US3521057A - Human head immobilization unit for panoramic x-ray machines - Google Patents

Description

- July 2-1, 1970 I A. F. MORLAN HUMAN HEAD IMMOBILIZATION UNIT FOR PANORAMIC X-RAY MACHINES Filed April 23, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIGURE 2.

FIG URE' FIGURE 4.

INVENTOR.

ALVA F. MORLAN BY ATTORNEY July 21, 1970 A. F. MORLAN HUMAN HEAD IMMOBILIZATION UNIT FOR PANORAMIC X-RAY MACHINES Filed April 25, 1968 2 SheetsSheet 2 'HHI III

FIGURE 7.

p v p I I F GURE 5 mvsmozm ALVA F. MORLAN A'r'roRNEir FIGURE 6 FIGURE IO- United States Patent 3,521,057 HUMAN HEAD IMMOBILIZATION UNIT FOR PANORAMIC X-RAY MACHINES Alva F. Morlan, 7245 Wyandotte St., Kansas City, Mo. 64114 Filed Apr. 23, 1968, Ser. No. 723,531 Int. Cl. G03b 41/16 US. Cl. 250-50 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A pair of toothed racks slidably mounted horizontally through a housing; a pinion engaging the toothed racks to move them in opposite directions; the housing being securable to an X-ray machine below the chin of a person positioned thereon for a panoramic picture film; a pair of arms; each of said arms being secured to one end portion of a respective toothed rack; each of said arms being slidable on the end portion of the opposite respective toothed rack; said arms being projected horizontally and transversely to said toothed racks and outwardly and upwardly to clamp against the persons head when said pinion is turned.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION My invention is preferably adaptable to be secured to an X-ray machine for example US. Pat. 3,045,118 for the improved immobilization of the human head while making a panoramic X-ray picture of a portion of a human head particularly all of the teeth in the human head illustrated on one picture strip of film.

One specific function of my improved invention is to prevent a person from moving the head while being rapidly X-rayed in panoramic form.

The X-ray film holder for panoramic film pictures moves in a circular direction and very close to the head of a person often causing a person to involuntarily move the head and spoil a portion of the picture film.

The following patents were found in a preliminary search, 2,532,967; and 2,717,314; each of which would obstruct the rotation of an X-ray projector and film holder while making a panoramic picture film. The mentioned patents do not hold the chin, and sides of the head to prevent movement thereof.

SUMMARY My improvement rapidly adjusts to different sizes of human heads with equal movement of the arms with head clamps about sides of the head to center the head with the pivotal rotation of the panoramic film holder and X-ray projector.

The chin rest is old but the combination of a chin rest and arms with clamps to the sides of a persons head has been found most effective to prevent head movement upwardly, downwardly or to either side while making a panoramic X-ray picture film.

This invention is for dentists and specialists in X-ray procedure to prevent more than one complete X-ray panoramic picture film per person to determine the condition of the the teeth and possible extraction thereof.

The improvement is secured to an X-ray chair portion located below the chin of a person seated for an X-ray picture so that the X-ray projector and film holder may freely turn or rotate about the persons head with the arm clamp portions projected upwardly close to the sides of the head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This invention will be more fully understood with reference to the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a perspective of an X-ray panoramic machine having a chin rest for preferable attachment of my improvement.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating a side elevation of my improved human head immobilization unit preferably secured to a support rod of a chin rest of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a front elevation of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a view illustrating a plan of FIG. 3 with the X-ray projector and film holder of FIG. 1 positioned to turn or rotate about the head of a person.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on lines 5-5 of FIG. 6 showing the pinion engaging the slidable toothed racks locked against movement by a set screw.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on lines 66 of FIG. 7, showing the housing with slidable toothed racks, pinion, shaft, and control knob.

FIG. 7. is a view illustrating the plan of the improved human head immobilization unit.

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating an inverted plan of the housing, guide plate, and screws therefor.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a side elevation of FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a view in section taken on lines 1010 of FIG. 9 with the pinion removed.

One means of mounting the improved head immobilization unit 12 below the chin of a person seated in a chair for panoramic X-ray follows:

The example FIG. 1 and preferred panoramic X-ray machine 11 for supporting my human head immobilization unit 12 has a chair 13 with a front cross-rod 14 pivoted at 15 and latched at 16 to hold a person in the chair and support rod 18.

The support rod 18 has a horizontal portion 19 thereon for preferred support of my housing 20. The chin rest 17 and support rod 18- are adjustable at 21.

The X-ray projector 22 and film holder 23 are preferably supported on an arm 24 pivoted at 25, and are turned on pivot 25 about a human head 26 restable on chin rest 17 for a panoramic X-ray picture film within the film holder 23. A slot 27 in the film holder is provided for the reception of the X-rays from the projector 22 to the film.

The means of support of my human head immobilization unit 12 has a housing 20 with a preferable channel 28 on the lower face 29 for the reception of the horizontal portion of support rod 18. The channel 28 extends across the lower face 29 opening on the bottom and opposite ends of the housing 20 to receive horizontal portion 19 of support rod 18. A bottom plate 30 is preferably secured to the lower face 29 of the housing 20 with screws 31.

Set screws 32 in the bottom plate 30 are set against the support rod portion 19 to prevent relative movement between the housing 20 and the support rod 18.

The housing 20 may be suitably secured to other portions of a panoramic X-ray machine by a different means for a different make not shown; but must be located below the chin 33 of a human head 26 of a person seated in a chair for a panoramic picture film.

A bent plate 34 is secured to the bottom plate 30 and extended forwardly with a slot 43- to receive and help stabilization of the support rod 18.

A pair of toothed racks 35 are slidably mounted through the housing 20 in parallelism and are projected through both sides of the housing 20. A shaft 36 is mounted uprightly in the housing 20 with the lower portion thereof projected into a recess 37 and secured to a pinion 38 located in the recess 37.

The pinion 38 spaces and engages both toothed racks 35 to drive them in opposite directions. The upper portion of shaft 36 is projected above the housing 20 and is secured to a knob 39 for manual turning to slide the toothed racks 35 in opposite directions.

A pair of arms 40 are mounted on opposite end portions of the toothed racks 35. Each arm 40 is secured to one end portion of a respective toothed rack 35. Each arm 40 is slidable on the opposite respective toothed rack 35. Both arms 40 are projected horizontally and transversely to the toothed racks 35 toward the human head 26 and then upwardly to be clampable against the sides of the human head 26 of a person when the pinion 38 is turned therefor. A set screw 41 is a means for locking the toothed racks 35 in clamped position.

The teeth 42 of the toothed racks 35 may be located on a portion of the length thereof to limit the desired movement of the arms 40 for opening and closing to clamp on different heads 26.

Indicia for recording purposes may be located on the housing to show the position of the knob 39 relative to the size of a human head 26.

The toothed racks 35 are slidable members. Teeth 42, pinion 38, shaft 36, and knob 39 are a means for moving the slidable members 35 and arms 24 into a clampable position on a human head 26 as claimed in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A human head immobilization unit for panoramic X-ray picture film machines, the machine having a chin rest thereon; the human head immobilization unit comprising inv combination:

(a) a housing;

(b) a pair of toothed racks;

(c) said toothed racks being slidably mounted horizontally through said housing in parallelism;

(d) a pinion;

(e) said pinion being recessed in said housing;

(f) said pinion spacing and engaging said toothed racks to move them in opposite directions;

(g) means for turning said pinion;

(h) said housing being securable to an X-ray machine below the chin of a person positioned thereon for a panoramic X-ray picture fiilm;

(i) a pair of arms;

(j) said arms being positioned transversely on opposite end portions of said racks;

(k) each of said arms being slidable on the end portion of a respective toothed rack;

(1) each of said arms being secured to one end portion of a respective opposite rack;

(m) and said pair of arms being projected outwardly and upwardly to be clampable against the sides of the mentioned persons head when said pinion is turned by said means.

2. A human head immobilization unit for panoramic X-ray picture film machines having a chin rest thereon; the human head immobilization unit comprising in combination:

(a) a housing;

(b) a pair of toothed racks;

(c) said toothed racks being slidably mounted horizontally through both ends of said housing in parallelism;

(d) a pinion; I

(c) said pinion being recessed in said housing;

(f) said pinion engaging said toothed racks to move them in opposite directions;

(g) a shaft;

(h) said shaft being uprightly mounted in said housing;

(i) said pinion being mounted on the projected lower end portion of said shaft;

'(j) said shaft having its upper end portion projected from said housing;

(k) a knob;

(1) said knob being mounted on the upper projected end portion of said shaft;

(m) said housing being clampable to a rod supporting a chin rest on an X-ray machine;

(11) a pair of arms;

(0) each of said arms being mounted transversely on opposite projected end portions of said toothed racks;

(p) each of said arms being secured to one end portion of a respective toothed rack;

(q) each of said spaced anms being slidable on the end portions of the opposite respective toothed rack;

(r) said pair of arms projected horizontally and upwardly to clamp against the mentioned head of a person when said pinion is manually turned in one direction by said knob;

(s) means to lock said arms in the mentioned clamped position.

3. A human head immobilization unit for panoramic X-ray picture film machines, the machine having a chin rest thereon; the human head immobilization unit comprising in combination:

(a) a housing;

(b) a pair of toothed racks;

(c) said pair of toothed racks being slidable horizontally through said housing;

((1) a pinion;

(e) said pinion engaging said toothed racks to move them in opposite directions;

(f) said housing being securable to an X-ray picture film machine below the chin of a person positioned on the machine for a panoramic picture film;

(g) a pair of arms;

(h) each of said arms being secured to one projected end portion of a respective toothed rack;

(i) each of said arms being slidable on the end portion of the opposite respective toothed rack;

(j) and said arms being projected horizontally and transversely and upwardly from said toothed racks to clamp against opposite sides of the mentioned persons head when said pinion is turned;

(k) and means to lock said arms in clamped position against a human head.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,452,816 11/1948 Wagner 269-328 2,903,588 9/1959 Minnich 2505O X 3,099,441 7/1963 Ries 369328 3,364,352 1/1968 Fry et a1 2505O ARCHIE R. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner A. L. BIRCH, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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