Surgery – Means for introducing or removing material from body for... – Treating material applied to or removed from external...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-11-26
2003-07-22
Lo, Weilun (Department: 3761)
Surgery
Means for introducing or removing material from body for...
Treating material applied to or removed from external...
C604S302000, C604S298000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06595970
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Devices for applying eye medication solutions to the eye have ranged from the simple eyedropper to soft-sided squeezable plastic eyedrop containers having an integral dropper outlet to fairly complex soft-sided squeezable plastic eyedrop container designs to devices with many assembled parts. The soft-sided squeezable plastic eyedrop containers range from the most popular cylindrical and rectangular cross-sectional containers to more complex designs which currently appear to have attracted little, if any, commercial interest. A review of U.S. patents revealed the following designs.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,810,794 is directed towards a device, which rests on the facial area around the eye, for use with a conventional eyedropper bottle. The eyedropper bottle is surrounded by a pair of loosely hinged pincer wings which when squeezed squeeze the eyedropper bottle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,713,495 is directed towards a simple device which hold the neck of a conventional eyedropper bottle. The device is held by one hand while the other hand squeezes the eyedropper bottle directly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,578,020 discloses a device having a long eyedropper tube which is connected to an eyedropper bottle. The dropper tube is surrounded by a dispensing sleeve made of elastomeric material which rests on the facial area around the eye. The user squeezes the device which squeezes the eyedropper tube which releases the eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,986 discloses a complex device having a piston-like or accordion-like dispenser-vial, a trigger and a projecting finger for engaging the lower eye lid. When the trigger is depressed, a drop of medicament is released.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,154,711 and 5,059,188 are directed towards devices with sighting apertures which hold the neck of an eyedropper bottle and rest on the user's forehead and/or nose. The eyedropper bottle is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,946,452 and 4,792,334 and 4,543,096 are directed towards various devices which hold eyedropper bottles and push the user's eyelids apart simultaneously as the device is squeezed to release the eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,944 discloses a facially contoured device for resting on the facial area surrounding the eye socket, and for holding an eyedropper or eyedropper container. The device has a sighting aperture. The eyedropper or eyedropper container is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,344,430 is directed towards a mirrored sighting device for holding an eyedropper or eyedropper bottle. The eyedropper or eyedropper bottle is squeezed directly by the user to release the eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,134,403 is directed towards a simple device which holds an eyedropper bottle and rests on the user's nose. The eyedropper bottle is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,934,590 discloses a simple tripod-like device for holding the outlet-neck portion of an eyedropper bottle. The device rests on the user's nose, cheekbone and brow. The eyedropper bottle is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,521,636 is directed towards a specially designed eyedropper bottle having an offset projection for resting on the user's nose. The eyedropper bottle is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,058,466 discloses a simple device which holds the neck of an eyedropper bottle and rests on the user's cheekbone and brow. The eyedropper bottle is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,676,592 is directed towards a device for holding the outlet end of an eyedropper over the eye. While the device is resting on the user's nose, the eyedropper is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,382,771 discloses a mirrored sighting device for holding and viewing simultaneously the eye and the eyedropper tip. The eyedropper is squeezed directly by the user to release eyedrops.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,115 discloses a complex device, having many parts, for washing the eye while holding back the eyelids. The device contains a squeezable chamber for holding fresh eyewash solution and a collection chamber for collecting the waste or dirty eyewash solution drained from the eye.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to ophthalmic devices for use with the popular soft-sided squeezable plastic eyedrop containers usually found in all drug stores in the Americas. Such eyedropper containers usually have a round or rectangular cross section.
Self medication of the eye is difficult for many since positioning the eyedropper container close to the eye, while keeping the eye open just as the container is squeezed requires resisting the natural reaction to blink to prevent a foreign substance from entering the eye. For many seniors, coordinating simultaneous positioning and squeezing of the container becomes even more difficult, often resulting in missing the eye and/or over medicating. Therefore, there is a need for an ophthalmic device which holds the eyedropper container, allows easy alignment of the outlet of the eyedropper container over the eye, and requires only a relatively quick and small force to release one eyedrop, or a predetermined small number of eyedrops, per squeeze. This invention is directed to such an ophthalmic device.
In this invention an alignment means which rests on a facial area steadies the device as the device is squeezed between the thumb and the index finger. Usually the right hand is used for the right eye and the left hand is used for the left eye.
In this invention a pair of lever arm members allows the eyedropper container to be easily and quickly squeezed with less force than required to depress the eyedropper container directly by the user's fingers.
In one embodiment of this invention sighting apertures are provided which enable the user to easily determine when the outlet of the eyedropper container is over the eye, either over the sclera, or white of the eye, or if desired over the cornea.
Accordingly, there is provided by the principles of the present invention an ophthalmic device for facilitating dispensing of an eyedrop from a resilient eyedrop container having an eyedrop dispensing outlet. The ophthalmic device comprises an upper body portion having a front portion, a first lever arm member rigidly connected to the front portion and extending in a longitudinal direction therefrom, and a second lever arm member rigidly connected to the front portion and extending in a longitudinal direction therefrom. The distal ends of the first and second lever arm members are spaced apart. An opening is provided in the upper body portion effective for receiving the eyedrop container with the outlet pointing down.
The ophthalmic device provides means effective for reducing the cross-sectional area of the opening when the lever arm members are squeezed together thereby facilitating compressing the eyedrop container when received in the opening sufficiently for causing an eyedrop to be dispensed. The ophthalmic device also includes alignment means attached to the upper body portion. The alignment means has a lower distal end for resting on an user facial area, thereby facilitating maintaining the outlet of the eyedropper container in alignment with a recipient eye while the lever arm members are squeezed together to dispense the eyedrops.
In one embodiment of this invention the upper body portion is unitary in construction. In another embodiment, the entire ophthalmic device is unitary in construction. In still another embodiment, the ophthalmic device has a shape effective for being produced from plastic material by injection molding. In yet another embodiment, the shape of the ophthalmic device is effective for producing from plastic material in a single injection molding step.
In one embodiment of this invention the ophthalmic device is free of hinges, pivots or parts which rotate or pivot or slide with respect to other parts.
In one embodiment of this invention the opening
Lo Weilun
Logan F. Eugene
Truong Linh
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