Mouthguard and lipguard assembly

Abstract

A protective assembly having a mouthguard adapted to protect a user's teeth, a lipguard for protecting the user's lips releasably connectable to the mouthguard, and a tether strap releasably connectable to the lipguard and having an additional portion connectable to a point of the user's equipment, for example a facemask of a helmet. The mouthguard can have a standard form or be manufactured as a custom-fitted molding.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly, comprising:
 a mouthguard having an outer wall connected to a tray adapted to contact one or more teeth of a user, the mouthguard outer wall having a first, outer surface including a female fitting;   a lipguard having a first side adapted to face a user, the first side including a male fitting adapted to be removably insertable into the female fitting of the mouthguard and retained by a friction fit, the mouthguard having a second side including a female fitting; and   a tether strap having a first end including a male fitting removably insertable into the female fitting of the lipguard and retained by a friction fit.   
     
     
         2 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the mouthguard further includes an inner wall, wherein the outer wall and the inner wall are connected by the tray, and wherein the lipguard first side includes a boss extending outwardly from the first side and wherein the male fitting is connected to a distal end of the boss. 
     
     
         3 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 2 , wherein the male fittings of the tether strap and lipguard each have a head having a greater vertical height than a neck. 
     
     
         4 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 3 , wherein the head of the male fitting of the tether strap is smaller than the head of the male fitting of the lipguard such that less force is required to remove the male fitting of the tether strap from the female fitting of the lipguard as compared to removing the male fitting of the lipguard from the female fitting of the mouthguard. 
     
     
         5 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 4 , wherein the tether strap has a second end including a loop, wherein the tether strap first end includes a seat to which the neck is connected whereby the seat is dimensionally larger than an aperture of the female fitting such that the seat contacts the second side of the lipguard when the male fitting of tether strap is inserted into the female fitting of the lipguard, and wherein the lipguard first end includes a seat to which the neck is connected whereby the seat is dimensionally larger than an aperture of the mouthguard female fitting such that the seat contacts the outer side of the mouthguard when the male fitting of the lipguard is inserted into the female fitting of the mouthguard. 
     
     
         6 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 5 , wherein the first side of the lipguard has a concave shape and the second side of the lipguard has a convex shape, and wherein the boss has a length between the first side and the seat of the lipguard that ranges from about 5 to about 15 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 1 , wherein the first, outer surface including a female fitting is present on an insert that is fixedly connected to a front surface of the mouthguard. 
     
     
         8 . A protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly, comprising:
 a mouthguard having an outer wall and an inner wall connected by a tray adapted to contact one or more teeth of a user, the mouthguard having a first, outer surface including a female fitting;   a lipguard having a first side adapted to face a user, the first side including a boss having a male fitting adapted to be removably insertable into the female fitting of the mouthguard and connected until a first threshold retention force is exceeded, the mouthguard having a second side including a female fitting; and   a tether strap having a first end including a male fitting removably insertable into the female fitting of the lipguard and connected until a second threshold retention force is exceeded, wherein the second threshold retention force is lower than the first threshold retention force.   
     
     
         9 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 8 , wherein the male fittings of the tether strap and lipguard each have a head having a greater vertical height than a neck. 
     
     
         10 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 9 , wherein the head of the male fitting of the tether strap is smaller than the head of the male fitting of the lipguard. 
     
     
         11 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 10 , wherein the tether strap has a second end including a loop, wherein the tether strap first end includes a seat to which the neck is connected whereby the seat is dimensionally larger than an aperture of the female fitting such that the seat contacts the second side of the lipguard when the male fitting of tether strap is inserted into the female fitting of the lipguard. 
     
     
         12 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 11 , wherein the lipguard first end includes a seat to which the neck is connected whereby the seat is dimensionally larger than an aperture of the mouthguard female fitting such that the seat contacts the outer side of the mouthguard when the male fitting of the lipguard is inserted into the female fitting of the mouthguard. 
     
     
         13 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 12 , wherein the first side of the lipguard has a concave shape and the second side of the lipguard has a convex shape, and wherein the boss has a length between the first side and the seat of the lipguard that ranges from about 5 to about 15 mm. 
     
     
         14 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 13 , wherein the first, outer surface including a female fitting is present on an insert that is fixedly connected to a front surface of the mouthguard. 
     
     
         15 . A protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly, comprising;
 a mouthguard having an outer wall and an inner wall connected by a tray adapted to contact one or more teeth of a user, the mouthguard having a first surface including a male fitting;   a lipguard having a first side adapted to face a user, the first side including a female fitting into which the male fitting of the mouthguard is insertable and adapted to be retained until a threshold retention force is exceeded, the lipguard having a second side including a male fitting; and   a tether strap having a first end including a female fitting into which the male fitting of the lipguard is removably insertable and retained until a second threshold retention force is exceeded.   
     
     
         16 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 15 , wherein the second threshold retention force is lower than the first threshold retention force. 
     
     
         17 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 16 , wherein the male fittings of the mouthguard and lipguard each have a head having a greater vertical height than a neck, and wherein the head of the male fitting of the lipguard is smaller than the head of the male fitting of the mouthguard. 
     
     
         18 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 17 , wherein the lipguard first side includes a boss extending outwardly from the first side, and wherein the female fitting is connected to a distal end of the boss. 
     
     
         19 . The protective mouthguard and lipguard assembly according to  claim 18 , wherein the first side of the lipguard has a concave shape and the second side of the lipguard has a convex shape, and wherein the boss has a length between the first side and the seat of the lipguard that ranges from about 5 to about 15 mm.