The present invention in general relates to a barrier against sexually transmitted diseases and in particular to a face-mounted barrier.
While condoms have gained general acceptance for their effectiveness in preventing the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) during intercourse, the dental dam has generally met with limited acceptance. The dental dam, originally developed as an adjunct to dental procedures, has been adapted as a barrier against the spread of STDs during oral sex. The dental dam has a thin sheet of latex which serves as a barrier between partners when placed intermediate therebetween. However, oral dams tend to become displaced from the recipient partner's anal or vaginal area during usage. Thus, there exists a need for an oral protective device against sexually transmitted diseases that is not readily displaced from between sexual partners.
An oral bib includes a thin sheet protective shield portion having resistance to the passage of a sexually transmitted disease microbe therethrough. The shield portion is configured to overlie a chin and mouth region of a wearer and has opposing sides. A strap is adapted to secure said shield portion to a wearer head.
The present invention is further illustrated with respect to the following exemplary and non-limiting embodiments depicted in the accompanying drawings.
The present invention has utility as a device for the prevention of STDs that otherwise are transmitted by oral sex. A thin elastomeric sheeting material that is resistant to transmission therethrough of microbes is fashioned to secure around the chin and mouth of a user and retained in this position with a securement encompassing the ears or head of the user.
Referring now to
A tongue portion 14 is appreciated to be formed from a continuous sheet of material making up the shield portion or alternatively to be formed from a separate piece of material with the proviso that a hermetic seal is formed at the interface between tongue portion and shield portion. The tongue portion 14 is readily formed of the same materials as the shield portion 12, yet dissimilar materials for the tongue portion 14 and shield portion 12 are recognized to be operative herein. Methods of forming a hermetic seal between the shield and tongue portions illustratively include thermal welding, sonic welding, and contact adhesives. Optionally, the tongue portion 14 has contours 15. An illustrative group of such contours is depicted in
Optionally, a terminal area of the tongue portion 14 includes a sealed chamber 16. The sealed chamber contains air, a liquid, or as depicted in
The shield portion 12 is attached to a strap 18. The strap 18 is suited to encompass the back of a wearer head and tension the inventive bib 10 against a user face while the shield portion 12 surrounding a user chin prevents inadvertent bib dislocation during usage. It is appreciated that an inventive bib 10 including the strap 18 is readily formed from a unitary material. Alternatively, a strap 18 is formed of a different material or greater thickness of material relative to the shield portion. Conventional joiners for adhering a strap to a thin shield portion illustratively include contact adhesives, thermal welding, sonic welding, and stitches.
As shown in
In a preferred embodiment, a strap 38 formed of a separate material relative to the shield portion 42 is joined thereto by forming terminal loops 44 in the shield portion 42 by rolling the shield end onto itself and joining the overlapped material with an adhesive, sonic welding, or stitching. The shield portion 42 has all the attributes of shield portion 12 as detailed above with the exception of the loops 44 in place of a unitary construct with a strap 18. The shield portion 42 specifically is amenable to inclusion of the attributes detailed in the preceding figures with respect to reference numerals 14, 15, 16, 20 and 22. The ends 46 and 48 of the straps 38 are terminated with complementary hooks 50 relative to the shield portion loops 44. More preferably, one of the hooks 50 is held by a loop 52 of strap material simultaneously engaging a slide 54 so as to allow for strap adjustment.
Optionally, a hole 20 or cutout 22 is placed in the shield portion so as to overlie a wearer cheek and afford greater comfort without sacrificing the protective aspects of an inventive bib.
It is appreciated that an inventive bib is suitable for modification with conventional additives illustratively including pigments or dyes, antimicrobial compounds, fragrances, plasticizers and the like. Additionally, an inventive bib is amenable to dusting with conventional anti-stick powders such as talc, cornstarch and the like.
The present invention is amenable to various modifications by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. These modifications nonetheless retain the spirit of the present invention. These modifications and equivalents thereof are intended to be encompassed within the scope of the appended claims.
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/204,809 filed Aug. 16, 2005 is now abandoned, which claims priority of U.S. provisional application No. 60/602,101 filed Aug. 17, 2004, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
4949731 | Harding | Aug 1990 | A |
4974605 | Esqueda | Dec 1990 | A |
5016649 | Johnson | May 1991 | A |
5320112 | Bloodsaw | Jun 1994 | A |
5441046 | Starr et al. | Aug 1995 | A |
5570705 | Burke | Nov 1996 | A |
5582187 | Hussey | Dec 1996 | A |
6572569 | Klein | Jun 2003 | B2 |
6997888 | Rehrig | Feb 2006 | B2 |
20070193586 | Vaughn | Aug 2007 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20100024832 A1 | Feb 2010 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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60602101 | Aug 2004 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 11204809 | Aug 2005 | US |
Child | 12533297 | US |