Apparatus and method for nasal passage rinse

[0001] Not Applicable

[0002] Not Applicable

[0003] Not Applicable

[0004] 1. Field of Invention

[0005] This invention relates to apparatus and methods for rinsing nasal passages with saline solution.

[0006] 2. Background of the Invention

[0007] Allergens are organic particles that attach to the nasal mucosa or respiratory mucosa and lead to the development of an antibody which creates a series of chemical reactions leading to symptoms. Allergies to various allergens can cause rhinitis and sinusitis. It is known that an effective nasal rinse can significantly reduce or permanently cure the symptoms of nasal allergies and sinus disease.

[0008] Conventional nasal rinsing equipment can be crude and many find it unsuitable for use. Currently various types of dispensers that can inject saline solution into user's nasal passage are available. U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,145 to Grossan (1974) discloses a nasal irrigation system which receives fluid from a fluid source, typically in a pulsating mode under pressure, and transfers this fluid through a hose to an applicator, through which fluid enters the nostril. The applicator is uncomfortable to use for the user must position their fingers on a small finger grip. Additionally, the applicator lacks any structure thereon from which the user can control fluid flow. U.S. Pat. No. 5,899,878 to Glassman (1999) discloses a nasal irrigation system which also receives a pressurized stream of fluid from a fluid source. U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,059 to Mehta (2003) discloses a nasal irrigation system in which the container of saline solution is squeezed to force the saline solution to the nasal passages.

[0009] All the nasal rinsing equipment currently available suffer from a number of disadvantages:

• [0010] (a) saline solution is dispensed to the nostrils by force either by squeezing a flexible fluid container or by using a pressurized fluid source or by using syringes.
• [0011] (b) fluid flow is not continuous through the nasal passages resulting in uncomfortable sensation.
• [0012] (c) the saline solution from the nostril along with mucus is sucked back into the container when squeezing of the container is stopped and the pressure is released.
• [0013] (d) it is hard to inject the entire content of the container into the nostril by squeezing the container as some of it is retained at the bottom of the container.
• [0014] (e) for proper use, the dispensing tip should comfortably fit into user's nostril. Equipment having a dispenser tip designed for a certain size nostril can be useless for someone with smaller or larger nostrils. Improperly designed dispenser tips can cause the saline solution to be dispensed into the nasal passage without sufficiently dispersing before reaching the back of the nasal passage, resulting in an uncomfortable or painful sensation for the user. Thus, there is a need for equipment having dispenser tips that fit comfortably in human nostrils of varying sizes.

[0015] For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a method and an apparatus for preparing and dispensing a saline solution that is simple to make, simple to use, portable, suitable for use by persons having nostrils of different sizes, capable of rinsing nasal passages with a steady stream of liquid without pressurizing the saline solution or using pressure to dispense liquid to the nostrils, precludes the possibility of backflow of solution from the nostrils to the container and uses the solution completely from the container.

[0016] The present invention is an improvement over prior techniques for such rinsing, and contemplates the application to a person's nostril, while the head is generally inclined to one side, face down, of a steady flow of warm saline water solution. It provides an apparatus and a method for rinsing nasal passages with saline solutions. The apparatus includes a removable cap and a container for preparing and holding saline solution. The cap and the container are connected together with a liquid tight joint. A saline solution is prepared by adding iodine free common salt to warm distilled or boiled water in the container. The cap has a cylindrical lower portion and a flat upper portion with a centrally located hollow nozzle and a small hole adjacent to the nozzle for attaching a fitting which holds a thin tubular conduit. One end of a flexible tube is attached to the nozzle on the cap and other end is attached to a removable hollow contoured dispenser tip which fits human nostrils. A thin tubular conduit is attached to the cap by means of a fitting to allow air to flow into the container during nasal rinsing. After closing the container with the cap and inserting the dispenser tip into one nostril, a user bends forward and tilts the head to the side of the other nostril and breaths through open mouth. The user then allows the saline solution to flow by gravity through one nostril and come out through the other open nostril, after passing through nasal passages, by holding the container inverted and raising it above the level of nostrils. The rate of flow of the saline solution to the nostril can be controlled by varying the height at which the container is held above the level of the nostrils. The flow of the solution to the nostril can be instantly stopped, if needed, either by lowering the container below the level of the nostrils or by blocking air flow to the container with a finger tip placed on the fitting.

[0017] The advantages of the present invention:

• [0018] (a) This invention can be used by children and adults for nasal rinse with a steady stream of saline solution without injecting or applying pressure.
• [0019] (b) The rate of flow of the solution to the nostrils can be easily controlled by raising or lowering the container above the level of nostrils.
• [0020] (c) The flow of saline solution from the container can be stopped instantly by lowering the container below the level of nostrils or by blocking air to the container by placing a finger tip on the fitting.
• [0021] (d) The apparatus includes multiple removable dispenser tips to comfortably fit large, regular and small size nostrils.
• [0022] (e) There is no possibility of backflow of solution from the nostrils into the container.
• [0023] (f) Entire solution in the container can be applied to the nostril without leaving any residual solution at the bottom of the container.
• [0024] (g) The user can inspect all parts of the apparatus to ensure cleanliness. It can be easily sterilized with boiling water.
• [0025] (h) It is simple to make, simple to use, simple to clean and inexpensive to replace.
• [0026] (i) The flexible tube with the dispenser tip can be removed from the cap and stored in the container thus making it convenient to carry during travels.

[0035]

	10	container	11	neck
	12	threads	13	cap
	14	nozzle	15	tip of the nozzle
	16	fitting	17	bore of the fitting
	18	tubular extension	19	tubular conduit
	20	bore of the tubular conduit	21	flexible tube
	22	conduit	23	dispenser tip
	24	upper part	25	base
	26	sloping surface	27	rounded outer edges
	28	opening	29	lip

[0036] FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for using saline solution to rinse nasal passages. The apparatus includes a container 10, a cap 13 having a hollow nozzle 14 and a fitting 16 for attaching a thin tubular conduit 19 to the cap 13. The tip of the hollow nozzle 14 is inserted into one end of a flexible tube 21. The other end of the tube 21 is inserted into a hollow contoured dispenser tip 23 which has a central opening 28. The fitting 16, which is inserted into a small hole in the cap 13, attaches the thin tubular conduit 19. The thin tubular conduit 19 extends into the container 10 close to its bottom. The cap 13 can be removed from the container 10 by rotating the cap 13 counter clockwise to allow the container 10 to be filled with saline solution.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 2 through FIG. 8, the apparatus will be described in greater detail. The container 10, can be constructed from any nontoxic materials, has cylindrical shape and is provided with a top opening with a neck 11 that can include threads 12 to provide tight connection to the cap 13. The cap 13 can be connected to the container 10 in other convenient ways. The container 10 can hold at least 12 ounces of liquid. The container 10 can be of other shapes and sizes.

[0038] The exterior of the cap 13 has a cylindrically shaped lower portion and a flat upper portion with a centrally located tapering hollow nozzle 14 and a small round hole located close to the nozzle 14 for inserting a hollow fitting 16 which attaches a thin tubular conduit 19 to the cap 13. The cylindrically shaped lower portion of the cap 13 is provided with threads to secure the cap onto the container 10. The cap 13 can be constructed from any non toxic material. Cap 13 can be of other shapes and sizes and without threads.

[0039] The flexible tube 21, can be constructed from any nontoxic material, is hollow and serves as a conduit 22 to transport liquid from the container 10 to the opening 28 of the dispenser tip 23. The tip 15 of the hollow tapering nozzle 14 is inserted into one end of the flexible tube 21 and the other end of the flexible tube 21 is inserted into a hollow contoured dispenser tip 23 which has a central opening 28. The external diameter of the flexible tube 21 is about 9 mm and diameter of the conduit 22 is about 6 mm. The length is less than 160 mm. The flexible tube 21 can have different lengths and diameters.

[0040] The dispenser tip 23 can be constructed from any nontoxic material, has a hollow body, has an upper part 24 with rounded outer edges 27 and a centrally located round opening 28, has a sloping surface 26 from the upper part 24 to the base 25 and has a lip 29 which protrudes away from the sloping surface 26. Regular size dispenser tip 23 has an upper part 24 with external diameter of about 13 mm, the base 25 with an external diameter of about 16 mm, the lip 29 with an external diameter of about 25 mm and the distance between the base and the upper part 24 is about 15 mm. The diameter of the opening 28 is about 6 mm. A separate dispenser tip, with an upper part having an external diameter as low as 9 mm, can be constructed if required for use by children without altering other overall dimensions.

[0041] The thin tubular conduit 19, can be constructed from any nontoxic flexible material, has small central bore 20 to serve as a conduit for air to enter the container 10 during nasal rinsing. The thin tubular conduit 19 is attached to the cap 13 by means of a fitting 16 which has a central bore 17 and a tubular extension 18 to snugly fit in the small hole on the cap. One end of the thin tubular conduit 19 is inserted into the tubular extension 18 to attach it to the cap. Other end of the thin tube 19 is open. The external diameter of the thin tube 19 is about 4 mm and the bore 20 is about 2 mm in diameter. The fitting 16 has a frustum conical shaped upper part with a central bore 17 and a tubular extension 18 and is made of flexible nontoxic material

[0042] While a preferred embodiment of the apparatus for nasal passage rinsing is described in the foregoing, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the claims.