Device for treatment of snoring, bruxism or for avoidance of sleep apnea

Claim 1

A device for treatment of a condition of snoring, or bruxism, or for avoidance of sleep apnea comprising, in combination: imperforate air flow preventing means of a size and shape to be removably positioned in the user's mouth, to be held therein by the user's lips when normally biased toward their closed attitude, for preventing the flow of air through the mouth of a user, said air flow preventing means being shaped to provide a portion that fits between the user's upper and lower dental arches, and being formed to provide at least one trough thereon that is adapted to closely conform to the configuration of one of said dental arches to receive therein either the user's gum or natural teeth, with said trough providing a wall that is adapted to be located between said dental arch and the inner surface of at least one of the user's upper and lower lips, and a tongue engageable means that is shaped to define a rearwardly opening, elongated socket means, the socket means having a forward closed end and a rearward open end that is of a size, shape and location for receiving a portion of the tongue of a user thereinto to effect an airtight seal therewith when air has been sucked from the forward portion of said socket means past the tongue, such that negative pressure, created by the suction, will serve to hold the portion of the tongue in the socket, whereby the tongue is then held forwardly of its usual resting position behind the lower teeth, thereby bringing the remainder of the body of the tongue forward from its normal proximity to the soft palate, the uvula and the posterior pharyngeal wall, to form and maintain an airway of increased size through the nasopharynx and the oropharynx.

Claim 2

A device for treatment of a condition of snoring, or bruxism, or for avoidance of sleep apnea comprising, in combination: imperforate air flow preventing means of a size and shape to be removably positioned in the user's mouth, to be held therein by the user's lips when normally biased toward their closed attitude, for preventing the flow of air through the mouth of a user, said air flow preventing means being shaped to provide a portion that fits between the user's upper and lower dental arches, and being formed to provide at least one trough thereon that is adapted to closely conform to the configuration of one of said dental arches to receive therein either the user's gum or natural teeth, with said trough providing a wall that is adapted to be located between said dental arch and the inner surface of at least one of the user's upper and lower lips, and a tongue engageable means that is shaped to define a rearwardly opening, elongated socket means, the socket means having a forward closed end and a rearward open end that is of a size, shape and location for receiving a portion of the tongue of a user thereinto to effect an airtight seal therewith when air has been sucked from the forward portion of said socket means past the tongue, such that negative pressure, created by the suction, will serve to hold the portion of the tongue in the socket, whereby the tongue is then held forwardly of its usual resting position behind the lower teeth, thereby bringing the remainder of the body of the tongue forward from its normal proximity to the soft palate, the uvula and the posterior pharyngeal wall, to form and maintain an airway of increased size through the nasopharynx and the oropharynx.

Claim 4

A device for treatment of a condition of snoring, or bruxism, or for avoidance of sleep apnea comprising, in combination: imperforate air flow preventing means of a size and shape to be removably positioned in the user's mouth, to be held therein by the user's lips when normally biased toward their closed attitude, for preventing the flow of air through the mouth of a user, said air flow preventing means being shaped to provide a tongue engageable means that is shaped to define a rearwardly opening, elongated socket means, the socket means having a forward closed end and a rearward open end that is of a size, shape and location for receiving a portion of the tongue of a user thereinto to effect an airtight seal therewith when air has been sucked from the forward portion of said socket means past the tongue, such that negative pressure, created by the suction, will serve to hold the portion of the tongue in the socket, whereby the tongue is then held forwardly of its usual resting position behind the lower teeth, thereby bringing the remainder of the body of the tongue forward from its normal proximity to the soft palate, the uvula and the posterior pharyngeal wall, to form and maintain an airway of increased size through the nasopharynx and the oropharynx; the exterior of said air flow preventing means being shaped to provide upper and lower recess means adapted for receiving thereinto front portions of the upper and lower dental arches to engage same and to limit rearward movement of the device into the mouth of the user; and the portions of the respective upper and lower recess means extending rearwardly of said upper and lower dental arches providing spaced upper and lower shelves of different lengths with the upper shelf extending rearwardly into the mouth of a user a greater distance than the corresponding lower shelf that extends rearwardly of the lower recess means, and said upper shelf being adapted to lie closely adjacent to, or even directly abutting, the upper palate of a user's mouth.

Claim 5

A device for treatment of a condition of snoring, or bruxism, or for avoidance of sleep apnea comprising, in combination: imperforate air flow preventing means of a size and shape to be removably positioned in the user's mouth, to be held therein by the user's lips when normally biased toward their closed attitude, for preventing the flow of air through the mouth of a user, said air flow preventing means being shaped to provide a tongue engageable means that is shaped to define a rearwardly opening, elongated socket means, the socket means having a forward closed end and a rearward open end that is of a size, shape and location for receiving a portion of the tongue of a user thereinto to effect an airtight seal therewith when air has been sucked from the forward portion of said socket means past the tongue, such that negative pressure, created by the suction, will serve to hold the portion of the tongue in the socket, whereby the tongue is then held forwardly of its usual resting position behind the lower teeth, thereby bringing the remainder of the body of the tongue forward from its normal proximity to the soft palate, the uvula and the posterior pharyngeal wall, to form and maintain an airway of increased size through the nasopharynx and the oropharynx; the exterior of said air flow preventing means being shaped to provide upper and lower recess means adapted for receiving thereinto front portions of the upper and lower dental arches to engage same and to limit rearward movement of the device into the mouth of the user; and the portions of the respective upper and lower recess means extending rearwardly of said upper and lower dental arches providing spaced upper and lower shelves of different lengths with the upper shelf extending rearwardly into the mouth of a user a greater distance than the corresponding lower shelf that extends rearwardly of the lower recess means, and said upper shelf being adapted to lie closely adjacent to, or even directly abutting, the upper palate of a user's mouth.