WO2010140144A1

WO2010140144A1 - Safe ear cleaning device

Info

Publication number: WO2010140144A1
Application number: PCT/IL2010/000427
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ilanit Maayan; Liat Vaiskop; Alina Lavon
Original assignee: Ilanit Maayan; Liat Vaiskop; Alina Lavon
Priority date: 2009-06-02
Filing date: 2010-05-30
Publication date: 2010-12-09

Abstract

A disposable safe ear cleaning device for a-traumatically removing earwax from the ear canal comprises a handle, a neck portion and a spoon-like cleaning head which has an overall flexibility that it would be stiff enough to enable efficient earwax extraction, but would inwardly bend to prevent ear trauma under an applied pressure which is high enough to injure the ear canal skin. The neck portion has also the ability to bend in case that the pressure against the canal wall continues. The preferred embodiment of the said device also has a stopper between the handle and the neck portion for controlling the depth of insertion to avoid trauma to the ear drum. Another cleaning head may be added to the opposite end which may be identical to the said cleaning head, made of an absorbent material to absorb secretions, or serve as an aid stick for personal hygiene.

Description

SAFE EAR CLEANING DEVICE

Technical Field

This invention relates to appliances for cleaning the external ear canal, particularly for removal of earwax (cerumen) and other biological material for personal hygiene. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to tools and methods for improving the safety of the external ear canal skin and the ear-drum during cleaning. This device can be useful for many different purposes in the field of personal hygiene, medical or veterinary use, and in the field of industrial and domestic use.

Background Art

Wax built up in an ear canal hinders hearing and reduces the ability to provide an adequate examination of the eardrum. Conventionally, earwax has been removed with a cotton swab, which tends to act as a plunger causes impaction or injury to the eardrum. An impacted cerumen may produce convenient conditions for the development of bacterial or fungal ear infection.

Commonly known ear cleaner is the appliance marketed under the trade name Q-Tip. This product comprises a wad of cotton fibers bonded onto one end of an elongated stem or handle. These products, however, suffer from multiple problems including a tendency of a user to insert the appliance too far into the ear canal and perforate the ear-drum and the tendency of the cotton fibers to dislodge and remain within the ear canal. Forceful application may injure the thin skin of the ear canal and lead to local trauma and infection.

A typical tool for cleaning the ear is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,288 issued on Sep. 15, 1992 to Schiavo for "Cotton swab with depth prevention mechanism". This patent discloses a variation of the traditional Q-Tip with a similar design and concept and adds a safety mechanism in the form of a thickened neck that acts as a stopper at the entrance to the ear canal.

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2003/0236540 Al published on Sep. 25, 2003 to Mendez et al for "Ear cleaning device" discloses a flat plastic stick with two soft pliable loops on both its ends. The soft and pliable plastic material promotes safety over other hard materials seen in common use.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,199 issued on Mar. 30, 1999 to Karell et al for "Ear cleaning device with a flexion part" discloses another loop-shaped cleaning head, this one has a flexible neck; it is another method of reducing the risk of ear trauma during cleaning.

These devices use loop-shaped cleaning heads which are superior to plain cotton swabs in extracting earwax but are less efficient than spoon-like cleaning heads for that purpose, especially with certain types of earwax consistency, such as creamy consistency or the opposite very solid type.

Moreover, the existing inventions teach the use of soft materials to promote safety over the traditionally used devices made of hard materials such as wood or metal. Yet, none is made of a material especially designed for the ear, which could be rigid enough to be able to efficiently extract the earwax on one hand, and on the other hand to be pliable and band only when a pressure that would injure the canal skin is applied. Thus, the existing cleaning heads are either too soft or too pliable and therefore are less efficient in earwax evacuation or not soft enough, although they are made of what is generally appreciated as soft materials and therefore have a relatively higher risk of ear injury.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,074,230 issued on JuI. 11, 2006 to Olson for "Ear cleaning device" discloses a device with a spoon-like cleaning head made from a lightweight hard plastic material and has a cotton-swab cleaning head on its other end. This cleaning head might injure the eardrum or the ear canal skin if applied too deep or pressed too strong against the canal wall.

Disclosure of Invention

A safe ear cleaning device for a-traumatically removing earwax from the ear canal of a person without injuring the canal skin comprises a handle and a spoon-like cleaning head with a shallow bowl portion, which is divided to a bottom portion and at least one additional peripheral zone, which has such an overall flexibility that it would be stiff enough to enable efficient earwax extraction, but would bend to prevent ear trauma under an applied pressure which is high enough to injure the ear canal skin during the use of the said ear cleaning device.

The actual configuration of the spoon-like cleaning head, the shallow spoon-like bowl portion, and the peripheral zones may vary widely. The preferred form of the shallow spoon- like bowl portion is an ellipse and the preferred form (but not necessarily) of the peripheral zones are concentric ellipses.

If the shallow bowl portion has only one additional zone this zone is the outer zone. If the shallow bowl portion has more than one additional zone, it's the one concentric zone, adjacent to the bottom portion, and the outer concentric zones.

The said additional zones may be entirely concentric zones, meaning in the form of a closed ellipse. The said additional zones may have a concentric form of an open ellipse, meaning an elliptic form with a proximal discontinuity near the connection to the handle.

Each of the said additional zones has a gradually greater flexibility. The flexibility of the outermost zone is suitable to the intensity of the pressure needed to injure the skin in the ear canal. The pressure needed to injure the ear canal could be experimentally measured. The gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by one or more of the following means: reduced cross-sectional thickness, reduced material concentration or condensation, and insertion of lines or points of weakness that would serve as "bending lines".

The neck portion has also the ability to bend under a predetermined applied pressure, in case that the pressure against the canal wall continues despite the inward bending of the shallow spoon like bowl portion. In other wards, the ear cleaning device could bend and not injure the ear canal under such an applied pressure.

The spoon-like cleaning head may be manufactured from a material which would be selected from the list consisting of: polymers, fibers, layered sheets, foams, card boards, papers, plastics and combinations thereof, as long as this material would be stiff enough to enable efficient earwax extraction, but would bend to prevent ear trauma under an applied pressure which is high enough to injure the ear canal skin. The handle must be convenient to use: to insert the spoon-like cleaning head into the ear canal, to turn the spoon-like cleaning head in the ear canal, to capture the earwax and remove the spoon-like cleaning head with the earwax from the ear canal. The handle is generally an elongated rod, which may be solid or hollow. The actual configuration of the handle and its cross-section may vary widely. A cross-section of the handle may be in the form of a circle, ellipse, rectangle, square or any other form convenient to use. The handle has a longitudinal axis and may by elongated or not long. The handle may be molded from any non-toxic material which will be chosen for this purpose.

The elements of the disposable ear cleaning device may be connected straight according to the longitudinal axis of the handle or obliquely aligned. In one embodiment of the present invention the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion lies in the longitudinal axis of the handle, so that the distal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion lies on the same level with the proximal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion, which is joined to the neck portion.

In another embodiment of the present invention the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion was tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle, such that the distal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion is at a lower height than the proximal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion, which is joined to the neck portion.

The second embodiment of the said safe ear cleaning device has all the elements of the first embodiment and a stopper for controlling the depth of insertion of the said shallow spoon- like bowl portion into the ear canal; for functionally limiting the distance between the distal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion and the innermost portion of the external ear canal, which is the level of the ear drum.

The said stopper may comprise a safety stop between the said proximal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion and the said handle. The said safety stopper may be integral with the handle or with the neck portion and fabricated from the same materials. This safety stopper may have spherical shape or many other shapes, for example: the shape of a shield; cone shaped; ball shaped; diamond shaped or an elliptical body.

The said stopper may be transparent or hollow (frame only) to enable the person using the device to see the interior of the ear canal in case that one cleans another person's ear (e.g. a mother who cleans her child's ear).

The said stopper has a cross-sectional diameter size greater than the maximal size of the ear canal within which the said spoon-like cleaning head is intended to be used.

Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side plan view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged spoon-like cleaning head of area A from FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention with a stopper;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of the present invention assembled from two parts.

Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention

The general embodiment of a safe ear cleaning device according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, is generally indicated by the number 1. The ear cleaning device (1) for a- traumatically removing earwax from the ear canal of a person without injuring the canal skin comprises a handle (2) and a spoon-like cleaning head (3) with a neck portion (31).

The safe ear cleaning device (1) can be disposable. A disposable safe ear cleaning device (1) is a one piece body comprising:

- handle (2);

- spoon-like cleaning head (3) with a neck portion (31) for engaging the spoon-like bowl (32) to the handle (2). The handle (2) must be convenient to use: to insert the spoon-like cleaning head (3) into the ear canal, to turn the spoon-like cleaning head (3) in the ear canal, to capture the earwax and remove the spoon-like cleaning head (3) with the earwax from the ear canal.

The handle (2) is generally an elongated rod, which may be solid or hollow. The actual configuration of the handle (2) and its cross-section may vary widely. A cross- section of the handle may be in the form of a circle, ellipse, rectangle, square or any other form convenient to use. The handle (2) has a longitudinal axis and may by elongated or not long.

The handle (2) is a generally rigid and elongated rod. The preferred outer surface of the handle (2), all or only its central region may be smooth; a fluted, or a reduced diameter; knurled or otherwise roughened for gripping and turning the spoon-like cleaning head (3) when scraping earwax. The handle (2) may be molded from any non-toxic material which will be chosen for this purpose.

A spoon-like cleaning head (3) for removing earwax contains the neck portion (31) and the shallow bowl (32). The shallow bowl portion (32) is divided into the bottom portion (33) and at least one additional peripheral zone (34), which has such an overall flexibility that it would be stiff enough to enable efficient earwax extraction, but would bend to prevent ear trauma under an applied pressure which is high enough to injure the ear canal skin during the use of the ear cleaning device (1).

The actual configuration of the spoon-like cleaning head (3), the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32), the bottom portion (33), the peripheral zones (34, 35) may vary widely. The preferred form of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) and the bottom (33) are of an ellipse and the preferred form (but not necessarily) of the peripheral zones (34, 35) are concentric ellipses, as shown in Figs 2, 3, 4.

If the shallow bowl portion (32) has only one additional zone (34) this zone (34) is the outer zone (34). If the shallow bowl portion (32) has more than one additional zone, it's the one concentric zone (34), adjacent to the bottom portion (33), and the outer concentric zones (35).

The said additional zones (34, 35) may be entirely concentric zones, meaning in the form of a closed ellipse. The said additional zones (34, 35) may have a concentric form of an open ellipse, meaning an elliptic form with a proximal discontinuity near the connection to the handle (2).

Each of the said additional zones (34, 35) has a gradually greater flexibility. The flexibility of the outermost zone is suitable to the intensity of the pressure needed to injure the skin in the ear canal. The pressure needed to injure the ear canal could be experimentally measured. The gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by one or more of the following means: reduced cross-sectional thickness, reduced material concentration or condensation, and insertion of lines or points of weakness that would serve as "bending lines".

The neck portion (31) has also the ability to bend under a predetermined applied pressure, in case that the pressure against the canal wall continues despite the inward bending of the shallow spoon like bowl portion (32). In other wards, the ear cleaning device (1) could bend and not injure the ear canal under such an applied pressure.

The spoon-like cleaning head (3) may be manufactured from a material which would be selected from the list consisting of: polymers, fibers, layered sheets, foams, card boards, papers, plastics and combinations thereof, as long as this material would be stiff enough to enable efficient earwax extraction, but would bend to prevent ear trauma under an applied pressure which is high enough to injure the ear canal skin.

The elements of the disposable ear cleaning device (1) may be connected straight according to the longitudinal axis of the handle (2) or obliquely aligned.

In one embodiment of the present invention the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) lies in the longitudinal axis of the handle (2), so that the distal end (36a) of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) lies on the same level with the proximal end (36b) of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32), which is joined to the neck portion (31). In another embodiment of the present invention the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) was tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle (2), such that the distal end (36a) of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) is at a lower height than the proximal end (36b) of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32), which is joined to the neck portion (31).

The second embodiment of the safe ear cleaning device shown in FIG. 5 is the preferred embodiment of a safe ear cleaning device use according to the invention. The said second embodiment of the said safe ear cleaning device (1) has all the elements of the first embodiment and a stopper (4) for controlling the depth of insertion of the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) into the ear canal; for functionally limiting the distance between the distal end (36a) of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) and the innermost portion of the external ear canal, which is the level of the ear drum.

The said stopper (4) may comprise a safety stop between the said proximal end (36b) of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) and the said handle (2).

The said safety stopper (4) may be integral with the handle (2) or with the neck portion (31) and fabricated from the same materials.

This safety stopper (4) may have spherical shape or many other shapes, for example: the shape of a shield; cone shaped; ball shaped; diamond shaped or an elliptical body.

The said stopper (4) may be transparent or hollow (frame only) to enable the person using the device (1) to see the interior of the ear canal in case that one cleans another person's ear (e.g. a mother who cleans her child's ear).

The said stopper (4) has a cross-sectional diameter size greater than the maximal size of the ear canal within which the said spoon-like cleaning head (3) is intended to be used.

Industrial Applicability

The size of the human ear canal varies among different age and ethnical groups. For example, for a baby or an infant the spoon-like cleaning head (3) must be smaller than for an adult. For this reason different models of the safe ear cleaning device (1) may be manufactured, varying in size and stiffness (e.g. for different age groups such as babies, children and adults).

An additional embodiment of the safe ear cleaning device (1) according to the invention is shown in Fig. 6. This is a reusable safe ear cleaning device (1) which has a reusable part and a disposable part that are connected between the said proximal end (36b) of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion (32) and the said handle (2).

The reusable part contains the handle (2) with the said safety stopper (4) and a connecting means (5) for joining the reusable part (2) with the disposable part (3).

The said connecting means (5) may be each one of a number of known connecting means suitable to join the handle (2) or the neck portion (31) with the spoon-like cleaning head (3).

One of the advantages of this kind of a reusable embodiment is that a family can have one reusable handle (2) and a few types of different models of disposable spoon-like cleaning heads (3) suitable for children and for adults.

Another embodiment of the safe ear cleaning device (1) according to the invention (not illustrated) is a double-headed device, meaning that the opposite end of the handle (2) is not a free end as shown in FIG. 1, but rather has a second cleaning head connected to it. This second cleaning head may be identical to the first spoon-like cleaning head (3) in order to combine two cleaning heads in one device thus reducing costs and packing size of the product.

The second cleaning head may also be of a different type, for example it could be made of fibers or other soft material to absorb water or secretions, or in order to serve as a "general aid stick" for spreading ointments and preparations (e.g. iodine spreading on a wound or eye- makeup removal).

The present invention teaches that an improved ear cleaner may be safer for the ear if it is made of a material especially designed for the ear canal, meaning that it should be characterized by enough rigidity in order to efficiently extract the earwax out of the ear, and yet be pliable under such pressure that could injure the ear canal skin, in order to bend and avoid injury whenever such a pressure is applied.

The preferred cleaning method with the present invention that would result in high extraction efficiency and low trauma risk is a swivel movement along the canal wall with the curved aspect of the spoon facing the wall during the insertion phase, and a linear withdrawal movement along the longitudinal canal axis during the extraction phase.

Claims

1. A safe ear cleaning device for a-traumatically removing earwax from the ear canal of a person without injuring the canal skin comprises a handle and a spoon-like cleaning head with a shallow bowl portion which is divided to a bottom portion and at least one additional peripheral zone, which has such an overall flexibility that it would be stiff enough to enable efficient earwax extraction, but would bend to prevent ear trauma under an applied pressure which is high enough to injure the ear canal skin during the use of the said ear cleaning device.

2. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the actual configuration of the spoon-like cleaning head, the shallow spoon-like bowl portion, the bottom portion, the peripheral zones may vary widely.

3. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the preferred form of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion and the bottom portion are of an ellipse and the preferred form of the peripheral zones are concentric ellipses.

4. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the shallow bowl portion has only one additional zone and this zone is the outer zone.

5. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the shallow bowl portion has more than one additional zone, it's the one concentric zone, adjacent to the bottom portion, and the outer concentric zones.

6. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein each of the said additional zones has a gradually greater flexibility.

7. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the flexibility of the outermost zone is suitable to the intensity of the pressure needed to injure the skin in the ear canal.

8. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the pressure needed to injure the ear canal could be experimentally measured.

9. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by reduced cross-sectional thickness.

10. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by reduced material concentration.

11. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by reduced material condensation.

12. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by insertion of lines of weakness that would serve as "bending lines".

13. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by insertion of points of inflection that would serve as "bending lines".

14. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 6, wherein the gradually greater flexibility could be achieved by one or more of the following means: reduced cross-sectional thickness, reduced material concentration or condensation, and insertion of lines or points of weakness that would serve as "bending lines".

15. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the said additional zones are entirely concentric zones, meaning in the form of a closed ellipse.

16. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the said additional zones have a concentric form of an open ellipse, meaning an elliptic form with a proximal discontinuity near the connection to the handle.

17. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the spoon-like cleaning head may be manufactured from a material which would be selected from the list consisting of: polymers, fibers, layered sheets, foams, card boards, papers, plastics and combinations thereof, as long as this material would be stiff enough to enable efficient earwax extraction, but would bend to prevent ear trauma under an applied pressure which is high enough injure the ear canal skin.

18. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the handle must be convenient to use: to insert the spoon-like cleaning head into the ear canal, to turn the spoon-like cleaning head in the ear canal, to capture the earwax and remove the spoon-like cleaning head with the earwax from the ear canal.

19. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the handle is generally an elongated rod, which may be solid or hollow.

20. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the actual configuration of the handle and its cross-section may vary widely.

21. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein a cross- section of the handle may be in the form of a circle, ellipse, rectangle, square or any other form convenient to use.

22. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the handle has a longitudinal axis and may by elongated or not long.

23. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the preferred outer surface of the handle, all or only its central region may be smooth; a fluted, or a reduced diameter; knurled or otherwise roughened for gripping and turning the spoon-like cleaning head when scraping earwax.

24. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the handle may be molded from any non-toxic material which will be chosen for this purpose.

25. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein the neck portion has the ability to bend under a predetermined applied pressure, in case that the pressure against the canal wall continues despite the inward bending of the shallow spoon like bowl portion.

26. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, wherein its elements may be connected straight according to the longitudinal axis of the handle or obliquely aligned.

27. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 26, wherein the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion lies in the longitudinal axis of the handle, so that the distal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion lies on the same level with the proximal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion, which is joined to the neck portion.

28. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 26, wherein the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion was tilted with respect to the longitudinal axis of the handle, such that the distal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion is at a lower height than the proximal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion, which is joined to the neck portion.

29. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, which have a stopper for controlling the depth of insertion of the said shallow spoon-like bowl portion into the ear canal; for functionally limiting the distance between the distal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion and the innermost portion of the external ear canal, which is the level of the ear drum.

30. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the said stopper may comprise a safety stop between the said proximal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion and the said handle.

31. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the said safety stopper is integral with the handle.

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32. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the said safety stopper is integral with the neck portion.

33. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the said safety stopper may have spherical shape or many other shapes, for example: the shape of a shield; cone shaped; ball shaped; diamond shaped or an elliptical body.

34. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the said safety stopper may be transparent to enable the person using this device to see the interior of the ear canal in case that one cleans another person's ear (e.g. a mother who cleans her child's ear).

35. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the said safety stopper may be hollow (frame only) to enable the person using this device to see the interior of the ear canal in case that one cleans another person's ear.

36. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the said safety stopper has a cross-sectional diameter size greater than the maximal size of the ear canal within which the said spoon-like cleaning head is intended to be used.

37. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 29, wherein the size of the spoon-like cleaning head and the stopper may vary widely according to different age and ethnical groups.

38. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, which has a reusable part and a disposable part that are connected between the said proximal end of the shallow spoon-like bowl portion and the said handle.

39. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 38, wherein the reusable part contains the handle with the said safety stopper and a connecting means for joining the reusable part with the disposable part.

40. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 39, wherein the said connecting means may be each one of a number of known connecting means suitable to join the handle or the neck portion with the spoon-like cleaning head.

41. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 38, which is appropriate for a family, which can have one reusable handle and a few types of different models of disposable spoon-like cleaning heads suitable for children and for adults.

42. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1, which is a double-headed device, meaning that the opposite end of the handle is a second cleaning head connected to it.

43. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 42, wherein the said second cleaning head may be identical to the first spoon-like cleaning head in order to combine two cleaning heads in one device.

44. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 42, wherein the said second cleaning head may be made of fibers or other soft material to absorb water or secretions, or in order to serve as a "general aid stick" for spreading ointments and preparations.

45. The safe ear cleaning device in accordance with claim 1 and all illustrations in this application.