Patent Publication Number: US-2004043349-A1

Title: Illuminated mouthpiece

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001] 1. Field of the Invention  
       [0002] The present invention relates to electrically illuminated devices that are supported in or by a person&#39;s mouth.  
       [0003] 2. PRIOR ART STATEMENT  
       [0004] The prior art record is replete with different types of objects that are designed to be supported in or by a person&#39;s mouth. For example, many musical instruments, such as bagpipes, have mouthpieces that are supported in the mouth. Infants often suck on pacifiers that are held in the infant&#39;s mouth. Football players wear mouth guards in their mouths that help protect their teeth from injury.  
       [0005] In the field of illumination, there are also many items that are supported in or by a person&#39;s mouth. Some illuminated items have functional uses, many others simply add illumination to an object for the purposes of aesthetics or novelty. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,063,483 to Feilmeier, entitled Battery Powered Light With Mouthpiece, a flashlight is shown having a base that can be held in the mouth. In this manner, a person can comfortably hold a flashlight in their mouths to illuminate an object while still having both their hands free.  
       [0006] U.S. Pat. No. 6,299,441 to Novak, entitled Chemiluminescent Mouthpiece discloses a mouthpiece that is illuminated with chemical light. The light generated by the light stick exists solely for aesthetics and adds novelty to the appearance of the mouthpiece.  
       [0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,924 to Jekel, entitled Luminescent Pacifier, discloses an infant&#39;s pacifier that is illuminated for both functional reasons and aesthetic reasons. The pacifier has a handle that is coated with a photo luminescent material. The photo luminescent material adds to the visual appeal of the pacifier and also makes the pacifier easier to locate in low light conditions.  
       [0008] In all of the illuminated prior art devices that are held in the mouth, the mouth does nothing but support the illuminated object. No parts of the mouth, i.e. lips, teeth or tongue, are used in any manner to control the illumination mechanism.  
       [0009] The present invention is a device that is held in the mouth and has internal illumination, however, the internal illumination can be selectively controlled by the lips, teeth or tongue. Consequently, a person can selectively illuminate the mouth-held device without having to remove the mouth-held device or otherwise engage the device with one&#39;s hands. The structure and method of operation for the present invention are described and claimed below.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010] The present invention is an illuminated device, such as a mouth guard, pacifier or a set of false teeth, that is either held within or by a user&#39;s mouth. The device includes at least one light source, a battery for providing power to the light source and an on/off switch for selectively activating the light source. The device may also include a lighting sequence controller for selectively flashing the light source or lighting different light sources in a predetermined sequence. The on/off switch may be positioned within the mouth. Accordingly, the lighting of the light sources can be selectively controlled by the movement of some part of the mouth, such as the lips, teeth or tongue. 
     
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
     [0011] For a better understanding of the present invention, reference is made to the following description of exemplary embodiments thereof, considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
     [0012]FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustrating the electronic components of the present invention device;  
     [0013]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a person&#39;s face holding an embodiment of the present invention device in their mouth;  
     [0014]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mouthpiece device in accordance with the present invention;  
     [0015]FIG. 4 is a selectively cross-sectioned view of the exemplary embodiment of a mouthpiece shown in FIG. 3;  
     [0016]FIG. 5 is perspective view of a novelty set of false teeth in accordance with the present invention; and  
     [0017]FIG. 6 is a top view of a pacifier device in accordance with the present invention. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     [0018] The present invention is an illuminated device that is held within or by the mouth. The present invention device can be embodied in several different forms. A plurality of exemplary embodiments of the present invention are presented below. The illustrated embodiments represent the best modes contemplated for the invention. However, it should be understood that illustrated embodiments are merely exemplary and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the claims.  
     [0019] Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic of the electronic components of the present invention device  10  are shown. The components in the schematic of FIG. 1 are shared by all of the embodiments of the invention described in this specification. How the various components are configured and where these components are located that differentiates the embodiments.  
     [0020] As can be seen, the present invention device  10  contains at least one light emitting diode (LED) and preferably a plurality of LEDs  12 . The LEDs  12  are controlled by a lighting sequence controller  14 . The lighting sequence controller  14  flashes the LEDs  12  present either in unison or in a predetermined sequence. The LEDs  12  are powered by a battery  16 . However, the power from the battery  16  to the LEDs  12  is selectively controlled by an on/off switch  18 .  
     [0021] Referring to FIG. 2, the present invention is embodied as a mouthpiece  20  that is held within the mouth by the teeth. Mouthpieces that are held in the mouth in this manner are often used as standard equipment in contact sports, such as football, boxing, hockey and the like. What makes the present invention mouthpiece  20  different from other mouthpieces  20  is that within the mouthpiece are contained all the electronic components of the schematic of FIG. 1. As such, the mouthpiece contains LEDs, a lighting sequence controller, a battery and an on/off switch, the location of which will be later described with reference to FIG. 3.  
     [0022] The body of the mouthpiece  20  is molded from a translucent polymer. As such, the material of the mouthpiece  20  surrounding the LEDs is translucent. This enables light from the LEDs to be viewed through the body of the mouthpiece  20 . Accordingly, when a person wearing the mouthpiece  20  smiles, or otherwise parts his/her lips, an illuminated mouthpiece  20  will be seen by anyone who may be observing.  
     [0023] Since the present invention mouthpiece  20  contains a light sequencing controller that controls the operation of the LEDs, each LED can be caused to periodically flash. If multiple LEDs are present, the LEDs can be sequentially flashed in predesigned patterns. Thus, the illuminated mouthpiece  20  can appear to flash or contain moving lights.  
     [0024] Referring now to FIG. 3, the general structure of a mouthpiece  20  is shown in accordance with the present invention. The mouthpiece  20  has a body  22  that is molded from a soft translucent or transparent material. There are many body shapes for mouthpieces. Most any existing mouthpiece shape can be adapted for use within the present invention.  
     [0025] In the illustrated mouthpiece body  22 , there is a central section  24  and two bite plates  26  that extend from the central section  24 . When the mouthpiece  20  is placed in the mouth, the bite plates  26  are engaged between the upper and lower teeth, thus holding the mouthpiece  20  firmly within the mouth. When in the mouth, the front of the central section  24  is the part of the mouthpiece  20  that protrudes furthermost in the mouth. Within the front part of the central section  24  are located the light emitting diodes (LEDs)  12 . The LEDs  12  can emit any selected color of light. However, LEDs most commonly emit white, red, green or blue light, depending upon the type of LED  12  selected.  
     [0026] The activation of the LEDs  12  is controlled by the on/off switch  18 . The on/off switch  18  is encapsulated within the structure of one of the bite plates  26  of the mouthpiece body  22 . Accordingly, by selectively biting on the area of the bite plate  26  containing the on/off switch  18 , the on/off switch  18  can be selectively controlled between its “on” condition and its “off” condition. Since the on/off switch  18  is controlled by the pressure applied by a person&#39;s teeth, once the mouthpiece  20  is placed in the mouth, it can be selectively turned on and off without having to be removed from the mouth. A person can therefore selectively turn the LEDs  12  in the mouthpiece  20  on and off without having to touch the mouthpiece  20  with his/her hands.  
     [0027] Although a single light source can be used in the mouthpiece  20 , preferably more than one light source is used. If more than one light source is used, the light sources can be selectively illuminated in a predetermined sequence. In the shown embodiment, there are four LEDs  12 . Once activated, the LEDs  12  can be selectively flashed, either in unison or in sequence. Referring to FIG. 4 in conjunction with FIG. 4, it can be seen that the LEDs  12  are attached to a small circuit board  30 . Circuitry for a lighting sequence controller  14  is also contained on the circuit board  30 . It is the lighting sequence controller  14  that controls the lighting of the various LEDs  12 , once the device is activated. As previously stated, the lighting sequence controller  14  can be a simple flashing circuit or a sequential flashing circuit, thereby lighting the LEDs  12  either in unison or in a predetermined sequence, respectively.  
     [0028] Referring now solely to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the battery  16  that powers the LEDs  12  is positioned directly below the circuit board  30  The entire electronic assembly of the LEDs  12 , circuit board  30  and battery  16  is encapsulated within a chamber  32  in the central section of the mouthpiece  20 . The interior of the chamber  32  is environmentally isolated. Consequently, no moisture from a person&#39;s mouth can enter the chamber  32  and effect the operation of the electronic components. Furthermore, by sealing the electronic components within the chamber  32 , the electronic components cannot be removed from the chamber  32  and become either a poisoning hazard or a choking hazard.  
     [0029] Since the battery  16  that powers the LEDs  12  is sealed within the chamber  32  in the central section  24  of the mouthpiece  20 , the battery  16  cannot be replaced. However, standard commercial batteries can power the LEDs  12  for many hours. Therefore, the ability to selectively activate the LEDs  12  with the mouth-operated on/off switch becomes important in prolonging the battery life, and thus the functional life, of the device.  
     [0030] In the embodiment of the mouthpiece  20  just described, the entire body  22  of the mouthpiece  20  is contained within the mouth. Thus, the mouthpiece  20  is only visible to another person when the person wearing the mouthpiece  20  smiles or otherwise parts his/her lips.  
     [0031] Referring now to FIG. 5, an alternate embodiment of the present invention device  50  is shown, where the device  50  has a mouthpiece section  52  that passes into the mouth behind the teeth of the user an external section  54  is supported in front of the teeth of the user. In the shown embodiment, the external section  54  is a false set of teeth. Thus, the device  50  is purely a novelty device rather than a functional sports mouthpiece.  
     [0032] The LEDs  12  of the device  50  are used to illuminate the external section  54  of the novelty device  50 . In the shown embodiment, the external section  54  is formed with fake teeth  55 . The teeth  55  can be made of translucent material. The LEDs  12  can be positioned behind the fake teeth  55  in the external section  54 . As such, when the LEDs  12  light, the tooth in front of that LED  12  becomes illuminated. Accordingly, if the LEDs  12  are lit in a sequence, the teeth  55  on the external section  54  will flash in that same sequence, thereby producing a very novel appearance.  
     [0033] An on/off switch that controls the activation of the LEDs  12  can be located on the external section  54  of the device  50 . If the on/off switch were placed on the external section  54 , a person can selectively activate and deactivate the device  50  by pressing the on/off switch with their fingers. However, the novelty of the device  50  is improved by placing the on/off switch  18  in the mouthpiece section  52  of the device  50  so that the LEDs  12  can be selectively activated using pressure from the teeth, or another part of the mouth such as the lips or tongue. In the shown embodiment, the on/off switch  18  is located in one of the side flanges of the device. As such, the on/off switch  18  can be activated with a person&#39;s teeth. By using a novelty device  50  configured in such a manner, a person can first surprise another person by the presence of the device  50  in his/her mouth. That other person can then be surprised a second time by illuminating the device  50  with a minor movement of the teeth, lips or tongue.  
     [0034] Referring to FIG. 6, the present invention device is shown embodied as a pacifier  60 . The pacifier  60  has a nipple section  62  that is received within the mouth. An external section  64  extends from the nipple section  62  that does not enter into the mouth. In the shown embodiment, the external section  64  is comprised of a safety plate  66  and a ring handle  68 . In applying the technology of the present invention to the structure of the pacifier  60 , LEDs  12  are placed in the ring handle  68 . The battery and control circuitry are contained within the safety plate  66 . Lastly, the on/off switch  18  is positioned within the structure of the nipple section  62 . As such, when a child sucks on the nipple section  62  or otherwise squeezes the nipple section  62 , the on/off switch  18  will be engaged and the LEDs  12  will light. Again the LEDs  12  can flash in unison or in some predetermined sequence.  
     [0035] Since the pacifier  60  contains an external section  64  that does not enter the mouth, the battery and circuit board of the pacifier  60  can be located in the external section  64 . The battery can therefore be made removable since it is not at risk of getting wet or of becoming a choking hazard  
     [0036] It will be understood that the system and method of the present invention described and illustrated are merely exemplary and a person skilled in the art can make many variations to the shown embodiment. For example, there are many types of mouthpieces, false teeth sets and pacifiers that exist. Any known design can be adapted for use as part of the present invention system. The arrangement of LEDs in the various embodiments can also be arranged in different patterns other than has been shown. All such alternate embodiments and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as defined below in the claims.