Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Universal device for the thorough cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing
of dental, surgical and veterinary instruments as well as for oth_e_r
uses.
This invention concerns a universal device for the thorough - i.e.
external and internal - cleaning and disinfecting of dental, surgical
0
and veterinary instruments and for other uses such as dental
instruments, scalpels, probes, endoscopes, mirrors, forceps, etc. both
in their assembled form and stripped down to their individual
components. This device completely removes viral contamination which can
be easily transmitted.
Similar equipment already exists, e.g. that described in European patent
No. 56 791 or U.S.A. patent No. 4.552.163, being the property of the
applicant. With these devices, the instrument to be disinfected is
placed vertically into a cylindrical chamber and jets of water and/or
di si nfectant mi xed wi th ai r, are di rected towards the verti cal axi s of
the chamber and strike specific points of the front of the instrument.
After striking the instrument, the jets rebound towards the walls of the
chamber where gravity causes them to fall downwards. Consequently, there
are a number of areas which are not sprayed or only partially sprayed by
said liquids, thereby leaving an unwanted bacterial residue. This is
particularly true in the lower part of the chamber where, in the case of
dental instruments for example, there are usually areas which are more
contaminated by germs. This is an unwanted and worrying problem.
The i nventor of thi s devi ce has overcome thi s probl em by modi fyi ng the
shape of the chamber and varying the direction and intensity of the jets
ensuri ng that the di s i nfectant i s sprayed over the enti re surface area
of the instrument being treated, with greater and more effective action
being exerted on the lower parts of the instrument which, as has been
said, are the most contaminated areas.
More specifically, this invention is a universal device designated to
' clean and sterilize both internally and externally, dental, surgical,
veterinary and other types of instruments. It consists of a chamber with
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an internal and an external wall, separated by a hollow space, with
holes on the internal wall through which fluids/liquids and/or air are
sprayed in a pre-set sequence on to the instrument placed vertically in
the chamber. The hollow space between the two walls is subdivided along
a
the axis of the chamber into several smaller chambers along which is a
ring of spray holes inclined at a specific downward angle moving
off-centre at a predetermined distance from the vertical axis of the
chamber. The shape of the chamber and the pressure upstream of the holes
and/or their diameter and direction causes the jets to move in a
helicoidal manner, with the speed and kinetic energy increasing from the
upper to the lower part of the chamber.
According to one of the embodiments, said chamber has a downward
tapering frusto-conical shape.
Two variations of the device have been constructed: one which does not
require the dismantling of the instruments to be treated, the other
requiring it to be stripped down to its various component parts with
each component being treated separately.
The importance of this newly invented device is its ability to
thoroughly clean, disinfect and sterilize an item of dental equipment
for example, whilst the patient is being treated, i.e. whilst the work
is being carried out, because the instrument is washed, disinfected,
sterilized and lubricated externally and internally without having to
remove it or disconnect it from the electric or pneumatic cable and from
the water cooling pipe. Inside the cylinder, the instrument is activated
at the time of the disinfecting and sterilizing process to remove the
pathogens from the internal ducts of same and when it is switched off,
the disinfecting and sterilizing liquid is aspirated in the same manner
as the contaminated part. In this way, when the disinfecting and
sterilizating substance enters the chamber of the device, the same
sterilization process is repeated at least two or three times in the s
patient's mouth i.e.: when the instrument is switched on and off. The
various operations are activated by means of electrical impulses
controlled by electronic cards.
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The attached drawings are some of the embodiments of the device in
question which are not exhaustive or binding.
- Figures la and 1b are two embodiments of the invention where a dental
instrument is cleaned, disinfected and sterilized externally and
internally without stripping it down to its component parts;
- Figure lc is a cross-section of the above, showing the direction of
the jets;
- Figure 2 is a diagram of the valves opening and closing cycle
activating the internal and external cleaning, disinfecting, sterilizing
and drying of the instrument placed inside the device;
- Figure 3 is a diagram of the electro valves used in disinfecting and
sterilizing the instruments placed in the device according to figures
la, 1b, and 2;
- Figures 4 and 5 represent the opening and closing cycle of the valves
controlling the various operating stages of the device with reference to
figures 1 to 3. These operating stages can be programmed according to
requirements;
- Figure 6 to 13 represent some of the embodiments of the device
according to the invention, showing treatment of the individual
components of the instrument to be cleaned, sterilized, dried and
lubricated;
- Figures 14 and 15 represent an embodiment of the cartridge containing
the disinfecting and sterilizing fluid, both preferably with a peracetic
acid base;
- Figure 16 shows a number of details;
- Figure 17 is an example of the arrangement of the various components
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of the device in question, based on another embodiment;
- Figure 18 (a, b, c, d, e) is a biological control accessory.
The device shown in figure la includes the chamber 4, preferably of a
frusto-conical shape or, in any case, tapering downwards, with its
external 1, and internal 2 walls, separated by a hollow space,
subdivided along the axis into smaller conical toroidal spaces 3', 3",
3"' , 3"" . The i nternal wal 1 2 has a number of hol es 5' , 5" , 5"' , 5"" ,
etc. positioned offcentre so that the jets originating from the holes
pass at a pre-fixed distance e, from the vertical axis K of the chamber.
They are also directed downwards creating powerful helicoidal jets of
air, water and disinfectant directed on to the instrument 8 to be
cleaned, dried and/or lubricated. Thus, the jets cover simultaneously
the entire surface of the instrument to be treated.
This newly invented device differs from the other conventional types in
that it not only disinfects, dries and lubricates, but also sterilizes
the instrument in the chamber externally and internally without having
to strip it down to its component parts and removing it from its
support, which is a major advantage in the case of dental equipment for
example.
At the base of the chamber 4, there is a normal mesh type filter 7,
which can be easily removed and washed or replaced, and a standard type
chamber 27, operating on the Venturi principle, comprising a pipe 24,
fitted with a nozzle, not shown, which blasts a jet of air to remove the
contaminated water following the use of an instrument.
Pipes lead from the manifold 10, to valves 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37,
38 shown in detail in figures 2, 3 & 4, which control the various stages
of the cleaning and disinfecting cycle.
These valves are a new invention and will be explained in detail later
on.
With reference to figures la, 1b, lc, 2, 3, 4, 5 an explanation will now
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be given of the disinfection and sterilization procedure of a dental
instrument according to the invention without the need to strip it down
to its component parts and removing it from its support.
U
The dirty instrument 8 (Figures la and 1b) is placed in the chamber
without disconnecting it from the electric or pneumatic cable and the
water cooling pipe, the reasons for which are twofold:
a) to allow the operation to be carried out rapidly and expeditiously,
preventing wear of the connections;
b) to activate the instrument inside the chamber at the moment of
disinfection and sterilization to eliminate the pathogens present in the
internal ducts of the instrument and, when the machine is switched off,
to remove by suction the disinfecting and sterilizing fluid from the
areas potentially contaminated. In this way, all the internal and
external contaminated parts of the instrument are thoroughly cleaned,
disinfected and sterilized.
When the instrument is inserted into the chamber 4, to avoid
contamination of the opening 12 (figures 1 and 1b) of same, a pierceable
membrane 6 i s out i n p1 ace (fi gures l a, l b and 16 ) preferably made of
cellulose, impregnated with disinfecting and sterilizing fluid, used
respectively during the disinfection and sterilization stages. This
membrane is fixed in position at the opening 12 by means of a ring nut
and is pierced when the instrument 8 is placed inside.
The pierced membrane 6, is removed on completion of the sterilization
cycle before removing the instrument, or else in wound on by means of a
miniature motor and is then re-wound into a special container which is
removed when full.
The disinfection and sterilization unit (fig. 3) consists of the
following parts:
31, 32, 33, 34, 35 = electro valves
- 9 - double-acting pneumatic cylinder or membrane pump;
16 - sensor controlling the presence of the disinfecting
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or sterilizing fluid;
17 - chamber for loading and discharging the single dose
of disinfecting or sterilizing liquid, aspirated by
9 and controlled by 16;
18 - aspiration and dosing chamber of the disinfecting
and sterilizing fluid contained in the cartridge
20;
19 - support for holding and perforating the cartridge;
20 - cartridge containing the disinfecting or
sterilizing liquid which must be replaced after a
specified number of operations;
21 - micro switch sensing the presence of the cartridge;
22 - nebulizer;
= manifold;
A - compressed air inlet;
23 - one-way valves.
The operating principle is as follows:
The pneumati c cyl i nder or pump 9 ( fi g 3 ) , not shown i n f i gures 1 a
and
1b, aspirates a single dose of disinfecting or sterilizing fluid from
the cartridge 20 through the chamber 18, and then sends it on to the
loading chamber 17, controlled by the sensor 16.
The sensor 16 senses the presence of the disinfecting or sterilizing
fluid and allows the cycle to proceed.
At the pre-arranged moment, the valve 35 opens, and the single dose is
sent to the nebulizer 22 whence it passes into the manifold 10 which
sends it on to the cylinder 1 with the help of the valves 33, 34.
Below is a description of the washing/drying and disinfecting and
sterilizing cycle of the device as shown in figures la and 1b.
During the initial washing and drying stage of the instruments, the
valves 33, 34, 36, 37, 38 and 30 open and a mixture of air and water is
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sent through the manifold 10 and washes the instrument 8.
The air is sent through valve 36 to the discharge point to create an
aspiration effect in the chamber 1.
Valve 30 (fig. 2) then closes and valves 33, 34 & 36 remain open,
sending the air to the manifold 10 to dry the instrument and,
simultaneously, to the discharge point, to continue the aspiration
effect.
The full washing-drying-disinfecting and sterilizing cycle which takes
p1 ace i n the chamber 1, 2 i s the i nnovati ve and uni que aspect of thi s
device.
Its conical or tapered shape (wide at the mouth and narrow at the base)
means that inside the chamber during the washing and sterilizing stages
and by means of four rings of 48 holes in all, with the passing off
centre at a distance e, from the axis K of the chamber and inclined
downwards at an angle o~ (fig. lc), a swirling effect is produced around
the instrument 8, in a downward direction towards the head of the
instrument causing solid and non-solid particles on the head to be
detached and drawn towards the discharge point.
The di mensi ons of the hol es are such that the fl ui d fl owi ng from them
strikes the instrument to be treated with a kinetic force which
increases as it flows downwards from the top to the lower part of the
chamber where the head, i.e. the most contaminated part, is located.
In addition, during the disinfecting cycle, particular attention has
been given to the problem of pathogens inside a dental instrument
caused, as already mentioned, by the aspirating action of the instrument
inside the patient's mouth whilst deactivated, to prevent a loss of the
- cooling water.
Consequently, the device has been designed so that when the disinfecting
or steri 1 i zi ng f l ui d i s i ntroduced i nto the hol 1 ow spaces 3' , 3",
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3"" and 5', 5", 5"', 5"" (figures la and 1b), it repeats twice (or even
three times, by means of a program switch on the electronic card) the
same process of disinfecting and sterilization as in the patient's mouth
(the switching on and off of the instrument). This dual (or triple)
action requires the instrument to remain connected to the electric or
pneumatic cable and to the water pipe to enable it to receive the
above-mentioned two (or three) impulses. This causes the instrument to
discharge the contaminated substances still inside it and subsequently
take in the disinfecting or sterilizing fluid.
The residual disinfecting or sterilizing fluid is then rinsed from the
instrument which is then dried.
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