Assembly for removing ear wax from one's ear canal

An ear wax-removal assembly includes a funnel-shaped speculum that is inserted into a patient's ear canal, and an ear wax repository which is articulated to the speculum. The repository can take the form of a cavity, a sheet, or a suction mechanism. In each case, the position of the speculum governs the position of the repository, and both are controlled by a physician during the ear wax removal procedure. The assembly eliminates the use of a separate gauze sheet for removal of dislodged ear wax from the cleaning tool, which gauze sheet is typically placed on the shoulder of the patient; and the assembly also eliminates the need for an attendant for cleaning dislodged ear wax from the cleaning tool.

TECHNICAL FIELD 
This invention relates to an assembly for removing ear wax from a patient's 
ear canal. More particularly, this invention relates to an ear wax removal 
assembly which includes an ear wax repository which is either integral 
with or attached to a funnel portion of the assembly. 
BACKGROUND ART 
Ear wax, or cerumen, buildup in the ear canal can adversely effect one's 
hearing, and thus the ear wax will be periodically removed from the ear 
canal by a physician, typically an Otolaryngologist. Typically, during the 
removal procedure, the Otolaryngologist wears a headlamp or mirror and 
uses one hand to stabilize a funnel-shaped speculum and the other hand to 
maneuver a curette or suction to coax the wax out of the ear canal via the 
speculum. Each pass of the curette or suction will result in removal of 
only a portion of the wax, which the physician must discard before making 
another pass with the tool. The wax is typically removed from the tool by 
wiping the wax off of the tool and onto a gauze or other repository sheet 
that is draped over the patient's shoulder by the physician. 
Alternatively, an assistant may be employed to stand by the patient and 
wipe the wax off of the tool onto a gauze sheet which is held by the 
assistant. In the first instance, the gauze repository placed on the 
patient's shoulder is vulnerable to falling off of the shoulder, forcing 
the physician to re-position the gauze on the shoulder thereby 
interrupting the wax removal procedure. This may occur several times 
during the procedure. In the second case, the expense of the procedure is 
increased due to the use of an assistant to the physician, who is merely 
employed to remove wax from the tool so that the physician can continue 
the cleaning process with a clean tool. It is thus apparent that the 
presently utilized procedure for removal of excess wax from one's ears has 
certain inherent drawbacks. It would be highly desirable to provide a 
system and method for the removal of excess ear wax from the ear canal 
which would not entail the placement of a gauze repository on the 
patient's shoulder, and would not require the use of an assistant for 
cleaning the wax-removal tool for the physician. 
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to an improved method and paraphernalia for use by a 
physician during the removal of excess cerumen from a patient's ear canal. 
The invention involves the use of a funnel-shaped speculum which has an 
ear wax repository that is either attached to the speculum, integral with 
the speculum, or otherwise rendered closely proximate to the speculum. The 
repository can take the form of an absorbent sheet, such as gauze, or it 
can take the form of a cavity into which the excess wax is scraped off of 
the removal tool, The cavity can be disposed on a component that is 
associated with the speculum in any of a number of different ways, as will 
be described hereinafter, or the cavity can be formed as an integral part 
of the speculum. The speculum and/or the cavity can be formed from a 
discardable material, or they can be formed from a reusable material. 
In one embodiment of the invention, the member which includes the wax 
repository cavity is configured so as to be able to be suspended from the 
patient's ear during the wax removal procedure. This embodiment will be 
provided with an opening through which the speculum can be inserted into 
the ear canal. In another embodiment of the invention, the member which 
includes the wax repository cavity can be held in place by engagement 
thereof with the speculum. With this embodiment, the physician controls 
the position of the wax repository cavity simply by holding the speculum. 
In still another embodiment of the invention, the wax repository cavity is 
formed integral with the speculum so that positioning of the speculum 
results in like positioning of the wax repository cavity. 
The wax repository cavity can be uniquely configured so as to assist in 
more complete removal of ear wax from the cleaning tool. For example, the 
rim of the wax repository cavity can be notched or serrated so that the 
tip of the tool can be inserted into a clean notch or serration and drawn 
backward out of the notch or serration thereby scraping the wax onto the 
sides of the notches or serrations. 
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an apparatus and 
method for use in removing excess ear wax from a patient's ear canal. 
It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus and method 
of the character described which includes an ear wax repository component 
that is closely associated with an ear canal speculum that is held by the 
physician during the cleaning procedure. 
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus and 
method of the character described wherein the physician controls the 
position of the ear wax repository component by controlling the position 
of the ear canal speculum. 
It is an additional object of this invention to provide an apparatus and 
method of the character described wherein the ear wax repository component 
is a cavity into which ear wax can be scraped from a cleaning tool. 
It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus and 
method of the character described wherein the ear wax repository component 
is a sheet of material onto which the ear wax can be wiped from the 
cleaning tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION 
Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1-3, first 
embodiments of an ear wax removal speculum denoted generally by the 
numeral 2, which is generally funnel-shaped, with a larger end 4 and an 
opposite smaller end 6. It will be understood that an ear canal-cleaning 
tool, such as a curette, or the like, is inserted into the ear canal 
through the speculum 2. The speculum 2 is formed with an annular groove 8 
adjacent to the larger end 4 thereof. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the 
speculum 2 has a wax repository cavity collar 10 fitted onto the speculum 
2 adjacent to the larger end 4 thereof. The collar 10 has an ear wax 
repository cavity 12 formed on a portion of the speculum which is closely 
adjacent to the larger end 4 of the speculum 2. The location of the cavity 
12 allows the physician to withdraw the ear canal cleaning tool from the 
speculum 2 and scrape the waxy tip of the tool on the rim 14 of the cavity 
12, thereby scraping ear wax off of the tool and depositing the ear wax in 
the cavity 12. The collar 10 can be pushed onto the speculum 2 from the 
smaller end 6 thereof, until the collar 10 snaps into the groove 8. In the 
embodiment of the device shown in FIG. 3, the collar 10 is provided with 
dependent spring fingers 16 which are operable to grip the outer surface 
of the speculum 2 as the collar 10 is pushed onto the speculum 2. In this 
embodiment of the invention, the groove 8 on the speculum 2 can be 
omitted. Alternatively, it will be readily appreciated that the collar 10 
could be formed as an integral part of the speculum 2. In the embodiments 
shown in FIGS. 1-3, the speculum 2 and the collar 10 can be made from 
single use disposable materials; or simply the collar 10 could be made 
from single use disposable materials; or both components 2 and 10 could be 
made from reusable materials. 
FIGS. 4-6 illustrate details of another embodiment 18 of the ear canal wax 
removal assembly which can be suspended from the patient's ear during use. 
The device 18 includes a larger collar 10 which has an opening 20 that is 
sized so as to be able to receive the patient's ear E whereby the collar 
10 can be suspended from the patient's ear during the ear canal cleaning 
procedure. The collar 10 is provided with the ear wax repository cavity 12 
and the tool scraping rim 14. In the embodiment if the device 18 shown in 
FIG. 5, the ear wax repository cavity rim 14 is provided with a plurality 
of notches 22 through which the waxy end of the wax removal tool can be 
drawn so as to scrape wax off of the tool. It is noted that the provision 
of a plurality of notches 22 on the rim 14 ensures the supply of a 
plurality of clean wax-removal locations in the cavity 12. In the 
embodiment of the device 18 shown in FIG. 6, the cavity 12 is located to 
one side of the collar 10, which may be to either side, depending on the 
handedness of the physician using the device. 
FIGS. 7-9 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the ear wax removal 
assembly of this invention. In the alternative embodiment of the assembly, 
a strip 24 of an ear wax absorbent repository material is removably 
connected to the speculum 2. The strip 24 is connected directly to the 
speculum 2 in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7. When the strip 24 is 
connected directly to the speculum 2, as shown in FIG. 7, the opening in 
the strip 24 which receives the speculum 2 may be reinforced so as to 
prevent the strip 24 from tearing away from the speculum 2. In the 
embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the strip 24 is connected to the speculum 2 by 
means of a releasable hook 26 and a releasable clip 28. In the embodiment 
shown in FIG. 9, the strip 24 is connected to the speculum 2 merely by 
means of the releasable clip 28. In each of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 
7-9, the location of the strip 24 is directly controlled by the position 
of the speculum 2. 
Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, there is shown yet another embodiment of 
the ear wax removal speculum 2 of this invention which may include an ear 
canal suction tube 30 which is connected to an interior wall of the 
speculum 2. The suction tube 30 is used in conjunction with an ear wax 
removal tool 32 such as a curette. The ear canal is cleansed of ear wax by 
the tool 32 and tool 32 is then brought in close contact with the inner 
end of the suction tube 30, whereupon ear wax globules W are drawn off of 
the tool 32 and sucked into the tube 30. 
Referring now to FIGS. 12 and 13, there is shown an embodiment of the 
speculum 2 of this invention wherein a clip 28 that is attached to the 
speculum 2 is used as a receptor for ear wax from the tool 32. The clip 28 
can be opened by the physician, as shown in FIG. 12, the waxy end of the 
tool 32 inserted into the open clip 28, and the clip 28 can then be closed 
to capture the wax on the tool 32. When the tool 32 is withdrawn from the 
closed clip 28, the wax will remain behind inside of the clip 28. The 
physician's hand that holds the speculum 2 can easily manipulate the clip 
28. 
It will be appreciated that use of the ear wax removal assembly of this 
invention negates the need to place an auxiliary gauze sheet on the 
shoulder of the patient, and also negates the necessity of employing an 
assistant who cleans the ear wax removal tools. The ear wax repository 
portion of the assembly can be formed from single use disposable materials 
such as plastic, paper, or the like, or it can be formed from metal which 
provides a reusable assembly that can be cleaned and sterilized between 
uses. 
Since many changes and variations of the disclosed embodiments of the 
invention may be made without departing from the inventive concept, it is 
not intended to limit the invention otherwise than as required by the 
appended claims.