Dental aspirator tip

Claim 2

An oral aspirator tip, comprising: a. a rigid shank having a longitudinal bore adapted to be connected to a source of vacuum; b. a firm and relatively large tissue-contacting member being generally spoon-shaped and having an open face and a closed back, and having a width appreciably larger than the diameter of the shank, with the tissue-contacting member being affixed to the forward end of the shank in such a way as to permit the passage of liquids through the open face and into the bore entrance; and c. rigid blocking means lying internally of the spoon-shaped member and ahead of the entrance to said bore, for permitting the passage of all liquids but blocking the passage of certain solids into said bore, and the blocking means including at least two elevated ridges integrally formed with and extending forwardly from the enclosed back of the spoon-shaped member, with said ridges being oriented in the same general direction as the longitudinal bore, and the ends of the ridges which are near the bore entrance being closer together than their remote ends, such that solid particles passing internally of the spoon-shaped member may become wedged between the converging walls of the ridges, and the near end of at least one of the ridges partially blocking the entrance to said bore in such a way as to provide at least two flowpaths for liquids passing into said bore, whereby the collection of any one solid particle between the ridges will not block the entrance to the longitudinal bore.

Claim 3

The aspirator tip as claimed in claim 1 wherein the closed back of the tissue-contacting member has a generally hemispherical configuration, and the open face of the tissue-contacting member is generally planar.

Claim 4

The aspirator tip as claimed in claim 1 wherein said blocking means constitutes a set of linear converging ridges which extend from the remote end of the tissue-contacting member to near the entrance of the bore, and which at least partially obstruct the entrance to said bore, and all interior surfaces of said member being accessible through the open face of the tissue-contacting member in order to permit all of said surfaces to be scrubbed with a cleaning brush, whereby there are no hidden crevices or apertures which are not cleanable and which might accumulate waste so as to introduce the risk of transferring germs from one patient to another.

Claim 5

An oral aspirator tip, comprising: a. a rigid shank having a longitudinal bore adapted to be connected to a source of vacuum; b. a firm and relatively large tissue-contacting member having an open face and a closed back, and having a width appreciably larger than the diameter of the shank, with the tissue-contacting member being affixed to the forward end of the shank in such a way as to permit the passage of liquids through the open face and into the bore entrance; and c. rigid blocking means lying within the tissue-contacting member and ahead of the entrance to said bore, for permitting the passage of all liquids but blocking the passage of certain solids, and the blocking means being sized so as to catch solid particles having a dimension larger than two millimeters, and wherein said blocking means comprises at least three converging ridges which extend from the remote end of the tissue-contacting member to near the entrance of the bore, with the included angle between adjacent ridges being about 5°.

Claim 6

An oral aspirator tip, comprising: a. a rigid shank having a longitudinal bore adapted to be connected to a source of vacuum; b. a firm and relatively large tissue-contacting member having an open face and a closed back, and having a width appreciably larger than the diameter of the shank, with the tissue-contacting member being affixed to the forward end of the shank in such a way as to permit the passage of liquids through the open face and into the bore entrance; and c. rigid blocking means lying within the tissue-contacting member and ahead of the entrance to said bore, for permitting the passage of all liquids but blocking the passage of certain solids, and the blocking means being sized so as to catch solid particles having a dimension larger than two millimeters, and wherein said blocking means comprises at least three converging ridges which extend from the remote end of the tissue-contacting member to near the entrance of the bore, with the included angle between adjacent ridges being about 5°.

Claim 7

The oral aspirator tip as claimed in claim 1 wherein the tissue-contacting member is a bulbous member of generally hemispherical shape, and the width of said member is about three times the diameter of said bore, and the height of said member is only about twice the diameter of said bore.

Claim 8

A dental aspirator tip, comprising: a. a relatively short and rigid shank having a longitudinal bore, with said shank having a first, open end and a second end which is tapered to foster selective connection with a handle which is in communication with a source of vacuum; b. a rigid and relatively bulbous tissue-contacting member rigidly fixed to the first end of said shank, with said member having an open and substantially flat face, and having a substantially hemispherical and closed back, and the width of said tissue-contacting member being appreciably larger than the diameter of said shank; and c. a plurality of firm ridges bounded by the tissue-contacting member, with said ridges each having a length and a width, with the length of the ridges being measured in the same general direction as the longitudinal axis of the shank, and the width of said ridges being about 1.5mm.

Claim 9

A dental aspirator tip, comprising: a. a relatively short and rigid shank having a longitudinal bore, with said shank having a first, open end and a second end which is tapered to foster selective connection with a handle which is in communication with a source of vacuum; b. a rigid and relatively bulbous tissue-contacting member rigidly fixed to the first end of said shank, with said member having an open and substantially flat face, and having a substantially hemispherical and closed back, and the width of said tissue-contacting member being appreciably larger than the diameter of said shank; and c. a plurality of firm ridges bounded by the tissue-contacting member, with said ridges each having a length and a width, with the length of the ridges being measured in the same general direction as the longitudinal axis of the shank, and the width of said ridges being about 1.5mm.

Claim 10

The dental aspirator tip as claimed in claim 6 wherein the plurality of ridges converge toward the first end of the shank.

Claim 11

The dental aspirator tip as claimed in claim 7 wherein the angle between any two adjacent ridges is on the order of 5°.

Claim 12

The dental aspirator tip as claimed in claim 6 wherein the planes defined by respective ones of the ridges are each perpendicular to the plane of the face, whereby brushing strokes applied parallel to the face can clean between respective ridges.

Claim 13

The dental aspirator tip as claimed in claim 6 wherein the depth of the ridges exceeds the width thereof.

Claim 14

The dental aspirator tip as claimed in claim 6 wherein the gap between adjacent ridges is about 1 millimeter at the first end of the shank.

Claim 15

The dental aspirator tip as claimed in claim 6 wherein the ridges are permanently secured to the tissue-contacting member.

Claim 16

A dental aspirator device, comprising: a. a relatively short and rigid tubular shank having first and second ends and a longitudinal bore therebetween, with the second end having an external taper of about 6° for a length in excess of 10 millimeters, with said tapered end being adapted to mate with a tubular handle which is in communication with a source of vacuum, and the length of said shank being about 5 centimeters, and the material from which the shank is made having the general physical characteristics of a rigid thermoplastic or thermosetting resin; b. a rigid and relatively bulbous tissue-contacting member rigidly connected to the first end of said shank, and said member having an open face which defines a plane that makes an angle of about 15° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shank, and the back of said tissue-contacting member being closed such that fluids which are to be drawn into the bore of said shank will pass through the open face, and the back being convex such that gently pressing the member against tissue in the mouth will tend to eliminate any slack in said tissue, and the size of said face being appreciably larger than the diameter of said bore; and c. at least two ridges permanently secured within the tissue-contacting member and ahead of the entrance to said bore, with said ridges being inclined with respect to each other so as to converge toward the entrance end of said bore, and the included angle between adjacent ridges being about 5°, and at least one of said ridges extending close enough to said bore entrance as to partially block the same, whereby certain solid particles which may be drawn through the face of the tissue-contacting member by virtue of a pressure differential can be trapped by the blocking ridges and thereby be prevented from entering the bore, with the size of said certain trapped particles being on the order of 2 millimeters.

Claim 17

A dental aspirator device, comprising: a. a relatively short and rigid tubular shank having first and second ends and a longitudinal bore therebetween, with the second end having an external taper of about 6° for a length in excess of 10 millimeters, with said tapered end being adapted to mate with a tubular handle which is in communication with a source of vacuum, and the length of said shank being about 5 centimeters, and the material from which the shank is made having the general physical characteristics of a rigid thermoplastic or thermosetting resin; b. a rigid and relatively bulbous tissue-contacting member rigidly connected to the first end of said shank, and said member having an open face which defines a plane that makes an angle of about 15° with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shank, and the back of said tissue-contacting member being closed such that fluids which are to be drawn into the bore of said shank will pass through the open face, and the back being convex such that gently pressing the member against tissue in the mouth will tend to eliminate any slack in said tissue, and the size of said face being appreciably larger than the diameter of said bore; and c. at least two ridges permanently secured within the tissue-contacting member and ahead of the entrance to said bore, with said ridges being inclined with respect to each other so as to converge toward the entrance end of said bore, and the included angle between adjacent ridges being about 5°, and at least one of said ridges extending close enough to said bore entrance as to partially block the same, whereby certain solid particles which may be drawn through the face of the tissue-contacting member by virtue of a pressure differential can be trapped by the blocking ridges and thereby be prevented from entering the bore, with the size of said certain trapped particles being on the order of 2 millimeters.