U.S. patent number 3,840,004 [Application Number 05/327,037] was granted by the patent office on 1974-10-08 for otoscope with disposable speculum.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Optotechnik Heine KG, Propper Manufacturing Company, Inc.. Invention is credited to Helmut A. Heine.
United States Patent |
3,840,004 |
Heine |
October 8, 1974 |
OTOSCOPE WITH DISPOSABLE SPECULUM
Abstract
An otoscope includes a speculum joined to the head thereof by
means of an annular groove and an annular rib. The speculum is of
an inexpensive synthetic resin and is disposable. The speculum is
sufficiently flexible so that it can be separated from the head by
manually applied force.
Inventors: |
Heine; Helmut A.
(Herrsching/Obb, DT) |
Assignee: |
Optotechnik Heine KG
(Herrsching/Obb, DT)
Propper Manufacturing Company, Inc. (Long Island City,
NY)
|
Family
ID: |
23274862 |
Appl.
No.: |
05/327,037 |
Filed: |
January 26, 1973 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
600/200 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B
1/227 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A61B
1/227 (20060101); A61b 001/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;128/4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,16,22 ;220/24A,6R
;206/46BC,DIG.10,DIG.25 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Laudenslager; Lucie H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Blum Moscovitz Friedman &
Kaplan
Claims
I claim:
1. An otoscope suitable for pneumatic examination of an orifice
comprising a handle, a head on said handle, joined air-tightly to
said handle and a disposable. essentially frustoconical speculum,
one of said head and the larger end of said speculum having an
annular rib thereon and the other of said head and the larger end
of said speculum having an annular groove therein, said groove and
rib being so disposed and and shaped and said speculum being
sufficiently flexible that said speculum can be joined to and
separated from said head with said rib and groove forming an
essentially gas-tight join using only manually applied force.
2. An otoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said annular groove
is in said head and said annular rib is on said speculum.
3. An otoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said annular groove
is in said speculum and said annular rib is on said head.
4. An otoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said speculum is of a
molded synthetic plastic.
5. An otoscope as defined in claim 1, wherein said speculum is of
an essentially opaque material selected from the group consisting
of ABS, polystyrene, polyester, polyacrylic, polyvinyl chloride,
phenol-formaldehyde or urea-fomaldehyde, said material containing
enough pigment to render same essentially opaque.
6. A disposable essentially frustoconical speculum adapted to form
a gas-tight seal proximate the larger end thereof with the distal
end of an otoscope suitable for pneumatic examination of an
orifice, one of said larger end and the distal end of said otoscope
having an external annular rib and the other having an internal
groove, said rib and groove being adapted to form a gas-tight join
by snapping said rib into said groove.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Otoscopes, in general, consist of a handle, a head joined to one
end of the handle and a speculum fitted to one end of the head. The
head is hollow and so arranged that the physician using the
otoscope looks into the end of the head which is opposite that
holding the speculum. The proximal end of the head may be covered
with a window or with a magnifying lens.
Similar devices are used for inspection of other orifices in the
body such as for nostrils, the mouth, the vagina and the rectum.
The term "otoscope" as used in the present application is intended
to include all such devices which include a speculum.
It frequently is essential that the speculum be sterile prior to
insertion into an orifice. This is particularly the case where an
infection is present, so that a second use of a specific speculum
would introduce the danger of cross-infection. In recognition of
this danger, a variety of otoscope designs have been employed in
which the speculum can be separated from the head of the otoscope
for purposes of sterilization as by use of an autoclave. Otoscopes
employing disposable specula are also known but these suffer from a
number of disadvantages such as difficulty in assembly and removal
and lack of air-tight join between the speculum and the otoscope.
The lack of an air-tight join makes it impossible to use the
instrument for pneumatic examination of any of the orifices.
In previous otoscopes featuring disposable specula including those
of U.S. Design Pat. No. 221,109 and German Gebrauchsmuster No.
6,928,391, provision for an air-tight seal between the speculum and
the head of the otoscope has been lacking so that examination of
orifices under pneumatic pressure has been difficult, if not
impossible. This lack is overcome in the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An otoscope in accordance with the present invention has a flexible
and disposable speculum joined air-tightly to a head by means of an
annular groove in one and an annular rib on the other, the rib and
the groove being so disposed that the rib snaps into the groove
when the wider end of the speculum is pressed against the head. For
this purpose, the speculum must be somewhat flexible and yet sturdy
enough to retain its shape during use and to withstand the moderate
pressures used in pneumatic examination. With a speculum
sufficiently flexible so that the rib can be snapped into the
groove, the speculum can also be detached from the head of the
otoscope by pressing same against the edge of a table or applying
manual pressure. Nevertheless, the join is sufficiently firm so
that accidental dislodging during use is impossible. The material
of which the speculum is made is preferably an opaque sythentic
resin which can be sterilized by gammairradiation, autoclaving or
treatment with an appropriate bactericidal solution.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an
improved otoscope having a disposable speculum.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved
otoscope wherein the join between the head and the speculum is
air-tight.
A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved
otoscope in which the speculum is of a synthetic opaque
plastic.
An important object of the present invention is to provide an
improved otoscope in which the speculum is of a molded synthetic
plastic.
A significant object of the present invention is to provide an
improved otoscope wherein the speculum can be removed from same by
pressing said speculum against the edge of a table or the like, or
by manual pressure.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an
improved otoscope in which the join between the speculum and head
of the otoscope is formed by a rib in one and a groove in the
other.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be
obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture
possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements
which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described, and
the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to
the following description taken in connection with the accompanying
drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view in partial section of a speculum in
accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of another embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 3 is a side view of an otoscope handle and head designed to
receive the embodiment of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a side view in partial section of an otoscope handle and
head designed to receive the speculum of FIG. 2.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The otoscopes of the present invention are designed for formation
of an air-tight join between the head and the speculum thereof so
as to make feasible the use of the otoscope for pneumatic
examination of an orifice. In the embodiment of a speculum shown in
FIG. 1, the speculum generally indicated by the reference numeral 1
is essentially frustoconical in shape. The larger end 2 has a
groove 3 on the interior thereof. In the preferred form, the
groove, in cross-section, is V-shaped. The matching head indicated
generally by the reference numeral 9 in FIG. 3 has an annular rib 6
around one end thereof. The material of which speculum 1 is made,
is preferably synthetic plastic and is sufficiently flexible so
that when speculum 1 is pressed against the circular rib 6 of head
9, the speculum will expand sufficiently to snap into place over
rib 6, locking speculum 1 to head 9 sufficiently firmly so that
accidental dislodgment during use is impossible. Nevertheless,
where the speculum is sufficiently flexible so that it can be
snapped into place easily over the rib 6, it can be dislodged
intentionally by pressing the speculum against the edge of a table
or the like or by pressure from the fingers. The cross-section of
the rib 6 is preferably circular or rounded in such a way that it
will seat on both faces of the groove 3. Consequently, two seals
are formed simultaneously when the speculum is pressed over the rib
6 and head 9. As is obvious, if the head is to be used for
pneumatic examination, the face 10 must be covered with a
transparent window which may be either flat or lens-shaped.
A second embodiment of the otoscope of the present invention is
shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. In this embodiment, the rib, of circular or
rounded cross-section identified by the reference numeral 7 is at
the larger end of the speculum generally indicated by the reference
numeral 11, and V-grooved 8 is in the head generally indicated by
the reference numeral 12. Again, the flexibility of the speculum
must be so chosen that the rib 7 can be snapped into the V-groove 8
without difficulty and yet be held firmly enough therein so that an
accidental dislodgment is impossible. As with the embodiment of
FIGS. 1 and 3, the speculum 11 can be removed from the head 12 by
pressing the speculum against the edge of a table or by pressure
from the fingers.
For reasons of economy, as well as to achieve sufficient
flexibility, the speculum should be as thin as is commensurate with
the degree of strength required for withstanding the moderate
pressure used during pneumatic examination. Suitable materials are
ABS (acrylonitrile-butadienestyrene copolymer), polystyrene,
polyester, polyacrylic, polyvinyl chloride, phenal-formaldehyde and
urea-formaldehyde, among others. Where necessary, pigment is used
to render the speculum essentially opaque.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth above, among those
made apparent from the preceding description, are efficiently
attained and, since certain changes may be made in the above
article without departing from the spirit and scope of the
invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above
description and shown in the accompanying drawings shall be
interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended
to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention
herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention
which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall
therebetween.
* * * * *