US 11589969

Here's a concise summary of US Patent 11589969:

US Patent 11589969 Summary

• Title: Intraoral device with mesh
• Assignee: Solmetex LLC (Original Assignee); Current Assignee: Incept Inc, Solmetex LLC
• Inventors: Thien Nguyen, Tam Thanh Pham
• Filing Date: March 27, 2014
• Issue Date: February 28, 2023
• Abstract: A dental mouthpiece designed for attachment to a high-suction dental adapter, providing chair-side, hands-free suction and isolation during dental procedures. The mouthpiece includes a main body, a cheek retractor, and a suction connector, which may be molded as a single piece, preferably by injection molding. Made from a flexible, translucent, high heat-resistant, and autoclavable material like silicone, the mouthpiece is reusable. The main body features an enclosed pocket with perforated anterior, posterior, and side walls (forming a mesh), and a longitudinal slit on the anterior wall, facilitating the suction of air, fluids, and debris. An internal wave-shaped bridge structure on the posterior wall maintains separation between the anterior and posterior walls during suction, with troughs allowing fluid passage.

Plain-Language Overview of Independent Claims:

• Claim 1: This claim describes a dental mouthpiece with a main body shaped like a pocket. This pocket has holes (perforations) that lead to an open interior space. One end of the pocket is narrower than the other. The pocket is formed by a front wall and a back wall, which are connected by a side wall. The back wall has a wave-shaped "bridge structure" with several bumps (protrusions) that stick out from its inside surface. These bumps span the distance between the front and back walls, but they are not attached to the front wall. The wave shape includes peaks (crests) and valleys (troughs). The distance between the front and back walls is less than their overall width. The narrower end of the pocket has a "transition portion" that bends flexibly and connects to a cheek retractor, and this transition portion also has perforations.
• Claim 16: This claim outlines a dental mouthpiece that includes a cheek retractor connected to one end of a main body portion. The main body is designed as a pocket with perforations leading to an interior open space. This pocket is defined by a front wall, a back wall, and a connecting side wall. The back wall contains a "bridge structure" with multiple wave-shaped protrusions that extend from its interior surface towards the front wall, but are not attached to it. The pocket's end connected to the cheek retractor is a flexible "transition portion." At the opposite end of the main body, there's a suction connector portion designed to link to a vacuum source, allowing fluids to be drawn from the pocket's interior.
• Claim 19: This claim describes a dental mouthpiece comprising a main body portion that forms a pocket, partially enclosing an inner space. The pocket has a first wall with perforations communicating with the interior space, and a second wall matching the first wall's shape. The second wall features a "bridge structure" with wave-shaped protrusions that extend from its interior surface towards the first wall. A connecting wall joins the edges of the first and second walls. The mouthpiece also includes a suction connector portion at one end of the main body, configured to connect to a vacuum source, and a cheek retractor connected to the opposite end of the main body.

USPTO Database Search:
The details provided above (title, assignee, inventors, filing date, issue date, and abstract) are directly sourced from the Google Patents entry for US11589969B2, which is derived from USPTO records. The patent's legal status is "Active," and it was granted on February 28, 2023.

CAFC 2026 Dockets Search:
A general search of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) scheduled cases for April, May, and June 2026 did not directly reveal any cases specifically listing patent number 11589969. While the patent information indicates "Family has litigation" and mentions a "PTAB case IPR2025-01020 filed (Not Instituted - Procedural)" and a "US case filed in Michigan Western District Court," these are not direct CAFC docket entries. PTAB decisions can be appealed to the CAFC, but no such appeal is explicitly identified in the general CAFC schedules.