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US 5,791,801 AGranted
Liquid applicator
AssigneeSiebe North, Inc.
InventorFrederic D. Miller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liquid applicator of the type used to apply pre-operative liquid to the body prior to surgery. The liquid is contained in a sealed ampoule. The applicator has a hollow cylindrical handle with an internal configuration which firmly seats the ampoule within the handle. A neck section of the housing, generally seated with and extending from the handle has a thin-walled section positioned very close to the neck of an ampoule supported in the handle, so that manual depression of the thin-walled section allows the operator to sever the ampoule tip from the ampoule body, allowing one-handed release of fluid prior to application.
Claims20
A liquid applicator comprising:
- (a) a sealed, liquid-containing ampoule having a body, one end thereof including a positioning shoulder and a tip separable therefrom by a frangible section;
- (b) a housing including a generally coaxial handle and neck:
- (1) the handle defining an interior chamber adapted to enclose and protect the ampoule and shaped to engage the shoulder and support the body in a fixed position;
- (2) the neck positioned to house the ampoule tip, and having a thin-walled portion sufficiently thin to allow deflection thereof by manual pressure, and wherein the ampoule tip is disposed adjacent the thin-walled portion so that by application of sufficient manual pressure on the thin walled portion, the ampoule tip is separated from the ampoule body along the frangible section to release the liquid for application;
- and
- (c) a pad positioned at one end of the neck for applying the liquid.
3 more elements
A liquid applicator, comprising:
- (a) a sealed, liquid-containing ampoule having a generally cylindrical body, one generally flat end and an axially extending tip of smaller diameter at the other end, a positioning shoulder between the tip and the body, and a frangible section joining the tip to the positioning shoulder;
- (b) a generally cylindrical molded thermoplastic housing having a generally coaxial handle joined to a neck along an axis with a transition zone having a tapered region interposed therebetween:
- (1) the handle having a cylindrical interior chamber sized to fixedly seat the ampoule body;
- (2) the tapered region of the transition zone being adapted to engage the shoulder of the ampoule for establishing a seated position of the ampoule in the housing;
- (3) the neck being in the form of a flattened cylinder having a cylindrical portion which includes a continuation of the handle, and having a flattened portion joining the tapered portion of the transition zone, and the flattened portion being near the axis of the housing so that it is positioned adjacent the ampoule when seated in the housing, the thin-walled portion being sufficiently flexible to allow deformation thereof by sufficient manual pressure to engage the tip of the ampoule and separate the tip along the frangible section to release the liquid for application;
- (4) a planar applicator flange on the end of the neck and disposed at an acute angle with respect to the axis of the housing, the flange being open at the neck to receive the liquid for application;
- and
- (c) a compressed foam pad secured to the flange and comprising a primary means for metering the liquid application rate.
5 more elements
A method of making a liquid applicator comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a liquid filled ampoule having a cylindrical body, a positioning shoulder, and a tip separable therefrom by a frangible section;
- (b) molding a housing including:
- (1) a generally cylindrical handle having a chamber shaped to fixedly seat the body and engage the shoulder of the ampoule;
- (2) a neck generally coaxial with the handle and rigidly extending therefrom, and further including a thin-walled portion positioned near the handle axis and sufficiently flexible to allow application of a manual actuating force by depression of the thin-walled portion;
- and
- (3) a planar flange on the end of the neck opposite the housing and having an aperture into the neck;
- (c) adhesively securing a foam pad to the flange;
- and
- (d) securing the ampoule in the handle in a fixed position with a plug such that the ampoule tip is positioned adjacent the thin-walled portion ready for separation by a manual actuating pressure applied to the exterior thereof.
6 more elements
A method of applying liquid to a surface from a sealed ampoule fixedly held in a cylindrical chamber of a liquid applicator, and comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a cylindrical housing having a generally rigid handle fixedly seating a body of an ampoule with an ampoule tip extending unsupported into a neck of the housing and adjacent a thin-walled portion of the neck;
- (b) providing a compressed foam pad on an applicator end of the neck;
- (c) firmly gripping the handle and momentarily depressing the thin-walled portion to separate the tip from the body of the ampoule to release the liquid for application, and
- (d) controlling the rate of application of the liquid primarily by application of a compressive force applied to the compressed foam while scrubbing the surface.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.