US3820532A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dental irrigator
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1972-11-08
•
Granted: 1974-06-28
•
Expires: 1992-11-08
Abstract
Abstract A water operated dental irrigator comprising a housing having a discharge passage communicating at one end with a pressurized water supply and at the other with a discharge hose and nozzle, and a water driven turbine wheel operating an interruptor valve in the discharge passage to produce an unlimited volume of discrete pulses of pressurized water through the hose. The turbine speed is variable through actuation of adjustable control nozzles which eject pressurized water to drive the turbine, and a metering valve controls the intensity of the pulsed water by controlling the amount of water admitted to the discharge passage from the supply. A chamber in the housing communicating with the supply and the discharge passage allows an oral antiseptic to be dispensed into the discharge passage between pulses.
Inventors
- 👤 R Eberhardt
- 👤 J Whisenant
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-25 06:29
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61C; A61C17/00; A61C17/02; A61C17/028; A61C17/032
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
150 words
A dental irrigator for emitting pulses of water from a pressurized water supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a discharge passage adapted to communicate with the supply at one end, and the hose at the other; an interruptor valve disposed in said passage for periodically blocking water flow through said passage; a water driven turbine coupled with said valve and operating said valve to block and unblock said passage thereby to form water puLses, said turbine comprising a wheel having axial reaction vanes formed around the periphery; and at least one control nozzle adapted to communicate with the supply and eject pressurized water onto said turbine for driving said turbine and operating said valve, said control nozzle being selectively adjustable to vary the angle of impingement of water ejected by said control nozzle onto said turbine wheel thereby to control the speed of rotation of said turbine wheel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
150 words
A dental irrigator for emitting pulses of water from a pressurized water supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a discharge passage adapted to communicate with the supply at one end, and the hose at the other; an interruptor valve disposed in said passage for periodically blocking water flow through said passage; a water driven turbine coupled with said valve and operating said valve to block and unblock said passage thereby to form water puLses, said turbine comprising a wheel having axial reaction vanes formed around the periphery; and at least one control nozzle adapted to communicate with the supply and eject pressurized water onto said turbine for driving said turbine and operating said valve, said control nozzle being selectively adjustable to vary the angle of impingement of water ejected by said control nozzle onto said turbine wheel thereby to control the speed of rotation of said turbine wheel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
131 words
A dental irrigator for emitting pulses of water from a pressurized water supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a discharge passage adapted to communicate with the supply at one end, and the hose at the other; an interruptor valve disposed in said passage for periodically blocking water flow through said passage; means for controlling the amount of water admitted from the supply into said passage; a water driven turbine coupled with said valve and operating said valve to block and unblock said passage thereby to form water pulses; and at least one control nozzle adapted to communicate with the supply and eject pressurized water onto said turbine for driving said turbine and operating said valve, said control nozzle being independently adjustable to drive said turbine at varying rotational speeds.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
131 words
A dental irrigator for emitting pulses of water from a pressurized water supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a discharge passage adapted to communicate with the supply at one end, and the hose at the other; an interruptor valve disposed in said passage for periodically blocking water flow through said passage; means for controlling the amount of water admitted from the supply into said passage; a water driven turbine coupled with said valve and operating said valve to block and unblock said passage thereby to form water pulses; and at least one control nozzle adapted to communicate with the supply and eject pressurized water onto said turbine for driving said turbine and operating said valve, said control nozzle being independently adjustable to drive said turbine at varying rotational speeds.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
91 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 2 in which: said means for controlling the amount of water admitted from the supply comprise a metering valve disposed in the inlet to said passage from said supply and adjustable to vary the extent of opening of the inlet; said turbine is a wheel having axial reaction vanes around the periphery; and said control nozzle drives said turbine by ejecting water onto said periphery, the speed of said turbine being controlled by adjusting the inpingement angle of ejected water emitted b/said control nozzle.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
45 words
A dental irrigator ad defined in claim 3 including a second control nozzle disposed diametrically opposite said first control nozzle, and means for simultaneously adjusting each of said control nozzles whereby water ejected by each nozzle is always directed onto said turbine along parallel chords.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
134 words
A dental irrigator to be attached to a water faucet for emitting discrete pulses of water from a pressurized water supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a housing including a supply passage coupled with the pressurized water supply, and a discharge passage coupling said supply passage with the discharge hose; an interruptor valve disposed in said discharge passage for blocking water flow therethrough; a water driving turbine having an axle mounted for rotation in said housing and coupled with said interruptor valve to periodically block and unblock flow through said discharge conduit; and a pair of control nozzles adjustably mounted in said housing, each of said nozzles communicating with said supply passage and disposed to eject a stream of water from said supply passage onto said turbine thereby to drive said turbine.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
134 words
A dental irrigator to be attached to a water faucet for emitting discrete pulses of water from a pressurized water supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a housing including a supply passage coupled with the pressurized water supply, and a discharge passage coupling said supply passage with the discharge hose; an interruptor valve disposed in said discharge passage for blocking water flow therethrough; a water driving turbine having an axle mounted for rotation in said housing and coupled with said interruptor valve to periodically block and unblock flow through said discharge conduit; and a pair of control nozzles adjustably mounted in said housing, each of said nozzles communicating with said supply passage and disposed to eject a stream of water from said supply passage onto said turbine thereby to drive said turbine.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
66 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 5 in which a portion of said axle projects transversely through said discharge passage, and said interruptor valve comprises a notch in the side of said axle and disposed to be aligned with said discharge passage when said axle is in one rotary position whereby one discrete water pulse is created by each rotation of said turbine and axle
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 5 in which said turbine has a circular cross-section with axially directed reaction vanes formed around the periphery, and said control nozzles are mounted on diametrically opposite sides of said turbine and eject water streams onto said periphery along parallel lines defined by chords of said turbine.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 7 in which said nozzles are adjustable to vary the angle of impingement of ejected water on said periphery whereby the speed of said turbine can be varied by adjusting said nozzles.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
61 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 8 in which said nozzles comprise tubular bodies having laterally directed spouts through which water is ejected, said bodies being mounted in said housing for rotation; and said irrigator includes a slide operator coupled with each of said nozzles to rotate said bodies and adjust the impingement angles of water ejected through said spouts.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
66 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 9 in which said slide operator is coupled to said nozzles through a toothed wheel and a pair of sector gears, one attached to each of said bodies and engaged with said toothed wheel, whereby translation of said slide operator rotates said toothed wheel to simultaneously angularly displace each of said sector gears and bodies by the same amount.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
47 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 5 including a metering valve disposed in said housing at the inlet to said discharge passage from said supply passage, said metering valve being adjustable to vary the amount of water admitted to said discharge passage from said supply passage.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
38 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 11 including a slide operator on said housing and coupled with said metering valve to selectively adjust said metering valve and control the amount of water admitted to said discharge passage.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 5 including means for selectively dispensing an oral antiseptic into said discharge passage in between pulses of pressurized water.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
62 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 13 in which said means for dispensing an oral antiseptic comprise a chamber in said housing communicating with said supply passage and receiving an antiseptic containing cartridge; a conduit communicating between said chamber and said discharge passage downstream of said interruptor valve; and valve means for selectively preventing flow from said chamber through said conduit.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
55 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 5 including an adjustable metering valve disposed in said housing at the inlet to said discharge passage from said supply passage, and controlling the amount of water admitted to said discharge passage; and in which the speed of said turbine can be varied by adjusting said control nozzles.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
54 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 15 in which said turbine has a circular cross-section with axially directed reaction vanes formed around the periphery, and said control nozzles are mounted on diametrically opposite sides of said turbine and ejected water stream onto said periphery along parallel lines defined by chords of said turbine.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
66 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 16 in which a portion of said axle projects transversely through said discharge passage, and said interruptor valve comprises a notch in the side of said axle and disposed to be aligned with said discharge passage when said axle is in one rotary position whereby one discrete water pulse is created by each rotation of said turbine and axle.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
26 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 15 including means for selectively dispensing an oral antiseptic into said discharge passage in between pulses of pressurized water.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
37 words
A dental irrigator as defined in claim 3 wherein said irrigator housing is mounted in a shower stall and said supply passage is coupled with a supply pipe of a shower head faucet in said shower stall.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
83 words
A dental irrigator for emitting discrete pulses of pressurized water from a supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a water driven turbine wheel; an interruptor valve operated by said turbine to periodically interrupt the flow of water from the supply to the discharge hose and form discrete water pulses; means for selectively discharging an oral antiseptic into the discharge hose in between pulses of water; and at least one control nozzle for ejecting water from the supply to drive said turbine.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
83 words
A dental irrigator for emitting discrete pulses of pressurized water from a supply through a discharge hose, said irrigator comprising: a water driven turbine wheel; an interruptor valve operated by said turbine to periodically interrupt the flow of water from the supply to the discharge hose and form discrete water pulses; means for selectively discharging an oral antiseptic into the discharge hose in between pulses of water; and at least one control nozzle for ejecting water from the supply to drive said turbine.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-06-27 | 1977-12-27 | 1978-06-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-06-27 | 1981-12-27 | 1982-06-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-06-27 | 1985-12-27 | 1986-06-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |