JAW MUSCLE EXERCISER

Abstract: A muscle exerciser for exercising facial muscles, comprises jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) movable between a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration, and adapted to be placed between the upper and lower jaws of a user so that closure of the jaws causes movement of the jaw engaging means from its expanded configuration to its compressed configuration, and biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32) for biasing the jaw engaging means towards said expanded configuration, wherein in use the facial muscles are exercised by repeatedly closing the jaws against the action of the biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32).

Description: JAW MUSCLE EXERCISER The present invention relates to a muscle exerciser. There are a number of measures which can be employed to prevent the wrinkling of skin which tends to occur with age. One such method is body building, which increases the sizes of body muscles so that the skin covering the muscles is stretched more tightly and consequently gives a less wrinkled appearance. Wrinkles on facial skin are, however, conventionally treated by applying various creams, lotions and electrical impulses to the face, but such treatments are expensive, and electrical impulse treatment should only be performed by qualified therapists. The present invention has arisen from attempts to overcome some of the above disadvantages. According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a muscle exerciser for exercising facial muscles, comprising jaw engaging means movable between a compressed configuration and an expanded configura ion, and adapted to be placed between the upper and lower jaws of a user so that closure of the jaws causes movement of the jaw engaging means from its expanded configuration to its compressed configuration, and biasing means for biasing the jaw engaging means towards said expanded configuration, wherein in use the facial muscles are exercised by repeatedly closing the jaws against the action of the biasing means. In a simple embodiment of the invention, the jaw engaging means and the biasing means are both simply formed by a piece of resilient material, such as rubber. The resilient material may be coated with a suitable material, such as a plastics material, to ensure that it does not have an unpleasant taste, and/or to ensure that it can safely and hygienically be placed in the mouth. Conveniently, the piece of resilient material is generally spherical. A spherical piece of resilient material has been found to be effective in developing facial muscles when gripped between the front teeth of the user. Alternatively, the piece of resilient material may be of curved elongate shape, and adapted to extend in use generally along at least some of the teeth of the user. The curved elongate piece of resilient material could be long enough to enable it to be gripped between all or most of the upper and lower teeth. As an alternative to a piece of resilient material, the jaw engaging means may comprise two separate jaw engaging parts, movable relative to one another so as to enable the jaw engaging means to move between said compressed and said expanded configurations. In this case, the biasing means preferably comprises one or more springs, although other forms of biasing are of course possible. Conveniently, the biasing means is adjustable so as to enable the user to render the jaw engaging means easier or more difficult to compress. This feature enables the user to gradually build up the strength of his or her facial muscles by gradually increasing the strength of the biasing means. The two jaw engaging parts may be pivotally connected together. The two jaw engaging parts may be pivotally connected together about an axis which extends in the direction from the left to the right of the user, that is, about an axis which lies generally parallel to the axis about which the lower jaw of the user is itself pivotally movable. However, in an alternative embodiment of the invention, the two jaw engaging parts are pivotally connected together about an axis which extends in the direction from the front to the back of the user. As an alternative, or in addition, to being pivotally connected together, the two jaw engaging parts may be slidably connected together. Preferably, each jaw engaging part is curved in such a way as to extend in use generally along at least some of the teeth of the user. The jaw engaging parts may be generally flatly shaped, and may be adapted to lie flatly against each other when the jaw engaging means is in said contracted configuration. This has the advantage of enabling the upper and lower jaws of the user to be brought particularly closely together when the jaw engaging means is in said compressed configuration. In any of the above embodiments of the invention, the muscle exerciser may further comprise a handle which is attached to the jaw engaging means so as to allow the user in use to hold the jaw engaging means in position between the upper and lower jaws. The handle may be cranked at its upper end so that the part of the handle which is held by the user extends generally downwards during use of the muscle exerciser. The jaw engaging means may comprise two separate biting parts adapted to be gripped between the left and right sides of the jaws respectively. Conveniently, the separation between the two biting parts is adjustable so as to allow use with different sized jaws. Preferably, if the muscle exerciser comprises a handle, the biting parts are removable from the handle so as to allow the biting parts to be replaced when necessary. According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of exercising facial muscles using a muscle exerciser according to the first aspect of the invention, the method comprising the steps of placing the jaw engaging means of the muscle exerciser between the upper and lower jaws, and repeatedly closing the jaws against the action of the biasing means. The invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figures 1 and 2 show two embodiments of a muscle exerciser in which the jaw engaging means comprises a piece of rubber; and Figures 3-5 show three embodiments of a muscle exerciser in which the jaw engaging means comprises two jaw engaging parts; and Figure 6 shows an embodiment having two pivotable and removable biting parts. The muscle exerciser 1 of Figure 1 comprises a spherical rubber ball 2 connected to a handle 4 which comprises a gripping part 6 and an angled part 8. The angled part 8 may be attached to the rubber ball 2 in any convenient manner, and may project into the rubber ball 2. The rubber ball 2 is coated with a suitable plastics material in order to render it tasteless and ensure that it can safely be placed into the mouth. In use, the rubber ball 2 is placed between the upper and lower front teeth of the user, and held in position by means of the handle 4. The user then proceeds to bite the rubber ball 2 repeatedly in order to exercise and develop his or her. facial muscles. It has been found that, if this exercise is carried out regularly over a period of time, the facial muscles can develop in a manner which is pleasing to the eye. Not only can the appearance of wrinkles be removed from the skin covering the facial muscles, but the shape of the face and neck can also be recontoured. The muscle exerciser could also be used to build up facial muscles which have suffered as a result of injury or illness, such as a stroke for example. The angled portion 8 of the handle 4 ensures that, during use of the muscle exerciser, the gripping part 6 of the handle 4 points downwardly so that it can be conveniently held by the user. Figure 2 shows a muscle exerciser which is identical to that of Figure 1 except that it comprises a curved, elongate piece of rubber 10 in place of the rubber ball 2. The muscle exerciser is used in the same way as that of Figure 1, except that the curved piece of rubber 10 is gripped between a larger number of the front teeth of the user. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the rubber ball 2 of Figure 1 is replaced by two jaw engaging parts 12 and 14. The upper jaw engaging part 12 is integrally formed with the angled portion 8 of the handle 4, and the lower jaw engaging 14 is pivotally connected to the angled portion 8. Both the upper and lower jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 are of flat, half-ring shape, and are curved in such a way as to extend in use along the front teeth of the user. The two jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 are movable between a compressed configuration in which they lie flatly against one another, and an expanded configuration in which they are separated, as shown in Figure 3. A spring (not shown) is provided for biasing the jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 towards the expanded configuration. In operation of the embodiment shown in Figure 3, the jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 are placed between the upper and lower jaws of the user so that the upper front teeth of the user rest against the upper jaw engaging part 12, and the lower front teeth of the user rest against the lower jaw engaging part 14. The user then proceeds to repeatedly bite the jaw engaging parts 12 and 14, so as to move the parts towards their compressed configuration against the action of the spring. Figure 4 shows an embodiment having upper and lower jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 which are similar to those of Figure 3, except that they are slidably connected to the angled portion 8 of the handle 4. The jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 may be pivotally connected to the angled part 8 of the handle 4 in addition to being slidably connected thereto. Three springs 16 are provided between the two jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 in order to bias the two jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 away from one another. The two jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 are movable between an expanded configuration, shown in Figure 4, and a compressed configuration in which the upper and lower jaw engaging parts 12 and 14 lie closer together. The embodiment of Figure 4 is used in the same manner as the embodiment of Figure 3. Figure 5 shows an embodiment having two jaw engaging parts 18 and 20 which intersect one another and are pivotally connected together about an axis which is directed from the front to the back of the user during use of the muscle exerciser. The two jaw engaging parts 18 and 20 are also of flat, half-ring shape, and are movable between an expanded configuration, shown in Figure 5, and a compressed configuration in which the two jaw engaging parts 18 and 20 lie substantially flatly against one another. A spring (not shown) is provided for biasing the two jaw engaging parts 18 and 20 towards their expanded configuration. In operation, the jaw engaging parts 18 and 20 are placed between the upper and lower jaws of the user so that the upper left front teeth and lower right front teeth of the user rest against the jaw engaging part 18, and the upper right front teeth and lower left front teeth rest against the jaw engaging part 20. The user then repeatedly pushes the jaw engaging parts 18 and 20 towards their compressed configuration against the action of the spring. This embodiment of the invention is particularly useful for users who do not wish to apply forces to their frontmost teeth. The embodiments of Figures 3-5 are suitable for use with springs, or other biasing means, of adjustable strength. Suitable materials for the handle 4 and jaw engaging parts 12, 14, 18 and 20 include wood, metal and plastics materials. Figure 6 shows an embodiment of the invention having two separate biting parts 22 and 24. The biting parts 22 and 24 are designed to be gripped between the rear teeth of the user, one of the biting parts being gripped between the right rear teeth and the other biting part being gripped between the left rear teeth of the user. The two biting parts 22, 24 are supported at the ends of two arms 26, which are themselves integrally connected to one end of a handle 28. The handle 28 and arms 26 are made of a hard resilient nylon material. A cylindrical head portion 30 is integrally formed at the end of each arm 26 to enable connection to a respective biting part. Each biting part 22, 24 comprises a chewing member 32 and a connecting member 34 for connecting the chewing member 32 to one of the head portions 30. Each connecting member 34 comprises a generally annular portion 36 which is moulded within one of the chewing members 32, and a recess-defining portion 38 adapted to receive one of the head portions 30. The connecting members 34 are formed from the same resilient nylon material as the handle 28, so as to allow the head portion 30 to be connected to the recess-defining portion 38 by means of a snap fit. This has the advantage of allowing the biting parts 24 to be replaced when they become worn. In Figure 6, the biting part 24 is shown removed from the handle 28. Furthermore, once the biting parts 22, 24 are connected to the head portions 30, they are free to pivot within the general plane of the handle 28 and arms 26, so as to accommodate different sized jaws. The chewing members 32 are formed from a highly resilient medical grade PVC material, which allows them to be safely chewed as hard as necessary.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A muscle exerciser (1) for exercising facial muscles, comprising jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) movable between a compressed configuration and an expanded configuration, and adapted to be placed between the upper and lower jaws of a user so that closure of the jaws causes movement of the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) from its expanded configuration to its compressed configuration, and biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32) for biasing the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) towards said expanded configuration, wherein in use the facial muscles are exercised by repeatedly closing the jaws against the action of the biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32). 2. A muscle exerciser as claimed in claim 1, wherein the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) and the biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32) are both formed by a piece of resilient material (2, 10, 32) . 3. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the jaw engaging means (12, 14, 18, 20) comprises two separate jaw engaging parts (12, 14.; 18, 20) , movable relative to one another so as to enable the jaw engaging means (12, 14, 18, 20) to move between said compressed and said expanded configurations. 4. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the biasing means (16) is adjustable so as to enable the user to render the jaw engaging means (12, 14, 18, 20) easier or more difficult to compress. 5. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, wherein the two jaw engaging parts (12, 14; 18, 20) are pivotally connected together. 6. A muscle exerciser as claimed in any preceding claim, which further comprises a handle (4) which is attached to the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) so as to allow the user in use to hold the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) in position between the upper and lower jaws. 7. A muscle exerciser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the jaw engaging means comprises two separate biting parts (22, 24) adapted to be gripped between the left and right sides of the jaws respectively. 8. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 7, wherein the separation between the two biting parts (22, 24) is adjustable so as to allow use with different sized jaws. 9. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 7 or 8 when dependent on Claim 6, wherein the biting parts (22, 24) are removable from the handle (4) so as to allow the biting parts (22, 24) to be replaced when necessary. 10. A method of exercising facial muscles using a muscle exerciser as claimed in any preceding claim, the method comprising the steps of placing the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) of the muscle exerciser between the upper and lower jaws, and repeatedly closing the jaws against the action of the biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32) . AMENDED CLAIMS [received by the International Bureau on 2 August 1993 (02.08.93 ) ; original claims 1 and 2 amended; claims 7-10 amended renumbered as claims 7-9 other claims unchanged (3 pages)] 1. A muscle exerciser (1) for exercising facial muscles, comprising jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) movable between a compressed configuration 5 and an expanded configuration, and adapted to be placed between the upper and lower jaws of a user so that closure of the jaws causes movement of the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) from its expanded configuration to its compressed configuration, and 0 biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32) for biasing the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) towards said expanded configuration, the jaw engaging means comprising two separate biting parts (22, 24) adapted to be gripped between the left and right sides of the jaws 5 respectively, wherein in use the facial muscles are exercised by repeatedly closing the jaws against the action of the biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32). 2. A muscle exerciser as claimed in claim 1, 20 wherein each biting part (22, 24) is formed by a piec of resilient material (2, 10, 32). 3. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, wherein the jaw engaging means (12, 14, 18, 20) 25 comprises two separate jaw engaging parts (12, 14; 18, 20) , movable relative to one another so as to enabl the jaw engaging means (12, 14, 18, 20) to move betwee said compressed and said expanded configurations. 4. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 3, wherein the biasing means (16) is adjustable so as to enable the user to render the jaw engaging means (12, 14, 18, 20) easier or more difficult to compress. 5. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 3 or 4, wherein the two jaw engaging parts (12, 14; 18, 20) are pivotally connected together. 6. A muscle exerciser as claimed in any preceding claim, which further comprises a handle (4) which is attached to the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) so as to allow the user in use to hold the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) in position between the upper and lower jaws. 7. A muscle exerciser as claimed in Claim 6, wherein the biting parts (22, 24) are removable from the handle (4) so as to allow the biting parts (22, 24) to be replaced when necessary. 8. A muscle exerciser as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the separation between the two biting parts (22, 24) is adjustable so as to allow use with different sized jaws. 9. A method of exercising facial muscles using a muscle exerciser as claimed in any preceding claim, the method comprising the steps of placing the jaw engaging means (2, 10, 12, 14, 18, 20, 32) of the muscle exerciser between the upper and lower jaws, and repeatedly closing the jaws against the action of the biasing means (2, 10, 16, 32) . STATEMENT UNDER ARTICLE 19fl) Claim 1 now requires the muscle exerciser to have two separate biting parts adapted to be gripped between the left and ricrht sides of the jaws respectively. The only cited document showing two separate parts associated with the left and right sides of the jaws respectively is US 4,700,695. However, the apparatus of US 4,700,695 is not a muscle exerciser, and the plates 22, 24, 28 and 39 are not biting parts.

Inventors: FRASER ROSA ANNA, FRASER, ROSA, ANNA
Applicants: FRASER ROSA ANNA, FRASER, ROSA, ANNA
Application year: 1993
Main classification: A63B23
IPC codes: A63B21, A63B23