Mouthpiece for an underwater breathing device

Claim 1

IN UNDERWATER BREATHING APPARATUS INCLUDING AN INTAKE HOSE AND OUTPUT HOSE, A MOUTHPIECE COMPRISING A UNITARY MOLDED MEMBER HAVING A GENERALLY TUBULAR BODY PORTION DEFINING AN AXIAL BORE THERETHROUGH, A TAKE-OFF PORTION INTEGRAL WITH SAID BODY PORTION AND EXTENDING LATERALLY THEREFROM, SAID TAKE-OFF PORTION HAVING THERETHROUGH A PASSAGEWAY COMMUNICATING WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID BODY PORTION, SAID PASSAGEWAY EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY TANGENTIAL TO THE TOP OF SAID BORE WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID PASSAGEWAY BEING DISPOSED NO LOWER THAN THE AXIS OF SAID BORE, SAID TAKE-OFF PORTION HAVING AN INTEGRALLY MOLDED SHIELD AT THE OUTER END THEREOF AND A PAIR OF TOOTH GRIP LUGS EXTENDING THEREFROM AT THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID PASSAGEWAY, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF ANNULAR INTERNAL STOP SHOULDERS EACH SPACED FROM AND FACING TOWARD A RESPECTIVE END OF SAID BORE, A PAIR OF IDENTICAL CHECK VALVES EACH INCLUDING A RIGID TUBULAR PORTION, SAID VALVES BEING RESPECTIVE MOUNTED IN THE ENDS OF SAID BORE IN ABUTMENT WITH SAID SHOULDERS, THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID BORE ADJACENT TO SAID RIGID TUBULAR PORTIONS OF EACH OF SAID VALVES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID RIGID TUBULAR PORTION, EACH VALVE HAVING A PORTED PARTITION THEREIN AND A FLEXIBLE VALVE HEAD MEMBER MOUNTED BY SAID PARTITION AND YIELDING OVERLYING SAID PORTS, THE VALVE HEAD MEMBER OF ONE OF SAID CHECK VALVES BEING MOUNTED ON THE OUTER SIDE OF THE RESPECTIVE VALVE HEAD MEMBER AND THE OTHER OF SAID CHECK VALVES BEING MOUNTED ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE RESPECTIVE VALVE HEAD MEMBER WHEREBY ONE OF SAID CHECK VALVES OPENS INTO SAID BODY PORTION AND THE OTHER OF SAID CHECK VALVES OPENS OUT OF SAID BODY PROTION, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF EXTERNAL ANNULAR SHOULDERS EACH FACING TOWARD A RESPECTIVE END OF SAID BODY PORTION FOR ABUTMENT WITH THE ENDS OF SAID AIR HOSES, SAID EXTERNAL SHOUDLERS BEING SPACED A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE INWARDLY OF THE OUTER ENDS OF SAID RIGID TUBULAR PORTIONS OF SAID CHECK VALVES THEREBY TO PROVIDE ON SAID BODY PORTION SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID TUBULAR END SECTIONS FOR TELESCOPINGLY RECEIVING SAID HOSES, SAID INTAKE HOSE BEING CONNECTED TO SAID INWARDLY OPENINGS VALVE AND SAID OUTPUT HOSE BEING CONNECTED TO SAID OUTWARDLY OPENING VALVE AND MEANS FOR SECURING SAID HOSES TO SAID MOUTHPIECE.