Periodontal probe
First Claim
1. A periodontal probe comprising sequentially disposed, connected sensor, shaft and tip portions, and an elongated flexible fiber element extending longitudinally through said tip portion and at least a portion of said shaft portion, said tip portion terminating in a terminal end, said fiber element having distal and proximal ends and being assembled in said tip portion and said shaft portion so that it normally projects beyond the terminal end of said tip portion terminating in said distal end, said fiber element being supported in said tip portion and said shaft portion so that it is longitudinally slidable therein along a predetermined path of movement, said tip portion and said shaft portion being integrally and permanently connected, the combined length of said tip portion and said shaft portion being at least approximately 41/2 inches, said sensor portion communicating with the proximal end of said fiber element for sensing relative longitudinal movement between said fiber element and said tip portion, said shaft portion being detachable from said sensor portion to permit replacement of said shaft portion, said tip portion and said fiber element.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A periodontal probe includes sequentially disposed, normally connected sensor, shaft and tip portions, and a longitudinally extending fiber element in the tip and shaft portions. The fiber element is retractable into the tip portion to measure the depths of periodontal pockets in the mouth of a patient, and the sensor portion is operative for generating electrical signals which cumulatively provide indications of the relative positions of the tip portion and the fiber element. The shaft portion, the tip portion and the fiber element are preferably disposable and detachably connected to the sensor portion so that they can be discarded after a single periodontal examination. The shaft portion and the tip portion preferably have a combined length of at least approximately 41/2 inches so that only the disposable portions of the probe normally come into contact with the hands of a dentist or the mouth of a patient during a periodontal examination. The terminal end portion of the fiber element preferably has a series of different colored annular bands thereon so that a dentist can visually observe the position of the fiber element relative to the gingival margin during a periodontal examination.
71 Citations
17 Claims
- 1. A periodontal probe comprising sequentially disposed, connected sensor, shaft and tip portions, and an elongated flexible fiber element extending longitudinally through said tip portion and at least a portion of said shaft portion, said tip portion terminating in a terminal end, said fiber element having distal and proximal ends and being assembled in said tip portion and said shaft portion so that it normally projects beyond the terminal end of said tip portion terminating in said distal end, said fiber element being supported in said tip portion and said shaft portion so that it is longitudinally slidable therein along a predetermined path of movement, said tip portion and said shaft portion being integrally and permanently connected, the combined length of said tip portion and said shaft portion being at least approximately 41/2 inches, said sensor portion communicating with the proximal end of said fiber element for sensing relative longitudinal movement between said fiber element and said tip portion, said shaft portion being detachable from said sensor portion to permit replacement of said shaft portion, said tip portion and said fiber element.
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17. A periodontal probe comprising sequentially disposed, connected sensor, shaft and tip portions, and an elongated flexible fiber element extending longitudinally through said tip portion and at least a portion of said shaft portion, said tip portion terminating in a terminal end, said fiber element having distal and proximal ends and being assembled in said tip portion and said shaft portion so that it normally projects beyond the free terminal end of said tip portion terminating in said distal end, said fiber element being supported in said tip portion and said shaft portion so that it is longitudinally slidable therein along a predetermined path of movement, said sensor portion communicating with the proximal end of said fiber element for sensing relative longitudinal movement between said fiber element and said tip portion, said shaft portion being freely rotatable relative to at least a portion of said sensor portion without affecting the attachment of said shaft portion to said sensor portion.
Specification