US20130036533A1 - Mouth guard retaining device - Google Patents
Mouth guard retaining device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20130036533A1 US20130036533A1 US13/206,927 US201113206927A US2013036533A1 US 20130036533 A1 US20130036533 A1 US 20130036533A1 US 201113206927 A US201113206927 A US 201113206927A US 2013036533 A1 US2013036533 A1 US 2013036533A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- helmet
- retaining device
- detent
- elongated member
- mouth guard
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 5
- 230000006835 compression Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000007906 compression Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 239000012858 resilient material Substances 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000001681 protective effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- 208000027418 Wounds and injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000006378 damage Effects 0.000 description 1
- 208000014674 injury Diseases 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229920003051 synthetic elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000005061 synthetic rubber Substances 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A42—HEADWEAR
- A42B—HATS; HEAD COVERINGS
- A42B3/00—Helmets; Helmet covers ; Other protective head coverings
- A42B3/04—Parts, details or accessories of helmets
- A42B3/18—Face protection devices
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B71/00—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00
- A63B71/08—Body-protectors for players or sportsmen, i.e. body-protecting accessories affording protection of body parts against blows or collisions
- A63B71/085—Mouth or teeth protectors
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B71/00—Games or sports accessories not covered in groups A63B1/00 - A63B69/00
- A63B71/08—Body-protectors for players or sportsmen, i.e. body-protecting accessories affording protection of body parts against blows or collisions
- A63B71/10—Body-protectors for players or sportsmen, i.e. body-protecting accessories affording protection of body parts against blows or collisions for the head
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2102/00—Application of clubs, bats, rackets or the like to the sporting activity ; particular sports involving the use of balls and clubs, bats, rackets, or the like
- A63B2102/14—Lacrosse
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2225/00—Miscellaneous features of sport apparatus, devices or equipment
- A63B2225/68—Miscellaneous features of sport apparatus, devices or equipment with article holders
- A63B2225/687—Miscellaneous features of sport apparatus, devices or equipment with article holders for others, e.g. keys, wallets, books
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A63—SPORTS; GAMES; AMUSEMENTS
- A63B—APPARATUS FOR PHYSICAL TRAINING, GYMNASTICS, SWIMMING, CLIMBING, OR FENCING; BALL GAMES; TRAINING EQUIPMENT
- A63B2243/00—Specific ball sports not provided for in A63B2102/00 - A63B2102/38
- A63B2243/0066—Rugby; American football
- A63B2243/007—American football
Definitions
- Mouth guards are provided in various shapes, sizes and configurations and are formed of a wide variety of materials to provide a number of alternatives to the participant depending on the sport being played, the degree of protection desired, and the degree of comfort to the user.
- some mouth guards are formed of a synthetic rubber material and are designed for the user to bite onto the guard to provide protection to the upper and lower teeth. These guards are not necessarily fitted to the user and thus do not often provide the best fit.
- Other guards are formed of synthetic plastic material. The guards are heated to make them pliable and then the user bites into the softened material so that the guard is molded to the user's teeth to provide a custom fit.
- mouth guards are very effective at affording protection to the user's mouth, they often make it difficult for the participant to communicate with other participants. Accordingly, it is common for participants to remove their mouth guards when play is stopped. This can lead to mouth guards inadvertently being dropped onto the playing surface where they may be contaminated or lost, particularly when the mouth guard is dropped on an outdoor playing field.
- some mouth guards include an integral strap which is connected with the face mask of the helmet. When not in use, the mouth guard dangles from the helmet. When in use, the guard is placed into the user's mouth. However, the strap extends out from the mouth between the lips which can lead to discomfort. Moreover, straps are awkward for use with mouth guards of the type which afford protection to the both the upper and lower teeth.
- the present invention was developed in order to overcome these and other drawbacks by providing a helmet accessory in the form of a retaining clip which can securely hold any type of protective mouth guard when not in use by a participant in a sporting or other event.
- a primary object of the present invention to provide a retaining device for a mouth guard in the form of an elongated member having a connection device at one end of said elongated member for connecting the member with a helmet and a detent at the other end of the member.
- the detent is operable by the user to displace the member from a normal closed position adjacent the helmet to an extended open position spaced from the helmet.
- the user can arrange the mouth guard between the member and the helmet.
- the detent released by the user the member returns to its normal position and the mouth guard is securely held in place.
- the user displaces the detent to move the member to its extended position and the mouth guard can be removed from between the member and the helmet. Once removed, the detent is released and the member returns to is normal position.
- the elongated member is preferably formed of a resilient material such as synthetic plastic. It is also provided with an extended portion beyond the detent for gripping by the user to displace the detent from the normal position to the extended position.
- connection device is a compression fitting. More particularly, the lower end of the elongated member contains a concave recess for receiving a portion of the helmet. At least one pair of aligned openings is provided in the portions of the connection device on opposite sides of the recess. A screw passes through the openings for drawing the connection device portions of the member together. When a portion of the helmet is arranged in the recess, the compression fitting clamps the elongated member on the helmet portion.
- FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a football helmet having a mouth guard retaining device according to the invention connected therewith;
- FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the mouth guard retaining device according to the invention.
- FIG. 3 is a rear plan view of the retaining device of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the retaining device of FIG. 2 ;
- FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a lower portion of the retaining device of FIG. 2 .
- FIG. 1 shows a conventional football helmet 2 having a face mask 4 connected therewith.
- the face mask is connected with the helmet in a known manner and includes a plurality of bars 6 which cooperate to protect the face of the wearer from injury.
- a chin strap 8 is connected with the helmet to hold the helmet onto the head of the wearer.
- a retaining device 10 is connected with an upper bar 12 of the face mask to securely hold a mouth guard 14 against the helmet 2 .
- the retaining device is displaceable relative to the helmet and acts as a clip in order to secure and release the mouth guard.
- the device is formed as an elongated member 16 having a connection device 18 at its lower end for connecting the member with the helmet, and preferably with a portion of the face mask of the helmet.
- a detent 20 which is shown more clearly in FIGS. 3 and 4 , is provided at the upper end of the member. The detent is operable by the user to displace the member from a normal closed position adjacent the helmet as shown in FIG. 1 to an extended open position spaced from the helmet. When the elongated member is in the extended position, the user can place the mouth guard between the member and the helmet. With the detent released by the user, the member returns to its normal position and the mouth guard is securely held in place.
- an extension 22 is provided on the upper end of the member 16 which can be engaged by a finger of the user to pull the upper end of the retaining member away from the helmet.
- the elongated member is preferably formed of a resilient material with a limited degree of flexure.
- a suitable material is synthetic plastic. It has a normal position, but may be bent or flexed from the normal position when an external force is applied. When the force is removed, the material reverts or springs back to its normal position.
- connection device 18 is a preferably a compression fitting. More particularly, the lower end of the elongated member 16 contains a concave recess 24 which extends laterally of the member. The recess thus separates two lower portions 18 a and 18 b of the connection device. A threaded opening 26 is provided in one portion 18 a of the connection device. A through opening 28 is provided in the other portion 18 b of the connection device on the opposite side of the recess 24 . The openings 26 and 28 are aligned and receive a screw 30 . If desired, the connection device 18 contains a second threaded opening 32 in the portion 18 a and a second through opening 34 in the portion 18 b and aligned with the opening 32 for receiving a second screw 36 .
- the portions 18 a and 18 b of the connection device may be separated to allow a portion of the helmet, or preferably a bar of the face mask, to be arranged in the recess.
- the screws 30 and 36 are inserted and tightened relative to the respective threaded openings 28 and 34 to draw the portion 18 b of the connection device toward the portion 18 a to clamp the elongated member on the helmet portion via a compression fit.
- FIG. 5 illustrates the connection device 18 in greater detail.
- a logo 40 may be provided on the front surface of the retaining device as shown in FIG. 2 .
Abstract
A mouth guard retaining device is provided for retaining a mouth guard against a protective helmet when the mouth guard is not in use. The device includes an elongated member having a connection device at a lower end for connection with a portion of the helmet and a detent at another end which is operable to displace the elongated member. The member is formed of synthetic plastic material which has a limited degree of flexure so that the member is displaceable between a normal closed condition where the detent engages the helmet and an open condition where the detent is spaced from the helmet to allow the user to insert or remove the mouth guard from the device.
Description
- In many sporting competitions, the participants either elect or are required to wear mouth guards to protect the teeth, jaw, and tongue of the participant. Mouth guards are provided in various shapes, sizes and configurations and are formed of a wide variety of materials to provide a number of alternatives to the participant depending on the sport being played, the degree of protection desired, and the degree of comfort to the user. For example, some mouth guards are formed of a synthetic rubber material and are designed for the user to bite onto the guard to provide protection to the upper and lower teeth. These guards are not necessarily fitted to the user and thus do not often provide the best fit. Other guards are formed of synthetic plastic material. The guards are heated to make them pliable and then the user bites into the softened material so that the guard is molded to the user's teeth to provide a custom fit.
- While mouth guards are very effective at affording protection to the user's mouth, they often make it difficult for the participant to communicate with other participants. Accordingly, it is common for participants to remove their mouth guards when play is stopped. This can lead to mouth guards inadvertently being dropped onto the playing surface where they may be contaminated or lost, particularly when the mouth guard is dropped on an outdoor playing field.
- Many sports, such as football and lacrosse, require participants to wear a helmet which includes a face mask. Participants often wedge their mouth guards between the bars of the face mask in order to free their hands to call plays or to hold a ball or stick. If the participant is wearing a helmet including a face mask, such as a football helmet or lacrosse helmet, it is common practice for the user to wedge the mouth guard between the bars of the mask. However, the mouth guard often becomes dislodged from the mask and falls to the ground, sometimes without the user's knowledge.
- Various devices are known in the art to retain a mouth guard on a helmet. For example, some mouth guards include an integral strap which is connected with the face mask of the helmet. When not in use, the mouth guard dangles from the helmet. When in use, the guard is placed into the user's mouth. However, the strap extends out from the mouth between the lips which can lead to discomfort. Moreover, straps are awkward for use with mouth guards of the type which afford protection to the both the upper and lower teeth.
- The present invention was developed in order to overcome these and other drawbacks by providing a helmet accessory in the form of a retaining clip which can securely hold any type of protective mouth guard when not in use by a participant in a sporting or other event.
- Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a retaining device for a mouth guard in the form of an elongated member having a connection device at one end of said elongated member for connecting the member with a helmet and a detent at the other end of the member. The detent is operable by the user to displace the member from a normal closed position adjacent the helmet to an extended open position spaced from the helmet. When in the extended position, the user can arrange the mouth guard between the member and the helmet. With the detent released by the user, the member returns to its normal position and the mouth guard is securely held in place. When the user desires to remove the mouth guard from the member, the user displaces the detent to move the member to its extended position and the mouth guard can be removed from between the member and the helmet. Once removed, the detent is released and the member returns to is normal position.
- The elongated member is preferably formed of a resilient material such as synthetic plastic. It is also provided with an extended portion beyond the detent for gripping by the user to displace the detent from the normal position to the extended position.
- According to a preferred embodiment, the connection device is a compression fitting. More particularly, the lower end of the elongated member contains a concave recess for receiving a portion of the helmet. At least one pair of aligned openings is provided in the portions of the connection device on opposite sides of the recess. A screw passes through the openings for drawing the connection device portions of the member together. When a portion of the helmet is arranged in the recess, the compression fitting clamps the elongated member on the helmet portion.
- Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from a study of the following specification when viewed in the light of the accompanying drawing, in which:
-
FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a football helmet having a mouth guard retaining device according to the invention connected therewith; -
FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the mouth guard retaining device according to the invention; -
FIG. 3 is a rear plan view of the retaining device ofFIG. 2 ; -
FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the retaining device ofFIG. 2 ; and -
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a lower portion of the retaining device ofFIG. 2 . - The mouth guard retaining device according to the invention will first be described with reference to
FIG. 1 which shows aconventional football helmet 2 having a face mask 4 connected therewith. The face mask is connected with the helmet in a known manner and includes a plurality ofbars 6 which cooperate to protect the face of the wearer from injury. Achin strap 8 is connected with the helmet to hold the helmet onto the head of the wearer. - A
retaining device 10 according to the invention is connected with anupper bar 12 of the face mask to securely hold amouth guard 14 against thehelmet 2. As will be developed in greater detail below, the retaining device is displaceable relative to the helmet and acts as a clip in order to secure and release the mouth guard. - Referring now to
FIGS. 2-5 , theretaining device 12 will be described in greater detail. The device is formed as anelongated member 16 having aconnection device 18 at its lower end for connecting the member with the helmet, and preferably with a portion of the face mask of the helmet. A detent 20, which is shown more clearly inFIGS. 3 and 4 , is provided at the upper end of the member. The detent is operable by the user to displace the member from a normal closed position adjacent the helmet as shown inFIG. 1 to an extended open position spaced from the helmet. When the elongated member is in the extended position, the user can place the mouth guard between the member and the helmet. With the detent released by the user, the member returns to its normal position and the mouth guard is securely held in place. When the user desires to remove the mouth guard from the member, the user displaces the detent to move the member to its extended position and the mouth guard can be removed from between the member and the helmet. Once removed, the detent is released and the member returns to is normal position. To assist with displacing the detent, anextension 22 is provided on the upper end of themember 16 which can be engaged by a finger of the user to pull the upper end of the retaining member away from the helmet. - The elongated member is preferably formed of a resilient material with a limited degree of flexure. A suitable material is synthetic plastic. It has a normal position, but may be bent or flexed from the normal position when an external force is applied. When the force is removed, the material reverts or springs back to its normal position.
- The
connection device 18 is a preferably a compression fitting. More particularly, the lower end of theelongated member 16 contains aconcave recess 24 which extends laterally of the member. The recess thus separates twolower portions opening 26 is provided in oneportion 18 a of the connection device. A throughopening 28 is provided in theother portion 18 b of the connection device on the opposite side of therecess 24. Theopenings screw 30. If desired, theconnection device 18 contains a second threadedopening 32 in theportion 18 a and a second through opening 34 in theportion 18 b and aligned with theopening 32 for receiving asecond screw 36. With the screws removed, theportions screws openings portion 18 b of the connection device toward theportion 18 a to clamp the elongated member on the helmet portion via a compression fit.FIG. 5 illustrates theconnection device 18 in greater detail. - A
projection 38 extends rearwardly from theelongated member 16 as shown inFIGS. 3 and 4 . The projection abuts against the helmet as does the detent when the retaining device is in the normal position. It also provides structural stability to the retaining device and acts as a guide or stop for the mouth guard when it is arranged between the retaining device and the helmet. - A
logo 40 may be provided on the front surface of the retaining device as shown inFIG. 2 . - While the preferred forms and embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without deviating from the inventive concepts set forth above.
Claims (8)
1. A retaining device for a mouth guard, comprising
(a) an elongated member;
(b) a connection device at one end of said elongated member for connecting said member with a helmet;
(c) a detent at another end of said elongated member, said detent being operable by a user to displace said member from a normal position adjacent the helmet to an extended position spaced from the helmet to receive and release the mouth guard.
2. A retaining device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said elongated member is formed of a resilient material.
3. A retaining device as defined in claim 2 , wherein said elongated member is formed of synthetic plastic material.
4. A retaining device as defined in claim 3 , and further comprising an extension beyond said detent for gripping by the user to displace the detent from the normal position to the extended position.
5. A retaining device as defined in claim 3 , wherein said connection device comprises a compression fitting.
6. A retaining device as defined in claim 5 , wherein said compression fitting includes a concave recess for receiving a portion of the helmet.
7. A retaining device as defined in claim 6 , wherein said compression fitting further comprises at least one pair of aligned openings within portions of said connection device on opposite sides of said recess and a screw passing through said openings for drawing said connection device portions together, whereby when a portion of the helmet is arranged in said recess, said compression fitting is operable to clamp said elongated member on the helmet portion.
8. A retaining device as defined in claim 1 , wherein said elongated member further includes a projection extending rearwardly from said member adjacent to said connection device.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/206,927 US20130036533A1 (en) | 2011-08-10 | 2011-08-10 | Mouth guard retaining device |
US13/865,651 US20130291291A1 (en) | 2011-08-10 | 2013-04-18 | Mouth guard retaining device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US13/206,927 US20130036533A1 (en) | 2011-08-10 | 2011-08-10 | Mouth guard retaining device |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/865,651 Continuation-In-Part US20130291291A1 (en) | 2011-08-10 | 2013-04-18 | Mouth guard retaining device |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20130036533A1 true US20130036533A1 (en) | 2013-02-14 |
Family
ID=47676557
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US13/206,927 Abandoned US20130036533A1 (en) | 2011-08-10 | 2011-08-10 | Mouth guard retaining device |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20130036533A1 (en) |
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20170295879A1 (en) * | 2016-04-19 | 2017-10-19 | Pat Fancher | Helmet-mounted mouth guard retainer |
US10820654B1 (en) * | 2019-05-23 | 2020-11-03 | Bryant Kevin Gentry | Mouthguard retaining device |
-
2011
- 2011-08-10 US US13/206,927 patent/US20130036533A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (2)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20170295879A1 (en) * | 2016-04-19 | 2017-10-19 | Pat Fancher | Helmet-mounted mouth guard retainer |
US10820654B1 (en) * | 2019-05-23 | 2020-11-03 | Bryant Kevin Gentry | Mouthguard retaining device |
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Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |