Patent ID: 7347691

Claim:
A protective sleeve for a saliva ejector, the ejector having a tubular portion with a porous distal end portion of larger diameter than the tubular portion, the sleeve comprising a soft, resilient, porous body having a generally cylindrical external configuration with an open end and a closed end opposite the open end, the body further defining: a frustoconical ejector tube passage disposed substantially concentrically therein, the ejector tube passage having a large diameter opening at the open end of the body and a small diameter neck portion disposed generally medially within the body; and a generally cylindrical cavity extending from the small diameter end of the ejector tube passage terminate near the closed end of the body, the cavity having an intermediate diameter smaller than the large diameter opening and greater than the small diameter neck portion of the ejector tube passage, the neck portion of the ejector tube passage forming a body retaining element when the body is installed upon the saliva ejector tube with the cavity snugly surrounding the end portion thereof; a bulbed portion disposed externally upon the closed end of the body, the bulbed portion having a larger diameter than the body and being a relatively smaller extent than said cylindrical extent of said body; and a saliva ejector having a tubular portion with a porous distal end portion of larger diameter than the tubular portion thereof, whereby the generally cylindrical cavity snugly grips the distal end portion to provide positive elastic attachment of the sleeve to the ejector tube.