HK1237237B - Dental instrument storage case - Google Patents

Description

Dental instrument storage box

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a dental instrument storage box for storing dental grinding tools and the like.

Background Art

Dental instruments, such as dental abrasive tools, that are mounted on a handpiece are sold and transported in dedicated cases. During treatment, they are removed from their cases and mounted on the handpiece. However, due to their small size, these dental abrasive tools must be gripped with the fingertips for installation. Furthermore, since dental instruments are immobilized in their cases, gripping and removing them is an unexpectedly cumbersome task.

Here, the storage boxes described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 include a mechanism capable of changing the holding angle of dental instruments in order to facilitate removal of the instruments. Figures 4 and 5 are diagrams showing conventional storage boxes for dental instruments.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the storage box 100 includes a storage portion 101 and a lid 102. Opening the lid 102 changes the angle of the storage portion 101, exposing the dental instruments 50 and facilitating their removal. While this makes it easy to remove the dental instruments 50, since multiple dental instruments 50 are stored side by side, there are potential problems with removal, such as scratching the adjacent instruments with a fingernail or catching the adjacent instruments, causing them to fall.

Prior art literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 6-63017

Patent Document 2: Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-41692

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a dental instrument storage case that allows easy removal of only necessary dental instruments from dental instruments stored in parallel.

Means for solving problems

The dental instrument storage box of the present invention stores multiple dental instruments having shafts and working parts in parallel, wherein the dental instrument storage box has: a storage recess; and a fixing groove. The shafts of the stored dental instruments are held in the storage recess. From the held state, the shaft ends of the shafts are pressed down from above so that the shaft ends are clamped in the fixing groove and fixed. As a result, the working parts are lifted and fixed by standing obliquely.

In addition, the storage recess may be a structure that is engaged with each dental instrument at multiple locations including the shaft end side and the working part side of the shaft. When the shaft end is pressed down from above, the engagement on the working part side is disengaged, and the dental instrument stands up obliquely with the storage recess on the shaft end side as a fulcrum.

The bottom surface of the dental instrument storage box may further include a vertical hole, into which the shaft end of the dental instrument is inserted, thereby holding the dental instrument upright.

Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, a plurality of dental instruments stored in parallel can be fixed by standing them obliquely with the working portion raised, thereby achieving an effect of being able to easily remove only the dental instruments to be used.

Furthermore, if the dental instrument is held upright in the upright hole, it can be removed more easily and can also be used for temporary placement when exchanging it for another dental instrument after use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a diagram showing a dental instrument storage box according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a plan view, (b) is a plan view of a state where dental instruments are stored, and (c) is a perspective view.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a dental instrument housed in a housing recess and a vertical hole.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a stored state of the dental instrument, wherein (a) shows a state in which the dental instrument is held horizontally, and (b) shows a state in which the working portion is lifted and tilted upright.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a conventional storage case for dental instruments.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a conventional storage case for dental instruments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 illustrates a dental instrument storage box according to the present invention. (a) is a top view, (b) is a top view of the dental instruments stored, and (c) is a perspective view. This dental instrument storage box 10 is a resin-molded storage box that stores multiple dental instruments 50 in parallel. The rightmost dental instrument 50 in Figure 1(b) is held upright in its upright hole 40.

The dental instrument storage box 10 is composed of a main body 11 having a portion for storing dental instruments 50; and a lid 12 having a pressing portion 13 for pressing the dental instruments 50 from above. The lid 12 is openable and closable relative to the main body 11. Although not shown, the lid 12 can also be opened and closed by sliding relative to the main body 11. The main body 11 also has a storage recess 20 for horizontally fitting and storing the dental instruments 50; and a fixing groove 30 for clamping the axial end 51a of the dental instruments 50 and securing them at an angle. An upright hole 40 for holding the dental instruments 50 upright may also be provided on the bottom surface 11a of the main body 11.

The storage recess 20 is adapted to receive the shaft 51 of the dental instrument 50, thereby storing the dental instrument 50 in a substantially horizontal position. While dental instruments 50 are typically dental abrasive tools having a working portion 52 and a shaft 51 attached to a handpiece, any other dental abrasive tool can be stored as long as the shaft 51 can be received in this manner. While the storage recess 20 can accommodate a single dental instrument 50 in a single location, a design such as a storage recess 20a on the shaft end side of the shaft 51 and a storage recess 20b on the working portion side, as shown in FIG1, offers the advantage of being able to store the dental instrument 50 in a more stable, horizontal position. Furthermore, although not shown, additional storage recesses may be provided between the storage recess 20a on the shaft end side and the storage recess 20b on the working portion side.

The fixing groove 30 is a groove with a width sufficient to clamp and secure the shaft end 51a of the dental instrument 50 when the shaft end 51a is pressed toward the bottom surface 11a of the dental instrument storage case 10. Specifically, the groove has a width equal to or slightly narrower than the diameter of the shaft 51. The length of the fixing groove 30 is preferably such that a fingertip can easily enter, and is therefore preferably at least 4 mm. On the other hand, to ensure that the working portion 52 can be lifted at a predetermined angle or greater for easy removal, it is preferable to press within a range of approximately one-third of the base side of the total length of the dental instrument 50. Therefore, it is desirable to set an upper limit based on the size of the dental instrument 50. In this embodiment, the length of the fixing groove 30 is set such that a large space is ensured on the bottom surface 11a to accommodate the working portion 52 (the portion of the working portion 52 side bounded by the storage recess 20 into which the shaft 51 fits). This allows for both dental instruments 50 with longer working portions 52 and those with shorter shafts 51. Therefore, the length of the fixing groove 30 is preferably approximately 4 mm to 7 mm, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the groove is oriented in the same direction as the axial direction of the dental instrument 50. Due to the length of the shaft 51 of the dental instrument 50 or the length of the working portion 52, the fitting position of the storage recess 20 shifts forward and backward on the shaft 51. Therefore, when the shaft end 51a is pressed down, the shaft end 51a also deviates forward and backward at the position where it reaches the bottom surface of the dental instrument storage box 10. However, since this deviation always occurs only in the axial direction of the dental instrument 50, as long as the direction of the fixing groove 30 is aligned with the axial direction of the dental instrument 50, this deviation does not become a problem when the shaft end 51a is fixed.

The upright hole 40 is a hole provided on the bottom surface 11a of the dental instrument storage box 10. It is inserted into the shaft end 51a of the dental instrument 50, thereby maintaining it upright. Specifically, the diameter of the upright hole 40 must be sufficient to fit the shaft end 51a, or slightly larger than the shaft portion 51. If the diameter is too small, the shaft end 51a will not fit in, while if it is too large, the shaft end 51a will tip over. Therefore, any hole diameter sufficient to maintain the dental instrument 50 upright will suffice. The upright hole 40 may be an annular protrusion provided on the bottom surface 11a, or it may be a hole excavated from the bottom surface 11a. As shown in FIG1 , the upright hole 40 may be located between the storage recess 20a on the shaft end side and the storage recess 20b on the working portion side. However, there is no particular limitation on the location; any location on the bottom surface 11a of the dental instrument storage box 10 is acceptable.

Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a dental instrument stored in a storage recess and a vertical hole, taken along line A-A in Figure 1 (b). The leftmost storage recess 20 in Figure 2 shows the state in which the shaft 51 is placed and held on the entrance portion of the storage recess 20 before the dental instrument 50 is inserted. Furthermore, the storage recess 20 is configured such that the shaft 51 is pressed into the bottom surface 11a (in the direction of the arrow) from the entrance portion, which is slightly narrower than the diameter of the shaft 51 of the dental instrument 50. The cross-section of the working recess 20 is almost identical to that of the shaft 51, and in the engaged state, the dental instrument 50 is held horizontally (the second, third, and fourth storage recesses 20 from the left in Figure 2). Furthermore, with respect to this engaged storage, the dental instrument 50 can be completely fixed or have a margin that allows for slight movement. When transporting the dental instrument storage box 10, it is sufficient that the dental instruments 50 do not roll within the box. Therefore, if the cover 12 is designed to have a pressing portion 13 pressing the dental instruments 50 from above, a structure that allows for a sufficient fit and storage is acceptable. Conversely, if the dental instruments 50 can be completely secured solely by the storage recess 20, the pressing portion 13 may not be necessary.

The dental instrument 50 on the far right of Figure 2 is shown with its shaft end 51a inserted into the upright hole 40 and held upright. As described above, the upright hole 40 is provided on the bottom surface 11a and has a diameter substantially the same as that of the shaft end 51a. The upright hole 40 is used for preparation before use and also for temporarily placing the dental instrument 50 after use.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the storage state of a dental instrument. (a) shows the dental instrument 50 held horizontally, and (b) shows the dental instrument 50 held horizontally in the storage recess 20. Removing the dental instrument 50 is difficult when held horizontally in the storage recess 20. Therefore, it is preferable to simply raise the dental instrument 50 to be used so that it can be easily grasped and prepared for use. Here, the area near the shaft end 51a of the dental instrument 50 is pressed downward toward the bottom surface 11a of the dental instrument storage case 10 (in the direction of the arrow). This disengages the storage recess 20b on the working portion side, allowing the dental instrument 50's working portion 52 to be raised, using the shaft end side storage recess 20a as a fulcrum. At this point, since the shaft end side storage recess 20a is not completely disengaged, the dental instrument 50 can be secured in its upright, diagonal position by clamping the shaft end 51a into the fixing groove 30.

Furthermore, to erect the dental instrument 50 at an angle, it is sufficient to simply press down the shaft end 51 with a fingertip, making it easy to erect only the dental instrument 50 to be used. Furthermore, after removing the dental instrument 50 from the angled erected state, the dental instrument 50 can be vertically erected in the upright hole 40, making it easier to remove and prepare only the dental instrument 50 to be used.

Description of labels

10: Dental instrument storage box;

11: Main body;

11a: bottom surface;

12: cover;

13: pressing part;

20: Recessed portion for storage;

20a: a recessed portion for receiving the shaft end portion;

20b: storage recess on the working unit side;

30: fixed slot;

40: vertical hole;

50: dental instruments;

51: shaft;

51a: shaft end;

52: Operations Department.

Claims (3)

1. A dental instrument storage box for storing multiple dental instruments side-by-side, each dental instrument having a shaft and a working part, characterized in that, The dental instrument storage box has the following features: Storage recesses; and The fixing groove is slightly narrower than the diameter of the shaft portion. The shaft portion of each dental instrument being stored is held in the storage recess. From the held state, the shaft end is pressed down from above, clamping the shaft end in the fixing groove and fixing it in place. As a result, the working part is raised and fixed at an angle. 2. The dental instrument storage box according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage recess is a structure that fits into each of the dental instruments at multiple locations, including the shaft end side and the working part side. When the shaft end is pressed down from above, the fit on the working part side disengages, and the dental instrument stands up at an angle with the storage recess on the shaft end side as a fulcrum. 3. The dental instrument storage box according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The dental instrument storage box also has an upright hole on its bottom surface for inserting the shaft end of the dental instrument to hold the dental instrument upright.