Abstract: A plug-in type contact lens disinfecting apparatus includes a housing having formed therein a pair of receptacles, each having an open top portion for receiving a contact lens therewithin to be sterilized. A removable and releasable cap is provided for closing and sealing the open top portion of each of the receptacles and an electrically-energizable heater heats the receptacles to a preselected temperature for sterilizing contact lenses. An adaptor is provided for engagement with an electrical power source for delivering electrical power therefrom to the heater, and a cap guard is provided for operatively engaging the caps and the adaptor for preventing removal of the caps from the receptacles when the adaptor is engaged with said source of AC power.

Abstract: A valve assembly and processing system are provided in which the valve assembly enables cycled fluid flow switching and communication between a plurality of flow conduits. The valve assembly includes two valve members which have respective engaged surfaces relatively rotatable to provide the valving action. A first valve member includes at least three through apertures for respective communication with the flow conduits, and the second valve member includes a flow passage for selectively interconnecting a plurality of the apertures and enables selective interconnection of the three apertures for fluid flow among the three apertures and the respective conduits. The system can be employed, for example, to provide switching of air intake between dual air separation vessels which are operated in a cycled manner to provide concentrated oxygen product.

Abstract: A liquid dispensing nozzle assembly is provided for mounting on a liquid container and dispenser having a flexible wall and liquid storage cavity for manually squeezed dispensing of a liquid from the cavity through the nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly maintains the liquid, such as contact lens saline solution, in sterile condition during storage and repeated dispensing of the liquid from the container cavity. The nozzle assembly includes a liquid conduit for communication from the container cavity to a liquid discharge port from the nozzle assembly to enable dispensing of the liquid displaced by manually squeezing the flexible wall of the container. The nozzle assembly also includes an air aspiration conduit separate from the liquid conduit for aspirating air into the container cavity to replace the dispensed liquid. The nozzle assembly includes a partitioned diaphragm including separate portions respectively included in the liquid conduit and the air aspiration conduit.

Abstract: An appliance for containing and venting fluid, typically for disinfecting contact lenses, includes a container body which has an access opening and a removable closure for the opening. A gasket is seated to form a normally liquid-tight seal between the container body and the closure, and the gasket means has a composition which is sufficiently resilient to at least partially deflect and unseat from the container body upon exertion against the gasket of elevated gas pressure developed within the container, for example, during a disinfection process. The pressurized gas can then be vented past the unseated gasket which forms a vent passageway between the closure and the container body, after which venting the gasket redeflects to reseat and seal against the container body to prevent any subsequent leakage of fluid from the container body.

Abstract: An appliance for disinfecting contact lenses wherein the lenses are disposed within a lens disinfecting solution which produces a gas during the disinfecting action. The appliance has a container body with a lens holder for supporting a pair of contact lenses within the container and a removable cap with a vent means which seals the container to prevent contamination while permitting the venting of gases developed during the disinfecting action. The vent consists of a post positioned in a bore such that the post does not obstruct passage of gas from the inside of the container through the bore and a resiliently deflectable apertured diaphragm through which the post protrudes. The aperture in the diaphragm deflects away from the post when the pressure within the container exceeds a threshold pressure. Once the pressure within the container is equalized with the ambience, the diaphragm resiliently deflects to close the vent thereby protecting the contents of the container from contamination.

Abstract: A humidifier apparatus for admixture of heated water vapor into a gaseous stream include heating means for generating heated vapor from the water and a housing with a transfer chamber formed therein secured to the heating means which is exposed within the chamber. The housing includes intake and effluent conduit for flow passage of the gaseous stream through the chamber and a water intake conduit extending through the housing and chambers so that the conduit directs discharge of the intake water against the heating means to generate the heated vapor.

Abstract: A valve assembly and overall system provides selective fluid flow switching and communication between a plurality of flow conduits. The valve assembly includes two valve members which have respectively engaged surfaces which are relatively rotatable to provide the valving action. A first valve member has a plurality of through apertures for respective communication with the flow conduits and a second valve member includes flow passage means for selectively interconnecting at least two of the apertures through the first valve member in order to enable fluid flow therebetween. Drive means is provided for driving continuous relative rotation of the valve members in order to enable rotationally cycled interconnection and fluid flow through the interconnected apertures.

Abstract: A nozzle assembly is provided for a container and dispenser which maintains a supply of liquid, such as saline solution for contact lenses, in sterile condition during storage and has a flexible wall for manually squeezed displacement of the dispensed liquid from a storage cavity within the container. The nozzle assembly includes first and second conduits for defining separate fluid flow paths between an opening from the container and a nozzle from the structure. The first conduit enables flow of the stored liquid to be discharged from the nozzle orifice during squeezing of the flexible wall. The second conduit includes a barrier obstructing flow of the liquid through the second conduit which obstruction is permeable to air and impermeable to bacteria, allowing aspiration of air through the second conduit into the liquid storage cavity to replace the dispensed liquid and re-expand the container wall while preventing entry of any bacteria with the aspirated air.

Abstract: A two-piece, single-use, disposable lancet assembly includes a housing containing a lancet formed from a spring wire integrally formed with a sharpened, skin-piercing probe end section. The spring lancet is mounted within the housing and is secured in a retracted, pre-tensioned or cocked position. A lever-like bar hingedly secured to the housing serves both as a closure for the access opening in the housing and as a lever for dislodging and for releasing the tensioned spring wire to actuate the skin-piercing probe to pulse functionally through a base port in the housing and then automatically to retract irretrievably into the housing.

Abstract: An appliance for electrically heated disinfection of contact lenses or similar ojects is provided with a molded plastic housing having a recessed cavity for insertion of a conventional side-by-side horizontal lens storage case containing the lenses immersed in disinfecting liquid, typically saline solution. The cavity has horizontally aligned opposite end openings through the sides of the housing and the openings are located and dimensioned to allow unobstructed sliding passage of the lens case from the cavity so that the lens case will fall by gravitation from the cavity through one of the openings when the housing is rotated 90.degree. to vertically align the openings. The cavity openings thus ensure that the lens case cannot be heated in the appliance in a vertical orientation which could damage the lenses by heated exposure above the level of the disinfecting liquid.

Abstract: An extractor instrument for removing a catalytic ring, or the like, normally held by friction at the bottom of a container cavity, enabling the container to be fabricated with an integrally closed bottom wall opposite the open upper end of the container. The instrument comprises an elongate gripping member and a cam structure secured to the gripping member adjacent one end. The cam structure includes a foot dimensioned for insertion through a passageway in the catalytic ring after which the foot is engaged in a camming manner against the bottom surface of the ring allowing withdrawal of the foot and the engaged ring from the open end of the container.

Abstract: There is disclosed a system for selectively supporting a mattress at a predetermined angle of inclination with respect to a support surface, such as a box spring, or the like. The system comprises primarily an inflatable mattress support member which is connected to a selectively operable pneumatic pump via a combination check valve and release valve. In practice, the user or patient can inflate the mattress support member to provide the desired degree of inclination and when not in use the support member can be easily deflated to dispose the mattress in a relatively normal position. The mattress support member is provided by a plurality of adjacent interconnected inflatable cells, with the adjacent cells sharing a common wall portion having port means formed therein to pneumatically interconnect the respective cells.

Abstract: A lens storage container in combination with a lens support structure in which a pair of lens hold members carrying a lens cover for each lens is independently pivotal upon a support frame, and a latch structure is provided for each of the holder members. The location of the latch structure above the lens enclosure prevents gravity action from pulling the lens downwardly into the path of the latch structure and these events any lens damage therefrom.

Abstract: A reusable cap for assuring the sealed seating of a stopper against the open end of a vial neck is provided with a unitary body of rigid material having a base which overlies the head of the resilient stopper and the open end of the vial neck. The base is provided with a plurality of downwardly extending ribs which seat against the resilient stopper head. A pair of jaw portions project downwardly from the base and peripherally grip the underside of a bead at the open end of the vial neck, so that the stopper head and vial neck bead are sealed and clamped between the ribs and the jaws. The resilience of the stopper surface beneath the ribs is utilized to accommodate variation in the thicknesses of the vial neck bead and stopper head as well as allowing for expansion of the stopper vial neck during the heating and cooling conditions of repeated sterilization cycles.

Abstract: A flow control apparatus for providing selective fluid communication with physiological organs includes a nozzle structure for multiple conduits, a syringe having a fluid chamber for containing and discharging fluids in communication with the nozzle structure, two valve members having respective engaged surfaces relatively rotatable to provide valving action, and a clamp structure which forces the valve members together to establish fluid-tight seal between their engaged surfaces. The first valve member has a plurality of through apertures respectively communicating with separate fluid ports in the nozzle, and the second valve member has a through passageway communicating with the syringe chamber; the passageway is further selectively communicatable with at least one of the apertures in the first valve member to enable fluid flow between the respective nozzle port and the syringe chamber.

Abstract: Our lead screw driver comprises a drive head for engaging and driving a complementary driver head portion of a threaded fastener, and a manipulator for positioning the drive head and a fastener engaged therewith for alignment of the same for driving the fastener into a pilot hole at a given location in a workpiece. A motor rotates the drive head and a lead screw arrangement is operatively coupled with the drive head for advancing the same at a given rate corresponding to the thread pitch of the fastener to be driven thereby so as to minimize stresses upon the material of the workpiece during the driving of the fastener. Preferably, a brake is operatively coupled to the manipulator and this brake is selectively actuatable for holding the manipulator against movement of the manipulator means, to hold the fastener aligned with the pilot hole while driving the fastener.

Abstract: A contact lens disinfecting apparatus includes a housing defining a pair of receptacles for receiving a pair of contact lenses and a quantity of liquid therein, a heater responsive to a predetermined electrical current for producing heat, the heater being configured and positioned in the housing for radiating heat to the receptacles for disinfecting contact lenses therein, energizing-and-timing circuit also mounted in the housing for controlling the application of the predetermined electrical current to the heater, an AC connector coupled with the housing for coupling with mating AC connector for energizing the circuit, and a shield interposed between the receptacle on the one hand and both the circuit and the heater on the other hand and providing collecting and draining for respectively collecting and directing outwardly of the housing any liquid which may escape or otherwise exit beneath the receptacle, so as to prevent the liquid from contacting the heater or the electrical circuit.

Abstract: An inspection device for visually ascertaining the desired alignment of a contact lens in a tinting fixture comprises a base and a platform having a flat surface and mounted to the base for rotation relative thereto. The device also includes an arrangement for mounting the fixture for rotation in unison with the platform and for aligning the fixture relative to the platform flat surface in such a way as to maintain the contact lens in an alignment wherein substantially the entire peripheral edge thereof is located in a plane substantially parallel to the platform flat surface, if the contact lens is in the proper desired alignment in the tinting fixture, and such that the tinting fixture is centered relative to the center of rotation of the platform.

Abstract: A disposable tint pack assembly is provided for use in a contact lens tinting apparatus. This disposable assembly includes a plurality of disposable packages, each for containing a supply of a given fluid material for use in a contact lens tinting process carried out by the apparatus. A fluid dispensing apparatus is coupled with each of these packages and is selectively operable for dispensing the fluid contained therein, preferably in premeasured, incremental quantities. A tray-like carrier member is provided for supporting and locating all of the packages in predetermined relative positions for use in a given order in the lens tinting process carried out by the tinting apparatus. A retaining structure is provided for releasably holding each of the packages in the desired position in the carrier tray. The invention also extends to individual portions or sub-assemblies of the foregoing tint pack assembly.