CA1142599A - Electrolysis hair removal apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

ELECTROLYSIS HAIR REMOVAL APPARATUS

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An electrolysis hair removal apparatus including a stylet adapted to be placed in co ntact with a papilla to effect destruction of same and further including an indicator for indicating the optimum position of the stylet and the duration that the stylet should remain in such optimum position during each electrolysis hair removal operation is provided. The stylet is displaceably retractable in a probe which is, in turn, retractable into a housing for protection of the probe. At least one of the conductive leads, which provide power to the probe, is of a resilient material and is disposed for urging a slide within the probe toward a face thereof having an aperture, thereby facilitating movement of the slide by the operator of the apparatus for extruding and retracting the stylet.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to an electrolysis hair removal apparatus including an indication circuit and, in particular, to an electronic hair removal apparatus including a retractable probe and/or an indication circuit for indicating when the stylet is disposed in contact with a papilla to effect destruction of same, and for further indicating the duration of time required to complete the des~ruction of the papilla.

` ~"~

11~ 599 I . , In theory, electrolysis hair removal operations have been designed to destroy the papilla (bulb) which is located within the skin's pore. Each hair in the human body grows from a papilla which is living tissue at the end of each hair.
Moreover, sweat glands surround the papilla within the pore and keep the papilla moist.
In the past, electrolysis hair removal devices have operated by effecting a two part operation. The first part is I the elec~rolysis of salt that is produced by the sweat glands, o effected by electrolyzing the salt (sodium chloride, Na+Cl~) into lye (sodium hydroxide, Na~OH~). The lye then dissolves the hair and allows the removal of same without destruction of the papilla.
It is noted, however, that if the papilla is disrupted during this operation, the growth of a plurality of hairs or hair that is of a more coarse texture will likely result. The second part I, i of the hair removal process is known as electrocoaggulation (electrodenaturing) of the small blood vessels which feed the papilla. Electrocoaggulation is utilized to cut off the blood ~ flow to the papilla and kill same, thereby impeding the growth 1l of hair. Because the papilla is the only part of the hair that grows, once it is coaggulated, the hair growing therefrom can then be removed by a tweezer.
Generally speaking, electrolytic reactions in a~ueous soLutions require a maximum voltage difference of no more than about 2 volts. However, due to the fact that skin resistance is 5~9 I`
~ involved, a somewhat larger voltage difference is required, a '~' voltage of about 9 volts generally being found adequate. This voltage is low enough and the current involved is similarly low enough so that the fingers of the individual carrying out the treatment can be used as part of the electric circuit. For this purpose, it is convenient that the portion of the probe to be held by the operator thereof be conductive.
Heretofore, the simplest to operate and least expensive ` to manufacture electrolysis device was disclosed and claimed in lo United States Patent No. 3,054,405 (Tapper). The Tapper device is no more than a probe including a spring Loaded stylet, a conductive pro~e handle and an insulator disposed intermediate the stylet and the probe hand~e in order to insure insulation therebetween. In the commercial version of the Tapper device, ` the negative terminal of a DC battery is coupled to the stylet and the positive terminal of the battery is coupled to the probe.
In accordance with the foregoing description of the theory of hair removal, the stylet is inserted into the pore and upon I being positioned substantially in contact with the papilla, performs the electrolysis of the salt and the electrocoaggulation discussed above, Since the stylet must enter a pore in the skin, it must, of necessity, be of small diameter and, therefore, fragile. As a result, the stylet is subject to ~ending or breakage, especially when transported or otherwise out of use. Moreover, should the ` 11'~'~5~9 probe suffer a fall during use, the stylet could readily be i damaged. An aspect of the present invention is concerned with protection of the stylet as well as increasing the user's con-venience in the use of the apparatus.
It is noted that a further aspect of the instant inven-tion recognizes that in order to properly perfo1-m the electrolysis of salt and electrocoaggulation required to successfully effect hair removal, the probe and, in particular, the stylet thereof must be properly positioned. Improper positioning of the probe can result in a treatment which has the final result of an increase in the growth of hair or in a treatment which causes trauma and injury to the person being treated. For this reason, the positioning of the probe has been the domain of electrolysis operators. This is particu1arly the case in the Tapper device because of the spring loading of the stylet. Specifically~, if , .
the stylet of the Tapper device is placed in contact with the skin, near the base of the hair canal, as the area around the stylet coaggulates, the spring biasing pressure on the stylet can brea~ the skin and thereby cause bleeding.
A second problem with the Tapper device and those of its genre is that the electrolysis operatio~ performed thereby must be limited to a certain period of time, such as forty-five seconds, resulting in two distinct disadvantages. The first disadvantage is that a person attempting to operate the Tapper device on his own or, alternatively, a trained operator, must concentrate on positioning the stylet in the pore, in contact with the papilla and, yet, simultaneously monitor the time of the electrolysis operation. OptimaLly positioning the stylet in contact with the papilla during the entire electrolysis operation is sufficiently difficult even without having to divert the operator's attention to a timing d~vice. Also, while such timing takes place, the electrolysis operator cànnot be certain that the stylet is in optimum contact with the papilla. Both of these disadvantages render the Tapper device less than completely o satisfactory. The instant invention is, therefore, characterized by an electrolysis hair removal apparatus that can eliminate the above noted disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

, Generally speaking, in accordance with the instant ' invention, an electrolysis hair removal apparatus including an indication circuit for providing an indication of the optimum positioning of a stylet in contact with a papilLa and a further i indication of the duration that the stylet is in contact with the papilla is provided. The electrolysis apparatus includes a 1 conductive reference member and an insulating medium intermediate the reference member and the stylet. A voltage supply is coupled to the stylet and the re~erence member in order to ef~ect a potential difference therebetween. A detector circuit is adapte d 11'~;~5~9 to detect when the stylet is selectively positioned near the papilla and, in response thereto, produce a detection signal. A
first indicator circuit is coupled to the detector circuit and , is adapted to produce a first indication signal in response to the detection signal being applied thereto. A delay indicator circuit is coupled to the detector circuit and, in response to - the detection signal, is adapted to produce a second indication signal at a predetermined interval of time after the first indication signal is produced.
o The electrolysis apparatus includes a housing and a retractable stylet, extrusion of the stylet fram and retraction of the stylet into the housing being effected by a slide within the housing. The slide is accessible through an aperture in a side face of the housing. The slide is preferably connected to the stylet through a spring so that the stylet is spring-b~ased outwardly during use thereof. The spring constant is such as to urge the stylet with sufficient force so that it can enter a pore and reach the papilla but the force is not so great as to enable the stylet to penetrate the skin of the user.

, Accordingly, it is an object of the instant invention ~to provide an improved electronic electrolysis hair removal apparatus.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention ~ill in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.

5~9 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is had to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of an electrolysis hair removal apparatus constructed in 2ccordance with a pre-ferred embodiment of the instant invention;
Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of an electro-lysis hair removal apparatus constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the instant invention;
Figure 3 is a block circuit diagram of the indication circuit included in the electrolysis hair removal apparatus depicted in Figure l;
Figures 4A, 4B and 4C are equivalent electrical illu-strations of the manner in which the electrolysis hair removal apparatus of the instant invention operates;
Figure 5 is a circuit diagram illustrating an acoustic indication circuit constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the instant invention;
Figure 6 is a comparative wave diagram illustrating the opexation of the acoustic indication circuit depicted in Figure 4, Figure 7 on the same sheet as Figure 1 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Figure 1:
Figure 8A is a sectional view taken along line 8A-8A
of Figure 7;

.. . .

Figure 8B is a sectional view ta~en along line 8B-8B
of Figure 7;
Figure 9 on the same sheet as Figure 1 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of Figure 8A;
Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along line 10-10 of Figure 8A;
Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along line 11-11 of Figure 8B;
Figure 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the apparatus depicted in Figure l;
Figure 13 is an exploded view, in perspective, of the stylet depicted in Figure 1, the cylindrical housing for same and the positioning means for extrusion and retraction of the stylet; and Figure 14 is a sectional view of one end of an alternative embodiment of the apparatus depicted in Figure 1 in which the power source of the probe is a battery contained in the housing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Reference is first made to Figure 1, wherein an electrolysis hair removal apparatus, generally indicated as 15, is depicted~ The electrolysis apparatus includes a probe 16 having a housing 17, reference conductor 18 shown as a conductive ferule and an end 19 including hollow cylindrical tip 21 and conductive stylet 20. In the embodiment of Figure 1, probe 16 is coupled to an indication circuit generally indicated as 22, through twin flexible leads 23.
As will be explained in greater detail below, the indication circuit includes a DC voltage supply for delivering a DC
potential to the reference conductor 18 and conductive stylet 20. Although not limited thereto, as illustrated in Figure 1, the stylet 20 and reference conductor 18 can be formed in the shape of a probe 16 having a spring biased conductive stylet, a conductive outer surface defining the reference conductor 18, shown as a conductive ferule, and an insulator between the outer surface of the probe and the conductive stylet, shown as housing 17, in the same manner disclosed in afore-mentioned U.S. Patent No. 3,054,045.
Referring now to Figure 2, and as will be discussed in detail below with respect to the operation of the electro-lysis apparatus 15, the conductive stylet 20 is illustrated in a position wherein same is inserted in a pore P having a papilla A formed therein with a hair H growing therefrom.
The reference conductor 18 is illustrated in contact with the skin S. Sweat glands G are located at the junctions where skin S and the papilla A are adiacent each other.
Referring now to Figure 3, a block circuit diagram of the indication circuit 22 and the manner in which same is coupled to the reference conductor 18 and stylet 20 is depicted. The _ g _ indication circuit includes a detector 24 referenced to the reference conductor VR. Detector 24 is adapated to detect when the stylet 20 is disposed in contact with the papilla and, in response thereto, apply a detection signal SD to a primary astable oscillator 25. The primary astable oscillator 25, in response to the detection signal SD, is adapted to pr~duce a 450 Hz high frequency indication signal fI, which signal is applied to an indicator 26 to thereby activate same. If the indicator 26 is an acoustic transducer, such as a piezoelectric lo crystal, a first acoustic signal in the form of a hum will be produced in response to the frequency of the indication signal being on the order of 450 Hz. Accordingly, in a preferred embodiment, indicator 26 will provide an acoustic signal indicat-ing that the stylet is in optimum contact with the papilla. A
delay circuit 27 is coupled be~ween the detector 24 and ground and, in response to detecting the presence of detection signal SD, after a predetermined interval of time, such as 45 seconds, the delay circuit will apply a delay signal ST to a secondary astable oscillator circuit 28 The secondary astable oscillator circuit 28, in response to receiving the delay signal ST, pro-duced by delay circuit 27, will apply a delay indication signal ~, having a fre~uency on the order of 8 Hz, to the primary astable oscillator 25. The primary astable oscillator 2~, in response to every other half cycle of the delay indication signal, will be inhibited from producing the intermediate frequency signal and will, therefore, produce an intermittent 450 Hz signal that will cause the indicator 26 to intenmit and, hence, in the case of an acoustic transducer, produce a beeping sound that is clearly distinct from the original humming sound produced by the indicator when the indication signal fI was continuously applied thereto.
Accordingly, the operation of the electrolysis hair removal apparatus, depicted in Figs. l, 2 and 3, is as follows.
In response to the reference conductor 18 being disposed in con-tact with a person's skin S, and the stylet being disposed in contact with the papilla A, for the reasons detailed at length bel~w, an increase in the flow of current occurs at the stylet and reference conductor, thereby actuating detector 24. As aforenoted, in response to being actuated, the detector 24 applies detection signal SD to the primary astable oscillator 2~ i~ order to effect actuation of the indicator 26 by the application of ; indication signal fI thereto, Indicator 26 will therefore provide a first indication of the increase in current at the stylet, which increase only occurs as a result of contact with the papilla being made by the stylet. Thus, the first humming sound made by the indicator 26 tells the operator that proper contact with the papilla has ~een made and that the ele~trolysis operation has begun. The delay circuit 27 is actuated at the same time that indicator 26 is actuated and, ~orty-five seconds later, produces a delay signal ST which actuates a second astable oscillator 28.

Once actuated, the secondary astable oscillator 28 will produce a delay indication signal, which signal varies the output of the primary astable oscillator and causes an intermittent hum to be produced by the acoustic indicator 26, which intermittent hum is perceived by the listener as a beeping sound. Thus, in response to the second acoustic sound, namely, the beeping signal, the operator is apprised of the completion of the electrolysis opera-tion and is, therefore, reminded to remove the styLet from the pore.
o Reference is now made to Fig. 5, wherein a detailed circuit, representative of an exemplary embodiment of the indica-tion circuit 22, is depicted. It is noted that the detector circuit 24 is comprised of Schmitt NAND gate 29, having a first input 30 and a second input 31. Input 31 is directly coupled to the reference conductor, whereas input 30 is coupled through a ; resistor 32 to the reference conductorO Additionally, the input 30 is coupled through an intensity control generally indicated as 33 to the positive terminal of a DC voltage supply VDD. As is detailed below, the detector circuit 24 produces a ~IGH output detection signal when the stylet is disposed in contact with the papilla, When the styler is not in contact with the papilla, there is no current flow and, accordingly, inputs 30 and 31, of NAND gate 29, are both HIGH level binary inputs, thereby result-ing in a LoW level binary output.
As is illustrated in Fig. 4A, since the skin S is not living tissue on the surface of the body but, instead, ~s camposed ll'~;~S99 i of compacted layers of dead cells, the skin pr~vides a high resistivity compared to the low resistivity of living tissue, which is essentially 7070 water with various salts dissolved in it.
Accordingly, three dif~erent stylet positions are represented by positions E2A~ E2B and E2C in Fig. 4A, with the position of the reference conductor being represented by position El. When the stylet is placed at positions E2A and E2C~ the equivalent circuit, ill~strated in Fig, 4B, is obtained wherein RTS is inherent skin resistance, Rs is shunt resistance, RLT equals living tissue o resistance and RLT ?>> RIS~ S~ In this event, the total resistance of the equivalent circuit, when the probe is not in contact with the papilla, is as follows:
RT

+

2(RlS)+RLT RS ., Similarly, when the stylet is positioned at location ~ ~, illus-trated in Fig. 4A, an equivalent circuit of the type illustrated in Fig. 4C is obtained. For this circuit, the following total resistance RT is obtained.

R = +
RIS+RLT RS
In light of the ~oregoing, it is apparent that the difference in the total resistance (RT) when the stylet is posi-tioned in contact with the skin (E2A & E2C) or, alternatively, when the stylet is positioned in contact with the papilla (E2g) is equal to the skin resistance (RIS).
Accordingly, when the stylet contacts the papilla, a large increase in the sink current at the reference electrode VR
occurs due to the reduction in the skin resistance of the amount of RIS. This raises the current level sourced at the electrode VR, and, hence, references input 31 to a lower voltage level with respect to input 30 of NAND gate 29 and causes a LoW level signal to be applied to input 31 of NAND gate 29 and a HIGH level detec-o tion signal SD to be produced. As aforenoted, a HIGH level detection signal SD actuates the indication circuitry to provide the respective indications in a manner to be discussed in greater detail below. Accordingly, by utilizing the increase of current sourced at the electrode V~, when the styler is brought into contact with the papilla, the detection circuit is actuated.
Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, a detailed description o~ an indication circuit, constructed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the instant invention, and the manner in ~ which same is operated as a result of the detection signal SD, is provided, like reference numerals being utilized to denote like elements discussed above. When t~e output o~ ~AND gate 29 becomes HIGH, in the manner noted abo~e, a detection signal is applied through resistor 34 to the input of Schmitt NAND gate 35 which gate, in combination wit~ Schmitt NAN~ gate 361 resistor 37 and capacitor 38, define primary astable oscillator circuit 25.

S~39 Oscillator circuit 25 is actuated in response to the HI(~H level detection signal being applied thereto, and will produce an ibdication signal fI having a frequency on the order of 450 Hz.
A piezoelectric audible transducer 39 produces a continuous out- ~
put tone in response to the 450 Hz indication signal being applied thereto. The continuous output tone provides an indication to the operator that the papilla has, in fact, been contacted by the stylet and, hence, that the electrolysis hair removal operation has been cornmenced. In response to the output of NAND gate 29 o being referenced to a HIGH level potential, an RC circuit, defin-ed by resistor 40 and capacitor 41, begins to charge for a pre-determined time interval determined by the time constant thereof.
In accordance with the description detai1ed above, the ~C circuit, defined by resistor 40 and capacitor 41, provides a time constant on the order of 45 seconds. Accordingly, the RC
circuit references the input 42 of the Schmitt NAND gate 43 to a HIGH level at the end of the forty-five second period, to thereby i actuate the secondary astable oscillator circuit ccmprised of NAND gate 43, resistor 44 and capacitor 45 so that same produces a delay indication signal fD having a frequency on the order of 8 Hz. Accordingly, the 8 ~Iz t~me delay indication signal ~ is applied across diode 46 to input terminal 47 of the astab~e oscillator 25 to thereby swamp the 450 ~z signal produced by the astable oscillator 25 during each negative half cycle of the delay indication signal fD, As is illustrated in Fig. 6, the Sg9 circuit wh2rein an acoustic transducer is utilized to produce two distinct sounds, it is noted that a signal lamp can be driven at a high frequency above the flicker rate so that the human eye will percei~e it to be continually lit and thereafter flickered as a result of the 8 Hz signal being applied thereto in order to pro-vide two distinct indications of the type detailed above to the operator. It is noted, however, that an acoustic indication mechanism does provide the operation with the opportunity to con-centrate his or her attention on inserting the probe into the 0 pore to commence the electrolysis hair removal operation.
Thus, the indication circuit of the instant invention simplifies the electrolysis hair removal operation by permitting the operator to concentrate on the placement of the stylet in the pore and, hence, eliminate the operator's concern that the stylet is not properly inserted into the pore when the operator is moni-toring the sweep second hand of a cloc~ and possibly damaging the skin as a result thereof. By permitting the operator to concen-trade on retaining the stylet within the pore, the operator is also less likely to inadvertently remove the stylet from the pore ~ during the forty-five second interval and, hence, not c~mplete the electrolysis and electrocoaggulation necessary to complete hair removal and destroy the papilla, which often results in the growth o~ multiple hairs or coarser hair.
~n the electrolysis apparatus of Fig. 1, the retractable stylet 20 is in retracted condition as indicated by the position of boss, or button, 4g in slotted aperture 50. ~onsidering the delay indication signal inhi~its the asta~le oscillator 25 during each lower half cycle thereof, and thereby causes the astable oscillator to apply an intermittent 450 Hz signal fID to the audio transducer 39 and, hence, produce an intermittent beeping tone in lieu of the continuous tone previously produced thereby.
The intermittent beeping tone provides a signal warning to the operator to remove the stylet from the pore and, to this end, the indication circuit will continue to produce the intermittent beep-ing signal until the probe is removed. Once the output of the 0 NAND gate 29 is returned to a LoW level, by removing the stylet from contact with the papilla, both the astable oscillator cir-cuit 2~ and secondary astable oscillator circuit 28 are returned to a quiescent state and the RC circuit, defined by resistor 40 and capacitor 41, is immediately discharged through a diode 48, to thereby avoid any possible timing error when the next electrol-; ysis hair re val operation is performed.
Accordingly, the instant invention is particularly ~- characterized by an indication circuit that can provide a first i indication representative of an increase in current caused as a result of the stylet contacting the papilla, there~y signalling the operator that the electrolysis process has begun and further producing a second indication after a predetermined interval of time to the operator that the electrolysis hair removal operation is completed. To this end, it is noted that a1though the pre-ferred embodiments of the instant invention have illustrated a ; electrolysis apparatus, depicted in sectional view in Fig. 7, stylet 20 is in a partially extruded position as is evident from the fact that button 49 is approximately at the center, longi-tudinally, of slotted aperture 50. Button 49 is attached to slide 51 which is mounted in housing 17 for being longitudinally displaced therein. Slide 51 is essentially rectangular in trans-verse cross-section, as can be seen from Figs. 9, 10 and 11, having major upper and lower faces 52 and 53, respectively. The movement of slide 51 is guided by transverse pillars 54 which o extend through slots 55 in slide 51.
; Slide 51 has fingers 56 and one end thereof for linking said slide with the stylet assembly, generally indicated as 57.
As is best illustrated inFig. 13, stylet assembly 57 comprises a cylindrical rod 58 having a depression 59 proximate one end there-~ of for receiving fingers 56 of slide 51, the combination of ¦ fingers 56 and depression 59 linking slide 51 to rod 58. Stylet assembly 57 is disposed in a hollow conduit 60 formed in housing 19. Rod 58 is adapted to slide in conduit 69 and includes a Il shoulder 61 against which is abutted extension rod 62 and interior I cylinder 63 whic~ sits within hollow conduit 60. Abutting the end of extension rod 62 and Joined thereto by welding, soldering or the like, is one end 64a of coil spring 64. The other end 64b of coil spring 64 is joined to one face 6Sa of a stylet support con-ductive cylinder 65. Stylet 20 is ~irmly seated in the stylet support conductive cylinder 65. Rod 58, extension rod 62, spring 64, conductive cylinder 65 and stylet 20 are 811 electrically ` conductive material, suitable material being stainless steel, copper, nickel, brass, beryllium-copper and the like.
Electrical connection between the DC ~oltage supply contained in indication circuit 17 and conductive ferrule 18 and !
the stylet assembly 57 is made through first resilient conductor 66 and the second resilient conductor 67 which are firmly con-ducti~ely bonded to flexible leads 23 as by well-known means, such as soldering or the like. As shown in Figs. 8A and 8B, the o first resilient conductor 66 lies above upper face 52 of slide 51 and second conductor 67 lies below lower major face 53 of slide 51. This configuration is shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, as well.
Accessibi~ity to the interior of the electrolysis ; apparatus is provided by ma~ing housing 17 of an upper section 17a and a lower section 17b, To assembly the apparatus, end , portion 19 is positioned against l~wer section 17b, the stylet assembly 57 is inserted, second resilient conductor 67 is emplaced, slide 51 is fitted onto vertical pillars 54, first I resilient conductor 66 is positioned over the slide so that it makes contact with head 68 of rod 58 and, finally, conductive ferrule 18 is snapped into place to hold the two segments of the housing together. Conveniently~ conductive ferrule 18 may have a cut running the length thereof and may be curved to a diameter smaller than that of the housing so that it will act as a spring 1~ 599 clip. Also, if desired, the two sections of the housing may be cemented to~ether but it is preferably that it be possible to disassemble same to make maintenance possible.
As is evident, either first resilient conductor 66 or second resilient conductor 67 could be connected to rod 58 and the other to conducti~e ferrule 18, although as is illustrated in the drawings, it is the second resilient conductor 67 which makes ,electrical contact with conducti~e ferrule 18. However, both resilient conductors are sufficiently resilient to insure good o ~i contact with conductive ferrule 18 and conductive rod 58.
Further, second resilient conductor 67 is disposed so that it bears against the bottom of slide 51, thereby insuring that button 49 will protrude through aperture 50. In an exemplary embodiment, slide 51 includes a second boss 69 on the surface thereof against which second resilient conductor 67 bears.
Accordingly, the second resilient conductor 67 has a double function, namely, making electrical contact with conductive ~ferrule 18 and resiliently biasing button 49 out through aperture ;
l50 after the electrolysis apparatus is assembLed.
~¦ Referring now to Fig. 12, the electrolysis apparatus with the stylet 20 fully retracted into cylindrical tip 21 for protection thereby is depicted. Button 4~ is fully retracted in slotted aperture 50 and slide 51 and stylet assembly 57 are drawn ~into retracted position. ~ylindrical rod 58, interior cylinder 63, spring 64 and cylinder 65 are also disposed in a retracted _~ 9_ `i~ 5~39 ', posi~ion. When button 49 is moved to the right (Fig. 7), stylet 20 emerges from tip 21 after which end 63a of interior cylinder 63 makes contact with the diagonal shoulder 70, thereby preventing further outward movement of said interior cylinder. As stylet 20 ' is moved into a pore and pressure is applied, interior cylinder 63 moves toward retracted position against the urging of spring 64, thereby preventing the exertion of excessive pressure, whether the probe is in contact within the pore or positioned ; against the s~in of the user.
o The construction of the stylet assembly is shown in more detail in Fig. 13, Preferably, extension rod ~1 is so dimensioned that it fits tightly within interior cylinder 63 so the rod 58 and cylinder 63 move together. Also, stylet 20 is firmly ioined to metaL cylinder 65, both mec~anically and electrically Hollow cylindrical tip 21 is held by friction in end 19 and, where appropriate, a suitable adhesive can be utilized to secure the cylindrical tip 21 in the end 19.
Reference is now made to Fig 14, wherein a retractable ~l stylet assembly, usable without the indication circuit, including ;
~ a battery 71 for providing a convenient voltage of about 9 volts, is depicted. Power is transferred to a conductive ferrule 18 and to tip 21 in the same manner noted above For example, resilient conductors 72 and 73 are otherwise identical with conductors 66 and 67, illustrated in Figs. 8A and 8B. It is noted, however, that the resilient conductors 72 and 73 are configured to secure ` a battery in the probe assembly and to define a conductive circuit ;' with the respective positive and negative terminals of the battery 71.
i Thus, the instant invention is characterized by a conductive electrolysis stylet that can be readily retracted into or extruded from a housing to thereby protect the stylet during handling and storage of the electrolysis apparatus. Moreover, the stylet remains resiliently biased when extruded from the housing to thereby insure the safety of the stylet. Finally, o ~ the unique configuration of the resilient conductors and dis-placement mechanism, that permits the stylet to be readily retracted and extruded, incorporates the resilient conductors required to couple the conductive ferrule and the stylet to the appropriate terminals of the voltage supply needed to produce the voltage-current relationship necessary to effec~ the intended electrolysis operation.
It will thus be seen that the objects set forth a bove, among those made apparent from the preceding description, are ,l efficiently attained and, since certain changes may be made in 20 Il~ the a~ove construction without depa~ting from the spirit and scope of the in~ention, it is intended that all matter contained ; in the a~ove description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

i It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be aid to fall therebetween.

Claims (29)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:

1. In an electrolysis apparatus including a conductive reference member, a conductive stylet adapated to be selectively positioned near the papilla, and a voltage supply coupled to said stylet and to said reference member, the improvement comprising, detection means operatively coupled to said reference member and stylet for detecting the presence of a papilla at said stylet when said stylet is selectively positioned at the papilla, and in response thereto producing a detection signal, first indication means coupled to said detector means for producing a first indi-cation signal in response to said detection signal being applied thereto and delay indication means coupled to at least said detection means for producing a second indication signal at a pre-determined interval of time after the occurrence of said first indication signal.

2. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first indication means includes a signal means for producing a first indication signal in response to said detection signal being applied thereto and an indicator coupled to said signal means for producing an indication to an operator that the stylet is in contact with a papilla when the first indication signal is applied thereto.

3. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said delay indication means includes a further signal means for producing a second indication signal that is distinct from said first indication signal, said indicator being adapted in response to said second indication signal being produced by said second signal means to indicate that a predetermined interval of time has elapsed.

4. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 3, wherein said second indication signal is applied to said first signal means to thereby control the first indication signal produced by said first signal means at the time that the first indication signal is applied to said indicator.

5. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein said indicator is a piezoelectric quarts crystal transducer.

6. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said detection means includes a gating means coupled intermediate said reference conductor and said voltage supply for detecting the flow of current therebetween, said detection means being adapted to produce a detection signal in response to a predetermined increase in the flow of current between the voltage supply and the reference conductor.

7. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said detection gating means includes a logic gate having a first input referenced to said voltage supply, a second input referenced to said reference conductor and an impedance means intermediate said first and second inputs, said impedance means being adapted to vary the voltage level between said first and second inputs, when the current flow between said reference conductor and said voltage supply increases, said logic gate being adapted to produce said detection signal in response to a predetermined difference in the magnitude of the voltage levels at said first input and second input.

8. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein said logic gate is adapted to produce a detection signal when the binary level of said first input and second input are distinct.

9. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 6, wherein said first indication means includes an oscillator circuit coupled to said detection means, said oscillator circuit being adapted to produce a high frequency indication signal in response to said detection signal being applied thereto and an indicator coupled to said oscillator circuit, said indicator being disposed in a first indication mode in response to said high frequency indication signal being applied thereto

10. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim g, wherein said delay indication means includes a time delay circuit coupled to said detection means and said first indication means, said time delay means being adapted to provide a time delay signal at said predetermined time interval after said detection signal is produced by said detection means.

11. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein said delay indication means further includes a second oscillator circuit for producing a low frequency sound indication signal in response to said time delay signal being applied there-to.

12. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said low frequency second indication signal is applied to said first oscillator circuit to swamp the higher frequency first indication signal during every other half cycle of said lower frequency second indication signal to thereby intermit said first indication signal applied to said indicator and dispose said indicator in a second indication mode.

13. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said indicator is an acoustic transducer, said acoustic transducer being adapted to provide a first humming sound in response to said first indication signal being applied thereto, said acoustic transducer being further adapted in response to said first indication signal being intermitted by said second indication signal to provide a beeping sound.

14. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein said delay means is an RC circuit coupled to said detection means, said delay means having a discharge means coupled to at least a portion of said RC circuit in order to effect an immediate discharge thereof in the absence of a detection signal produced by said detection means.

15. An electronic indication circuit particularly suitable for use with electrolysis apparatus comprising in combination, a detector circuit means for producing a detecting signal, a first indication circuit means for producing a first high frequency indication signal in response to said detection signal being applied thereto, delay circuit means coupled to said detection means for producing a second lower frequency indication signal at a predetermined interval of time after said detection signal is produced by said detection means, and indication means coupled to said first indication means for being disposed into a first indication mode in response to said first higher frequency indication signal being applied thereto, said indication means being adapted to be disposed into a second indication mode in response to said second lower frequency indication signal being produced by said delay circuit means.

16. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 15, wherein said delay circuit is coupled to said detector circuit means and includes delay means for producing a delay signal at a predetermined interval of time after said detection

17. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 16, wherein said first indication means is an oscillator means.

18. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 17, wherein said second lower frequency indication signal is applied to said first indication means to thereby control the first higher frequency indication signal produced by said first indication means at the time that the first indication signal is applied to said indication means.

19. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 18, wherein said indication means is a piezoelectric quartz crystal transducer.

20. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 15, wherein said detector circuit means includes logic gate means having a first input referenced to a voltage supply, a second input and an impedance means intermediate said first and second inputs, said impedance means being adapted to vary the voltage level between said first and second inputs, when the current flow between said second input and said voltage supply increases, said logic gate being adapted to produce said detec-tion signal in response to a predetermined difference in the magnitude of the voltage levels at said first input and second input.

21. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 17, wherein said low frequency second indication signal is applied to said first indication oscillator circuit to swamp the higher frequency first indication signal during every other half cycle of said lower frequency second indication signal to thereby intermit said first indication signal applied to said indicator means and dispose said indicator means in a second indication mode.

22. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 21, wherein said indication means is an acoustic transducer.
said acoustic transducer being adapted to provide a first humming sound in response to said first indication signal being applied thereto, said acoustic transducer being further adapted in response to said first indication signal being intermitted by said second indication signal being adapted to provide a beeping sound.

23. An electronic indication circuit, as claimed in claim 17, wherein said delay means is an RC circuit coupled to the output of said detection means, said delay means having a discharge means coupled to at least a portion of said RC circuit in order to effect an immediate discharge thereof in the absence of a detection signal produced by said detection means.

24. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3, further comprising a probe member, said probe member including said conductive stylet and said conductive reference member.

An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 24, wherein said probe member comprises a housing including a probe end, said housing including said conductive reference member on the exterior thereof, said conductive stylet adapted to be coordinately displaced between an operative position wherein said stylet extends from said probe end of said housing and an inoper-ative position wherein said stylet is retracted into the probe end of said housing, positioning means associated with said hous-ing and said stylet for selectively placing said stylet means between said operative position and said inoperative position, first conductive means electrically connected with said conductive reference member and second conductive means electric-ally connected with said stylet means, said first and second conductive means being electrically connectable with said voltage supply.

26. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein said housing includes an aperture formed therein, said positioning means including a slide means extending through said aperture, said slide means being moveable toward and away from said probe end for coordinately displacing said stylet means between said operative position and said inoperative position.

27. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein said positioning means further includes a boss attached at said slide means and protruding through said aperture in said housing to the exterior of said housing.

28. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 27, wherein said positioning means includes spring biasing means for biasing said stylet against a papilla with a force sufficient for entry into a pore but insufficient to cause penetration of the skin when said probe is displaced in an operative position.
29. An electrolysis apparatus as claimed in claim 24, further comprising electrical leads for respectively coupling said

claim 29 continued conductive reference member and said stylet through a first conductive means and a second conductive means to said voltage supply.