US3420228A

US3420228A - Massaging and cleaning dental syringe

Info

Publication number: US3420228A
Application number: US595195A
Authority: US
Inventors: Jack W Kalbfeld
Original assignee: JACK W KALBFELD
Current assignee: JACK W KALBFELD
Priority date: 1966-11-17
Filing date: 1966-11-17
Publication date: 1969-01-07
Anticipated expiration: 1986-01-07

Description

Jan. 7, 1969 KALBFELD MASSAGING AND CLEANING DENTAL SYRINGE Sheet Filed Nov. 17. 1966 r l I III [/1] I 7 INVENTCR J20 1454455542 Aq o fim-zv Jan. 7, 1969 J. w. KALBFELD MASSAGING AND CLEANING DENTAL SYRINGE Sheet 2 of 5 Filed Nov. 17, 1966 l t 4 T q INVENTOR J/ar 4245, 540

BY m 6 (57.: ATTORNEY Jan. 7, 1969 J. w. KALBFELD MASSAGING AND CLEANING DENTAL SYRINGE Sheet Filed Nov. 17, 1966 INVENTOR (/464164Z5F6ZD Unitcd States Patent 9 Claims The present invention relates generally to improvements in treating devices and methods, and it relates particularly to an improved dental cleaning and gum massaging apparatus and method employing a pulsating water jet.

The use of pulsating jets of water for the treatment of the oral cavity, particularly for massaging the gums and cleaning the teeth, is well known. Pulse frequencies from several hundred to many thousands of cycles per minute have been efiectively employed; however, the pulsating jet cleaning and massaging devices heretofore available possess numerous drawbacks and disadvantages. Among those drawbacks are their inconvenience, lack of versatility and inefiiciency.

It is, therefore, a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved oral cleaning apparatus.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved dental cleaning and gum massaging apparatus and method.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus of the above nature characterized by its efiiciency, reliability and convenience of use.

The above and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from a reading of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front partially fragmentary view of an apparatus embodying the present invention, illustrated in an erected position;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical sectional view thereof taken along line 22 in FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along line 33 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 in FIGURES l and 3;

FIGURE 5 is a front elevational view of the reservoir, pump and nozzle sections in extended positions;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view of the nozzle handle asembly shown in a nozzle valve closed position;

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIGURE 6; and

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 shown in a nozzle valve open position.

In a sense, the present invention contemplates the provision of a device for cleaning and massaging the oral cavity comprising a nozzle, a source of liquid, and pump means connected between said nozzle and said source of liquid for periodically delivering said liquid under pressure to said nozzle for predetermined intervals separated by dormant intervals, the period of the dormant interval being at least twice that of the delivery interval.

According to a preferred form of the present apparatus the pump means is a piston pump driven through a quick return motion translating mechanism by an electric motor so that the quick return stroke of the motion translating mechanism drives the pump piston in its advance or pressure stroke. The pump and drive are housed in a casing, and the pump has its inlet connected to an open topped tank separably mounted on the casing. The pump outlet is connected by way of an adjustable throttle valve and a tube to the nozzle through a three way valve housed in the nozzle handle, the valve having outlets connected to the nozzle and to a reservoir return tube, the outlets being selectively opened.

Another feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a three way valve which comprises a valve housing including a first end wall and a side wall, and provided with an inlet port, a first outlet port in said end wall and a second outlet port in said side wall, a valve member positioned in said housing and resiliently longitudinally urged toward a position with a first end face thereof in closing engagement with said first outlet port and a side face spaced from and exposing said outlet port and swingable about said housing end wall to a position opening said first outlet port and closing said second outlet port, and a manipulatable member projecting through said valve housing into engagement with said valve member for controlling said valve member.

Referring now to the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present invention, reference numeral 10 generally designates the pump and reservoir section which is connected by way of a pair of side by side joined

flexible tubes

11 and 12 to a nozzle section 13,

tubes

11 and 12 being of the self collapsing helically biased type and being separated at their inner ends. The pump and reservoir section 10 comprises a molded plastic multipart casing 14 in which a pump, motor, drive and control are housed, and an open topped tank or reservoir 17 which is separably mounted atop casing 14 and alternatively functions as a casing closure cap.

Casing 14 includes a top wall 18 provided with a circular aperture, a bottom wall 19, a sidewall 20 at one end thereof and is provided with a tube and nozzle handle open ended housing cavity 21 in the opposite end thereof which is defined by an end wall 22, a stepped platform wall 23 positioned above bottom wall 19 and front and rear walls 24. A saddle 25 is formed in the bottom rear of cavity 21 to support the contracted

tubes

11 and 12. Pivoted to an end of the lower outer section of platform wall 23 is a horizontally swingable arm 26 provided adjacent its free end with an upstanding projection or pin 27 for releasably engaging the nozzle handle. In order to house a plurality of nozzle elements a ledge 28 is located along the lower front part of the casing 14 and is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced sockets 29.

The pump and drive assembly 16 is mounted on casing bottom wall 19 and includes a mounting frame 30, an electric motor 32 secured to the mounting frame 30, a quick return motion translating mechanism 33 and a pump 34 suitably rigidly associated with motor 32. Motor 32 is of any conventional type and is connected by way of a switch 36 supported by the mounting frame 30 to a power cord for connecting the motor 32 to a source of energizing current, the switch 36 being provided with a control button 37 projecting through an opening slot in the casing and wall 20.

Pump 34 is of the conventional piston type and includes a vertical cylinder 38 provided with a cooperating vertically slidable piston having a piston rod 39 depending from and connected thereto and restricted with the piston to an axial vertical movement. As is conventional, piston pump 38 has an inlet and an outlet provided with check valves permitting the flow of fluid only into the inlet and out of the outlet. An open topped tubular coupling member 40 projects upwardly from the pump cylinder 38 and communicates with the pump inlet, coupling 40 registering with and engaging the circular aperture in casing upper wall 18. The inner end of tube 11 is connected by means of a suitable coupling 42 and by way of a flow adjusting or throttle valve 43 to the outlet of pump 34. Valve 43 includes a valve housing integrally formed with pump cylinder 40 and is of any conventional construction, and is provided with a rotatable threaded valve stem 44 engaging a tapped section of the valve 43 and having an axial adjusting shaft 46 engaged by a knob 47 which projects through an aperture in casing wall 14. Thus the back pressure to the pump 34, and hence the liquid outlet flow, may be adjusted by means of the valve 43.

An essential feature of the present apparatus is the manner in which piston pump 34 is driven whereby the interval or time of the forward or pressure stroke thereof is only a minor fraction of the time of the full cycle thereof, that is the time between identical points on the pump cycle so that the pump delivery interval is less than, and advantageously less than half of the pump nondelivery or dormant interval. This mode of operation is advantageously effected by coupling piston rod 39 to the motor 32 by way of the quick return transmission 33, transmission 33 being so coupled to piston rod 39' and so driven that the quick return stroke of transmission 33 corresponds to the pressure or advance stroke of piston rod 39.

Specifically, transmission 33 includes a housing 48 having an opening in its upper wall through which piston rod 39 projects. Drive shaft 49 of motor 32 projects into housing 48 through an end wall thereof and has afiixed thereto a pinion gear 50 located in housing 48. Gear 50 engages a larger gear 51 mounted on a shaft 52 and having rotatable therewith a smaller gear 53, Gear 53 is coupled to a large gear 54 mounted on a shaft 58 by way of an intermediate idler gear 56,

gears

50, 51, 53, 56 and 54 defining a gear reducing train from motor shaft 49 to gear 54.

A guide sleeve 57 is eccentrically mounted on gear 54 and is rotatable about a central diametric axis thereof parallel to shaft 58. Secured to piston rod 39 is a block 59 having formed therein a transverse channel 63 slidably engaging a bar 64 which has pivoted thereto one end of a connecting rod 60. The rod 60 slidably engages sleeve 57 and is pivoted between its ends by a fixed pin 61. Motor shaft 49 is rotated in a direction to rotate the gear 54 clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 2, whereby the pressure stroke interval of the piston rod 39 is a minor fraction, advantageously between /3 and A and preferably about /1 of a single rotation of gear 54, and hence of a full cycle of pump 34. The interval of the pressure stroke of piston rod 39 is advantageously between .025 and .075 second. Moreover, the speed of the motor is such that pump 34 is operated at between 200 and 580 cycles per minute, perferably between 530 and 580 cycles per minute. The dormant or non-pressure interval of pump 34 should be between .077 and .225 second and advantageously between .077 and .085 second. It should he noted that the pump frequency and pressure and dormant intervals may be adjusted by varying the pump back pressure by means of valve 43. Moreover, while quick return mechanism 33 described above may be employed to great advantage, other types of quick return mechanisms may be employed including cams and the like.

Nozzle section 13 includes a tubular hollow handle or valve housing 65 having a slightly upwardly tapered peripheral wall 66, closed at its bottom end by a correspondingly tapered cup shaped plug 67. Plug 67 includes an inner end wall 68 having an upwardly directed axial projection 69, and is provided with a depending axial socket 70 adapted to engage mounting projection 27. An end partition 71 is positioned below the upper edge of peripheral wall 66 and defines, with the upper border of the wall 66, a nozzle engaging socket. Partition 71 is provided with a central opening 72 defining a valve first outlet port and is surrounded by a bottom tapered peripheral border 75. Integrally formed with wall 66 below partition 71 is a block 73 having upper and lower

radial bores

74 and 76 formed therein communicating with the interior of valve housing 65 and defining a second outlet port and an inlet port respectively. The outer end of pipe 11 is connected to inlet port 76 and the outer end of pipe 12 is connected to outlet port 74 in any suitable manner.

Located in valve housing 65 is a longitudinally extending valve member 77 including a relatively rigid axially extending body member 78 shorter and of lesser diameter than the minimum inside diameter of valve housing 65 and having a depending axial projection 79 corresponding to bottom projection 69. A disc-shaped washer orgasket 80 of an elastomeric material and of the diameter of the upper edge of border 75 is afiixed to the upper end face of valve body 78, and a tubular sleeve 81 of an elastomeric material encircles body member 78 at the level of the outlet port 74. A helical compression spring 82 has its opposite

ends engaging projections

69 and 79 and is entrapped between the confronting faces of the valve body member 78 and plug end wall 68 to resiliently urge valve member 77 axially into closing engagement with first outlet port 72 and to maintain the valve sleeve 81 out of engagement with outlet port 74.

A radially projecting tapped collar 83 having an inner peripheral shoulder 84 is integrally formed with peripheral wall 66 at the level of and opposite outlet port 74. A sealing disc 86 of elastomeric material nests in collar 83 and rests on shoulder 84 and is provided with an inwardly directed integrally formed axial projection 87 which bears on sleeve 81. Screw engaging collar 83 is a cup shaped plug 88 having a centrally apertured end wall 89. An axial push button 90 projects through apertured end wall 89 and terminates at its inner end in an enlarged circular base 91 which slideably registers with plug 88 and is provided with an axial inwardly directed projection 92 bearing centrally on the outer face of elastomeric disc 86. Thus, depression of push button 90 effects the inward movement of the

projections

92 and 87 and the deformation of disc 86 thereby to switch valve member 77 from the position shown in FIGURE 6 in which outlet port 72 is closed and outlet port 74 is open to the position shown in FIGURE 8 wherein outlet port 72 is open and outlet port 74 closed. Release of button 90 under the influence of the spring 82 and the differential hydraulic pressure and area effects the return of valve member 77 to the position shown in FIGURE 6.

A replaceable nozzle unit 94 includes an elongated tubular shank 96 terminating at its outer end in an angulated outlet section 97 having a transversely directed outlet nozzle opening 98. The inner end of tubular shank 96 has afiixed thereto an axially bored plug 99 formed of an elastomeric material, and releasably engages the upper socket of the handle member 65 to permit the replaceable coupling of a nozzle unit 94 to the handle member 65 in communication with the valve outlet port 72 and prevent separation thereof under operating conditions. Plug 99 is provided with an enlarged peripheral head 100 to facilitate the manipulation thereof.

The tank 17 includes a fiat rectangular bottom wall 101 of the dimensions of the top surface of casing 14, said wall 101 having a depending peripheral lip 102 which engages the casing upper border to properly position tank 17 on casing 14 in the erected position of the apparatus. The peripheral wall of tank 17 is upwardly outwardly tapered so that the inverted tank can serve as a mating cover for the loaded casing 14 to facilitate the storage of the apparatus. Formed in the bottom wall 101 is a depending tubular coupling nipple 103 which projects through the aperture in casing wall 18 and releasably engages pump coupling 40. An elastomeric O-ring 104 registers with a peripheral groove in the nipple 103 to provide a water tight connection between the tank 17 and pump 34.

Considering now the operation of the apparatus described above, in the stored

condition tubes

11, 12 are retracted into a helix nesting in cavity 21, while the nozzle handle, with the nozzle detached, is mounted on the pin 27 and arm 26 is swung inwardly, as shown in FIGURES 1 to 4 of the drawings. Nozzle elements 94 are positioned in the cavities 29 and the inverted tank 17 is applied as a cover over and encloses casing 14.

In employing the appaartus, the inverted tank 17 is raised from the casing 14, erected and mounted on the casing 14 with the nipple 103 in mating engagement with coupling member 40 and the power cord is connected to a source of current. Tank 17 is then loaded with water W, the nozzle socket or handle 65 retracted and removed from pin 27, and a nozzle element 94 plugged into the handle socket. The inner end of pipe 12 is hooked over the upper edge of tank 17 and switch 36 is closed to energize the motor 32 and drive the pump piston in the manner previously described with a pressure stroke forming a minor fraction of the pump cycle. The apparatus is now ready for use, water intermittently delivered by pump 34 through the tube 11 into handle 65 being returned through the port 74 and tube 12 to tank 17. Nozzle 94 is then directed toward the desired area of the oral cavity and button 90 depressed to swing valve member 77 whereby to open port 72 and close port 74. The water is thus delivered in intermittent pulses to the nozzle 94 and the area to be massaged and cleaned is swept by the resulting pulsating water jet to effect the massaging of the gums and the cleaning of the teeth.

In order to effect a massaging of the gums, the surface thereof should be periodically compressed and released to permit at least a partial rebound thereof. Inasmuch as the water jet pressure may be quite high the compression of the jet exposed gum area is effected much more rapidly than a corresponding rebound. Accordingly, a high increase in efficiency is achieved by permitting a longer interval for the gum rebound than for its compression under the influence of the water jet. A further increase in efliciency is effected by reason of a decrease in the loading of the motor 32 since the pump pressure interval is decreased and a smaller motor consuming less power may be employed.

While there has been described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is apparent that numerous alterations, omissions and additions may be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

I claim:

1. A dental treating device comprising a nozzle, a source of liquid, and pump means connected between said nozzle and said source of liquid for periodically delivering said liquid under pressure to said nozzle for predetermined intervals separated by dormant intervals, the period of said dormant interval being at least twice that of said delivery interval whereby exposure of a gum area to the intermittent liquid jets from said nozzle provides an interval between successive jets allowing gum rebound at least twice the interval during which said gum area is under jet pressure.

2. The treating device of claim 1, whereby the period of said dormant interval is at least of a second.

3. The treating device of claim 1, wherein the frequency of said pump means is between 200 and 580 cycles per minute.

4. The treating device of claim 1, wherein the time of said dormant interval to said delivery interval is between .077 and .225 second.

5. The dental treating device of claim 1, wherein said pump means comprises a piston pump and drive means for reciprocating said piston with the pressure stroke thereof being less than /3 of the full reciprocation cycle.

6. The dental treating device of claim 5, wherein said drive means comprises an electric motor and a quick return motion translating mechanism coupling said piston to said motor and oriented and driven to effect the piston pressure stroke during the quick return stroke of said mechanism.

7. The dental treating device of claim 1, including a handle supporting said nozzle, a three-way valve carried by said handle and including an inlet port and a pair of outlet ports, said pump means including an inlet con-' nected to said source of liquid and an outlet, a first tube connecting said pump outlet and said valve inlet port, a. second tube connecting a first of said valve outlets to said liquid source, the second of said valve outlets being connected to said nozzle, and a manipulatable valve member movable into positions selectively closing said valve outlet ports.

8. The dental treating device of claim 7, including spring means normally urging said valve member to a position closing said second outlet port.

9. The treating device of claim 7, including an adjustable throttle valve connected between said pump outlet and said first tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,995,424 3/1935 Guiness 128230' XR 3,227,158 1/1966 Mattingly 128-66 L. W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 128234, 273

Claims

1. A DENTAL TREATING DEVICE COMPRISING A NOZZLE, A SOURCE OF LIQUID, AND PUMP MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID NOZZLE AND SAID SOURCE OF LIQUID FOR PERIODICALLY DELIVERING SAID LIQUID UNDER PRESSURE TO SAID NOZZLE FOR PREDETERMINED INTERVALS SEPARATED BY DORMAT INTERVALS, THE PERIOD OF SAID DORMANT INTERVAL BEING AT LEAST TWICE THAT OF SAID DELIVERY INTERVAL WHEREBY EXPOSURE OF A GUM AREA TO THE INTERMITTENT LIQUID JETS FROM SAID NOZZLE PROVIDES AN INTERVAL BETWEEN SUCESSIVE JETS ALLOWING GUM REBOUND AT LEAST TWICE THE INTERVAL DURING WHICH SAID GUM AREA IS UNDER JET PRESSURE.