US2843019A - Combination mirror and flushing device - Google Patents

Description

July 15, 1958 L. cLARsoN COMBINATION MIRROR ANO FLUSHING DEVICE Filed June 15, 1955 la l l u, n

INVENTOR. LAR/PY C. Meso/v United States Patent- O 2,843,019 COMBINATION MIRROR AND FLUSHINGDEVICE Larry C. Larson, EagleBend, Minn.

l Application June 15 1955, -Serial;No.. 515',666 2 claims. r(c1.'8s.;104)

This invention'relates to mirrors .and istparticularly concerned with mirror combinations includingzvfluid ow means and controls thereforoperable to-facilitatesthe use of the mirror.

Hand mirrors particularly designed fork use in confined, spaces and generally characterized by a small, usually circular mirror, mounted at an angle, 1o an elongated slender manipulating handle,`have long been known. Such mirrors are widely used inthe inspection of. body cavities, as in dentistry, and are also commonly1 employed in machine tool operations for the inspection of close operations and in radio and like fabrication and repair where direct vision is difficult or impossible. In .such uses, difficulty arises from the presence of moisture, machining chips, lubricant or dust and dirt and` in the case: of,` dental work may obscure the cavity being treated. It has been suggested that this difficulty might be avoided by the provision of means in combination with the mirror for owing a fluid stream of a suitable flushing me-dium, such as air, to dry the moisture or remove any foreign material present. However, where such suggestions have been put in practice, the structures have been clumsy, valving arrangements have been inadequate or complicated, mirror adjustment or replacement has not been provided and the point of emission or direction of travel of emitted uid have not been ide-al.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide a novel, simple and improved hand mirror including efficient and effective means for discharging and controlling air flow adjacent the reflecting surface.

Another object is to provide in a device ofthe character set forth, means for readily adjusting or replacing the mirror element on a handle and for firmly securing the same after adjustment or replacement.

A further object of the invention is to provide convenient and simple valve means for controlling the ow of fluid adjacent the reflecting face of a mirror of the type set forth.

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a mirror and fluid iiow combination so constructed and arranged, as to insure a uid flow such as to most advantageously serve the required purpose.

With these and other objects, features and advantages of the invention in mind, reference may be had to the following specieation taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which;

Fig. l is a longitudinal section of one preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the valve and collet mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig` 3. Y

2,843,019 Patented July 15, 1958 "ice In general terms, that form of the invention here presented, by way of illustration, may be defined as including a generally cylindrical casing constituting an elongate manipulatinghandle. Within the casing, there is mounted a vconventional fluid ow valve as commonly employed in automobile inner tubes and through the side wall of the casing a spring urged control plunger for the valve is located. A iushing medium inlet nipple is provided at one end of the casing, While a collet at the opposite end, adjustably and removably receives the hollow shank of a mirror bracket. The bracket provides an end air vent for directing air therefrom outwardly in a direction normal to and hence away from the reflecting surface of the mirror.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, the cylindrical casing is generally indicated by the numeral 10. The inner end 11 of the casing is fitted with a tubular plug 12 terminating in a headed nipple 13 which may conveniently receive a flexible air pressure tube of conventional design, not shown. Adjacent the opposite end of the casing 1t), but intermediate the ends thereof, internal threads l5 are formed to receive the conventional external threads 16 of a conventional valve 17, such as commonly found in automobile inner tubes. Since the valve 17 is quite conventional and, as to its structure, forms no part of the present invention, it may lbriefly be defined as including an air inlet i8 poppet type valve and stern 19 and seating spring 2l). An outwardly protruding extension 2l of the stem 19 provides for unseating of the valve against the tension of the spring 20, as hereinafter described.

Adjacent the threaded portion l5 of the casing lo, there is provided, by thickening of the casing walls, a transversely open plunger housing 25. Within the hcusing 25, a plunger 26 is mounted provided with a cam surface 27. A recess 23 of the plunger receives a coil spring 29 by which tie plunger is normally urged outwardly of its mounting in the housing 25. Also located within the housing 25 is a valve stem operating ball Sil which engages the end of the stem 2l at one side and bears against the cam surface 27 at the other.

By this arrangement, it will be seen, that the spring 2@ of the valve 17 will normally close the same. However, when the plunger 26 is depressed by pressure on the outer button 31, thereof, it may be moved inwardly against the tension of its spring 29, thus caming the ball 30 towards the valve 17 and unseating the valve by pressure in- Wardly on stern 2l against the tension of its spring 20. Upon such movement, air entering through nipple 12 will pass through valve 17 and enter the cham-ber 32 below plunger 26 from port 33 and thence upwardly through the spring recess 28 of the plunger and through port 3ft to the central air outlet passage 35 of the casing. It will be noted, by this arrangement, that since, port 34 is not in registration with passage 35 except at such time as the plunger is depressed, a secondary valve function is performed and hence leakage through valve 17 will not necessarily dissipate the air pressure.

The outer end 40 of the casing 1) is formed with an externally threaded nose 4l which receives thereover a threadedly adjustable collet sleeve 42, the internal conical face 43 of which engages collet jaws 44 to contract the same for clamping engagement with the hollow shank 45 of the mirror bracket. This collet chuck arrangement is frequently resorted to in many varieties of tools and is Well known to those skilled in the art. It will be understood, that as the collet sleeve 42 is threaded in or out upon the nose 4l, the collet arms will grasp or release the mirror shank 45 to permit adjustment of the angular relation of the mirror or to permit replacement thereof.

The mirror is of conventional circular form having a reflecting surface 46 supported at an angle to the axis of the cylindrical housing by a casing 47 formed integrally with the outer end of the shank 45. An air passage 48 of the shank 45 continues into an air passage 49 centrally across and behind the reflecting surface 45 to terminate in a jet aperture 50. The aperture 50 is located with an axis generally normal to the surface of the mirror and hence, air ow will be directly outward from the reflecting surface.

From the foregoing it will readily be seen, that the present device provides a rugged simple and durable device well designed to meet the demands of economic manufacture. It will be noted, that the operation is simple, the control conveniently arranged for single-handed manipulation and that a dual valving performance is attained. The mirror may be readily adjusted and replaced and the issuing air stream will move outwardly from the reflecting surface to preclude contamination. It will, of course, be understood, that in the practice of the invention numerous changes, modifications and the full use of equivalents may be resorted to without departure from the spirit or scope thereof, as outlined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination mirror and flushing device comprising an elongated cylindrical hollow casing, a fitting on one end of said casing for attaching a flushing medium supply conduit, a valve in said casing for controlling the ow of flushing medium therethrough, manually operable valve actuating means projecting transversely of said casing, a collet chuck at the opposite end of said casing comprising resilient jaws and a sleeve threadedly engaging said casing and operable to open and close said jaws, a tubular shank having one end removably and adjustably received in said jaws, said shank terminating at the opposite end in an angularly disposed tubular mirror bracket and a mirror secured to said bracket, said bracket terminating at the end opposite said shank in a flushing medium jet orifice directed at substantially right angles to the reflecting surface of said mirror.

2. A combination mirror and flushing device comprising an elongated cylindrical hollow casing, a fitting on one end of said casing for attaching a flushing medium supply conduit, a valve in said casing for controlling the flow of flushing medium therethrough, manually operable valve actuating means projecting from said casing, a collet chuck at the opposite end of said casing comprising resilient jaws and a sleeve engaging said casing and operable to open and close said jaws, a tubular shank having one end removably and adjustably received in said jaws, said shank terminating at the opposite end in a tubular mirror bracket and a mirror secured to said bracket, said bracket terminating at the end opposite said shank in a flushing medium jet orifice.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,352,789 Craig Sept. 14, 1920 1,813,982 Woodruff July 14, 1931 1,905,633 Feltham Apr. 25, 1933 1,934,110 Wilson Nov. 7, 1933 2,009,845 Farmer July 30, 1935 2,120,091 Densten June 7, 1938

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