ELECTROACOUSTIC MASSAGER FOR THE GUMS

• US 3,651,576 A
• Filed: 05/18/1970
• Issued: 03/28/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1970
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Massa Products Corporation
• Original Assignee: Frank Massa
• Inventors: Massa, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Peshock, Robert
• Application Number:
  US05/037,953
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 128/62A,24A 32/58
• US Class Current: 433/119
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/20 using ultrasonics

Abstract

A waterproof dental probe is mounted at one end of a slender handle. The probe includes an ultrasonic transducer for vibrating the surface of the probe. Thus, ultrasonic vibrations may be transferred to the gums and teeth by applying the vibratile probe to the surface thereof.

Claims

1. An electroacoustic appliance having a shape and dimension suitable for the application of acoustic energy to local areas of the human gums while being held in the hand of the person using said appliance, said appliance comprising an elongated slender handle with a probe tip frame structure attached thereto and shaped to fit in the region surrounding said gums, means comprising an electroacoustic transducer having at least one exposed vibratile surface mounted on said tip frame structure, means for transferring vibrations from said vibratile surface to the exterior of said probe tip, electrical means coupled to said transducer means for driving said transducer means, and waterproof acoustic coupling means bonded to said vibratile surface and to said probe tip frame structure for transferring the vibratory energy to localized areas of the gums, said waterproof coupling means comprising a unitary hood surrounding said transducer and probe tip frame shaped and dimensioned to fit into the region surrounding said gums.

2. The appliance of claim 1 wherein said frame includes an annular housing and said electroacoustic transducer means comprises a plurality of piezoelectric plates mounted inside said annulus.

3. The appliance of claim 1 and an annular housing surrounding said piezoelectric plates, and further characterized in that the surfaces of said plates are located approximately perpendicular to the axis of the annular housing and parallel to the axis of said elongated housing.

4. The appliance of claim 3 further characterized in that said acoustic coupling means includes a tapered member attached to said vibratile surface whereby the tip portion of said tapered member transfers the acoustic energy from the vibratile surface to the gums.

5. The appliance of claim 1 further characterized in that said acoustic coupling means includes a tapered member attached to said vibratile surface whereby the tip portion of said tapered member transfers the acoustic energy from the vibratile surface to the gums.

6. The appliance of claim 1 and an annular housing surrounding said transducer, further characterized in that said transducer presents a vibratile surface on each of the opposite sides of the opening through said annular housing, and still further characterized in that the waterproof acoustic coupling means are bonded to each of said oppositely exposed vibratile surfaces, and still further characterized in that a tapered member is perpendicularly attached to one of said vibratile surfaces whereby the tip portion of said tapered member transfers the acoustic energy to the gums from the vibratile surface to which it is attached.

7. The appliance of claim 6 further characterized in that the other of said vibratile surfaces is acoustically coupled to a surface layer of acoustically transparent waterproof material.

8. The appliance of claim 7 further characterized in that the external surface of said layer of acoustically transparent material is convex.

9. The appliance of claim 7 further characterized in that said layer of acoustically transparent material is resilient.

10. The applIance of claim 1 further characterized in that said electroacoustic transducer means operates in the ultrasonic frequency region.

11. The appliance of claim 10 further characterized in that said ultrasonic frequency region is greater than 25 kHz.

12. The appliance of claim 10 further characterized in that the frequency region lies between 100 and 500 kHz.

13. A prophylactic device for the treatment of gums comprising a handle with a probe for fitting into a person'"'"''"'"'s mouth attached to one end thereof, electroacoustic transducer means contained within said probe, acoustic coupling means attached to said electroacoustic transducer means and sealed to said probe, and means for electrically driving said electroacoustic transducer means to vibrate at a characteristic frequency.

14. The device of claim 13 characterized in that said electroacoustic transducer means includes a piezoelectric transducer element.

15. The device of claim 14 further characterized in that said transducer element operates in the ultrasonic frequency region.

16. The device of claim 15 further characterized in that said frequency region is higher than 25 kHz.

17. The device of claim 15 further characterized in that the frequency region is in the range between 100 and 500 kHz.

18. The device of claim 14 further characterized in that said transducer element includes at least one piezoelectric plate having a surface parallel to said handle, and still further characterized in that said acoustic coupling means includes a tapered member perpendicularly attached to said surface of said plate whereby the tip portion of said tapered member transfers the acoustic energy from said plate and to the gums.

19. The device of claim 14 further characterized in that said electroacoustic transducer means comprises an assembly of piezoelectric plates, further characterized in that a separate vibratile surface of said assembly of piezoelectric plates appears at each of the opposite sides of said probe, and still further characterized in that acoustic coupling means is bonded to each of said separate vibratile surfaces and said acoustic coupling means is sealed to the surface of said probe.

20. The device of claim 19 further characterized in that said coupling means includes a tapered member perpendicularly attached to one of said vibratile surfaces whereby the tip portion of said tapered member transfers the acoustic energy from the vibratile surface to which it is attached to the gum.