Background

[0001] Nasal aspirators are well known for clearing mucous from a nasal cavity. Various types of nasal aspirators are known, including traditional bulb aspirators, mechanically powered aspirators, and aspirators powered through human suction. Human suction is considered by some to be more effective because in some instances it may provide better control over the suction power. However, conventional human suction aspirators have certain limitations, particularly related to hygiene. Some products have attempted to address this issue through the use of gravity or through the use of foam pieces, tissues, or the like acting as a filter or barrier preventing the suctioned mucous from entering the mouth of the user providing the suction force. However, these methods are not fail-safe. Therefore a need continues to exist in the art for a more hygienic and fail-safe nasal aspirator.

Summary

[0002] The herein-described embodiments address these and other problems associated with the art by providing in one aspect a hygienic nasal aspirator. Therefore, consistent with one aspect of the invention, a hygienic nasal aspirator may include a housing that includes an interior space; a movable diaphragm located in the interior space of the housing and partitioning the interior space into first and second chambers, where the movable diaphragm creates an impermeable barrier between the first and second chambers; a nose piece coupled to the housing and in fluid communication with the first chamber; an elongated member with a first end and a second end, where the first end is coupled to the housing and is in fluid communication with the second chamber; and a mouth piece coupled to the second end of the elongated member; where the diaphragm is configured to create a vacuum force for aspirating a nasal cavity through the nose piece in response to suction applied through the mouth piece.

[0003] In some embodiments, the housing includes a first member and a second member removably coupled together to define the interior space of the housing. In some embodiments, the diaphragm is interposed between the first member and the second member.

[0004] In some embodiments, the diaphragm is removable from the housing when the first and second members are separated from one another. In other embodiments, the diaphragm is biased toward the first member of the housing. In still other embodiments, the diaphragm is generally hemispherical in shape.

[0005] In some embodiments, the first member of the housing snaps onto the second member of the housing. In other embodiments, a plurality of threads on the first and second members of the housing threadably couple the first and second members together.

[0006] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the second member of the housing comprises a translucent viewing area.

[0007] In some embodiments, the hygienic nasal aspirator further includes a protective cover at least partially circumscribing the mouth piece. In other embodiments, the protective cover extends beyond an end surface of the mouth piece such that the mouth piece is fully disposed within an interior space of the protective cover. In some embodiments, the hygienic nasal aspirator further includes a vent hole extending through the first member and into the interior space. In other embodiments, the diaphragm includes an indentation defined on a surface thereof to inhibit the diaphragm from becoming lodged in an inverted position.

[0008] In another aspect, a method of aspirating a nasal passage is disclosed using the hygienic nasal aspirator described herein. Such a method including: placing the nose piece into a nostril to form a seal between the nose piece and the nostril, manually sucking on the mouth piece to induce a vacuum in the second chamber, and aspirating the nasal passage through the nose piece in response to displacement of the diaphragm towards the second chamber in response to the induced vacuum in the second chamber.

[0009] These and other advantages and features, which characterize the invention, are set forth in the claims annexed hereto and forming a further part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the invention, and of the advantages and objectives attained through its use, reference should be made to the Drawings, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there is described example embodiments of the invention. This summary is merely provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description, and is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an example hygienic nasal aspirator.

[0011] FIGURE 2 is a front view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1.

[0012] FIGURE 3 is a right side view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1.

[0013] FIGURE 4 is a left side view of hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1.

[0014] FIGURE 5 is a top view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1.

[0015] FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1.

[0016] FIGURE 7 is a front cross-sectional view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1 with the diaphragm in an inverted position.

[0017] FIGURE 8 is an exploded cross-sectional view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1.

[0018] FIGURE 9 is an exploded perspective view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1.

[0019] FIGURE 10 is another exploded perspective cross-sectional view of the hygienic nasal aspirator of Fig. 1 showing the upper portion and diaphragm removed from the remainder of the aspirator.

[0020] FIGURE 11 is a partial perspective view of an example hygienic nasal aspirator with a removable nose piece. Detailed Description

[0021] Turning to the Figures, wherein like numbers denote like parts throughout the several views. Figs. 1 -6 illustrate the exterior of an embodiment of a nasal aspirator 100 consistent with some embodiments. Aspirator 100 may include a housing 110, a nose piece 120, and an elongated member 130 that connects the housing 110 to a mouth piece 140. As illustrated in Figs. 6-11 the nasal aspirator 100 further includes a movable diaphragm 210 disposed within an interior space 220 of the housing 110.

[0022] The nose piece 120 may be shaped so as to receive a human nostril and form a seal between the nostril and the nose piece 120. In some embodiments, the nose piece 120 may be specifically sized and shaped to couple with an infant nostril. The nose piece 120 may further contain an opening 122 in fluid communication with the interior space of the housing 110. This opening 122 may receive mucous suctioned from the nasal cavity. The nose piece 120 may be constructed various materials, for example any suitable hygienic, flexible material such as medical grade silicone, rubber, or the like. In some embodiments, the material from which the nose piece is constructed is translucent, which may allow a user to see if the nasal aspirator is functioning and removing mucous from the nostril. In other instances the material from which the nose piece is constructed is semi-translucent or opaque. As will be discussed in greater detail below, in some instances the nose piece may be removably coupled to the housing 110, so that it may be removed for cleaning and/or sanitizing. In such embodiments, it may be desirable for the material from which the nose piece 120 is constructed to be dishwasher safe.

[0023] The elongated member 130 may include a first end 132 and a second end 134, where the first end may be coupled with the housing 110 and the second end may be coupled with a mouth piece 140. In some embodiments, the elongated member may be about 10cm; in other embodiments, the elongated member may be longer or shorter than 10cm. Flowever, this is not intended to be limiting as the length of the elongated member 130 may vary, but is generally understood to be long enough to prevent the user having to be positioned directly in the face of the individual whose nostril is being suctioned. The elongated member 130 may be constructed of the same material as the nose piece 120; however this is not to be understood as limiting, as the elongated member 130 may be constructed various materials known in the art. It may also be desirable in some instances to construct elongated member from a more rigid material, or to construct the elongated member from multiple materials, e.g., with a rigid tube coupled to a more pliable coupling that couples with housing 1 10. As with the nose piece 120, the material from which the elongated member 130 is constructed may be completely translucent, completely opaque, or anywhere in between. Also similar to the nose piece 120, the elongated member 130 may be detached from the housing 110 in order to be cleaned and/or sanitized, and as such may also be constructed of a dishwasher safe material.

[0024] In some instances it may be desirable for a user to be able to determine that the nasal aspirator 100 is functioning, without necessitating viewing the mucous being suctioned from the nasal cavity. In such instances, this may be achieved through use of a translucent viewing window 136 disposed at the first end 132 of the elongated member. As will be described in greater detail below, a user may be able to see the movable diaphragm 210 through this translucent viewing window 132 in order to determine that a vacuum force has been created by the nasal aspirator 100.

[0025] The mouth piece 140 may be fluidly coupled with the second end 134 of the elongated member 130 so as to allow air to move through the elongated member 130 to the mouth piece 140. In some embodiments, the mouth piece 140 may be removably coupled to the second end 134 of the elongated member 130, while in other embodiments, the mouth piece 140 is permanently coupled or integrally formed with the elongated member. Similar to the nose piece 120 and the elongated member 130, the mouth piece 140 may be constructed various materials including, but not limited to a hygienic, flexible material such as medical grade silicone, rubber, or the like. In some

embodiments, the mouth piece 140 may include a lip 142 that a user may position their mouth around in order to facilitate the application of suction. In some embodiments, such as illustrated in the Figures, the mouth piece 140 may further include a protective cover 144 that may partially circumscribes the mouth piece 140. In some embodiments, the protective cover 144 may extend beyond the surface of the mouth piece 140 so that the mouth piece 140 and lip 142, where present, is fully disposed within an interior space 146 of the protective cover 144. Such a protective cover 144 may function to keep the mouth piece 140 cleaner and/or protect the mouth piece 140 from coming in contact with other surfaces (e.g. a table, floor, or the like). In some embodiments, the protective cover 144 may be constructed of a hard plastic; while in other embodiments, the protective cover 144 may be constructed of a medical grade silicone, rubber, or any other material known in the art, and may be deformable to provide greater access to lip 142.

[0026] In some embodiments, the housing 110 includes a first member 112 and a second member 114 that may couple together in order to form a first chamber 222 and a second chamber 224 of the interior space 220 of the housing 110 (see Figs. 6-11 ). In some embodiments, the first 112 and the second 114 members may both be opaque, while in other embodiments the first 112 and the second 114 members may both be translucent. In still other embodiments, the first 112 and the second 114 members may be a combination of opacities.

[0027] Although illustrated and discussed throughout as having a first member 112 and a second member 114 the housing 110 is not so limited; the housing may include any number of members or structures as known to one of skill in the art, for example, in some embodiments it may be desirable for the housing to be defined by more than two members.

[0028] Returning now to the illustrated embodiment, the first member 112 and the second member 114 may be removably coupled to each other. In some embodiments, the first member 112 of the housing 110 may snap onto the second member 114. In other embodiments, the first 112 and second 114 members may be threadably coupled together or pressure-fit together. In still other embodiments, the first 112 and second 114 members of the housing 110 may removably couple in other ways known in the art. In some embodiments, the first member 112 and second member 114 may additionally include a grip 117, in order to facilitate disengaging the first 112 and second member 114 from each other. Additionally, such a grip 117 may serve as a visual alignment cue letting a user know the first member 112 and the second member 114 are properly assembled.

[0029] In some embodiments, the first member may also include a vent hole 116. When in use (e.g. when suctioning mucus) a user may cover the vent hole 116, thus creating a vacuum. When it is desirable for the diaphragm 210 (discussed in more detail herein) to return to its original position the vent hole 116 should be uncovered by the user, so as to allows air to more quickly escape. Additionally, the vent hole 116 may be a secondary air vent, which may be particularly desirable in instance where the nose vent may be obstructed by mucus.

[0030] Referring now to Figs. 6-11 , which generally illustrate the interior of the nasal aspirator 100, the movable diaphragm 210 for creating a vacuum force for aspirating a nasal cavity is shown as disposed within the interior space 220 of the housing 110. In some embodiments, the diaphragm 210 may be constructed of a medical grade silicone, rubber, or the like; while in other embodiments, the

diaphragm may be constructed of any other material known in the art. In some embodiments, the diaphragm may be interposed between the first member 112 and the second member 114. Such interposition may be the result of a notch 212 or threading used to couple the first 112 and second 114 members together. This interposition of the diaphragm 210 may create a seal, such that a vacuum force may be created by the suction of air from the second chamber 224 of the interior space 220 of the housing 110 by a user through the mouth piece 140. Additionally, the diaphragm 210 may act a barrier that may prevent mucous suctioned from a nasal cavity into the first chamber 222 to pass into the second chamber 224, elongated member 130, and/or mouth piece 140. This may be desirable, as it minimizes a user’s exposure to mucous, and the viruses, bacteria, and/or the like contained therein.

[0031] In some embodiments, the diaphragm 210 may be removable from the housing 110 when the first member 112 and the second member 114 of the housing 110 are separate. Such removability may be desirable in some instances in order to facilitate a user’s ability to clean and sanitize the diaphragm 210 and/or housing 110. In such embodiments, it may be desirable for all parts of the nasal aspirator 100 to be constructed from dishwasher safe materials. In some

embodiments, since mucous may be contained with the first chamber 222 of the housing 110, the diaphragm 210 may remain attached to the second member 114 of the housing 110. In such embodiments, this attachment may be through the use of one or more adhesives, having the diaphragm 210 integrally molded with the second member 114, or the like. [0032] Turning specifically to Fig. 6, the diaphragm 210 is illustrated in a first position, where the diaphragm 210 may be biased toward the first member 112 of the housing 110, such that the volume of first chamber 222 is substantially smaller than that of second chamber 224. In some embodiments, the diaphragm 210 may remain in this first position until a user applies suction to the nasal aspirator 100 through the mouth piece 140, and may return to this first position when the suction, or vacuum force, is removed (e.g. the user is no longer applying suction). In some embodiments, such as illustrated in the Figures, the diaphragm 210 may be hemispherical, which may mirror the shape of the first member 112 of the housing 110, however this is not to be interpreted as limiting. In other embodiments, the diaphragm 210 and/or the first member 112 of the housing 110 may be any number of other shapes known in the art. Furthermore, because the size, shape, volume, etc. of the housing 110 may vary, and therefore exact positioning, size, shape, etc. of the diaphragm 210 may also vary. In some embodiments, the diaphragm 210 may additionally include an indentation 123 incorporated into it reduce the likelihood of the diaphragm 210 becoming lodged in its inverted position. Other structures having different shapes, sizes and/or locations may be formed in diaphragm 210 to prevent the diaphragm from becoming lodged in its inverted position, as will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the instant disclosure.

[0033] Turning now to Fig. 7, the diaphragm 210 is illustrated in a second or inverted position. For example, as described above, when suction is applied, vacuum force may be created forcing the diaphragm 210 to invert from the first position to this second position, such that the volume of second chamber 224 decreases while simultaneously increasing the volume of first chamber 222. This vacuum force and movement of the diaphragm 210 may simultaneously create a vacuum force at the nose piece 120 drawing mucous into the housing 110 from the nasal cavity as the user provides suction. As suction is released the diaphragm 210 may return to the first position (illustrated in Fig. 6). As stated previously, the diaphragm 210 may act as a barrier and contain the suctioned mucous within the first chamber 222 of the housing 110. It should also be appreciated that the geometry of diaphragm 210 may also be designed in some instances to resist inverting until a predetermined amount of vacuum force is applied through suction, thereby providing a rapid decrease in pressure in first chamber 222 to improve aspiration.

[0034] In some instances it may be desirable for the nasal aspirator 100 to be sealed, so that the nose piece 120 and mouth piece 140 are the only portions through which a substantial volume air may pass. In some instances it may also be desirable for the each piece of the nasal aspirator 100 to disassemble for cleaning and/or sanitizing. As such, in some embodiments, the second member 114 of the housing 110 may contain an annular lip 115 that may couple with a

corresponding annular groove 135 formed in a circular coupling 131 of the first end 132 of the elongated member 130. In some embodiments, it may additionally be desirable for at least circular coupling 131 of the elongated member 130 to be constructed of a flexible material (e.g. a medical grade silicone, rubber, or the like), so that it may both couple with the housing and be easily flexed for removal for cleaning and/or sanitation.

[0035] As illustrated in Figs. 1 -10, the nose piece 120 may be integrally molded to the first member 112 of the housing 110. In some instances, it may be molded from the same rigid material as the housing; while in other instances it may be molded of a flexible material. In other embodiments, such as illustrated in Fig. 11 , the first member 112 of the housing 110 may contain an annular lip 113 that may couple with a corresponding annular groove 124 of the nose piece 120. It may additionally be desirable for the nose piece 120 to be constructed of a flexible material (e.g. a medical grade silicone, rubber, or the like), so that it may both couple with the housing and be easily flexed for removal for cleaning and/or sanitation.

Other manners of removably securing nose piece 120 to first member 112 may also be used in other embodiments.

[0036] Figs. 9 and 10 demonstrate an example of how the nasal aspirator 100 may be disassembled in some embodiments. As illustrated in Fig.

9, first member 1 12 of the housing 1 10, diaphragm 210, second member 114 of the housing 1 10, and the elongated member 130 may all be distinct parts capable of being removed from each other. Although not illustrated in Fig. 9, in some embodiments, the elongated member 130 and mouth piece 140 may further disassemble; for example, the protective cover 144 for the mouth piece 140 may be removed. Although not illustrated in Fig. 9, in some embodiments, the nose piece 120 and first member 112 of the housing may further disassemble. Fig. 10 illustrates another example of how the nasal aspirator 100 may be disassembled, or partially disassembled. As illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10, the first member 112 of the housing 1 10 and diaphragm 210 remain coupled and are collectively separated from the remainder of the nasal aspirator 100. As illustrated in Fig. 1 1 , the first member 1 12 of the housing 1 10 and nose piece 120 may be decoupled, for example for cleaning. Given that second chamber 224 is generally isolated from mucus by diaphragm 210, the interior surfaces of the chamber may not require cleaning as frequently, so partial disassembly and cleaning of aspirator 100 may be sufficient in some instances.

[0037] While the embodiments disclosed herein are exemplary, various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.