Appeal 2007-1096
Application 10/872,181
As shown in Fig. 3B (above), a primary magnet (36) is attached to the
uvula (32) (id. at col. 7, ll. 52-60). The secondary magnet (38) is “carried by
. . . less mobile tissue (i.e., the upper teeth) along the roof of the mouth.”
(Id. at col. 7, ll. 61-63.)
Several different embodiments of the primary magnet are illustrated in
Nelson. These include:
a primary round magnet (Fig. 4A) with a stud (42) that fits into a
pierced hole (44) and a backing plate (46) to lock the magnet to the soft
palate and uvula (Nelson, col. 8, ll. 29-38),
a concave primary magnet (36A) configured “to approximate the
contour of the anterior surface of the uvula” (id. at col. 8, l. 63 to col. 9, l. 3;
Fig. 8), and
a primary magnet (36B) having “a bowed configuration to
approximate the contour of the arch of the soft palate” (id. at col. 9, ll. 8-11;
Fig. 10a).
A “backing plate” can be used to “secure attachment” of the primary
magnet to the soft palate (id. at col. 8, ll. 35-36; col. 9, ll. 14-23; Fig. 4A;
Fig. 11).
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Last modified: September 9, 2013