US3042039A - Colonic irrigator - Google Patents

Description

July 3, 1962 E. J. DAHLSTROM COLONIC IRRIGATOR Filed NOV. 12, 1959 INVENTOR. EDWARD J DAHLSTROM W, WW1

ATTORNEYS Unite grates This invention relates to a colonic irrigator and has for its principal object the production of a sanitary portable irrigator primarily intended for home use and which can be readily and conveniently used by a patient when seated on a toilet.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are to provide means for detachably retaining the device on the toilet seat by the legs of the operator on said seat; to provide a handle to operate a choke wire or Bowden cable that serves to operate one valve and to close another valve; means for directing and controlling the flow of a fluid from a suspended source of fluid supply to an injection tube that transfers the liquid to the colon to flush the same.

A further object of the invention is the production of an irrigator of the character described that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, positive in operation, strong, durable and highly efiicient and serviceable in use.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and wherein for the purpose of illustration like numerals refer to like parts throughout the same.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the device showing the same in use;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the device on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of the cross strip of the invention and the handle positioned relative thereto; and,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in perspective illustrating the pivotal arrangement of the frame relative to the colon tube.

Referring to the drawings the numeral 5 designates a liquid holding bag that is adapted to be suspended from a wall or other suitable support 6. A rubber tube 7 leads from the bag and is suitably connected to the open end of a flexible conduit 7' preferably made of metal. The conduit is horizontally disposed adjacent to its open end, then curves downwardly as at 8 and upwardly as at 9 for connection with a vertical plug valve 10 having an operating handle 11 restricted to movement through 90 degrees from an open position to a closed position at the ends of its movement. It will be noted that a rectangular shaped flat cross-strip 12 rests transversely on the top front portion of a toilet seat 13 and the horizontal portion 7 of the conduit is soldered or otherwise secured to said strip. This strip is adapted to be held against the toilet seat by the thighs of the user when the patient is in a seated posture. Downward pressure of the thighs on the strip retains the device in an operative position on the bowl seat.

Secured to the upper end of the valve 10 by a fitting 14 is a discharge nozzle 16 adapted to enter the anal canal, which nozzle is open ended as at 17 and 18 and receives therein fluid from the conduit to flush the colon when the valve 10 is opened and the flap valve 19 is closed.

The mechanism for pivotally mounting the flap valve on the tube 16, comprises a frame as disclosed to advantage in FIG. 4. This frame consists of a rear portion 20 having two side arms 21 and two depending arms 22, the latter being connected at their ends to the flap valve atent Sh t-2,23%

19. A cross shaft 23 is soldered or otherwise suitably secured to the outer periphery of the tube 16 and loosely mounted at its ends in the side arms of the frame. This cross shafts permits the pivotal action of the flap valve to cover and uncover the bottom open end 18 of the tube 16, which action is illustrated to advantage by dotted and full lines in FIG. 2 of the drawing.

Extending upwardly from one of the side arms 21 is an angular extension 24 to which is connected the upper end of a coil spring 25, the opposite end of the spring being connected to the handle 11 of the plug valve 10. This spring provides a yieldable connection between the valve handle 11 and the extension 24, and is shown in full line in FlG. 2 in substantially its normal compressed and extended position so as to function as a resilient, yieldable, push and pull rod. This yieldable connection insures a full closing of the flap valve despite Variations that may exist or develop and that would otherwise require precision work or that would result in leakage. The spring is fixed to provide a slight expansion of the spring when the flap valve is closed and the flap valve will be moved to the dotted line open position when valve 10 is closed.

The numeral 26 designates a flexible wire that extends from the valve handle 11 through tubular metal sheath 29 to an operating handle 27 suitably mounted in a vertical position on the cross strip 12. The tubular sheath 29, through which the wire 26 passes in the operation of the handle 27, is fixedly connected to the conduit 7' by spaced clamps 28. Thus, the covering and the conduit are retained within the bowl in a bowed configuration.

It is pertinent to note that substantially the entire device, with the exception of the conduit 7 and the horizontal portion 7, strip 12, nozzle 16, and the handle 27 of the Bowden cable, are within the bowl of the toilet, and are readily removable therefrom, being merely held in place by a person seated on the toilet seat.

Obviously the device, being mounted to rock slightly about the longitudinal axis of strip 12 is adapted to be automatically vertically adjustable, under the weight of a person, and the fact that the strip is movable to any desired position on the seat 13 also enables any desired horizontal adjustment.

The simultaneous actuation of valves 10, 19 is desirable and enables control of the flushing throughout the range of the valves.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as the preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the size, shape, material and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In a portable irrigation apparatus: an elongated, open ended nozzle having a straight, unobstructed through bore extending between its open ends; said nozzle being adapted to be positioned vertically within a toilet bowl providing an upper end portion and a lower end portion, said upper end portion being adapted to be inserted into the anal canal of a person seated on such bowl, a valve member extending over the lower open end of said nozzle closing its open lower end and means pivotally connecting said member with said nozzle for swinging said member away from said lower end to open position and back to closed position closing said open lower end, a conduit for delivering irrigating fluid to said nozzle connected at one end thereof with said nozzle at a point intermediate its said upper and lower end portions, and manually actuatable means connected with said member for swinging the latter from said closed position to said open position and vice versa whereby irrigating fluid delivered into said spas sea nozzle from said conduit will be discharged from the upper end of said nozzle and into the colon when said member is in said closed position and such liquid so discharged will be drained through said nozzle and out of the lower open end thereof when said member is moved to said open position, valve means in said conduit movable from an open position opening said conduit to flow of said liquid to said nozzle to a closed position closing said conduit to said flow, oppositely movable valve actuating means connected with said valve means for so moving said valve means upon movement of said valve actuating means in one direction or the other of said opposite directions, a part of said manually actuatable means extending between and connecting said valve actuating means with said member for moving said member to said closed position thereof when said valve actuating means is moved in one direction for moving said valve means to its said open position, and for moving said member to said open position thereof when said valve actuating means is moved in a direction opposite to said one direction to its said closed position.

2. In a portable irrigation apparatus: an elongated, open ended nozzle having a straight, unobstructed through bore extending between its open ends; said nozzle being adapted to be positioned vertically within a toilet bowl pro viding an upper end portion and a lower end portion, said upper end portion being adapted to be inserted into the anal canal of a person seated on such bowl, a valve member extending over the lower open end of said nozzle closing its open lower end and means pivotally connecting said member with said nozzle for swinging said member away from said lower end to open position and back to closed position closing said open lower end, a conduit for delivering irrigating fluid to said nozzle connected at one end thereof with said nozzle at a point intermediate its said upper and lower end portions, and manually actuatable means connected with said member for swinging the latter from said closed position to said open position and vice versa whereby irrigating fluid delivered into said nozzle from said conduit will be discharged from the upper end of said nozzle and into the colon when said member is in said closed position and such liquid so discharged will be drained through said nozzle and out of the lower open end thereof when said member is moved to said open position, valve means in said conduit movable from an open position opening said conduit to flow of said liquid to said nozzle to a closed position closing said conduit to said flow, oppositely movable valve actuating means connected with said valve means for so moving said valve means upon movement of said valve actuating means in one direction or the other of said opposite directions, said manually actuatable means including a first element connecting said valve actuating means with said member for moving said member to said closed position thereof when said valve actuating means is moved in one direction for moving said valve means to its said open position, and for moving said member to said open position thereof when said valve actuating means is moved in a direction opposite to said one direction to its said closed position, said element being yieldable for yieldably urging said member to said closed position when said valve actuating means is moved to its said open position.

3. A portable colonic irrigator for use with a toilet bowl comprising: a generally U-shaped rigid conduit for an irrigating liquid, said conduit being adapted to be suspended within said bowl with one end portion thereof at the front side of said bowl, said one end portion being adapted to be connected with a source of irrigating liquid, rigid means secured to said one end portion adapted to extend over and on said bowl at said front side and to be removably held thereover by the weight of a person seated on said bowl, said conduit being so suspended within said bowl from said rigid means when the latter is so held on said bowl, a vertically disposed nozzle carried by and in communication with the opposite end of said conduit that is opposite to said one end portion, said nozzle havin an upwardly directed discharge aperture at its upper end and being in a position to be supported within the anal canal of a person seated on said bowl when said conduit is so suspended from said rigid means within said bowl, a valve within said conduit adjacent to said nozzle actuatable for controlling the flow of irrigating liquid in said conduit to said nozzle, said nozzle including a downward extension having a discharge opening formed therein at a point below the portion of the nozzle adapted to extend into the anal canal, said discharge opening being in communication with said discharge aperture, valve means on said extension actuatable for opening and closing said opening whereby irrigating liquid discharged from said discharge aperture into the colon of a person will be discharged from said discharge opening when said valve in said conduit is closed, manually actuatable means carried by said conduit connected with said valve and with said valve means and accessible to a person seated on said bowl for actuating said valve and said valve means, said conduit, valve, valve means, nozzle, extension and valve actuating means being movable as a unit with said rigid means and being free for removal from said bowl upon release of said rigid means from the weight of a person on said seat.

4. In a portable apparatus for colonic irrigation that includes a generally U-shaped conduit for irrigating fluid, and which conduit is adapted to be substantially wholly suspended within the bowl of a toilet with the legs of the U generally vertical and the closed end lowermost and with one leg thereof adjacent to the front side of the bowl and the other leg spaced from the sides thereof; a vertically extending nozzle member having an upwardly di rected discharge aperture at its upper end and a downwardly directed discharge opening formed at its lower end connecting with said aperture, the upper end of said other leg of said conduit connected and communicating with said nozzle member at a point intermediate the upper and lower ends of the latter, said upper end of said one leg being adapted to connect with a source of irrigating liquid, a valve in said conduit actuatable for controlling the flow of irrigating liquid to said nozzle and valve means on the lower end of said valve member actuatable for opening and closing said opening whereby irrigating liquid discharged into the colon of a person through said aperture may be discharged from said opening upon closing said valve to fiow of liquid in said conduit and upon opening said valve means to discharge of liquid through said opening, valve actuating means connected with said valve for moving said valve from open position to closed position and vice versa, means connecting said valve with said valve means for moving said valve means to open position upon movement of said valve to closed position and for moving said valve means to closed position upon movement of said valve to open position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 663,691 Barger Dec. 1-1, 1900 1,937,362 Schellberg Nov. 28, 1933 2,007,069 Berg July 2, 1935 2,058,003 Davies Oct. 20, 1936 2,705,495 Vrana Apr. 5, 1955

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