Oral device

• US 7,890,193 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oraltone LLC
• Original Assignee: Oraltone LLC
• Inventors: Tingey, Terrell F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bockelman; Mark W
• Assistant Examiner(s): So; Elizabeth K
• Application Number:
  US11/839,362
• Publication Number:
  US 20090048647A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,280 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 607/134
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/0548 Oral electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/3601 of respiratory organs
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/36031 using physiological parameters for adjustment

Abstract

The invention is a removable plastic oral appliance which includes sensors for detecting the position of a patient'"'"'s tongue and mandible. Pressure sensors in the appliance itself detect tongue contact and pressure against the palate or the lower teeth against the upper teeth. The sensors are connected electronically to an electronic processor which interprets the information against one or more contra-indicated tongue or jaw positions or activities, and selects an appropriate response from a pre-selected range of responses. The electronic processor sends a signal to a stimulus electrode to cause the patient to stop the contraindicated tongue position, jaw position, or activity.

Claims

1. An oral appliance for training of a patient for proper posture and function of the tongue comprising:

an appliance body with an oral side and a tissue side, configured for engagement with a patient'"'"'s upper teeth and anterior palate;

one or more tongue parameter sensors mounted on said oral side of said appliance body, for detecting parameters of a patient'"'"'s tongue relating to palate contact by said tongue;

an electronic processor for receiving a signal from said tongue parameter sensors related to tongue position against said palate, and for selecting a response based on the detected tongue palate contact information;

one or more stimulus electrodes on said tissue side of said appliance body for contact with an upper mucosa region on said palate of said patient, for delivering a feedback stimulus to said palate to alert said patient in response to a detected tongue palate parameter;

one or more stimulus generators, for creating said feedback stimulus and sending said stimulus to said stimulus electrodes, based on information from said electronic processor; and

a power source for providing energy to said one or more stimulus generators.

2. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which the tongue parameter sensed is tongue position, and which further comprises one or more tongue position sensors, for sensing a position of said patient'"'"'s tongue in relation to said patient'"'"'s palate.

3. The oral appliance of claim 2 which further comprises a programmable microprocessor for recording tongue parameters over time from said tongue position sensors, with said electronic processor forming a response to said tongue parameters in the form of a feedback stimulus delivered to said palate of said patient.

4. The oral appliance of claim 1 which further comprises a programmable microprocessor for recording tongue parameters over time from said tongue position parameter sensors, with said electronic processor forming a response to said tongue parameters in the form of a feedback stimulus delivered to the palate of said patient.

5. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which the tongue parameter sensed is tongue pressure, and which further comprises one or more tongue pressure sensors, for sensing pressure of said patient'"'"'s tongue against the patient'"'"'s teeth and/or palate.

6. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which a tongue parameter sensed is contact force of the patient'"'"'s tongue against the appliance body.

7. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which a tongue parameter sensed is contact duration of the patient'"'"'s tongue against the appliance body.

8. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which a parameter sensed is the time interval between contacts of the patient'"'"'s tongue against the appliance body.

9. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which said feedback stimulus is an electric shock.

10. The oral appliance of claim 1 which includes a tether for connecting internal components of the appliance inside the patient'"'"'s mouth to external components outside the patient'"'"'s mouth.

11. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which said appliance body is fitted to the patient'"'"'s upper teeth.

12. The oral appliance of claim 1 in which said appliance body is positioned near the incisal edge of the upper and lower teeth for training the patient in protrusive tongue thrust behavior.

13. The oral appliance of claim 1 which further includes one on more sensors for jaw position, which send a signal related to jaw position to an electronic processor, with said electronic processor for selecting a response based on the detected tongue parameters and jaw position.

14. An oral appliance for training a patient in proper posture and function of the tongue, comprising:

an appliance body configured for engagement with a patient'"'"'s anterior palate, with an oral side and a tissue side;

one or more tongue position sensors mounted on said oral side of said appliance body for detecting the presence of a patient'"'"'s tongue against said appliance body;

an electronic processor for receiving a signal from the position sensors related to tongue position against said palate, and for selecting a response based on the detected tongue position;

one or more stimulus electrodes on the tissue side of said appliance body for contact with an upper mucosa region on said palate for delivering a feedback stimulus to said palate to alert said patient, in the form of an electric shock to the patient in response to feedback from said one or more tongue position sensors;

one or more stimulus generators, for creating said feedback stimulus and sending said stimulus to said stimulus electrodes, based on information from said electronic processor;

a power source for providing energy to said stimulus generators; and

a programmable microprocessor for recording parameters of tongue contact against said appliance body over time, for parameters of tongue position, tongue contact duration, and interval between contact of a patient'"'"'s tongue against the appliance body, with said tongue position sensors for prompting a response to said tongue parameters in the form of a feedback stimulus.

15. An oral appliance for training a patient in proper posture and function of the tongue and jaw position, comprising:

an appliance body configured for placement in a patient'"'"'s mouth, adjacent the patient'"'"'s anterior palate;

one or more tongue position sensors for detecting the position of a patient'"'"'s tongue and for generating tongue parameters;

one or more jaw position sensors for detecting the position of a patient'"'"'s mandible and for generating jaw position parameters;

an electronic processor for receiving a signal from the sensors related to tongue position and jaw position, and for selecting a response based on the detected tongue and jaw position;

one or more stimulus electrodes for delivering a feedback stimulus to the upper mucosa in the form of an electric shock to the patient in response to feedback from said one or more tongue position sensors;

one or more stimulus generators, for creating said feedback stimulus and sending said stimulus to said stimulus electrodes, based on information from said electronic processor;

a power source for providing energy to said stimulus generator; and

a programmable microprocessor for recording parameters of tongue and mandible position over time, including tongue contact force, tongue contact duration, and interval between contact of a patient'"'"'s tongue against the appliance body, with said tongue position sensor forming a response to said tongue and jaw position parameters in the form of a feedback stimulus.