Protective mouthguard assembly

Abstract: A tethered, protective mouthguard assembly for attachment to a helmet or headgear including a mouthpiece portion (11), a connecting member (12) integrally formed with the mouthpiece and provided with a tether attachment element (21) therein, a separate breakaway tether (14) constructed of a cord-like or strap-like material and a corresponding attachment element (15) connected with the tether for selectively and easily attaching the tether to and detaching the tether from the connecting member.

Description: BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a protective mouthguard assembly according to the preamble of claim 1 for use in athletics which can be selectively tethered from a helmet or around the user's neck for easy attachment and removal. A number of mouthguards currently exist in the art for protecting the teeth and for reducing the chance of shock, concussions and other injuries as a result of high impact collisions and blows during athletic competition. In general, mouthguards existing in the art can be placed into two broad categories: tethered and untethered. Untethered mouthguards are commonly fabricated by dentists to fit the exact contour of the user's teeth or are manufactured in a single configuration, with the user trimming the mouthguard to the correct size with a scissors and then molding the mouthguard to his or her teeth after softening the mouthguard in boiling water. An example of this latter mouthguard is illustrated in U.S. Patent 3,411,501, according to which the preamble of claim 1 has been worded. In athletic activities which utilize a helmet or other protective headgear, and in particular in high impact sports such as football and hockey, it is desirable for the mouthpiece to be tethered to the helmet or to the face mask. The principal reasons are twofold. First, having the mouthguard tethered to the helmet or face mask eliminates the chance that the mouthguard will be lost or misplaced and secondly, and perhaps most important, a number of instances have arisen where the user inadvertently swallows the mouthguard as a result of impact or otherwise during activity. This can result in the user choking on the mouthpiece, thus causing severe injury or death. The tethered mouthpieces that currently exist in the art are generally of once piece construction comprising a moldable mouthpiece and an integrally formed tether strap constructed of the same material as the mouthpiece and extending from the mouthpiece for connection to a helmet or the like. U.S. Patents 4,044,762 and 3,312,218 are illustrative of such a tethered mouthguard. Another tethered mouthguard in which the tether is removable from the mouthguard is shown in the above mentioned Patent No. 3,411,501. In this patent, the tether strap is constructed of the same material as the mouthguard. There are several limitations relating to presently existing tethered mouthguards. First, because the tether straps are constructed of the same material as the mouthguard, the straps are generally quite wide in order to prevent the same from inadvertently breaking. As a result, the straps are stiff and cumbersome and have a relatively limited flexibility. Therefore, it is often difficult for players to comfortably position the mouthpiece in the mouth, particularly for younger players, without noticing or being affected by the general stiffness and inflexibility of the tether strap. These tether straps also tend to further stiffen and curl over time. Secondly, for this same reason, the tethered mouthguards in the prior art are, for the most part, limited to connection to the face mask of a helmet in a position in which the tether strap extends directly in front of the user's mouth. The general stiffness and inflexibility of the prior art tether straps makes it difficult to connect the tether strap off center or to a side portion of the headgear in the event there is no face mask. Thirdly, because the tether strap is constructed of the same material as the mouthguard, which is generally stiff, it is often difficult, particularly for younger players, to connect the mouthguard to the helmet since it involves forcing an enlarged portion of one end of the tether strap through a small opening along the length of the tether strap. Fourthly, the tether straps of the prior art, for the most part, are difficult to remove and will virtually never be removed. If the helmet is removed from the user as a result of a high impact collision or the like, this results in the mouthpiece being violently pulled from the user's mouth, thus also giving rise to serious injury. Fifthly, the protective mouthguard assembly according to U.S. Patent 3,411,501 discloses a tether attachment comprising a recess within the mouthpiece, into which a head or bead of the tether can be inserted. Such a recess can readily harbor bacteria and germs with repeated use as the mouthguard is in the individual wearer's mouth and is difficult to sanitize. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved protective mouthguard for use in athletic competition, and in particular, an improved tethered mouthguard which is safer, is provided with a quick release or break-away feature and which results in improved comfort and flexibility for the user. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore object of the invention to provide a tethered mouthguard assembly for use in athletic competition which provides much greater comfort and flexibility of use and connection to the helmet and which is also easy to attach and detach from the headgear. This object is met by the characterizing features of claim 1. More specifically, the mouthguard assembly of the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a mouthpiece portion which is adapted for insertion into the user's mouth and protective engagement with the user's teeth. A relatively short connecting tab is integrally formed with a forward end of the mouthpiece and includes a tether attachment opening for connection with a tether. A separate tether is adapted for connection with the helmet or helmet face mask or around the neck and includes attachment means for selectively and easily attaching the tether to and detaching the tether from the attachment opening in the connecting tab. The tether is constructed of a relatively limp and flexible cord-like or strap-like material which is highly flexible and which can easily extend from the connecting tab at right angles with little, if any, resulting pressure or stress on the mouthpiece. Use of a strap-like material facilitates the printing of indicia thereon for identification or ornamentation. The tether of the preferred embodiment may be formed in the shape of a closed loop with its ends extending from a tether bead adapted for insertion into the attachment opening or may be formed of a single cord or strap with a connection loop or other helmet connection means at one end and a tether bead or mouthguard connection means at the other end. The tether attachment opening of a preferred embodiment is an elongated opening having a width less than the diametrical dimension of the tether bead and a length greater than the diametrical dimension of the tether bead. A further aspect of the present invention includes the provision of a breakaway connection between the mouthpiece portion and the separate tether or along the tether between the mouthpiece and the helmet. These and other objects of the present invention will become apparent with reference to the drawings and the description of the preferred embodiment. DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a perspective view of the mouthguard assembly of the present invention showing the tether attached to the mouthpiece. Figure 2 is a top elevational view of the mouthpiece portion of the mouthguard assembly of the present invention. Figure 3 is a sectional view of the mouthpiece portion of the mouthguard assembly of the present invention as viewed along the section line 3-3 of Figure 2. Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the mouthguard assembly of the present invention showing the tether attached to the mouthpiece. Figure 5 is a side elevational view showing the mouthguard assembly of the present invention with the tether detached from the mouthpiece. Figure 6 is an enlarged view showing the connection of the tether end portions to the tether bead. Figure 7 is a side elevational view showing the mouthguard assembly of the present invention attached to a football helmet face guard. Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 in which the tether has been detached from the mouthpiece as a result of impact removing the helmet. Figure 9 is a front elevational view of the storage case. Figure 10 is an elevational view showing the storage case in an open position and the mouthpiece being inserted therein. Figure 11 is a side elevational view showing the mouthguard tethered around the user's neck. Figure 12 is a view, partially in section, showing an alternate structure for connecting the ends of the tether to the tether bead. Figure 13 is a perspective view of an alternate tether construction. Figure 14 is a perspective view of the tether of Figure 13 connected with a portion of a helmet face guard. Figure 15 is a front elevational view of a further alternate tether construction. Figure 16 is a side elevational view of the alternate tether construction of claim 15. Figure 17 is a front elevational view of another alternate embodiment tether construction. Figure 18 is a front elevational view of the tether of Figure 17 connected with a helmet face mask. Figure 19 is a side view, partially in section of a still further embodiment of a tether construction shown in a position connected to a helmet face mask. Figure 20 is a perspective view of a further embodiment of a breakaway tether in accordance with the present invention. Figure 21 is a side elevational view of a still further embodiment of a breakaway tether in accordance with the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to the drawings, and in particular to Figure 1, the protective mouthguard assembly 10 of the present invention includes a mouthpiece portion 11 adapted for insertion into the user's mouth and for protective engagement with the user's teeth, a connecting tab 12 integrally formed with a forward end of the mouthpiece 11 and a separate tether 14 constructed of a cord-like material and having an attachment means in the form of the tether bead 15 for selective attachment to and detachment from the connecting tab 12. As illustrated generally in Figure 1 and with more specific reference to Figures 2 and 3, the mouthpiece portion 11 is a conventional mouthpiece member constructed of a thermal plastic material. Although the mouthpiece can be constructed of a variety of thermal plastic type materials, the material contemplated for the preferred embodiment is an ethylene vinyl acetate material such as DuPont Elvax No. 250 or Union Carbide DQDA No. 3269. The mouthpiece portion 11 is provided with a forward or outer protective flange 16 and an inner or rearward protective flange 18 defining a protective web or channel 19 between them. The rearwardmost end of the mouthpiece portion 11 is provided with a plurality of cut lines 20. These cut lines 20 serve as guides for the user to cut or trim the mouthpiece to fit the particular user's mouth size. The connecting tab 12 is integrally formed with a forward portion of the mouthpiece 11 and extends forwardly therefrom. The tab 12 is constructed of the same material as the mouthpiece 11 and is provided with a first attachment means in the form of an attachment opening 21. This opening 21 can have a variety of shapes. In the preferred embodiment, however, the opening 21 is elongated with a width dimension d¹ (Figure 2) being less than the diameter of the tether bead-15 (Figure 1) and with a length dimension d² (Figure 3) greater than the diameter of the tether bead 15. Both the width dimensions d¹ and the length dimension d² should preferably be greater than the diameter of the cord-like material from which the tether 14 is constructed. The preferred embodiment shows the tab 12 as being integral with, and of the same material as, the mouthpiece 11; however, the present invention contemplates the tab 12 constructed separately of the same of different material and secured to the mouthpiece 11 by adhesive or some other means. The tab 12 also includes a reinforced or thicker portion 22 surrounding the attachment opening 21. This portion 22 provides the tab 12 with additional reinforcement around the opening 21 to better control the attachment and detachment of the tether 14. The tab 12 extends outwardly from the mouthpiece portion 11 for a relatively short distance which is less than the widest portion of the mouthpiece 11. The tab 12 is preferably a short tab 12 as illustrated in Figures 1-5. However, it can also comprise a first tether portion 60 integrally connected with the mouthpiece as illustrated in Figure 20. In this embodiment, a second tether portion 61 having an end 62 connectable to a helmet facemask is also provided. A breakaway connection is provided between the first 60 and second 61 tether portions in the form of the opening 64 and the bead 65. The second tether portion 61 may be constructed of the same material as the first tether portion 60 or may be a limp cord or strap as shown in Figures 1 and 15. Breakaway capability may also be provided between first 66 and second 68 tether portions by mating Velcro sections 69 and 70. Such an embodiment is illustrated in Figure 21. The tether 14 is illustrated best in Figures 1, 4 and 5. Although it is contemplated that the separate tether 15 could comprise a single piece of cord-like material 36 such as illustrated in the alternate embodiment of Figures 13 and 14 having one end connected to the mouthpiece portion through a second attachment means in the form of the tether bead 15, and a second end connectable with the helmet, the preferred construction provides a tether 14 having a closed loop configuration as illustrated in Figure 1. The closed loop configuration allows the tether to be easily attached to and detached from the helmet or face guard merely by looping a portion of the tether around the face mask and inserting the mouthpiece portion 11 therethrough. If a single tether 36 is used, as illustrated in Figures 13 and 14, the end opposite the bead 15 could be connected with the helmet. In this embodiment, a small loop 38 large enough to allow passage of the bead 15 is provided so that the cord or strap 36 can extend through the loop 38 and wrap around the faceguard 17 as shown in Figure 14. A snap, Velcro, or the like may also be used to connect the cord to the helmet. Examples are illustrated in Figures 17, 18 and 19. In Figure 17, a tether 50 is constructed of a flexible strap material such as Nylon or the like and is provided with a connection end 51 having two pairs of corresponding snaps 52 and 54 for connecting the tether 50 to the helmet. Other connection means such as Velcro, however, may also be used. Figure 18 illustrates the manner in which this connection is accomplished. Figure 19 shows a further embodiment of a tether 56 having a rigid plastic connection end 58 which is designed to snap around the helmet facemask 17. Both tether 50 (Figures 17 and 18) and the tether 56 (Figure 19) are provided with breakaway connection beads 55 and 59. The material from which the tether 14 is constructed is relatively flexible and limp in order to facilitate connection of the tether to different portions of the helmet or face guard. In the preferred embodiment, the tether is a woven or braided cord-like or strap-like material constructed from a material such as Nylon. This highly flexible and limp characteristic of the tether 14 enables it to be connected to one side of the face mask with no noticeable discomfort to the user. Similarly, of course, the tether 14 can be connected immediately forward of the mouthpiece portion. In this position the highly flexible tether also provides improved comfort to the wearer when compared to prior art designs. An extended tether can also be looped around the user's neck as shown in Figure 11, when no headgear or helmet is used such as when playing soccer. The tether 14, of course, can also be constructed of other materials having similar properties such as braided or woven cotton, etc. The tether bead 15 is connected to an end portion of the tether 14 and is constructed of a relatively hard material such as molded polyethylene. Various other materials, however, can also be utilized. The material from which the tether bead 15 is constructed, however, should preferably be much harder and much less deformable than the material from which the connecting tab 12 is constructed. In the preferred embodiment, the tether bead 15 is attached to the tether 14 in a manner which facilitates easy attachment to and detachment from the connecting tab 12 through the attachment opening 21. Figure 6 illustrates the preferred method of connecting the tether 14 to the tether bead 15. As shown in Figure 6, the two end portions 24 of the tether 14 are inserted into an opening in the tether bead 15 and extend outwardly therefrom such that the end portions 24 extend from the tether bead 15 in generally face-to-face registration with one another. This provides a structure which facilitates relively easy insertion of the tether bead 15 relatively through the opening 21 as well as facilitating relatively easy removal of the tether bead from the connecting tab 12 by pulling on the tether 14. Although there are a variety of ways in which the tether 14 can be connected to the bead 15, the preferred embodiment contemplates the ends 24 of the tether 14 being secured to the bead 15, or to an opening within the bead 15, via an appropriate adhesive. To attach the tether to the tether bead in accordance with the preferred embodiment, the ends of the tether 24, 24 are placed into a mold cavity and the bead 15 is injection molded in the cavity and around the ends. An alternative mechanism for connecting the tether to the bead is illustrated in Figure 12. Here, the ends of the tether 14 are placed into separate mold cavities, each representing one-half of the bead 15. The bead halves are then formed by injection molding. In this embodiment, the bead halves 31 and 32 are designed to snap together or to be retained together via adhesive. Each of the halves 31, 32 is provided with corresponding connection elements 34, 35, respectively for connection with one another. A still further method of forming the bead 15 is to place the ends of the tether 14 together and burn the ends so that the synthetic material from which the tether is made melts and form a hardened bead upon cooling. A still further method is to dip the ends of the tether into liquified bead material and allow the material to harden or cure around the ends. The bead 15 can be a variety of sizes and can have a variety of shapes. It must, however, have at least one diametrical dimension which is greater than one of the dimensions of the opening 21. Preferably the tether bead 15 is spherically shaped and has a diameter which is greater than the width dimension d¹ of the opening 21 and less than the length dimension d² of the opening 21. More specifically, the diameter of the tether bead of the preferred embodiment is approximately twice the width dimension d¹ of the opening 21 while the length dimension d² of the opening 21 is approximately one and one-half times greater than the diameter of the bead 15. Reference is made to Figures 9 and 10 illustrating a storage case for the mouthguard of the present invention. The storage case includes a top section 25 and a bottom section 27 which are joined together by a hinge 30. A pair of cooperating snap members 26 are provided for selectively closing and opening the case. An opening 28 is provided in the forward end of the case to permit the tab 12 to extend out of the case while the mouthpiece 11 is enclosed with the case. This permits the case to be used while the mouthguard is connected to the helmet or if it is removed. The case keeps the mouthguard clean and assists in keeping the mouthguard from being lost or misplaced. Having described the structure of the mouthguard assembly of the preferred embodiment, the use thereof will be generally described as follows. First, upon fitting the mouthpiece, the mouthpiece portion 11 is trimmed to fit the particular user's mouth and is formed to the user's teeth and gum configuration, etc. by following appropriate instructions known in the art. The tether 14 and tether 15 is first connected to the tab 12 by inserting the bead 15 or the opposite end of the tether 14 through the opening 21. The bead 15 can be inserted so that its final position is on top of the tab 12 as shown in Figure 4, or reversed. The mouthguard is then attached to the face guard of the helmet or directly to the helmet itself by looping the tether 14 around a portion of the face mask and inserting the mouthpiece portion 11 therethrough. If the mouthguard assembly is desired to be removed from the helmet or face mask, this process is reversed. If, during use, the helmet is removed from the user as a result of an impact or the like, the tether will break free of the mouthpiece portion, thus leaving the mouthpiece in the user's mouth and minimizing the chance of possible damage as a result of the mouthpiece being pulled out of the mouth as a result of the helmet being thrown or pulled from the user. Although the description of the preferred embodiment has been quite specific, it is contemplated that various modifications could be made without deviating from the spirit thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention be dictated by the appended claims rather than by the description of the preferred embodiment.

Claims: A protective, tethered mouthguard assembly (10) comprising a mouthpiece portion (11, 16, 18, 19) for insertion into a user's mouth and protective engagement with the user's teeth; a tether (14, 36, 41, 50, 56, 61) separate from the mouthpiece portion (11, 16, 18, 19) for remote attachment to prevent loss of the mouthpiece portion (11, 16, 18, 19) and swallowing and choking on the mouthpiece portion (11, 16, 18, 19); a tether attachment means (15, 39, 55, 59, 65) connected with the tether (14, 36, 41, 50, 56, 61) for attaching the tether (14, 36, 41, 50, 56, 61) to the mouthpiece portion; characterized in that a connecting tab (12) integral with the mouthpiece portion (11, 16, 18, 19) extends forwardly of the mouthpiece portion as to extend out of the user's mouth and has an attachment opening (21) which cooperates with the tether attachment means (15, 39, 55, 59, 65); and that the tether (14, 36, 41, 50, 56, 61) is constructed of a relatively limp, flexible material extensible at right angles from itself. The mouthguard assembly of claim 1, wherein the tether attachment means includes a tether bead (15, 39, 55, 59, 65). The mouthguard assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein the tether (14, 36, 41, 50, 56 and 61) includes a cord-like limp material (14) and is further characterized as having a closed loop having a pair of end portions (14) connected with the tether attachment means (15, 39, 55, 59 and 65). The mouthguard assembly of claim 2, wherein the tether attachment opening (21) is an elongated opening having a width less than the diametrical dimension of the tether bead (15, 39, 55, 59, 65) and a length greater than the diametrical dimension of the tether bead. The mouthguard assembly of any of the preceding claims, comprising a breakaway connection (69, 70) between the mouthpiece portion (11, 16, 18, 19) and the tether (14, 36, 41, 50, 56, 61) or along the tether (66, 68) between the mouthpiece and an end of the tether.

Inventors: KITTELSEN JON D, THOMAS TIMOTHY J, KITTELSEN, JON D., THOMAS, TIMOTHY J.
Applicants: KITTELSEN JON D, MINER JON S, KITTELSEN, JON D., MINER, JON S.
Application year: 1990
Main classification: A63B71
IPC codes: A63B71