Device and method of sanitizing suction cannulae for dentistry

Abstract

A sanitizing device (1) for sanitizing cannulae (4) for dental use has a container (2); a hopper (7) configured to house a plurality of cannulae (4) arranged in an orderly manner; a dispensing port (6) for releasing one sanitized cannula (4) at a time; a conveyor (8) arranged within the container (2) and configured to advance cannulae (4) in an orderly succession along a path (P) between the hopper (7) and the dispensing port (6); and an emitter (9) of ultraviolet radiation arranged along the conveyor (8) to invest the cannulae (4) arranged along at least a section of the path (P) with ultraviolet radiation.

Description

[0001] "DEVICE AND METHOD OF SANITIZING SUCTION CANNULAE FOR

[0002] DENTISTRY"

[0003] Cross-Reference to Related Applications

[0004] This Patent Appl ication claims priority from Italian Patent Application No . 102024000003346 filed on February 16 , 2024 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

[0005] Field of the Art

[0006] The present invention relates to a device and method of saniti zing suction cannulae for dental use .

[0007] Suction cannulae for dental use are disposable medical devices commonly used to suction saliva and prevent the formation of dangerous aerosols during dental sessions .

[0008] State of the Art

[0009] Suction cannulae are marketed in sealed packages containing a plurality of cannulae . Each cannula has a tubular shape and is made of a thermoplastic polymer, generally polyvinyl chloride PVC, within which a wire is arranged which allows the cannula to be bent and given the desired shape before being inserted into the patient ' s mouth .

[0010] Dental practices are provided with sterilisation devices to sterilise dental instruments to be repeatedly used over time , but there is no equivalent system for saliva suction cannulae . Object of the Present Invention

[0011] The aim of the present invention is to realise a device for saniti zing suction cannulae for dental use that is capable of markedly improving the drawbacks of the prior art .

[0012] In accordance with the present invention, a device for saniti zing cannulae for dental use is provided, the sanitising device comprising :

[0013] - a container ;

[0014] - a hopper configured to house a plurality of cannulae arranged in an orderly manner ;

[0015] - a dispensing port to release one saniti zed cannula at a time ; a conveyor arranged within the container and configured to advance cannulae in an orderly succession along a path between the hopper and the dispensing port ; and

[0016] - an emitter of ultraviolet radiation arranged along the conveyor in order to invest with said ultraviolet radiation the cannulae arranged along at least a section of said path .

[0017] Thus , the functions of saniti z ing and dispens ing saniti zed cannulae can be combined in a single device in a simple and cost-ef fective way .

[0018] In particular, the conveyor comprises a trans fer member for withdrawing the cannulae from the hopper and feeding the cannulae along the path to control the feeding of the cannulae along the path .

[0019] In one embodiment , the trans fer member comprises a drum with an outer surface provided with at least one magnet to hold the cannula along a section of the traj ectory as the drum rotates .

[0020] This takes advantage of the fact that each cannula has a wire comprising ferromagnetic material .

[0021] In particular, the conveyor comprises a channel , through which the cannulae are arranged in orderly succession parallel to each other, said channel comprising at least one wall transparent to ultraviolet radiation along said path section .

[0022] It is thus possible to expose all the cannulae along at least one section of the advancement path to ultraviolet radiation .

[0023] In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the conveyor comprises an additional trans fer member, which is arranged downstream of the channel to block the cannulae within said channel and is selectively operable to allow the passage of a single cannula from the channel to the dispensing port .

[0024] It is thus possible to dispense a cannula only after activating the additional trans fer member .

[0025] In particular, the additional trans fer member comprises an additional drum comprising at least one pocket for housing at least partially a cannula and to trans fer the cannula housed in the pocket from the channel to the dispensing port by rotation of a step of the drum .

[0026] Rotating one step of the drum therefore allows to dispense only one cannula .

[0027] In particular, the conveyor comprises a guide facing the dispensing port to guide the cannulae towards the dispensing port .

[0028] In accordance with the present invention, the container comprises a lid movable between an open position for allowing access to said hopper and arranging the cannulae in the hopper and a closed position .

[0029] In particular, said conveyor is at least partially motori zed and operable by an actuator and a control member, which is arranged along an outer face of the container and is configured to control the actuator so that it performs a single step of the conveyor corresponding to dispensing a single cannula .

[0030] The user thus controls the dispensing of a single cannula .

[0031] In particular, the saniti zing device comprises a hatch to close the dispensing port , said hatch being selectively movable between a closed position and an open position .

[0032] The dispensed cannula is thus prevented from accidentally escaping from the dispensing port .

[0033] A further obj ect of the present invention is to provide a method that is free from the drawbacks of the prior art .

[0034] In accordance with the present invention, a method of saniti zing cannulae for dental use , the method comprising :

[0035] - arranging a plurality of cannulae in an orderly manner in a hopper ;

[0036] - advancing the cannulae in an orderly succession along a determined path from said hopper ;

[0037] - investing the cannulae arranged along at least one section of the said path with ultraviolet radiation; and

[0038] - dispensing through a dispensing port one cannula at a time downstream of said path section .

[0039] In particular, the method provides to acquire signals related to the number of cannulae dispensed per time unit by the saniti zing device , and transmitting said signals to at least one device external to the saniti zing device .

[0040] In this way, the consumption and supply of cannulae can be managed from a mobile device via an app .

[0041] Brief Description of the Drawings

[0042] Further characteristics and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description of non-limiting embodiments thereof , with reference to the figures of the attached drawings , in which :

[0043] - Figure 1 is a perspective view, with parts removed for clarity's sake, of a device of sanitizing suction cannulae for dental use made in accordance with the present invention;

[0044] - Figure 2 is a plan view, with parts removed for clarity's sake, of the sanitizing device in Figure 1;

[0045] - Figure 3 is a section view, with parts removed for clarity's sake, of the sanitizing device according to the section lines III-III;

[0046] - Figure 4 is a section view, with parts removed for clarity's sake, of the sanitizing device according to the section lines IV-IV; and

[0047] - Figure 5 is a section view, with parts removed for clarity's sake, of a variant of the embodiment of the sanitizing device of the previous Figures.

[0048] Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

[0049] With reference to Figures 1 and 2 a device of sanitising cannulae for dental use is denoted as a whole with 1. The sanitizing device 1 comprises a container 2 substantially in the shape of a parallelepiped and having a selectively removable lid 3, by means of which it is possible to arrange a plurality of cannulae 4 inside the container 2 and a control member 5, in this case a button, which, when pressed, dispenses a single cannula 4 at a dispensing port 6, arranged along the front face of the container 2 and shown in Figure 1. Each cannula 4 is defined by a tube of polymer material in which a wire is embedded .

[0050] In practice , the saniti zing device 1 is also a device for dispensing saniti zed cannulae 4 .

[0051] Referring to Figure 3 , the saniti zing device 1 comprises a hopper 7 configured to house a plurality of cannulae 4 arranged in an orderly manner ; said dispensing port 6 is configured to release one sterilised cannula 4 at a time ; a conveyor 8 within the container 2 and configured to advance the cannulae 4 in an orderly succession between the hopper 7 and the dispensing port 6 along a path P ; and an emitter 9 of ultraviolet radiation arranged along the conveyor 8 to invest with ultraviolet radiation the cannulae 4 arranged along at least a section of the path P .

[0052] The conveyor 8 extends between the hopper 7 and the dispensing port 6 and comprises a trans fer member 10 ; a channel 11 , through which the cannulae 4 are arranged in an orderly succession parallel to each other ; and a trans fer member 12 , which is arranged downstream of the channel 11 to block the cannulae 4 within the channel 11 and is selectively operable to allow the passage of a cannula 4 to the dispensing port 6 .

[0053] Downstream of the trans fer member 12 the conveyor 8 comprises a guide comprising two chutes 13 and 14 to guide the cannula 4 released by the trans fer member 12 towards the dispensing port 6 .

[0054] Trans fer members 10 and 12 are motorised and selectively operable via the control member 5 . In contrast , the movement of cannulae 4 along the channel 11 and along the chutes 13 and 14 occurs under the action of gravity .

[0055] The trans fer member 10 performs the function of withdrawing the cannulae 4 from the hopper 7 and feeding the cannulae to the channel 11 and comprises a drum 15 rotatable around an axis Al perpendicular to the advancement path P of the cannulae 4 and having an outer surface provided with a plurality of magnets 16 evenly distributed around the axis Al in order to make the cannulae 4 adhere to the outer face of the drum 15 .

[0056] The trans fer member 12 comprises a drum 17 , which is rotatable about an axis A2 parallel to the axis Al and comprises a plurality of pockets 18 alternating with lobes 19 . Each pocket 18 is configured to house a single cannula 4 and to trans fer the single cannula 4 housed in the respective pocket 18 from the channel 11 to the dispensing port 6 by rotation of one step of the drum 17 . In fact , the rotation of one step of the drum 17 corresponds to the distance separating the pocket 18 containing the cannula 4 from the subsequent pocket 18 so that a cannula 4 is dispensed for each rotation step of the trans fer member 12 .

[0057] The channel 11 extends in a substantially vertical direction from the trans fer member 10 to the trans fer member

[0058] 12 and has at least wall 20 to ultraviolet radiation . The emitter of ultraviolet radiation faces the wall 20 .

[0059] The dispensing port 6 is actually an opening along a front wall of the container 2 near a bottom part . The opening has a width larger than the length of the cannula 4 and a height such as to allow the insertion of a hand inside the opening to withdraw the dispensed cannula 4 lying inside the container 2 . The cannula 4 is prevented from naturally exiting the container 2 by a step 21 delimiting the lower part of the dispensing port 6 .

[0060] The lid 3 closes the hopper 7 at the top and is hinged, on one side , to the remaining part of the container around an axis A3 , has a locking member 21 , on the other side , configured to ensure the closure of the lid 3 .

[0061] With reference to Figure 4 , the motorisation is arranged in an inner compartment of the container that is separated from the rest of the container by a partition wall 23 . The saniti zing device 1 comprises an actuator 24 , in this case an electric stepping motor, and a transmission 25 to actuate and synchronise the actuation of the motorised trans fer members 10 and 12 . In the case shown, the transmission comprises three toothed wheels 26 , 27 , 28 engaged with each other and rotatable around the respective axes A4 , Al and A2 . In this case, the actuator 24 is integrally coupled to the toothed wheel 26 , which is rotatably mounted on the partition wall around the axis A4 . The toothed wheel 27 is integral with the drum 15 ( Figure 3 ) and rotates about the axis Al , while the toothed wheel 28 is integral with the drum 17 ( Figure 3 ) and rotates about the axis A2 .

[0062] The actuator 24 is electrically connected to the control member 5 , which emits a pulse for each actuation of the control member 5 and determines the advancement of an actuator step corresponding to the dispensing of a cannula 4 .

[0063] With reference to Figure 3 , the saniti zing device 1 comprises a monitoring device 29 to acquire a signal related to the number of cannulae per unit time and transmit the signal to a device 30 , outside the saniti zing device 1 , in this case a mobile device , for further processing of the signal .

[0064] In use , the saniti zing device 1 involves arranging a plurality of cannulae 4 in an orderly manner in the hopper 7 and closing the lid 3 as represented in Figure 3 .

[0065] When the user requires a cannula 4 , he / she operates the control member 5 in such a way that the cannulae 4 advance in an orderly succession along the determined path P in such a way that each cannula 4 is invested by the ultraviolet radiation along at least one section of the path P . The actuation of the control member 5 also determines the dispensing of the first cannula 4 of the ordered sequence , which has been invested by ultraviolet radiation .

[0066] The actuation of the control unit also determines the activation of the emitter of ultraviolet radiation 9 , in this case a mercury vapour lamp .

[0067] With reference to the variant of Figure 5 , a saniti zing device 31 is shown, which comprises a container 32 substantially in the shape of a parallelepiped and having a selectively removable lid 33 , by means of which a plurality of cannulae 4 can be arranged within the container 32 and a control member 34 , in this case a button, which, when pressed, determines the dispensing of a single cannula 4 at a dispensing port 35 , occluded by a hatch 36 arranged along the front face of the container 32 .

[0068] The saniti zing device comprises a hopper 37 configured to house a plurality of cannulae 4 arranged in an orderly manner ; a conveyor 38 configured to advance cannulae 4 in an orderly succession between the hopper 37 and the dispensing port 35 along a path Pl ; and an emitter 39 of ultraviolet radiation arranged along the conveyor 38 to invest the cannulae 4 arranged along at least a section of the path Pl with ultraviolet radiation .

[0069] The conveyor 38 extends between the hopper 37 and the dispensing port 35 and comprises a trans fer member 40 ; and a guide 41 , in this case an inclined plane, along which the cannulae 4 are arranged in an orderly succession parallel to each other and which extends between the trans fer member 40 and the dispensing port 35 with an inclination towards the trans fer member 40 .

[0070] The trans fer member 40 is motori zed and selectively operable via the control member 34 . In contrast , the movement of the cannulae 4 along the guide 41 is achieved by pushing the trans fer member 40 , which performs the functions of withdrawing the cannulae 4 from the hopper 37 , isolating the cannulae 4 and pushing the cannulae 4 along the guide 41 so that the cannula 4 adj acent to the dispensing port 35 falls into the dispensing port 35 . The trans fer member 40 comprises a drum 42 rotatable about an axis A5 perpendicular to the advancement path Pl of the cannulae 4 and having an outer surface provided with a plurality of lobes 43 adapted to define seats , each of which contains one cannula 4 at a time . The other characteristics are simi lar to the implementation described above .

[0071] Finally, it is apparent that the present invention comprises further variants of the disclosed embodiments included in the scope of protection of the appended claims .

Claims

CLAIMS1. A dental cannulae sanitizing device , the sanitizing device (1; 31) comprising:- a container (2; 32) ;- a hopper (7; 37) configured to house a plurality of cannulae (4) arranged in an orderly manner;- a dispensing port (6; 35) to release one sanitized cannula (4) at a time;- a conveyor (8; 38) arranged within the container (2; 32) and configured to advance cannulae (4) in orderly succession along a path (P; Pl) between the hopper (7; 37) and the dispensing port (6; 35) ; and- an emitter (9; 39) of ultraviolet radiation arranged along the conveyor (8; 38) to invest with said ultraviolet radiation the cannulae (4) arranged along at least a section of said path (P; Pl) .

2. The sanitizing device as claimed in Claim 1, wherein the conveyor (8; 38) comprises a transfer member (10; 40) for withdrawing the cannulae (4) from the hopper (7) and feeding the cannulae (4) along the path (P; Pl) .

3. The sanitizing device as claimed in Claim 2, wherein the transfer member (10) comprises a drum (15) having an outer surface having at least one magnet (16) for retaining the cannulae (4) along a trajectory section during rotation of the drum ( 15) .

4. The sanitizing device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the conveyor (8) comprises a channel (11) , through which the cannulae (4) are arranged in orderly succession parallel to each other, said channel (11) comprising at least one wall (20) transparent to ultraviolet radiation along said path section, said channel being substantially vertical.

5. The sanitizing device as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the conveyor (8) comprising a selectively operable further transfer member (12) to allow transfer of a single cannula (4) from the channel (11) to the dispensing port (6) .

6. The sanitizing device as claimed in Claim 5, wherein the further transfer member (12) comprises a further drum (17) comprising at least one pocket (18) for housing at least partially a cannula (4) and for transferring the cannula (4) housed in the pocket (18) from the channel (11) toward the dispensing port (6) by rotation of a step of the drum (17) .

7. The sanitizing device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the conveyor (8) comprises a guide (13, 14; 41) near the dispensing port (6; 35) .

8. The sanitizing device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the hopper (2; 32) comprises a lid (3; 33) selectively movable to provide access to said hopper (7; 37) .

9. The sanitizing device as claimed in any one of thepreceding Claims, wherein said conveyor (8; 38) is at least partially motorized and operable via an actuator (24) and a control member (5; 34) , which is arranged along an outer face of the container (2; 32) and is configured to control the actuator (24) so that it performs a single step of the conveyor (8; 38) corresponding to dispensing a single cannula (4) .

10. The sanitizing device as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims and comprising a hatch (36) for closing the dispensing port (35) , said hatch (35) being selectively movable between a closed position and an open position.

11. A method of sanitizing cannulae for dental use, the method comprising:- arranging a plurality of cannulae (4) in an orderly manner in a hopper (7; 37) ;- advancing the cannulae (4) in orderly succession along a path (P; Pl) determined from said hopper (7; 37) ;- invest the cannulae (4) arranged along at least one section of said path (P; Pl) with an ultraviolet radiation; and- dispense through a dispensing port (6; 35) one cannula (4) at a time downstream of said section of the pathway (P; Pl) •12. The method of sanitizing as claimed in claim 11, wherein advancing the cannulae (4) along the pathway (P; Pl)between the hopper (7; 37) and the dispensing port (6; 35) is accomplished at least in part by a first drive member (10; 40) motorized arranged upstream of the dispensing port (6; 35) .

13. The method of sanitizing as claimed in any one of claims 11 or 12 and comprising generating an ultraviolet radiation via an emitter (9; 39) within the container (2; 32) and along said path (P; Pl) .

14. The method of sanitizing as claimed in any one of claims 11 to 13 and comprising acquiring signals related to the number of cannulae (4) dispensed per unit time by the sanitizing device (1; 31) and transmitting said signals to at least one device (30) external to the sanitizing device (1; 31) .

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