US3471929A - Dental instrument - Google Patents

Description

J. V. BOONE DENTAL INSTRUMENT Filed Oct. 28, 1966 Oct. 14, 1969 w 4 m mg? ma a. 3.6. 3.6%. "$5. $2. u .22. 33: .13..

FIG. 2

FIG 4 FIG.

FIG. 3

3,471,929 DENTAL INSTRUMENT James Vanues Boone, 115 Meadows Bldg, Dallas, Tex. 75215 Filed Oct. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 590,411 Int. Cl. A61c 3/00 US. Cl. 322-40 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF TIE DISCLOSURE This specification discloses the invention of a dental instrument in the form of an elongated tool member having a cutting blade that is both adjustable and removable by manipulation of a portion of the elongated member, and which instrument includes a plurality of intricately shaped blades for performing specific dental operations.

This invention relates generally to dental equipment and more specifically to hand held instruments which may be used to perform gum cutting operations as may be required in dental work.

It is a principal object of this invention to provide a dental instrument which may be used for any gum cutting operation likely to be encountered in practice in the dental field.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dental cutting instrument having an adjustable and replaceable blade unit that may be quickly and positively positioned at a desired angle or replaced with the same or dissimilar blade unit.

And yet another object is to provide a cutting instrument including a body, a mandrel, a floating pin and a tightener plug whereby the blade unit is bound to the body only by the quickly releasable pressure between the body and the tightener plug.

A further object is to provide a dental cutting instrument that is adapted to utilize efiicient but economical blade units so that any blade need be used only once in practice.

And a primary object of the preferred embodiment of this invention is to provide an integral blade unit comprised of a polygonal mandrel having four, six, or other number of sides for insertion into a similar sided hole in the body of the dental instrument, and a blade that is permanently attached to the mandrel for rapid replacement.

An object of another embodiment of this invention is to provide an instrument of the type described which employs a blade holding mandrel that may be rotated 360 relative to the instrument handle to attain the optimum blade positioning.

And another object of the second embodiment is to provide a cutting instrument as above wherein the attachment between the blade and the mandrel will permit the blade to be rotated 360 relative to the blade holding mandrel.

And a further object is of the second embodiment to provide a dental cutting instrument including generally circular mandrel and a floating press pin each having a cooperating lock means for special uses.

And still a further object of this invention is to provide a plurality of unique cutting blades for special uses in the dental instrument of this invention.

Another object of the principal embodiment of this invention is to provide a mandrel that may be made of plastic and attached directly, permanently and economically to a metal (such as stainless steel) blade.

These and other objects and advantages will be apparent from an examination of the following specificanited States Patent "ice tions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 represents a plan view (relative to the preferred position of intended use) of the preferred embodiment of the dental instrument of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the instrument of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the blade unit detached from the instrument body.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of the blade unit of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 5 is a top view of the blade unit of FIG- URE 3.

FIGURE 6 is a cross sectional view of the instrument of the second embodiment of this invention; and

FIGURE 7 shows a plurality of separate blades (A-D) that may be employed with the instrument of FIGURE 6, or the blade unit of FIG. 3.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference in the drawing, it will be observed that the dental instrument of this invention, identified generally at 2 in FIGURES 1 and 2 includes: an elongated body 3 comprised of two principal members, a forward section 4 and a rearward plug section 5; and a blade unit 30 having a blade 31 therein; and an internally located floating press pin 8.

The forward section 4 of the body 3 includes a threaded bore 11 which extends to one end of section 4 in one direction and joins a smaller straight bore 12 in the other direction. Bore 12 extends in the said other direction until it intersects a cross bore indicated at 13 near the foremost end of section 4.

The rearward plug section 5 includes a main portion of the same diameter as the forward section 4 and includes a reduced diameter threaded stud portion 14 adapted to engage the threaded bore 11. p

The blade unit 30 is integrally formed of a polygonal (generally 3-8 sides) mandrel that has an elongated body of relatively small cross section and a blade (usually of stainless steel). The cross section shown in the drawing, FIGURES 2-5, is square, although in actual construction it may be rectangular, multi-sided, fluted or any of a number of configurations. Mandrel 32 has a reduced square head section 34 that is formed to fit into the square opening in blade 31. Mandrel 32 may be molded to shape while in contact with blade 31, or an axially extending end of section 34 may be fused to blade 31 by local heat. In either method, a lobe 35 is formed that overlaps the edges of the opening in the blade to permanently join the mandrel and blade.

In operation, the blade unit 30 is installed in opening 13 of the forward section 4 of body 3, in such a manner that the integrally attached blade 31 will be at the desired position for the surgical work to be performed. Since the entire blade unit 6 is economical and considered disposable, it may be discarded after a single use and replaced with another blade unit 30 having the same or different shape of integral blade therein. During use if it becomes desirable to move the blade unit 30 longitudinally in opening 13, or change the angle of the blade 31 relative to the body 3, the rearward plug section 5 may be loosened and blade unit 30 either moved in the opening 13 or removed from opening 13 and reinserted at the new portion, and then section 5 is retightened to firmly resecure the parts together.

Referring now to the second embodiment shown in FIGURES 6 and 7, it will be seen that the general construction is similar to the principal embodiment of FIG- URES 1-5. The distinction between the two embodiments lies in the blade unit 6, which is constructed in three parts, a generally circular mandrel 26, a separate and readily detachable blade 7, and a round head screw 15 that binds the mandrel and blade together.

The mandrel 26 has an elongated body of relatively small cross-section. The cross-section shown in FIGURE 6 is circular, although this mandrel also may be polygonal in cross-section. Mandrel 26 has an enlarged head section 9 that is flat on the exposed side and has a threaded bore to receive screw 15 which has a flat underside, so that the flat surfaces of the mandrel and screw cooperate to bind blade 7 at installation.

FIGURE 7 shows a plurality of different blades, each having a special configuration, for use in the dental instrument of this invention. The blade shown at A may be used for getting at locations where a direct line of site is not available. The blade shown at B is useful where a slight curved blade is needed, and the blade shown at C is used where a greater curvature and the absence of a point is needed. The blade shown at D is a modification of the regular blade 31 of FIGURE 1. These blades may be made of surgical steel or of a grade of stainless steel or other material that will permit a razor like edge 22 to be formed thereon. The blade includes a central opening 23 slightly larger than the diameter of screw 15.

A blade 31 having the shape of any of the blades 7A-7D may also be used as an integral part of the blade unit 30 in the embodiment of FIGURES l and 2.

In operation, using the second embodiment, the mandrel 26 is usually left installed in the body member 3, and includes its head screw 15 loosely threaded in place, but without a blade. It is desirable in dental surgery, where a blade is employed for cutting a patients gums, and where the blade may come in contact with a jawbone, that the blade be discarded after each use and a fresh blade be used for each patient. So at the start of each use of this instrument, the mandrel head screw 15 will be removed and the desired blade installed on the enlarged head section 9 and screw 15 tightened to hold the blade securely in place. The desired angular position of the mandred is then determined, and plug member '5 is loosened to permit setting the mandrel and then member is retightened. When member 5 is tightened it presses axially against elongated press pin 8 which in turn presses against and binds mandrel 26 against the walls of its bore 13a.

In use it is of course very simple and rapid to loosen the plug member 5 and reset the angular position of mandrel 26 and blade 7 as conditions encountered may change during the course of dental surgery. The instrument 2 is usually held by the dentist in the same manner he Would hold a pencil, and the blade is usually but not necessarily at the lower end of the mandrel.

Also a locked mandrel position may be employed by sliding the mandrel 26 in its bore 13a until the top flat notch 16 is aligned with tip 17 of press pin 8. The arrangement will insure a positive lock against rotation of mandrel 26 in its bore 13a. A positive lock against axial movement of the mandrel 26 may be attained by inserting tip 17 in groove 18, which may include a flat of a similar nature to flat notch 16.

Using the preferred embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2 and the integral blade unit 30, having a one piece blade and mandrel, it Will be seen that an extremely fast and convenient construction is provided to change or replace blades during use.

Body section 5 of both embodiments is knurled throughout its external length, whereas section 4 (or 4a) is knurled only to the start of its reduced diameter portion 19 which joins the knurled portion by means of a tapered portion 20. Portion 19 includes a fiat area 21 at its foremost end, and all edges of portion 19 as well as all exposed edges of the entire instrument 2 are beveled or rounded to prevent injury to the patient or to the dentist. The forward section of the body 3a of tool 2a has been renumbered 4a in FIGURE 6 since it is not interchangeable with the forsection 4 of FIGURES 1 and 2. The difference between 4 the items 2, 2a; 3, 3a; 4, 4a; is that the bore 13a of the embodiment of FIGURE 6 is circular in cross section to receive the circular mandrel 26, whereas the bore 13 of the embodiment of FIGURES 1 and 2 is polygonal in cross section.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced a device which substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein. The invention is not limited to the exemplary construction herein shown and described, but may be made in many ways within the spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A dental instrument comprising:

(a) an elongated body having a forward section and a separable rearward section;

(b) a replaceable blade unit adapted to be selectively positioned in one of said sections;

(c) said blade unit including a mandrel and a separate material blade,

(d) said blade projecting transversely outward from said mandrel and having an elongated cutting edge,

(c) said elongated body defining a transverse opening therethrough,

(f) said mandrel extending through said opening and transversely through said body,

(g) said blade unit being adapted to be located and locked at several different functional positions in said transverse opening and relative to the axis of said transverse opening,

(h) and means between said blade unit and said elongated body for locking and positively preventing rotation of said blade unit during use of said dental instrument.

2. A dental instrument as in claim 1, wherein said blade unit is replaceable as a unit in said forward section, and wherein said means for locking and positively preventing rotation includes at least one fiat surface on said mandrel.

3. A dental instrument as in claim 2, wherein said mandrel is polygonal in cross section, and wherein a press pin is installed in said elongated body and is adapted to bind against said fiat surface and provide said means for locking and positively preventing rotation of said blade unit.

4. A dental instrument as in claim 2, wherein said mandrel and blade form an integral blade unit having an L- shaped configuration.

5. A dental instrument as in claim 4, wherein said mandrel is plastic in composition and is molded to said blade which is metal in composition.

6. A dental instrument as in claim 2, wherein said mandrel and blade are separable pieces and said mandrel includes means for readily replacing said blade at a selected angle in a transverse plane relative to said mandrel.

7. A dental instrument as in claim 2, wherein said mandrel is a member having an enlarged head section for receiving said blade, and wherein said head section defines means including a flat surface to permit said blade to be rotated 360 on said flat surface to a desired location.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 462,445 11/ 1891 Metzger 3240 XR 812,567 2/1906 Ivory 3240 XR 1,497,749 6/ 1924 Diack 32-46 2,805,475 9/1957 Adams 30164.9 3,367,335 2/ 1968 Ward et al. l28305 OTHER REFERENCES Catalogue of Dixon Tool Co., Newark, N.J., 1933, 2 pp. Crane-Kaplan Instruments, 1934, copy page showing tools.

ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner H. DINTZ, Assistant Examiner

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