Patent ID: 8505539

Claim:
A magnetic force system comprising a first structure comprising at least one ferromagnetic component having a center of mass and being sized and configured to be placed in or on tissue in a tongue and/or soft palate and/or uvula and/or a region of hyoid muscle within an oral cavity, and a second structure comprising an array of magnetic components having a center of mass, the second structure being sized and configured for placement within the oral cavity and/or on a neck and/or a jaw and/or a chin outside the oral cavity in a desired relationship with the first structure to magnetically interact with the first structure and the first and second structures being separated during use by a distance, the distance being defined as a separation between the centers of mass of the ferromagnetic and magnetic components, the distance varying within a working range as a result of native movement of the tongue and/or soft palate and/or uvula and/or a region of hyoid muscle during swallowing and/or drinking and/or speech, the size and orientation of the first and second structures being selected so that variations in magnetic force of the magnetic interaction due to variations in the distance within the working range maintain the relationship that: ( F NEAR /F FAR )≦(δ FAR 2 /δ NEAR 2 ) where δ FAR is the distance between the centers of mass of the ferromagnetic and magnetic components when the first and second magnetic structures are separated farthest apart within the working range, δ NEAR is the distance between the centers of mass of the ferromagnetic and magnetic components when the first and second magnetic structures are separated closest together within the working range, F NEAR is the magnetic force of a magnetic force system where the distance is δ NEAR , and F FAR is the magnetic force of a magnetic force system where the distance is δ FAR .