Patent ID: 7363926

Claim:
An apparatus for treating at least one of sleep apnea and snoring in a human or animal, wherein the apparatus is adapted to be placed into an oropharyngeal region with lateral and posterior walls of the human or animal, the apparatus comprising: an appliance comprising two spaced apart elongated elements each having a length extending from a first rounded end to a second rounded end, wherein the first end and the second end of the elongated element do not interlock the at least two elements being integrally connected together at respective first and second ends, at least one of the elongated elements includes an outwardly extending region between the first and second ends substantially further spaced apart from the other of the elongated elements than any other region of the at least one of the elongated elements, the appliance being adapted to be placed in or radially outwardly from the lateral and posterior walls of an oropharyngeal region of a human or animal with the length of at least one of the elongated elements extending generally laterally across the posterior wall and, when so placed, being effective in treating at least one of sleep apnea and snoring, the appliance having a constrained configuration during delivery into an oropharyngeal region, and an unconstrained configuration when the appliance is adapted to an oropharyngeal region.