Dental X-ray shield and film holding support having a bite-receiving member

Claim 1

A DENTAL X-RAY SHIELD AND FILM HOLDER UNIT COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, A PLATE-LIKE X-RAY SHIELD ARRANGED TO BE POSITIONED EXTERIORLY OF THE FACE OF A PATIENT ADJACENT THE OUTER END OF THE CONE OF AN X-RAY MACHINE AND HAVING AN OPENING OF RESTRICTED SIZE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY CENTRALLY THERETHROUGH AND BEING OF SIMILAR SHAPE AND AREA TO THAT OF AN X-RAY FILM TO BE USED IN THE MOUTH OF A PATIENT, A FLAT STRIP-LIKE BRACKET ARM FORMED FROM RIGID SHEET MATERIAL HAVING AN ATTACHING EAR BENT PERPENDICULARLY TO SAID ARM AT ONE END THEREOF AND CONNECTED TO ONE FACE OF SAID SHIELD ADJACENT SAID OPENING, SAID ARM EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY FROM SAID ONE FACE OF SAID SHIELD, FILM-HOLDING MEANS ATTACHED TO AND EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULARLY FROM ONE FLAT FACE OF THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID BRACKET ARM AND HAVING MEANS TO RECEIVE AN X-RAY FILM AND SUPPORT THE SAME WITHIN THE MOUTH OF A PATIENT SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO SAID SHIELD ADJACENT THE LINGUAL OR PALATAL WALL OF ONE OF THE GUMS WHEN THE BRACKET ARM EXTENDS TO THE ORAL CAVITY PAST THE TEETH, AND A BLOCK-LIKE BITE-RECEIVING MEMBER HAVING OPPOSITE OUTER SURFACES RESPECTIVELY FORMED FROM YIELDABLE MATERIAL NON-INJURIOUS TO TEETH AND ENGAGEABLE BY THE TEETH OF THE OPPOSITE JAWS OF A PATIENT, SAID MEMBER HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT EXTENDING INWARD FROM ONE SIDE OF THE MEMBER FOR THE FULL LENGTH THEREOF SUBSTANTIALLY IN PARALLELISM WITH AT LEAST ONE OF SAID OUTER SURFACES AND CLOSER TO ONE OF SAID SURFACES THAN THE OTHER TO PROVIDE RELATIVELY THICK AND THIN SPACING PORTIONS BETWEEN THE OPPOSITE SURFACES OF SAID BRACKET ARM AND THE