Metering device for the manually-controlled metering of a light-curing material, kit, and method

Abstract

The invention relates to a metering device (100) for metering, in a manually-controlled manner, a light-curing material present in said metering device (100), the device comprising at least one reservoir (1) which can be deformed at least in some sections thereof and in which said light-curing material is contained, as well as a metering arrangement (3) for applying the light-curing material. The invention also relates to a kit and a method.

Claims

1. A kit, wherein the kit comprises at least one metering device for metering a light-curing material contained in said metering device and at least one housing for receiving the metering device in a releasable manner, and wherein the device comprises at least one reservoir which is present in the form of a single piece comprising an opening and in which the light-curing material is present and a wall of which can be deformed at least in a section thereof; and a metering arrangement for applying the light-curing material, which metering arrangement is configured to be capable of being connected to the opening of the reservoir.

2. The kit of claim 1, wherein the kit further comprises at least one light-emitting device for curing the light-curing material.

3. The kit of claim 2, wherein the light-emitting device comprises an LED lamp.

4. The kit of claim 1, wherein a metering channel of the metering device and the light-emitting device are embodied or provided on opposite ends of the housing.

5. The kit of claim 1, wherein the housing and the metering device comprise a bayonet closure for receiving the metering device in a detachable manner.

6. The kit of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises at least one opening for metering the light-curing material in a manually-controlled manner.

7. The kit of claim 2, wherein the housing comprises a device for receiving, in a detachable manner, the light-emitting device.

8. The kit of claim 1, wherein the housing is made of or comprises the same material as the reservoir.

9. The kit of claim 7, wherein the light emitting device comprises an LED lamp and the device for receiving the light emitting device comprises a socket that is configured to be connected in a detachable manner to the housing.

10. The kit of claim 9, wherein the socket comprises a pressure switch for manually activating the LED lamp.

11. The kit of claim 1, wherein the reservoir comprises light curing material which cures in a range of from 380 nm to 500 nm.

12. The kit of claim 1, wherein the reservoir is made of a light impermeable material.

13. The kit of claim 1, wherein the reservoir is light impermeable with the exception of a transparent section for allowing visual control of a filling level of the reservoir.

14. The kit of claim 1, wherein the reservoir is present in the form of a cartridge.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The present invention is exemplarily explained below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which identical reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

(2) In the drawings:

(3) FIG. 1 shows a metering device according to the invention in a longitudinal section;

(4) FIG. 2 shows a metering arrangement according to the invention and a closure in half-section view in the direction of the longitudinal axis and in the front view projection; and

(5) FIG. 3a, b show a kit according to the invention with the metering device, a closure for a metering channel, an LED lamp and a housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) FIG. 1 shows a metering device 100 according to the invention in a sectional view in the direction of the dash-dotted longitudinal axis having a reservoir 1, a metering arrangement 3, and a metering channel 5.

(7) The reservoir 1 comprises light-curing material (not shown here). By applying pressure onto the reservoir 1, for example by manual pressure with the finger from the outside of the deformable reservoir 1, the light-curing material is advanced or pushed through the narrowing 7 of the reservoir 1 into the metering arrangement 3. In the metering arrangement 3, the material is further advanced through a cone-shaped section, in short, cone 9, into the outlet opening 11 of the metering arrangement 3.

(8) The metering channel 5 is inserted or advanced in the outlet opening 11 of the metering arrangement 3 until reaching a stop. The metering channel 5 may be fixed in a suitable manner. The fixation may be, for example, in form of press fitting, latching and/or bonding.

(9) The metering channel 5 may be made of metal or an alloy. It comprises, by way of example, the following dimensions: inner diameter 0.8 mm, outer diameter 1.2 mm, length, for example, 12 mm.

(10) The reservoir 1 is in this exemplary embodiment made of a first material, for example a soft polyethylene (for example LDPElow density polyethylene) or comprises such material. The metering device is formed of a third material, for example, a harder polymer, with respect however to the first material a harder material, or comprises such material.

(11) Both the first and third materials are selected (or processed, for example by a black or other types of coating or coloring) such that they are impermeable to light, preferably, at least or in particular in a light-wavelength range of 380 to 500 nanometers (nm), in order to prevent the light-curing material of the reservoir 1 and the metering arrangement 3 from an inadvertent curing by exposure to light.

(12) The connection between the reservoir 1 and the metering arrangement 3 is exemplary embodied as a thread 13, for example by a thread M10x1. Alternatively, the connection may also be effected, for example by means of gluing, clipping, etc.

(13) For further sealing, and possibly also in order to prevent deformation of the wall of the narrowing 7 due to the soft first material of the reservoir 1 when applying pressure onto the reservoir 1, a sealing ring 15 (for example O-ring made of polymer) in the embodiment shown here is inserted in the metering arrangement 3 for sealing the reservoir 1 about the thread 13. Through thein particular completescrewing of the metering arrangement 3 on the thread 13 of the reservoir 1, the connection between these two components is sealed vis--vis an exterior or outside by means of the sealing ring

(14) Another, optionally provided, sealing ring 17 seals between the metering arrangement 3 and a closure 19 against the exterior or outside (see FIG. 2). In addition, this further sealing ring 17 may be embodied to fix the closure 19 pushed on to the metering arrangement 3 on the metering arrangement 3.

(15) FIG. 2 shows the metering arrangement 3 according to the invention, having the metering channel 5 and the closure 19 in half sectional view in the direction of the longitudinal axis or in a level, in which the longitudinal axis lies (right illustration in FIG. 2) and in projection as front view (left illustration in FIG. 2, having closure 19).

(16) The material of the closure is optional or preferably also impermeable to light, in particular in a light-wavelength range of 380 to 500 nanometers (nm), in order to protect the light-curing material in the metering channel 5, in particular at the outlet of the metering channel 5. against inadvertent curing by exposure to light.

(17) The further sealing ring 17 seals as stated above the metering arrangement 3 against the closure 19 and/or fixes the inserted closure 19 on the metering arrangement 3.

(18) In the front view (illustration on the left in FIG. 2) four notches 2 are presented on the outer ring of the metering arrangement 3. These notches 2 are parts of a bayonet closure for optional potential fixation of the reservoir 1 to the metering arrangement 3 in a housing 23 (see FIG. 3).

(19) FIGS. 3a, 3b show a kit 200 according to the invention having the metering device 3, the closure 19 for the metering channel 5, an LED lamp 21 as a light emitting device and the housing 23.

(20) In this representation, the reservoir 1 for the light-curing material is shown only partially within the housing 23.

(21) For applying pressure to the reservoir 1 in order to advance or rather press the light-curing material out of the reservoir 1 into the metering arrangement 3 and for the discharging from the metering channel 5 (not shown in FIGS. 3a, 3b) with an open or detachable closure 19, an opening 25 is introduced in the housing 23. On the opposite rear side (not shown in FIGS. 3a, 3b) of the housing 23, at least one further, (e.g. second) opening preferably identical or similar to the opening 25, may be provided. Through this/these opening(s), a manual pressure, preferably applied by one finger each, is exerted on the reservoir 1 for applying the light-curing material.

(22) As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the opening 25 comprises an extension in the longitudinal direction thereof which extends in the longitudinal direction of the metering device 100, and a perpendicular extension thereto in transverse direction which extends perpendicularly thereto or in circumferential direction of the metering device 100 along the transverse axis or along the circumference of the metering device 100. Thereby, the opening 25 extends further in the longitudinal direction than in the transverse direction. The housing 23 or its wall is thus variably wide opened or broken through due to the relative to the longitudinal direction and the transverse or circumferential direction differently wide extensions. This allows an ergonomic reach-through to the reservoir for various sizes of the fingers of the user maintaining at the same time a sufficiently stable design of the housing 23.

(23) After the application of the light-curing material, it may then be cured by light, in this embodiment by LED light in a wavelength range between 390 and 405 nanometers (nm). This LED light is provided by the LED lamp 21 which is received in a detachable or a non-detachable manner in an LED lamp socket 27.

(24) The LED lamp socket 27 comprises in addition to the LED lamp a battery, a housing, a pressure switch for manually activating the LED lamp, and other mechanical and electronic elements. An activatable component for turning on a continuous operation of the LED lamp in the LED lamp socket 27 may also be obtained in the lamp socket 27.

(25) The LED lamp socket 27 having the LED lamp 21 is a separate or singular/individual component which can be inserted into the housing 23. This has the advantage that all components required for the operation of the use of the light-curing material are available together in a compact kit 200 and may, by way of example, be transported easily.

(26) LED lamp socket 27 is connected in a detachable manner, e.g. by plugging, to the housing 23 by means of a snap means having two spring elements 29 which may be bent apart or opened in the direction indicated by the arrows. The LED lamp socket 27 may be removed, for example by simply pulling it, out of this snap means. It is also possible to keep the LED lamp socket 27 inserted into the snap means and to activate the light-curing material by rotating the entire housing 23 (for example, about or around the transverse axis 31) and then to cure the material by means of the turned-on LED lamp 21.

(27) By means of the opening 33 of the LED lamp socket, the LED lamp socket may be, for example, fixed or hung to facilitate the curing process if necessary.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(28) TABLE-US-00001 Reference Numeral Description 100 metering device 200 kit 1 reservoir 3 metering arrangement 5 metering channel 7 narrowing of the reservoir 9 cone of the metering arrangement 11 outlet opening of the metering arrangement 13 thread 15 sealing ring between metering arrangement and reservoir 17 sealing ring between metering arrangement and closure 19 closure 21 LED lamp 23 housing 25 opening of the housing 27 LED lamp socket 29 spring element 31 transverse axis 33 opening of the LED lamp socket