Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F11/00—Methods or devices for treatment of the ears or hearing sense; Non-electric hearing aids; Methods or devices for enabling ear patients to achieve auditory perception through physiological senses other than hearing sense; Protective devices for the ears, carried on the body or in the hand
  • A61F11/006—Ear cleaners, e.g. curettes
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A47—FURNITURE; DOMESTIC ARTICLES OR APPLIANCES; COFFEE MILLS; SPICE MILLS; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L—DOMESTIC WASHING OR CLEANING; SUCTION CLEANERS IN GENERAL
  • A47L17/00—Apparatus or implements used in manual washing or cleaning of crockery, table-ware, cooking-ware or the like
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61F—FILTERS IMPLANTABLE INTO BLOOD VESSELS; PROSTHESES; DEVICES PROVIDING PATENCY TO, OR PREVENTING COLLAPSING OF, TUBULAR STRUCTURES OF THE BODY, e.g. STENTS; ORTHOPAEDIC, NURSING OR CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES; FOMENTATION; TREATMENT OR PROTECTION OF EYES OR EARS; BANDAGES, DRESSINGS OR ABSORBENT PADS; FIRST-AID KITS
  • A61F13/00—Bandages or dressings; Absorbent pads
  • A61F13/15—Absorbent pads, e.g. sanitary towels, swabs or tampons for external or internal application to the body; Supporting or fastening means therefor; Tampon applicators
  • A61F13/38—Swabs having a stick-type handle, e.g. cotton tips

Definitions

• the present invention relates to a cleaning or treatment utensil or instrument for multiple uses and applications, in particular personal hygiene, meeting the definition according to the preamble of claim 1.
• the cotton swab which consists of a thin rod of which at least the one of the two ends is provided with a cleaning element, generally cotton wool or cotton wool. If the cotton swabs are simple and inexpensive to manufacture, their cleaning power, on the other hand, is quite poor and limited. Indeed, the cleaning head being thin (its diameter only slightly exceeds that of the rod), the user must carry out with his hand holding the rod a rotational movement so as to apply the cleaning head successively against all generators or places of the duct to be cleaned or treated.
• US-1,693,581 is an instrument for cleaning the duct of the outer ear comprising a handle, a support screwed to one end of the latter or in one piece with it, a cleaning piece (a piece of cloth or leather by example) exchangeable and a retaining ring for this cleaning part on the support. Said cleaning part is attached to the support and held in place by the ring, the latter cooperating with a conical base of the support.
• FR-1,582,734 is an applicator device of a different kind in which the cleaning head is made of spongy material.
• EP-A-0, 234, 061 discloses a utensil for cleaning the auditory canal of the external ear, comprising a rubber cleaning head fitted on the end part of a stick from which it can be detached.
• This head has, seen from the front, a pear shape and, seen in section, a star shape.
• EP-A-0, 184, 237 describes a product of the same type, also in two parts, namely the stick and a plug-in cleaning head, the latter being able, moreover, to have a base fulfilling the stop function in order to limit the penetration of said head into the ear canal and thus avoid touching the eardrum.
• This head presents, seen from face, a cylindrical shape with rounded tip and, seen in section and according to a variant, a star shape also.
• the head preferably has an oval shape and can be protected by a sliding ring when the product is not in use.
• US-1,980,826 describes a utensil for cleaning the external auditory canal, comprising a handle, a guard and a cleaning head, interchangeable according to certain embodiments, this head comprising a threaded rod screwed at one end of the handle, so as to be adjustable as for the length, while remaining sufficiently linked in rotation during use.
• the visible part of the cleaning head is made of rubber, rubber sponge or felt.
• the recommended material of the cleaning heads described in most references is a flexible and compact material, rubber, fabric, leather or an equivalent material. But FR-1,582,734 and US-1,980,826 teach the use of a spongy material. In DE-OS-41, 17, 526, the ribs or lamellae of the head can also be provided with nests.
• the present invention has set itself the objective of overcoming the technical as well as economic disadvantages with which the known utensils continue to be affected.
• Fig. 1 represents a possible form of the instrument according to the invention
• Fig. 2 A shows a shape of the cleaning element, before mounting
• Fig. 2 B shows another form of the cleaning element before mounting
• Figs. 3 A and 3 B represent a piece for holding the cleaning element
• Fig. 4 shows the constituent parts of the instrument before assembly
• Fig. 5 shows the instrument according to the invention in the assembled state
• the utensil shown in FIG. 1 comprises a handle 10, of axis of symmetry 10 A and of hyperbolold profile 11, and at least at one of its two ends, a base 12 and a support 13 A, 13 B.
• This base is frustoconical, but could have any other profile, in particular hyperbolold, like profile 11 above.
• the shapes of the supports are not necessarily identical.
• the support 13 A is cylindrical, while the support 13 B is only cylindrical over a length, the terminal area comprising a bulge 16 on the effect of which we will return.
• the end 15, 17 of the support 13 is rounded.
• we will speak hereinafter of support 13 to designate any support, regardless of its shape.
• the base and the support are preferably (but not necessarily), in the rectilinear extension of the axis 10 A.
• the support 13 is intended to receive (under the conditions set out below) a cleaning or treating element 20 of which: two examples of execution are shown in FIGS. 2 A and 2 B.
• the element 20 is preferably made of flexible material and spongy, more generally in cellular material, such as fine sponge.
• the surface of the support 13 i.e. the envelope of the support, but not the rounded end 15,
• the gripping means presents means making it possible to improve the grip on it of the cleaning element 20.
• These "gripping" or gripping means oppose a free rotation of said element or at least an untimely rotation.
• this surface is provided at least in part with longitudinal grooves 14 or grooves of triangular section, known per se (and which should be called added means), substantially increasing the coefficient of friction between the elements in contact.
• the gripping means instead of being attached, may be inherent or intrinsic in the choice of the material from which the support 13 is made, that is to say that these gripping means then result from a property of said material, in the sense that the latter not only has a high coefficient of friction, but also sufficient hardness and rigidity, having regard to the stresses to which said support may be subjected 13.
• the support 13 is able to withstand compression forces or which tend to do so bend when mounting the cleaning element 20 on it and / or when using the instrument.
• the material constituting the support 13 may be rubber, a resin, an elastomer, or any other material capable of being stamped, the main thing being that the material chosen combines the aforementioned required conditions (when coefficient of friction and material sufficiently rigid).
• the envelope of the support 13, or the envelope of the end portion of the support 13 will be provided with the aforementioned chosen material (with a high coefficient of friction and relatively high rigidity), while that the remainder of the support 13 (therefore at least the core or the core) will be of any rigid material (for example light alloy).
• the support 13 having gripping means inherent in the material chosen also comprises attached gripping means of the kind of those mentioned above.
• FIGS. 2 A and 2 B show the cleaning or treating element, of general reference 20, which has the distinction of being, before mounting on any of the supports 13, preferably in the form of a flat part (or for example slightly concave).
• this element 20 is advantageously made of fine, natural or synthetic sponge (synthetic polyurethane foam of ester or ether type) working in compression.
• Various shapes 21 A, 21 B (outline, dimensions of the surface and of the thickness, subject, as regards the dimensions of the surface, the precision given at the end of this paragraph) are possible for this element 20.
• FIG. 2 A shows an element 20 of polygonal periphery or contour (in this case hexagonal 22 A).
• FIG. 2 B shows an element 20 of circular circumference.
• This periphery bears the reference 22 B, an edge the reference 24 B and the two faces the reference 23 B.
• the periphery 22 of the cleaning element 20 is applied against the support 13 or the surface of support 12, or is located at least in the vicinity of this surface, the element 20 thus entirely or at least partially covering said support.
• the shapes of the element 20 are preferably defined in such a way that in the folded state, said periphery, or more precisely an edge 24 (see also FIG. 4 ), or at least portions thereof, then tightened and gathered around the support 13 or the base 12, is approximately at the height of a plane 18 (symbolized by a dashed line in Figure 1).
• the periphery 22 can be cut at an angle (reference 25 in FIG. 2 A).
• the straight sections (perpendicular to the surfaces 23), not shown, of the element 20, whatever its shape 21, can be trapezoidal instead of being rectangular.
• the cleaning element 20 may have a greater thickness in the central zone than on the rest of the surface, which is peripheral to this zone. In this way, the cleaning element will offer better resistance to the force exerted on it at this location during assembly (see below).
• Figures 3 A and 3 B show a section and a top view of an auxiliary part 30 fulfilling a holding function, namely, according to the example, a tubular ferrule intended to cooperate - when fixing said element on the '' any of the supports 13 - with, on the one hand, the cleaning element 20 and, on the other hand, the handle 10 or more precisely the edge 12 A of the base 12 on which the part 30 is supported (see also Figures 4 and 5).
• This part 30, which will be called indifferently retaining or retaining part, or ferrule, can take various forms. According to the variant described, it has the shape of a bell.
• the ferrule 30 consists of a substantially cylindrical part 31 and, as an extension of this, of an essentially frustoconical part 32 whose angle at the top is advantageously of the order of 60 degrees.
• all or part of the interior surface of the ferrule 30 advantageously comprises means making it possible to improve the grip on it of the cleaning element 20, this is that is, for example, longitudinal grooves (not shown).
• the ferrule 30 is rigid. But it is also possible to design a flexible holding piece, for example of elastic material, exerting pressure against the element 20 to retain the latter against the support 13. In this case, it goes without saying that there is no place to provide it with gripping means.
• the mounting of the cleaning element 20 on a support 13 is carried out in an extremely simple and rapid manner, as can be understood with the support of FIG. 4, thanks, on the one hand, to the characteristics indicated above of the material chosen and, on the other hand, the choice of the preferred retaining means of the element 20 (we will consider here that the ferrule used is rigid). Indeed, it suffices, firstly, to place the element 20 on the ferrule 30, so that the axes (not shown) of these two parts roughly coincide (as seen in FIG.
• the element 20 always bends more to match the shape of the support 13 and cover this last, while the ferrule is pushed against the base 12 of the handle 10.
• the advantage of strengthening the cleaning element in its central zone by means, for example, of an extra thickness of said element in said zone.
• the profile of the support 13 A differs from that of the support 13 B.
• the element 20 is made of flexible material, preferably in sponge, leads to cleaning heads of different shapes (i.e. say, seen in the direction of the axis 10 A of the rod 10, of different diameters), this with the same standard element 20.
• the user will obviously be able to arrange indifferently a set of pieces 20, 30 on one of the supports, then place this same set, afterwards, on the other support of different shape, depending on the desired goal, a shape that can lend itself better than another for a specific use, or further to an intensive cleaning of the element or elements 20.
• the assembly 20, 30 remains immobile thanks to the action of a group of means or, preferably thanks to the combined actions of this first group of means with a second group of means.
• the first group of means is formed by gripping means which may advantageously be, according to a variant, the means 14 provided on the support 13 or, according to another variant, the means resulting from the same material in which the support 13 is (entirely or partially) manufactured.
• this first group of means can be supplemented by gripping means of the same kind provided inside the shell or provided by the material - even of the shell.
• the coefficient of friction can be further increased by being satisfied with a relatively rough shaping of said gripping means, that is to say by allowing roughness to remain on the crest line of the grooves).
• the second group of means results from the reaction forces of the sponge element 20 on the ferrule 30, taking into account the opening diameter of the tube 31, this diameter having to be adapted to the dimensions of the support 13 (that is to say tell the diameter of said support, if it is cylindrical) and of the appropriate thickness defined for the cleaning element 20.
• the spongy material can certainly resume a certain expansion, taking into account the profile of the base 12 (having , according to the example shown in Figures 1 and 4, a taper substantially greater than that of the part 32 of the shell 30), but this does not harm the reliability of the assembly, since a thrust remains exerted on the ferrule, by the part of the element 20 which is enclosed therein, the element 20 having a tendency to resume its planar or quasi-planar form.
• the bell-shaped shape of the ferrule has another double advantage, that of ergonomics, since it allows easy handling during the "styling" of the element 20 on the support 13 and of the "straightening", and aesthetic, since it is in harmony with that of the handle 10. It is noted that the holding part 30 ensuring the folded position of the cleaning element 20 is at the same time retained itself, against any displacement, thanks to said thrust exerted on it by said element 20.
• the dimensions of the various parts and parts of parts 10, 12, 13, 20, 30 composing the utensil must be adapted to one another as well as to the use or the field of use envisaged, which is within the reach of the skilled person.
• any suitable material or combination of materials can be provided, subject, of course, to the choice of the material of the support 13, according to the variant of execution.
• the ferrule 30 and the handle 10 may comprise additional retaining or immobilizing means - known per se to those skilled in the art (clipping, forks, staples, etc.) - cooperating between them, to ensure a connection with the handle 10 and, at the same time, the maintenance of the elements 20 and 30.
• Such means will preferably be arranged, on the one hand, in the region of the rim 33 of the ferrule and, on the other hand, from the base 12 or the zone 12 A of the handle 10. Means of this nature are recommended for large instruments intended for other applications (see below).
• the number of supports 13 can be increased, by choosing a multi-branch handle. That is to say, by way of example, that the handle could have the shape of a cross, therefore comprising two branches, one of axis 10, the other of axis 19 (FIG. 1) , each branch having at least one support and each support possibly having a specific shape.
• the element 20 When the element 20 is made of a spongy material, it works under compression, so that when it is applied to the surface to be cleaned or treated or when it is introduced, for example into the external auditory canal of the ear to be cleaned or treated, it compresses and at least part of its envelope (that is to say the external and active surface 23 of the head 20,13), exercises simultaneously on said surface or said conduit a reaction force perpendicular each time to the plane tangent to the envelope. In other words, the element 20 is continuously and uniformly pressed against the surface or the conduit during the cleaning or treatment operation.
• the cleaning power of the head 20, 13 is therefore optimal, the sponge being characterized by the combination, on the one hand, of a certain hardness proper to the material itself, therefore of an ideal abrasive degree.
• the other important advantage of the utensil according to the invention lies in the fact that it is ideally suited for both “wet” and “dry” processing, since the spongy material allows either to absorb an active fluid for a specific purpose, then uniformly releasing this fluid in the conduit, the cleaning head simultaneously exercising a distribution function by absorption and successive and continuous release of the active fluid in addition to the cleaning function, ie exercising a rinsing function or drying.
• the utensil according to the invention allows, because it can be manufactured on very different scales, the means in principle, their forms and their functions remaining the same.
• the utensil can be manufactured in usual and known dimensions (utensil with an overall length of the order of ten centimeters) for not only medical, veterinary, personal hygiene, cosmetic and make-up, but also for all other utility purposes such as dyeing, painting or DIY.
• Other applications totally different, in particular in the field of household or industrial cleaning, are no less possible. In this case, it will suffice to define other dimensions for the elements constituting the utensil, adapted each time to the particular field of use.
• the utensil according to the invention combines efficiency with a particularly inexpensive manufacture, even though it is easily understood that its presentation can be very varied (according to the preferred variant, the different elements, handles, cleaning elements and ferrules can be acquired separately) and that its possible applications are practically endless.

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• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Biomedical Technology (AREA)
• Heart & Thoracic Surgery (AREA)
• Vascular Medicine (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Biophysics (AREA)
• Otolaryngology (AREA)
• Psychology (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Cleaning Implements For Floors, Carpets, Furniture, Walls, And The Like (AREA)
• Gyroscopes (AREA)
• Glass Compositions (AREA)
• Pharmaceuticals Containing Other Organic And Inorganic Compounds (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)
• Table Equipment (AREA)
• Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)
• Surgical Instruments (AREA)
• Apparatus For Disinfection Or Sterilisation (AREA)
• Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)
• Body Washing Hand Wipes And Brushes (AREA)

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Cited By (6)

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Citations (5)

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• 1997
  • 1997-03-24 CH CH00707/97A patent/CH692024A5/fr not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1998
  • 1998-02-18 CA CA002283806A patent/CA2283806C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-02-18 CZ CZ0342399A patent/CZ296314B6/cs not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-02-18 EP EP98901922A patent/EP0973466B1/fr not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-02-18 DK DK98901922T patent/DK0973466T3/da active
  • 1998-02-18 PT PT98901922T patent/PT973466E/pt unknown
  • 1998-02-18 RU RU99122154/14A patent/RU2237456C2/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-02-18 KR KR10-1999-7008576A patent/KR100515428B1/ko not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-02-18 HU HU0003199A patent/HU224355B1/hu not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1998-02-18 AU AU58515/98A patent/AU740695B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1998-02-18 DE DE69813199T patent/DE69813199T2/de not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-02-18 ES ES98901922T patent/ES2196533T3/es not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1998-02-18 WO PCT/CH1998/000063 patent/WO1998042284A1/fr not_active Ceased
  • 1998-02-18 US US09/380,741 patent/US6346113B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-02-18 JP JP54461998A patent/JP4303320B2/ja not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-02-18 PL PL98335869A patent/PL188023B1/pl unknown
  • 1998-02-18 CN CNB988036916A patent/CN1275580C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1998-02-18 AT AT98901922T patent/ATE236593T1/de active
  • 1998-02-18 SK SK1256-99A patent/SK284497B6/sk not_active IP Right Cessation
• 1999
  • 1999-09-23 NO NO19994615A patent/NO316255B1/no not_active IP Right Cessation

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