DISPOSABLE PROPHY ANGLE

Abstract

The present invention relates to a disposable dental appliance and, more particularly, a dental prophy angle used for cleaning and polishing teeth, especially, a prophy angle for holding a disposable polishing/cleaning cup-head/brush-head that is disposed after each application to a patient to prevent potential cross contamination. The disposable prophy angle for a handpiece preferably comprises an elongated tubular housing, a drive shaft, a driven gear rotor, and a prophy cup/brush-head. The tubular housing has a longitudinal and a transverse section in one integral piece with a proximal end adapted to couple to a standard dental handpiece. The housing further has an extrusion-molded socket on its top inner surface. The housing has a horseshoe-like locker to position the drive shaft gear against the driven rotor gear. The driven rotor comprises a rotor head, a rotor neck, a driven rotor gear, a cup flange, a cup neck, and a cup holder.

Claims

1. A disposable prophy angle for a handpiece, comprising: an elongated tubular housing, a drive shaft, a driven gear rotor, and a prophy cup/brush-head; said tubular housing having a longitudinal and a transverse section in one integral piece, with a proximal end adapted to couple to a standard dental handpiece; said tubular housing further having an inner surface with a top comprising an extrusion molded socket; said tubular housing further having a horseshoe-like locker; said drive shaft comprises a drive shaft gear, and two positioning steps to receive the horseshoe-like locker; said driven rotor comprises a rotor head, a rotor neck, a driven rotor gear, a cup flange, a cup neck, and a cup holder; and, where the drive shaft, drive shaft gear, the driven rotor gear and the horseshoe-like locker comprise a coupling mechanism to maintain continuous engagement of the drive shaft gear and the driven rotor gear during operation.

2. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein the said prophy cup/brushhead is over-molded on the driven gear.

3. The prophy angle of claim 1, where in the said prophy cup/brush-head has a largest diameter of 7 mm to 8 mm.

4. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein extrusion molded socket has an inner diameter of 4 mm to 6 mm, which secures the gear of prophy cup/brush-head in place, while at the same time, provides enough flexibility for rotation.

5. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein the said extrusion molded socket has a thickness of 0.8 mm to 1 mm.

6. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft gear and driven rotor gears are bevel gears.

7. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein said drive shaft gear has 9 to 10 drive shaft gear teeth.

8. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein said driven rotor gear has 10 to 11 driven rotor gear teeth.

9. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein the driving shaft is locked in place by a horseshoe-like locker, said horseshoe-like locker having two forks perpendicular to a central axis of the longitudinal section of said housing, with a separation gap between the two forks being greater than the diameter of said drive shaft, and said horseshoe-like locker located through a slot on said tubular housing between two positioning steps of said driveshaft.

10. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein the drive shaft is connected to said driven rotor at a gear connection, said drive shaft being at an angle of 90 to 120 degrees with respect to a driven rotor axis.

11. The prophy angle of claim 1, wherein said driven rotor is positioned so as to permit coupling of said driven rotor to the prophy cup/brush-head at a distal end of said driven rotor.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

[0019] FIG. 1A is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0020] FIG. 1B is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0021] FIG. 1C is an end cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0022] FIG. 1D is an end view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0023] FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0024] FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0025] FIG. 3A is side view of a preferred embodiment of the prophy angle without a head;

[0026] FIG. 3B is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the prophy angle without a head;

[0027] FIG. 4A is a bottom cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the prophy angle without a head;

[0028] FIG. 4B is a side cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the prophy angle without a head portion;

[0029] FIG. 4C is an end cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the prophy angle without a head portion;

[0030] FIG. 5A is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the drive shaft;

[0031] FIG. 5B is an end view of a preferred embodiment of the drive shaft;

[0032] FIG. 6A is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the driven rotor;

[0033] FIG. 6B is a side partial cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the driven rotor;

[0034] FIG. 6C is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the driven rotor;

[0035] FIG. 7A is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the head portion;

[0036] FIG. 7B is a bottom view of a preferred embodiment of the head portion;

[0037] FIG. 8A is a side view of a preferred embodiment of the horseshoe-like locker;

[0038] FIG. 8B is a top view of a preferred embodiment of the horseshoe-like locker;

[0039] FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0040] FIG. 10 is a bottom perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

[0041] FIG. 11 is a top perspective cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention; and,

[0042] FIG. 12 is a top perspective partial cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the general principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide disposable prophy angle.

[0044] Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1D, a preferred embodiment of a disposable prophy angle 100 is shown. FIG. 1A is a side vide of a preferred embodiment of the device comprising an elongated tubular housing 110, a drive gear shaft 120, and a prophy cup/brush-head 140. FIGS. 2A and 2B are side cross-sectional views of the preferred embodiment of the device. In FIGS. 2A-2B, the drive gear shaft 120 engages the driven gear or rotor 130, which in turn drives the brush-head 140.

[0045] Referring now to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a preferred embodiment of the tubular housing 110 is shown. The tubular housing 110 preferably is a single integral piece with a proximal end 112 adapted to connect/couple with a standard dental (motorized) handpiece (not shown). As detailed in FIG. 3B, the top inner portion of the tubular housing 110 comprises a socket 115 that interfaces and secures the driven gear 130 of the prophy cup/brush-head 140. The socket 115 is preferably extrusion molded and minimizes shifting during operation of the device. The socket 115 preferably has an inner diameter of 4-6 mm, e.g. sufficient to secure the gear 130 of prophy cup/brush-head 140. The socket 115 also provides flexibility for rotation of the brush-head 140. Further, the thickness of the said socket stabilizes the driven gear 130 and reduces noise. Preferably, the socket 115 is 0.8 mm to 1 mm thick. The socket 115 is also shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 4C, namely cross-sectional views of the preferred embodiment tubular housing. The socket 115 preferably holds the gear 130 at a rotor neck 134 to secure the brush-head gear or cup holder 142 of the prophy cup/brush-head 140 in place.

[0046] The use of extrusion molded plastics for, at a minimum, the tubular housing 110 reduces the cost of the device to allow for single use/disposability to prevent cross-contamination between patients. Furthermore, the prophy cup/brush-head preferably comprises rubber.

[0047] Referring now to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the drive shaft 120 is shown. The first end of the drive shaft 120 preferably comprises a drive shaft gear 122. The drive shaft gear 122 is preferably beveled for interface with driven gear 130. The driven gear or driven rotor 130 is also preferably beveled. Preferred embodiments of the driven rotor 130 are shown in FIGS. 6A-6C. The driven rotor 130 preferably comprises, a rotor head 132, a rotor neck 134, a driven gear or rotor gear 136, a cup flange 138, a cup neck 139 and a cup holder 142. Preferably, the drive shaft gear 122 has 9-10 drive shaft gear teeth and the driven gear 136 has 10-11 driven gear teeth. The prophy cup/brush-head 140 is preferably over molded on the driven gear 130 at the cup-holder 142. The prophy-cup/brush head 140 preferably has a diameter of 7 to 8 millimeters. A side view of a preferred embodiment of the head portion or prophy cup/brush-head 140 is shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B.

[0048] Referring back to FIG. 1C and referring to FIGS. 8A and 8B, a preferred embodiment of a horseshoe-like locker 158 is shown. The locker 158 preferably has two forks 152, 154 perpendicular to a central axis of a longitudinal axis of the tubular housing 110. The forks 152, 154 are separate by a gap 156. The gap 156 is preferably wider than the diameter of the drive shaft 120 between two positioning steps 159. The locker 158 is preferably located in slot 150 on housing 110 as shown in FIGS. 2B and 4B. The locker 158 ensures a secure axial placement of the drive shaft 120 against driven rotor 130. The drive shaft gear 122 preferably interfaces with the driven gear 136 at a 90-120 degree angle with the driven rotor’s axis. This facilitates teeth cleaning operations by allowing a dental prophylaxis angle to more easily reach all areas of a patient’s mouth. This angle also improves comfort for users with an ergonomic neutral wrist position. A preferred embodiment of this invention shown in FIGS. 9-11 shows this angle.

[0049] Thus, an improved disposable prophy angle is described above that has the previously disclosed advantages. In each of the above embodiments, the different positions and structures of the present invention are described separately in each of the embodiments. However, it is the full intention of the inventor of the present invention that the separate aspects of each embodiment described herein may be combined with the other embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.

[0050] Various modifications and alterations of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which is defined by the accompanying claims. It should be noted that steps recited in any method claims below do not necessarily need to be performed in the order that they are recited. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize variations in performing the steps from the order in which they are recited. In addition, the lack of mention or discussion of a feature, step, or component provides the basis for claims where the absent feature or component is excluded by way of a proviso or similar claim language.

[0051] While various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or other configuration for the invention, which is done to aid in understanding the features and functionality that may be included in the invention. The invention is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but the desired features may be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Indeed, it will be apparent to one of skill in the art how alternative functional, logical or physical partitioning and configurations may be implemented to implement the desired features of the present invention. Also, a multitude of different constituent module names other than those depicted herein may be applied to the various partitions. Additionally, with regard to flow diagrams, operational descriptions and method claims, the order in which the steps are presented herein shall not mandate that various embodiments be implemented to perform the recited functionality in the same order unless the context dictates otherwise.

[0052] Although the invention is described above in terms of various exemplary embodiments and implementations, it should be understood that the various features, aspects and functionality described in one or more of the individual embodiments are not limited in their applicability to the particular embodiment with which they are described, but instead may be applied, alone or in various combinations, to one or more of the other embodiments of the invention, whether or not such embodiments are described and whether or not such features are presented as being a part of a described embodiment. Thus the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

[0053] Terms and phrases used in this document, and variations thereof, unless otherwise expressly stated, should be construed as open ended as opposed to limiting. As examples of the foregoing: the term “including” should be read as meaning “including, without limitation” or the like; the term “example” is used to provide exemplary instances of the item in discussion, not an exhaustive or limiting list thereof; the terms “a” or “an” should be read as meaning “at least one,” “one or more” or the like; and adjectives such as “conventional,” “traditional,” “normal,” “standard,” “known” and terms of similar meaning should not be construed as limiting the item described to a given time period or to an item available as of a given time, but instead should be read to encompass conventional, traditional, normal, or standard technologies that may be available or known now or at any time in the future. Likewise, where this document refers to technologies that would be apparent or known to one of ordinary skill in the art, such technologies encompass those apparent or known to the skilled artisan now or at any time in the future.

[0054] A group of items linked with the conjunction “and” should not be read as requiring that each and every one of those items be present in the grouping, but rather should be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Similarly, a group of items linked with the conjunction “or” should not be read as requiring mutual exclusivity among that group, but rather should also be read as “and/or” unless expressly stated otherwise. Furthermore, although items, elements or components of the invention may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated to be within the scope thereof unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

[0055] The presence of broadening words and phrases such as “one or more,” “at least,” “but not limited to” or other like phrases in some instances shall not be read to mean that the narrower case is intended or required in instances where such broadening phrases may be absent. The use of the term “module” does not imply that the components or functionality described or claimed as part of the module are all configured in a common package. Indeed, any or all of the various components of a module, whether control logic or other components, may be combined in a single package or separately maintained and may further be distributed across multiple locations.

[0056] As will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this document, the illustrated embodiments and their various alternatives may be implemented without confinement to the illustrated examples. For example, block diagrams and their accompanying description should not be construed as mandating a particular architecture or configuration.

[0057] The previous description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.