Abstract: A decorative piece in the form of a topper designed to seat at the base of the shaft and extending from the handle body of a powered toothbrush is provided. The topper is formed as a single molded piece on top of a base ring having a central hole that fits over the shaft and a lower skirt that mates with the handle. The base ring includes grooves or other indentations about the central hole that receive inflow from the topper when it is molded. According to one embodiment, to construct the topper, the base ring is held in place with respect to the topper mold and molten or otherwise-liquid plastic is injected into the mold so that it fills the mold cavity and thereby flows into the indentations in the base ring, thereby securing the topper to the base ring when the decorative feature hardens sufficiently. The base ring and topper can then be slid over the shaft into a final mounted position on the assembled brush.

Abstract: A power toothbrush with a drive train that is easy to manufacture, reliable in service and that enables multiple heads or other complex design or functional elements is provided. In an illustrative embodiment, the power toothbrush includes a sealed case that encloses a motor with a pinion gear joined to an eccentric link. This eccentric link can be a circular rack having an eccentric pin that rides in a slot on a drive plate. The drive plate is joined to a push rod, typically constructed of metal that passes up a hollow toothbrush shaft through an elastomeric seal to a head assembly. The head assembly includes one or more moving disks that are each connected to generally circular brush heads, which project outwardly from the head assembly. One disk receives a bent end of the drive shaft in a hole located eccentrically to the axis of rotation.

Abstract: A catheter and stylet assembly is provided which includes a silicone rubber catheter for insertion into the left ventricle of the heart. A stylet of malleable metal covered by a plastic cover is inserted into the catheter to permit the catheter and stylet to be manually shaped into a desired form before insertion into the patient. The stylet is removable from the catheter after the catheter is in the patient.

Abstract: An irrigation syringe is provided which includes a barrel having an axially extending annular groove open at the proximal end for receiving the connector portion of a resilient compressible syringe bulb in tight frictional fitting relation. The syringe barrel is adapted to receive, instead of the bulb, a plunger having a piston that may be inserted into the barrel to provide a piston-type syringe so that the barrel can be used either with a syringe bulb or a syringe plunger. The inner wall of the groove has a plurality of slots so that if the syringe barrel is employed as a funnel, liquid will flow from the groove into the barrel.

Abstract: A multiple passage tube connector fitting is provided which includes a pair of connectors each having a passage open at one end. The fitting has a single-piece elastomeric tube adapter and plug device having a coupling element for connecting it to the connector. The device includes a tube adapter having a passage through it which is connected by a flexible strap to the coupling element and is adapted to fit in the passage of the connector. Another plug is connected by a strap to theadapter for closing the adapter passage. The device also has a plug connected to the coupling element by flexible strap for closing the passage of the other connector.