External auditory canal drying apparatus

• US 5,979,072 A
• Filed: 02/18/1998
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sahara LLC (Big Lots, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hamilton P. Collins II
• Inventors: Collins, Hamilton P. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Bennett, Henry
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, PAMELA ANNE
• Application Number:
  US09/025,276
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 34/90, 34/96, 34/97, 34/98, 34/99, 34/100, 34/101, 392/379, 392/380, 392/383, 392/384, 392/385, 392/347, 392/360, 392/373, 392/374, 128/746, 128/748
• US Class Current: 34/90
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 11/00 Methods or devices for treatment of the ears or hearing sense implantable prostheses that substitute or replace internal ear parts, e.g. ear-drums, A61F2/18; methods or devices to cause a change in the state of auditory consciousness A61M21/00; electrotherapy applying electrical stimulation of the auditory system, or circuits therefor A61N1/36; radiotherapy using optical stimulation of the auditory system A61N5/06; electro-acoustic hearing aids H04R25/00; 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 headwear, e.g. caps or helmets, with means for protecting the ears A42B1/0188, A42B3/16

Abstract

An external ear canal drying apparatus 10 comprising a hinged clam shell style housing 11 containing a forced air generating unit 12 having a blower motor 25 and a heating element 26 operatively associated with an air intake and exhaust conduit 22 that has an exhaust port nozzle 24 dimensioned to receive a conduit 32 centrally disposed within a tapered resilient housing 31 having return air passageways 39 that surround the central conduit for introducing forced hot air into and out of the auditory canal 100.

Claims

1. An external auditory canal drying apparatus comprising:

a housing unit including a housing member;

a forced air generating unit disposed within the housing member and comprising an air intake and exhaust conduit having an air intake port on one end and an air exhaust port nozzle on the other end wherein the air intake and exhaust port is provided with a blower motor; and

a nozzle adapter unit operatively associated with said exhaust port nozzle and including a generally resilient adapter member having a tapered housing provided with a central conduit for receiving a stream of forced air from said blower motor; and

a return passageway disposed in a surrounding relationship relative to said central conduit for allowing the forced air to exit from the auditory canal.

2. The apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the air intake and exhaust conduit is further provided with a heating element.

3. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the tapered housing has an enlarged end disposed proximate to the exhaust port nozzle and a narrow end spaced from the exhaust port nozzle.

4. The apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the central conduit extends beyond the enlarge end of the tapered housing and is dimensioned to be received in said exhaust port nozzle.

5. The apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said return passageway is formed on the interior of the tapered housing.

6. The apparatus as in claim 3 wherein said return passageway is formed on the exterior of the tapered housing.

7. The apparatus as in claim 6 wherein said return passageway comprises a plurality of fluted recesses formed on the exterior of the tapered housing.

8. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said housing member has a generally pistol shaped configuration.

9. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein said housing member has an upper housing section and a lower housing section hingedly connected to one another.

10. The apparatus as in claim 9 wherein said upper and lower housing sections are configured to form a clam shell configuration when joined together in the collapsed mode.

11. The apparatus as in claim 10 wherein the nozzle adapter unit is disposed on the upper housing section and the lower housing section is provided with a recess dimensioned to receive the nozzle adapter unit when the upper and lower housing sections are disposed in the collapsed mode.

12. The apparatus as in claim 11 wherein the recess in the lower housing section is further dimensioned to receive a spare nozzle adapter unit.

13. The apparatus as in claim 2 further comprising:

an electronic control system for governing the operation of the blower motor and the heating element.

14. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein the control system limits the output of the blower motor to 10 cc/sec.

15. The apparatus as in claim 13 wherein the control system limits the temperature of the air heated by the heating element to 39°

C.

16. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the tapered housing is dimensioned to only extend partially within the external auditory canal.

17. The apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the tapered housing is transparent.