US1850851A

US1850851A - Heated dental instrument

Info

Publication number: US1850851A
Application number: US322819A
Authority: US
Inventors: Oscar H Pieper
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1928-11-30
Filing date: 1928-11-30
Publication date: 1932-03-22
Anticipated expiration: 1949-03-22

Description

March 22, 1932. o. H. PIEPER HEATED DENTAL INSTRUMENT Filed NOV. 50, 1928 Patented Mar. 22, 1932 ?ATENT GFFI CE OSCAR H. PIEPER, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK HEATED DENTAL INSTRUMENT Application filed November 30, 1928. Serial No. 322,819.

This invention relates to dental instruments, and more particularly to instruments which are heated, preferably electrically, during use thereof.

Heated instruments for use in dental work have come into extensive use. These instruments are highly eflicient for certain purposes, but are open to the objection that great care is required in manipulating them, as

W they are apt to cause serious burns if brought into contact with the lips or other fleshy parts of the patients mouth. The conditions of use of dental instruments are frequently such as to render it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to prevent contact of the instrument with the patients mouth. Realizing these facts, I provide a guard member which extends about the shank portion of the instrument and along the same a proper distance to prevent contact of the hot shank of the instrument with the patients mouth.

It is desirable that such a guard member be removable in order that materials which collect in the same may be readily removed and the instrument, as a whole, maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. I prefer, for this reason, to mount the guard member in such manner as to permit ready removal thereof. This guard member is provided with an opening or slot topermit removal thereof from about an instrument which has a head of such size, or so disposed, as to project outwardly beyond the periphery of the outer end of the guard member. While I prefer to have the guard member removable, this is not essential to its function as a guard member, and my invention comprehends, in its broader aspects, a guard member which is disposed to protect the patients mouth from contact with the hot shank of the instrument, whether such guard member be removable or be permanently associated with the instrument. My invention also has to do with the construction of the instrument itself, particularly the base portion thereof, whereby the elements thereof are effectively insulated from each other and the guard member is insulated from the hot metal portions of the instrument so as not to be heated therefrom. Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is an axial sectional view through a dental instrument and a guard member therefor constructed in accordance with my invention, illustrated as applied to a hand piece, which is shown partly in section;

F 2 is an elevation of the instrument and the guard therefor as applied; 30

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the guard member removed from the instrument;

Fig. 4 is an elevation of the instrument with the guard member removed therefrom; and

5 is an elevation of the head and shank portions of the instrument illustrating the manner of removing the guard member from about the same, the guard member being shown in section.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to burnisher which comprises a tubular metal shank 1 in the upper end of which is secured a reduced neck 2 of a head 3. This head is of known construction and comprises a burnishing finger 4t projecting from the head at one side thereof and an arm 5 projecting from the head at the other side thereof and carrying, at its outer end, a burnishing ball 6. The head 3 is of metal and neck 2 thereof is in intimate contact with the upper end portion of shank 1 so as to be readily heated therefrom by conduct-ion.

The other end portion of shank 1 is dis posed within the end of a metal sleeve 7 formed of brass or other suitable material. The upper portion of this sleeve is interiorly threaded and the shank is secured therein by a suitable cement 8, or in any other suitable manner. The lower end portion of shank 1 is reduced in diameter to provide an ele ment 9 which seats within an enlarged bore in the upper portion of a tubular member 10. This member 10 is formed of a synthetic resin known commercially as bakelite which is moulded between the outer sleeve 7 and an inner brass sleeve 11 and a brass nipple 12.

The two sleeves and the nipple are disposed in concentric spaced relation, sleeve 11 pro jecting outwardly beyond the lower end of sleeve 7, and nipple 12 projecting outwardly beyond the lower end of sleeve 11, these sleeves and the nipple being thus dis posed in step arrangement. Sleeve 7 is preferably provided with several recesses or indentationsin its inner face to provide suitable anchorage for the material of member 10, and sleeve 11 is preferably nteriorly threaded and nipple 12 is corrugated, for the same purpose. 'A collar 13, preferably formed of the same material as member 10, is molded about sleeve 7, this collar being of great diameter relative to the sleeve. The collar is provided with an exteriorly threaded neck 14 extending from the upper face thereof and with an upwardlytapering extension 15 which projects from the upper. end of the neck and extends to the upper end of sleeve 7 so as to effectively enclose the same. A heating element 16 in the form of a resistance coil or strip, is disposed within the tubular shank 1. One terminal of this member 16 is connected by a lead 17 to nipple 12, the other terminal being connected by a lead 18 to sleeve 11. The instrument, thus con structed, is rugged and well capable of Withstanding the stresses to which it is subjected in use, all of the metal parts being effectively enclosed when, the instrument is applied to a hand piece. I have illustrated the instrument as applied to a hand piece 19 by means of which the heating element 16 can be connected into an electric circuit.

This hand piece is provided with a collar 20 carried by a metallic strip 21, this collar receiving the inner or lower portion of sleeve 11. A resilient contact strip 22 is disposed within the hand piece for contact with the nipple 12. A sleeve 23 is slidableon the hand piece 19 and carries a button 24 which operates in a slot 25 of the hand piece. this button being disposed to move strip 22 into contact with the nipple 12 when sleeve 23 is moved into its extreme position toward the instrument. The strips 21 and 22 are suitably supported in the hand piece 19 and are electrically insulated therefrom and from each other, these strips being connected to the opposite sides of an electric circuit in a manner well understood in the art. When sleeve 23 is moved in to its circuit closing position, its upper end contacts with a ring 26 which screws upon the end of the hand piece and cooperates with means carried thereby for efiectively clamping the instrument in the hand piece. Any suitable or preferred form of means for clamping the instrument in the hand piece can be used. I have illustrated clamping means similar to that disclosed in my co-pending application for switch handle and instrument, Serial No. 136,501, filed September 20, 1926. It is not thought necessary to describe the clamping means in detail, it being sufficient that suitable clamping means for securing the instrument in the hand piece is provided.

When sleeve 23 is moved into circuit closing position, the heating element 16 is connected into the electric circuit and serves to heat the shank 1 of the instrument to a relatively high temperature, head 3 being heated from this shank by conduction. The shank 1 is heated to such a high temperature, particularly when it is necessary to heat the head 3 I have provided a guard member 26a in the form of a truncated cone, this member being interiorly threaded at its base 27 and screwing onto the neck 14 of collar 13 which constitutes a base structure for reception of the guard member. Member 26a is preferably formed from a material which is an electric and a heat insulator, the synthetic resin,

known commercially as bakelite, being preferably used for this purpose. Any other suitable or preferred material, however, may be used for the guard member. This member extends about the shank 1 in concentric spaced relation thereto and is out of contact with the hot metal parts of the instrument for its entire length. By tapering the guard member toward the head of the instrument, interference by this member with the manipulation of the instrument in the use thereof is eliminated.

The guard member extends along the shank of the instrument a proper distance to assure that this hot shank will not come into contact with the patients mouth or lips. This provides a highly efficient device whereby a dental instrument heated to a relatively high temperature can be safely used without danger of burning the patient.

The ard member 26a is preferably provided with a slot 28 extending from the upper end thereof to the base portion 27. This slot is of proper width to accommodate the ball 6 of head 3. When it is desired to remove the guard member from ab out the instrument, it is first unscrewed from neck 14 of collar 13 and is then moved upwardly along shank 1 until arm 5 of head 3 enters the upper portion of the slot. The guard member is then tilted in the direction of finger 4 of the head, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 5, and is then slid upwardly until arm 5 is at the bottom ofslot 28. This disposes finger 4 in the relatively wide base portion of the guard member which may then be tilted in the oppolOZ) site direction so as to bring the base portion 27 thereof upwardly beyond finger 4. This position of the guard member is shown in full lines in F ig. 5. The member 26a may then be removed from the instrument by moving it toward head 6 which passes through the slot 28. By reversing this operation, th guard member can be readily replaced. I have illustrated my invention, by way of example, as used in connection with a burnisher. Dental instruments are of a great variety of shapes and sizes and there are many of such instruments which can be readily passed through the outer or smaller end of the guard member 26a axially thereof without utilizing tire slot 28. This slot is not, therefore, essen tial in all cases, though I preferably provide it in order that the guard member may be used with instruments h ving elements which project outwardly beyond the guard member. Obviously, the guard member can be permanently associated with the instrument, if desired, in which case the provision of the slot 28 would be unnecessary.

As above indicated, changes in construction and arrangement of parts of the invention may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the field and scope of the same, and I intend to include all such variations, as fall within the scope of the appended claims, in this application in which the preferred form only of my invention is disclosed.

hat I claim is 1. In combination, a base structure, a dental instrument comprising a shank mounted in said structure and a head carried thereby, and a guard member removably mounted on the base structure and extending along the shank in spaced relation thereto, said memher having a slot extending lengthwise thereof from its outer end and adapted to accommodate an element of the head in the removal of the guard member from about the shank.

2. In combination, an instrument holder, an instrument mounted in said holder and comprising a shank provided at its outer end with a laterally projecting head, and a guard member removably mounted about and extending along said instrument in spaced relation thereto, the length of said head being greater than the interior width of the outer end of the guard member, said member being provided with a slot extending lengthwise thereof from the outer end of the guard member and adapted to accommodate an element of the head in the removal of the guard memher from about the shank.

In combination, an instrument comprising a shank and a head at one end of the shank and projecting laterally therefrom, a base structure permanently associated with the instrument and remote from said head, and a guard member removably mounted at its inner end on the base structure and extending therefrom along the shank in spaced relation thereto, the guard member being provided with a slot extending lengthwise thereof and from the outer end of said member, said slot being adapted to accommodate an element of the head in the removal of the guard member from about the shank.

4. In combination, an instrument holder, an instrument mounted in said holder and comprising a shank provided at its outer end with a laterally projecting head, and a tubular guard member removably mounted about and extending along said instrument in spaced relation thereto, the length of said head being greater than the interior width of the outer end of the guard member, the bore of the guard member increasin in width from its outer end to its inner end and said member being provided with a slot extending lengthwise thereof from the outer end of the guard member and adapted to accommodate an element of the head in the removal of the guard member from about the shank.

5. In combination, an instrument holder, an instrument mounted in said holder and comprising a shank provided at its outer end with a laterally projecting head, and a tubular guard member removably mounted about and extending along said instrument in spaced relation thereto, the length of said head being greater than the interior width of the outer end of the guard member, said guard member being of frusto-conical shape and the wall thereof being of approximately uniform thickness, the guard member being provided with a slot extending lengthwise thereof from the outer end of the guard memher and adapted to accommodate an element of the head in the removal of the guard member from about the shank.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe 1