Patent Application
20180280785
Sports-related concussions have increased over the years. The prior art has produced a wide array of protective equipment, such as helmets, mouth guards, and other headgear in an attempt to reduce the number of sports-related concussions. In particular, mouth guards are believed to help prevent concussions as well as protect the user's teeth from damage. Mouth guards are used by athletes of a wide range of ages in a multitude of sports. Mouth guards have taken on a secondary purpose, beyond physical protection for the user. They also become a way to express individuality, team spirit, and attitude through displays of colors, logos, and images on mouth guard surfaces that are visible at times when the mouth guard is worn by the user. Examples of such displays include team color combinations, mascot logos, or other images.
Decorative mouth guards are permanently marked with various displays. The only way to change the display is to replace the mouth guard. In some situations, an athlete may have four or five different mouth guards with different designs for different moods and games. This is impractical and increases costs unreasonably. It leaves users with a single type of mouth guard display to show their team spirit or individuality. Accordingly, there is a need for a simple and cost effective system and method for providing selectively interchangeable mouth guard displays.
This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. Neither this Summary, nor the foregoing Background, is intended to identify key aspects or essential aspects of the claimed subject matter. Moreover, this Summary is not intended for use as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.
Embodiments of decorative plates are presented that may be coupled with mouth guards of various designs to provide users with a manner of expressing team spirit and individuality. In various embodiments, the decorative plates are coupled with a mouth guard having an exterior lip protector. Such mouth guards include a dental tray having opposing biting surfaces that receive the upper and lower arcades of the user's teeth. An inner wall extends outwardly from a peripheral edge of the dental tray. A conduit extends between the inner wall and the outer wall and includes at least one open passage that extends through opposite end portions of the conduit.
Embodiments of the decorative plate include a decorative display on a forward surface. Such a decorative display will include at least one of a color, combination of colors, lettering, numbering, or an image. The decorative plate is operatively, removably coupled with the mouth guard such that the rearward surface of the decorative plate at least partially obscures the forward surface of an outer wall when the decorative plate is coupled with the mouth guard. The forward surface of the outer wall may have no decorative display or it may have a decorative display that the user wishes to change.
Where the mouth guard includes an outer wall opening, embodiments of the decorative plate include at least one decorative plate opening that is in open fluid communication with the outer wall opening and the conduit passage when the decorative plate is coupled with the outer wall. The decorative plate includes means for removably securing the decorative plate with the mouth guard. In some embodiments, the decorative plate includes a mounting bracket that extends outwardly from the rearward face of the decorative plate and is shaped to at least partially reside within the conduit passage. In some embodiments, the mounting bracket is pressure fit within the conduit passage. In other embodiments, the mounting bracket is formed from a plurality of laterally spaced-apart fingers that extend from the rearward opening of the conduit passage when the decorative plate and mouth guard are coupled with one another. Bracket teeth extend outwardly from distal end portions of the fingers and are positioned to engage portions of the mouth guard outside of the conduit passage. The decorative plate can be secured to the outer wall by other types of mounting brackets. In still another embodiment, an adhesive may be disposed on one or both of the decorative plate or the outer wall.
In some embodiments, a decorative display member is positioned between the decorative plate and the outer wall. The decorative display member includes at least one of a color, combination of colors, lettering, numbering, or an image. Where a decorative display member is used, the decorative plate is be formed from a material that is sufficiently transparent to allow the decorative display member to be viewed through the forward surface of the decorative plate.
The decorative plate and the present technology are also adaptable for use with mouth guards of other designs. For example, conventional mouth guards that do not have an outer wall that is positioned outside the user's mouth will have an exterior facing wall that is a vertical face of the inner wall from the top of the mouth guard to the bottom. Mouth guards of such design may have a solid surface or may have one or more breathing apertures similar to the conduit passage that passes through the outer face of the inner wall, through to the rearward opening. In such embodiments, the decorative plate can include a mounting bracket, which may be of a one-piece design or having a plurality of fingers. Other methods of securing the decorative plate to the exterior facing wall of the mouth guard are also provided.
These and other aspects of the present system and method will be apparent after consideration of the Detailed Description and Figures herein.
Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments of the mouth guard, including the preferred embodiment, are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.
Embodiments are described more fully below with reference to the accompanying figures, which form a part hereof and show, by way of illustration, specific exemplary embodiments. These embodiments are disclosed in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. However, embodiments may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.
With reference to
In various embodiments, a decorative plate 26 includes a forward surface 28 and an opposite rearward surface 30. Particular embodiments of the decorative plate 26 include a decorative display on the forward surface 28. It is contemplated that the decorative display on the decorative plate 26 will be limited only by the imagination, with an infinite number of different types of visual adornment. Generally, the decorative display will include at least one of a color, combination of colors, lettering, numbering, or an image. Solid colors and various color combinations, such as team colors provide one manner of decoration. One or more words or slogans, such as team names, or an infinite number of various alpha-numeric combinations provide another manner of decoration. Images, such as drawings, photos, and other depictions, such as the fangs of
The decorative plate 26 is operatively, removably coupled with the mouth guard 10 such that the rearward surface 30 of the decorative plate at least partially obscures the forward surface 17 of the outer wall 16 when the decorative plate 26 is coupled with the mouth guard 10. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the forward surface 17 of the outer wall 16 may have no decorative display or it may have a decorative display, such as described with regard to the forward surface 28 of the decorative plate 26, i.e. at least one of a color, combination of colors, lettering, numbering, or an image. In various embodiments, the forward surface 17 of the outer wall 16 includes a decorative display that is different from the decorative display on the forward surface 28 of the decorative plate 26. In this manner, the decorative plate 26 selectively changes the appearance of the mouth guard 10 from one visible display to another. The removable nature of the decorative plate 26 permits the user to change the appearance of the mouth guard 10 at will. A plurality of different decorative plates 26 provide the user with a number of different designs from which to choose.
In embodiments where the mouth guard 10 includes an outer wall opening 22, it is contemplated that the decorative plate 26 will include at least one decorative plate opening 32 that penetrates the decorative plate 26 and is in open fluid communication with the outer wall opening 22 and the conduit passage 20 when the decorative plate 26 is coupled with the outer wall 16. It is contemplated that embodiments of the present technology will provide the outer wall opening 22 and the decorative plate opening 32 in similar shapes that align with one another for a clean appearance and full concealment of the outer wall 16 by the decorative plate 26. Although depicted as obround in the figures, the outer wall opening 22 and decorative plate opening 32 could be, for example and without limitation, oval, round, or rectangular, to name a few shapes. In the depicted example, the obround shape is positioned so that a long axis of the shape extends generally parallel to the upper and lower arcades of teeth and the short axis extends perpendicular to the upper and lower arcades of teeth. Accordingly, the size of the passageway is maximized to allow airflow for athletic exertion while limiting the distance that the user's jaw must remain open to accommodate the conduit passage 20.
The decorative plate 26 includes means for removably securing the decorative plate 26 with the mouth guard 10. With reference to
With reference to
In other embodiments, it is contemplated that the decorative plate 26 can be secured to the outer wall 16 by other means. In one such embodiment, mounting brackets may be provided at the peripheral edges of either or both of the outer wall 16 and decorative plate 26. Such mounting brackets may take any number of forms that simply clasp the opposing structure to mechanically hold the two in a coupled positioned with respect to one another, such as along a reverse or opposite side of the opposing structure. In still another embodiment, an adhesive may be disposed on one or both of the rearward surface 28 of the decorative plate or the forward surface 17 of the outer wall 16. In some embodiments, the adhesive is a pressure sensitive adhesive that can enable the decorative plate 26 and the outer wall 16 to be coupled with one another and decoupled with one another, selectively, multiple times.
With reference to
The decorative plate 26 and the present technology are also adaptable for use with mouth guards of other designs. For example, conventional mouth guards that do not have an outer wall 16 that is positioned outside the user's mouth will have an exterior facing wall that is a vertical face of the inner wall 14 from the top of the mouth guard to the bottom, for example, in the mouth guard depicted in
The decorative plates, mouth guards, and decorative display members described herein may be formed of a suitable rubber or plastic materials as are known in the art. For example and without limitation, they may be formed from thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) or ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or a combination thereof. They may be provided in various degrees of rigidity and flexibility. They may also be formed by any suitable manufacturing process, such as for example, injection molding, insert molding, welding, gluing, and the like. In addition, the decorative plates, mouth guards, and decorative display members described herein may be decorated within mold labeling and in mold decorating techniques, as are known in the art.
Although the structures, technology, and methods of using and/or applying the same have been described in language that is specific to certain structures, materials, and methodological steps, it is to be understood that the present mouth guard is not necessarily limited to the specific structures, materials, and/or steps described. Rather, the specific aspects and steps are described as forms of implementing the disclosed mouth guard. Many embodiments can be practiced without departing from the spirit and scope of the mouth guard described herein. Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers or expressions, such as those expressing dimensions, physical characteristics, etc. used in the specification (other than the claims) are understood as modified in all instances by the term “approximately.” At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the claims, each numerical parameter recited in the specification or claims which is modified by the term “approximately” should at least be construed in light of the number of recited significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Moreover, all ranges disclosed herein are to be understood to encompass and provide support for claims that recite any and all subranges or any and all individual values subsumed therein. For example, a stated range of 1 to 10 should be considered to include and provide support for claims that recite any and all subranges or individual values that are between and/or inclusive of the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more and ending with a maximum value of 10 or less (e.g., 5.5 to 10, 2.34 to 3.56, and so forth) or any values from 1 to 10 (e.g., 3, 5.8, 9.9994, and so forth).
