Oral muscle training
AssigneeSnoozeal Limited
InventorAnshul Sama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A trans mucosal neuromuscular electrical stimulation device (1) including a mouthpiece (3, 103) and electrodes (32a, 33a, 132a, 133a) associated with the mouthpiece (3, 103). The device (1) and/or mouthpiece (3, 103) incorporates electrical circuitry operatively connecting the electrodes (32a, 33a, 132a, 133a) to a power source and is configured to provide, in use, electrical stimulation to one or more palate and/or tongue muscles via the electrodes (32a, 33a, 132a, 133a) through the oral mucosa. The treatment regime, including the location of stimulation and the parameters used, is designed to increase resting muscle tone and/or muscle tone during sleep.
Claims20
A trans mucosal neuromuscular electrical stimulation device comprising a mouthpiece, at least one electrode associated with the mouthpiece and electrical circuitry operatively connected to the electrode, wherein the mouthpiece comprises a member configured to bear against, in use, the dorsal surface of a tongue to enable electrical stimulation to be provided from the electrode to tongue muscles via the dorsal surface of the tongue and through the oral mucosa to increase resting muscle tone or muscle tone during sleep.
A method of training one or more oral muscles by trans mucosal neuromuscular electrical stimulation, the method comprising applying electrical stimulation to tongue muscles via the dorsal surface of the tongue through the oral mucosa to increase resting muscle tone or muscle tone during sleep.
A method of training one or more oral muscles by trans mucosal neuromuscular electrical stimulation, the method comprising applying electrical stimulation to tongue muscles via the dorsal surface of the tongue through the oral mucosa by applying said electrical stimulation for a treatment time of 10-20 minutes, twice a day for six weeks.
A trans mucosal neuromuscular electrical stimulation device comprising a mouthpiece which is free of a mounting retainer for securing the mouthpiece to the teeth of a user and having a pair of arms, which arms are joined together at one end and diverge away from each other, a flange which extends from each arm, the mouthpiece being locatable within the mouth of a user such that each flange bears against a sublingual surface of the tongue, each flange comprising at least one electrode and electrical circuitry operatively connected to each electrode, to enable electrical stimulation to be provided from the electrode to tongue muscles via the sublingual surface of the tongue to increase resting muscle tone or muscle tone during sleep.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.