Intra-extra oral shock-sensing and indicating systems and other shock-sensing and indicating systems

• US 9,814,391 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Don B. Hennig, Jeffry L. Vanelverdinghe, Joseph P. Curtin
• Original Assignee: Don B. Hennig, Jeffry L. Vanelverdinghe, Joseph P. Curtin
• Inventors: Hennig, Don B., VanElverdinghe, Jeffry L., Curtin, Joseph P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Harshad R
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JAMEL E
• Application Number:
  US14/255,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20140288432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 73 1201, 73 1209
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0053 by applying pressure, e.g. compression, indentation, palpation, grasping, gauging
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/04 Measuring instruments specially adapted for dentistry A61C5/44 takes precedence; testing vitality of teeth A61B5/0534; radiation diagnosis specially adapted for dentistry A61B6/51
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/40 Acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/80 Special sensors, transducers or devices therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 2220/833 Sensors arranged on the exercise apparatus or sports implement
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/0619 Displays, user interfaces and indicating devices, specially adapted for sport equipment, e.g. display mounted on treadmills
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/085 Mouth or teeth protectors A63B71/081 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 71/10 for the head A63B71/081 takes precedence ; in the form of caps or hats A42B1/08; helmets A42B3/00

Abstract

A mouth guard comprises a base member configured to fit inside the mouth of a user, and at least one shock-sensing and indicating device coupled to the base member. In one exemplary embodiment, the shock-sensing and indicating device is a passive shock-sensing and indicating device that detects a shock substantially along a selected axis with respect to the base member. In another exemplary embodiment, the at least one shock-sensing and indicating device detects a shock substantially along a plurality of selected axes with respect to the base member, each selected axis being substantially orthogonal from another selected axis. The shock-sensing and indicating devices can be configured to detect different levels of shock. In one exemplary embodiment, the shock-sensing and indicating device comprises a multi-component chemical-reaction system, such as a chemi-luminescent reaction system.

Claims

1. A mouth guard, comprising:

a base member configured to fit inside a mouth of a user;

at least one shock-sensing device directly attached to the base member, the at least one shock-sensing device to detect a level of shock applied to the base member that exceeds a predetermined level of shock; and

an indicating device directly attached to the base member and coupled to the at one shock-sensing device to indicate that the shock-sensing device has detected a level of shock that has been applied to the base member that exceeds the predetermined level of shock, the indicating device comprising a light or a light emitting diode.

2. The mouth guard according to claim 1, wherein the at least one shock-sensing and indicating device detects a shock substantially along a selected axis with respect to the base member.

3. The mouth guard according to claim 1, wherein the at least one shock-sensing and indicating device detects a shock substantially along a plurality of selected axes with respect to the base member, each selected axis being substantially orthogonal from another selected axis.

4. The mouth guard according to claim 1, wherein the at least one shock-sensing device comprises at least one accelerometer to detect a level of shock applied to the base member that exceeds a predetermined shock level.