Conventional suction systems such as employed in the dental and medical fields generally employ a central suction system from which suction conduits, usually in the form of flexible hoses or tubes, are extended. Replaceable suction nozzles are removably secured at the end of the hoses or tubes to pick up a variety of medical debris such as is developed during dental or surgical procedures. Such suction systems are generally provided with some sort of central filter or trap arranged in the suction system to separate the collected debris from the fluid stream. These filtering arrangements must be periodically cleaned, requiring messy and rather involved procedures for removing the filter traps and flushing of the system. Aside from the unpleasantness of the cleaning job, leakage problems often arise in removing and replacing the filters and traps.
So as to minimize the handling problem, disposable filters have been evolved. However, even these entail rather involved manipulations and handling for removal.
Further, even with periodic cleaning of the trap and disposal of the filters, in normal procedures, the filters are rarely cleaned more than once each day, and a large number of patients are treated with the same suction equipment, so that there is a possibility of patient contamination by materials which have been filtered from previous patients.
Additionally, previously employed nozzles when bent to fit over the lips of a patient require holding wires, and result in a diminution of nozzle cross-section at the bend.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds