Pressure Relief Mouthpiece and Water Sports Equipment Having the Same

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Prov. Ser. No. 63/570,960 filed on Mar. 28, 2024, which is incorporated in its entirety by reference.

The present invention relates to a pressure relief mouthpiece for a water sports equipment used, for example, for swimming training, snorkeling, scuba diving or other water activities (including both surface and underwater activities).

Nowadays, there is a wide variety of water sports equipment available, e.g., swimming goggles for swimmers, masks for snorkeling, and oxygen supply equipment for scuba diving. Among them, many equipments are required to have mouthpieces, such as the breathing pipes for swimming training, breathing pipes of two-piece snorkel masks, and even second-stage regulators or octopuses for scuba diving. For example,shows a one-piece breathing pipefor swimming training, in which a mouthpiece Mis provided at the lower end portion thereof. In addition,shows a two-piece breathing pipeof a snorkel mask, in which a mouthpiece Mis provided at the lower end portion thereof likewise.

To enhance the comfort of containing mouthpieces, manufacturers currently make various improvements to the contact surfaces of the mouthpieces. For instance, they may provide anti-slip structures to the surfaces that come into contact with the teeth of the user or use softer and more comfortable materials (e.g., adopting gel-filled pouches) for the containing-related parts to reduce the load on the user's teeth to bite. For example, as shown in, the mouthpiece Mfeatures a plurality of concave and convex patterns Con the tooth-contacting surface F. However, these measures are all improvements based on the assumption that the user's teeth bite the mouthpiece hard.

However, in actual use, the most comfortable situation for the user to contain the mouthpiece is that the upper and lower jaws (i.e., the upper and lower rows of teeth) are in a relaxed state with a small gap therebetween. This situation carries out activities for a longer period of time (i.e., in the situation when the user's teeth do not bite the mouthpiece so hard). Otherwise, the muscles around the mouth will quickly become sore in a short period of time, affecting the enjoyment of snorkeling. Therefore, the existing improvements still fail to meet practical needs, because snorkelers do not contain the mouthpiece very hard most of the time during activities, and thus, the improvements made to the teeth contact surfaces of a mouthpiece have very limited effectiveness. As shown in, in order to address the above issue, some manufacturers have incorporated a bridge Bwithin the mouthpiece M. When the user relaxes his/her mouth to bite, the bridge Bcan still support the user's palate, preventing the mouthpiece from falling off. However, this design causes discomfort to the soft tissue of the user's palate and creates a noticeable foreign sensation in the mouth.

In view of this, how to improve the structure of the mouthpiece to solve some or all of the above problems has become the research and development goal of the industry.

The main objective of the present invention is to provide a pressure relief mouthpiece for a water sports equipment, in which each of the left and right sidewalls of the mouthpiece is formed with a hollow structure, and the hollow structure has an upper wall and a lower wall separated from the upper wall. In this design, a cushion space is inherently formed between the upper wall and the lower wall so that the upper row of teeth and the lower row of teeth of the user can be elastically abutted against the upper wall and the lower wall, respectively, allowing the upper and lower rows of teeth of the user to have room to be proximal to or distal from each other, and well sustaining the user's mouth to be in a slightly open natural state. This enables the user to stably and durably contain the mouthpiece.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention discloses a pressure relief mouthpiece for a water sports equipment. The pressure relief mouthpiece includes a first connecting portion being configured to connect to the water sports equipment, and a second connecting portion being configured to be contained by a mouth of a user and being in communication with the first connecting portion. The second connecting portion has an annular curved wall. The annular curved wall has a first hollow structure and a second hollow structure formed on a left side and a right side thereof, respectively. The first hollow structure includes a first upper wall, a first lower wall opposite to the first upper wall, a first inner wall connecting the first upper wall and the first lower wall, and a first limiting wall disposed upward and downward from the first inner wall. The second hollow structure includes a second upper wall, a second lower wall opposite to the second upper wall, a second inner wall connecting the second upper wall and the second lower wall, and a second limiting wall disposed upward and downward from the second inner wall. when the second connecting portion is contained by the mouth of the user, an upper left row of teeth and a lower left row of teeth of the user are configured to contact the first upper wall and the first lower wall of the first hollow structure, respectively, and an upper right row of teeth and a lower right row of teeth of the user are configured to contact the second upper wall and the second lower wall of the second hollow structure, respectively.

In an example, the first hollow structure has a first opening defined by the first upper wall, the first lower wall and the first inner wall, and the second hollow structure has a second opening defined by the second upper wall, the second lower wall and the second inner wall.

In any of the above examples, each of the first opening and the second opening has a width ranging between 2.2 mm and 15 mm, and each of the first upper wall, the second upper wall, the first lower wall and the second lower wall has a thickness ranging between 0.8 mm and 5 mm.

In any of the above examples, each of the first hollow structure and the second hollow structure has a rounded U-shape, a cornered U-shape or a V-shape cross section. In any of the above examples, the first hollow structure has a first reinforced device and the second hollow structure has a second reinforced device.

In an example, the first reinforced device includes at least one first transverse rib disposed between the first upper wall and the first lower wall of the first hollow structure, and the second reinforced device includes at least one second transverse rib disposed between the second upper wall and the second lower wall of the second hollow structure.

In an example, the first reinforced device includes at least one first longitudinal rib disposed between the first upper wall and the first lower wall of the first hollow structure, and the second reinforced device includes at least one second longitudinal rib disposed between the second upper wall and the second lower wall of the second hollow structure.

In an example, the first reinforced device includes a plurality of first protrusions disposed between the first upper wall and the first lower wall of the first hollow structure, and the second reinforced device includes a plurality of second protrusions disposed between the second upper wall and the second lower wall of the second hollow structure.

In any of the above examples, each of the first hollow structure and the second hollow structure is detachably connected to the left side and the right side of the annular curved wall, respectively.

In any of the above examples, each of the left side and the right side of the annular curved wall is formed with a groove structure, whereby increasing a lateral movement range of each of the first hollow structure and the second hollow structure.

In any of the above examples, the pressure relief mouthpiece further includes a multi-folded structure integrally formed between the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion so as to increase flexural freedom of the second connecting portion with respect to the first connecting portion.

In addition, based on the same objective as above, the present invention discloses a water sports equipment including a mask, a breathing pipe and a pressure relief mouthpiece of any of the above examples. The mask is configured to cover eyes and a nose of a user. The breathing pipe has an upper end portion and a lower end portion. The upper end portion provides air inlet and outlet. A fastener is provided between the upper end portion and the lower end portion to connect to the mask. The pressure relief mouthpiece is provided at the lower end portion of the breathing pipe.

It shall be appreciated that the following description of the embodiments is only to explain the contents of the present invention, but not to limit the invention as claimed. Elements not directly related to the present invention are omitted from the description, and the dimensions as depicted for all elements in the drawings are just for easy understanding and do not intend to limit their actual scales. In addition, the used “upper,” “lower,” “front,” “back,” “left,” “right,” “inner,” “outer,” or the like adjectives defined in the descriptions are referred to by the direction of the user himself/herself. They are only relative relationships and are not limitative. When the element names involve “first” and “second,” and only the detailed structure of one of them is described, it means that both have the same structure, especially a symmetrical structure. Therefore, further repetition of the description will be omitted below.

As shown in, the present invention provides a pressure relief mouthpiecethat can be used for a water sports equipment, such as a mouthpiece-type breathing pipe for snorkeling or any water sports equipment with a mouthpiece.

The pressure relief mouthpieceincludes a first connecting portionand a second connecting portionopposite to the first connecting portion. The first connecting portionis configured to connect to a water sports equipment (e.g., the lower end portion of a breathing pipe). The second connecting portionis configured to be contained by a mouth of a user and is communication with the first connecting portion.

The second connecting portionhas an annular curved wallwith a first hollow structure Hand a second hollow structure Hformed on the left and right sides of the annular curved wall, respectively. The first hollow structure Hincludes a first upper wall H, a first lower wall Hopposite to the first upper wall H, a first inner wall Hconnecting the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall H, and a first limiting wall Hprovided on the first inner wall Hand disposed upward and downward from the first inner wall H. Similarly, the second hollow structure Hincludes a second upper wall H, a second lower wall Hopposite to the second upper wall H, a second inner wall Hconnecting the second upper wall Hand the second lower wall H, and a second limiting wall Hprovided on the second inner wall Hand disposed upward and downward from the second inner wall H.

When the second connecting portionis contained by the mouth of the user, an upper left row of teeth and a lower left row of teeth of the user are configured to contact the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall Hof the first hollow structure H, respectively, and an upper right row of teeth and a lower right row of teeth of the user are configured to contact the second upper wall Hand the second lower wall Hof the second hollow structure H, respectively. As such, the annular curved wallis suitably accommodated between the upper gums and upper lip of the user, as well as between the lower gums and lower lip of the user. In addition, the left upper and lower rows of teeth of the user are confined between the left side of the annular curved walland the first limiting wall Hof the first hollow structure H, while the right upper and lower lows of teeth of the user are confined between the right side of the annular curved walland the second limiting wall Hof the second hollow structure H, thereby achieving the effect of positioning the entire pressure relief mouthpiecein the user's mouth. In this design, two spaces are formed between the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall Hand between the second upper wall Hand the second lower wall H, respectively, to provide relative elastic cushion capabilities for the upper and lower rows of teeth.

Preferably, the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hcan be made of thermosetting silicone rubber or thermoplastic plastic material, and have a Shore A hardness ranging between 30 and 90.

In addition, as shown in, from the top view of the pressure relief mouthpiece, the first hollow structure Hhas a first opening H, and the second hollow structure Hhas a second opening H. The first opening His defined by the first upper wall H, the first lower wall Hand the first inner wall H. The second opening His defined by the second upper wall H, the second lower wall Hand the second inner wall H.

Each of the first opening Hand the second opening Hpreferably has a width W ranging between 2.2 mm and 15 mm. Each of the first upper wall H, the second upper wall H, the first lower wall Hand the second lower wall Hpreferably has a thickness T ranging between 0.8 mm and 5 mm. In this way, a supporting height H ranging between 3 mm and 20 mm can be achieved for the upper and lower rows of teeth of the user. Preferably, the width W of each opening ranges between 6 mm and 10 mm, and the thickness T of each upper wall and each lower wall ranges between 1.5 mm and 3 mm. With this configuration, the supporting height H for the upper and lower rows of teeth of the user can reach 7.5 mm to 13 mm.

Each of the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hmay have a rounded U-shape, a cornered U-shape or a V-shape cross section.illustrates that each of the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hhas a cornered U-shape cross section. In another embodiment, as illustrated in, each of the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpiecehas a V-shape cross section. In yet another embodiment, as illustrated in, each of the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpiecehas a rounded U-shape cross section.

Based on the above hollow structures (i.e., the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure H), a considerable gap is formed between the upper wall and the lower wall of each hollow structure. This gap is sufficient to abut against both the upper row of teeth and the lower row of teeth, allowing the user' mouth to remain slightly open in a natural state, thereby achieving the effect of stably containing the mouthpiece without causing fatigue to the muscles near the user's mouth. Additionally, when the user intermittently wants to contain the mouthpiece harder and move the upper and lower rows of teeth closer together, there will be no obstruction due to the existence of the gap. In other words, this structure elastically allows the upper wall and the lower wall to be proximal to and distal from each other, while maintaining a distance at their original state that can abut against the user's upper and lower rows of teeth. Therefore, the user can often keep his/her mouth slightly open and relaxed.

In addition, to maintain the distance between the upper wall and the lower wall at all times and prevent them from collapsing, a reinforced device can be added to each hollow structure to improve its strength, thereby reducing the need to thicken the upper wall and the lower wall. In detail, as shown in, the first hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpiecemay have a first reinforced device Rincluding at least one first transverse rib. Each first transverse ribis disposed between the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall Hof the first hollow structure H, e.g., two ends thereof connect to the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall H. Likewise, the second hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpiecemay have a second reinforced device Rincluding at least one second transverse rib. Each second transverse ribis disposed between the second upper wall Hand the second lower wall Hof the second hollow structure H.

In another embodiment, as shown in, the first reinforced device Rof the first hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpiecemay also include at least one first longitudinal rib. Each first longitudinal ribis disposed between the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall Hof the first hollow structure H. Preferably, two first longitudinal ribsare disposed on the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall H, respectively. Likewise, the second reinforced device Rof the second hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpiecemay also include at least one second longitudinal rib. Each second longitudinal ribis disposed between the second upper wall Hand the second lower wall Hof the second hollow structure H.

In yet another embodiment, as shown in, the first reinforced device Rof the first hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpiecemay also include a plurality of first protrusionsdisposed between the first upper wall Hand the first lower wall Hof the first hollow structure H. Likewise, the second reinforced device Rof the second hollow structure Hof the pressure relief mouthpieceincludes a plurality of second protrusionsdisposed between the second upper wall Hand the second lower wall Hof the second hollow structure H.

In the above examples and embodiments, the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hare integrally formed on the left and right sides of the annular curved wall, respectively. However, in yet another embodiment, the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hmay be made into independent parts and respectively fixedly or detachably coupled to the left and right sides of the annular curved wall, such as the pressure relief mouthpieceshown in.

In addition, in an embodiment, as shown in, the pressure relief mouthpiecemay be formed with a groove structure Gon the left and right sides of the annular curved wall(for illustrative purposes, only one side is shown). Preferably, the groove structure Gis formed with a plurality of parallel narrow grooves with a continuous convex-concave shaped cross section. This design increases the possibility of the first hollow structure Hand the second hollow structure Hbeing proximal to or distal from each other. In other words, this design increases the lateral (i.e., left-right) movement range of the annular curved wall. Thus, because the annular curved wallhas more freedom to expand outward and contract inward, when the user contains the mouthpiece, it can be adapted to a more correct and comfortable position according to the different distances between the left and right rows of teeth, so as to be suitable for more users with mouths of different shapes or sizes.

The groove structure Gon each of the left and right sides of the annular curved wallmay have at least one of a continuous zigzag shaped cross section S(as shown in), a continuous rectangular shaped cross section S(as shown in), and a continuous convex-concave shaped cross section S(as shown in).

In addition, in an embodiment, as shown in, the pressure relief mouthpiecemay have a multi-folded structure MFintegrally formed between the first connecting portionand the second connecting portion. The multi-folded structure MFcan increase the flexural freedom of the second connecting portionrelative to the first connecting portion, thereby further reducing the traction burden caused by incorrect mouthpiece position, making it more convenient to use. The multi-folded structure MFmay be made of thermosetting silicone rubber or thermoplastic plastic material with a Shore A hardness ranging between 20 and 70.

Similarly, the multi-folded structure MFmay also have at least one of a continuous zigzag shaped cross section S(as shown in), a continuous rectangular shaped cross section S(as shown in), and a continuous convex-concave shaped cross section S(as shown in).

In addition, in an embodiment, as shown in, the pressure relief mouthpiecemay incorporate both the groove structure Gshown inand the multi-folded structure MFshown in. This combination could provide maximum flexural freedom for the mouthpiece, both in terms of the width of containing or the direction where the mouthpiece extends.

In addition to breathing pipes for swimming training and the second-stage regulators or octopuses for scuba diving, the above pressure relief mouthpieces of the present invention can also be used in the two-piece snorkel equipment (i.e., a breathing pipe in combination with a diving mask that is not in communication with the breathing pipe), or even other types of diving masks, such as the one-piece snorkel equipment with a mouthpiece developed by the inventor of the present invention (i.e., a breathable mask in which the breathing pipe and the mask body are in communication with each other).

Taking a two-piece snorkel equipment as an example, as shown in, the water sports equipmentincludes a mask, a breathing pipeand a pressure relief mouthpieceas described in any of the above examples or embodiments (i.e., the pressure relief mouthpieces,,,,,,,,,). The maskis configured to cover eyes and a nose of a user. The breathing pipehas an upper end portionand a lower end portionopposite to the upper end portion. The upper end portionprovides air inlet and outlet. A fasteneris disposed between the upper end portionand the lower end portionto be connected to the mask. The pressure relief mouthpieceis provided at the lower end portionof the breathing pipe.

The focus of the present invention lies in the hollow structures on either side of the above mouthpieces. How other parts are designed, or what kind of water sports equipment it is used for are not the focus of this invention. Any modifications based on the above core technology of the present invention are intended to be protected. Consequently, the above embodiments are used only to illustrate the implementations of the present invention and to explain the technical features of the present invention, and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. Any modifications or equivalent arrangements that can be easily accomplished by those skilled in the art are considered to fall within the scope of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention should be limited by the claims of the patent application.