US 2010/0249703 A1Published application

Sterilizable vacuum handpiece

OwnerJohn A. Cliffinventor

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Abstract

A sterilizable vacuum handpiece that may include a base unit reversibly coupled to a handle unit, having a central vacuum passage connecting proximal and distal ends. A hand-removable base unit valve may divide a base unit vacuum passage and a hand-removable handle unit valve may separate a handle unit vacuum passage, in adjustable fluid communication with each other. The valves may be retained within bores and counter-bores, and may achieve fluid-tight fit with O-rings retained within the valves. The valves may have vacuum passages with surface areas greater than or equal to a least diameter of the vacuum passage containing the valve. In at least one embodiment, the handle valve is releasably retained by the opposing ends of a “bucket-handle” shaped controller. Alternatively, the handpiece may be formed as a single combined unit, where the terms base unit and handle unit refer only to regions of an otherwise unified structure.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A sterilizable vacuum handpiece (10) comprising;

a base unit (100) coupled to a handle unit (300), wherein,
a) the base unit (100) has a base unit external surface (102), base unit proximal end (110) and a base unit distal end (150), and an internally formed base unit vacuum passage (140) placing the base unit proximal end (110) and the base unit distal end (150) in adjustable fluid communication through the base unit (100), and
b) the handle unit (300) has a handle unit external surface (302), a handle unit proximal end (310) and a handle unit distal end (350) and an internally formed handle unit vacuum passage (340) placing the handle unit proximal end (310) and the handle unit distal end (350) in fluid communication through the handle unit (300),
a hand-removable base unit valve (200) separating the base unit vacuum passage (140) into a base unit vacuum passage proximal portion (142) in adjustable fluid communication with a base unit vacuum passage distal portion (141) and wherein the base unit valve (200) controls the adjustable fluid communication between the base unit vacuum passage proximal portion (142) and the base unit vacuum passage distal portion (141),
a hand-removable handle unit valve (400) separating the handle unit vacuum passage (340) into a handle unit vacuum passage proximal portion (342) in potential fluid communication with a handle unit vacuum passage distal portion (341) and wherein the handle unit valve (400) controls the adjustable fluid communication between the handle unit vacuum passage proximal portion (342) and the handle unit vacuum passage distal portion (341).

2 more elements

A sterilizable vacuum handpiece (10) comprising;

a base unit (100) coupled to a handle unit (300), wherein the base unit (100) has a base unit external surface (102), base unit proximal end (110) and a base unit distal end (150), and an internally formed base unit vacuum passage (140) placing the base unit proximal end (110) and the base unit distal end (150) in adjustable fluid communication through the base unit (100), and
the handle unit (300) has a handle unit external surface (302), a handle unit proximal end (310) and a handle unit distal end (350) and an internally formed handle unit vacuum passage (340) placing the handle unit proximal end (310) and the handle unit distal end (350) in fluid communication through the handle unit (300),
a hand-removable base unit valve (200) separating the base unit vacuum passage (140) into a base unit vacuum passage proximal portion (142) in potential fluid communication with a base unit vacuum passage distal portion (141) and wherein the base unit valve (200) controls the adjustable fluid communication between the base unit vacuum passage proximal portion (142) and the base unit vacuum passage distal portion (141), wherein the base unit valve (200) further comprises,
a base unit valve bore (210) having at least one base unit valve bore surface (212) extending from the base unit external surface (102) to the base unit vacuum passage (140) thereby placing the base unit external surface (102) in communication with the base unit vacuum passage (140), the base unit valve bore (210) reversibly receiving a base unit valve stem (230) having at least one base unit valve stem surface (232),
wherein the base unit valve stem (230) is rotatably received within the base unit valve bore (210),
the base unit valve stem (230) having an internally formed base unit valve vacuum passage (240), and wherein rotation of the base unit valve stem (230) places the base unit vacuum passage proximal portion (142) and the base unit vacuum passage distal portion (141) in adjustable fluid communication,
a base unit valve counter-bore (220) having at least one base unit valve counter-bore surface (222), diametrically opposite to the base unit valve bore (210) and extending a partial distance between the base unit vacuum passage (140) and the base unit external surface (102), the base unit valve counter-bore (220) being sized to reversibly receive a portion of the base unit valve stem (230),
wherein a portion of the base unit valve stem (230) is rotatably received within the base unit valve counter-bore (220), and
wherein the base unit valve stem (230) is releasably retained by friction fit within the base unit valve bore (210) and the base unit valve counter-bore (220), and
a hand-removable handle unit valve (400) separating the handle unit vacuum passage (340) into a handle unit vacuum passage proximal portion (342) in potential fluid communication with a handle unit vacuum passage distal portion (341) and wherein the handle unit valve (400) controls the fluid communication between the handle unit vacuum passage proximal portion (342) and the handle unit vacuum passage distal portion (341).

7 more elements

A sterilizable vacuum handpiece (10) comprising;

a base unit (100) coupled to a handle unit (300), wherein the base unit (100) has a base unit external surface (102), base unit proximal end (110) and a base unit distal end (150), and an internally formed base unit vacuum passage (140) placing the base unit proximal end (110) and the base unit distal end (150) in adjustable fluid communication through the base unit (100), and
the handle unit (300) has a handle unit external surface (302), a handle unit proximal end (310) and a handle unit distal end (350) and an internally formed handle unit vacuum passage (340) placing the handle unit proximal end (310) and the handle unit distal end (350) in fluid communication through the handle unit (300),
a hand-removable base unit valve (200) separating the base unit vacuum passage (140) into a base unit vacuum passage proximal portion (142) in potential fluid communication with a base unit vacuum passage distal portion (141) and wherein the base unit valve (200) controls the adjustable fluid communication between the base unit vacuum passage proximal portion (142) and the base unit vacuum passage distal portion (141),
a hand-removable handle unit valve (400) separating the handle unit vacuum passage (340) into a handle unit vacuum passage proximal portion (342) in potential fluid communication with a handle unit vacuum passage distal portion (341) and wherein the handle unit valve (400) controls the fluid communication between the handle unit vacuum passage proximal portion (342) and the handle unit vacuum passage distal portion (341), wherein the handle unit valve (400) further comprises,
a first handle unit valve bore (410) having at least one first handle unit valve bore surface (412) extending from the handle unit external surface (302) to the handle unit vacuum passage (340), the first handle unit valve bore (410) reversibly receiving a handle unit valve stem (430) having a handle unit valve stem surface (432), and
a second handle unit valve bore (420) having at least one second handle unit valve bore surface (422) on an opposing surface of the handle unit (300) from the first handle unit valve bore (410), extending from the handle unit external surface (302) to the handle unit vacuum passage (340), the second handle unit valve bore (420) reversibly receiving the handle unit valve stem (430), and
wherein the handle unit valve stem (430) is rotatably received within the first handle unit valve bore (410) and the second handle unit valve bore (420), and
the handle unit valve stem (430) has an internally formed handle unit valve vacuum passage (440), and wherein rotation of the handle unit valve stem (430) places the handle unit vacuum passage proximal portion (342) and the handle unit vacuum passage distal portion (341) in adjustable fluid communication.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.