Abrasive tool having safe and active areas

• US 6,726,531 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2000
• Issued: 04/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Stephen K. Harrel
• Original Assignee: Stephen K. Harrel
• Inventors: Harrel, Stephen K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Morgan, Eileen P.
• Application Number:
  US09/534,924
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 451/165, 451/552, 451/553, 451/555, 451/557, 451/558, 451/910, 451/54, 451/55, 451/28, 433/119, 433/165, 433/166, 433/125
• US Class Current: 451/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/20 using ultrasonics
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 451/91 Ultrasonic

Abstract

A tool for abrading a workpiece to smooth the surface thereof. In one embodiment, the tool is an ultrasonic tip (12) having plural grooves (16) formed in a smooth surface (14) thereof. Each groove (16) includes an abrasive material (24) coating the depression thereof. Rough surface areas of a workpiece projecting into the groove (16) are abraded to thereby result in a smooth workpiece surface. Once the surface roughness of the workpiece has been removed, the smooth areas (14) of the ultrasonic tip (12) are engaged, thereby preventing further abrasion of the workpiece.

Claims

1. A tool for abrading raised portions from a workpiece in response to relative movement between said tool and the workpiece, comprising:

an ultrasonic tip defining said tool

a rigid and nonpliable material from which said ultrasonic tip is constructed;

a working area of said ultrasonic tip adapted for engaging the workpiece, said working area having a safe area and an active area;

the safe area of said ultrasonic tip defined by at least two spaced apart surface regions, each said surface region being a nonabrasive surface of said working area adapted for preventing abrasion of the workpiece when engaged therewith; and

the active area including one or more depressions formed in said ultrasonic tip below a line tangent to the nonabrasive surfaces of said spaced apart regions so that said active area does not project above the nonabrasive surface of said safe area, each said depression of said active area having a size such that said workpiece will not fit therein but in which the raised portions of the workpiece will fit therein, said active area having a mechanism formed therein for abrading the raised portions of the workpiece that project into the active area, whereby when the raised portions of the workpiece are abraded, the safe area of said working area is then caused to engage said workpiece and further abrasion of the workpiece does not occur.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein said depressions are formed with a size selected so at least a portion of said raised portions can enter into said depressions.

3. The tool of claim 1, wherein said active area comprises said depressions coated with an abrasive material.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein said active area comprises a sharp edge formed within said depression.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein said active abrading areas of said tool comprise one or more grooves.

6. The tool of claim 5, wherein each said groove has a depth that is a function of the height of the raised portions of the workpiece.

7. The tool of claim 1, wherein each said depression comprises a trough portion and a rounded edge joining said trough portion to said safe area, at least a portion of said trough portion being lined with an abrasive grit.

8. The tool of claim 1, wherein each said depression comprises a trough portion and a rounded edge joining said trough portion to said safe area, and further including a sharp abrading edge formed within said trough portion.

9. The tool of claim 1, wherein said depressions are formed as a plurality of grooves, each said groove extending axially along a shank portion of said tool, and each said groove spaced annularly from an adjacent groove around the shank portion of said tool.

10. The tool of claim 1, wherein said tool is constructed of a tubular member having one or more openings, each opening defined by a hole formed through a sidewall of said tubular member, said tubular member having an inner surface and an outer surface, and each said opening including a peripheral edge, and an inside edge is formed where said peripheral edge joins said inner surface, and an outside edge is formed where said peripheral edge joins said outer surface of said tubular member, and wherein said active area comprises a sharp portion of said inside edge.

11. The tool of claim 10, wherein said outside edge is structured so as to be nonabrasive.

12. The tool of claim 1, wherein said tool is structured to remove the raised portions of the workpiece without rotation of said tool.

13. The tool of claim 1, wherein the depression is constructed with a depth such that the mechanism for abrading the raised portions causes substantially complete removal of said raised portions from the workpiece.

15. The method of claim 12, further including the step of removing at least a portion of accretions of material from a tooth root in a location not visible by a user of the ultrasonic tip, and without damaging portions of the tooth surface.

16. The method of claim 12, further including the step of engaging the ultrasonic tip with the tooth surface to reduce the roughness of accretions therefrom without concern of removing portions of the tooth surface.

14. A method of engaging an ultrasonic tip with a tooth surface to remove at least a portion of accretions from the tooth surface without damaging the surface of the tooth, comprising the steps of:

using said ultrasonic tip having a working area including a safe nonabrasive area and an active abrasive area, said active abrasive area defined by at least one depression structured for abrading material, said depression surrounded by said safe nonabrasive area;

engaging the working area of said ultrasonic tip with the section of the tooth surface having said accretions;

moving the working area of said ultrasonic tip in contact with the tooth surface so that the accretions of the tooth surface project into said active abrasive area and at least a portion of the accretions are removed;

continuing movement of the working area of said ultrasonic tip on the tooth surface to remove portions of the accretions; and

wherein after at least a portion of the accretions are removed from the tooth surface by the active abrasive area of said ultrasonic tip, said safe nonabrasive area that surrounds said active abrasive area prevents abrasion of the tooth surface even while the working area of said ultrasonic tip engages the surfaces of the tooth.

17. The method of claim 14, further including removing portions of the accretions of the tooth surface without rotation of said ultrasonic tip.

18. The method of claim 14, further including reducing the height of the accretions until the abraded tooth surface is substantially smooth.

19. A tool for reducing a roughness of accretions from a tooth surface, said accretions defined by raised portions on the tooth surface,said tool comprising:

an elongated tip formed of a rigid metal and of a size suitable for ultrasonic vibrations;

said elongate tip having a working area that includes a smooth surface and a depression formed in the smooth surface, the smooth surface of said working area is not effective to damage the tooth surface;

the depression of said working area being formed in said smooth surface so that the smooth surface surrounds said depression; and

an abrasive mechanism located in said depression and responsive to the ultrasonic vibrations of said tool to reduce the roughness of the raised portions of the accretions that project into said depression, wherein after the roughness of the raised portions of the accretions is reduced by the abrasive mechanism of said working area, the smooth surface that surrounds said depression engages the tooth surface and prevents further abrasion of the tooth surface, even while the working area of said tool engages the surface of the tooth.

20. The tool of claim 19, wherein said abrasive mechanism comprises a grit bonded to a surface of said depression.

21. The tool of claim 19, wherein said abrasive mechanism comprises a sharp edge formed in said depression.

22. The tool of claim 19, wherein said tool is structured to reduce the roughness of the raised portions of the accretions without rotation of said tool.

23. The tool of claim 19, wherein the depression is constructed with a depth such that the abrasive mechanism causes substantially complete removal of said raised portions from the workpiece.