Apparatus and method for cleaning teeth

• US 6,155,824 A
• Filed: 03/26/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Original Assignee: Deka Products Limited Partnership
• Inventors: Gray, Larry B., Kamen, Dean L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lewis, Ralph A.
• Application Number:
  US09/280,144
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 433/80, 433/88, 433/89, 433/116, 604/27, 604/35, 601/162-165, 451/75, 451/90
• US Class Current: 433/80
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0092 Pumps specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/0208 combined with means providing suction A61C17/0211 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 3/025 Instruments acting like a sandblast machine, e.g. for cleaning, polishing or cutting teeth
• CPC Class Codes: B05B 5/0403 characterised by the rotating member

Abstract

An apparatus designed to clean surfaces and to recycle the cleaning solution including a hand-holdable housing, a tube having a lumen through which cleaning solution may be impelled, a pump for both impelling and urging solution back through a return path. Piston-based, in particular a ganged pump using a stepped piston, as well as membrane-based pumps are disclosed. Methods of cleaning surfaces using such apparatuses as well as a system for periodically cleaning a plurality of surfaces are disclosed as additional embodiments.

Claims

1. An apparatus for cleaning a surface within a mouth of a person, the apparatus capable of recycling a cleaning solution, the apparatus comprising:

a hand-holdable housing having a distal opening;

a tube disposed substantially within the housing, the tube having a lumen, a proximal end, and a distal end defining an exit nozzle, the exit nozzle located proximate to the distal opening;

a pump disposed within the housing for both impelling the solution through the lumen of the tube causing the solution to exit the lumen through the exit nozzle and be directed into the mouth of the person to a vicinity of the surface and for drawing the solution from the vicinity of the surface in the mouth of the person; and

a solution return path providing fluid communication outside the lumen between the vicinity and the proximal end for recycling the drawn solution.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

an orifice boot coupled to the housing proximate the distal opening.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing, the tube, and the pump are made from material transparent to and are capable of being sterilized by ultraviolet radiation.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor;

the sensor capable of actuating the pump when the apparatus contacts the surface.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, the surface being within an oral cavity of a user, the user having a mouth, the apparatus further comprising:

a sensor;

the sensor capable of actuating the pump when the mouth is closed and the exit nozzle is within the oral cavity.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sensor is also capable of actuating the pump when the apparatus contacts the surface.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1, further comprising:

a reservoir, disposed in the solution return path, for containing a volume of solution.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the volume includes solution both before it is impelled by the pump and solution after it is urged by the pump so that urged solution is capable of being impelled.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the housing, the tube, the pump, and the reservoir are made from material transparent to ultraviolet radiation.

10. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the housing, the tube, the pump, and the reservoir are made from material suitable for sterilization by exposure to microwave radiation.

11. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the reservoir is disposed within the housing.

12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pump includes a piston.

13. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the pump includes a piston.

14. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pump includes a ganged pump.

15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the pump synchronously pumps a first volume of the cleaning solution and a second volume of air in such a manner as to create a vacuum for drawing the solution from the mouth of the person into the apparatus.

16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pump includes a flexible membrane for impelling the cleaning solution through the lumen of the tube.

17. An apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a pressurized fluid is used to control a position of the flexible membrane.

18. An apparatus for cleaning a surface with a cleaning solution, the apparatus comprising:

a reservoir for containing a volume of the cleaning solution;

a first pump chamber for impelling, upon motion of a piston, the cleaning solution toward a vicinity of the surface; and

a second pump chamber for urging, upon motion of the piston, the cleaning solution from the vicinity of the surface for recycling into the reservoir;

the pump chambers disposed within a hand-holdable housing and the volume including solution both before it is impelled by the first pump chamber and solution after it is urged by the second pump chamber so that urged solution is capable of being impelled.

19. A method of cleaning a surface in an oral cavity comprising the steps of:

filling a reservoir with cleaning solution,

impelling the solution from the reservoir and out of an exit nozzle toward a vicinity of the surface, and

holding the exit nozzle in a position such that a pump urges solution from the vicinity of the surface back to the reservoir.

20. A method according to claim 19, wherein the solution is contained in a reservoir both before it is impelled and after it is urged, so that urged solution is capable of being impelled.

21. A method of cleaning a surface in an oral cavity comprising the steps of:

grasping a hand-holdable housing, the housing having a reservoir, a tube and a pump disposed therein, the tube having a lumen and a distal end defining an exit nozzle, the housing having a distal opening such that the exit nozzle is located proximate to the distal opening, wherein the reservoir, the pump, and the tube are in forward fluid communication, the housing defining a solution return path affording return fluid communication between the distal opening and the reservoir, such that the exit nozzle is in a vicinity of the surface,

actuating the pump to impel a foaming-resistant solution contained in the reservoir out of the exit nozzle, the solution directed toward the vicinity of the surface, and

holding the distal opening in the vicinity of the surface so that the pump urges solution from the vicinity of the surface, recycling the solution back into the reservoir through the solution return path.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein, in the step of actuating, actuating is performed using a sensor.

23. A method for periodically cleaning a plurality of surfaces in an oral cavity comprising the steps of:

grasping a hand-holdable housing, the housing having a reservoir, a tube and a pump disposed therein, the tube having a lumen and a distal end defining an exit nozzle, the housing having a distal opening such that the exit nozzle is located proximate to the distal opening, wherein the reservoir, the pump, and the tube are in forward fluid communication, the housing defining a solution return path affording return fluid communication between the distal opening and the reservoir, such that the exit nozzle is in a vicinity of a surface,

actuating the pump to impel a solution contained in the reservoir out of the exit nozzle, the solution directed toward the vicinity of the surface,

holding the distal opening in the vicinity of the surface so that the pump urges solution from the vicinity of the surface, recycling the solution back into the reservoir through the solution return path,

repositioning the exit nozzle such that the exit nozzle is in a vicinity of another surface within the oral cavity, and

repeating the step of repositioning as desired.

24. A method according to claim 23, further comprising the steps of:

storing the housing, reservoir, tube, and pump in a sterilizer in which exposure to radiation can occur, and

periodically repeating the preceding steps.

25. A method according to claim 23, further comprising the step of:

providing a foaming-resistant solution for placement in the reservoir.

26. A method according to claim 23, wherein in the step of grasping, an orifice boot is coupled to the housing proximate the distal opening.