Apparatus and method for measuring the position of the occlusal plane of the mouth
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for measuring the position of the occlusal plane of the mouth comprising:
- a vertical bow;
an upper rest, disposed at a top of said vertical bow, for positioning against a nasal bridge of a patient;
a chin rest, disposed at a bottom of said vertical bow, for positioning against a chin of said patient;
at least two light sources for projecting light beams at a feature of said patient to be measured, said at least two light sources being provided on said vertical bow between said upper rest and said chin rest;
means for adjusting said at least two light beams;
a microprocessor for calculating a height and depth of said feature relative to said vertical bow, said microprocessor performing said calculations of said height and depth based upon said at least two light beams after adjustment by said adjusting means; and
display means receiving an output from said microprocessor, for displaying said height and depth measurements.
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Abstract
An instrument and method to measure the position of the occlusal plane of the mouth with reference to the structural features of the cranium. The instrument includes a vertical face bow, positioned on the nasal bridge and the forward edge of the base of the chin. The device employs light beams to make measurements of the patient'"'"'s occlusal plane and the nose-to-chin distances. The device utilizes an internal processor to make the necessary calculations, provides direct numerical readouts, is battery powered and self-calibrating. The entire device is sealed to permit cold sterilization by liquids.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An apparatus for measuring the position of the occlusal plane of the mouth comprising:
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a vertical bow; an upper rest, disposed at a top of said vertical bow, for positioning against a nasal bridge of a patient; a chin rest, disposed at a bottom of said vertical bow, for positioning against a chin of said patient; at least two light sources for projecting light beams at a feature of said patient to be measured, said at least two light sources being provided on said vertical bow between said upper rest and said chin rest; means for adjusting said at least two light beams; a microprocessor for calculating a height and depth of said feature relative to said vertical bow, said microprocessor performing said calculations of said height and depth based upon said at least two light beams after adjustment by said adjusting means; and display means receiving an output from said microprocessor, for displaying said height and depth measurements. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method of measuring the position of the occlusal plane of the mouth using a dental occlusal instrument comprising the steps of:
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positioning a vertical bow in front of a patient'"'"'s face; positioning an upper rest, disposed at a top of said vertical bow, against a nasal bridge of said patient; positioning a chin rest, disposed at a bottom of said vertical bow, against a chin of said patient; projecting at least two light beams from at least two separate light sources near a center of said face bow at a feature of said patient to be measured; adjusting said at least two light beams; calculating a height and depth of said feature relative to said vertical bow utilizing said at least two light beams after said adjusting step; and displaying said height and depth measurements produced from said calculating step. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification