US3818906A

US3818906A - Apparatus for controlling eating and smoking habits

Info

Publication number: US3818906A
Application number: US00311204A
Authority: US
Inventors: J Stubbs
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1972-12-01
Filing date: 1972-12-01
Publication date: 1974-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 1991-06-25

Abstract

Apparatus for reducing the craving for food and tobacco smoke including a flexible resilient member having a central portion received between the lower lip and teeth and a pair of outwardly extending side portions received between the user''s cheeks and the teeth at the sides of the mouth. The central portion has a tab which may be flipped back and forth by the tongue.

Description

United States Patent [191 Stubbs June 25, 1974 APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING EATING AND SMOKING HABITS [76] Inventor: James M. Stubbs, 111 1 Lancaster Ln., Rockingham, NC. 28379 [22] Filed: Dec. 1, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 311,204

[51] Int. Cl. A6lf 5/00 [58] Field of Search 128/136, 359

[56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,145 8/1940 Banander 220/242 3,187,746 6/1965 Gerber 128/359 X 3,224,442 12/1965 Stubbs 128/136 3,295,519 l/ l 967 Gerber 3,587,590 6/1971 Hastings 128/359 Primary Examiner-Channing L. Pace Attorney, Agent, or FirmA. Yates Dowell, Jr.

[ 57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for reducing the craving for food and tobacco smoke including a .flexible resilient member having a central portion received between the lower lip and teeth and a pair of outwardly extending side portions received between the users cheeks and the teeth at the sides of the mouth. The central portion has a tab which may be flipped b ack and forth by the tongue.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING EATING AND SMOKING HABITS BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to the overall well being and health of an individual and relates particularly to apparatus for controlling or satiating the craving experienced by many which is satisfied orally by eating and smoking.

a 2. Description of the Prior Art It is recognized by some authorities that many persons overeat, drink and smoke for the purpose of meeting a psychological need. In the past most efforts for overcoming the psychological need have been directed to the use of will power with little effort being directed toward apparatus to assist in overcoming the need. Although many devices have been provided for the oral cavity or mouth of a person, most of these devices have been in the form of dentures of various kinds, as well as devices for inhibiting snoring such as US. Pat. No. 3,132,657 to Corniello and British Pat. 874,480 to Le Galley et al. Mitchell US. Pat. No. 2,142,614 discloses a mouthpiece for a corpse. My previous US. Pat. No. 3,224,442 is directed to apparatus to assist in overcoming the psychological need to eat and smoke; however, this invention is an improvement over my previous pa tent.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention is an apparatus received within the oral cavity or mouth of a person to assist in controlling or overcoming the psychological need to eat more than is necessary or to smoke tobacco products. The apparatus includes a flexible member of sheet material of a configuration to be received between the teeth and the cheeks and lower lip and having a portion projecting inwardly into proximity with the tongue.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus which a'person can place in his mouth and which causes salivary fluids to flow to help control or satiate the psychological need to overeat or smoke.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective illustrating one application of FIG. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 7

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With further reference to the drawing, a mouthpiece 10 of flexible, resilient, chemically inert material is provided having a relatively thin narrow central portion 11 integrally connected to outwardly extending enlarged side portions or

wings

12 and 13. As illustrated best in FIG. 3, the lower edge of the central portion 11 and the lower edges of the

side portions

12 and 13 are substantially coextensive in a gentle curve while the upper edges of the side portions curve upwardly to provide a teardrop shape for the side portions. Each of the

side portions

12 and 13 is provided with one or more score lines 14 on at least the front surface thereof and such score lines are used as guide lines for altering the size of the mouthpiece with scissors or other sharp instruments.

An upwardly extending tab 15 is integrally formed with the central portion 11 and such tab includes a head 16 connected by a reduced neck 17 to the central portion. In order to facilitate more flexible movement of the tab 1 5 ,the neck 17 is provided with relatively wide recesses 18 in both the front and rear surfaces of the neckto provide a portion of reduced thickness and increased flexibility. The head 16 includes at least one score line 19 for use as a guide in reducing the size of the head.

The entire mouthpiece is molded of one-piece construction and can be molded from rubber or from a thermoplastic synthetic organic polymeric resin such as the acrylics, styrenes and modified styrenes, vinyls, polyethylene and the; like which are non-absorbent, flexible, tasteless and chemically inert so that the mouthpiece can remain in the mouth for extended periods of time while the user is awake without irritation or discomfort. It has been found that a molded rubber product-marketed by Shell Chemical Company and designated as Kraton 2109 is well suited for this purpose.

In the use of the device, the mouthpiece 10 iscurved generally to the configuration of a persons lower jaw and is inserted into the mouth with the central portion 11 located between the lower lip and the lowerincisor teeth, while the

side portions

12 and 13 extend rearwardly to a position between the cheeks and the molars. The tab 15 extends over the incisors and into proximity with the tongue so that the user can toy with the tab either consciously or unconsciously. Due to the presence of a foreign body within the mouth, a person s salivary glands will excrete saliva which at least par tially fills the psychological need to overeat or to smoke tobacco products.

1 I claim:

1. Apparatus for reducing the psychological need of excessive caloric intake, as well as the need for smoking tobacco comprising a flexible resilient sheet member of substantially chemically inert non-absorbent material, said member having a central portion and a pair of side portions, said central portion being of narrow width and of a length to fit between the lower lip and the lower incisor teeth of a user, said side portions being integrally connected to said central portion and having an enlarged substantially teardrop configuration, said side portions adapted to fit between the cheeks and the molar teeth of the lower jaw of the user, and flexible resilient tab means integrally connected to said central portion and extending generally upwardly from the upper edge thereof when said central portion is positioned between the .incisor teeth and lower lip of the user and being bendable rearwardly over the lower cilitating reduction in size of said member.

Claims

1. Apparatus for reducing the psychological need of excessive caloric intake, as well as the need for smoking tobacco comprising a flexible resilient sheet member of substantially chemically inert non-absorbent material, said member having a central portion and a pair of side portions, said central portion being of narrow width and of a length to fit between the lower lip and the lower incisor teeth of a user, said side portions being integrally connected to said central portion and having an enlarged substantially teardrop configuration, said side portions adapted to fit between the cheeks and the molar teeth of the lower jaw of the user, and flexible resilient tab means integrally connected to said central portion and extending generally upwardly from the upper edge thereof when said central portion is positioned between the incisor teeth and lower lip of the user and being bendable rearwardly over the lower incisor teeth of the user, whereby when said member is inserted into the mouth of the user said tab means may be manipulated both horizontally and vertically by the tongue of the user.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which said tab means has a portion of reduced thickness intermediate its length to facilitate movement of said tab means by the user''s tongue.

3. The structure of claim 1 in which each of said side portions and said tab means includes guide lines for facilitating reduction in size of said member.