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US 6,089,864 AGranted
Bio-feedback, data acquisition teeth guards, methods of their manufacture and use
AssigneeWilliam L. Hintermister
InventorsRandall R. Buckner, John D. Dees, William L. Hintermister
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A diagnostic and therapeutic apparatus for use in the evaluation, detection, and treatment of humans that suffer from chronic grinding of the teeth known as "bruxing." The apparatus includes a pressure sensor contained in a mouth piece and electronic for detecting activation of the sensor due to bruxing and for generating an human cognizable output in response to bruxing. The apparatus can also include electronics for storing and analyzing human bruxing activities.
Claims27
An apparatus to sense teeth grinding comprising:
- a. a mouth piece suitable to detachably engage teeth and a pallette of an upper jaw including:
- i. a socket designed to cover at least one tooth of the upper jaw;
- ii. a pressure sensor associated with the sockets, where the sensor produces a sensor signal when an activating pressure greater than a sensor threshold pressure is applied thereto;
- iii. a transmitter unit in electrical communication with the sensor designed to generate an action signal when a sensor signal having an amplitude greater than a sensor signal threshold amplitude is detected;
- and
- b. a receiver unit designed to receive the action signal and generate an human cognizable output.
3 more elements
An apparatus for protecting teeth comprising:
- a. a member suitable to detachably engage teeth and a pallette of an upper jaw including:
- i. a socket designed to receive the teeth of the upper jaw;
- and
- ii. a pressure sensor associated with a plurality of molar sockets, where each senor produces a sensor signal when an activating pressure greater than its sensor threshold pressure is applied thereto.
1 more element
A method comprising the steps of:
- a. placing a mouth piece apparatus designed to detachably engage teeth and a pallette of an upper jaw in a wearer's mouth comprising:
- i. sockets designed to receive the teeth of the upper jaw;
- ii. a sensor associated with each socket, where the sensor produces a sensor signal when an activating pressure greater than a sensor threshold pressure is applied thereto;
- iii. a transmitter in electrical communication with the sensors designed to generate an action signal when a sensor signal having an amplitude greater than a sensor signal threshold amplitude is detected;
- and
- b. generating an human cognizable response to the action signal.
3 more elements
A method comprising the steps of:
- a. placing a mouth piece apparatus designed to detachably engage teeth and a pallette of an upper jaw of a wearer's mouth comprising:
- i. sockets designed to receive the teeth of the upper jaw;
- ii. a sensor associated with each socket, where the sensor produces a sensor signal when an activating pressure greater than a sensor threshold pressure is applied thereto;
- iii. a transmitter in electrical communication with the sensors designed to generate an action signal when a sensor signal having an amplitude greater than a sensor signal threshold amplitude is detected;
- b. receiving the action signal from the mouth piece;
- and
- c. storing information contained in the action signal.
4 more elements
A mouth guard comprising:
- a. a tooth portion designed to detachably engage teeth of the upper jaw including:
- i. sockets designed to receive each tooth of the upper jaw;
- ii. a pressure sensing membrane associated with at least each molar socket, where the membrane comprises a top conductive layer, a middle perforated layer and a bottom conductive layer, where the membrane has a rest state and an action state where the action state occurs when the top conductive layer is brought into electrical contact with the bottom conductive layer by the action of a pressure exerted between teeth on the upper jaw and teeth on a lower jaw greater than a membrane threshold pressure;
- and
- b. a pallette portion designed to detachably engage a pallette of the upper jaw including:
- i. a transmitter unit located in a central region of the pallette in electrical communication with the membrane, where the unit generates an action signal when the sensor signal has an amplitude greater than a sensor signal threshold amplitude.
3 more elements
An apparatus for sensing teeth grinding comprising:
- a. a mouth guard comprising:
- i. a tooth portion designed to detachably engage teeth of the upper jaw including:
- a) sockets designed to receive each tooth of the upper jaw;
- b) a pressure sensing membrane associated with at least each molar socket, where the membrane comprises a top conductive layer, a middle perforated layer and a bottom conductive layer, where the membrane has a rest state and an action state where the action state occurs when the top conductive layer is brought into electrical contact with the bottom conductive layer by the action of a pressure exerted between teeth on the upper jaw and teeth on a lower jaw greater than a membrane threshold pressure;
- ii. a pallette portion designed to detachably engage a pallette of the upper jaw including:
- a) a transmitter unit located in a central region of the pallette in electrical communication with the membrane, where the unit generates an action signal when the sensor signal has an amplitude greater than a sensor signal threshold amplitude;
- and
- b. a receiver unit designed to receive the action signal and generate an human cognizable output.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.