Dental handpiece

Claim 2

A dental handpiece including a rotatable locking sleeve adapted to detachably support a dental tool; resilient spring means for biasing said locking sleeve into a locking position; a spindle sleeve within said dental handpiece mounted in an axially fixed position with respect to said handpiece, said locking sleeve having a conically-shaped tool-receiving outer end, said spindle sleeve having a correspondingly conically-shaped inner end at the tool-receiving end of said handpiece contacted by said conically-shaped end of said locking sleeve in the locking position; an outer screwing-sleeve on said handpiece adapted to be actuated for releasing the spring pressure on said locking sleeve, the improvement comprising; an inner sleeve fastened rigidly to said handpiece; screw-like annular grooves formed in respectively the inner peripheral surface of said screwing-sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of said inner sleeve; said grooves being in axial alignment; and rotatable means positioned in said grooves so as to form screw-like interengaging means between said screwing-sleeve and said inner sleeve, said rotatable means comprising ball bearing rotatably supported in said grooves, said screwing-sleeve being actuatable between toolunlocking and tool-locking operative end positions; and comprising releasable lock means for locking said screwing-sleeve in at least one of said operative end positions.

Claim 3

A dental handpiece including a rotatable locking sleeve adapted to detachably support a dental tool; resilient spring means for biasing said locking sleeve into a locking position; a spindle sleeve within said dental handpiece mounted in an axially fixed position with respect to said handpiece, said locking sleeve having a conically-shaped tool-receiving outer end, said spindle sleeve having a correspondingly conically-shaped inner end at the tool-receiving end of said handpiece contacted by said conically-shaped end of said locking sleeve in the locking position; an outer screwing-sleeve on said handpiece adapted to be actuated for releasing the spring pressure on said locking sleeve, the improvement comprising; an inner sleeve fastened rigidly to said handpiece; screw-like annular grooves formed in respectively the inner peripheral surface of said screwing-sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of said inner sleeve; said grooves being in axial alignment; and rotatable means positioned in said grooves so as to form screw-like interengaging means between said screwing-sleeve and said inner sleeve, said rotatable means comprising ball bearing rotatably supported in said grooves, said screwing-sleeve being actuatable between tool-unlocking and tool-locking operative end positions; releasable lock means for locking said screwing-sleeve in at least one of said operative end positions, said releasable lock means comprising an auxiliary sleeve having a recessed portion in its outer wall; a locking ball in said recessed portion; and spring means for holding said locking ball in said recessed portion.

Claim 4

A dental handpiece including a rotatable locking sleeve adapted to detachably support a dental tool; resilient spring means for biasing said locking sleeve into a locking position; a spindle sleeve within said dental handpiece mounted in an axially fixed position with respect to said handpiece, said locking sleeve having a conically-shaped tool-receiving outer end, said spindle sleeve having a correspondingly conically-shaped inner end at the tool-receiving end of said handpiece contacted by said conically-shaped end of said locking sleeve in the locking position; an outer screwing-sleeve on said handpiece adapted to be actuated for releasing the spring pressure on said locking sleeve, the improvement comprising; an inner sleeve fastened rigidly to said handpiece; screw-like annular grooves formed in respectively the inner peripheral surface of said screwing-sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of said inner sleeve; said grooves being in axial alignment; and rotatable means positioned in said grooves so as to form screw-like interengaging means between said screwing-sleeve and said inner sleeve, said rotatable means comprising ball bearing rotatably supported in said grooves, said screwing-sleeve being actuatable between tool-unlocking and tool-locking operative end positions; releasable lock means for locking said screwing-sleeve in at least one of said operative end positions, said releasable lock means comprising an auxiliary sleeve having a recessed portion in its outer wall; a locking ball in said recessed portion; and spring means for holding said locking ball in said recessed portion.

Claim 5

A dental handpiece including a rotatable locking sleeve adapted to detachably support a dental tool; resilient spring means for biasing said locking sleeve into a locking position; a spindle sleeve within said dental handpiece mounted in an axially fixed position with respect to said handpiece, said locking sleeve having a conically-shaped tool-receiving outer end, said spindle sleeve having a correspondingly conically-shaped inner end at the tool-receiving end of said handpiece contacted by said conically-shaped end of said locking sleeve in the locking position; an outer screwing-sleeve on said handpiece adapted to be actuated for releasing the spring pressure on said locking sleeve, the improvement comprising; an inner sleeve fastened rigidly to said handpiece; screw-like annular grooves formed in respectively the inner peripheral surface of said screwing-sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of said inner sleeve; said grooves being in axial alignment; and rotatable means positioned in said grooves so as to form screw-like interengaging means between said screwing-sleeve and said inner sleeve, said rotatable means comprising ball bearing rotatably supported in said grooves, said screwing-sleeve being actuatable between tool-unlocking and tool-locking operative end positions; releasable lock means for locking said screwing-sleeve in at least one of said operative end positions; and stop means mounted at the axial ends of passageways defined by said grooves so as to prevent egress of said rotatable means from said grooves.

Claim 6

A dental handpiece including a rotatable locking sleeve adapted to detachably support a dental tool; resilient spring means for biasing said locking sleeve into a locking position; a spindle sleeve within said dental handpiece mounted in an axially fixed position with respect to said handpiece, said locking sleeve having a conically-shaped tool-receiving outer end, said spindle sleeve having a correspondingly conically-shaped inner end at the tool-receiving end of said handpiece contacted by said conically-shaped end of said locking sleeve in the locking position; an outer screwing-sleeve on said handpiece adapted to be actuated for releasing the spring pressure on said locking sleeve, the improvement comprising; an inner sleeve fastened rigidly to said handpiece; screw-like annular grooves formed in respectively the inner peripheral surface of said screwing-sleeve and the outer peripheral surface of said inner sleeve; said grooves being in axial alignment; and rotatable means positioned in said grooves so as to form screw-like interengaging means between said screwing-sleeve and said inner sleeve, said rotatable means comprising ball bearing rotatably supported in said grooves, said screwing-sleeve being actuatable between tool-unlocking and tool-locking operative end positions; releasable lock means for locking said screwing-sleeve in at least one of said operative end positions; and stop means mounted at the axial ends of passageways defined by said grooves so as to prevent egress of said rotatable means from said grooves.