Dental Implant Screwdriver Harness System

Abstract

A dental implant screwdriver harness system enables a dentist to restrain and stabilize an implant screwdriver, while simultaneously turning the driver head using only one hand. A tether attached to the dentist's hand/finger connects to a stepped socket assembly, comprising multiple driver sockets, which seat driver heads of several standard diameters. A flexible perforated driver shaft strap wraps over the driver shaft and holds the driver head down against a central socket base.

Claims

1. A device for tethering screwdrivers to a hand of a dental practitioner, the device comprising: a driver socket assembly, having two opposite sides, comprising a first side and a second side, and comprising a central socket base, wherein two opposing sets of multiple stepped socket flanges are integrally attached on the opposite sides of the central socket base, and wherein each of the socket flanges forms a circular arc which is concentric with the central socket base and which subtends an acute flange angle, and wherein each of the socket flanges comprises a horizontal, circular arcuate, flange step and a vertical, circular arcuate, flange riser, and wherein each of the flange risers cooperates with an opposing flange riser so as to define a driver socket having a socket diameter corresponding a diameter of a base of a driver head of a seated screwdriver in the driver socket; a flexible driver shaft strap which is hingeably attached to the first side of the driver socket assembly, such that a longitudinal axis of the driver shaft strap aligns with a midpoint of each of the socket flanges, wherein the driver shaft strap has multiple strap apertures, and wherein the driver shaft strap is hinged and configured to enable the driver shaft strap to assume a shaft harnessing position, in which the driver shaft strap is wrapped over the driver socket assembly, such that at least one of the strap apertures slides over and securely encompasses a driver shaft of the seated screwdriver, and such that the driver shaft strap firmly engages a top of the driver head of the seated screwdriver and forces the base of the driver head against the central socket base of the driver socket assembly, thereby constraining the seated screwdriver to an axial rotational movement; a strap locking mechanism which is rigidly attached to the second side of the driver socket assembly, wherein the driver shaft strap conjugately engages the strap locking mechanism so as to releasably fix the driver shaft strap in the shaft harnessing position; and a flexible tether member having a proximal end which extends from the locking mechanism and having a distal end which removably attaches to the hand of the dental practitioner.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the distal end of the tether member terminates in a ring or a split ring which removably attaches to a finger of the hand of the dental practitioner.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the flange angle is greater than 60 and less than 90.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein the tether member has a length of 70 to 100 mm, and the driver shaft strap has a length of 50 to 60 mm.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the driver shaft strap contains a series of ridges or projections which conjugately engage one or more teeth or detents of the strap locking mechanism, so as to releasably fix the driver shaft strap in the shaft harnessing position.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the strap locking mechanism contains a release tab which, when manually pushed, releases the teeth or detents of the strap locking mechanism from engagement with the ridges or projections of the driver shaft strap.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein each of the flange risers has a height of 0.5 to 1 mm.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the width of the driver socket assembly, from the first side to the second side, is 12 to 20 mm.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the driver shaft strap is attached to the first side of the drive socket assembly by a living hinge.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is sterilizable and reusable.

11. The device according to claim 4, wherein the strap apertures comprise multiple spherical members, each having an axial bore, and wherein the spherical members conjugately engage a keyhole aperture in a strap locking mechanism, so as to releasably fix the driver shaft strap in the shaft harnessing position.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein each of the flange risers has a height of 0.5 to 1 mm.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the width of the driver socket assembly, from the first side to the second side, is 12 to 20 mm.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the driver shaft strap is attached to the first side of the drive socket assembly by a living hinge.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the device is sterilizable and reusable.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] FIG. 1A is a plan view of the obverse side of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0011] FIG. 1B is a side profile view of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 1C is a plan view of the reverse side of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0013] FIG. 1D is a detail plan view of the driver socket assembly and the strap locking mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0014] FIG. 2 is a detail perspective view of the driver socket assembly and the strap locking mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] FIG. 3A is a detail perspective view of the driver socket assembly and the strap locking mechanism, with partial views of the driver shaft strap and the tether member, of the first embodiment of the present invention, with a screwdriver seated in the innermost driver socket;

[0016] FIG. 3B is a detail perspective view of the driver socket assembly, the strap locking mechanism and the driver shaft strap, with a partial view of the tether member, of the first embodiment of the present invention, with a screwdriver seated in the innermost driver socket, and with the driver shaft strap wrapped over the driver shaft and fixed in the shaft harnessing position by the strap locking mechanism;

[0017] FIG. 4 is a detail perspective view of the strap locking mechanism of the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 5 is a detail perspective view of the split finger ringer of the one embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention tethered to a user's finger by the finger ring;

[0020] FIG. 7A is a plan view of the obverse side of the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 7B is a side profile view of the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] FIG. 7C is a plan view of the reverse side of the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 7D is a detail perspective view of the driver socket assembly, the strap locking mechanism and the driver shaft strap, with a partial view of the tether member, of the second embodiment of the present invention, with a screwdriver seated in the innermost driver socket, and with the driver shaft strap wrapped over the driver shaft and fixed in the shaft harnessing position by the strap locking mechanism;

[0024] FIG. 8A is a plan view of the obverse side of the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 8B is a side profile view of the third embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 8C is a plan view of the reverse side of the third embodiment of the present invention; and

[0027] FIG. 8D is a detail plan view of the driver socket assembly and the strap locking mechanism of the third embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0028] Referring to FIGS. 1A-1D, FIGS. 7A-7D and FIGS. 8A-8D, the first, second and third embodiments of the present invention 10 comprise a driver socket assembly 11, a driver shaft strap 12, a strap locking mechanism 13, and a tether member 14.

[0029] The driver socket assembly 11 comprises a central socket base 15, which in these embodiments is substantially disk-shaped, and two opposing sets of multiple stepped socket flanges 16 on opposite longitudinal sides of the central socket base 15. The socket flanges 16 are shaped as circular arcs which are concentric with the central socket base 15 and which subtend an acute flange angle 17.

[0030] Preferably, the flange angle 17 is greater than 60 and less than 90. In these embodiments, the flange angle 17 is 80, so that the driver socket assembly has openings of 100 on either lateral side, through which the dentist can grasp and turn the head of a screwdriver seated in the driver socket assembly 11.

[0031] The socket flanges 16 form a series of horizontal, circular arcuate flange steps 18, alternating with vertical, circular arcuate flange risers 19, as best seen in FIG. 2. Each of the flange risers 19 cooperates with an opposing flange riser 19 so as to define a driver socket 20, having a socket diameter 21 corresponding to the diameter 24 of the base 31 of the driver head 23 of a screwdriver 22 to be seated in the driver socket 20, as best seen in FIGS. 3A, 3B and 7D. Optimally, the flange risers 19 have a height of 0.5 to 1 mm, and the driver socket assembly has a width of 8 to 12 mm.

[0032] The driver shaft strap 12 is sufficiently flexible to bend over the top of the driver head 23, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 7D. The driver shaft strap 12 is hingeably attached to one side of the driver socket assembly 11, and the attachment can comprise a living hinge 25. The driver shaft strap 12 has a longitudinal axis 35 which is aligned with the arc midpoints 34 of the socket flanges 16, and it has multiple strap apertures 26. The strap apertures 26 can be in the form of oblong slots, as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C and FIGS. 3A-3B, or substantially spherical members with axial bores, as depicted in FIGS. 7A-7D, or a combination of both, as shown in FIGS. 8A-8C. When the driver shaft strap 12 is wrapped over a screwdriver 22 seated in one of the driver sockets 20, one of the strap apertures 26 slides over and encompasses the driver shaft 27, as depicted in FIGS. 3B and 7D.

[0033] In this shaft harnessing position 28, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 7D, the driver shaft strap 12 firmly engages the top 36 of the driver head 23 and forces the base 31 of the driver head 23 against the central socket base 15 of the driver socket assembly 11. The seated screwdriver 22 is thereby constrained to axial rotational movements associated with the dentist's manual turning of the driver head 23.

[0034] In the first embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1C, the reverse side of the driver shaft strap 12 contains a series of ridges or projections 29, which conjugately engage the teeth or detents 30 of a strap locking mechanism 13 on the side of the driver socket assembly 11 opposite the driver shaft strap 12. The strap locking mechanism 13 releasably fixes the driver shaft strap 12 in the shaft harnessing position 28, as shown in FIG. 3B. As depicted in FIG. 4, the strap locking mechanism 13 optimally has a release tab 32 which, when manually pushed, releases the teeth/detents 30 of the strap locking mechanism 13 from engagement with the ridges/projections of the driver shaft strap 12, thereby releasing the screwdriver 22 from the harness 10.

[0035] In the second and third embodiments of the present invention, as depicted in FIGS. 7A-7D and FIGS. 8A-8D, the driver shaft strap 12 contains multiple spherical strap apertures 26 in the form of spherical members with axial bores, which cooperatively engage a keyhole slot 37 in the locking mechanism 13. As best seen in FIGS. 7D and 8D, the keyhole slot 37 comprises a circular first keyhole aperture 38, having a diameter greater than that of the spherical apertures 26, and the first keyhole aperture 38 is connected by a narrow keyhole throat 40, having a width slightly greater than that of the driver shaft strap 12, to a circular second keyhole aperture 39, having a diameter less than that of the spherical apertures 26. In order to secure the driver shaft strap 12 in place, one of the spherical apertures 26 is first inserted through the first keyhole aperture 38, the driver shaft strap 12 is slided through the keyhole throat 40 into the second keyhole aperture 39, the restricted diameter of which holds the inserted spherical aperture 26 below the locking mechanism 13.

[0036] Extending from the distal side of the strap locking mechanism 13, is the flexible tether member 14, which terminates at its distal end in a split ring 33, best seen in FIG. 5, that attaches to a finger of the dentist's hand, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0037] The dental screwdriver harness device 10 can be made of a plastic material, and it can optionally be made sterilizable and reusable. Preferably the device 10 would have limited reuse and would be replaced after a number of users.

[0038] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that many additions, modifications and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the accompanying claims.