Nose clip

• US 5,464,413 A
• Filed: 11/15/1993
• Issued: 11/07/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vernon C. Lenz, William Siska Jr
• Original Assignee: Vernon C. Lenz, William Siska Jr
• Inventors: Lenz, Vernon C., Siska, William Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Aaron J.
• Application Number:
  US08/152,324
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 128/201.18, 128/206.11, 606/151, 606/157, 606/158, 606/204.45, 606/208
• US Class Current: 606/151
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/122 Clamps or clips , e.g. for the umbilical cord for the vas deferens A61F6/206
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/24 for use in the oral cavity, larynx, bronchial passages or nose for medical inspection of cavities or tubes in the body A61B1/00; Tongue scrapers
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 9/06 Mouthpieces; Nose-clips for medical purposes A61M15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 2200/18 Adjustment ridges or notches

Abstract

A nose clip is provided, which can be constructed at low cost and which can be smoothly operated to comfortably close noses of different sizes. The clip includes a frame (12, FIG. 1 ) with a pair of largely vertical bars (14, 16) having nose-squeezing lower ends (20, 22), middles (34, 36) that are pivotally connected, and upper ends (30, 32). A first bar has a pawl (52) on its upper end and the second bar carries a toothed beam (54) that is engaged by the pawl to prevent the upper ends from moving together to thereby keep the lower ends in the nose-squeezing position. The arm middles are connected by an integrally molded flexible and resilient crossbeam (40), and the pawl and toothed beam are integrally molded with the rest of the frame. A person uses the clip by placing pads (24, 26) lying on the lower ends of the bars, against opposite sides of his nose and squeezing the lower ends of the bars until his nose is comfortably closed, at which time one tooth of the multi-toothed beam will engage the pawl.

Claims

1. A nose clip comprising:

a frame which includes first and second largely vertical bars, each having nose-squeezing lower ends adapted to press toward opposite sides of a person'"'"'s nose, upper ends, and a middle, said frame including a bendable crossbeam which connects said bar middles and which can bend to allow said bar lower ends to move together and apart respectively toward a squeezed position and a released position;

said frame including a mechanism that couples said bar upper ends and prevents them from moving toward each other to thereby keep said frame in said squeezed position, said mechanism being releasable to allow said bar upper ends to move toward each other so said frame can move to said released position.

said mechanism comprises a pawl on said first bar upper end and a toothed beam which extends from the second bar upper end to said pawl, with said pawl and toothed beam oriented to prevent said beam upper ends from moving toward each other and with said toothed beam being mutually disengagable from said pawl;

said bars, crossbeam and beam are integrally molded;

said toothed beam has an inner end which forms a molded hinge connection with the upper end of said second bar, to thereby facilitate molding of the beam.

2. A nose clip comprising:

a pair of bars with lower ends designed to lie on opposite sides of a wearer'"'"'s nose, and with higher bar locations that are pivotally connected;

a latching device that couples said bars and keeps said lower ends progressively closer together as they are squeezed progressively closer together;

said bars each have upper ends and have middles located between the upper and loser ends and forming said higher locations, with said middles pivotally connected, and said latching device includes a pawl formed in the upper end of one bar and a toothed beam extending from the upper end of the other bar and preventing said bar upper ends from moving toward each other.

3. A nose clip comprising:

a frame which includes first and second largely vertical bars, each having nose-squeezing lower ends adapted to press toward opposite sides of a person'"'"'s nose, upper ends, and a middle, said frame including a bendable crossbeam which connects said bar middles and which can bend to allow said bar lower ends to move together and apart respectively toward a squeezed position and a released position;

said vertical bars and crossbeam being integrally molded of plastic to form a single integrally molded part, said vertical bars being substantially rigid, and said crossbeam being resiliently bendable;

said mechanism comprises a pawl integrally molded as part of said first bar upper end and a toothed beam which is integrally molded as part of the second bar upper end and which extends therefrom to said pawl, with said pawl and toothed beam oriented to prevent said bar upper ends from moving toward each other and with said toothed beam being manually disengageable from said pawl by bending said toothed beam, and with said toothed beam having more teeth than said pawl.