Oralmoist device

Claim 1

An oralmoist health care device intended to provide a long lasting satisfaction of an individual''s craving for liquid while simultaneously serving to restrict the individual''s intake of liquids, the device comprising, in combination: an integrally formed unitary hollow body member manufactured of a low density polyethylene plastic material to provide a resilient, flexible and slightly pliable construction therefor; said body member having a flat back surface, side wall surfaces diverging outwardly and inwardly from the peripheral edges of said back wall surface and terminating in a position forwardly thereof, and a bifurcated fork-like configuration formed contiguous with the front edges of the side wall surfaces and projecting forwardly thereof defining the front end of said body member; a compartment defined interiorly of said body member and extending completely therethrough; an opening of a circular cross-sectional configuration disposed in said body member back wall surface providing access to said compartment interiorly of said body member; a cap having a generally circular configuration adapted to be removably secured in said back wall surface opening for selective opening and closing of said opening, said cap when in position thereon closing said opening in a watertight manner, said cap comprised of: a flat circular disc shaped head portion having a diameter greater than the diameter of said back wall surface opening, the head portion having a flat top surface and a flat bottom surface; an elongated cylindrically shaped collar member of a reduced diameter relative to said head portion and having a top end and a bottom end, the top end being disposed concentric with said head portion bottom surface and mounted permanently thereto with said collar member projecting axially outwardly therefrom in a direction away from said bottom surface; said collar member having a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of said body member back wall surface opening and adapted to be received therein to seal said opening in a watertight manner; an annular rim forming flange disposed about the exterior surface of said collar member adjacent said bottom end thereof and projecting radially outwardly therefrom, said flange being of a diameter greater than the diameter of said collar member and less than the diameter of said head portion, said flange adapted to releasably retain said collar member in said back wall surface opening with said flange projecting into said interior body member compartment; an annular shoulder defined between the exterior surface of said collar member and the top surface of said annular flange, said shoulder engaging the interior edge surface of said back wall surface opening to prevent the inadvertent withdrawal of said cap from said opening until said cap is purposely withdrawn therefrom by a positive act of an individual by manipulating the cap in a manner to remove the cap from said opening to provide access to said compartment; said fork-like configuration forming the front end of said body member consisting of a pair of prong members transversely spaced apart and projecting parallel to each other forwardly of the body member and which are contoured to readily fit the dimensions of an individual''s mouth so that they may be readily inserted into an individual''s mouth with the lip portion of an individual''s mouth abutting said side wall surfaces of said body member; a multiplicity of normally closed perforations disposed completely about the exterior wall surfaces of each of said prong members and extending therethrough in communication with said hollow interior of said prong members which is in communication with said body member compartment; said perforations being of a size and configuration normally closed by the resilient nature of the material of which the prongs are constructed to thus prevent any passage therethrough of liquids and the like from said body member compartment to points exterior of said prong members; said compartment adapted to receive liquid producing means therein, such as ice and the like; and said perforations of said prong members only being opened to permit limited passage of liquid therethrough upon a pressure differential existing between the interior of said body member and the exterior of said body member; whereby said perforations only permit liquid to pass therethrough upon an individual placing the prong members in the individual''s mouth and applying a sucking action thereto in a manner to reduce the pressure exteriorly of the prong members in the individual''s mouth as compared to the pressure interiorly of the compartment thus effecting the temporary opening of the perforations to discharge a limited amount of liquid from the compartment to pass at a slow rate through said perforations and into the individual''s mouth to thus provide satisfaction of the individual''s craving for liquid over an extended period of time while simultaneously limiting the total amount of liquid intake to the individual.