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US 12,257,373 B2Granted
Fluid system with integrated disinfecting optics
OwnerStephen J. Sustrickinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A fluid disinfecting system includes a straight fluid directing conduit and a light source disposed on a side of the fluid directing conduit. The light source is operative to emit ultraviolet light into the fluid directing conduit, such that one or more cross sections of said fluid directing conduit are saturated with ultraviolet light. Any fluid passing through the fluid directing conduit is necessarily exposed to the ultraviolet light.
Claims13
A disinfecting system, comprising:
- a hand-held dental instrument including a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet nozzle, said fluid inlet being configured to receive fluid from a fluid source, and said fluid outlet nozzle being configured to discharge fluid from said hand-held dental instrument;
- a disinfecting chamber housed within said hand-held dental instrument, coupled to receive fluid from said fluid inlet via a supply conduit, and coupled to provide disinfected fluid to said outlet nozzle via a discharge conduit, said disinfecting chamber having a generally rectangular first cross-section perpendicular to a direction of fluid flow through said disinfecting chamber, said first cross-section of said fluid disinfecting chamber being greater than a cross section of said supply conduit and greater than a cross-section of said discharge conduit;
- a light source disposed within said disinfecting chamber and operative to emit ultraviolet light;
- and
- optics disposed within said disinfecting chamber and configured to receive said ultraviolet light from said light source, to concentrate said ultraviolet light to form a flat beam, and to direct said flat beam across said disinfecting chamber, said flat beam completely saturating a second cross-section of said disinfecting chamber;
- and wherein
- said light source and said optics are in thermal contact with said fluid thereby cooling said light source and said optics.
4 more elements
A hand-held dental instrument, comprising:
- a fluid inlet configured to receive fluid from a fluid source;
- a fluid outlet nozzle configured to discharge fluid from said hand-held dental instrument;
- a disinfecting chamber coupled to receive fluid from said fluid inlet via a supply conduit and coupled to provide disinfected fluid to said outlet nozzle via a discharge conduit, said disinfecting chamber having a generally rectangular first cross-section perpendicular to a direction of fluid flow through said disinfecting chamber, said first cross-section of said fluid disinfecting chamber being greater than a cross section of said supply conduit and greater than a cross-section of said discharge conduit;
- a light source disposed within said disinfecting chamber and operative to emit ultraviolet light, said light source being in thermal contact with said fluid, whereby said fluid cools said light source;
- and
- optics disposed within said disinfecting chamber and configured to receive said ultraviolet light from said light source, to concentrate said ultraviolet light to form a beam, and to direct said beam across said disinfecting chamber, said beam completely saturating a second cross-section of said disinfecting chamber, said optics being in thermal contact with said fluid, whereby said fluid cools said optics.
3 more elements
A disinfecting system, comprising:
- a fluid inlet configured to receive fluid from a fluid source;
- a fluid outlet configured to discharge disinfected fluid;
- a disinfecting chamber coupled to receive fluid from said fluid inlet via a supply conduit, and coupled to provide said disinfected fluid to said outlet via a discharge conduit, said disinfecting chamber having a generally rectangular first cross-section perpendicular to a direction of fluid flow through said disinfecting chamber;
- a light source disposed within said disinfecting chamber operative to emit ultraviolet light;
- and
- optics disposed within said disinfecting chamber and configured to receive said ultraviolet light from said light source, to concentrate said ultraviolet light to form a flat beam, and to direct said flat beam across said disinfecting chamber, said flat beam completely saturating a second cross-section of said disinfecting chamber;
- and wherein
- said light source and said optics are in thermal contact with said fluid passing through said disinfecting chamber.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.