for avoidance of sleep apnea
[ Derwent Title ]
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| Country: |
US United States of America
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| Inventor: |
Samelson, Charles F.; Chicago, IL 60637
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| Assignee: |
None
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| Published / Filed: |
1981-12-08
/ 1979-08-27
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| Application Number: |
US1979000069890
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| IPC Code: |
Advanced:
A61F 5/56;
Core:
more...
IPC-7:
A61F 5/56;
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| ECLA Code: |
A61F5/56B; K61F5/56A;
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| U.S. Class: |
Current:
128/848;
128/857;
128/860;
128/861;
Original:
128/136;
128/132.R;
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| Field of Search: |
128/136,137,138,132 R,15,206.21
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| Priority Number: |
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| Abstract: |
A device is provided for positioning within the mouth of a user for preventing snoring and nocturnal tooth grinding. The device is an integrally molded body. The device provides dental engaging portions and a rearwardly-opening central socket for cooperating with the forward portion of the user's tongue in a manner to draw the tongue forwardly so as to increase the unobstructed dimension of the nasal breathing passage. When operatively positioned within the mouth, some of the user's upper and lower teeth will enter into recesses provided by the device. The device substantially eliminates oral breathing. The tongue will be held in the socket by a negative pressure developed in the socket. When the tongue is held, it draws the body of the tongue forwardly of its usual restive position behind the lower teeth and adjacent the soft palate, the uvula and the posterior pharyngeal wall, thereby increasing the dimension of the air flow passage through the naso-pharynx to facilitate nasal breathing. The device's engagement with at least portions of one of the user's dental arches operates to eliminate nocturnal tooth-grinding.
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| Attorney, Agent or Firm: |
Lettvin, Norman ;
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| Primary / Asst. Examiners: |
Recla, Henry J.;
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| INPADOC Legal Status: |
None
Family Legal Status Report
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| Parent Case: |
This application is a continuation-in-part of a copending application, Ser. No. 883,270, filed Mar. 3, 1978 now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 4,169,473 dated Oct. 2, 1979.
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| Family: |
Show 2 known family members
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First Claim:
Show all 6 claims |
What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is:
1. A device for treatment of a condition of snoring, or bruxism, or for avoidance of sleep apnea comprising, in combination:
- imperforate air flow preventing means of a size and shape to be removably positioned in the user's mouth, to be held therein by the user's lips when normally biased toward their closed attitude, for preventing the flow of air through the mouth of a user, said air flow preventing means being shaped to provide a portion that fits between the user's upper and lower dental arches, and being formed to provide at least one trough thereon that is adapted to closely conform to the configuration of one of said dental arches to receive therein either the user's gum or natural teeth, with said trough providing a wall that is adapted to be located between said dental arch and the inner surface of at least one of the user's upper and lower lips, and a tongue engageable means that is shaped to define a rearwardly opening, elongated socket means, the socket means having a forward closed end and a rearward open end that is of a size, shape and location for receiving a portion of the tongue of a user thereinto to effect an airtight seal therewith when air has been sucked from the forward portion of said socket means past the tongue, such that negative pressure, created by the suction, will serve to hold the portion of the tongue in the socket, whereby the tongue is then held forwardly of its usual resting position behind the lower teeth, thereby bringing the remainder of the body of the tongue forward from its normal proximity to the soft palate, the uvula and the posterior pharyngeal wall, to form and maintain an airway of increased size through the nasopharynx and the oropharynx.
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| Background / Summary: |
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| Drawing Descriptions: |
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| Description: |
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| Forward References: |
Show 122 U.S. patent(s) that reference this one
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