Dental instrument having overlapping helical scoring pattern

• US 6,109,918 A
• Filed: 01/21/1999
• Issued: 08/29/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hu-Friedy Mfg Company LLC (Steris PLC)
• Original Assignee: Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Co Incorporated
• Inventors: Hammond, Neville, Haupers, Michael, Saslow, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Manahan, Todd E.
• Application Number:
  US09/234,644
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 433/127, 433/141, 433/142, 433/143, 433/144, 433/145, 433/146, 433/147, 433/166, 29/2.25, 29/417, 29/557, 29/558, 29/DIG. 15, 29/DIG. 23, 29/896.1, 76/101.1, 76/106, 76/119
• US Class Current: 433/141
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 13/12 Tools for fastening artificial teeth; Holders, clamps, or stands for artificial teeth A61C8/0089 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 3/00 Dental tools or instruments implanting tools A61C8/00; tools for fastening artificial teeth A61C13/12; visual inspection devices, e.g. dental mirrors, A61B1/24

Abstract

A dental apparatus or instrument includes a hollow, tubular metal handle, closing members fastened to opposite open ends of the handle, and tool parts connected to the closing members. The metal handle includes a central substantially smooth region and two surface contoured regions adjacent to the closing members. The surface contoured regions include wide grooves in a criss-crossed pattern superimposed on V-shaped narrow grooves in a criss-crossed helical pattern. The combination of the two type grooves gives a sure grip feel to the two surface contoured regions. The closing members each include an attachment portion which tightly interfits into an open end of the handle and which is brazed into the handle.

Claims

1. A dental apparatus, comprising:

a tubular, hollow metal handle with first and second ends and an exterior peripheral surface therebetween wherein first and second, different, helical scoring patterns are cut into the handle,

first and second closing members wherein each closing member includes a body portion and an attachment portion, wherein each of the attachment portions slidably engages a respective hollow end of the handle and wherein the attachment portions are metallically bonded, without adhesive, to at least one adjacent region of the respective end.

2. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the first scoring pattern exhibits a substantially rectangular cross section.

3. An apparatus as in claim 2 wherein the second scoring pattern exhibits a substantially V-shaped cross section.

4. An apparatus as in claim 3, wherein said first and second scorings have constant cross sections and said first scoring has a larger cross section than said second scoring.

5. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first and second patterns are applied to two spaced apart regions adjacent to said closing members, and a relatively smooth region is provided between the spaced apart regions.

6. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the attachment portions each include an undercut region for facilitating bonding with the handle.

7. An apparatus as in claim 1 wherein at least one of the closing members includes a tapered exterior portion displaced from a respective attachment portion.

8. An apparatus as in claim 7 wherein the tapered portion includes a tool-receiving recess.

9. An apparatus as in claim 8 which includes a tool slidably received in the recess.

10. A device as in claim 1 wherein the first and second helical scoring patterns are double helical patterns.

11. A device as in claim 10 wherein the first helical pattern has first pitch and the second helical pattern has a second, different pitch.

12. A device as in claim 1 wherein the first helical pattern has first pitch and the second helical pattern has a second, different pitch.

46. An apparatus as in claim 1, wherein said first and second scoring patterns are formed by first and second scorings respectively that have constant cross sections, and said first scoring has a larger cross section than said second scoring, and said first and second patterns are each double helical patterns.

13. A method of manufacturing a dental instrument comprising the steps of:

providing an elongate tubular stock;

grinding the outside surface of the tubular stock and applying a sprayed silicon carbide treatment;

scoring an outside surface of the tubular stock by crisscrossed wide flat grooves and by crisscrossed narrow grooves; and

cutting off individual lengths of the tubular stock to form handles.

14. A method according to claim 13 providing the further steps of:

providing for each handle two closing members each having an attachment portion for being inserted into open ends of each handle, and a tool-receiving recess;

brazing an attachment portion into the open ends of each handle and heating the handle.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said step of scoring is further defined in that the crisscrossed wide grooves are intersecting at positions alternately with intersecting positions of the narrow grooves.

16. A method of manufacturing a dental instrument comprising the steps of:

providing an elongate tubular stock;

grinding the outside surface of the tubular stock and applying a sprayed silicon carbide treatment;

scoring an outside surface of the tubular stock;

cutting off individual lengths of the tubular stock to form handles;

providing for each handle at least one closing member having an attachment portion for insertion into an open end of each handle, and a tool-receiving recess;

applying brazing compound to an inside surface of each handle adjacent said open end; and

inserting an attachment portion into the open end of said handle and heating the handle to melt the brazing compound.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein said step of scoring is further defined in that the handle surface is scored by crisscrossed wide flat grooves and is scored by crisscrossed narrow grooves.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein said step of scoring is further defined in that the crisscrossed wide grooves are intersecting at positions alternately with intersecting positions of the narrow grooves.

19. A method according to claim 16 comprising the further step of fitting a tool part into each tool-receiving recess.

20. A dental device comprising:

an elongated handle having first and second ends and an exterior peripheral surface therebetween;

first and second different helical scorings in at least a portion of the peripheral surface wherein the scorings have a same depth.

21. A dental apparatus, comprising:

a tubular, metal handle with first and second ends and an exterior peripheral surface therebetween;

at least one tool part mounted to one of said first and second ends;

wherein said peripheral surface of said handle has at least one region having a first scoring forming a first helical scoring patterns, and a second scoring forming a second displaced helical scoring pattern, said first scoring pattern having a substantially wider cross section than said second scoring pattern, said first scoring pattern overlapping said second scoring pattern within said one region.

22. A dental apparatus according to claim 21, wherein said first and second patterns are each crisscrossed double helical patterns.

23. A dental apparatus according to claim 22, wherein said first scoring intersects itself at first positions between second positions where said second scoring intersects itself.

24. A dental apparatus according to claim 21 wherein said first and second patterns are applied in spaced apart regions adjacent to said first and second ends, and said peripheral surface is substantially smooth in a central region between said spaced apart regions.

25. A handle for a dental instrument, comprising:

a tubular, metal handle with first and second ends and an exterior peripheral surface therebetween;

wherein said peripheral surface of said handle has at least one region having a first scoring forming a first helical scoring pattern with a first pitch, and a second scoring forming a second, displaced, helical scoring pattern of a second, different, pitch, said first scoring having a substantially wider cross section than said second scoring.

26. A dental apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said first and second patterns are each crisscrossed double helical patterns.

27. A dental apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said first scoring intersects itself at first positions between second positions where said second scoring intersects itself.

28. A dental apparatus according to claim 25 wherein said first and second patterns are applied in spaced apart regions adjacent to said first and second ends, and said peripheral surface is substantially smooth in a central region between said spaced apart regions.

29. A dental device comprising:

an elongated handle having first and second ends and an exterior peripheral surface therebetween;

first and second different overlapping helical scorings in at least a portion of the peripheral surface wherein the scorings exhibit first and second different numbers of scores per unit length of the handle.

30. A device as in claim 29 wherein the handle is tubular.

31. A device as in claim 29 wherein the first scoring exhibits on the order of three times the grooves of the second scoring.

32. A device as in claim 29 wherein the scorings have different cross sections.

33. A device as in claim 32 wherein one cross section is wider than the other.

34. A device as in claim 29 wherein one cross section is generally rectangular and the other is V-shaped.

35. A dental device comprising:

an elongated handle having first and second ends and an exterior peripheral surface therebetween;

first and second different helical scorings in at least a portion of the peripheral surface wherein the scorings form spaced-apart diamond shapes separated by a peripheral surface of a substantially constant radius.

36. A device as in claim 35, wherein said spaced-apart diamond shapes are grouped to form diamond-shaped groups that are spaced apart by a wider peripheral surface of a substantially constant radius.

37. A dental apparatus, comprising:

a tubular, hollow metal handle with first and second ends and an exterior peripheral surface therebetween wherein first and second, different, helical scoring patterns are cut into the handle;

a closing member that includes a body portion and an attachment portion, wherein said attachment portion slidably engages a respective hollow end of the handle and wherein the attachment portion is metalically bonded, without adhesive, to an adjacent region of the respective end.

38. An apparatus as in claim 37, wherein the first scoring pattern is formed by a first scoring being substantially rectangular in cross section.

39. An apparatus as in claim 38, wherein the second scoring pattern is formed by a second scoring being substantially triangular in cross section.

40. An apparatus as in claim 39, wherein said first and second scorings have constant cross sections and said first scoring has a larger cross section than said second scoring.

41. An apparatus as in claim 37, wherein said patterns are overlapping.

42. An apparatus as in claim 37, wherein said patterns have different numbers of scores per unit length of the handle.

43. An apparatus as in claim 37, wherein said scoring patterns are each double helical scoring patterns.

44. An apparatus as in claim 43, wherein said first and second scoring patterns are formed by first and second scorings respectively, and said first scoring is wider in cross section than said second scoring.

45. An apparatus as in claim 37, wherein said first and second scoring patterns are formed by first and second scorings respectively, said first scoring having a wider cross section than said second scoring and said second scoring having more turns per unit length of the handle than said first scoring.