Protective device for dental models

Claim 1

In a protective carrier for holding and protecting a dental model used in producing a dental prosthesis, said carrier being an integral one-piece construction of plastic material and consisting of a tray portion, a cover portion, a hinged portion connecting said tray portion to said cover portion and latch means for securing said tray portion and said cover portion together said tray portion having a cavity chamber for receiving a correspondingly shaped pedestal portion of the dental model, said cover portion having a recessed chamber for covering an upper part of the dental model, said recessed chamber and said cavity chamber providing a closed compartment for securely retaining the dental model during transport and storage thereof, said tray portion having a substantially U-shaped planar configuration with said cavity chamber having a U-shaped base wall and upstanding U-shaped facing outer and inner cavity walls interconnected by rounded end walls, an improvement comprising: keyed means provided in said cavity chamber of said tray portion for matingly engaging keyed portions provided on the pedestal portion of the dental model, said keyed means including: continuous teeth disposed on said facing outer and inner cavity walls, said teeth extending into said cavity chamber to mate with teeth provided on the pedestal portion of the dental model; said teeth on said inner cavity wall having a greater height from said base wall than said teeth on said outer cavity wall to provide a U-shaped recessed seat about an upper portion of said outer cavity wall to receive a peripheral flange of the pedestal portion of the dental model; a U-shaped rib projecting from said base wall into said cavity chamber to be received in a U-shaped slot provided in a bottom part of the pedestal portion of the dental model, said rib extending from one rounded end wall of the cavity chamber to the other rounded end wall; and web means extending upwardly from said base wall and laterally from said outer cavity wall to said rib and then to said inner cavity wall for supporting said rib and for being received in mating web slots provided in the bottom part of the pedestal portion of the dental model; a resilient pad for positioning within said recessed chamber to retain the dental model securely in place within said closed compartment; and retaining post means projecting into said recessed chamber for pressing onto the upper part of the dental model to hold the dental model in place, said resilient pad including an aperture for receiving said retaining post means therethrough.