FORMABLE MOUTH GUARD WITH CONTAINER

Abstract

A mouth protection system may include a formable mouth guard and a storage container. The mouth guard may include an elastic component and an inelastic component. The mouth guard may be heated, for instance, by allowing a working fluid to contact a reactant in a heating compartment. The elastic component may then become compressible in order to form to the anatomy of a wearer's mouth.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to mouth or teeth protection devices, and more particularly to a formable mouth guard and a storage container.

BACKGROUND

Teeth protection devices to be worn in the mouth, more commonly referred to as mouth pieces or mouth guards, are utilized in a variety of applications such as preventing or minimizing injury during sporting events or other physical activity or as a treatment or preventative measure for snoring or grinding of teeth during sleep. In each application, the mouth guard is designed to protect the inner anatomical components of the mouth, such as teeth, gums, and palate, from potentially damaging conditions or external trauma. Mouth guards—generally soft, flexible inserts designed to be worn over the teeth and gums—among other things, prevent the top and bottom teeth from contacting each other, and can minimize shock and damage to teeth.

No two mouths are alike, however. The size, shape, and general dimensions of mouth anatomy, including teeth, vary from individual to individual, and tend to change over time even for a single individual. A mouth guard which does not securely fit may not adequately or optimally protect the teeth and other structures in the mouth. Accordingly, formable mouth guards are known to customize the shape and contours to fit an individual mouth precisely. These formable mouth guards require boiling water and submerging the mouth guard in the liquid in order to render the material of the mouth piece compressible.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. This summary is not an extensive overview of every embodiment disclosed herein. It is intended neither to identify key or critical elements of the various embodiments nor to delineate the scope of the disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of the disclosure, in accordance with the various embodiments disclosed herein, in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In one embodiment, a mouth protection system may include a formable mouth guard for insertion into a wearer's mouth, the mouth guard including an elastic component which may be heated to a compressible state such that the mouth guard is formable around the wearer's teeth; in some embodiments, the mouth guard may be additionally formable around the wearer's gums and palate. The mouth protection system may further include a storage container including a case, dimensioned to hold the formable mouth guard, a heating compartment, dimensioned to fit within the case and having an internal area accommodating both a fluid and a reactant, with the ability to cause a working fluid to be released to contact the reactant in the internal area. The fluid may be water and the reactant may be quicklime. During storage or prior to use, the fluid and the reactant may be maintained separated from each other, whereas in operation, the fluid and the reactant may be allowed to contact each other. During use, allowing the fluid to contact the reactant may cause an exothermic chemical reaction that heats the elastic component to its compressible state.

In another embodiment, a method for protecting a wearer's mouth may include: providing a mouth protection system that includes a formable mouth guard including an elastic component which may achieve a compressible state when heated to an elevated temperature, and a storage container including a case dimensioned to hold the mouth guard; causing a fluid to contact a reactant in a heating compartment disposed in the case, thereby causing an exothermic chemical reaction to heat an internal environment of the case; allowing heat from the exothermic chemical reaction to raise the elastic component to the elevated temperature; inserting the mouth guard in its compressible state into a wearer's mouth; and allowing the mouth guard to cool and conformingly position itself within the wearer's mouth. As noted herein, the fluid may be substantially water and the reactant may be substantially quicklime.

The following description and appended drawing figures set forth certain illustrative aspects of the disclosed embodiments. These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which the principles of the disclosure may be employed, and the various embodiments are intended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Other advantages and novel features will become apparent from the following description when considered in conjunction with the drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposed in a container in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of the formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded cut-away perspective view of the formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposed in a container in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of the formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 illustrates a bottom perspective view of the formable mouth guard and the top of the container of the FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 illustrates a cut-away perspective view of the formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 5 in an activated position;

FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposed and container of FIG. 5 with a bottom cap; and

FIG. 10 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description and the appended drawings describe and illustrate some embodiments of the disclosure for the purpose of enabling one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to make and use these embodiments. As such, the detailed description and illustration of these embodiments are purely illustrative in nature and are in no way intended to limit the scope of the disclosure in any manner. It should also be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scale and in certain instances details which are not necessary for an understanding of the embodiments, such as details of fabrication and assembly, for example, may have been omitted. In the accompanying drawings, like numerals represent like components.

In one embodiment, a mouth protection system may include a formable mouth guard for insertion into a wearer's mouth, the mouth guard including an elastic component which may be heated to a compressible state such that the mouth guard is formable around the wearer's teeth; in some embodiments, the mouth guard may be additionally formable around the wearer's gums and palate. The mouth protection system may further include a storage container including a case, dimensioned to hold the formable mouth guard, a heating compartment, dimensioned to fit within the case and having an internal area accommodating both a fluid and a reactant, and an activation lid operative to cause a working fluid to be released to contact the reactant in the internal area. The fluid may be water and the reactant may be quicklime. During storage or prior to use, the fluid and the reactant may be maintained separated from each other, whereas in operation, the fluid and the reactant may be allowed to contact each other. During use, allowing the fluid to contact the reactant may cause an exothermic chemical reaction that heats the elastic component to its compressible state.

As noted above, the formable mouth guard may be heated to an elevated temperature, the elastic component thereby achieving a compressible state at the elevated temperature. Some embodiments incorporate an inelastic component of mouth guard, the inelastic component may maintain a substantially rigid state at the elevated temperature. The inelastic component may be substantially manufactured from ethylene-vinyl acetate (“EVA”) or a similar substance or compound, whereas the elastic component may be substantially manufactured from a thermoplastic elastomer or the like.

In another embodiment, a method for protecting a wearer's mouth may include: providing a mouth protection system that includes a formable mouth guard including an elastic component which may achieve a compressible state when heated to an elevated temperature, and a storage container including a case dimensioned to hold the mouth guard; activating an activation lid to cause a fluid to contact a reactant in a heating compartment disposed in the case, thereby causing an exothermic chemical reaction to heat an internal environment of the case; allowing heat from the exothermic chemical reaction to raise the elastic component to the elevated temperature; inserting the mouth guard in its compressible state into a wearer's mouth; and allowing the mouth guard to cool and conformingly position itself within the wearer's mouth. As noted above, the fluid may be water and the reactant may be quicklime.

With reference now to the drawing figures, it is noted that FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a formable mouth guard disposed in a container in accordance with the disclosure; FIG. 2 illustrates a cut-away perspective view, FIG. 3 illustrates an exploded perspective view, and FIG. 4 illustrates an exploded cut-away perspective view of the formable mouth guard and container of FIG. 1.

When fitted for use, a formable mouth guard 189 may generally protect the mouth and teeth of a wearer. Mouth guard 189 may be heated as set forth below such that an elastic component achieves a compressible state, allowing mouth guard 189 to conform to the shape and contours of teeth, gums, and palate on the interior of a wearer's mouth. In that regard, a compressible or elastic component or portion of mouth guard 189 may be disposed on an exterior of the structure of mouth guard 189, i.e., that portion of the structure that makes contact with the interior of the wearer's mouth. Many materials and compounds may be suitable for such an elastic component or portion of mouth guard 189, including thermoplastic elastomers and other heat-sensitive plastics, rubbers, polymers, and copolymers. Specifically, an elastic component of mouth guard 189 may be embodied in or comprise any of these or other materials or compounds having appropriate heat-sensitivity characteristics as set forth herein, and may be selected as a function of cost, ease of manufacture, durability, federal or local health codes or regulations, or a combination of these and other factors.

Some embodiments of mouth guard 189 may further comprise an inelastic component or portion, which may be constructed of suitable material so as to maintain a substantially rigid state at the elevated temperature which causes the elastic component to achieve a compressible state. The inelastic component may be embodied in or comprise EVA or a similar substance or compound as is generally known. In embodiments incorporating such an inelastic component, the inelastic component may generally be disposed at a core of mouth guard 189 such that it is surrounded by the elastic component, i.e., an interior, inelastic core (or “skeleton”) may be encased in or surrounded by the elastic component that makes contact with the wearer's mouth. In some implementations, all or substantially all of such an inelastic core may be surrounded by the elastic component, while in other embodiments, only a portion of such an inelastic core may be surrounded or covered by the elastic component.

In particular, an inelastic component may be manufactured from EVA or polyester material, such as polycaprolactone resin, compounded under heat. Such a compounding is usually made in a double shear compounder or a similar mechanism, and the polyester resin may be combined with calcium carbonate, glass bubbles, or a combination of these, as well as with coloring agents or pigments. This resulting polyester-based compound may be formed into pellets for molding as part of the manufacturing process. The resulting compound may be mixed with additional polyester material as a master batch or can alternatively be used directly in molding depending on the desired color or cooling concentrations. The mixed compound may then be fed into an injection molding machine with variable parameters. Example parameters associated with the injection molding machine may include a barrel temperature of 120-220° F., a pressure of approximately 1500 psi at 50% speed, and a charging pressure of approximately 1000 psi. The material may then be injected into a material mold having superior heat conducting properties as compared to the injected material. The inelastic component may be formed into a core or interior structure for mouth guard 189. Once cooled, this inelastic component may then be prepared for combination with the elastic component.

In some embodiments, the elastic component of mouth guard 189 may be formed from an elastic material including a thermoplastic elastomer, such as a polyolefin blend, elastomeric alloys, styrenic block copolymers, or other thermoplastic elastomers generally known in the art or developed according to known principles, and potentially as well as silicone, rubber, or other elastic material having heat-sensitive properties as set forth herein. This elastic material may be injected over or around a formed inelastic component or directly molded to form mouth guard 189, depending upon the embodiment.

It will be appreciated that the foregoing materials are provided by way of example only, and that the present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the particular material or chemical constituents employed in connection with the elastic component or the inelastic component of mouth guard 189.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, in addition to mouth guard 189, a mouth protection system may generally include a storage container 190, including a case 191 dimensioned to hold or store mouth guard 189 on a support 188, and a heating compartment 192 dimensioned to fit within case 191 and having an internal area 239 accommodating both a fluid and a reactant as described below. Case 191 may generally comprise a base lid 110 and a top 120 that is dimensioned such that top 120 is selectively engageable with base lid 110, such as by snap, press, or friction fitting, for example, or by slotted or threaded engagement, detention tabs, and the like. In some embodiments, the interface between base lid 110 and top 120 may include a seal, for instance, to seal or otherwise to reinforce the connection between these components when top 120 is engaged with base lid 110. Rubber, silicone, or other compressible washers or gaskets, pressure-sensitive adhesives, or other structures or techniques may be used for this purpose. Base lid 110 and top 120 may be constructed of rigid plastic, acrylic, or ceramic, for example, or other material that has sufficient heat tolerance to enable the heating functionality set forth herein. In that regard, it may be desirable to construct base lid 110 and top 120, as well as heating compartment 192, of material that will not “off-gas” or otherwise deteriorate in the presence of heat required to render elastic component of mouth guard 189 compressible. It may be desirable in some instances to construct top 120 of clear glass, plastic, acrylic, or some other substantially transparent material allowing mouth guard 189 to be viewed during storage, heating, or both.

Heating compartment 192 generally comprises a vent structure 130, configured and operative to fit securely within case 191 at base lid 110, and an activation lid 140, configured and operative to engage with vent 130 and to activate a heating process as set forth below. As best seen in FIGS. 2-4, vent 130 may be designed to have, or generally to define, an internal area 239 accommodating both a fluid container 220 and a reactant container 210.

Fluid container 220 may be a bladder, tank, or other structure manufactured of plastic, acrylic, rubber, or some other generally inert material; in this context, the term “inert” generally refers to a quality that enables fluid container 220 to store fluid without material degradation (of fluid container 220 or the fluid itself) prior to use. In some embodiments, fluid container 220 may be dimensioned to accommodate approximately one tablespoon (or 15 cc and 15 mL) of water, though it will be appreciated that the amount of fluid necessary or desired, as well as the material selected for fluid container 220, may be dependent upon the specific fluid/reactant combination employed to create the exothermic chemical reaction described below.

Fluid container 220 may be secured proximal to activation lid 140, for example, by a seal 310 (best illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4). In some embodiments, seal 310 may be manufactured of aluminum or a similar metal, though various plastics, acrylics, or other materials may be employed. Seal 310 may be designed rigidly or fixedly to engage vent 130, such as by welding, heat sealing, or by adhesives, for example, such that fluid container 220 is maintained in a position to be engaged by activation lid 140 as set forth below. In some embodiments, seal 310 may be integral with activation lid 140 such that the combination of activation lid 140 and seal 310 define and embody fluid container 220 itself; in this case, an independent bladder, tank, or other structure may not be necessary for fluid container 220.

Reactant container 210 may be embodied in or comprise a bladder, tank, or packet that is generally designed to disintegrate, dissolve, or otherwise to degrade upon contact with working fluid released from fluid container 220. Upon degradation of reactant container 210, the reactant disposed within it may react with the fluid in an exothermic reaction, the chemistry of which is constrained based upon the nature and the amount of both the working fluid and the cooperating reactant.

In that regard, reactant container 210 may contain or be infused with a selected thermal inducing material. In one embodiment, reactant container 210 may be infused with or store calcium oxide, commonly referred to as quicklime or burnt lime. In this embodiment, the working fluid in fluid container 220 may be water; allowing water from fluid container 220 to come into contact with infused material, such as quicklime, in reactant container 210 may initiate an exothermal reaction in internal area 239; heat from this reaction may rise through slots or perforations 131 in vent 130 to heat mouth guard 189 disposed in case 191. It should be understood that the reactant may be substantially quicklime and the fluid may be substantially water, such that minor impurities, non-active ingredients, aromatics, dyes, or other materials may be included in the liquid or reactant so long as the additional material does not interfere with the exothermal reaction. The allowable percentage of any such additional ingredients or impurities would be readily known to a person of ordinary skill in the art, or at least readily determined without undue experimentation.

Further, a removable sticker or sealing surface may be provided to secure reactant container 210 within internal area 239 and to prevent spillage during transportation or storage, to prevent reactant from degrading due to humidity or particulate contaminants, or both. In such embodiments, vent 130 may be implemented such that it is removable from base lid 110, allowing removal of such a sealing surface, prior to use; removal of the sealing surface may thereby expose reactant container 210, allowing fluid to contact the reactant, thereby initiating the exothermic reaction. In other embodiments, reactant container 210 may be opened or unsealed, and the contents deposited in internal area 239, manually by a user. Alternatively, where reactant container 210 is designed to disintegrate or degrade upon contact with the working fluid, vent 130 may be rigidly affixed or integrated with the structure of base lid 110.

To facilitate the foregoing heating functionality, vent 130 may include a bottom portion or grate 430 having a plurality of holes or perforations 433. During use, top 120 may be removed from storage container 190, allowing access to activation lid 140. Activation lid 140 may be designed to cooperate with a structure integral with vent 130, for example, such that manipulation of activation lid 140 may pierce, tear, puncture, or otherwise rupture fluid container 220, seal 310, or both, allowing the working fluid to enter internal area 239 through perforations 433. It will be appreciated that, in embodiments where seal 310 is integral with activation lid 140, piercing seal 310 alone may be sufficient to allow fluid to escape, i.e., an independent structural element embodying fluid container 220 is not necessary. Upon release of the working fluid into internal area 239, top 120 may be replaced to contain heat released by the chemical reaction between the working fluid and the reactant. Heat may rise from internal area 239 into case 191 via perforations 131 to raise elastic portion of mouth guard 189 to a temperature sufficient to render it formable or moldable.

After a predetermined or desired period of heating, top 120 may be removed from base lid 110, and mouth guard 189 may be retrieved from case 191, for example, using removable support 188, to be inserted in a wearer's mouth for form-fitting. In this regard, support 188 may be removable or detachable from base lid 110 thereby allowing a user to grasp support 188 and using support 188 to guide mouth guard 189 into the user's mouth for fitting, thereby eliminating the need for the user to touch mouth guard 189 during the fitting process. Accordingly, removable support 188 may formed from a material having a greater heat capacity in order to resist a rise in temperature during the heating process.

Activation lid 140 may be threadably engaged with vent 130; in such embodiments, rotating activation lid 140 may cause fluid container 220 to rupture and seal 310 to fail, allowing fluid to enter internal area 239 via perforations 433. For example, one or more protrusions or blades on a surface of activation lid 140 proximal to fluid container 220 may cut both seal 310 and fluid container 220 as activation lid 140 is rotated; additionally or alternatively, protrusions or blades integral with a structure of vent 130 may rupture fluid container 220 while a cooperating structure on activation lid 140 is rotated. In some embodiments, activation lid 140 may include or comprise a plunger or spike, for instance, that may be pushed through fluid container 220 and seal 310; in such embodiments, rotation or threaded engagement of activation lid 140 may not be necessary. In still other embodiments, seal 310 and activation lid 140 may be integrated such that seal 310 may rotate as activation lid 140 is rotated; threaded engagement with vent 130 in this instance may cause seal 310 forcibly to bear on a spike or other protrusion disposed on grate 430, thereby piercing seal 310 (and fluid container 220, if implemented). It will be appreciated that various other mechanisms and techniques may be employed to rupture or puncture fluid container 220, seal 310, or both. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited by the structural arrangement or piercing mechanism employed by or in conjunction with activation lid 140, either individually or in combination with a cooperating structure on or integral with vent 130.

With reference now to FIGS. 5-10, support 188 may attached to removable top 120. A user may remove top 120 once the heating process has been complete, and accordingly remove mouth guard 189 from support 188. Indeed, as the heating process commences within storage container 190, top 120 should be resistant to heat transfer so as to permit a user to grab top 120 without being burnt or otherwise become overly uncomfortable when grasping top 120.

Storage container 190 may include a top 120 at a top end of the storage container 190, a case 191 which top 120 may removable fit to, a vent 130 adapted to accommodate case 191 sitting on top of vent 130, an internal area 239 within vent 130, and a base support 111 provided at a bottom end of storage container 190. Base support 111 may have a smaller area than that of the storage container 190 proximate to the end opposite top 120. Accordingly, base support 111 may be inserted into a container display (not pictured) so as to accommodate transfer or display of a plurality of storage containers 190.

Activation of the thermal reaction may occur by applying a downward force from top end to base end, as illustrated for instance in FIG. 8. By applying the downward pressure, spikes or protrusions 141 may be forced downward thereby piercing fluid container 220, causing the fluid within to be released into internal area 239 and initiating the thermal reaction as previously described. Additionally, base support 111 may be broken or displaced as a result of the applied downward force. In this regard, base support 111 may provide resistance from a minor, unintended downward force such as during the handling or shipping of storage container 190.

In some embodiments container 190 may be modified to include a bottom cap 150 instead of vent 130 or internal area 239. The smaller dimensions of container 190 with bottom cap 150 permit easier storage and transportation, particularly after the mouth guard 189 has already been molded thereby eliminating the need for thermal reaction to occur in internal area 239.

The descriptions set forth above are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. Various modifications, in addition to those described herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description. Such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the concepts described herein. Each patent, patent application, and publication cited or described in this document are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

The foregoing description of possible implementations consistent with the present disclosure does not represent a comprehensive list of all such implementations or all variations of the implementations described. The description of one implementation should not be construed as an intent to exclude other implementations. For example, artisans will understand how to implement the embodiments in many other ways, using equivalents and alternatives that do not depart from the scope of the disclosure. Moreover, unless indicated to the contrary in the preceding description, none of the components described in the implementations are essential to the embodiments disclosed. It is thus intended that the embodiments be considered as illustrative, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

REFERENCE LIST

110 Base Lid

111 Base Support

120 Top

130 Vent

131 Perforation

140 Activation Lid

141 Spikes

150 Bottom Cap

188 Support

189 Mouth Guard

190 Storage Container

191 Case

192 Heating Compartment

210 Reactant Container

220 Fluid Container

239 Internal Area

310 Seal

430 Grate

433 Perforation

Claims

1. A mouth protection system comprising: a formable mouth guard for insertion into a wearer's mouth, the mouth guard including an elastic component which may be heated to a compressible state at a temperature; anda storage container including a case dimensioned to hold the mouth guard, anda heating compartment comprising an internal area accommodating a reactant anda fluid container housing a working fluid,wherein breaching the fluid container causes the working fluid to be released from the fluid container into the internal area thereby contacting the reactant; andwherein contact between the working fluid and the reactant causes an exothermic chemical reaction to heat an internal environment of said case to the temperature.

2. The mouth protection system of claim 1, further comprising a support for holding the mouth guard in the case.

3. The mouth protection system of claim 2, further comprising a top releasably secured to a top end of the case, and the support attached to the top.

4. The mouth protection system of claim 1, wherein the working fluid is substantially water and the reactant is substantially quicklime.

5. The mouth protection system of claim 1, further comprising an activation lid operative to cause the fluid container to be breached.

6. The mouth protection system of claim 1, further comprising a spike proximate the fluid container, and wherein applying a force on the case in the direction of the heating compartment cause movement of the spike resulting in the spike piercing the fluid container thereby releasing the working fluid.

7. The mouth protection system of claim 6, further comprising a base support at a base end of the container, the base support operative to resist the force on the case.

8. A method for protecting a wearer's mouth, the method comprising: providing a mouth protection system, which includes a formable mouth guard including an elastic component which may achieve a compressible state when heated to an elevated temperature, anda storage container including a case dimensioned to hold the mouth guard, and a heating compartment including an internal area accommodating a reactant, anda fluid container housing a working fluid;causing an exothermic chemical reaction to heat an internal environment of the case by breaching the fluid container and causing the working fluid held in the fluid container to contact the reactant disposed in the internal area;allowing heat from the exothermic chemical reaction to raise the elastic component to the elevated temperature;inserting the mouth guard in its compressible state into a wearer's mouth; andallowing the mouth guard to cool and conformingly position itself within the wearer's mouth.

9. The method of claim 8, the mouth piece protection system further including a spike provided proximate the fluid container, and the step of causing an exothermic reaction further including applying a downward force on the case thereby moving the spike into the fluid container causing a breach of the fluid container.

10. The method of claim 8, the mouth piece protection system further including an activation lid operative to cause the fluid container to be breached.

11. The method of claim 8, the storage container further including a top removably securable to a top end of the case, and a support connected to the top as well as the mouth guard, And the step of inserting the mouth guard further including a user grasping the top and removing the mouth guard from the case by pulling the top away from the case.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the working liquid is substantially water and the reactant is substantially quicklime.