Protype of Colonic Irrigation Apparatus

Patent number US 6,228,048 B1 was awarded to CM Robbins Company, Inc. on May 8, 2001.

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Summary of this Invention:

Objectives of the present invention include providing a colonic irrigation apparatus and method that provides for precise control of the temperature of the water to be delivered to the patient; that offers the benefits and safety of gravity pressurization without the disadvantages associated with machines that rely on bulky reservoirs or tanks; that is easy to set up, use, and adjust; that is highly compact and portable; that is versatile in that it may be used by professional colon hydrotherapists or by home users; and/or that can be used as a subcomponent of, or an attachment to, an existing colonic machine or as a complete system requiring only a colonic table or board.

Related objectives include providing a hydrotherapy apparatus and method that provides a method of converting pressurized water from a building’s plumbing system into a gravity pressurized flow, easily and conveniently, and provides a new method of controlling a temperature of water mixed from separate hot and cold water inflows, which is extremely precise, within +-1° F., even at flow rates as low as 0.1 gallons per minute.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from reviewing the drawings and ensuing descriptions contained in the patent. An apparatus for colonic irrigation is disclosed which features a new method of precisely regulating water temperature that far surpasses the technology used in any of the prior devices and allows for gravity-pressurization, without the aforementioned limitations and bulk of a reservoir system. The apparatus can include a pressure-to-gravity converter that is directly connected to a building’s water supply. The converter includes a reservoir or casing that is open to the atmosphere at the top, an input from the building’s water supply in the middle, an overflow located above the input, and an output to the speculum located below the input and the overflow. In one configuration, the reservoir is tubular with the output to the speculum and the open end of the tube being located along the longitudinal axis of the tube. The pressure of the orifice irrigation liquid can be easily adjusted by adjusting the height of the reservoir. During use, it is preferred that sufficient water flow into the reservoir that a continuous stream of water flows through the overflow to a drain. In this manner, a continuous and constant pressure is applied to the patient. The above-noted converter is a gravity-pressurized system having all the benefits and advantages of a pressure valve regulated apparatus, without a bulky reservoir and other disadvantages formerly associated with gravity pressurized devices. The pressure-to-gravity converter allows for direct connection to a building’s water supply while still providing gravity flow. It is well suited to both professional and home use.