WO1993021856A1

WO1993021856A1 - Oral irrigation for dental care

Info

Publication number: WO1993021856A1
Application number: PCT/EP1993/000939
Authority: WO
Inventors: Giuseppe Pogliani; Ugo Grimoldi
Original assignee: Giuseppe Pogliani; Ugo Grimoldi
Priority date: 1992-04-23
Filing date: 1993-04-16
Publication date: 1993-11-11
Also published as: IT226517Z2; ITMI920412V0; ITMI920412U1

Abstract

An oral irrigator device for carrying out the dental care is described. It comprises a container (10) of a fluid (12) under pressure of the disinfectant, medicamentous type or the like, which is provided with a continuous flow supply valve (16). Driving means are provided for the direct operation of said continuous flow valve (16) for the feeding of said fluid (12) to the supplying duct (26) of supplying means (18a, 18b) associated to said container (10). On the duct (26) of said supplying means (18a, 18b) of the device an intermittently working valve (30) is inserted suitable to convert the continuous flow of the fluid (12) coming out from the container (10) through the valve (16) into a flow of pulsating type.

Description

^s ORAL IRRIGATION FOR DENTAL CARE

,„ The present invention refers in general to instruments and devices known as oral irrigators which are advantageously utilized in carrying out the dental care. Apparatuses for carrying out the dental care are known and it is also known that, although they are reliable in the performances they provide, said apparatuses present undoubtedly not negligible disadvantages which limit the use thereof. In fact they have a not negligible weight and bulk. Further they require absolutely a power supply to which they must be connected in order to become operative. The known above apparatuses essentially consist of a tank simply filled with water or with water mixed with generally liquid substances or soluble in water having, for instance, medicamentous, antibacterial, disinfectant properties and the like. The tank is connected, through a feeding pump, to the water or said solutions supplying means generally constituted by cannulae or small tubes which are introduced into the mouth of the user so that the water or solution stream is directed towards the theets.

The apparatuses of this type are complex in the manufacturing and therefore they are prevalently if not exclusively destined to a domestic use being hardly transportable both for their bulk and weight.

A further disadvantage of the known apparatuses derives from the fact that the feeding pump necessarily requires a driving motor for becoming it operative and this requires the imperative necessity of connecting said motor to a power supply, generally the domestic electric system.

The structural complexity of the known apparatuses involves further drawbacks among which must be listed, for instance, the necessity of a frequent maintenance of the apparatus and the possibility of non working of some damaged of their components.

A further not negligible drawback resides in the fact that these apparatuses work exclusively utilizing running water not sterilized nor even less purified. The above mentioned supplying means therefore, that is the thin canes or the small tubes, are frequently subject to become useless since within their ducts in which the liquid or the medicamentous solution flow, deposits or sediments of solid substances, e.g. of the calcareous type, are formed which clog said ducts preventing the fluid fed by

* the tank from flowing.

It has been now conceived, and it is the object of the present invention, an oral km irrigator device, particularly suitable for carrying out the dental care, which allows to eliminate all the drawbacks of the traditional apparatuses.

It is therefore one of the principal aims of the present invention to provide an oral irrigator which is of extremely simple and economical manufacture and of particularly reduced sizes. These features allow the user to utilize the irrigator practically anywhere both since it does not require to be connected to a power supply, and it is working independently from said supply and in a completely different way in coπiparison with the traditional apparatuses.

It is a further aim of the present invention to supply an oral irrigator by which all the numerous components of the known apparatuses have been eliminated, particularly the feeding pump and its driving motor. Practically the irrigator according to the present invention does not require therefore any maintenance and it removes the drawback of the working stop due to a failure of their components.

A further remarkable aim of the present invention is to provide an irrigator in which the solution or the liquid with medicamentous or curative action is contained in a sealed tank and therefore without communication with the atmosphere.

Consequently the possibilities of pollution of the liquid or of the solution are eliminated.

Another not negligible aim of the present invention is to provide an irrigator having an extremely reduced cost which, in particular, may be also of the disposable type and therefore be utilized as a promotional article which may be offered free to the clients by the firms of this specific field.

The present invention therefore relates to an oral irrigator device for carrying out the dental care which is characterized in that it comprises a container 10 of a fluid

12 under pressure of the disinfectant, medicamentous type or the like, which is provided with a continuous flow supply valve 16, driving means being provided for the direct operation of said continuous flow valve 16 for the feeding of said fluid

12 to the supplying duct 26 of supplying means 18a, 18b associated to said container

10, on the duct 26 of said supplying means 18a, 18b of the device an intermittently working valve 30 being inserted suitable to convert the continuous flow of the fluid

12 coming out from the container 10 through the valve 16 into a flow of pulsating type.

The characteristics as well as the advantages of the irrigator device according to the present invention will be evident from the following detailed description of a not limiting exemple of embodiment thereof, which will be made with reference to the annexed drawings in^' which: figure 1 is a frontal view of the irrigator according to the present invention utilizing, as supplying means, a cannula; figure 2 is a partially exploded view and in longitudinal section of the irrigator according to the invention to the supplying cannula of which a set of bristles forming a toothbrush is applied, and figure 3 is a view of the irrigator of figure 1 in partial longitudinal section.

With reference to the above mentioned figures the irrigator device according to the present invention essentially consists of a sealed tank or container 10 containing a liquid, a solution or the like under pressure. According to a particularly advantageous feature of the irrigator device according to the invention, the sizes of the container

10 are particularly set low and reduced so that it is easily transportable in a little suitcase, in a bag and also of pocket size. Preferably in this latter case the device is provided with a suitable closure cap (not illustrated) which may be applied on its upper portion in order to protect and insulate the supplying means, that is practically to constitute a covering element of the supplying cannula.

As it is may be seen particularly from figure 2, a little tube 14 is inserted within the container 10. Its lower end 14a is arranged essentially near to the bottom of the container 10, while its upper end lightly protrudes outside the same.

A known supplying valve 16 is applied to the end 14b of the little tube 14 the external covering of which is applied to the upper base of the container 10. Said valve is not represented nor described in detail since it may be constituted of any type of traditional valve which can be operated by pression and it allows to control the emission of the fluid 12 from the container 10 with a constant flow through the end 14b of the little tube 14.

The supplying means of the fluid 12 of the device according to the invention are constituted by a cannula or small tube 18a which may be seen in figures 1 and 2 or by a similar cannula or small tube 18b which is provided, at its upper end, with a set of bristles 20 forming in this way also a toothbrush.

As it may be noticed particularly from figures 2 and 3, the cannula 18a or the cannula 18b are firmly connected to the body of the container 10 through a sleeve or flange 20 of essentially annular shape, which is internally provided with a first seat 20a on the side of the cannula 18a or 18b , and with a second seat 20b on the side of the container 10.

In the shown exemplifying embodiment the first seat 20a is of cross section greater than that of the second seat 20b and more particularly the second seat 20b is essentially of the same cross section of the container 10 so that the end of the body of this latter may be introduced into the sleeve 20 and within a cavity 22 defined by the external wall of the lower base of the cannula 18a or 18b. The reason of this configuration will be clear from the following of the present specification. As it is may be seen particularly from figure 3 showing the irrigator device in the rest condition, when the container 10 is applied to the cannula 18a or 18b, its upper base is partially inserted within the cavity 22 of the lower base of the cannula 18a or 18b. Simultaneously the upper end 14b of the little tube 14 is arranged near the lower end of a little duct 24 forming the inlet end of the supplying duct 26 of the cannula 18a or 18b.

The duct 24 is arranged in an essentially central position within a seat 28 provided on the bottom of the cavity 22 of the lower base of the cannula 18a or 18b. The external diameter of the little tube 24 is of cross section slightly lower than the internal diameter of the upper end 14b of the little tube 14 so that, when the irrigator device is operated as explained in the following, the little tube 24 may be partially introduced within the end 14b of the little tube 14.

As it is may be noticed always particularly from figure 3 the cross section of the seat 28 of the cannula 18a or 18b is of a value such it can house the external covering of the supplying pump 16 until the upper base of said covering engages the bottom of said seat 28.

According to one of the original features of the irrigator device of the present invention, on the supplying duct 26 of the cannula 18a or 18b, particularly within the body of the base of this latter, an intermittently working valve 30 is inserted, i.e. a particular valve suitable to convert the continuous flow of the fluid 12 coming out from the container 10 through the valve 16 into a flow of pulsating type. In the considered exemplifying embodiment said intermittently working valve 30 is of the mill type valve essentially consisting of a suitably shaped wall 32 supported in a rotating way on its median zone by a pin 34 integral with the cannula 18a,18b. When the irrigator device is operated, the wall 32 of the intermittently working valve 30 is caused to rotate by action of the same pression exerted on it by the fluid coming out from the container 10. Due to the rotation of the wall 32 within the chamber of the valve 30, the continuous flow of fluid coming out from the container 10 is allowed periodically, and with sufficient high frequency, to flow within the supplying duct 26 and interrupted so that an intermittent or pulsating stream come out from the cannula 18 or 18b as that of the traditional apparatuses. With particular reference always to figure 3, the working of the irrigator device according to the present invention is the following.

It is supposed to start from the rest condition of figure 3 in which the lower end of the duct 24 is arranged near the end 14b of the little tube 14 while the continuous flow valve 16 is disposed outside the seat 28 of the cannula 18a, 18b. To put operative the irrigator device, it is sufficient that the user exerts a pushing action downwards on the sleeve 20 as indicated by the arrow F of figures 1 and 3, so that the duct 24 is displaced within the end 14b of the little tube 14 while simultaneously the valve 16 is introduced into the seat 28 of the cannula 18a or 18b. By keeping on with said downwards pushing action of the sleeve 20, and therefore of the cannula 18a, 18b, a pressure action on the valve 16 is exerted allowing therefore the supplying of the fluid 12 towards the supplying duct 26. As above explained the continuous flow allowed by the valve 16 is converted into an intermittent flow by the mill valve 30.

As the above mentioned downwards pressure action is interrupted, the sleeve 20 goes back in the position of figure 3 and, accordingly, the device resumes its rest condition. From this point of view it must be noted that, while in the downwards pushing action on the sleeve 20 the base of the cannula 18a, 18b must be firmly inserted into said sleeve, in the opposite going back up movement, caused by known means with which the continuous flow valve 16 is provided, the sleeve 20 must move with sufficient freedom on the container 10 body so that the device rapidly resumes its rest position.

The two above described working conditions may be easily obtained in any known way. For instance the first condition may be obtained by carrying out the external surface of the base of the cannula 18a, 18b with a certain roughness or providing it with little protrusions suitable to engage into corresponding recesses of the internal wall of the seat 20a of the sleeve 20. The second of the above working conditions may be obtained by carrying out the internal surface of the second seat 20b of the sleeve 20 and the external surface of the body of the container 10 perfectly smooth in order to fully favour the upwards sliding of the sleeve 20.

It is finally clear that structural and functional changes and/or modifications may be brought to the irrigator device according to the present invention without departing from the scope thereof.

Particularly an intermittently working valve different from the mill valve of the above described exemplifying embodiment may be utilized and further different driving means of the continuous flow valve 16 may be utilized as, for instance, driving push buttons.

Claims

1. Oral irrigator device for carrying out the dental care, characterized in that it comprises a container 10 of a fluid 12 under pressure of the disinfectant, medicamentous type or the like, which is provided with a continuous flow supply valve 16, driving means being provided for the direct operation of said continuous flow valve 16 for the feeding of said fluid 12 to the supplying duct 26 of supplying means 18a, 18b associated to said container 10, on the duct 26 of said supplying means 18a, 18b of the device an intermittently working valve 30 being inserted suitable to convert the continuous flow of the fluid 12 coming out from the container 10 through the valve 16 into a flow of pulsating type.

2. Oral irrigator device according to claim 1, characterized in that said intermittently working valve 30 is a mill valve the movable part of which or rotor 32 is caused to rotate by the same pressure action of the fluid 12 coming out from the container 10.

3. Oral irrigator device according to claim 1, in which said supplying means 18a, 18b of the fluid 12 essentially consist of a cannula or a little tube suitable to be connected to the container 10 of the fluid 12 under pressure, characterized in that said connection between the cannula 18a, 18b and the container 10 of the fluid under pressure 12 is carried out by means of a sleeve or flange 20 provided with a first and a second seat 20a,20b suitable to respectively receive the lower base of the cannula 18a, 18b and the upper base of the body of the container 10.

4. Oral irrigator device according to claim 3, characterized in that said first seat 20a of the sleeve 20 suitable to receive the upper base of the cannula 18a, 18b is of cross section essentially greater than that of the second seat 20b of the sleeve 20 suitable to receive the upper base of the container 10.

5. Oral irrigator device according to claim 3, characterized in that the lower base of the cannula 18a, 18b is provided with a cavity 22 having a cross section slightly greater than that of the upper base of the container 10 so that said upper base may be introduced into said cavity 22 through the second seat 20b of the sleeve 20 until the upper end 14b of a little tube 14 introduced in the container is disposed near a duct 24 provided in the lower base of the cannula 18a, 18b which constitutes the inlet end of the supplying duct 26 of the cannula 18a, 18b.

6. Oral irrigator device according to claims 1 and 5, characterized in that said intermittently working valve 30 is arranged between the duct 24 of the cannula 18a, 18b and the supplying duct 26 of said cannula 18a, 18b.

7. Oral irrigator device according to claims 1 and 6, characterized in that said duct 24 is arranged in an essentially central position within a seat 28 provided on the bottom of the cavity 22 of the cannula 18a,18b, said seat 28 being suitable to receive the body of the continuous flow valve 16 when the sleeve 20 is downwards pushed, the lower base of the cannula 18a, 18b being simultaneously downwards deplaced.

8. Oral irrigator device according to claim 5, characterized in that the opposite walls of the lower base of the cannula 18a, 18b and of the first seat 20a of the sleeve 20 engaging therebetween have a rough surface or the like in order to assure said engagement between said walls.

9. Oral irrigator device according to claim 5, characterized in that the opposite walls of the upper base of the container 10 and of the second seat 20b of the sleeve 20 engaging therebetween are smooth in order to allow an easy sliding of the sleeve 20 with respect to the upper base of the container 10.