Vacuum handpiece including integral vacuum valve

Claim 2

A vacuum valve comprising: a. a valve seat member having a smooth surface of given contour and a passageway therethrough terminating in an aperture of given cross-sectional area in said smooth surface; b. a valve slide member having a passageway therethrough and a smooth surface adapted to mate with said smooth surface of said given contour of said valve seat member with a given tolerance, said smooth surface of said valve slide member having a first portion with an area larger than said given cross-sectional area of said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member and a second portion penetrated by an aperture communicating with said passageway through said valve slide member; c. means attaching said valve slide member and said valve seat member to each other with said smooth surfaces thereof in mating relation for slidable movement with respect to each other between a first position in which said first portion of said smooth surface of said valve slide member is aligned with said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member and a second position in which at least a part of said aperture in said second portion of said smooth surface of said valve slide member is aligned with said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member; d. annular resilient means surrounding said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member, said annular resilient means being mounted on said valve seat member and projecting from said smooth surface of said valve seat member a distance substantially equal to said given tolerance of said mating relation between said smooth surfaces of said valve seat member and said valve slide member; and e. means for moving said smooth surfaces of said valve slide member and said valve seat member with respect to each other between said first and second positions thereof.

Claim 3

A vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said mating smooth surfaces of said valve seat member and said valve slide member are flat planar surfaces.

Claim 4

A vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein said apertures in said smooth surfaces of said valve seat member and said valve slide member have substantially the same cross-sectional area and said annular resilient means is a rubber O-ring.

Claim 5

A vacuum valve as claimed in claim 1 wherein stop means are provided for limiting the slidable movement of said valve seat member and said valve slide member with respect to each other to movement between said first and second positions thereof.

Claim 6

A vacuum handpiece for use with suction apparatus including a flexible hose, said handpiece comprising: a. an elongated body member adapted to be held in the human hand, said body member having a passageway therethrough, one end of said body member including means for airtight attachment to the free end of said flexible hose of said suction apparatus with said hose in communication with one end of said passageway; b. a valve seat membEr having a smooth surface of given contour and a passageway therethrough terminating in an aperture of given cross-sectional area in said smooth surface, said valve seat member being mounted in airtight relation on said body member with said passageway through said body member in communication with the opposite end of said passageway through said valve seat member from said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member; c. a valve slide member having a passageway therethrough and a smooth surface adapted to mate with said smooth surface of given contour of said valve seat member with a given tolerance, said smooth surface of said valve slide member having a first portion with an area larger than said given cross-sectional area of said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member and a second portion penetrated by an aperture communicating with said passageway through said valve slide member; d. means attaching said valve slide member and said valve seat member to each other with said smooth surface thereof in mating relation for slidable movement with respect to each other between a first position in which said first portion of said smooth surface of said valve slide member is aligned with said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member and a second position in which at least a part of said aperture in said second portion of said smooth surface of said valve slide member is aligned with said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member; e. annular resilient means surrounding said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member, said annular resilient means being mounted on said valve seat member and projecting from said smooth surface of said valve seat member a distance substantially equal to said given tolerance of said mating relation between said smooth surfaces of said valve seat member and said valve slide member; f. means for moving said smooth surfaces of said valve slide member and said valve seat member with respect to each other between said first and said second positions thereof, and g. tubular means mounted on said valve slide member in communication with said passageway therethrough and extending said passageway in a direction transverse to the axis of elongation of said body member.

Claim 7

A vacuum handpiece for use with suction apparatus including a flexible hose, said handpiece comprising: a. an elongated body member adapted to be held in the human hand, said body member having a passageway therethrough, one end of said body member including means for airtight attachment to the free end of said flexible hose of said suction apparatus with said hose in communication with one end of said passageway; b. a valve seat membEr having a smooth surface of given contour and a passageway therethrough terminating in an aperture of given cross-sectional area in said smooth surface, said valve seat member being mounted in airtight relation on said body member with said passageway through said body member in communication with the opposite end of said passageway through said valve seat member from said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member; c. a valve slide member having a passageway therethrough and a smooth surface adapted to mate with said smooth surface of given contour of said valve seat member with a given tolerance, said smooth surface of said valve slide member having a first portion with an area larger than said given cross-sectional area of said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member and a second portion penetrated by an aperture communicating with said passageway through said valve slide member; d. means attaching said valve slide member and said valve seat member to each other with said smooth surface thereof in mating relation for slidable movement with respect to each other between a first position in which said first portion of said smooth surface of said valve slide member is aligned with said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member and a second position in which at least a part of said aperture in said second portion of said smooth surface of said valve slide member is aligned with said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member; e. annular resilient means surrounding said aperture in said smooth surface of said valve seat member, said annular resilient means being mounted on said valve seat member and projecting from said smooth surface of said valve seat member a distance substantially equal to said given tolerance of said mating relation between said smooth surfaces of said valve seat member and said valve slide member; f. means for moving said smooth surfaces of said valve slide member and said valve seat member with respect to each other between said first and said second positions thereof, and g. tubular means mounted on said valve slide member in communication with said passageway therethrough and extending said passageway in a direction transverse to the axis of elongation of said body member.

Claim 8

A vacuum handpiece as claimed in claim 5 wherein said smooth surfaces of said valve seat member and said valve slide member are flat planar surfaces extending transversely of the axis of elongation of said body member.

Claim 9

A vacuum handpiece as claimed in claim 5 wherein the direction of said slidable movement of said smooth surfaces of said valve seat member and said valve slide member with respect to each other is transverse of the axis of elongation of said body member.

Claim 10

A vacuum handpiece as claimed in claim 6 wherein said means attaching said valve slide member and said valve seat member to each other comprises a pair of upstanding walls extending along opposite edges of said smooth surface of said valve seat member, said upstanding walls having grooves in their facing surfaces which grooves lie in a common plane parallel to the plane of said smooth surface of said valve seat member, said valve slide member having projections on opposite sides thereof adapted to mate with said grooves in said facing surfaces of said upstanding walls when said smooth surface of said valve slide member is in mating relationship with said smooth surface of said valve seat member, and said valve slide member includes a trigger-like protuberance extending from one end thereof along the axis of elongation of said body member, the other end of said valve slide member projecting beyond said valve seat member when said smooth surfaces of said valve slide member and said valve seat member are in said second position with respect to each other.

Claim 11

A vacuum handpiece as claimed in claim 5 wherein an apertured basket is mounted within said passageway through said body member and said valve seat member is remoVably on said body member to provide access to said basket.

Claim 12

A vacuum handpiece as claimed in claim 8 wherein said means for airtight attachment of said body member to the free end of said flexible hose includes a swivel tube mounted coaxially within one end of said body member for rotation about the axis thereof; said body member, said valve seat member, said valve slide member and said swivel tube each being independently cast of plastic material and subsequently assembled.