US3061898A - Denture flask de-waxer - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 6, 1962 R. K. MALISZEWSKI 3,

DENTURE FLASK DE -WAXER Filed Sept. 16, 1959 W mmvrox W RICHARD K.MALI$ZEWSKI. J 32*. 70

FIG 4 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,061,898 DENTURE FLASK DE-WAXER Richard K. Maliszewski, Batavia, NY. (1318 Van Lare Road, Williamson, N.Y.) Filed Sept. 16, 1959, Ser. No. 840,416 1 Claim. (Cl. 229) This invention relates to denture preparation, and more particularly to apparatus for facilitating the removal of wax during the preparation of dentures.

In the preparation of dentures, it is usual to place the model in the lower half of a flask, filling in around the edges to secure the model in place and provide a surrounding parting surface. Thereafter the model is covered with a layer of wax, approximately a sixteenth of an inch thick, into which the sets of teeth are embedded. Thereafter, the upper half of the flask is added and filled with plaster, which when set, holds the teeth in position. At this point it is necessary to eliminate the wax completely from the mold so that the denture material may be introduced.

The removal of the wax is often accomplished by using water sufliciently hot to melt the wax. The washing out of the wax by hot water, in usual lavatory equipment, results in a messy operation, a mixture of wax and water, and a problem of preventing the wax accumulating in the drain. The present invention comprises a small open top vessel sufficiently deep to hold sufficient water to immerse denture flasks therein, and having an electrical heater for raising the water temperature close to the boiling point. The apparatus also includes a circulating pump, and nozzle for manually directing a stream of Water into the separated halves of the flask to flush the last vestige of wax from the mold.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings are employed for purposes of illustration only and are not designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the dental wax eliminator;

FIGURE 2 is a bottom plan view of the vessel;

FIGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, taken subtantially on the broken line 33 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a Wiring diagram.

Referring to FIGURE 1, there is shown a shallow oblong open top vessel 8 of a depth sufiicient to sub merge dental flasks, or about three to three and a half inches. The length and width may be 12" x 6". The container may be an aluminum casting 10, the casting including a U-shaped resistance heating coil 12 cast in the under side as at 14, a drain 16, a centrifugal pumpcavity 18 on the underside of the container aligned with and connected to the drain. The drain is provided with a perforate screen 21. The pump has a tangential outlet 20, comprising a port 22 which extends to the corner and thence up through a thickened corner of the container to the rim 23. The upper end of the conduit is provided with a fitting 24, to which is attached a section of flexible rubber hose 26, the latter having a plain nozzle 28 at its end, and a heat insulated sleeve or hand grip 29, adjacent the end.

The container is supported on a metal wrap around skirt 30, having a height sufficient to house a motor 32 to drive the pump. The pump chamber is closed by a bottom plate 34 having a bearing and stufling box 38, through which the impeller shaft 40 extends. The impeller 39 is driven by the motor 32, through a belt drive 42 and the motor is mounted on the bottom plate 46 which has ventilating apertures 48. The underside of the vessel has an integral depending flange or plate like projection 52, to which is attached a thermostat 56, and the latter may be adjusted by a knob 58 projecting through the front panel of the skirt.

The heater coil is adapted to be connected to the usual lighting circuit, a plug receptacle 61 being provided. The heater is of a resistance such that water to a level of about two inches, in the container, may be brought to a boil in about 15 minutes. A protective fuse 59, which would burn out at a selected temperature above boiling may be provided in circuit with the heater, and the thermostat control 56 sensitive to temperatures either just below or above boiling but below the protective fuse temperature is provided to cut off power, should the container run dry and the temperature thus greatly exceed the boiling temperature. Such thermostat may be manually adjusted to any desired temperature within the range set forth.

The flexible hose, connected to the outlet side of the pump has an insulating sleeve for a hand grip near its nozzle end, and is of sufiicient length to permit the nozzle to be conveniently projected toward denture molds or the parts thereof resting in the vessel, or held over the vessel by tongs.

Switches 70 and 72 provide for control over the pump, and heater. In practice, a denture mold from which wax is to be removed is placed in the vessel and submerged in water. Heat is then applied by closing switch 72, which brings the temperature of the water gradually almost to the boiling point, which thereby melts the wax. The flask may be picked up by tongs, and separated and held over the container while near boiling hot water is projected over the parts by the nozzle to remove all wax, the hot water being circulated by the centrifugal pump, which is placed in operation at this time.

The melted wax thus removed floats on the surface of the water, and is thereby prevented from entering the pump through the drain outlet. When the water cools down, the wax solidifies and may be readily removed from the water surface.

It will be appreciated that the vessel may be subse quently employed in the processing of the denture material thereafter placed in the mold, by employing the heater with the manual control over the temperature through the thermostat.

Although a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

Denture flask dewaxing apparatus comprising an open top tapered wall rectangular and substantially flat bottom cast aluminum vessel having a rectangualr rim, said vessel being adapted to contain water to a depth suflicient to submerge a denture flask, electrical resistance heating means cast integral in the underside of the bottom of the vessel to heat water contained therein, a drain in the bottom of the vessel, a centrifugal pump chamber cast integral in the underside of the bottom wall of the vessel and communicating with the drain, said chamber having an outlet extending to the rim of the vessel at one corner, a flexible hose and nozzle connected to the outlet for directing a hot water stream upon denture mold cavities to melt and wash wax therefrom, said hose having a heat insulating sleeve disposed adjacent the nozzle as a manual grip therefor, an integral flange depending from the underside of said bottom, thermostatic control means mounted on said flange, electrically connected in circuit with said resistance heating means, a rectangular wrap around skirt disposed around the vessel and beneath the rim, and 5 adapted to support the vessel in an elevated position, a bottom plate secured to the lower edge of said skirt, a cover plate for said pump chamber having an impeller shaft bearing therein, an impeller in said chamber, having a drive shaft depending from and extending through 10 said bearing, a motor mounted on said plate, drivably connected with said impeller shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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