• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    A device and method for clearing the wax out of a patient's ear is disclosed. The device utilizes a valve to provide a continuous flow of irrigant at a predetermined pressure and a collector for collecting the wax that has been removed.
    公开号:CA2284411A1
    申请号:C2284411
    申请日:1999-09-30
    公开日:2000-04-01
    发明作者:Vito Forte
    申请人:Vito Forte；
    IPC主号:A61F11-00
    专利说明:
    EAR WAX IRRIGATION SYSTEMBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing ear wax.The accumulation of wax in the human ear is a natural occurrence but may lead to a temporary loss of hearing or to more serious medical conditions.Currently wax is removed by using a syringe and squirting warm water into the ear until all the wax has been diluted. Even a small amount of wax may require a significant amount of water to remove it so it is necessary to refill the syringe with water many times. Not only is this very time consuming, it is also a messy process because there is no method of collecting the wax-water mixture. The rate of dissolution can be increased by elevating the temperature of the water but if it is not at or very close to body temperature the patient may experience dizziness.Moreover, this process is potentially dangerous because it is possible to rupture a patient's eardrum if the water is projected with too great an applied pressure. The current methods therefore do not provide an efficient, safe method to permit removal of ear wax.It is the object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for removing ear wax from a patient's ear that is safer and more efficient than the methods that are currently available. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn general terms, the present invention provides an apparatus for clearing the wax out of a patient's ear, the apparatus including a source to provide continuous fluid flow; a tube in communication with the source to carry the fluid into the ear; and a regulator to regulate the pressure of the fluid delivered to the ear at a predetermined level.In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for clearing the wax out of a patient's ear and retrieving it, the apparatus including a source to provide continuous fluid flow; a tube in communication with the source to carry the fluid into the ear; a regulator to regulate the pressure of the fluid delivered to the ear at a predetermined level; and a collector to collect the efflux of the wax from the ear.Preferably, the apparatus includes a tube that is flexible.SAs a further preference, the apparatus includes a nozzle attached to the end of the tube to direct the fluid into the ear.Preferably, the collection device includes a tray for collecting the wax; a conduit in communication with the tray; and a suction device for providing suction to the tube; the suction device being operable to discharge into a receptacle for disposal of wax.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSAn embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a schematic representation of the components of the apparatus Figure 2 is a schematic representation of the handpiece DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTSAs shown in figure 1, the apparatus 1 consists of an irngation system 2 and a retrieval system 4. A water source (not shown) such as a conventional mixer faucet supplies fluid to the apparatus which is primarily contained in a housing 3.Refernng to figure 1, the apparatus 1 consists of a supply duct 28 that has a connector 31 for connection to the source and splits into a pair of branches 29, 30. Branch 29 supplies the irrigation system 2 and branch 30 supplies the retrieval system 4.The irrigation system 2 includes a pressure control valve 6, which can be any standard pressure regulating device such as the Adjustable General Purpose Regulator Type R06 available for C.A. Norgren Company, that receives fluid from branch 29 of the supply duct 28 and delivers fluid to an outlet port 32 at a predetermined controlled pressure. Typically the pressure is adjustable between 0 and 760 mm Hg, and is usually operated in the range 300-700 mm Hg, and is usually in the range 300-700 mm Hg. The pressure is adjustable by manipulation of knob 7 by a user. Outlet port 32 is connected to a reservoir 8 that receives water from the pressure control valve 6 and temporarily stores it. Water from the reservoir 8 flows through a reservoir port 34, which is connected to a temperature sensor 26 that measures the water temperature. Temperature sensor 26 provides an audible "beep" if the water is outside a predefined range. A visible gauge may also be provided. If preferred a valve override may be controlled by the temperature sensor to prevent flow if the temperature is outside the range.A flexible duct 36 extends from the temperature sensor 26 to a handpiece 20. Handpiece includes a detachable nozzle 10 that is elongated to allow insertion into ear. Handpiece 20 includes a body 54 with a duct 56 passing through. The body 54 supports nozzle 10 which has an internal bore 58 aligned with the duct 56 to receive flow from the flexible duct 36 to an outlet 42. Nozzle 10 has an outer surface contoured to allow it to be inserted into a patient's ear (not 15 shown). A flow valve 22 is located on the body of the handpiece 20, which can control the flow through the bore 58 from the nozzle outlet 40 at any time.As shown in figure l, a manually operable valve 12 controls operation of the retrieval system 4. The retrieval system includes a collection tray 16 that is located under the patient's ear 20 to catch the diluted wax. The tray 16 is connected to a retrieval tube 18 and diluted wax is drawn through the retrieval tube 18 from the tray 16. Suction is applied to the retrieval tube by a venturi 14. When the valve 12 is open, the venturi 14 receives part of the water flow from the source, which travels through the retrieval branch 30. The venturi 14 includes a venturi duct 48 that is connected to the valve 12, and an overflow tube 24 that is attached to the end of the venturi duct 48. The overflow tube 24 has a larger diameter than the venturi duct 48 and is where the water exits the venturi 14.A low pressure zone 52 is located downstream of the venturi 14 where the water from the venturi duct 48 spills into the overflow tube 24. A partial vacuum is created as a result of the low pressure zone 52 which causes diluted wax to be drawn from the collection tray 16 through the retrieval tube 18. The diluted wax exits the system through the overflow tube 24 along with the water from the venturi duct 48.Now that the apparatus has been adequately described, the mode of operation of the S device will be described. Refernng to figure 1, water flows from a source into the irrigation system 2 at an arbitrary rate through supply duct 28 that is connected to the source by the connector 31. The user selects the pressure at which the water will enter the ear at the start up of the system using knob 7, although it can be adjusted at any time. The water passes through the pressure control device 6 and emerges from the outlet port 32 with the user selected pressure. It then travels to the reservoir 8, which is incorporated for safety purposes to avoid large fluctuations in temperature. Upon leaving the reservoir 8 through the reservoir port 34, the water temperature is measured by the temperature sensor 26. The user then checks the temperature in order to ensure that the water entering the patient's ear is acceptable. From the temperature sensor 26 the water flows into a flexible duct 36 that is attached to the handpiece 20.Referring to figure 2, the water flows from the flexible duct 36 through the duct outlet 42 which is attached to the duct 56 that is housed in the body 54. The water then flows through the bore of the nozzle 10 and into the patient's ear through the nozzle outlet 40. The user can switch the flow on and off as desired throughout the operation by adjusting the flow valve 22 that is located on the handpiece 20.Refernng to figure 1, the retrieval system 4 is activated when the user switches the valve 12 to the ON position. The irrigation system 2 is still operable when the retrieval system 4 is activated. The collection tray 16 is placed under the patient's ear in order to collect the diluted wax produced by the irngation process. With the valve 12 open, part of the water continues through to the irngation system 2 and part of it travels through the retrieval branch 44 to the venturi 14. The water travels through the venturi duct 48 and into the overflow tube 24 where a low pressure zone 52 is created. The difference in pressure forces the wax mixture to be drawn through the retrieval tube 18 which is attached to the collection tray 16. The water from the venturi 14 and the wax from the collection tray 16 exit the system through the overflow tube 24.
    Although the invention has been described with reference to certain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.
    权利要求:
    Claims (11)
    [1] 1. An apparatus for clearing the wax out of a patient's ear, said apparatus including a source to provide continuous fluid flow; a tube in communication with said source to carry said fluid into said ear; and a regulator to regulate the pressure of said fluid delivered to said ear at a predetermined level.
    [2] 2. An apparatus as in claim 1 where said tube is flexible.
    [3] 3. An apparatus as in claim 1 where a nozzle is attached to the end of said tube to direct said fluid into said ear.
    [4] 4. An apparatus as in claim 1 including a valve to control said fluid flow said valve being selectively operable by the user to control said fluid flow.
    [5] 5. An apparatus as in claim 1 including a temperature sensor to report the temperature of said fluid flow prior to said fluid flow entering said ear.
    [6] 6. An apparatus as in claim 1 including a reservoir to contain said fluid located between said source and said ear.
    [7] 7. An apparatus for clearing the wax out of a patient's ear and retrieving it, said apparatus including a source to provide continuous fluid flow; a tube in communication with said source to carry said fluid into said ear; a regulator to regulate the pressure of said fluid;and a collector to collect the efflux of said wax from said ear.
    [8] 8. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the collection device includes a tray for collecting said wax; a conduit in communication with said tray; a suction device for providing suction to said tube; the suction device being operable to discharge into a receptacle for disposal of wax.
    [9] 9. An apparatus as in claim 8 where the tube is flexible.
    [10] 10. An apparatus as in claim 8 where the suction device for providing suction to said tube is provided by a venturi.
    [11] 11. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein said collection device to retrieve said wax from said ear is provided with a valve to control operation of the device.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    法律状态:
    2004-08-16| EEER| Examination request|
    2007-09-04| FZDE| Dead|
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    US16504998A| true| 1998-10-01|1998-10-01||
    US09/165,049||1998-10-01||
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