Optical waveguides – Miscellaneous
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-06
2001-10-16
Sanghavi, Hemang (Department: 2874)
Optical waveguides
Miscellaneous
C433S029000, C606S016000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06304712
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a medical, dental and surgical illuminating appliance and, more particularly, to a bendable light bar that is engaged with a fiberoptic light source to illuminate, for example, the interior of a dental patient's mouth.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Dentists and oral surgeons often have a difficult time adequately illuminating the inside of a patient's mouth. Most dentists use an overhead lamp mounted on a pedestal and extending above the patient's chair. Usually, either the physician or an assistant must frequently adjust the lamp to illuminate the region of the mouth where dental or surgical work is being performed. Such adjustments are required because the patient's head may move or the dentist may have to work on a different tooth or in a different location in the mouth. Each time the position of the light needs to be changed, the dental procedure is interrupted. The dentist must then reposition the lamp himself or provide appropriate instructions to his assistant. In either event, manual manipulation of the dental lamp is time consuming and annoying. Moreover, standard overhead dental lamps are located a distance from the mouth and typically do not provide optimal illumination. At present, such lights are only able to illuminate a 28 mm surface within the mouth. This limited area of lighting usually necessitates even further adjustments of the light.
Presently, fiberoptic illuminators are widely employed in medical and surgical procedures. However, dentists and oral surgeons only occasionally utilize such illuminators. These instruments typically feature a headlamp that is worn by the physician and tethered by a fiberoptic cable to a light source. Dentists performing work inside the patient's mouth normally dislike wearing an item that ties or tethers them to another instrument. Such an arrangement restricts their freedom of movement during the dental procedure. Furthermore utilizing standard fiberoptic illumination systems requires the purchase and introduction of expensive and sometimes bulky equipment into the dental office. Non-dental surgical headlamps exhibit similar disadvantages.
Fiberoptic lighting has also been attached to dental mirrors used directly inside the patient's mouth. Unfortunately, such illuminated dental mirrors are rather bulky and seriously limit the physician's working area within the mouth. Additionally, these appliances cannot be rested in the patient's mouth, and instead, must be constantly held and manipulated by the dentist or surgeon. Fiberoptically lighted mirrors too are tethered to a light source and tend to restrict the wearer's movement.
Shadowing and other lighting problems are also commonly experienced during nondental surgery. Conventional surgical illumination is often bulky and awkward to operate. Available lamps tend to interfere with the surgeon's view and are not readily adjustable. A need exists for an improved light that does not block the surgeon's view and is adjustable for use in various surgical environments.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an illuminating appliance that quickly, simply and effectively illuminates the interior of a patient's mouth and other body cavities without tethering the physician to standard fiberoptic illumination equipment and restricting his or her movement.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a medical and dental illuminating appliance that projects light into a patient's mouth or into a surgical body cavity with much greater intensity and effectiveness than is accomplished using standard lamps.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an oral cavity illuminating appliance that eliminates the interruption, inconvenience and annoyance that normally accompany having to frequently adjust an overhead dental lamp to properly illuminate selected areas of a patient's mouth.
It is a further object of this invention to provide medical and dental illuminating appliance that is relatively inexpensive, readily disposable, and easy to assemble, disassemble and replace, such that each successive patient is provided with a fresh, germ-free appliance.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a medical illuminating appliance having a readily adjustable shape that permits the device to be engaged securely and effectively at various positions within a patient's mouth or surgical body cavity.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an illuminating appliance that is readily adjustable into a variety of light projecting configurations so that a selected pattern of light may be broadcast within a patient's oral or other body cavity.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an oral cavity-illuminating appliance that achieves significantly improved lighting, particularly on the inside surfaces of the teeth and gums.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an oral cavity-illuminating appliance that assists effectively in diagnosing and detecting diseases, growths and lesions on the tongue, gums and soft tissue within the oral cavity.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an illuminating appliance that provides improved lighting for a wide variety of medical, dental and surgical procedures and which may be adjustably configured to engage and be used with various types of medical and surgical equipment.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an illuminating appliance that may be quickly and conveniently positioned and configured by the physician to properly illuminate a medical procedure.
This invention results from a realization that significantly improved lighting of the inside of a dental patient's mouth or a surgical patient's body cavity is achieved by projecting light into the mouth or other cavity through a light conducting rod that is communicably interconnected to a light source by a fiberoptic cable. This invention results from the further realization that by constructing such a light-conducting rod to be adjustably bendable, it can be effectively engaged at various locations within the patient's mouth or proximate a surgical cavity.
The invention features a bendable illuminating appliance that includes an elongate, substantially solid light conducting rod or bar. The rod is interconnected to a source of fiberoptic light by a light conductor. Means are carried by the rod for projecting light from the rod. The light-conducting rod is bendable and includes means for sustaining a shape into which the rod is bent.
In a preferred embodiment, the fiberoptic light conductor is a fiberoptic cable or optical fiber, which includes an outlet. The light-conducting rod may be communicably connected to an inlet that is operably interconnected to the outlet of the fiberoptic light conductor such that light from the light source is transmitted through the light conductor and into the light-conducting rod. Preferably the light-conducting rod comprises a translucent material exclusively.
The means for projecting may include a portion or all of the exterior surface of the light-conducting rod. The light projecting means may more specifically include a rounded, bulbous or angled tip portion of the rod. The bulbous tip portion may include a concave, light projecting surface or indent that focuses the projected light onto a predetermined focal point. The angled tip portion may include a light-projecting surface that broadcasts light from the rod in a predetermined angle. At least a portion of the rod may be frosted or otherwise coated to minimize radial diffusion or dispersion of light projected from that portion of the rod.
The rod may include an elongate, flexible shaping element that maintains a selected shape into which the rod is flexed or bent. This permits the rod to be bent or formed into a hook shape so that it properly and comfortable engages the patient's mouth. Alternatively, in surgical applications, the rod may be engaged with and held
Noonan William E.
Sanghavi Hemang
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