PENUMATIC CLEANING, DISINFECTING AND OILING DEVICE FOR A TUBE-TYPE DENTAL HANDPIECE

• US 3,811,408 A
• Filed: 11/06/1972
• Issued: 05/21/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arnold M. Thompson
• Original Assignee: Arnold M. Thompson
• Inventors: Thompson, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): McIntosh, John P.
• Application Number:
  US05/304,337
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 118/317,73 134/166C,167C,168C,169C,94,99
• US Class Current: 118/73
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/00 Dental auxiliary appliances dental chairs or accessories therefor, working stands whether or not combined with chairs A61G15/00

Abstract

A device in the form of a small compact portable reservoir and valve arrangement designed for attachment to a source of pressurized air and by means of which measured charges of a cleansing, disinfecting and oiling liquid may be successively and forcibly projected in an atomized condition through the small bore passages of a dentist'"'"''"'"'s handpiece.

Claims

1. In a device for atomizing and forcibly projecting a liquid medium through a small bore passage associated with a dental handpiece or similar instrument for the purpose of treating such passage, a thick-walled, tubular casing embodying a cylindrical side wall and circular end closure walls defining together an internal reservoir for the liquid medium, one of said end closure walls having an air passage extending diametrically therethrough and an axial liquid passage establishing communication between a medial region of said air passage and the inner end of the reservoir, said air passage having at one end an air inlet designed for connection to a source of air under pressure and at its other end an air outlet designed for connection to said small bore passage of the dental handpiece, and a manuallyoperable valve means effective between said reservoir and said liquid passage for admitting small quantities of the liquid medium from said reservoir into said liquid passage for subsequent atomization and discharge through said air outlet by aspiration of such liquid medium during passage of air through said air passage, said valve means comprising a valve element loosely disposed within the reservoir, a valve seat for said valve element at the juncture region between the reservoir and the liquid passage, and a manuallyoperable actuator projecting axially through said other end closure wall and engageable with said valve element for forcing the latter against said valve seat.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 and wherein said valve seat is in the form of a frusto-conical depression in said one end closure wall, and said valve element is in the form of a spherical ball.

3. A device as set forth in claim 1 and wherein the valve element is in the form of ball and said actuator is in the form of a plunger which projects through said other end closure wall, has its inner end designed for engagement with the valve ball, carries a manipulating knob on its outer end exteriorly of the reservoir, and has its medial region threadedly received in said other end closure wall whereby rotation of the plunger in opposite directions will tighten the valve ball against said valve seat and loosen the same therefrom.

4. A device as set forth in claim 3 and wherein said other closure wall is in the form of a closure cap which is telescopically and threadedly received over the adjacent end of said cylindrical side wall.

5. A device as set forth in claim 4 and wherein said plunger is cylindrical and said medial region thereof is of enlarged diameter and projects through a centrally disposed threaded opening in said other end closure wall within which it is threadedly received and from which it is removable so as to expose the opening for Reservoir filling purposes.

6. In a device for successively and forcibly projecting a cleaning liquid and a disinfecting and oiling liquid through the small bore passages associated with a dental handpiece or the like for the purpose of scavenging such bores, a generally tubular casing presenting a cylindrical side wall, circular end walls and a medial transverse partition wall, said walls defining a pair of liquid reservoirs on opposite sides of said medial partition wall and adapted to contain, respectively, said cleaning liquid and said disinfecting and oiling liquid, said casing being formed with a diametric air passage which projects completely through said side wall and partition wall and defines at one end an air inlet which is adapted for connection to a source of air under pressure, and at the other end an air outlet which is designed for attachment to the proximate end of the dental handpiece, said casing being further formed with a longitudinally extending liquid passage which extends centrally through said partition wall, intersects said air passage, and establishes communication between said reservoirs and air passage, and selectivelyoperable, manually-controlled valve means effective between each reservoir and said liquid passage for admitting small quantities of liquid from the former to the latter for subsequent atomization and discharge from said air outlet by aspiration of the liquid during passage of air through said air passage.

7. A device as set forth in claim 6 and wherein the opposite sides of said transverse partition wall are formed with frusto-conical depressions therein which communicate with the ends of said liquid passage, and each valve means embodies a valve ball loosely disposed in one of said reservoirs and designed for seating engagement with the associated frusto-conical depression, and a manually-operable plunger threaded centrally through an opening in one of said closure walls and having its inner end designed for engagement with said valve ball to force the latter against said frusto-conical depression when said plunger is tightened in said opening.

8. A device as set forth in claim 7 and wherein said frusto-conical depressions are of relatively steep slant angle and the areas of said opposite sides of the partition wall surrounding the depressions are frusto-conical on a lesser slant angle.

9. A device as set forth in claim 8 and wherein said casing is formed of transparent material to the end that the liquid contents of said reservoirs and the quantity of liquid in said passageways at any given moment may be visualized through the casing.