Patent Application
20110189631
The invention relates to movable novelty fangs or teeth and an improved method for securing such novelty teeth or fangs to the wearer's teeth.
Halloween is a widely celebrated holiday in the United States and throughout the world. Many cities hold parades, special events, and contests in observance of Halloween. In celebration of Halloween or at costume parties, many individuals choose to dress as vampires or animals with fangs. The use of novelty teeth or fangs also extends beyond Halloween, and includes uses in theatrical productions, movies, games, or personal style. The traditional novelty fangs available are stationary and are sold either as individual fangs to be applied to individual teeth using adhesives, or are part of a complete set of fake teeth, worn over the wearer's natural dentition, and held in place either by biting down on the set of fake teeth, by suction onto the wearer's teeth, or by adhesives.
The traditional novelty fangs or teeth and methods of displaying such fangs or teeth result in the wearer displaying the fangs or teeth at all times while they are attached or held in place. The traditional methods of attaching fangs or teeth result in discomfort to the wearer even for a short period of time, and may result in embarrassment when the improperly positioned fangs fall out of the wearer's mouth. Since the traditional novelty teeth or fangs are mass produced, the fit is not personalized, and the lack of proper fit results in a loose and ill-fitting set of novelty teeth or fangs.
Some prior art novelty teeth tried to improve the comfort to a wearer with the use of a layer of curable polymer. Such prior art curable polymer requires the wearer to prepare, mix, homogenize and cure the material prior to use. Further, such curable polymer often involves the use of chemical having unpleasant odor.
Therefore, there is a need for an improved novelty teeth or fangs that is comfortable to the wearer and provides more entertaining value.
The improved novelty teeth or fangs and the method of the present invention allows a wearer to comfortably wear the novelty teeth or fangs in the wearer's mouth. The present invention also provides the wearer of the novelty teeth or fangs with the ability to selectively conceal or reveal the teeth or fangs without having to remove the device from the wearer's mouth.
The present invention is a novelty teeth or fangs device movable between a first concealed position and a second visible position for use with a user's teeth. The novelty teeth or fangs includes a pair of spaced apart tooth wells, each tooth well having a base with a through opening extending across the base, wherein each tooth well is adapted to partially surround some of the user's teeth; a pair of rods, each rod rotatably positioned in each opening having first and second ends wherein the pair of rods has a common axis; a central lever element between the pair of tooth wells and attached to said first ends of each rod, wherein said central lever element is pivotable around said common axis; a pair of curve arms, each curve arm extending from the second ends of each rod, wherein the curve arms are adapted to substantially conform to the curvature of the user's upper teeth; and one or more teeth elements, such as fangs or teeth, at the distal end of each curve arm. The pivotal movement of the central lever element translates to rotational movement of the rods, which translate to pivotal movement of the teeth elements via the curve arms, causing the teeth elements to move between the first position and the second position.
The present invention allows the wearer to selectively conceal the novelty teeth or fangs between the upper gums and the upper lip of the wearer. The wearer can then use his or her tongue to push down on the lever positioned inside the wearer's mouth behind the upper teeth, resulting in controlled lowering of the fangs or teeth, thereby giving the appearance that the fangs or teeth are growing, or have suddenly appeared.
The present invention further resolves the problem of fit, comfort and durability of wear associated with the traditional novelty teeth or fangs and methods of application of novelty teeth or fangs, by allowing the wearer to custom-fit the portions of the novelty teeth or fangs which are in contact with the wearer's back teeth. Customization is achieved by using and placing a specialized putty in each tooth well. The specialized putty becomes soft and moldable when placed in hot water. This specialized putty is then molded to the shape of the wearer's teeth when the wearer bites down on the device of the present invention, at the designated position within the wearer's mouth. When cooled the putty hardens to conform to the shape of the wearer's teeth, while still remains pliable to comfortably rest against the wearer's teeth. Once molded, the novelty teeth or fangs allow the wearer to repeatedly and comfortably secure the novelty teeth or fangs in place within the wearer's mouth.
The putty of the present invention does not require prior preparation, mixing, and/or polymerization by the wearer. Further, the putty does not expose the wearer to odors and/or chemical hazards. The moldable putty used in the present invention is easy to handle and prepare, does not release any odor and does not expose the wearer to any chemical hazards.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention have been chosen for purposes of illustration and description and are shown in the accompanying drawings forming a part of the specification wherein:
With reference to the drawings, wherein the same reference number indicates the same element throughout, there is shown in
As shown in
Each tooth well 30 has a base 45 and a pair of spaced apart opposing walls 55 and 65 extending substantially perpendicular from the base 45. Wall 55 is located at the proximal end of each tooth well 30 in relation to the central lever element 20. Wall 55 has a substantially flat surface. Wall 65 is located at the distal end of each tooth well 30 in relation to the central lever element 20. Wall 65 has a curved or shaped surface to facilitate fit and comfort in the wearer's mouth.
Across each base 45 and extending between the opposing walls 55 and 65 is a thorough opening 35. A rod 70 extends through the opening 35 in each corresponding tooth well 30. The tooth wells 30 move pivotally in relation to the rods 70. The distal end of each rod 70 is connected to a teeth element 40 via a curve arm 60 which are shaped to comfortably fit between the wearer's upper gum and lip. The movement of the central lever element 20 translates into the movement of the teeth elements 40. As shown in
Each tooth well 30 is filled with a moldable dental putty 50, which becomes moldable and translucent when heated or warmed. The moldable dental putty 50 in each tooth well 30 can be imprinted with or molded to conform to the wearer's teeth by placing the dental putty 50 in hot water (155° F.-180° F. or 68° C.-82° C.), and then placing it in the wearer's mouth, with the wearer biting down on the dental putty 50. When the dental putty 50 is cured by cooling to room temperature, the dental putty 50 is molded to conform to the wearer's teeth and remains pliable.
With the customized fit of the molded dental putty 50, the wearer can maintain a high level of comfort while wearing the novelty teeth assembly 10. The imprinting of the dental putty 50 allows the tooth wells 30 to form a close fit with the wearer's teeth.
While the teeth elements 40 are shown as fangs, they may also resemble regular teeth or other configurations. Further, the pair of teeth elements 40 may be joined (with no spaces between) to form a row of teeth elements (not shown). To achieve different effect, the teeth elements 40 may be of a natural color, or any other color or have designs, inscriptions, etc., thereon.
When in use, the wearer places the novelty teeth 10 in his/her mouth, with the tooth wells 30 and dental putty 50 wrapping around the upper back teeth or molar teeth. If desired, one tooth well 30, with a corresponding rod 70 and a corresponding curve arm 60 may be used. The central lever 20 is positioned behind the wearer's upper teeth and the curve arms 60 and teeth elements 40 are positioned in front of the wearer's upper teeth and behind the wearer's upper lip, in the first concealed position. To reveal the teeth elements 40 in a second visible position, the wearer uses his/her tongue to push or pivot the central lever element 20 in a downward position. The central element 20 in turn rotates the rods 70, which causes the curve arms 60 and teeth elements 40 to move downward to reveal the teeth elements 40. When the movement of the central lever element 20 is done slowly, the result is dramatic, as if the teeth element 40 grows instantly before one's eyes.
The features of the invention illustrated and described herein are the preferred embodiments. Therefore, it is understood that the appended claims are intended to cover the variations disclosed and unforeseeable embodiments with insubstantial differences that are within the spirit of the claims.
