Abstract:
The invention is a mouthpiece that is connected to a tube connected to a bladder or liquid reservoir. The mouthpiece is constructed to remain comfortably in a user&#39;s mouth during sporting events or other activities, allowing the user to easily and effectively hydrate without distraction, and allowing the user to have both hands available.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The field of the invention concerns a mouth protection piece that has the means to attach to a source of hydration. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     There are a variety of physical activities that require some form of protection of the mouth and teeth. These activities usually run a risk of damaging the mouth when it comes to collisions or accidents that would happen during said activities. 
     These forms of protection, i.e. mouthpieces or “mouth guards”, are normally very bulky means of providing maximum protection; users struggle to drink while the mouthpiece is inside the user&#39;s mouth. 
     The current standard mouthpieces/bite valves attached to tubes used for water bladders are not designed to continuously stay in the user&#39;s mouth. They slip out easily from the user&#39;s mouth, cause distractions, and users tend to cease using them while exercising, so they are forgotten, resulting in no hydration. 
     The invention discloses a mouthpiece that allows the user to attach a hose from a liquid reservoir, water pouch, bladder or a CamelBak® type of apparatus to the mouthpiece for easy water access. 
     The CamelBak and similar devices use a mouthpiece that includes a “bite valve” which opens while a user is biting on the end of the tube. This element of the CamelBak product helps keep the liquid from lowering back into the bladder between the user&#39;s sips. However this construction means that a user tends to release the CamelBak mouthpiece between sips, because the valve is not designed to remain in the user&#39;s mouth at all times. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention described here allows the user to safely place the mouthguard into the mouth, and easily and effectively hydrate for the remainder of a physical activity, reducing the effort necessary to keep the water accessible, and allowing the user to have both hands available and allow the user to focus his attention on other tasks. 
     The invention comprises a barbed tube intake and mouthpiece. The barbed tube intake accepts a tube that is attached to a water bladder. The mouthpiece is shaped to fit comfortably in a user&#39;s mouth with minimal effort on the part of the user for long periods of time. This invention makes it simpler for someone wearing a mouthguard to hydrate. For example, if there is a cyclist in a race and is wearing a water reservoir pack, this cyclist can easily hook the tube of the reservoir pack bladder to the invention and drink without removing the mouthpiece between sips, reducing distractions and increasing his performance. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     While the making and using of various embodiments of the present disclosure are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present disclosure provides many applicable inventive concepts, which can be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The disclosure is primarily described and illustrated hereinafter in conjunction with various embodiments of the presently-described systems and methods. The specific embodiments discussed herein are, however, merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the disclosure and do not limit the scope of the disclosure. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  Orthogonal view of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  Top view of the invention as embodied in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  Rear view of the invention as embodied in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  Side view of one embodiment of the Intake. 
         FIG. 5  is an orthogonal rear view of one embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 6  is an orthogonal view of a second embodiment of the Intake. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     This hydration mouthpiece allows users to drink fluids through a hose attached to a fluid source without removing the mouthpiece between sips, as it is designed to remain in a user&#39;s mouth for long periods of time. 
     As seen in the figures, the invention comprises an Intake  13  and a Mouthpiece  15 . 
     The Intake  13  comprises a Tube Connector  31  and a Flat Tube  17  which extends through the Mouthpiece to convey fluid into a user&#39;s mouth. The current embodiment comprises a Barbed Tube Connector  31  which creates a friction attachment to the typical elastomeric or silicon tube which sports bladders employ. 
     As shown by  FIG. 2 , the Intake  13  fits in a Cavity  23  shaped for it inside the Mouthpiece  15 . The Mouthpiece  15  is shaped to fit comfortably in a user&#39;s mouth with minimal effort on the part of the user for long periods of time. 
     As seen in the figures, the Intake  13  serves as a path to convey fluid from the bladder tube to the user, connecting to the bladder tube by the Barbed Tube Connector  31 , through the Intake Tube  17 , and then through the Internal Mouthpiece Opening  33 , inside a user&#39;s mouth while it is mounted inside the Mouthpiece  15 . 
     The Intake  13  can also be affixed to a bladder tube in other ways than the barbed construction shown in  FIGS. 1-5 , though this approach is the best embodiment for those already using a conventional liquid bladder in sporting applications. However, in more rigorous applications, the Intake could include a threaded connection to the bladder tube, as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     Also shown in  FIG. 6  is an alternate construction for the Intake  13  that includes a Latch  19  on the end of the Intake that fits into the Mouthpiece  15 .  FIG. 2  includes an outline of the (non-latch) Regular Cavity  21  that matches the Intake  13  of  FIGS. 4 and 5 , along with the optional second outlined Latching Cavity  25  which matches the Intake  13  shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     Though the construction of the Latch  19  is rectangular in the figures, the invention is not limited to that shape. The point of the Latch  19  is to keep the Intake  13  from slipping out of the front of the Mouthpiece  19  by providing an anchor in the Mouthpiece  15 . 
     The Mouthpiece  15  can be constructed in several ways. In one embodiment, the use of the Latch  19  at the end of the Intake  13  requires that the material used to create the Mouthpiece  15  be flexible enough that the Mouthpiece  15  can stretch to allow the insertion of the Intake  13 , which in the current embodiment is constructed of much harder plastic, into the cavity of the Mouthpiece  15 . 
     In a second embodiment plastic injection process is used in which the Intake  13  is molded and then set in a second mold which uses softer plastic to create the Mouthpiece  15 . The approach effectively creates a one-piece product that is very rugged and not easily disassembled. 
     In the current embodiment, the invention is assembled by inserting the Intake  13  into the Internal Mouthpiece Opening of the Mouthpiece  15 . But as previously mentioned, the invention is not limited to this type of construction and assembly. 
     Though the Intake  13  and the Mouthpiece  15  are described here as two different elements, a manufacturer could make a single part that includes both elements as one single formed part. The inventors of this product believe that there are benefits to a two-part construction, as a user will be more comfortable if the Mouthpiece Body has a lower durometer (more elastic) and allows a user&#39;s teeth to clasp the mouthpiece naturally either with or without a custom, “boil and bite” fit. 
     The Intake  13 , however, must be hard enough to hold the bladder tube in place without danger of it slipping off. Because the two parts are designed for different tasks, the current embodiment uses two different types of materials and constructed separately but can be molded together by overmolding through thermoplastic injection as discussed supra. 
     In spite of the above, a manufacturer could form the device as one piece to save construction steps and reduce costs. 
     Because the Mouthpiece  15  remains in the user&#39;s mouth, the need for a bite valve is reduced, because the connection between the user and the tube is maintained naturally. When the user&#39;s mouth is closed, liquid inside the bladder tube cannot easily be replaced by air, since the user&#39;s mouth will tend to remain closed. However, the Intake  13  can be constructed of softer durometer material, so the natural force of a user&#39;s mouth closes the fluid path unless the user is actively intending to suck fluid out of the bladder. 
     The invention as described and shown is constructed of two components, the Mouthpiece  15  and the Intake  13 . However, the invention can be created and constructed with one piece. In such a construction,  FIGS. 1, 2, and 3  remain correct, except that no cavity for the Intake  13  is required, because the Intake  13  is simply part of the Mouthpiece  15 . 
     Though  FIG. 1  shows the invention to have an engagement with the upper teeth, the invention could engage the upper and lower teeth, similar to a boxing mouth guard. 
     Additionally, the invention could be comprised of multiple components, with the Mouthpiece  15  constructed of a lower half and an upper half, with the Intake  13  an inherent part of one of the halves, or even a three-part construction with the Intake  13  separate, and the upper and lower halves of the Mouthpiece  15  snapping together to hold the Intake  13  in place, and all three components replaceable. 
     Though the figures reflect a straight connection between the Tube Connector  31  and Intake  13 , the elements are not required to be in the same horizontal plane. These two elements can connect at any angle. 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 Legend: 
               
               
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 13-Intake 
               
               
                   
                 15-Mouthpiece Body 
               
               
                   
                 17-Intake Tube 
               
               
                   
                 19-Latch 
               
               
                   
                 23-Cavity 
               
               
                   
                 25-Latching Cavity (alternate) 
               
               
                   
                 31-Barbed Tube Connector 
               
               
                   
                 33-Internal Mouthpiece Opening 
               
               
                   
                 35-Threaded Tube Connector