The present invention relates generally to protection equipment for water sports. More specifically, the present invention is a nasal plug mounted onto a mouth guard.
The mouth guard is a piece of personal protective equipment used by athletes to protect their teeth and gums while engaging in physical activities. Traditionally, the mouth guard protects the teeth and gums from physical impact. Frequently, these devices are stand-alone pieces of equipment placed into a user's mouth and then removed when there is no longer a need for protection. For sports like football, the standard mouth guard is often modified to include a tether. This tether enables users to attach the mouth guard to their helmet, thus preventing the device from becoming lost.
An objective of the present invention is to improve upon the standard mouth guard by adding a water shield. This water shield prevents streams of water from entering a user's nose. The combined functionality of preventing contaminated water from entering the user's nose while being mounted within the user's mouth allows the present invention to be used in a variety of water sports. In active water sports such as water skiing, jet skiing, wake boarding, tubing, diving, etc., a participant is frequently subjected to unwanted water spray. The forcible injection of water into the nostrils and adjoining nasal cavities can not only cause discomfort, but more seriously, the potential for life threatening illness due to the introduction of deadly water borne organisms into the body. Athletes frequently wear mouth guards while engaging in these activities. Therefore, the present invention not only prevents injury, but improves the safety and enjoyment of anyone engaging in aquatic activities.
All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.
The present invention is a water sports nasal guard that limits the risk of water uncontrollably flowing into the nasal passages. The present invention prevents injury and illness from contaminated water such as water containing the Naegleria fowleri amoeba. The present invention comprises a mouth guard 1, an upper tongue shield 9, a lower tongue shield 10, and a nostril shield 11, all of which are illustrated in the perspective view of
The general configuration of the aforementioned components prevents contaminated water from entering the nasal passages of the user. The mouth guard 1 is placed within the mouth of the user and allows the user to bite down on the present invention. The mouth guard 1 comprises an arch-shaped body 2, an upper teeth receptacle 7, and a lower teeth receptacle 8. The upper teeth receptacle 7 and the lower teeth receptacle 8 are shown in the top view of
The present invention further comprises a mouth shield 17 and a first extension arm 20. The mouth shield 17 upholds the nostril shield 11 just below the nose of the user. The first extension arm 20 connects the mouth shield 17 to the arch-shaped body 2. More specifically, the first extension arm 20 is connected adjacent to the convex portion 3, and the mouth shield 17 is connected adjacent to the first extension arm 20, opposite the convex portion 3. This configuration positions the nostril shield 11 in front of the user's face. The nostril shield 11 is connected adjacent the mouth shield 17, offset from the first extension arm 20 so that the nostril shield 11 presses up against the openings of the user's nasal passages.
The mouth shield 17 further comprises a maxilla portion 18 and a mandible portion 19. The maxilla portion 18 covers the maxilla of the user's jaw, and the mandible portion 19 covers the mandible of the user's jaw. The maxilla portion 18 is positioned adjacent the upper teeth receptacle 7, and the mandible portion 19 is positioned adjacent the lower teeth receptacle 8. The arrangement of the maxilla portion 18 and the mandible portion 19 deflects the flow of contaminated water towards the opening of the user's mouth. More specifically, the nostril shield 11 is positioned adjacent the maxilla portion 18, opposite to the mandible portion 19, thereby positioning the nostril shield 11 directly under the user's nose.
The present invention further comprises a tether coupler 21 and a second extension arm 22. The tether coupler 21 engages with a tether or comparable fastener so that the user may attach the present invention to a variety of anchoring points. The second extension arm 22 upholds the tether coupler 21 against nostril shield 11. More specifically, the second extension arm 22 is connected adjacent to the convex portion 3, and the tether coupler 21 is connected adjacent to the second extension arm 22, opposite to the convex portion 3. This configuration allows a user to attach a tether to the tether coupler 21 while the mouth guard 1 is within the user's mouth.
In order to properly block the openings of the nasal passages, the nostril shield 11 comprises a main plate 12, a first sill-bracing plate 13, and a second sill-bracing plate 14. The main plate 12 covers both of the openings of the user's nasal passages. The first sill-bracing plate 13 and the second sill-bracing plate 14 cover the sides of the nose of the user so that the force of incoming contaminated water does not push the main plate 12 away from the openings of the user's nasal passages. Consequently, the first sill-bracing plate 13 is connected adjacent to the main plate 12, and the second sill-bracing plate 14 is connected adjacent to the main plate 12, opposite to the first sill-bracing plate 13. More specifically, the first sill-bracing plate 13 is oriented at a first obtuse angle 15 with the main plate 12. Similarly, the second sill-bracing plate 14 is oriented at a second obtuse angle 16 with the main plate 12. The orientation of the first-sill bracing plate 13 and the second sill-bracing plate 14 with that of the main plate 12 is shown in the schematic view of
An embodiment of the present invention further comprises an upper lip ridge 23 and a lower lip ridge 24, illustrated in
In order to better accommodate a variety of user's teeth arrangement and jaw, an embodiment of the arch-shaped body 2 is uniformly made of a moldable material. The moldable material conforms to the bite of the user, and therefore, the entire arch-shaped body 2 is not limited to any one type of jaw or bite. The preferred moldable material is a medical grade silicone. The moldable material can also be, but is not limited to, a variety of durometer and grades of liquid silicone rubber, thermoplastic resins and rubbers, and urethane resins. An alternate embodiment of the present invention comprises an upper quantity of moldable material 25. The upper quantity of moldable material 25 conforms like that of the preferred embodiment, but is limited to a specific area. The upper quantity of moldable material 25 deforms to the contours of the upper teeth of the user that presses against the arch-shaped body 2. More specifically, the upper quantity of moldable material 25 is integrated across a base surface of the upper teeth receptacle 7, shown in
In addition, as shown in
Although the invention 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 invention as hereinafter claimed.
The current application claims a priority to the U.S. Provisional Patent application Ser. No. 62/244,874 filed on Oct. 22, 2015.
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
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2245432 | Davis | Jun 1941 | A |
5692523 | Croll | Dec 1997 | A |
20150258417 | Rodgers | Sep 2015 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20170113099 A1 | Apr 2017 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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62244874 | Oct 2015 | US |