US3597033A - Mobile dental console - Google Patents

Abstract

A dental console for supporting a plurality of dental instruments, the console being equipped with swivel casters which permit it to be moved about as desired. A pair of handles are provided for moving the console, the handles being mounted upon the console''s sidewalls and being constructed and located to facilitate console movement. Such handles also serve as the mounting means for dental trays and other accessories.

Description

0 United States Patent 1 3592033 [72] inventor Richard A.Slouka [56] References Cited 2 A l N g glt j g UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 1,194,436 8/1916 Smith 312/209x [22] Filed Dec.20,1968

3,154,358 10/1964 Blasch .v 312/209 [45] Famed 3229 368 l/1966 T c 11' 312/209x [73] Assignee American Hospital Supply Corporation o c ml Evanston, Ill. Primary ExaminerPatrick D. Lawson Atlomey--Dawson, Tilton, Fallon & Lungmus ABSTRACT: A dental console for supporting a plurality of [54] MQBMLE DENTAL CONSOLE dental instruments the console being equipped with swivel 4 Claims 3 Drawing Figs. casters which permit it to be moved about as desired. A pair of handles are provided for moving the console, the handles [52] 11.5. (IL... 312/209 being mounted upon the consoles sidewalls and being con- [51] llnt.1Cl "13471181100 structed and located to facilitate console movement. Such [50] Field 011' Search 312/209; handles also serve as the mounting means for dental trays and other accessories.

MOBILE DENTAL CONSOLE BACKGROUND While the advantages of having a dental console movable relative to a dental chair have been recognized for some time, the size and weight of a conventional console makes repositioning of the same difficult even when such a console is equipped with wheels or casters. Thus, should a dentist in seated position wish to shift a conventional wheeled console into a position which would make the dental instruments more readily accessible, the dentist may often find it necessary to stand in order to apply sufficient force necessary to relocate the unit.

SUMMARY It has been found that the difficulty in shifting a conventional mobile console arises to a large extent from the location and horizontal orientation of the console s handle. One aspect of the invention therefore lies in recognizing that a vertically oriented handle is far more effective for shifting a console from one position to another, especially if the dentist is in a seated position. A pair of vertically elongated handles are rigidly mounted on opposite sides of the console, each handle including a vertical member of noncircular cross section. The member preferably comprises a rectangular tube defining an upwardly opening socket for receiving the depending shaft of a dental tray assembly or of some other accessory such as, for example, a cuspidor assembly.

THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a perspective view of a dental console embodying the present invention, the console being shown in conjunction with a dental tray having a depending shaft spaced from a handle of the console to illustrate the relationship therebetween;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the console;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded and broken perspective view illustrating details of the consoles handle construction.

DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. 1, the numeral generally designates a mobile dental console comprising a vertically elongated cabinet having top, front and sidewalls 11-13, respectively. The upper portion of the front wall is provided with an opening through which an instrument-supporting head 14 projects. As shown in FIG. I, the head is equipped with a series of forwardly facing sockets IS in which a plurality of dental instruments 16 are removably supported. Such instruments may include handpieces (either contra angle or straight), syringes, and other conventional instruments which are well known in the art and which need not be described in greater detail herein.

It will be observed from FIGS. 1 and 2 that the console is equipped with two pair of outwardly extending legs 17, each of the legs projecting outwardly (laterally and either forwardly or rearwardly) from a lower corner portion of the cabinet. The generally horizontal legs are equipped at their outer ends with swivel casters or wheels 18.

A pair of vertically elongated handles 19 are rigidly mounted on each of the sidewalls 13 of the cabinet. The handles are identical, each consisting of a vertically elongated tube 20 of noncircular cross section. While the square cross section illustrated most clearly in FIG. 3 is preferred, it is to be understood that other outside configurations which are noncircular (triangular or pentangular, for example) may be used.

Each tubular member 20 is mounted in spaced parallel relation with respect to a sidewall 13 of the cabinet by means of a pair of bracket elements 21. As shown in FIG. 3, each bracket is provided with a recess 22 for receiving an end portion of the tubular member. The brackets are screwed or otherwise per- LII manently secured to each sidewall 13 to provide a rigid sidewall 113 a distance sufficient to permit an operator to extend his fingers between the handle member and the cabinet wall. Thus, each handle member 20 may be securely gripped in the manner illustrated in FIG. I and, since the handle member 20 is of noncircular external cross section and is rigidly mounted by bracket elements 21, twisting force applied to a handle member will tend to rotate the console about the vertical axis of that handle member.

Such rotation is facilitated by the relationship of each handle with respect to swivel casters 18. It will be observed from FIG. ll that the handle tube 20 at each side of the console is disposed in a vertical plane which passes through a pair of casters 18 therebelow. Consequently, as an operator-gripping handle 20 moves his wrist to rotate console 10 into a new position, the axis of rotation will be close to the casters at one side of the unit.

The vertical orientation of handles I9 is particularly important in shifting the entire console from one position to another along a floor surface. The hand position of an operator (particularly one who is seated) gripping a handle 19 of the console is a natural one and gives the operator an opportunity to exert maximum force with minimum effort in shifting the console from one position to another across a floor surface.

Each tubular handle member 20 is provided with an opening 23 extending vertically therethrough. The upper (and lower) bracket members 21 are provided with aligned openings 24, the openings 23 and 24 thereby defining upwardly opening cylindrical sockets for receiving the depending shafts of dental accessories such as, for example, the downwardly extending shaft 25 of removable tray assembly 26 shown in FIG. 1. Since both handles 19 are identical and are therefore provided with upwardly facing sockets, a dentist may use either or both of such sockets for mounting appropriate accessories. Each socket, being cylindrical in shape, permits the accessory to be rotated about the axis of the handle into a position most convenient for the dentist. Since the tray or other accessory is immediately adjacent a handle a dentist may, by gripping a handle to shift the position of the console, be confident that the tray or accessory will be within comfortable reach when the console has been repositioned.

While in the foregoing I have disclosed an embodiment of the invention in considerable detail for purposes of illustration, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many of these details may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

11. A console for dental instruments comprising a vertically elongated instrument-supporting cabinet having a front wall and a pair of sidewalls adjacent said front wall, said cabinet being provided with swivel casters for movably supporting the same upon a floor surface, and at least one handle secured to one of said sidewalls, said handle comprising a vertically elongated member spaced laterally from said sidewall and rigidly secured thereto by bracket means, said member being noncircular in cross section throughout substantially its entire vertical extent and comprising a hollow tube, the upper end of said tube being open to define an upwardly facing socket for receiving the depending shaft of a dental accessory supportable upon said handle.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which a dental accessory is removably mounted upon said one handle, said accessory being provided with a depending shaft removably received in said upwardly facing socket.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which said socket and said shaft are cylindrical in shape, said shaft being rotatable in said socket.

4. The structure of claim I in which said console is provided with a pair of said handles secured to each of said sidewalls.

Claims (4)

1. A console for dental instruments comprising a vertically elongated instrument-supporting cabinet having a front wall and a pair of sidewalls adjacent said front wall, said cabinet being provided with swivel casters for movably supporting the same upon a floor surface, and at least one handle secured to one of said sidewalls, said handle comprising a vertically elongated member spaced laterally from said sidewall and rigidly secured thereto by bracket means, said member being noncircular in cross section throughout substantially its entire vertical extent and comprising a hollow tube, the upper end of said tube being open to define an upwardly facing socket for receiving the depending shaft of a dental accessory supportable upon said handle.

2. The structure of claim 1 in which a dental accessory is removably mounted upon said one handle, said accessory being provided with a depending shaft removably received in said upwardly facing socket.

3. The structure of claim 2 in which said socket and said shaft are cylindrical in shape, said shaft being rotatable in said socket.

4. The structure of claim 1 in which said console is provided with a pair of said handles secured to each of said sidewalls.

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