Intraoral aversion devices and methods

• US 20050263160A1
• Filed: 09/17/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pivot Health Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: AetherWorks LLC
• Inventors: Berman, Michael, Utley, David Scott, Atkinson, Robert Emmett, Utley, Jack Denton Jr., Keith, Peter Trexler
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/270
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 47/00 Smokers' requisites not otherwise provided for

Abstract

An intraoral aversion device to assist a user in quitting an undesirable behavior such as tobacco smoking, tobacco chewing, use of snuff, illicit drug use, excessive alcohol consumption, excessive food consumption, and/or other undesirable activity facilitated via the mouth. The aversion device may be wholly or partially configured to be disposed in the user'"'"'s mouth, for example. The aversion device may include a detector and a output device, wherein the detector is configured to detect a parameter indicative of the user engaging in the habit or undesirable activity. If (and only if) the detector detects such a parameter, the output device delivers a negative stimulus to the user, thus providing negative feedback and creating an incentive for the user to limit if not eliminate the undesirable activity.

Claims

1. An aversion device for a user engaging in an undesirable activity facilitated via the user'"'"'s oral cavity, comprising:

a housing configured to be disposed in the oral cavity; and

a detector configured to detect a parameter indicative of the user performing the undesirable activity, the detector at least partially disposed in the housing.

2. An aversion device as in claim 1, wherein the housing is impermeable to liquid.

3. An aversion device as in claim 1, further comprising an attachment configured to connect the housing to anatomical structure in the oral cavity of the user.

4. An aversion device as in claim 1, wherein the detector detects a parameter indicative of an undesirable activity selected from the group consisting of tobacco smoking, tobacco chewing, snuff use, illicit drug use, excessive alcohol use, and excessive food consumption.

5. An aversion device as in claim 4, wherein the detector includes a sensor selected from the group consisting of a gas sensor, a particulate sensor, a chemical reagent sensor, and a spectrometer.

6. An aversion device as in claim 1, further comprising an output device in communication with the detector, the output device configured to deliver an output perceivable by the user or someone in proximity to the user in response to the detector detecting the parameter.

7. An aversion device as in claim 6, wherein the output device is at least partially disposed in the housing.

8. An aversion device as in claim 6, wherein the output device is configured to deliver a negative stimulus to the user.

9. An aversion device as in claim 6, wherein the output device is configured to deliver an output selected from the group consisting of an electrical stimulus, a mechanical stimulus, a chemical stimulus, a thermal stimulus, an audible stimulus, and a visible stimulus.

10. An aversion method for a user engaging in an undesirable activity facilitated via the user'"'"'s oral cavity, comprising:

providing an intraoral device comprising a detector and an output device;

positioning at least a portion of the device in the oral cavity of the user;

detecting a parameter indicative of the user performing the undesirable activity;

delivering a negative output in response to the detector detecting the parameter.

11. An aversion method as in claim 10, further comprising the step of attaching the device to anatomical structure in the oral cavity of the user.

12. An aversion method as in claim 10, wherein the parameter is indicative of an undesirable activity selected from the group consisting of tobacco smoking, tobacco chewing, snuff use, illicit drug use, excessive alcohol use, and excessive food consumption.

13. An aversion method as in claim 10, wherein the step of delivering a negative output comprises delivering a negative stimulus to the user.

14. An aversion method as in claim 10, wherein the negative output is selected from the group consisting of an electrical stimulus, a mechanical stimulus, a chemical stimulus, a thermal stimulus, an audible stimulus, and a visible stimulus.

15. An aversion method as in claim 10, wherein the negative output is variable.

16. An aversion method as in claim 10, wherein the output is delivered when the detected parameter exceeds a threshold.

17. An aversion method as in claim 10, wherein the output is delivered when a time rate of change of the detected parameter exceeds a threshold.

18. An aversion method as in claim 16, wherein the threshold is fixed.

19. An aversion method as in claim 16, wherein the threshold is variable.

20. An aversion method for a user engaging in tobacco smoking, comprising:

providing an intraoral device comprising a detector and an output device;

positioning at least a portion of the device in the user'"'"'s oral cavity;

detecting a parameter indicative of the user smoking tobacco;

delivering a negative stimulus to the user in response to the detector detecting the parameter.