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US 8,282,393 B2Granted
System and method for removing surface contamination
OwnerRandy Miles Wideninventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method are provided in which a laminar flow of pressurized gas from a curved slit in a chamber is directed across a surface to propel a laminar flow of a liquid, below the laminar flow gas, across the surface to prevent surface contamination or remove contaminants from the surface. In a particular application, the system and method are employed in a self-cleaning dental mirror tool including a dental mirror attached to a handle, wherein the gas is air, the liquid is water, and the surface is the reflective surface of the dental mirror.
Claims13
An apparatus for providing a laminar flow of liquid across a surface to remove contamination from the surface, comprising:
- a gas conduit;
- a substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber having a curved face extent, a gas inlet orifice connected to the gas conduit to allow gas under pressure to pressurize the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber, and a gas outlet orifice in the curved face extent configured so that a laminar gas flow at a pressure greater than ambient pressure flows from the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber in directions normal to the gas outlet orifice, and
- a liquid conduit including a liquid outlet orifice located below the gas outlet orifice and above the surface, configured to provide a layer of liquid through the liquid outlet orifice below the laminar gas flow so that the laminar gas flow propels the layer of liquid in a laminar flow across the surface,
- wherein the gas outlet orifice comprises a slit in the curved face extent, the slit having parallel top and bottom extents spaced apart at least substantially vertically, the top and bottom extents being substantially parallel to the surface and defining directions normal to the slit that are at least substantially parallel to the surface so that the laminar gas flow is at least substantially parallel to the surface, and the slit having an at least substantially uniform height, the height of the slit being the dimension of the slit between the top and bottom extents measured in a direction perpendicular to the surface, and
- wherein the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber comprises a ceiling, a floor and at least one wall connecting the ceiling and floor, the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber having a height defined by the height of the at least one wall, and the slit has a height of from about 5% to about 20% of the height of the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber.
2 more elements
A method for preventing and removing contaminants from a surface comprising:
- providing a substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber with a curved face extent,
- providing a gas inlet orifice in the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber,
- flowing gas under pressure through the gas inlet orifice into the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber to pressurize the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber,
- providing a gas outlet orifice in the curved face extent so that a pressurized, laminar flow of gas flows from the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber in directions normal to the gas outlet orifice;
- providing a liquid conduit including a liquid outlet orifice downstream of the gas outlet orifice;
- and
- flowing a liquid from the liquid conduit through the liquid outlet orifice onto the surface so that the pressurized laminar flow of gas propels the liquid in a laminar liquid flow across the surface;
- wherein the gas outlet orifice comprises a slit in the curved face extent, the slit having parallel top and bottom extents spaced apart at least substantially vertically, the to and bottom extents being substantially parallel to the surface and defining directions normal to the slit that are at least substantially parallel to the surface so that the pressurized laminar flow of gas is at least substantially parallel to the surface, and the slit having an at least substantially uniform height, the height of the slit being the dimension of the slit between the top and bottom extents measured in a direction perpendicular to the surface, and
- wherein the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber comprises a ceiling, a floor and at least one wall connecting the ceiling and floor, the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber having a height defined by the height of the at least one wall, and the slit has a height of from about 5% to about 20% of the height of the substantially enclosed gas pressurization chamber.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.