EP2783673A1

EP2783673A1 - Device for vibrational massage of oral muscles of an individual

Info

Publication number: EP2783673A1
Application number: EP13161228.5A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Wolfgang Kreitmair-Steck
Original assignee: Inexpim SL
Current assignee: Inexpim SL
Priority date: 2013-03-27
Filing date: 2013-03-27
Publication date: 2014-10-01

Abstract

The present invention relates to a vibrational massage apparatus for providing relaxation of oral muscles of an individual comprising a mouthpiece (1) for stimulation treatment of oral muscles of an individual, having a body element (3), means (4) for generating a plurality of vibration signals that are being transferred to the body element (3); an interface (1.5) for a power supply and control unit (2), a contact element (1.6) connected to the body element (3), whereas the contact element (1.6) has a lip-adapted and the contact element (1.6) having a plurality of contact surfaces (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8) on which said vibration signals are applied and enabling a direct contact between the contact element (1.6) and oral parts of said individual for providing relaxation of oral muscles of said individual."

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to the technical field of a vibrational massage apparatus. Further, the present invention finds its application in the field of training devices for relaxation and stimulation treatment of oral muscles of an individual. The present invention is based on a mouthpiece for stimulation treatment in accordance with the preamble of the independent claim 1.

Prior art

The face and especially the mouth and the lips of humans are composed of numerous muscles that help for food intake, i.e. they activate the lips and engage the lower jaw for chewing, and for change the facial expressions, i.e. they adjust the facial mimic according to the behavioral situation. Every visible movement in the face is a complex process which involves several muscles in different intensities. Important muscles around mouth and lips for the above mentioned functions are inter alia the Buccinator, the Orbicularis oris, the Masseter, the Risorius, the Zygomatici major and minor, the Levatores Labii superioris, the Depressor Anguli oris, and the Depressor Labii inferioris. Activated are these muscles by the Zygomatic branches, the Buccal branches and the Mandibular branches of the facial nerves.
For different reasons, the oral muscles are subject to contraction of the muscles caused either intentionally or subconsciously. After some time of tension the oral muscles may hurt and need relaxation. Indeed, the tension may exceed the oral region and can indirectly extend even to the muscles of the neck and the shoulder, as in the case of bruxism.
For example, by playing a wind instrument such as a brass instrument or a woodwind instrument, the muscles of the mouth are set into tension in different ways and with different intensities. After playing music for some time, the muscles get tired, they may start to hurt, and as a consequence they may have reduced flexibility and thereby diminish the quality of the musical performance.
As another example, for people with linguistic problems or speech impediment, the nerves activate or non-activate the muscles in an uncontrolled way. Involuntary contractions of the muscles can occur and recovery times can take from seconds up to hours.
A further example of the problem is known from scuba divers after using the mouthpiece of the diving equipment for some time: the muscles of the mouth are still in tension after diving, they hurt and they may need a long time to recover and to become painless.
Yet another serious problem is bruxism, which is the nonfunctional clenching, grinding, gritting, or gnashing of the teeth. Bruxism may occur during sleeping as well as during waking hours. The biting force exerted during bruxism very often exceeds the biting force during normal chewing and may result in serious musculoskeletal pain, headaches, and damage to the teeth. The treatment of bruxism needs to aim at reducing the pain, prevent damage to the teeth, and reducing clenching, e.g. by helping to restore a normal balance to the action of muscles, by massage of the muscles, and by relaxing the face and jaw muscles before sleep.
Devices for vibrational massage of oral muscles of an individual are in principle known in prior art. EP 17 33 767 describes a lip massage device having a vibrator for generating mechanical vibrations and a mouthpiece adapter which has a socket for the mouthpiece of a musical instrument. The adapter is coupled to the vibrator which has an electric motor and an unbalanced weight fixed eccentrically on a drive shaft of same. The speed of the electric motor is adjustable. The displayed massaging device has various drawbacks. One drawback is that the device according to this invention needs the insertion of the original mouthpiece of the brass instrument and vibrates the lips from the front side. In addition, due to its weight, the device needs to be operated by at least one hand of the user and thus requiring the attention of the musician during its operation which is reduces a comfortable usage of the device. Furthermore, a massage provided by the device is restricted only to some of the parts of the lips, as the vibrations cause a movement of the device in only one specific direction.

Technical objectives of the invention

The present invention solves various technical objectives depending on its field of application.
One object of the present invention to provide a lip massaging device, which helps to relax facial muscles and to calm facial nerves in the shortest time possible in order to recover the original capabilities and to reduce the pain.
A further object of the invention is to provide an easy to use training apparatus which helps in training the process of relaxation of the muscles. In the case of application due to speech impediments, the invention aims to reduce the level of the speech impediment itself. In the case of bruxism, the present invention aims to reduce the disposition for bruxism and prevent unconscious contractions.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device for freehand training and/or relaxation of the oral muscles of an individual. These muscles involve the buccinator, the orbicularis oris, the masseter, the risorius, the zygomatici major and minor, the levatores labii superioris, the depressor anguli oris, and the depressor labii inferioris.
Another object of the present invention if used by wind instrument players, is relaxation of the lip muscles as well as the overall embouchure region/area after a training session or after a concert. Another object of the invention is conditioning of the lip tissue for higher frequency vibrations for example, but not restricted to frequencies > 100 Hz and for strengthening the facial muscles involved in playing wind instruments.
In the case of people with speech impediments, it is the objective of the present invention to condition the nerves and the muscles for smooth articulation of sounds and words and to speed up the relaxation after spasms of the muscles.
In the case of scuba divers, the inventive apparatus has the technical objective to help in preparing the muscles of the mouth for the long time tension during the dive, and furthermore, it should help to speed up the recovery after the dive.
In the case of bruxism, the inventive device, if used in medical field, has the objective to relax the muscles and the nerves before sleeping and relax the muscles and reduce the pain in the morning after night bruxism.

Summary of the invention

The present invention provides a mouthpiece for stimulation treatment of oral muscles of an individual. The mouthpiece comprises a body element, means for generating a plurality of vibration signals that are being transferred to the body element, an interface for a power supply and control unit and a contact element connected to the body element. The contact element has a lip-adapted profile. Further, the contact element has a plurality of contact surfaces on which said vibration signals are applied to and which enable a direct contact between the contact element and oral parts of said individual for providing relaxation of oral muscles of said individual.
The solution is to provide a mouthpiece as defined by the features of independent claim 1. Preferred examples of the invention are set forth by the appended dependent claims.
The core idea of the present invention is to provide a mouthpiece for stimulation treatment for an individual. The mouthpiece consists of a body element, means for generating a plurality of vibration signals that are being transferred to the body element and a contact element. The contact element is mounted to the body element, but the body element and the contact element may also be fabricated as one single part. The contact element has a plurality of contact surfaces that enable the contact element to have a lip-adapted profile. Each of the contact surfaces may be individually shaped and formed depending on the field of application of the inventive mouthpiece in order to ensure an optimal adaption of the oral parts of said individual to the contact surfaces. The vibration signals generated by the vibration means are applied to each of the contact surfaces of the contact element. The form of the contact surfaces of the contact element ensures in an advantageously way that the vibrations provided by the vibration signals are optimally transferred to said oral parts of the individual providing massage and relaxation of oral muscles of said individual.
The vibration signals are generated by vibrating means which may be directly implemented into the body element of the inventive mouthpiece. This has the advantage that the mouthpiece can be used hand-free during its operation by said individual.
A power supply and control unit for operating the vibrating means may also be implemented into the body element of the mouthpiece for providing power. In an advantageously alternative, the power supply and control unit may be set as an external unit. The connection to the mouthpiece is then established via an interface within the mouthpiece by a cable connection between mouthpiece and power supply and control unit. Other means of connecting the power supply and control unit with the mouthpiece for example by wireless connection may be possible.
The inventive mouthpiece may be advantageously used in a lip-massage device for providing relaxation of oral muscles of an individual.
The inventive mouthpiece is optimized for freehand usage, because it is preferably made of a lightweight material such as plastic, and shaped in such a way, that it can be held tight with the mouth for example the lips or the tongue and that it vibrates and massages the lips of an individual from all sides, for example from the outer, the inner and the lip contact sides, and thereby also vibrates all the adjoining muscles around the mouth of said individual.
Advantageously, the present invention allows for a relaxation of the lip muscles and the lip tissue without tension of the muscles. The relaxation can be performed at different frequencies ranging from 60 Hz to 400 Hz depending on the characteristics of the vibration element and on the requirements of the application.
For wind musicians, it is e.g. possible to provide higher vibration frequencies (i.e. frequencies above 60 Hz) compared to the traditional relaxation buzzing after the training sessions or the concerts. Since the vibration frequencies have a high impact on the relaxation mechanism and on the recovery time, relaxation with the apparatus according to the invention is more efficient than the traditional "buzzing".
For medical usage as in the case of bruxism or for speech therapeutic usage, the vibrations are in general more effective if the frequencies are below 300 Hz.
The inventive device is almost noise-free and does not need a special attention of the user. Therefore, it can be used on the way or during other activities. For musicians for example, it can be used during tidying up of the instruments or on the way home. For scuba divers e.g. it can be used during putting in order of the diving equipment. Since it doesn't need special attention, the apparatus can even be used during reading a book or washing the dishes.
In addition, due to the special layout of the mouthpiece, it can beneficially be used for conditioning the lip tissue for higher vibration frequencies, if the vibration frequency of the mouthpiece is > 90 Hz. This means that the lips of wind instrument musicians can be conditioned for higher vibrations, which in turn can result in an increase of the pitch range.

Embodiments of the invention and advantages of sub-claims

In a first embodiment of the invention, the inventive mouthpiece may consist of a body element having a single ergonomically shaped contact element in which a vibrating element, for example a vibration motor or a vibrating piezo element is integrated. This means that the contact element has a lip-adapted profile compared to the profile of the body element. The contact element has a plurality of contact surfaces which may be ergonomically shaped. This means, the contact surfaces of the contact element which is attached or integral part of the body element of the mouthpiece has different shapes depending on the exact application of the present invention. For example, the body element may have the shape of a flat spring element containing contact surfaces with a lip-adapted profile. The profile of the contact surfaces is preferably lip-adapted in order to provide an optimal connection between the contact surfaces and the oral parts of an individual. An optimal connection is essential in order to guarantee a good transmission of the vibrational signals which are applied to the contact surfaces to the oral parts of said individual. While most mouthpieces will be left/right symmetric. For certain applications for example . in the case of a relaxation means for clarinet or saxophone players it is advantageous to make the contact surface of the contact element of the mouthpiece top/bottom asymmetric. Most mouthpieces which are applied in the horizontal center of the mouth are left/right symmetrical, whereas those mouthpieces positioned in the horizontal left or right corners of the mouth might be left/right asymmetric in order to provide a better contact to the muscles. However, whatever shape the body of the mouthpiece has, it is designed ergonomically in such a way that it can be safely held with the lips and that it doesn't interact with/contact directly the teeth.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the means for generating a plurality of vibration signals is connected via an interface preferably placed inside the inventive mouthpiece to a power supply and control unit by the interface. The power supply and control unit may consist of one or more batteries or rechargeable accumulators and a control unit for switching the vibrations signal on and off and for the control of the frequency and amplitude of the vibrations of the hands-free mouthpiece. The frequency and amplitude of the vibration signals is set by the control unit to fixed frequencies and amplitudes or the control unit runs processor controlled an automatic training program with changing frequencies and amplitudes.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the power supply and control unit may either be placed in a separate housing and connected by a cable to the inventive mouthpiece. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention it may also be integrated into a mouthpiece provided the power supply and control unit is lightweight enough, so a hands-free usage of the present invention by an individual is still possible.
In a further embodiment of the present invention the means for generating a plurality of vibration signals contains at least one vibration actuator element that is integrated in the body element of the said mouthpiece.
The vibrating element preferably provides vibrations of at least 0.6 g vibration amplitude to be effective and at maximum 7 g vibration amplitude for not having negative health effects. Furthermore, the vibrating elements have a major plane of vibration, which means a plane in which they have the highest level of vibration amplitude.
In a further embodiment of the present invention the inventive mouthpiece consists of a certain number of vibration elements interconnected by a flexible strip with integrated interconnection wire. The strip needs to be flexible in order to allow for an adjustment of the apparatus to the individual geometry of the mouth and the row of teeth of the user and to isolate the vibrations of the individual vibration elements from each other. The interconnection wires should allow for the power supply and the control of the individual vibration elements from a so-called master-mouthpiece, for example that mouthpiece which has a connection to the power supply and control unit.
In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention one or more mouthpieces are interconnected with one or more vibration actuators for freehand usage. Such an embodiment may preferably be used as a lip-massaging device. The lip-massaging device has a power supply and control unit for operation of one or more mouthpieces
In a further embodiment of the present invention the body element of the inventive mouthpiece is preferably fabricated with a solid, hard and non-toxic material for example hard plastic such as ABS, Polycarbonate, or the like in order to guide the vibrations without much damping to the lips and without causing any damage to one's health even after longtime usage.
In a further preferred embodiment of the inventive mouthpiece selected parts of the contact surfaces of the body element are coated or covered with at least one vibration isolation element or a damping surface for protection of oral parts of said individual from the vibrations. The object is to avoid excitation of the mouth and teeth at certain points. Possible damping surfaces can be built from for example non-toxic elastomeric material, a foam whereas the foam may be made of rubber or plastic, but not restricted to these materials. This is useful for example, to protect the teeth from vibrations caused by the inner surface of the mouthpiece. Another example is to focus the vibration only on the lower lip and not to vibrate the upper lip as it is useful e.g. for clarinet and saxophone players.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the body element of the inventive mouthpiece contains at least one expander element in order to allow for a lip training with a force against a movement of the lips in a certain direction. The expander element or suspension element can be for example a spring, an elastic foam or an elastic air cushion. This suspension element is either horizontally oriented or vertically oriented inside the mouthpiece. These variants of the mouthpiece allow for additional power training of the lip muscles in forward/backward direction, or open/close direction respectively, during the operation of the device. By adding a suspension element to the apparatus as it is proposed for variants of the invention, it turns the apparatus into a freehand operated lip expander or lip impander, which can be used for strengthening the lip muscles.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the mouthpiece contains an air channel. This allows for an unconstrained breathing through the mouthpiece or alternatively, contains a constricted air channel that is suited for breathing exercises of wind instrument musicians.
In a further embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of individual mouthpieces are interconnected to each other by an elastic element which contains means for providing power supply and control of each said individual mouthpiece. Each individual mouthpiece has the same or a different profile compared to the other interconnected mouthpieces..
In a further embodiment of the present invention, the series of interconnected individual mouthpieces are controlled by a single master mouthpiece that is directly connected to a power supply and control unit.

Brief description of the drawing

In the drawing:

Figure 1 shows a vertical section of the device for vibrational massage of the oral muscles with mouthpiece (1) and power supply and control unit (2),
Figure 2 shows a device for vibrational massage of the oral muscles with mouthpiece (1) and power supply and control unit (2) integrated into the mouthpiece,
Figure 3a shows a side view of a vertical section of the mouthpiece,
Figure 3b shows a top view of a horizontal section of the mouthpiece,
Figure 4 shows a top view of a horizontal section of the device with two mouthpieces,
Figure 5 shows a top view of a horizontal section of the device with three mouthpieces,
Figure 6 shows different ergonomic shapes of the contact surface for the lips,
Figure 6a shows a vertical section of a mouthpiece with a straight contact surface for the lips,
Figure 6b shows a vertical section of a mouthpiece with a specific contact surface for the lips and vibration dampers,
Figure 6c Vertical section of a mouthpiece with a specific contact surface for the lips and vibration dampers
Figure 6d shows a vertical section of a mouthpiece with a specific contact surface for the lips and vibration dampers,
Figure 7a shows a side view of a vertical section of a mouthpiece with expander element,
Figure 7b shows atop view of a horizontal section of a mouthpiece with expander element,
Figure 8 shows a side view of a vertical section of a mouthpiece with air duct,
Figure 9 shows a side view of a vertical section of a mouthpiece with horizontal vibrations and flat spring elements as impander elements for the lips muscles.

The reference symbols used in the drawing and their meanings are listed in summary form in the reference list. In principle, the same parts are provided with the same reference symbols in the figures. Any described embodiment represents an example of the subject-matter of the invention and does not have any restrictive effect.

Detailed description of the drawings

It should be noted for clarity reasons that the coordinate system x, y, z indicated in the drawings of Fig. 1 to Fig. 9 is always related to an individual mouthpiece, y indicating the vertical direction in parallel to the face of the device user, z indicating the lateral direction parallel to the face of the device user, and x indicating the horizontal direction perpendicular to the face of the device user.
Fig. 1 shows a vertical section of the device for vibrational massage of the oral muscles with mouthpiece 1 and power supply and control unit 2. Fig. 1 shows the inventive device that consists of one or more mouthpieces 1 with vibration actuator), a power supply and control unit 2 and an interconnecting power supply cable 8. The intended use of the mouthpiece can be achieved, if the mouthpiece is inserted between the upper lip 9.1 and the lower lip9.2 just in front of the upper 9.3 and lower teeth 9.4 of the device user with a profile of the face 9. The vibration actuator vibrates 4.4 essentially in the y,z-plane of the mouthpiece (the z-plane - not shown - being perpendicular to the x and y direction, 4.1 showing the direction of the vibrations in y-direction). The vibrations of the vibration actuator are transferred to the body element 3 of the mouthpiece 1 to which a contact element 1.6 with contact surfaces mounted or an integral part of the body element 3 having a lip-adapted profile and whereas a part of the contact surfaces 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8 is in contact with the lower part of the upper lip 3.1, the upper part of the lower lip 3.2, the front part of the upper and lower lips 3.3, 3.4, and the back of the upper and lower lips 3.5, 3.6. The power supply and control unit 2 consists of a power supply 5 which is either a battery or a rechargeable accumulator, an on/off switch 6, and a control unit 7 for controlling the amplitude and the frequency of the vibration actuator 4.
All the references of Fig. 1 apply to Fig. 2 as well. In contrast to Fig. 1 however, the power supply and control unit 2 is integrated into the body element 3 of the mouthpiece 1 providing a mouthpiece 1 with integrated power supply and control unit 1.1.
Fig. 3a shows a side view of a vertical section of the mouthpiece 1 with the contact points 3.1, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5, and 3.6 with the upper 9.1 and lower 9.2 lips of a device user.
Fig. 3b shows a top view of a horizontal section of the mouthpiece 1 above the lower lip 9.2 in front of the lower teeth 9.4 as well as the left 3.8 and right 3.7 contact points of the contact surfaces of the contact element 3 which is part of the mouthpiece 1. 4.2 indicates the direction of vibration in z-direction, i.e. in lateral direction.
Fig. 4 is a top view of a horizontal section of the device with two interconnected mouthpieces 1. The position of the mouthpieces 1 is lateral to the face of the device user between upper lip (not shown) and the lower lip 9.2. The interconnection is done with an elastic element 10, which allows for an adjustment of the device to different shapes of the lower jaw and the corresponding row of teeth 9.4. The elastic element is preferably made of rubber or silicon and incorporates a power supply line from the master mouthpiece 1.2 with connection via cable 8 or other connection means such as wireless to the power supply and control unit 2 (not shown here) to the subordinate mouthpiece 1.3. This arrangement of mouthpieces helps to perform a vibrational massage especially to the buccinator and the masseter muscles.
Fig. 5 shows the present invention with three mouthpieces 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 for the complete massage of all oral muscles. The master mouthpiece 1.2 is connected via cable 8 with the power supply and control unit 2 (not shown), and via the elastic strips 10 to the lateral mouthpieces 1.3 and 1.4. The Figure shows a top view of a horizontal section of the device with three mouthpieces 1.2, 1.3, and 1.4 on top of the lower lip 9.2.
Fig. 6a - 6d show examples of different lip-adapted shapes of the contact surface of a contact element 1.6 of a mouthpiece 1 for the lips. Of course, these are only a few examples showing a selected variety of shapes and the present invention is not restricted to the displayed selection of shapes of contact surfaces
Fig. 6a shows a vertical section of a mouthpiece 1 with a straight contact surface for the lips. Shape 11.1 requires for the use more tension of the orbicularis oris in order to hold the device. This allows the massage and the strengthening of this muscle at the same time.
Fig. 6b is a vertical section of a mouthpiece 1 with a specific contact surface for the lips and vibration dampers. The shape 11.2 is similar to the shape of the device according to Figures 1, 2, 3a and 3b with an additional elastomeric or foam material for vibration isolation and protection of the teeth from the vibrations.
Fig. 6c shows a vertical section of a mouthpiece 1 with a specific contact surface for the lips and vibration dampers especially useful for relaxation of the mouth of clarinet or saxophone musicians. The vibration isolation material 12 is applied on the top surface of the contact element 1.6 as well as on the teeth contact surface of the mouthpiece 1. The contact of the vibrating surfaces of the mouthpiece 1 is on the outside of the lips, the inside of the lips, and on the upper side 11.3 of the lower lip.
Fig. 6d shows a vertical section of a mouthpiece 1 with a specific contact surface for the lips and vibration dampers 12 especially useful for Oboe and Fagott musicians, which are using double reed mouthpieces. In this variant, the vibrations are only in-between the lips and on the backside of the lips, whereas the vibration isolation assured by elastomeric elements 12 is on the front of the lips and in front of the teeth.
Fig. 7a shows that a variant of the mouthpiece 1 can include a kind of expander element 14. A suspension housing 13 contains a suspension element 14 such as a spring or an air cushion in order to allow for lip training with a force against an inward/outward movement of the lips in x-direction. Figure 7a shows a side view of a vertical section of mouthpiece 1 with the expander element 14.
Fig. 7b shows a top view of a horizontal section of mouthpiece 1 with expander element 14 from Figure 7a.
Fig. 8 shows a side view of a vertical section of mouthpiece 1 with an air duct 15 from the inner part to the outside of the mouthpiece. This variant of the mouthpiece might be used by wind instrument musicians for the training of controlled expelling of the compressed air.
Fig. 9 shows a variant of the mouthpiece 1 in which the vibration actuator element 4 is arranged horizontally, this means that the main vibration energy is exerted in the x-z-plane of the mouthpiece 1. A flat spring element 16 allows for impander exercises of the lips compressing the spring elements 16 in vertical direction (i.e. in y-direction). This configuration allows for a specific training of the orbicularis oris and the buccinator muscles. The figure shows a side view of a vertical section of mouthpiece 1 with horizontal vibrations 4.3 and flat spring elements 16 as impander elements for the lips muscles.

List of acronyms

ABS: Acrylnitril-Butadien-Styrol thermoplastic
g: Gravitational acceleration (≈ 9,81 m/s²) as a measurement unit for vibration levels

List of reference symbols

1 Mouthpiece with vibration actuator
1.1 Mouthpiece with integrated power supply and control unit
1.2 Master mouth piece with vibration actuator
1.3 Left-hand side lateral mouthpiece
1.4 Right-hand side lateral mouthpiece
1.5 Interface for power supply and control unit
1.6 Contact element
2 Power supply and control unit
3 Ergonomically shaped body of the mouthpiece
3.1 Surface of the mouthpiece for contact with the lower part of the upper lip
3.2 Surface of the mouthpiece for contact with the upper part of the lower lip
3.3 Surface of the mouthpiece for contact with the front part of the upper lip
3.4 Surface of the mouthpiece for contact with the front part of the lower lip
3.5 Surface of the mouthpiece for contact with the back of the upper lip
3.6 Surface of the mouthpiece for contact with the back of the lower lip
3.7 Right-hand surface of the mouthpiece
3.8 Left-hand surface of the mouthpiece
4 Vibration actuator / vibration element
4.1 Vertical up/down direction/dimension of the vibration (y-plane of the mouthpiece)
4.2 Lateral left/right direction/dimension of the vibration (z-plane of the mouthpiece)
4.3 Horizontal in/out direction/dimension of the vibration (x-plane of the mouthpiece)
4.4 Vibration of the vibration actuator / element
5 Battery or Accumulator
6 ON/OFF switch for the power supply of the vibration actuator
7 Control element for controlling the amplitude and the frequency of the vibration actuator/element
8 Power supply cable
9 Profile view of the face of the device user
9.1 Upper lip of the device user
9.2 Lower lip of the device user
9.3 Upper row of teeth of the device user
9.4 Lower row of teeth of the device user
10 Flexible interconnection element (with integrated power supply cables) between several mouth pieces
11.1 Straight lined contact surface for the lips
11.2 Contact surface for the lips for outer, inner and in-between vibration of the lips
11.3 Contact surface for the lips for outer and inner vibration of the lips as well as upper vibration of the lower lip
11.4 Contact surface for the lips for in-between and inner vibration of the lips
12 Elastomeric vibration damping element for vibration isolation
13 Housing for a suspension element
14 Suspension element
15 Air channel
16 Flat spring element
17 Close and open movements of the lips

Claims

Mouthpiece (1) for stimulation treatment of oral muscles of an individual comprising:
- a body element (3);

- means (4) for generating a plurality of vibration signals that are being transferred to the body element (3);

- an interface (1.5) for a power supply and control unit (2);

- a contact element (1.6) connected to the body element (3),
whereas the contact element (1.6) has a lip-adapted profile and the contact element (1.6) having a plurality of contact surfaces (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8) on which said vibration signals are applied and enabling a direct contact between the contact element (1.6) and oral parts of said individual for providing relaxation of oral muscles of said individual.
Mouthpiece (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the means (4) for generating a plurality of vibration signals is connected to a power supply and control unit (2) by the interface (1.5).
Mouthpiece (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the power supply and control unit (2) comprises a power supply (5), an on-off switch (6) and a control unit (7) for switching the vibration signals on and off and for control of the frequency and amplitude of the generated vibration signals.
Mouthpiece (1) according to claim 2, characterized in that the power supply and control unit (2) is placed in a separate housing and is connected to said mouthpiece (1) via the interface ( ) by a cable (8).
Mouthpiece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the means (4) for generating a plurality of vibration signals contains at least one vibration actuator element that is integrated in the body element (3) of the said mouthpiece (1).
Mouthpiece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body element (3) is made of a non-toxic and hard plastic material in order to transmit the vibration signals with a least amount of damping to the oral parts of said individual.
Mouthpiece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that selected parts of the contact surfaces (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8) of the body element (3) are coated with at least one vibration isolation element (12) for protection of oral parts of said individual from the vibrations.
Mouthpiece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one vibration isolation element (12) mainly consists of a damping material such as an elastomeric and / or a foam material.
Mouthpiece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body element (3) contains at least one expander element (14) in order to allow for a lip training with a force against a movement of the lips in a certain direction.
Mouthpiece (1) according to claim 9, characterized in that the at least one expander element (14) is placed in a suspension housing (13) inside the body element (3).
Mouthpiece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body element (3) contains at least one air channel (15) that allows for an unconstrained breathing through the mouthpiece (1) by said individual.
Mouthpiece (1) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the body element (3) has the shape of a flat spring element (16) containing contact surfaces (3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8).
Lip-massage device according to any of the claims 1 to 12, having at least one mouthpiece (1).
Lip-massaging device according claim 13, characterized in that a plurality of individual mouthpieces (1) are interconnected to each other by an elastic element (10) which contains means for providing power supply and control of each said individual mouthpiece (1).
Lip-massaging device according claim 14, characterized in that the series of interconnected and individual mouthpieces (1) are controlled by a single master mouthpiece (1) that is directly connected to the power supply and control unit (2).