US4544355A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Arrangement for imposing pressure on maintenance media in medical particularly dental handpieces
Assignee: Kaltenbach and Voigt GmbH
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Filing: 1984-05-15
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Granted: 1985-10-01
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Expires: 2004-05-15
Abstract
Abstract An arrangement for imposing pressure on cleaning media and/or lubricants which are contained as maintenance media in the movable components of medical, particularly dental handpieces, wherein the maintenance medium is adapted to be placed under pressure by a pressure drive acting through an outlet opening of a housing which contains a motion drive for the movable handpiece components, the last mentioned being brought into connection with the outlet opening through an inlet opening in the handpiece. During this pressurization of the maintenance medium, the movable components of the handpiece are placeable into movement through the motion drive of the housing in such a manner, whereby engaging means of the motion drive which are accessible through the outlet opening of the housing can be brought into engagement with cooperating engaging means of the movable components of the handpiece which are accessible through the inlet opening. With respect to the engaging means of the motion drive, handpieces or handpiece components, in particular attachment heads, having different cooperating engaging means, can be attached to the outlet opening of the housing and maintained, and thereby place their movable components into motion. As a result of the arrangement a plurality of different engaging means for the motion drive, in a simple manner there can always be selected and placed in operation engaging means correlated with the cooperating means of the handpiece or handpiece component which is to be currently serviced.
Inventors
- 👤 Eugen Eibofner
- 👤 Ernst Strohmaier
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 13:27
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61C; A61C19/00; A61C19/002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 21
Claim 1
Independent Claim
300 words
In an arrangement for pressurizing a maintenance medium, such as a cleaning media and a lubricant, to supply it under pressure to the movable components of different dental handpieces, including a housing having an outlet opening, a motion drive means in said housing for driving the movable components of the handpieces, a maintenance medium pressure drive means acting through said outlet opening and through an inlet opening in a handpiece communicating with the outlet opening so as to place said maintenance medium under pressure, with the movable components of the handpiece being driven by the motion drive means of the housing while under pressurization of the maintenance medium, and in which engaging means on said motion drive which are accessible through said outlet opening engage cooperating engaging means on the movable components of the handpiece which are accessible through the inlet opening to drive the movable components of the handpieces; the improvement comprising: a plurality of different attachment heads securable, one at a time, to the outlet opening on said housing, each attachment head including a passageway for allowing the maintenance media to be conveyed therethrough to the movable components of the handpiece, and said plurality including a first attachment head having a first type of output motion drive for engagement with a first type of input motion drive to a first type of handpiece, and at least one additional second attachment head having a second type of output motion dirve, different from and incompatible with said first type of input motion drive, for engagement with a second type of input motion drive to a second type of handpiece, with only one of said plurality of different attachment heads being mounted on said outlet opening at one time, and being replaceable one at a time by another different attachment head.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
300 words
In an arrangement for pressurizing a maintenance medium, such as a cleaning media and a lubricant, to supply it under pressure to the movable components of different dental handpieces, including a housing having an outlet opening, a motion drive means in said housing for driving the movable components of the handpieces, a maintenance medium pressure drive means acting through said outlet opening and through an inlet opening in a handpiece communicating with the outlet opening so as to place said maintenance medium under pressure, with the movable components of the handpiece being driven by the motion drive means of the housing while under pressurization of the maintenance medium, and in which engaging means on said motion drive which are accessible through said outlet opening engage cooperating engaging means on the movable components of the handpiece which are accessible through the inlet opening to drive the movable components of the handpieces; the improvement comprising: a plurality of different attachment heads securable, one at a time, to the outlet opening on said housing, each attachment head including a passageway for allowing the maintenance media to be conveyed therethrough to the movable components of the handpiece, and said plurality including a first attachment head having a first type of output motion drive for engagement with a first type of input motion drive to a first type of handpiece, and at least one additional second attachment head having a second type of output motion dirve, different from and incompatible with said first type of input motion drive, for engagement with a second type of input motion drive to a second type of handpiece, with only one of said plurality of different attachment heads being mounted on said outlet opening at one time, and being replaceable one at a time by another different attachment head.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
69 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outlet opening is formed by the free end of a first outlet coupling including said engaging means; a second outlet coupling including a different engaging means being adapted to be interchanged with said first outlet coupling, said second outlet coupling being releasably attachable to said housing whereby said engaging means engages the motion drive of said housing upon said attaching thereto.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
18 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 2, comprising a quick-connect coupling for attaching said outlet couplings to said housing.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein said quick-connect coupling comprises a bayonet coupling.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
97 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, comprising an intermediate coupling releasably connectable with the outlet opening of said housing, said intermediate coupling having one of two different intermediate engaging means each at opposite ends, and including an intermediate transmission element having a passageway for said pressure drive, one said intermediate engaging means upon attachment to the housing engaging with the engaging means of the motion drive and the other intermediate engaging means being a different engaging means of the motion drive engaging with the different cooperating engaging means of a handpiece or handpiece component upon attachment therewith.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
69 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 5, said outlet opening of the housing being formed by the free end of an outlet coupling including one of said engaging means, one end of said intermediate coupling being sealably insertable therein, the other end of said intermediate coupling including a receiving opening for the end of said handpiece or handpiece component having the inlet opening for sealing insertion into the receiving opening.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, comprising a common transmission element of the motion and drive mounting said different engaging means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
67 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 7, said different engaging means on said common transmission element being located on an outlet coupling of the housing having the outlet opening at the free end thereof and, relative to the outlet coupling, being at an axial spacing from each other, so as to correlate with the different axial position of the cooperating engaging means of the attached handpiece handpiece component.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 8, at least one of said different engaging means being axially displaceably arranged on said common transmission element.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
23 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 8 or 9, wherein said cooperating engaging means are axially displaceably arranged within said handpiece or handpiece component.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
28 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 10, comprising a return spring for at least one said engaging means or said cooperating engaging means for effecting axially displaceable movement thereof.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
73 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, said housing comprising a spray receptacle, said pressure drive consisting of the internal pressure of the maintenance medium and a drive medium in said receptacle, said outlet opening on said spray receptacle forming a dispensing aperture for dispensing of said maintenance medium, said maintenance medium being conveyed through the inlet opening of the handpiece from said outlet opening into the interior of said handpiece or handpiece component.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
14 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said motion drive comprises a drive motor.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
46 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein said motion drive comprises a rotary drive, said engaging means of the motion drive and the cooperating engaging means of the movable components of the said handpiece being formed as a rotatable worktool drive shaft and of rotary followers.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
16 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 14, wherein said engageable rotary followers are constituted of gripping clamps.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 14, or 15, said rotary followers comprising spur gears.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
65 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein the extent of the axial displacement of the engaging means of and said cooperating engaging means is correlated by a different immersion depth of the worktool drive shaft of the attached handpiece and the attached handpiece component, and the predetermined spacing of the different, axial position of the cooperating engaging means of the handpiece and the handpiece component.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
42 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 1, comprising two different selectively operable engaging means of the motion drive for present engagement with one of the other cooperating engaging means of a handpiece and with the different cooperating engaging means of a handpiece component.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
19 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 18, wherein said handpiece component is an attachment head releasably attached to a handpiece.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
72 words
Arrangement as claimed in claim 18 or 19, wherein the outlet opening of said housing is formed by the free end of one of the outlet couplings containing the engaging means, the internal diameter of said couplings being in conformance with the outer diameter of the handpiece component and the correlated outer diameter of the intermediate coupling, and the outer diameter of said intermediate coupling with the inner diameter of the handpiece.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1988-09-30 | 1989-04-01 | 1989-10-01 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1992-09-30 | 1993-04-01 | 1993-10-01 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1996-09-30 | 1997-04-01 | 1997-10-01 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |