Patent ID: 6960202

Claim:
In a self-contained cryotherapy apparatus adapted to be manipulated with one hand, to spray on a human or animal epidermis ( 3 ) a gas contained under pressure in a removable cartridge ( 4 ), the apparatus having a drawing off head ( 21 ), which is connected by a support ( 20 ) to a controlled system of ejection and expansion of the gas, the support ( 20 ) of the cartridge and the controlled ejection and expansion system being disposed substantially in line along the axis of the apparatus, there being an ergonomic housing ( 11 ) surrounding the apparatus whose axis corresponds to that of the apparatus, and of which a median part serves as a handle to be grasped by an adult user's hand ( 2 ), the housing ( 11 ) having an inlet for introducing to said support said cartridge ( 4 ) head down and along the axis of the housing ( 11 ) and for striking the cartridge and withdrawing it after use, a lower part of said housing comprising a calibrated opening ( 8 ) forming a passage for the sprayed gas substantially along the axis of the housing, and means ( 9 ) for holding an outlet nozzle ( 29 ) of the controlled ejection and expansion system at a required distance with respect to the zone of the epidermis to be treated; the improvement comprising an electrovalve ( 24 ) in line with the tube ( 25 ) for ejection of the gas, and two switches ( 5 , 6 ) adapted to be actuated by the user's hand ( 2 ) and mounted in series in an electrical supply ( 41 ) of the electrovalve ( 24 ), the actuation of the electrovalve requiring the simultaneous pressing of the two switches ( 5 , 6 ) by the user's hand ( 2 ) to actuate the electrical supply ( 41 ) of the electrovalve ( 24 ), the position of the two switches ( 5 , 6 ) on the housing ( 11 ) being such that when the median part ( 12 ) of said housing is in an adult's hand ( 2 ), a first switch ( 5 ) comes under the user's thumb and the second switch ( 6 ) can be actuated by one or more of the other four fingers of the user's hand ( 2 ), said housing ( 11 ) being shaped to be substantially convex on a proximal side facing the user in order to follow the curvature of the user's thumb, a recess ( 13 ) in an upper portion of the housing ( 11 ) allowing the movement of approach of the thumb without interrupting the contact of the base of the thumb with the housing, the housing being substantially concave on a distal side away from the user for a complete grasp by a finger or fingers of the user.