BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
[0001] The present invention relates to medical implements and more particularly, to a light
guide type pain reliever that provides vibration and illumination functions.
2. Description of the Related Art:
[0002] Today's dental technology has been mature, unlike the rough techniques of early dental
clinics. However, many people are still afraid to visit the dentist today. Even a
mature-age person may feel uneasy or nervous when sitting on the consultation chair.
When going to inject the medicine in the patient's mouth during a dental treatment,
patient's fear may arise.
[0003] In order to reduce the patient's anxiety and fear, the most common method is to let
the patient inhale a nitrous oxide and oxygen mixture before surgery, helping the
patient calm down and relax. Thus, the patient's pain can be reduced when taking an
injection of local anesthetics or drugs. However, not every dental clinic can afford
to buy a nitrous oxide and oxygen mixture supply equipment. Further, a potential crisis
exists in using this kind of equipment, i.e., this kind of equipment is not suitable
for use in a human streamlined clinic.
[0004] A pain reliever is known comprising a retractor and a handle. The handle has mounted
therein a vibrator. The retractor can be used to drag the oral edge and to transmit
vibrating waves to the oral edge, transferring the patient's attention, and thus,
the patient's pain can be reduced when taking an injection of local anesthetics or
drugs.
[0005] The aforesaid prior art pain reliever is convenient for use, however, the retractor
can simply drag the oral edge, i.e., the applicable to any other area of the patient
that does not allow traction. Therefore, there is a strong demand for a pain reliever
that eliminates the aforesaid problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention has been accomplished under the circumstances in view. It is
one object of the present invention to provide a light guide type pain reliever, which
can be pressed on the patient's affected area to guide a medication injection accurately,
and controlled to transfer vibrating waves to the patient's affected area to reduce
patient's pain during the medication injection.
[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a light guide type pain
reliever, which uses a light guide plate as a depressor plate so that the light guide
plate can illuminate the surroundings when it is pressed on the patient's affected
area.
[0008] To achieve these and other objects of the present invention, a light guide type pain
reliever comprises a hollow handle, which comprises a barrel accommodating therein
a battery, a rear end cap capped on one end of the barrel, a pushbutton mounted in
the rear end cap, a front end cap thread-connected to an opposite end of the barrel
and a switching connector mounted in the rear end cap and electrically connected to
the batter and drivable by the pushbutton to switch on/off the battery, a holder shell
connected to the front end cap and electrically coupled to the battery and having
electrically connected thereto a vibrator and a light-emitting device, an adapter
connected to the holder shell and adapted to accommodate the vibrator and the light-emitting
device and provided with a plug hole in a front side thereof, and a light guide plate
having one end thereof plugged into the plug hole of the adapter and kept in line
with the light-emitting device for receiving light rays emitted by the light-emitting
device and an opposite end thereof suspending outside the adapter and provided with
an insertion slot.
[0009] Other advantages and features of the present invention will be fully understood by
reference to the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in which like reference signs denote like components of structure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010]
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a light guide type pain reliever in accordance with
the present invention.
FIG. 2 corresponds to FIG. 1 when viewed from another angle.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the light guide type pain reliever in accordance with
the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of the light guide type pain reliever in accordance
with the present invention.
FIG. 5a is an oblique top elevation of the light guide plate of the light guide type
pain reliever in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5b is an oblique bottom elevation of the light guide plate of the light guide
type pain reliever in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0011] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a light guide type pain reliever in accordance with the
present invention is a shown. As illustrated, the light guide type pain reliever comprises
a barrel
1, a battery
100 accommodated in the barrel
1, an rear end cap
2 capped on a rear end of the barrel
1, a pushbutton
21 mounted in a rear end of the rear end cap
2, a switching connector
3, which is made in the form of a circuit board and mounted in the rear end cap
2 and, which comprises a conducting terminal
32 made in the form of a metal spring and located at a front side thereof and stopped
against the negative terminal of the battery
100 and a switching rod
31 located at a rear side thereof and connected to the pushbutton
21 and movable by the pushbutton
21 to switch on/off the battery
100, a front end cap
4 capped on a front end of the barrel
1 and constituting with the barrel
1 and the rear end cap
2 a handle
200 for gripping by the user and defining therein a center through hole
41, a hollow holder shell
5 having a tubular bottom neck
51 inserted into the center through hole
41, a screw bolt
300 transversely inserted through the front end cap
4 and a transverse mounting hole
511 on the tubular bottom neck
51 to fasten the front end cap
4 and the hollow holder shell
5 together, a gasket ring
53 mounted around the tubular bottom neck
51 and sealed in between the front end cap
4 and the tubular bottom neck
51, a plate electrode
54 mounted in the front end cap
4 and electrically kept in contact with the positive terminal of the battery
100, a first electrical wire
52 electrically connected between the plate electrode
54 and the holder shell
5, a vibrator
55 mounted in the holder shell
5, a substrate
56 accommodated in the holder shell 5, a light-emitting device, for example, LED
57 installed in the substrate
57, a second electrical wire
52a electrically connected between the holder shell
5 and the substrate
56, and a selector switch
58 for selecting operating modes, for example, the mode of exclusively driving the light-emitting
device
57 to give off light, the mode of exclusively driving the vibrator
55 to vibrate, or the mode of driving the light-emitting device
57 to give off light and the vibrator
55 to vibrate at the same time.
[0012] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, the light guide type pain reliever further comprises
an adapter
6, and a light guide plate
7 coupled to the holder shell
5 by the adapter
6. The adapter
6 comprises a locating slot
61 and a vibrator hole
62 located in the rear side thereof, and a plug hole
63 located in the front side thereof. The locating slot
61 is adapted to the light-emitting device
57 and the substrate
56, enabling the light-emitting device
57 to be kept inside the adapter
6. The vibrator hole
62 is adapted to accommodate the vibrator
55, enabling the adapter
6 to be vibrated by the vibrator
55. The plug hole
63 is kept in line with the locating slot
61, and adapted for the mounting of the light guide plate
7. The light guide plate
7 is a curved plate member comprising a mounting portion
71 located at one end thereof and plugged into the plug hole
63 of the adapter
6 and kept in line with the light-emitting device
57, and a depressor portion
72 located at one end thereof. The depressor portion
72 is shaped like a closed loop, defining therein an insertion slot
721 for the insertion of a syringe to inject a medicine into a predetermined part of
the patient's body. FIG. 3 illustrates the light guide type pain reliever well assembled.
[0013] Referring to FIG. 4, after installation of the light guide plate
7 with the adapter
6 in the holder shell
5 at one end of the handle
200, the mounting portion
71 of the light guide plate
7 is kept in line with the light-emitting device
57. Thus, when switched on the pushbutton
21 at the rear side of the handle
200, the battery
100 is electrically conducted to the light-emitting device
57 and the vibrator
55, causing the light-emitting device
57 to give off light and the vibrator
55 to vibrate. At this time, the light guide plate
7 guides the emitted light to the depressor portion
72 for divergent illumination, enabling light rays to go in all directions around the
desired area. Thus, when a physician uses the depressor portion
72 to perform an oral cavity treatment, the depressor portion
72 simultaneously illuminates the oral cavity, enabling the physician to see clearly
all corners in the oral cavity. When starting the vibrator
55, the vibrator
55 will vibrate the adapter
6 and the light guide plate
7. At this time, the light guide plate
7 can be pressed on the affected area in the oral cavity of the patient to transmit
vibrating waves to the affected area, and the physician can then insert the needle
of the syringe through the insertion slot
721 in the depressor portion
72 into the affected area in the oral cavity of the patient to inject a medicine. Subject
to the effects of vibration on the affected area, the patient will feel less pain
in the affected area.
[0014] Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the light guide plate
7 comprises a frosted structure of beads or tiny rhombic facets on opposing top and
bottom surfaces for reflecting incident light rays in different directions, enhancing
the uniformity of illumination. Thus, the physician can selectively press the top
surface or bottom surface of the light guide plate
7 on the patient's affected area, giving sufficient illumination.
[0015] Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for
purposes of illustration, various modifications and enhancements may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is
not to be limited except as by the appended claims.
1. A light guide type pain reliever, comprising:
a hollow handle (200), said hollow handle (200) comprising a barrel (1) accommodating
therein a battery (100), a rear end cap (2) capped on one end of said barrel (1),
a pushbutton (21) mounted in said rear end cap (2), a front end cap (4) thread-connected
to an opposite end of said barrel (1), and a switching connector (3) mounted in said
rear end cap (2) and electrically connected to said battery (100), said switching
connector (3) comprising a switching rod (31) linked to said pushbutton (21) and drivable
by said pushbutton (21) to switch on/off said battery (100);
a holder shell (5) being a hollow member connected to said front end cap (4) and electrically
coupled to said battery (100), said holder shell (5) having electrically connected
thereto a vibrator (55) and a light-emitting device (57);
an adapter (6) connected to said holder shell (5) and adapted to accommodate said
vibrator (55) and said light-emitting device (57), said adapter (6) comprising a plug
hole (63) located in a front side thereof; and
a light guide plate (7) having one end thereof plugged into said plug hole (63) of
said adapter (6) and kept in line with said light-emitting device (57) for receiving
light rays emitted by said light-emitting device (57) and an opposite end thereof
suspending outside said adapter (6) and provided with an insertion slot (721).
2. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, wherein said front end cap
(4) defines a center through hole (41) for the connection of said holder shell (5).
3. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 2, wherein said holder shell
(5) comprises a tubular bottom neck (51) inserted into said center through hole (41)of
said front end cap (4), a mounting hole transversely located in said tubular bottom
neck (51), and a screw bolt (300) inserted through said mounting hole to fasten said
holder shell (5) to said front end cap (4).
4. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a gasket
ring (53) mounted around said tubular bottom neck (51) and sealed between said front
end cap (4) and said holder shell (5).
5. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plate
electrode (54) electrically connected between said battery (100) and said holder shell
(5).
6. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a substrate
(56) electrically connected to said holder shell (5) substrate (56) and adapted to
carry said light-emitting device (57).
7. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light guide
plate (7) comprises a mounting portion (71) located at one end thereof and plugged
into said plug hole (63), and depressor portion (72) located at an opposite end thereof.
8. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 7, wherein said depressor portion
(72) is a shaped like a closed loop.
9. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light guide
plate (7) is a curved plate member.
10. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, wherein said adapter (6)
comprises a locating slot (61) and a vibrator (55) hole in a rear side thereof for
accommodating said light-emitting device (57) and said vibrator (55) respectively.
11. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, wherein said holder shell
(5) has mounted therein a selector switch for controlling operating modes of said
vibrator (55) and said light-emitting device (57).
12. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 11, wherein said selector switch
is installed in said substrate (56).
13. The light guide type pain reliever as claimed in claim 1, wherein said light guide
plate (7) comprises a frosted structure on a surface thereof.