Denta-mandibular sound-transmitting system

A device to communicate sound to a user by the transmission of signals through the user's mouth to the user's ear, the device comprising:

• a signal source configured to produce signals representative of sound;
• a transducer operatively associated with the signal source to produce vibrations from the signals representative of sound;
• a sound-transmitting element operatively associated with the transducer to which the transducer can transmit vibrations;
• a power supply associated with the signal source;
• a housing for at least the signal source, transducer and power supply;
• and
• a hand-manipulable structure associated with the sound-transmitting element and housing;
• where the hand-manipulable structure is configured to accomplish a predetermined function different from denta-mandibular sound transmission by and during manipulation of the structure with the user's hand;
• where the sound-transmitting element can transmit the vibrations to the user's mouth upon contact of the element with the mouth, so that the vibrations travel from the mouth to the user's ear where they can be perceived by the user as sound;
• and
• where the sound-transmitting element is positioned adjacent the transducer so that vibrations transmitted from the signal source to the sound-transmitting element are sufficient to be perceivable by the user as sound in the sound-transmitting element is in contact with the user's mouth;
• and
• where the signal source, transducer and power supply are configured within the housing.

A device to communicate sound to a user by the transmission of signals through the user's mouth to the user's ear, the device comprising:

• a signal source configured to produce signals representative of sound;
• a sound-transmitting element operatively associated with the signal source to which the signal source can transmit signals representative of sound;
• and
• an activity means, associated with the signal source and sound-transmitting element, for providing a predetermined, selectable activity different from denta-mandibular sound transmission;
• where the sound-transmitting element can transmit the signals to the user's mouth upon contact of the element with the mouth, so that the signals travel from the mouth to the user's ear where they can be perceived by the user as sound;
• where signals transmitted from the signal source to the sound-transmitting element are sufficient to be perceivable by the user as sound when the sound-transmitting element is in contact with the user's mouth;
• and
• where the sound perceivable by the user from the signals produced by the signal source is predominantly from signals transmitted from the sound-transmitting element through the user's mouth to the user's ear rather than from the signals fiom the signal source that otherwise may be transmitted to the user's ear.

A device to communicate sound to a user by the transmission of signals through the user's mouth to the user's ear, the device comprising:

• an amusement structure configured to provide amusement independent of denta-mandibular sound transmission;
• a sound-transmitting portion of the amusement structure capable of being placed into contact with the user's mouth;
• and
• a signal source operatively associated with the amusement structure and configured to produce signals representative of sound and to transmit the signals tluough the sound-transmitting portion of the amusement structure;
• where the sound-transmitting poition can transmit the signals to the user's mouth upon contact of the sound-transmitting portion with the mouth, so that the signals travel from the mouth to the user's ear where they can be perceived by the user as sound;
• where signals transmitted from the signal source to the sound-transmitting portion are sufficient to be perceivable by the user as sound when the sound-transmitting portion is in contact with the user's mouth;
• and
• where the sound perceivable by the user from the signals produced by the signal source is predominantly from signals transmitted from the sound-transmitting portion through the user's mouth to the user's ear rather than from the signals from the signal source that otherwise may be transmitted to the user's ear.

A device to communicate sound to a user by the transmission of signals through the user's mouth to the user's ear, the device comprising:

• a signal source configured to produce signals representative of sound;
• an integrated circuit associated with the signal source, where the integrated circuit contains preprogrammed sounds, and is used to produce the signals representative of such sound;
• and
• a sound-transmitting element operatively associated with the signal source to which the signal source can transmit signals representative of sound;
• where the sound-transmitting element can transmit the signals to the user's mouth upon contact of the element with the mouth, so that the signals travel from the mouth to the user's ear where they can be perceived by the user as sounds;
• where signals transmitted from the signal source to the sound-transmitting portion are sufficient to be perceivable by the user as sound when the sound-transmitting portion is in contact with the user's mouth;
• and
• where the sound perceivable by the user from the signals produced by the signal source is predominantly from signals transmitted from the sound-transmitting portion through the user's mouth to the user's ear rather than from the signals from the signal source that otherwise may be transmitted to the user's ear.