Mixing container for dental materials

Claim 2

A container for dental materials comprising: a. an upper housing and a lower housing; b. said lower housing having a first receptacle and a second receptacle separated from the first receptacles, said receptacles configured to receive predetermined amounts of dental materials independent of each other such that loading of the container can be accomplished solely in said lower housing; c. said upper housing having a surface for cooperating with said lower housing to define a closed first cavity with said first receptacle and a closed second cavity with said second receptacle, each cavity being separated from the other; and d. said housings defining a passage for connectinG the first cavity to the second cavity when one portion is moved to a predetermined position relative to the other portion.

Claim 3

The container according to claim 1 wherein said housings are of a unitary structure.

Claim 4

The container according to claim 2 wherein at least one of said housings is made of a clear material such that disposition of the dental materials within the container can be viewed.

Claim 5

The container according to claim 3 wherein the first receptacle is defined by an elongated cylindrical surface having a top and bottom, the bottom of such surface being closed and the top being open, said second receptacle is defined by an annulus having a bottom and sidewalls concentric with the elongated cylindrical surface.

Claim 6

The container according to claim 4 wherein the surface of the upper housing defines a female receptacle for receiving the cylindrical surface of the lower portion such that a cavity is formed by the second portion.

Claim 7

The container according to claim 5 wherein the surface of the upper housing defines an annular area concentric with the circular surface, said annular area cooperates with the annulus of the lower housing to form said second cavity.

Claim 8

The container according to claim 6 wherein the surface of the upper housing defines an opening connecting said annular area with the circular surface, said cylindrical surface defines a keyway therethrough said opening cooperating with the keyway in the cylindrical surface to provide a passage from the first cavity to the second cavity when said upper housing is rotated to a predetermined position relative the lower housing, said position being where the keyway registers with the opening.

Claim 9

The container according to claim 7 wherein said predetermined position as defined by a protrusion in said circular surface cooperating with the keyway to stop the keyway to a position where it registers with the opening.

Claim 10

The container according to claim 8 wherein said annulus further defines inside and outside walls concentric with the cylindrical surface of said lower housing, the annular area having inner and outer walls, the inner walls of the annular area being slightly larger than the outer walls of the upper housing for fitting the inner walls snugly over the outer walls of the annulus to allow relative rotational movement and to seal the constituents within the second cavity.

Claim 11

The container according to claim 9 wherein the cylindrical member has an inner and outer wall, the outer wall having a diameter slightly smaller than the circular female receptacle of the upper housing for fitting the cylindrical member snugly into the female receptacle allowing the housing to rotate relative to each other and sealing the first cavity from the second cavity.

Claim 12

The container according to claim 10 wherein the bottom of the annular area is a surface intersecting the inner wall of the annular area and sloping toward the opening such that material in the second cavity will tend to flow toward said opening.

Claim 13

The container according to claim 11 wherein each housing is provided with ribs to enhance gripping and turning of housing relative to each other and to provide structural support for said housing.

Claim 14

The container according to claim 12 wherein the housing are marked to indicate where the keyway and opening register with each other and where they are removed from each other to a position for sealing the cavities from each other.

Claim 15

A container for dental materials comprising: a. an upper housing and a lower housing with both housing being made of semi-rigid plastic; b. the lower housing being opaque, the upper housing being translucent, and both being of a unitary structure; c. the lower housing having an elongated cylinder closd at the bottom and open at the top such that dental material can be loaded into the cylinder through the top; d. an annular member circumscribing the elongated cylinder approximately midway between the top and the bottom of the cylindeR, the annular member being defined by a bottom surface extending perpendicular to the cylinder, a circular wall extending parallel to to said elongated cylinder and upwardly from the outer edge of the bottom surface, and the outer wall of said elongated cylinder; e. ribs extending in a radial direction outwardly from the cylinder connecting the bottom surface of the annular member to the outer wall and bottom of the cylinder; f. said cylinder defining at the top thereof a keyway cut out of the inner and outer walls and a slot circumferentially larger than said keyway, also cut out of the top and in communication with the keyway; g. the upper housing defining a cylindrical receptacle for receiving the cylinder of the lower housing, said receptacle being closed at one end and open at the other annular area concentric with said receptacle extending from the upper end thereof; h. said annular area being defined by cylinder wall having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the outer wall of the cylinder of the lower housing such that the cylinder wall can fit snugly over the outer walls of the annulus and allow rotational movement, and a bottom surface extending from the end of the receptacle connecting the receptacle to the cylinder wall; i. an opening is provided through said bottom surface to form a passageway the annular area and the receptacle; j. the receptacle having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the outer wall of the cylinder such that the receptacle can fit snugly over the cylinder wall and rotational movement; k. said cylinder being engageable with said receptacle to that form a mixing cavity defined by the bottom of the receptacle and the cylinder which confines material therein from the annular area, and said annular cavity for confining material therein from the mixing cavity and the outside; l. said housing being rotatable relative each other for moving the housings to an open position where the keyway and the open position register and moving housing to a closed position where the cavities are sealed from one another; m. a stop member extending from the internal surface of the receptacle to cooperate with the slot in the cylinder for stopping the slot at the open position and the closed position; n. said upper housing having a mark in the area of the opening and said lower housing having markings to register with the mark on the upper housing to indicate the open and closed position; and o. said upper and lower housings being engageable and disengageable by moving each housing opposite each other on a direction along the center line.

Claim 16

A container for dental materials comprising: a. an upper housing and a lower housing with both housing being made of semi-rigid plastic; b. the lower housing being opaque, the upper housing being translucent, and both being of a unitary structure; c. the lower housing having an elongated cylinder closd at the bottom and open at the top such that dental material can be loaded into the cylinder through the top; d. an annular member circumscribing the elongated cylinder approximately midway between the top and the bottom of the cylindeR, the annular member being defined by a bottom surface extending perpendicular to the cylinder, a circular wall extending parallel to to said elongated cylinder and upwardly from the outer edge of the bottom surface, and the outer wall of said elongated cylinder; e. ribs extending in a radial direction outwardly from the cylinder connecting the bottom surface of the annular member to the outer wall and bottom of the cylinder; f. said cylinder defining at the top thereof a keyway cut out of the inner and outer walls and a slot circumferentially larger than said keyway, also cut out of the top and in communication with the keyway; g. the upper housing defining a cylindrical receptacle for receiving the cylinder of the lower housing, said receptacle being closed at one end and open at the other annular area concentric with said receptacle extending from the upper end thereof; h. said annular area being defined by cylinder wall having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the outer wall of the cylinder of the lower housing such that the cylinder wall can fit snugly over the outer walls of the annulus and allow rotational movement, and a bottom surface extending from the end of the receptacle connecting the receptacle to the cylinder wall; i. an opening is provided through said bottom surface to form a passageway the annular area and the receptacle; j. the receptacle having an internal diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the outer wall of the cylinder such that the receptacle can fit snugly over the cylinder wall and rotational movement; k. said cylinder being engageable with said receptacle to that form a mixing cavity defined by the bottom of the receptacle and the cylinder which confines material therein from the annular area, and said annular cavity for confining material therein from the mixing cavity and the outside; l. said housing being rotatable relative each other for moving the housings to an open position where the keyway and the open position register and moving housing to a closed position where the cavities are sealed from one another; m. a stop member extending from the internal surface of the receptacle to cooperate with the slot in the cylinder for stopping the slot at the open position and the closed position; n. said upper housing having a mark in the area of the opening and said lower housing having markings to register with the mark on the upper housing to indicate the open and closed position; and o. said upper and lower housings being engageable and disengageable by moving each housing opposite each other on a direction along the center line.