WO2009115668A1

WO2009115668A1 - Instrument for cleaning ears

Info

Publication number: WO2009115668A1
Application number: PCT/FR2009/000155
Authority: WO
Inventors: Michel Brun
Original assignee: Michel Brun
Priority date: 2008-02-18
Filing date: 2009-02-12
Publication date: 2009-09-24
Also published as: FR2927530A1; FR2927531A1; FR2927530B1; FR2927531B1

Abstract

This instrument comprises a tubular body 2 containing a fibrous cleaning material 3 and the end tip 6 of which is provided with a hole 6a through which the fibrous material passes. According to the invention, a) the fibrous material consists of cotton wool in the form of a bulky continuous roving 3, folded or wound inside the body 2, b) the tip 6 has a hole 6a of a cross section smaller than that of the roving 6 and defined with respect to the characteristics of the cotton wool, so that when pulled, a length of bulky cotton wool at most equal to that of the ear canal 10 is automatically obtained, and c) the external bearing surface is shaped to receive, when pressed against the entrance to the ear canal and by spreading out over its surface, the pulled bulky cotton wool.

Description

The invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning the ears. The term "cleaning" includes hygiene and / or ear care, and for example, drying the edge of the external auditory canal after washing, various treatments. and / or the extraction of excess wax.

The state of the art provides many means for cleaning the auditory canal, such as curette, cotton swab formed by a stick carrying a cotton swab at one or both ends thereof, or other apparatus drifting therefrom. At the present time, the medical profession does not recommend the use of devices engaging the ear canal with a cotton swab or the like, because of the large number of accidents related to too great a depression in this duct and to the possibility of forming in that canal. a wax plug hindering hearing and / or damage to the eardrum. The present invention aims to overcome the disadvantages of known means by providing an apparatus for cleaning the ears, which is inexpensive to purchase, possibly reusable and rechargeable while consuming only cotton and eliminating any risk of injury to the duct and eardrum. The apparatus according to the invention implements means already described in the state of the art and, in particular, comprises:

a tubular body forming a reservoir for a fibrous cleaning material,

- A terminal end provided with a hole, traversed by the fibrous material, and an outer end surface adapted to abut against the entrance of the ear canal,

and means ensuring the connection in rotation between the fibrous material and the tip.

Its structure is thus inspired by the apparatus described in document CH 160 583 comprising a tubular body forming a reservoir for a fibrous cleaning material, compressed and twisted to form a rigid rod. The free end of the latter opens out of the terminal end of the body, equipped with pinching means of this stick. To put the device in a situation of use it is necessary, to loosen the means pinching it in the body, then to shoot longitudinally on the stick, so that its free end protrudes outside the end of the body over a length defined by the user.

In use, the freedom to choose the drawn length can be detrimental to the health of the user. Indeed, if the latter pulls too long rod, when the stick is engaged in the ear canal, its end may come into contact with the eardrum with the risk of piercing it especially as the stick is rigid.

In addition, the lack of control of the amount pulled out of the body, tends to promote overconsumption requiring frequent replacement of the stick.

It is the same in the body cavity cleaning brush, described in document FR 377 752, apparatus in which the body is traversed by a braided string whose free end is frayed manually to form the brush. The absence of limitation of depression of the body in the conduit means that the brush can compress by coming into contact with the eardrum with the risk of injury and, moreover, the lack of control of the pulling of the string out of the body tubular, promotes the overconsumption of string. This overconsumption is all the easier as, because of the braiding of the strands, they are oriented substantially parallel to the direction of pull and facilitate this draw.

Another object of the invention is to provide a reusable cleaning apparatus after rearming by pulling, automatically limiting the length of pulled fiber material, in order to control and avoid overconsumption of pulled length. In the apparatus according to the invention:

- a) the fibrous material consists of carded cotton wadding in the form of continuous wicking, folded or wound in the body, said body having a length less than that of the wick, b) the tip has a hole of less cross section than that of the wick and defined in relation to the characteristics of the cotton wadding, to allow to obtain, automatically and during the drawing of the wick, a blocking of the movement providing downstream of the hole a length of wadding abundant at most equal to that of the ear canal, and c) the outer end surface of the tip is shaped to receive, when supported against the entrance of the ear canal and spreading on its surface, the swab drawn.

Thus, the reservoir can contain a large amount of cotton and the draw of the wick provides, thanks to the automatic setting, a length of wick adapted to the need, avoiding any injury of the conduit and / or the eardrum as well as any overconsumption. In one embodiment of the apparatus, the wick is chosen from cotton wadding having a density of between 0.0016 and 0.05, for a cross section of between 0.8 and 7 cm ² , whereas the hole the tip has a diameter of between 2 and 5 millimeters, corresponding to a section between 0.03 and 0.20 cm ² . To use this device, you must first grasp the protruding part of the tip and exert on it a pulling effort. The wick inside the reservoir is thus brought against the inner face of the nozzle, so upstream of the through hole to the outside. Under the action of the draw part of the wick passes through the hole and a part accumulates against the tip by generating constraints that slow down more and more scrolling until it stops.

If the operator, who perceives this stop, continues to pull, the pulling force exceeds the resistance of the wick which then divides into two sections, a free section that can be thrown and a useful section abounding beyond the apparatus of a length at most equal to that of the ear canal and, for example, of the order of 2.5 centimeters, when the diameter of the hole and the density of the wick are in adequacy.

At this stage, the preparation phase is over and to move to the cleaning phase simply bring the tip, with the wick forward, in contact with the entrance of the ear canal, then apply it against the entrance to this conduit. During this application, the expanded wool spreads itself on the outer surface of the tip forming a film covering and a protruding buffer forward and can penetrate the conduit to a limited depth. The wick and buffer assembly are the only elements of the device that come into direct contact with the duct wall and that clean it, benefiting from the softness of the cotton and the rigidity underlying the tip.

The cleaning operation is all the more effective as the tip is pivoted about its longitudinal axis, by rotation and / or nutation, manually or by a motor, and that it carries with it the buffer.

At the end of cleaning, it remains for the operator to fold on the front, in front of the end of the tip, the stubborn piece of cotton wool spread over the outer reach, to separate it from the wick by resuming the operation of drawing, which has the effect of preparing the apparatus for the next cleaning.

The outer shape of the tip, for example frustoconical in one embodiment, limits its insertion into the ear canal so that the same tip can be used for different sizes of duct, providing a cleaning of the same quality and without risk of pushing the wax towards the bottom of the duct.

Moreover, if there is already an excess of cerumen, it has a tendency to fit into the axial zone of the fibrous material tuft, that is to say in an area with low resistance and able to hold back.

Other features and advantages will emerge from the description which follows, with reference to the appended schematic drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a first embodiment of the invention, when the wick is in the waiting position; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view along M-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational side view of the apparatus of Figure 1, after a wick length has been drawn,

Figure 4, 5 and 6 are views of the apparatus, when the wick is respectively shaped by introduction into the ear canal, during cleaning of the conduit and after cleaning;

Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of another embodiment of the apparatus. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, the apparatus is composed of a body 2 forming a reservoir and containing a wick 3.

This wick is made of carded cotton wadding composed of abundant fibers and crisscrossed. To obtain the desired effects described below, the carded cotton wadding is chosen from that having a cross section of between 0.8 and 7 cm ² and a density of between 0.0016 and 0.05, and advantageously between 0.012 and 0.023. .

The body 2 is made of synthetic material and comprises a cylindrical portion 4, a tip 6 and, optionally, an outer flange 5. The body 2 opens out through a bore 4a. It has an interior volume allowing the accumulation of a wick length greater than its own length and, for example, corresponding to the monthly consumption for cleaning the two ears. In the tank, the wick is stored, folded accordionally or spirally wound. The tip 6 has a cross section which decreases from the reservoir to the hole 6a which it is provided. This hole, which is shown to be axial, can also be radially offset. Its diameter depends on the characteristics of the cotton wadding and, for example, is between 2 and 5 millimeters and is preferably between 3 and 4 millimeters. The general conicity of the tip 6 is chosen so that it can penetrate without forcing into the ear canal of a baby, a child or an adult, while limiting this penetration. The angle at the apex of the cone is between 25 and 45 degrees, and for example 40 degrees.

Figure 3 shows that the tip 6 has an outer surface 6b, conical or not, granite or not, and whose usefulness will be specified later.

As shown in more detail in Figure 2, the tip 6 comprises inner longitudinal ribs 7 which are angularly distributed, for example 120 degrees from each other and are directed radially, to form connecting members in rotation with the wick 3 In a variant, not shown, the rotational connecting members are constituted by external longitudinal grooves formed in the outer bearing surface of the endpiece and forming retaining notches. Before commissioning, the body is empty. To fill it up and to prepare the commissioning, it is necessary to twist manually one end of the wick, then to push this twist by the inside of the apparatus towards the hole 6a of the mouthpiece, until a portion of the twist passes through the hole to form a small wick section 3a, as shown in FIG. 1. This section forms a pulling member for putting the apparatus in use, which consists in pulling out by manual or manual pulling. other, a longer length of wick, to form a section 3b, visible Figure 3.

In practice, this length is at most equal to the internal length of the ear canal 10, and is therefore between 1, 5 and 3 centimeters and for example is of the order of 2.5 cm.

As indicated in the preamble, the wick length delivered is automatically adjusted by self-locking the wick that is pressed against the face of the tip 6 just upstream of the hole 6a, at the same time as it is pulled towards the outside. During the draw the swollen cotton wool is strangled at the upstream level by the hole of the nozzle and, downstream, by the drawing means as the fingers of the hand for example. At the time of the self-locking at the hole, the draw continues and the length of wadding is automatically divided into two sections, in the median zone the least resistant between the two points of constriction. Thus released the wadding is full of feather duster, as shown in 3b in Figure 3.

It is specified that this self-control of the delivered wick length which limits the overconsumption depends on the blocking forces exerted during the drawing and, consequently, on the adequacy of the characteristics of the wick to the diametrical dimension of the hole 6a. By characteristics of the wick it is necessary to understand, in addition to the cross-section and the density of the wick, the characteristics of the fibers, such as their diametrical dimension, their humidity, their coefficient of friction and their relative orientation after carding, that is to say factors depending on their origin and their structure. As a result, the results obtained can vary with the suppliers. However, from a hole 6a of defined diameter, the skilled person can, without difficulty and From the indications and ranges of values given above, choose a wick that makes it possible to obtain the desired blocking.

In the next phase shown in Figure 4, the tip of the apparatus is brought against the entrance of the ear canal 10 containing deposits 11 to be removed. The support against this entry of the feather duster flourish deforms gradually giving it the shape of a mushroom 3c, and then spreading on the surface of the external terminal surface 6b of the tip.

Thus, it is the manual engagement that conditions the conformation of the wadding section on the tip.

As shown in Figures 5 and 6, the cleaning means comprises a cotton film 3d, surrounding the scope 6b, and a buffer 3f. The latter, formed in front of the tip 6, is similar to the buffer formed at the end of a cotton swab, but differs in that its softness is not impaired by the presence of a stick stiffener and that it engages much less deeply in the conduit.

By the abundant character of the wadding, the buffer 3f and the film 3d cushion the support exerted by the operator and contribute to the limitation of the depression of the tip 6 in the ear canal 10. With these arrangements and as as shown in FIG. 5, it is absolutely impossible for the film 3d and the buffer 3f to come into contact with the eardrum 12.

In known manner, for cleaning, it is necessary to communicate to the tip, by the apparatus, a rotational movement or nutation. In this embodiment, the rotation which is communicated manually to the body 2 is transmitted, via the ribs 7 and the endpiece 6, the stored cotton and the outer wick section, so the film 3d and the buffer 3f.

In an alternative embodiment, not shown, the rotational movement is generated by an electric motor connected, directly or indirectly, to the tip. At the end of the cleaning, the apparatus is removed from the conduit 10, then the film 3 surrounding the range 6b is manually pushed forwardly beyond the tip 6, so that it turns and closes on the buffer 3f, possibly by trapping the waste and collected dirt. The section, which then has a shape similar to that 3b, shown in Figure 3, is entered manually and pulled until the section between the dirty section and the next section.

At the end of this operation, the soiled section is discarded and the abun- dant section, which has formed outside the nozzle, has the shape shown in FIG. 3, so that the apparatus can be reused from the same way to clean the other ear canal.

It follows from the above that the essential means of the invention is the adequacy of the characteristics of the cotton wadding to the size of the hole of the tip. This is the reason why the body has been described only in a very simplified version, especially since the skilled person is perfectly able, without any creative effort, to arrange the body described according to the needs of use. Thus, the ear piece 6 can be monolithic with the body or attached to one of its ends by screwing, snapping or hooking lugs. FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the apparatus in which the end piece 106 differs from that 6 of the previous embodiment, only in the shape of its frustoconical part, slightly different, and by its part cylindrical. This one divides, on both sides of the collar 105, in two bearing surfaces, respectively downstream 104a, adapted to receive by fitting the skirt of a cover 20, and an upstream bearing surface 104b, able to receive the end of the skirt of a tubular cylindrical body 22, body provided with a bottom 23 and forming complementary reservoir.

The connection by fitting between the endpiece 106 and the body 22 ensures the rotational wedging of the two parts. The rotational movement can be exerted manually on the body 22, on the bearing surface 104a of the nozzle or, preferably, on a stud 24 projecting longitudinally from the bottom 23. When the apparatus is not used, the cover 20 protects the section 3a from any external pollution and can serve as a base for vertical storage.

In general, the volume of the tank of the device depends on the conditions of use of the device, namely, every day or every other day, and the number of users. For example, an apparatus having a general diameter of 24 millimeters and a length of 75 millimeters contains a wad of cotton wadding abundant cotton folded accordion having a length of 60 centimeters and allowing a daily use of a person for a month . When the reservoir is emptied, it can be recharged by a new wad of cotton wool 60 cm, provided alone or in a container constituted, for example by the body 22 shown in Figure 7.

According to the embodiments, the means ensuring the rotational connection between the cotton wick and the tip are composed of internal ribs 7, external edges or a granite outer zone, but they can also be constituted by the forces friction generated by a particular configuration of the tip 6 adapted to a specific density of the material constituting the wick 3. Thus, for example, a tip 6 having an apex angle of between 30 and 40 degrees, smooth inside and outside, comprising an outlet orifice 6a having a diameter of between 3 and 4 millimeters, provides a satisfactory rotational drive of a wad of cotton padded wadding having a section of 2 cm ² and a density of between 0.012 and 0.023. It is specified that the larger the diameter of the hole 6a, the more the density of the wadding increases. A wad of carded cotton wadding approximately 2 cm ² in section, weighing 4.5 grams per meter cooperates perfectly with a 3.5 mm diameter hole formed at the end of a frustoconical tip having a 40 degree angle. .

In addition, according to the embodiments, the tip 6 may be conical, frustoconical with a conical end portion, hemispherical with or without end portion in the form of axial tubular post. In Figure 8, where the tip 206 is frustoconical, the tubular post 30 is cylindrical, while in Figure 9, where the end portion of the tip 306 is hemispherical, the tubular post 31 is frustoconical. In one embodiment, the apparatus is associated with means facilitating the extraction, that is to say the pulling of the wick 3.

Figure 10 shows a first embodiment of these manual extraction means. These are composed of two opposite jaws, 32a and 32b protruding from the top of a cap 33 for protecting the tip 6. At its free end, each of the jaws is provided with a nib 34, while its another end is connected to the cap 33 by a hinge 35 with elastic return. At rest, the jaws 32a-32b are spaced from each other so that they can come over the end portion of the tip, and in the plane P, beyond the range of distribution of the 3d film of the wick on this tip.

Thus, after having brought the jaws 32a-32b onto the end piece 6 and brought closer to them, according to the arrows 37 and until contact with this endpiece, their drawing in the direction of the arrow 36 generates a scraping movement of the film 3d enveloping the tip and a straightening movement of the fibers of this wick, until they reform the initial wick by enclosing between them the deposits collected in the ear. The pulling movement by the jaws continues to obtain the automatic division of the wick into two sections. As soon as they are released, the jaws return elastically to the retracted position and are ready for the next operation.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the jaws 40a and 40b are formed in the cap 133 by two diametrically opposed cutouts 42. The elastic return is provided by a leaf spring spacer 43, disposed in the cap. In the embodiment of Figures 12 and 13 the extraction means are constituted by a tubular sleeve 50, of elastically deformable material, such as rubber or elastomer. This sleeve can be deformed manually to pinch the wick to extract it, until its division. In the example shown, the sleeve 50 is of frustoconical shape and has an inner profile allowing it to cap the end surface of the tip 6, on which it is threaded. In this waiting position, its part of smaller outer diameter comes on a tubular post 30, previously described. Due to its external roughness, the sleeve 50 forms an outer surface promoting the rotational drive of the wick and the pad, when the apparatus is rotated to better clean the ear canal.

When the cleaning is finished, the sleeve 50 is moved in the direction of the arrows 51 first on the end portion of the nozzle, to take off the film 3d forming the buffer and to reform the wick. When the latter is reformed, as shown in Figure 13, the end of the pad is tightened in the direction of the arrows 52, to pinch the wick and pull it off the tenon 30.

At the end of these movements, the sleeve 50 is returned from its ejection position to its waiting position on the tip 6, to reform rotating drive means of the next buffer.

It follows from the foregoing description that the apparatus according to the invention not only makes it possible to clean the ears without the risk of damaging the eardrums by too great a depression, but also ensures the control of the distribution of the wick to limit automatically distributed length and avoid overconsumption.

Claims

1.) Apparatus for cleaning the ears comprising:

- a tubular body (2) forming a reservoir for a fibrous material (3) for cleaning, - a terminal end (6) provided with a hole (6a), traversed by the fibrous material, and an outer end surface (6b ) able to bear against the entrance of the ear canal (10),

- and means (7) ensuring the connection in rotation between the fibrous material (3) and the tip (6), characterized in that:

- a) the fibrous material consists of carded cotton wadding in the form of continuous wavy wick (3), folded or wound in the body (2), said body having a length less than that of the wick

(3), b) the tip (6) has a hole (6a) of smaller cross-section than that of the bit (3) and whose diameter is defined in relation to the characteristics of the cotton wadding (3), to allow when drawing the wick downstream of the hole to automatically obtain a length of swaddling cotton (3b) at most equal to that of the ear canal, - and c) the outer end surface (6b) of the mouthpiece (6 ) is shaped to receive, during its support against the entrance of the ear canal (10) and by spreading on its surface, the expanded lug pulled (3d, 3f).

2.) Apparatus for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that the wick (3) is selected from cotton wadding having a density between 0.0016 and 0.05, while the hole (6a) of the tip (6) has a diameter of between 2 and 5 millimeters.

3.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claims 1 and 2 taken together characterized in that, to cooperate with a wick (3) having a density between 0.012 and 0.023 the hole (6a) of the tip (6) a a diameter of between 3 and 4 millimeters.

4.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that the tip (6) has internally longitudinal ribs (7) projecting radially and constituting connection means in rotation with the wick.

5.) Apparatus for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that the outer end surface (6b) of the tip (6) is provided with longitudinal grooves forming hooking notches of the wick section (3) s' spreading on it.

6.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that the outer end surface (6b) is granite.

7.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that the ear piece (6) is extended in its larger diameter part by a cylindrical tubular body (22), which it is monolithic, the body being closed by a removable bottom (23).

8.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises an electric motor rotatably connected to the nozzle (106) to generate the rotational movement of the latter.

9. Apparatus for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that the means for driving in rotation of the fibrous material and the wick (3) consist of the friction forces between a specific form of the tip ( 6, 106) and a wad of cotton wadding characterized by a density of between 0.0016 and 0.05.

10.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that the outer end surface (206b) comprises an axial tubular post

(30, 31) from which the wick opens.

11.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises means (32a-32b, 40a-40b, 50) for extracting the wick (3) and the dirty section.

12. Apparatus for cleaning the ears according to claims 1 and 11 taken together characterized in that the means for extracting the wick are constituted by two jaws (32a-32b), opposite and elastic return, carried by a cap ( 33) to protect the ear tip.

13. Apparatus for cleaning the ears according to claims 1 and 11 taken together characterized in that the extraction means of the wick (3) are constituted by a tubular sleeve (50) which, elastically deformable material by manual pinching, has an inner diameter greater than that outside the buffer (3f) formed by the wick at the end of the tip.

14.) Device for cleaning the ears according to claim 11 characterized in that the sleeve (50) has an inner profile allowing it to cap the end surface (6b) of the tip (6) and to occupy a position of waiting, in which it is on the tip, and an ejection position, in which it is moved towards the front of the tip (6) to take off the buffer (3f) surrounding the tip and allow, by pinching its free end on the wick (3), the draw of the latter.