The invention generally relates to the field of means and machines for cutting, removing, withdrawing, and cleaning solids or contours with surfaces of a generally, closed or open, tubular structure. The invention has application in the removal of rocks or solids, in cleaning pipes and spaces with a generally concave shape, and in specifically, in the removal and withdrawing of earwax. The invention refers to the way of manufacturing helicoids to remove earwax and similar applications.
Means and tools for cutting, removing, and cleaning generally consist of a part that removes but does not remove the cut material, which is done by another action. These means are used in the excavation of tunnels of different sizes and purposes and in excavations to place pipes and other elements.
The same happens with the cleaning of pipes in the food, chemical and mixture industries, after each time or completion of the process. Cleaning methods in the art consist of hot and pressurized chemicals, held long enough to ensure removal and cleanliness. The substances are polluting and are generally dumped into riverbeds. A physical element that contacts the internal surfaces of these ducts, whether closed or open, seems convenient, and with the injection of less polluting substances, cleaning is fast and reliable.
Domestic and personal cleaning items, such as bristle brushes, use elements that stir but do not remove, they are generally made of hard plastic fibers that are difficult to degrade when discarded and by being small fibers, can cause damage if they are swallowed. With the helicoid, a single piece can be formed that is more efficient and less polluting than the one made of fibers. It also allows the cleaning of earwax to be made with softer contact surfaces and preventing penetrating to damage delicate parts of the ear.
Cotton swaps for cleaning ear wax and other uses that have an ovoid shape, are attribute several drawbacks to them:
1. They are ecologically offensive because the plastic grip is not easily degradable, although it has been replaced by other degradable materials such as cellulose.
2. Its conical shape pushes the earwax into the ear, and its flat surface can remove hair from the canal, so it is recommended not to use it. This also applies to applying and cleaning delicate areas.
3. They can damage delicate inner parts of the ear by being hard and not preventing the depth to which the user can push it in.
Numerous applications are possible based on the invention. Either can be used manually or motorized to clean external and internal parts of cavities, pipelines, and the like and closed and open concave areas. For example,
a) Cutting and removal of materials and tools for working on metals or hard materials.
b) The current technique in tunneling is done with a large disk that has cutting pieces and reinforcements more resistant. The disc, with a diameter equal to the final cavity, rotates, cuts and crushes rocks by layers of the entire surface, which requires a very resistant structure and potency. If this surface has parts of hard rock and gravel or less hard rocks, the turning and shearing stress over the entire diameter is equal to the one needed for the hardest part. It does not provide a choice to varying the cutting if the surface is not homogeneous.
c) Also, if there is failure in a part of the disk it is necessary to halt the entire operation.
If cutting means composed of separate pieces such as the helicoid are used, mounted in a system where each cutting part rotates together or independently, it may be possible to position them so that they cover the same diameter as that obtained with a large disc.
d) Applications in Medicine and the like, surgical devices to clean veins and arteries, prostate surgery, and other cavities. In nano helical bodies, movement can be achieved not by electric motor but by chemical action or by cells, which exist in art.
e) Applications in utensils for domestic or personal use such as earwax cleaning, where contact with the ear is soft and the base can be widened to control that it does not reach delicate parts.
f) Other possible applications are cleaning probes, robots to move inside the pipe, motorized with motors in the helical or remote.
g) The shape of the helicoid blades can be optimized for the function to be performed, calculated quantitatively and their performance tested before construction. In the art there are applications for both and 3D printing for tests, in a short time and at low cost.
The following inventions propose new forms of helical shape to remove and clean earwax, with characteristics different from those of the invention.
USD545431S—Spiral Grooved Head for an Ear Cleaning Swab by NAMI DESIGN LLC, shows spirals defined in conical shape, with flat cutting and contact edges, it does not indicate the geometric shape of the remover and cleaning plane and therefore the apex of the cone is shaped oval that is not optimal to remove and clean the innermost part. It can have a pushing effect, like the ovoid ones. It does not show how to build it.
It shows spirals defined in cylindrical and ovoid shapes, with flat edges and contact. The apex of the cone is oval in shape, which is not optimal for removing and cleaning the innermost part. It will tend to push in the earwax, like the ovoid shaped ones. It does not say how to build it.
Patent 2003/0135228 published as US2008142385A1; US2009173650A1. It proposes an ovoid-shaped earwax cleaning swab where each spiral starts at one end of the handle and ends loosely. The handle ends in a point to prevent deep cleaning, which can damage the eardrum.
The following inventions to remove ears wax differ to the proposed invention because they are not helicoid, not conical, do not show how to build it or are not disposable, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,033,417, 5,632,756, 5,374,276, 3,923,061, JP2017511158A, US20130304103A1, U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,658,745B2, 9,867,738B2, 9,867,738B2, US209125588A1, TWM484411U.
The following inventions propose new forms of helicoid to cut and remove several kinds of materials, with characteristics different from those of the invention, they do not include modifying the shape of the cutting plane to optimize the operation, they are elongated spirals, not suitable for removing material chopped up. Some propose reinforcements, articulated sections, but not integrated or the components to lighten, adjust to electronics and Artificial Intelligence means. U.S. Pat. No. 3,715,788A, CA435662A, CA709213A, CA2486839C, A209330A, JP5023628B2, KR101369580B1, GB2342372A, GB2558172A.
The following figures illustrate generally the proposed invention but are not limited to these illustrations.
Due to its circular shape, the top and bottom plant view of the helicoid will show continuous concentric circles that can be of different diameter and number.
With the same amount of material used in the ovoid shape, this helical body creates a larger contact area and smoother, more cutting angles, removes, removes wax or any other material from the duct with less pressure, the outer edges of blades (5) of the blades contact smaller points and on a different surface than a contact element with only an ovoid general surface. The curvature of the blade helps to remove and withdraw material more effectively without the risk of pushing it; the base wider than the apex reduces the risk of damaging internal parts of the ear.
The new helical body for removing and withdrawing ear wax can be built with the same known machines, if part of the process for creating the helical blades is modified, as described.
Step 1—Set up the material from the manufacturer, grip and helicoid material, this one can have in several forms:
1. Material with which the helicoid is manufactured cotton, cellulose or other material in the art, appropriate to manufacture the helicoid body, which can have various forms:
In any of these forms the material is pre-cut or continuous. In this case the preforming step includes the cutting of each part when spinning.
2. Preformed grip, made of impregnated paper, cellulose, wood, 50 to 60 mm long and 2 to 3 mm in diameter. It can have different lengths and diameters depending on the application for which it is intended.
Step 2—Add emollient to each end of the grip to help giving and keeping shape, remove fiber particles that can come off inside the ear, by dispersion in cold, hot, steam, about 0.025 ml.
Step 3—Preform the helicoid body by wrapping 0.5 to 1 gram of cotton, cellulose, or other material with suitable characteristics (soft, absorbent, non-particles) around the two ends of the grip.
This winding results in a conical helical body with diameters at the base of 5 to 6 mm and at the upper end of 2.5 to 5 mm, which are 25 to 30% larger than the final size of the helical body for cleaning wax. These measures are modified depending on the application to which it is intended. The pre-shape can be made in several ways:
The movement of the band or the cylinder causes the material to be rolled to come closer and remains in contact with each end of the grip (11) and in proximity to the cavity that has the half mold of the helicoid engraved in low relief. At the ends of the grip (11) the material, such as cotton, is hold, rotated and rolled over the half of the mold, forcing it to take the shape of the half mold of the helicoid body. At each end 0.02 to 0.03 grams of the material are wound. The movement of the band or the cylinder brings the pre-formed helical body to a storage space.
Step 4—Place the preformed helicoid bodies in a container that is close to the band or cylinder that gives the final shape.
Step 5—Arrange the preformed helicoid bodies in the grip that is on a band and that contains the halves of the mold of ten helicoid bodies, band that moves as it is currently done in the art.
Step 6—Give final shape in cycles. Ten boxes with half helical body mold and grip are accommodated in a frame on a moving belt. The grip has in its lower part a connecting hole (24) to a space that creates a vacuum in the ten boxes. In the boxes there are ten pre-formed helical bodies. Aligned and on top of the first and inversely, there is another group of ten boxes and molds that descends and contacts the group that is on the band, making hermetic closure with gaskets (not shown). Both groups move and during the displacement mechanical pressure and vacuum are produced in both groups, which will force the material, which has been treated with emollient, to take the low-relief shape of the mold. Then the set on top raises and moves back to stand on top of the group of ten boxes moving on the band, to start another cycle.
Times and distances are synchronized so that the two groups coincide in each cycle. The cycle time depends on the target production. If it is 2,000 units per minute, the cycle of descending, contacting, displacing the boxes moving with the belt, emptying, raising and moving back to place again on the group moving on the belt, and if in each cycle form ten units, the time will be (2,000/10=200 cycles/minute), in 60 seconds/200 cycles=0.3 seconds per cycle). Negative pressure is exerted for 0.15 seconds, half the cycle time. These cycles and times are currently applied in various production systems.
This process can also be made with rotating cylinders on whose surface there are molds of the helical body. One preformed mold is accommodated in each mold. At each point of tangency, when they come into contact, pressure and vacuum are produced, which are made continuously by rotation and give the final shape.
Step 7—Add agglutinating to each end, dry, then pack.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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NC2020/0015320 | Dec 2020 | CO | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/IB2021/061342 | 12/4/2021 | WO |