Surgery – Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants – Head or face protector
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-11-20
Brown, Michael A. (Department: 3764)
Surgery
Body protecting or restraining devices for patients or infants
Head or face protector
C128S861000, C128S207140
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318371
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a mouth guard for medical use which forms a through opening to receive therein an instrument, and forms radially protruding flanges at each end for positioning the mouth guard in the mouth.
Preferably, the mouth guard is a disposable product.
Such mouth guards are used together with a diagnostic instrument, such as an endoscope, in order to protect the instrument against damage. The mouth guard is located between the teeth. One flange is positioned in front of the teeth or the palate in case the patient has false teeth and these have been removed, in order to restrict displacement of the mouth guard backwards, while the other flange is positioned behind the teeth or the palate, respectively, and restricts displacement forwards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Most mouth guards available today are shaped as a closed oval or circle. US-A-4,640,273 discloses a mouth guard of this type which comprises a relatively hard plastic core with a relatively soft plastic coat to cushion the patient's bite so that the mouth guard is less uncomfortable in use and lessons the likelihood of injury to the patient, delicate parts of the instrument still being protected. A mouth guard of closed configuration cannot be applied when the instrument is already located in the mouth. It is necessary to position the mouth guard in the mouth before the instrument is introduced into the mouth and passed into the esophagus or the stomach.
FR-A-2,711,320 describes a ring-shaped mouth guard of resilient material which forms a normally closed slot in order that the instrument can be introduced into the mouth guard laterally by the ring being opened at the slot under yielding of the elastic material.
A primary object of the invention is to facilitate positioning of the mouth guard in the mouth when the instrument is already positioned in the esophagus or the stomach.
Another object is to provide the necessary protection of the patient and the instrument without the necessity to make the mouth guard of a composite material.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve said objects the invention provides a mouth guard of the kind referred to, comprising a U-shaped portion forming a through opening to receive an instrument therein, said opening being shaped as a keyhole having a wider portion and a narrower portion open at one side of the mouth guard; and radially protruding flanges at each end of the annular portion for positioning the mouth guard in the mouth said U-shaped portion and said flanges being made in their entirety of nonrigid plastic material to allow the instrument to be introduced laterally into the keyhole through the narrower portion under resilient yielding of the U-shaped portion and then to be received in the wider portion.
The mouth guard can be mounted on the instrument by pressing the mouth guard at the open narrower portion of the keyhole against the instrument so that the instrument can be passed through said narrower portion under elastic yielding of the limbs formed by the U-shaped portion and then to be received by the wider portion wherein the instrument is then maintained. Thus, it is not necessary to open a passage for the instrument before it can be received by the wider portion.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4640273 (1987-02-01), Greene et al.
patent: 4944313 (1990-07-01), Katz et al.
patent: 5203324 (1993-04-01), Kinkade
patent: 5533523 (1996-07-01), Bass
patent: 5590643 (1997-01-01), Flam
patent: 2 711 320 (1995-04-01), None
Brown Michael A.
Inoris Medical AB
Merchant & Gould P.C.
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