Apparatus and method for cleaning teeth
First Claim
Patent Images
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.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
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.
-
Citations
26 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. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
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. - View Dependent Claims (20)
-
-
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. - View Dependent Claims (22)
-
-
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. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26)
-
Specification