Prior art

To identify the most relevant prior art for US patent 12290418, I will examine the "Cited By" and "Citations" sections of the patent document. Prior art includes any public information known before the effective filing date of a patent application that might anticipate or make obvious the claimed invention. This can include previously granted U.S. patents, published U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, and other published materials.

For each cited reference, I will extract the full citation, publication/filing date, a brief description of its relevance, and assess which claim(s) of US12290418 it potentially anticipates under 35 U.S.C. § 102. Anticipation under 35 U.S.C. § 102 means that a single prior art reference discloses every limitation of a claim, either expressly or inherently.

Given the extensive list of citations (127 "Citations" and 39 "Families Citing this family"), I will focus on the references that appear to be most frequently cited or directly relate to the core elements of the claimed invention in US12290418, as described in its independent claims (Claims 1, 11, and 20). I will prioritize the "Cited By" section, as these are patents that cite US12290418, which might indicate a close relationship in the field, then the "Citations" which are cited by US12290418. I will select a representative sample from each to illustrate the prior art landscape.

Here's an analysis of the most relevant prior art for US patent 12290418:

Prior Art Cited by US12290418 (Selected Examples)

The patent US12290418 lists numerous prior art documents. The following are examples of highly relevant prior art that may potentially anticipate claims of US12290418 under 35 U.S.C. § 102.

• US 8,911,232 B2 (Incept, Inc.)

  • Full Citation: US8911232B2 - Intraoral dental suction and isolation system.
  • Publication Date: 2014-12-16 (Filing Date: 2013-12-09).
  • Description: This patent describes an intraoral dental suction and isolation system, featuring a mouthpiece with a main body, a cheek retractor, and a suction connector. It discusses a one-piece molded design, flexible material (silicone), perforations for suction, and an internal bridge structure to prevent wall collapse during suction. This patent is a direct continuation of earlier applications and is part of the same patent family as US12290418, indicating strong conceptual overlap.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Claims 1, 11, and 20. The extensive description of a one-piece molded mouthpiece with main body, cheek retractor, and suction connector, including perforations and an internal bridge for suction, directly anticipates many features across all independent claims. For instance, the main body with perforations and a bridge structure (wave-like with crests and troughs) for fluid suction is explicitly described and closely aligns with elements of Claims 1, 11, and 20.

• US 9,788,924 B2 (Dryshield, LLC)

  • Full Citation: US9788924B2 - Intraoral device with bridge.
  • Publication Date: 2017-10-17 (Filing Date: 2012-12-07).
  • Description: This patent focuses on an intraoral device with a bridge structure to maintain separation between walls during suction. Given its priority date and "Intraoral device with bridge" title, it is highly likely to disclose the core bridge structure element. This patent shares the same priority date as US12290418 and is also likely part of the same family, indicating it describes a highly similar or identical invention.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Claims 1, 11, and 20. Specifically, the "plurality of crests of a wave-like structure is formed on an interior surface of the second wall to provide contact points with the first wall, and a plurality of troughs of the wave-like structure provides gaps between adjacent ones of the plurality of crests for allowing the suctioning of fluid through the plurality of troughs" (Claim 1) is directly addressed.

• US 11,744,686 B2 (Solmetex, LLC)

  • Full Citation: US11744686B2 - Intraoral device.
  • Publication Date: 2023-09-05 (Filing Date: 2014-03-27).
  • Description: This patent is another family member, a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/228,057, which itself claims priority to the same provisional application as US12290418. It therefore describes a highly similar intraoral device with a main body, cheek retractor, and suction connector, made of flexible, autoclavable material, with features like perforations and an internal bridge.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Claims 1, 11, and 20. Given its direct lineage from the same priority application, it is highly probable to anticipate all novel features across the independent claims of US12290418.

• US 8,529,256 B2 (Innerlite, Inc.)

  • Full Citation: US8529256B2 - Air water vacuum syringe and method of use.
  • Publication Date: 2013-09-10 (Filing Date: 2009-11-05).
  • Description: While not directly a mouthpiece, this patent relates to dental suction systems and may describe mechanisms for fluid evacuation or components that could be adapted for integration into a mouthpiece. It addresses "air water vacuum syringe," which implies components for fluid removal, a core function of the suction connector portion of US12290418.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Potentially Claim 1 and 11, specifically regarding the "tubular conduit including an opening extending through the conduit and in fluid communication with the plurality of troughs of the wave-like structure, the opening being configured to receive a vacuum portion of the suction system therein." The underlying concept of a vacuum conduit for fluid removal might be anticipated or rendered obvious.

• US 5,037,298 A (Hickham John J.)

  • Full Citation: US5037298A - Apparatus and improved process for removing saliva while retracting cheeks and lips.
  • Publication Date: 1991-08-06 (Filing Date: 1985-11-25).
  • Description: This older patent directly addresses the dual function of saliva removal and cheek/lip retraction, which are key aspects of US12290418. It likely describes a device that combines these functionalities, albeit possibly with different structural implementations.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: The general concept of a device for "saliva removal" and "cheek retraction" could potentially anticipate the broad functionalities claimed in Claims 1, 11, and 20, particularly the existence of a "cheek retractor portion" and mechanisms for fluid removal within a main body. The specific structural details, however, would differentiate the claims.

• US 5,588,836 A (Op-D-Op, Inc.)

  • Full Citation: US5588836A - Mouth prop and tongue deflector apparatus.
  • Publication Date: 1996-12-31 (Filing Date: 1995-10-23).
  • Description: This patent describes a mouth prop and tongue deflector. The inclusion of a "mouth prop" as a component within the suction connector portion of US12290418 (Claims 1 and 11) indicates this patent could be highly relevant for that specific feature.
  • Potential Anticipated Claims: Claims 1 and 11, particularly the "mouth prop including a first side and a second side that are inwardly tapered from a top surface of the mouth prop towards a bottom surface of the mouth prop, the first side and the second side each including a plurality of ridges." While the specifics of the mouth prop in US12290418 might be novel, the general idea of a mouth prop combined with other oral-cavity management functions is shown here.

This analysis highlights that several prior art documents, particularly those within the same patent family, directly address many of the fundamental components and functions described in US12290418. The novelty of US12290418 likely lies in the specific combination, arrangement, and detailed structural features of these elements, such as the precise wave-like structure of the bridge and the specific design of the cheek retractor and suction connector for enhanced hands-free operation and efficiency.