US3164153A

US3164153A - Dental apparatus

Info

Publication number: US3164153A
Application number: US224718A
Authority: US
Inventors: Zorzi Carlo
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1961-09-20
Filing date: 1962-09-19
Publication date: 1965-01-05
Anticipated expiration: 1982-01-05
Also published as: FR1334134A; GB1019560A

Description

C. ZORZI DENTAL APPARATUS Jan. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 19, 1962 L2 2 INVENTOR Carla Z 01-4,-

C. ZORZI DENTAL APPARATUS Jan. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 19 1962 INVENTOR /G 20/22) United States Patent Ofifice H 3,164,153 Patented Jan. 5, 1965 3,164,153 DENTAL APPARATUS Carlo Zorzi, 6 Via Candoglia, Milan, Italy Filed Sept. 19, 1962, Ser. No. 224,718 Claims priority, application Italy, Sept. 20, 1%1,

16,981/61 Claims. (Cl. 128224) This invention relates to improvements in dental apparatus and has for its objects to provide an improved apparatus wherein two tubular needles joined at one end, arranged and shaped to be located and operated into a tooth cavity, may be associated with a first chamber adapted to contain a medicinal liquid and with a second chamber adapted to be connected to'a source of vacuum and to collect liquid and matter drawn from said tooth cavity, in particular for dental treatments preparatory to its ejection and respectively drawing circuits, and as its washing, cleaning and asepsis is somewhat difficult.

Therefore, this invention has for one of its objects to provide a new and improved dental apparatus of said type, which is adapted to be'connected to a solesource of pressurized air, namely to the source included in substantially any dentists standard equipmenh'and to be used as a regular implement of such equipment, and

' which is provided with and has integrally formed t hereinto a pressurized air activated source of vacuum;

It is another object of this invention to; provide an improved apparatus wherein the second chamber maybe readily detached from the remainingcomponents of the apparatus for proper and thorough-drainage and asepis of the interior thereof.

A further object of this invention is to provide an improved apparatus which is of the type referred'to above, of simple and practical construction and capable to provide long service while withstanding the most severe abuse.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus including means adapted for'ejecting medicinal liquid either in liquid or in finely divided or atomized form, into a current of air, upon 7 operator control and action.

Another object of this invention is to provide a new activated circuit, and which may be advantageously provided with operator controlled means adapted for controllably deactivating either the said ejecting or the'said suction circuit, for full drying of the tooth cavity; or for flooding same with a medicinal liquid.

Other objects and advantages of the invention are in part obvious and in part will be made apparent as this description proceeds, and the features which arje1'consuction circuits;

FIG. 2 illustrates at an enlarged scale the details of a first form of embodiment of the apparatus, shown in longitudinal section on the line 22 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 shows the upper portion of same apparatus in a transverse section along the line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the apparatus of FIG. 2, having part of its components fragmentarily shown;

FIG. 5 is partly a plan view from above and partly a sectional'view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional view similar to FIG. 3, but showing a modified embodiment of the invention, including means for deactivating any of its ejection and FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line 77 of FIG. 6, showingan embodiment of the invention, wherein means adapted forejection of medicinal liquid in sprayed form are included; and

- FIG.- 8 illustrates, at an enlarged scale and in horizontal sectional view along the line 88 of FIG. 7, a detail of said latter means.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts and elements throughout the several figures, and wherein some minor purely structural details had been omitted, as such details appertain to current knowledge of the art:..

In the side views of FIGS. 1 and 2, the pair of tubular "needles are generally indicated at 10, and the tubular the manner in 'whichthe first and second needles are connected to a first and toa second tubular brace 11' and 11",

respectively, appertaining to the ejection and respectively to the suction circuit, as described below.

7 The tubular needles (substantially of the type of conmeans of conventional standard shaped and sized conetype couplings, generally indicated at 30 in FIGS. 1 and 2. Preferably, such couplings, singly shown at 30', 30"

and improved apparatus of the type considered, including an ejecting pressure activated circuit and a suction vacuum sidered as new and characteristic will be set forth in the appended claims. Theabove and other objects will however be best understood from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the inventive idea, and which form an essential component of this disclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved apdental treatment;

in FIG. 5, include a first and respectively a second coupling of differing size, so that erroneous fitting of the needles to the correlated braces'll and '11", respectively, is prevented.

According to the art, the fore free end portions of the needles are closely adjacent and connected to each other, by welding, for'example, and suitably curved for proper simultaneous introduction into a tooth cavity, as shown in FIG. '1, for example. *For proper use of the device,

the apparatus will be accompanied by a plurality of replaceable' pairs of needles,'diiferingly sized and shaped, in particular of differing lengths and partly: down-turned (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) and partly lip-turned, for treatment of lower and respectively of upper teeth.

7, The said ejection and suction circuitsinclude the interior 25 of a first upper chamber 12 andrespectively the interior 31 of a second lower chamber 13, and are both I iactivated by pressurized air fed in direction C, through 'a flexible tube or pipe 14 (FIG. 1) connected toa handle 15 including valve means which may be operator controlled by pressing on a control lever 16, for example, and having ajcoupling 17 adapted for detachably engaging with a male coupling member such as illustrated at 13 in FIG. 2. The said parts 14 to 17 inclusive embody the free endportion of a supply of pressurized air, which is a standard equipment of anydentists office. Such parts shall be therefore notjfurther described in detail, provided that the apparatus is provided with a coupling meminto a head portion 23 of the apparatus.

holes to not disturb therpatient.

gaskets

49 and 50 being her 18 sized and shaped to mate with the standard coupling17 of the supply means at disposal. Owing that several types of dentists implements are in actual use, the said coupling 18 of the apparatus is preferably integrally formed at the free end' of a tubular brace 19 the opposite end portion 21 (FIG. 4) of which is threaded for screw connection within a threaded bore 22 provided Therefore, the apparatus of the invention may be cheaply and readily adapted for application to and to be supplied by differing supply means on trade, by providing same apparatus with a component 19 shaped and provided with a coupling member 18 fitting to the pressurized air supply means at disposal.

The apparatus of the invention is therefore, according to an important and advantageous feature of the invention, adapted to be operated as a standard dentists implement, and it might be activated by a sole supply of pressurized air, available in any dentists 'oflice. In addition,

as shown for example in FIG. 1, the apparatus is operated by the dentist who grips the handle and acts on control 16 for handling and controlling same apparatus, and causing its activation and deactivation, as any dentist is accustomed and trained in making use of any pressurized air fed implement.

l I The said bore 22, wherein the pressurized-air is sup- 7 pressure retainingplug 55, 'Within saidfirst chamber 12 a nearly vertical ,duct27 is located, said ducthaving its inlet opening near the bottom of said chamber and being secured at its upper portion 28, by screw engagement for example, in the said head portion 23, communicating with a passage 29 (FIGS. 3 and 5) wherein the'end portion of tubular brace 11, designedto support and feed the ejection needle secured.

The pressurizeduair fedinto the said interiorZS of first chamber 12, above the liquid 26, through

passages

19, 22

10', is forcedlyor screw-fitted and and 24, therefore applies a pressure to, said liquid which in a portion 40 located outside saidhead portion 23. A

cap 41 overlapping said holes 39 is advantageously provided for rearwardly directing the air flowing from said V Said space 37 communicateswith-the interior 31 of the second chamber 13,

preferably ;through a second vertical .duct 42 having its axiallylocatedin said first chamber 12, having an en- .larg edi head ,47 at its lower end'portion, adapted to abut [in ,a central recess 46. (FIG. 4) provided in a member 45 located between said first and

second chambers

12 and 13, respectively. 'The said-first chamber side wall and a part of its bottom wall are formed by'a perforated cup I 7 member of transparent material, preferably of glass, and

such member is secured. into the apparatus by being tightlyjsequeezed between the co axially and oppositely arrangedhead portion '23 and member 45, annular l 'havi ng a threading Slat it's'upper open edge portion, matprovided' for sealing the said 4 ing with an inner threading 52 formed into an annular lower extension integral with said member 45. Such second chamber may he therefore readily detached from the apparatus, by un-screwing same from member 45, for removal of liquid and matters sucked thereinto, and for cleaning and sterilizing thereof. Upon removal of said chamber 13, the duct forming tubular rod 42 may be at its turn un-screwed from head portion 23, so that the apparatus may be readily disassembled from time to time for proper and throughout cleaning of its components.

The system including said nozzle 36, space 37 and duct 38 constitutes a source of vacuum, when said nozzle is supplied with pressurized air or other gaseous medium, and the said source is connected with said second chamber 13 by said duct 42. Therefore, as the apparatus is supplied with a pressurized gaseous medium, via said duct 19, a negative pressure is produced in the interior 31 of second chamber 13, while a positive pressure is simultaneously built up in the interior 26 of the first chamber 12, and therefore both the suction and the ejection means of the apparatus will be simultaneously activated, by making use of a sole supply of pressurized gaseous medium.

Inside the said second chamber 13, substantially below its-upper wall, the outlet 32 of a third vertical duct 33 is arranged. Said duct 33 is extended through the said first chamber 12, without communication therewith, and has its upper end portion 34 secured, preferably screwengaged, to the said head portion 23, in a further passage 35 formed thereinto and wherein the rear end of tubular brace 11" (FIG. 5) is fit. The said negative pressure is therefore applied to the free end of suction needle 10" for drawing liquid and small sized solid matter from the tooth cavity, simultaneously to the flooding of said cavity with the liquid ejected from the tip of the adjacent ejection needle 10'.

From the above and by consideration of the showings of FIGS. 1 to 5 inclusive, it may be readily understood that the novel construction provides an improved and advantageous apparatus for dental treatments of the type considered, that may be made use of as an implement which may be associated to and activated by a source of pressurized air only, namely when connected to any con ventional pressurized air supply means included in current dentists equipment. In addition, the apparatus is constructed to use the components 14 to 17, of said current dental equipment as hand-grip means and as control means thereof. The described apparatus is further so constructed that its collector chamber 13 (wherein very septic and gangrenous matter may be trapped) may be readily fully removed for facilitating elimination and asepsis, and that it may be easily disassembled for inspection, cleaning, asepsis, upon separation of the essential components of the apparatus.

selectively deactivating, when required, either its ejection and its suction circuits and means. Such valve means may be arranged in the modified head portion 23 and con structed as cone-pin type valve members having threaded

stems

60 and 61, respectively, and button-

type heads

62 and 63, respectively, and adapted to plug the upper openings of

ducts

27 and 33, respectively, upon rotation of their button heads. Such valve means may be very usefully operated either for flooding a tooth cavity with a medicinal liquid, without drawing out same, upon deactivation of suction circuit, i.e. by closing passage 39 by means of valve 61, and for fully evacuating and drying a tooth cavity, by sucking out its contents, without ejecting tion, adapted for ejection of medicinal liquid 26 in spray and its outlet in said passage 29. Such further passage 64 may be closed and variably choked by a suitable valve means having a threaded stem 66, as shown in FIG. 7, for example, and may include a portion 65 cross-sectionally shaped, as shown in FIG. 8, for example, adapted to impart a turbulence to the flow of air or other gaseous medium passing therethrough.

Assuming that, by means of said valve 66, for example, the said further passage 64 is closed, the pressure applied in the interior 26 of the first chamber 12 will force the liquid in the said ducts and passages in

elements

26, 29

and 11' and therefore the ejection needle 10" will eject said ejection needle. Such feature has been proved very advantageous for aerosol treatment of oral cavity, which may be also applied and performed upon removal of the paired tubular needles 10 and upon disactivation of the suction circuit, i.e. by closing valve 61 (FIG. 6). Said latter disactivation is not strictly necessary, but preferable, either because the sucking action would not be necessary during said treatments, and because the whole amount of pressurized air at disposal for operating the apparatus may be supplied to the ejection circuit for best production of the atomized flow.

While the invention has been heretofore described and shown but in few preferred forms of embodiment thereof, it is indicated that the invention is not limited to the very details shown, and that said details should not be taken as restrictive of the invention, as it is obvious that Various modifications in design may be resorted to by those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention, as defined in and by the appended claims.

Without further analysis, the foregoing Will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications in the dentistry and in general in therapy fields, Without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute characteristics of the inven tion and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the. range of equivalents thereof.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to have protected by Letters Patent 1. An apparatus for treating tooth cavities comprising, in combination, an upper head portion; first chamber means adapted to contain a medicated liquid to be discharged into a tooth cavity to be treated; second chamber means adapted to receive liquid and extraneous matter from the tooth cavity, said first and second chamber means being arranged beneath said upper head portion, said second chamber means arranged beneath said first chamber means; means connecting said second chamber means to said first chamber means; means connecting said first chamber means to said upper head portion; a main duct formed in said head portion and having an open end communicating with the atmosphere; inlet means adapted to be connected to a source of compressed air and communicating with the other end of said main duct; first passage means providing communication between said main duct and said first chamber means so that compressed air entering said main duct through said inlet means will pass into said first chamber means to provide pressure on a liquid therein; Venturi means located in said main duct downstream of said first passage means and communicating through said open end of said main duct with the atmosphere, said Venturi means forming in said head portion a suction chamber; second passage means providing communication between said suction chamber and said second chamber means so as to provide during flow of compressed air through said Venturi means a partial vacuum in said second chamber means; first feed duct means having an upper portion extending substantially normal to said common axis and being formed at least in part in said head portion and a lower portion extending in said first chamber means below the level of liquid therein; second feed duct means having an upper portion extending substantially normal to said common axis and being formed at least in part in said head portion and a lower portion extending into said second chamber means; and a pair of hollow needles fluid-tightly connected at one end thereof and carried by said upper portions of said first and second feed duct means, respectively, said feed ducts and said needles are located above said first chamber means, said needles having free ends adapted to be located in the tooth cavity to be treated and said free ends being when said apparatus is held in a substantially vertical position located at a higher elevation than the level of liquid in said first chamber means.

2. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said upper portions of said first and second feed ducts extend substantially parallel to and respectively at opposite sides of said main duct.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first and second chamber means are arranged removable from said portion.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said first chamber means has a bottom wall having a downwardly extending annular flange formed with a screw thread and said second chamber means having a peripheral Wall threadingly engaged at an upper portion thereof in said screw thread of said flange.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein said bottom wall of said chamber'means is formed with a stepped bore therethrough having a lower cylindrical portion of larger diameter than the upper portion thereof so as to form a shoulder between said portions, and wherein said second passage means is formed by a tube having at a lower end thereof an enlarged rim portion located in said lower portion of said bore and engaging said shoulder, said tube having an upper portion threadingly connected with said head portion so that said tube serves also to removably connect said first chamber means to said head portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 869,262 10/07 Pynchon 128277 1,345,606 7/20 Leonard 32-33 2,253,143 8/41 Siegel 128--277 2,274,893 3/42 Freedman 32-33 2,449,497 9/ 48 McLeod 128-276 2,522,261 9/50 Freedman 3233 3,018,777 1/62 Dietrich 128188 3,065,749 1 1/ 62 Brass Q. l28--224 FOREIGN PATENTS 942,189 9/ 48 France.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner.

JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner.

Claims

1. AN APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOOTH CAVITIES COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN UPPER HEAD PORTION; FIRST CHAMBER MEANS ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A MEDICATED LIQUID TO BE DISCHARGED INTO A TOOTH CAVITY TO BE TREATED; SECOND CHAMBER MEANS ADAPTED TO RECEIVE LIQUID AND EXTRANEOUS MATTER FROM THE TOOTH CAVITY, SAID FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBER MEANS BEING ARRANGED BENEATH SAID UPPER HEAD PORTION, SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANS ARRANGED BENEATH SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS; MEANS CONNECTING SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANS TO SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS; MEANS CONNECTING SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS TO SAID UPPER HEAD PORTION; A MAIN DUCT FORMED IN SAID HEAD PORTION AND HAVING AN OPEN END COMMUNICATING WITH ATMOSPHERE; INLET MEANS ADAPTED TO BE CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF COMPRESSED AIR AND COMMUNICATING WITH THE OTHER END OF SAID MAIN DUCT; FIRST PASSAGE MEANS PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID MAIN DUCT AND SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS SO THAT COMPRESSED AIR ENTERING SAID MAIN DUCT THROUGH SAID INLET MEANS WILL PASS INTO SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS TO PROVIDE PRESSURE ON A LIQUID THEREIN; VENTURI MEANS LOCATED IN SAID MAIN DUCT DOWNSTREAM OF SAID FIRST PASSAGE MEANS AND COMMUNICATING THROUGH SAID OPEN END OF SAID MAIN DUCT WITH THE ATMOSPHERE, SAID VENTURI MEANS FORMING IN SAID HEAD PORTION A SUCTION CHAMBER; SECOND PASSAGE MEANS PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID SUCTION CHAMBER AND SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANS SO AS TO PROVIDE DURING FLOW OF COMPRESSED AIR THROUGH SAID VENTURI MEANS A PARTIAL VACUUM IN SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANS; FIRST FEED DUCT MEANS HAVING AN UPPER PORTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID COMMON AXIS AND BEING FORMED AT LEAST IN PART IN SAID HEAD PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION EXTENDING IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS BELOW THE LEVEL OF LIQUID THEREIN; SECOND FEED DUCT MEANS HAVING AN UPPER PORTION EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID COMMON AXIS AND BEING FORMED AT LEAST IN PART IN SAID HEAD PORTION AND A LOWER PORTION EXTENDING INTO SAID SECOND CHAMBER MEANS; AND A PAIR OF HOLLOW NEEDLES FLUID-TIGHTLY CONNECTED AT ONE END THEREOF AND CARRIED BY SAID UPPER PORTIONS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND FEED DUCT MEANS, RESPECTIVELY, SAID FEED DUCTS AND SAID NEEDLS ARE LOCATED ABOVE SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS, SAID NEEDLES HAVING FREE ENDS ADAPTED TO BE LOCATED IN THE TOOTH CAVITY TO BE TREATED AND SAID FREE ENDS BEING WHEN SAID APPARATUS IS HELD IN A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL POSITION LOCATED AT A HIGHER ELEVATION THAN THE LEVEL OF LIQUID IN SAID FIRST CHAMBER MEANS.