US2553232A - Waste receiver - Google Patents

Description

c. J. B EYER WASTE RECEIVER May 15, 1951 Filed Oct. 1, 1949 INVENTOR.

a 0 5 m w 6 Patented May 15 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WASTE RECEIVER Charles J. Beyer, Pasadena, Calif.

Application October 1, 1949, Serial No. 119,064

2 Claims. (Cl. 206-635) The present invention relates to waste receivers in general and particularly to a waste receiver for use in dental offioes. More specifically the invention comprises a dental waste receiver incorporatinga removable throw-away inner receptacle and automatic waste removing and retaining means.

The dentist in his work inthe oral cavity continually finds need to absorb moisture present. For this he frequently uses a small pair of spring forceps to pick from a container a small piece or bunch of cotton or similar absorbent material which he then places into the area to be dried. When the absorption has been effected he removes the swab and disposes of it within a wastebasket or other handy receptacle. Because of the inherent characteristics of cotton and similar absorbents they tend to adhere to the contacting forceps even after the retaining pressure has been released and frequently the dentist must use both hands to disengage it. The wastebasket or similar receptacle is usually positioned on the floor and too frequently the material is dropped on the fioor adjacent thereto instead of therein.

In the dental receiver constructed in accordance with the present invention a relatively small receptacle is adapted to be positioned on the dentists work tray. It comprises an exterior body within which is mounted a removable throw-away receptacle removably retained in place and covered by a closure hiding from view the somewhat objectionable used absorbents. The closure is provided with a suitable aperture through which the used absorbent may be inserted by the forceps, the opening having sides which, by virtue of their construction, slide along the forceps to retain the material as the former are withdrawn. The construction is economical and is adapted to be replaced with each patient for complete sanitation.

With an appreciation of the problems present in this field, it is an object of the invention to provide a new and improved waste receiver for dentists offices.

It is another object of the invention to provide a new and improved dental waste receiver incorporating a throw-away receptacle. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a dental waste receiver incorporating automatic waste-removing means.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a simple dental waste receiver including a rigid body in which is mounted a dispensable throw-away interior receptacle overlaid by a perforated closure, the interior receptacle and the closure being removably locked in place.

These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a dental waste receiver constructed in accordance with the present invention and illustrates the initiation of the insertion of waste carried by forceps Figure 2 is a top view of the unit shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical elevation section upon the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an exploded view illustrating the parts of the invention;

Figure 5 is an enlarged partial section illustrating the contour of the retaining ring and its seat in the container body.

The dental waste receiver constructed in accordance with the present invention may have various external shapes, rectangular or square or circular, but in a preferred form is circular in section and is formed by a hollow cylindrical sleeve body I I of suitable metal preferably polished or coated exteriorly to provide a pleasing surface appearance. The lower end of the cylinder may be open or closed, but for purposes of economy is open, and functions as the supporting base for the unit. Its upper end is provided with adjacent lower and upper circular seats I2 and I3 each formed with bottom and side walls. Lower seat I2 is of smaller diameter than upper seat I3 and is adapted to seat the rim I6 around the mouth of a cup !'I made of paper or suitable treated material and which is preferably frustoconical that it may be inserted readily within the body II. The height of cup I! is preferably slightly less than the distance separating the seat I2 from the lower end of body I I so that it is entirely supported by its rim.

Upper seat I3 includes a bottom surface adapted to support the peripheral marginal edge of a disc cover plate l8 transversely slitted centrally at I9, the slits intersecting to provide flexible pie-shaped sectors 2| adapted to be flexed downwardly into the cup by a downward force and to spring back into the plane of the disc upon the removal of the force. The side wall of seat I3 slopes downwardly and outwardly sothat its diameter is greater at its lower end than at its upper in order to overlie the peripheral wall 23 of a split ring 24. The circular wall 23 of ring 24 is also of greater diameter at its lower end than at its upper so that in its expanded condition it abuts the side wall of seat I 3 to provide a locking relationship which permits of the displacement of cup I! and disc I8, which the lower edge of the ring overlies, only when the ring is intentionally compressed sufiiciently as to displace its shoulder 23 inwardly to permit of its upward movement past the side wall of seat I3.

The receptacle constructed in accordance with the present invention is shown in its assembled relationship in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and it is seen that the closure disc l8 overlies the upper open end of the cup I! and that both the cup and the closure plate are retained in place by the locking ring 24. An entrance to the cup I! is provided only through the intersecting transverse slits 19 which, as stated, are defiectible under .a downward force as would be exerted by the dentists forceps as he forces the absorbent ma.- terial downwardly into the cup.

In the use of the receptacle the dentist forces the used absorbent material held between the ends of the spring forceps downwardly between the flexible sectors 2| by initially placing it as shown in Figure 1 and then moving it downwardly, the members 21 bending inwardly as illustrated in Figure 3. He continues this downward movement until the absorbent material is entirely below the cover plate [8 and then withdraws the forceps, the members 2! sliding along of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dental waste receiver body comprising an open topped and an open bottomed cylindrical sleeve, the end of said sleeve adjacent the open top being formed with inner and outer spaced seats, each of said seats being formed with a bottom wall facing toward the open top and with a side wall facingzinwardly across the sleeve, the side wall of the outer seat being frusto-conical with its smaller diameter nearest the open top,

said inner seat being adapted to seat the rim of a cup positioned therebelow in said sleeve, said outer seat being adapted to seat the peripheral edge of a perforated flat disc extended across said sleeve and overlying the rim of said cup, and a split retaining ring of a size to snap in said outer seat and having a frusto-conical peripheral wall to abut the frusto-conical wall of said outer seat to be cammed thereby to clamp said disc against the outwardly facing wall of said outer seat.

2. In a dental waste receiver, a body having an open top and an open bottom, the top end of said body being formed with vertically spaced upper and lower seats, said lower seat encircling the interior of said body and being formed with a'wall facing toward said top and with a wall facing inwardly across said body, a cup having a rim at its upper open end positioned in said body with said rim extended into said lower seat and overlying the wall thereof facing toward the open top, said upper seat being formed with a wall facing toward the open top and with ta frusto-conical wall facing inwardly across said body, a closure disc extended across said body overlying the rim of said cup and resting at its periphery on the wall of said outer seat facing toward said open top, and a split retaining ring seated in said upper seat formed with a'frustoconical outer wall conforming to the frustoconical wall of said upper seat and cammed inwardly into said body thereby to clamp the peripheral edge of said disc firmly against the abutting wall of said upper seat.

CHARLES J. BEYERV REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 539,343 Brown May 14, 1895 960,236 Simmons May 31, 1910 963,794 Mofiitt July 12, 1910 1,224,778 Palm s May 1, 1917 1,394,391 Woolsey Oct. 18, 1921 2,215,531 Bjong Sept. 24, 1940 2,379,053 Weingart June 26, 1945

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