| CPC A63B 71/085 (2013.01) [A47G 21/00 (2013.01)] | 28 Claims |
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1. An eating assistance device comprising:
a curved plate sized and configured to (i) be disposed within an oral cavity of a mouth such that a cheek and an ipsilateral portion of lips are disposed on opposing sides of the curved plate relative to adjacent teeth, (ii) follow an exterior contour of the adjacent teeth along a lateral side of the mouth, and (iii) span a gap between top and bottom teeth of the adjacent teeth when a jaw within the mouth is opened to chew, in order to retain food items within the oral cavity, wherein (i) the curved plate includes a top edge, a bottom edge, and opposing side edges forming an outer periphery of the curved plate, (ii) the curved plate has first and second opposing surfaces each bound within the outer periphery, (iii) the first surface is concave in a direction extending between the opposing side edges, and (iv) the second surface is convex in the direction extending between the opposing side edges, and (v) the top and bottom edges are substantially parallel;
a handle extending (i) from the curved plate and (ii) disposed on an exterior of the mouth when the curved plate is disposed within the oral cavity-cavity; and
a link (i) securing the curved plate to the handle, (ii) directly attached to the second surface of the curved plate, and (iii) positing the handle such that a proximal end of the handle is configured to sit in front of the lips on an ipsilateral side of the mouth, and a body of the handle is configured to extend outward from the proximal end of the handle when the curved plate is disposed within the oral cavity, and wherein the curved plate, handle, and link are each symmetrical along a common plane.
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