Teledyne Industries, Inc.

Gary Thomas

John W Baum

James M Jennings

Len Haferman

James Hickman

Anna J Russell

A barrel serves as a reservoir in which a treatment fluid is to be contained and within which barrel is a slideable plunger. A connector at one end of the barrel is receptive to attachment of a cannula. Another connector is located at the other end of the barrel. A housing has a coupling attachable to that other connector. On the housing is a detachable fitting receptive of a hose which delivers air under pressure. Included in the housing is an adjustable air pressure regulator in an air flow path between the detachable fitting and the coupling with the regulator being selectively adjustable to control the flow of the air in that path. Associated with the irrigator is a container for the treatment fluid and which includes a pump sealingly attachable to the one end of the barrel for delivering the fluid into the reservoir in response to movement of the barrel.

Subgingival irrigator

A hydraulically-piloted switch assembly includes a housing through which runs a hollow conduit that in use contains a fluid under pressure. A linear conduit portion defines a bore one end of which projects away laterally from a portion of the conduit. Slidable sealingly within the bore is a piston. There is an opening in the housing to the exterior atmosphere from the bore with one end of the pistion being movable through the opening to a position exposed beyond the housing. The piston is urged by a compression spring away from the opening to retract the piston end. An elongated leaf spring is secured at one end fo the housing, has an intermediate bend disposed adjacent to the exit of the opening and has its other end defining a finger that projects away from the opening. An outwardly-biased plunger of a microswitch is located in the path of flexure of the finger as the piston end is engaged and disengaged from the bend. The spring rate of the coil spring is selected to determine the actuation of the microswitch by the plunger in correspondence with the pressure level of the fluid relative to atmospheric pressure.

Hydraulically-piloted switch

An irrigation appliance uses a reservoir which inverts to form a cover and includes a simplified valve in the reservoir as well as a switching mechanism adapted thereto. Liquid delivered to the unit from the reservoir is controlled as to pressure by adjustment on a hand-held device remote from the unit. In the base unit are elements which regulate forward and backward flow in order to obtain outlet pressure control.

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Fort Collins, CO, United States of America

Gary Thomas