Patent Application
20250025746
The present invention relates generally to compression training apparatuses. More specifically, the present invention provides a compression training apparatus that allows a user to employ variable back pressure to exercise the muscles of the face.
When it comes to muscle control and muscle growth of the lips and the surrounding area, it is difficult to address a brass embouchure in an athletic way separate from tone production. Embouchure muscular strength has been a complete mystery to most of the population. It has always been difficult to train the muscles within the facial area surrounding the lips due to lack of available equipment to do so.
Therefore, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a compression training apparatus that overcomes the problems set forth above.
The present invention discloses a compression training apparatus. The apparatus comprises a disk portion, a shank portion, and an attachment portion. The shank portion is connected between the disk portion and the attachment portion. The disk portion comprises an end opening. The shank portion comprises an internal passage having a first end and a second end. The attachment portion comprises a hole. The internal passage is in fluid communication with the end opening at the first end and with the hole of the attachment portion at the second end.
In one embodiment, the end opening is located at a center of the disk portion.
In one embodiment, the disk portion further comprises a concave end surface.
In one embodiment, the shank portion comprises a shank wall that has a cylindrical outer surface.
In one embodiment, the internal passage is cylindrical.
In one embodiment, the internal passage is coaxial with the end opening and the hole.
In one embodiment, the shank portion further comprises a transition portion that transitions from the shank portion to the attachment portion.
In one embodiment, the present invention further comprises a manometer attached to the attachment portion.
In one embodiment, the manometer comprises a threaded stem, and the hole is threaded and configured to hermetically receive the threaded stem.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate an embodiment of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. They are meant to be exemplary illustrations provided to enable persons skilled in the art to practice the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. That is, the dimensions of the components of the present invention, independently and in relation to each other can be different. It should be noted that the drawings are schematic and not necessarily drawn to scale. Some drawings are enlarged or reduced to improve drawing legibility.
As a preliminary matter, it will readily be understood by one having ordinary skill in the relevant art that the present disclosure has broad utility and application. As should be understood, any embodiment may incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed aspects of the disclosure and may further incorporate only one or a plurality of the above-disclosed features. Furthermore, any embodiment discussed and identified as being “preferred” is considered to be part of a best mode contemplated for carrying out the embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments also may be discussed for additional illustrative purposes in providing a full and enabling disclosure. Moreover, many embodiments, such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalent arrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments described herein and fall within the scope of the present disclosure.
Accordingly, while embodiments are described herein in detail in relation to one or more embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is illustrative and exemplary of the present disclosure and is made merely for the purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure. The detailed disclosure herein of one or more embodiments is not intended, nor is to be construed, to limit the scope of patent protection afforded in any claim of a patent issuing here from, which scope is to be defined by the claims and the equivalents thereof. It is not intended that the scope of patent protection be defined by reading into any claim a limitation found herein that does not explicitly appear in the claim itself. Accordingly, it is intended that the scope of patent protection is to be defined by the issued claim(s) rather than the description set forth herein.
Additionally, it is important to note that each term used herein refers to that which an ordinary artisan would understand such term to mean based on the contextual use of such term herein. When not explicitly defined herein, to the extent that the meaning of a term used herein—as understood by the ordinary artisan based on the contextual use of such term—differs in any way from any particular dictionary definition of such term, it is intended that the meaning of the term as understood by the ordinary artisan should prevail.
Furthermore, it is important to note that, as used herein, “a” and “an” each generally denotes “at least one,” but does not exclude a plurality unless the contextual use dictates otherwise. When used herein to join a list of items, “or” denotes “at least one of the items,” but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list. Finally, when used herein to join a list of items, “and” denotes “all of the items of the list.”
The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the disclosure may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the following detailed description does not limit the disclosure. Instead, the proper scope of the disclosure is defined by the appended claims. The present disclosure contains headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed as limiting upon the subject matter disclosed under the header.
Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after review of the following figures and description. It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the figures and described below, the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented using any number of techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosure should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations and techniques illustrated in the drawings and described below.
Unless otherwise indicated, the drawings are intended to be read together with the specification and are to be considered a portion of the entire written description of this invention. As used in the following description, the terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “left”, “right”, “up”, “down” and the like, as well as adjectival and adverbial derivatives thereof (e.g., “horizontally”, “rightwardly”, “upwardly”, “radially”, etc.), simply refer to the orientation of the illustrated structure as the particular drawing figure faces the reader. Similarly, the terms “inwardly,” “outwardly” and “radially” generally refer to the orientation of a surface relative to its axis of elongation, or axis of rotation, as appropriate. As used herein, the term “proximate” refers to positions that are situated close/near in relationship to a structure. As used in the following description, the term “distal” refers to positions that are situated away from positions.
The present disclosure includes many aspects and features. Moreover, while many aspects and features relate to, and are described in the context of compression training apparatuses, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to use only in this context.
The present invention is a compression training apparatus. It is an aim of the present invention to provide a device that can be utilized to train and assist growth for muscles of the face that are involved in tone production. It is another aim of the present invention to provide a device to train muscles that are involved in compressing and controlling the velocity of air as it passes through a vibrating aperture. It is yet another aim of the present invention to provide a device that quietly and efficiently increases muscular strength for musicians such as brass players.
Referring now to the figures of the present disclosure, the compression training apparatus of the present invention comprises a disk portion 110, a shank portion 120, and an attachment portion 130.
The disk portion 110 is configured to comfortably fit in and align against the user's lips. It should be noted that the disk portion 110 can be of any shape, size, material, features, type or kind, orientation, location, quantity, components, and arrangements of components that would allow the present invention to fulfill the objectives and intents of the present invention. Although in the illustrated embodiment, the disk portion 110 has a round shape, other shapes, such as polygons, are also possible. The disk portion 110 comprises an end opening 112. Preferably, the end opening 112 is located at a center of the disk portion. In another preferred embodiment, the disk portion 110 further comprises a concave end surface 114, as best shown in
The shank portion 120 is connected between the disk portion 110 and the attachment portion 130. It should be noted that the shank portion 120 can be of any shape, size, material, features, type or kind, orientation, location, quantity, components, and arrangements of components that would allow the present invention to fulfill the objectives and intents of the present invention. In one embodiment, the shank portion 120 comprises an internal passage 124 having a first end 125 and a second end 126. This internal passage 124 is in fluid communication with the end opening 112 of the disk portion 110 at the first end 125. In one embodiment, the shank portion 120 comprises a shank wall 122 that has a cylindrical outer surface 123. The internal passage 124 is formed by the shank wall 122. Moreover, the internal passage 124 may be cylindrical. In a preferred embodiment, the shank portion further comprises a transition portion that transitions from the shank portion 120 to the attachment portion 130 to provide a smooth transition between the shank portion 120 to the attachment portion 130. The diameter of the shank portion is preferably smaller than that of the disk portion 110 and/or the attachment portion 130.
The attachment portion 130 may be configured to attach to a manometer 140. In one embodiment, the attachment portion 130 comprises a hole 131. The internal passage 124 is in fluid communication with the hole 131 of the attachment portion 130 at the second end 126. The internal passage 124 may be coaxial with the end opening 112 and the hole 131 to form a straight airway. Preferably, the attachment portion 130 is also cylindrical. In a preferred embodiment, the hole 131 is a cylindrical hole. In one embodiment, the present invention further comprises a manometer 140 attached to the attachment portion 130. Preferably, the manometer 140 comprises a threaded stem 141. The hole 131 may be threaded and configured to hermetically receive the threaded stem 141. It should be noted that other suitable mechanisms can also be used to hermetically attach the manometer 140 to the attachment portion 130. In one embodiment, the manometer 140 is a mini manometer.
In another embodiment illustrated in
The compression training apparatus of the present invention is used to develop and train muscles of the lips and the surrounding area of a user that are involved in compressing and controlling the velocity of air through an instrument. The present invention may be a closed system that the user should trap compressed air from the user's oral cavity and squeeze the air forward. The user's tongue should drive the air like the motion of spurting or spitting water from the user's mouth without blowing from lungs. The present invention allows the user to employ variable back pressure to exercise the muscles of the face. The present invention provides effective exercises that allow the muscles that are moving through their natural range of motion. In addition, the present invention also works the muscle fibers that conform to the compression training apparatus. Utilizing the present invention, the user is generating compression with the muscles of the face while maintaining the hermetic seal on the compression training tools against the lips. The muscle fibers conform to the shape of the compression training apparatus while the entire facial musculature is working against the variable back pressure provided by the present invention.
It should be noted that the present invention can be made of any suitable material, but preferably made of metal. It is envisioned that the sizes of the components forming the present invention such as the disk portion 110, the shank portion 120, and/or the attachment portion 130 can vary based on design requirements. For example, The length of the entire apparatus may be 50 mm/1.968 inches. The diameter of the internal passage 124 may be 3 mm/0.118 inches and the diameter of the shank portion 120 may be 5.6 mm/0.22 inches. The thickness of the shank wall 122 may be 1.3 mm/0.05 inches. In another instance, the diameter of the internal passage 124 may be 4 mm/0.157 inches and the diameter of the shank portion 120 may be 7.6 mm/0.30 inches. The thickness of the shank wall 122 may be 11.8 mm/0.07 inches.
Although the disclosure has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63515003 | Jul 2023 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 29950661 | Jul 2024 | US |
| Child | 18780227 | US |
