Patent ID: 7549861

Claim:
A combined dental irrigator-vacuum device comprising: a body having a side wall and a bottom; said side wall defining an opening to said body at a top of said side wall; said body defining a clean chamber and a waste chamber; an outlet in said bottom of said body from said clean chamber and in inlet in said bottom of said body to said waste chamber; said clean chamber outlet and said waste chamber inlet being isolated from each other; and a pump assembly; said pump assembly comprising; a base adapted to be received on said body to close said opening of said body; said base comprising a base surface, at least one first opening in said base surface above said clean chamber and at least one second opening in said base surface above said waste chamber; a valve assembly above said base; said valve assembly comprising a bottom surface, an irrigation valve and a vacuum valve on said valve assembly bottom surface; said irrigation valve and said vacuum valve each comprising a stem extending upwardly from said valve assembly bottom surface, a bottom opening in said valve assembly bottom surface at a bottom of said stem; an upper opening at a top of said stem, a valve seat formed within said stem, and a valve element received within said stem; said valve element being movable between a closed position in which said valve element engages said valve seat to close said valve and an opened position in which said valve element is spaced from said valve seat; said valve element of each said valve being biased to said closed position; and a compressible cover received on said valve assembly, said compressible cover, at least in part, defining a pump chamber, said irrigation valve and said vacuum valve being positioned within said pump chamber; said cover being movable between a compressed position and a relaxed position; whereby, when said cover is moved to said compressed position; said valve element of said irrigation valve is moved from said closed position to said opened position and when said cover is returned to the relaxed position from the compressed position; the valve element of said vacuum valve is moved from said closed position to said open position.