Patent US6699178B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6699178B1
Expired / Lapsed
US
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Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus
Assignee: Coden Co Ltd
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Filing: 2000-11-15
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Granted: 2004-03-02
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Expires: 2020-11-15
Abstract
Abstract The invention intends to provide an ear-pick, which is capable of safely and securely remove earwax, and foreign objects such as insects and water. Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus comprising: an ear-pick main body, which is equipped with a scraping part at its distal end and is formed to guide light to said distal end; a light source, which generates said light; a light source generates light; a fiber scope, which captures images in the inside of the auditory canal; a display unit, which displays the images captured by the fiber scope; and a holding part, which holds the ear-pick main body and the fiber scope; wherein the fiber scope passes through a hollow opening provided in the holding part; and the holding part holds the fiber scope to be able to rotate freely.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshiharu Koda
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 15:19
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47K; A47K7/00; A61; A61F; A61F11/00; A61F11/006; A61B; A61B1/00; A61B1/227
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 9
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus comprising: an ear-pick main body, which is equipped with a scraping part at its distal end and is formed to guide light to said distal end; a light source, which generates said light; an image capturing means, which captures images in the inside of the auditory canal; a display means, which displays the images captured by said image capturing means; a hollow holding part, which holds said ear-pick main body and said image capturing means, wherein said image capturing means passes through said hollow holding part; and said hollow holding part and said car-pick main body rotate freely, while maintaining said images displayed by said display means in a fixed direction, about the optical axis of said image capturing means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus comprising: an ear-pick main body, which is equipped with a scraping part at its distal end and is formed to guide light to said distal end; a light source, which generates said light; an image capturing means, which captures images in the inside of the auditory canal; a display means, which displays the images captured by said image capturing means; a hollow holding part, which holds said ear-pick main body and said image capturing means, wherein said image capturing means passes through said hollow holding part; and said hollow holding part and said car-pick main body rotate freely, while maintaining said images displayed by said display means in a fixed direction, about the optical axis of said image capturing means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus of claim 1 wherein said ear-pick main body is freely replaceable from said holding part.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus of claim 1 or wherein said scraping part is placed in the field of view of said image capturing means.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus of claim 1 or wherein said light source is placed in such a way that radiating light directly irradiates said ear-pick main body.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus of claim 1 or wherein said image capturing means is included a fiber scope and said display means displays the images guided through said fiber scope in enlarged scales.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
23 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus of claim 5 wherein said fiber scope is equipped with a covering member that covers its distal end.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
16 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus of claim 6 wherein said covering member includes an objective lens.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
34 words
Endoscopic auditory canal cleaning apparatus of claim 1 or wherein said image capturing means includes an image sensor and said display means displays images formed by image processing signals transmitted from said image sensor.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2007-03-02 | 2007-09-01 | 2008-03-02 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2011-03-02 | 2011-09-01 | 2012-03-02 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2015-03-02 | 2015-09-01 | 2016-03-02 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |