Dentistry – Apparatus – Having heater or electrode
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-22
2001-11-06
Lucchesi, Nicholas D. (Department: 3732)
Dentistry
Apparatus
Having heater or electrode
C433S090000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06312254
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a dispenser for heating dental material in a compule and for controllably extruding the heated dental material from the dispenser prior to clinical application.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
In applicants co-pending patent application Ser. No. 09/020,107, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, a method is disclosed for preheating dental composite material within a container before extruding the material from the container into an oral cavity for clinical application. The dental composite material is preheated to an elevated temperature above that of ambient temperature just prior to placement into a prepared tooth in the oral cavity. The prepared tooth is then clinically treated by exposure to light radiation while the dental restorative composite material is at the elevated temperature. Conversely, at present, photocurable dental materials are extruded into the patients mouth at ambient temperature from a standard dispensing device and cured by exposure to light radiation at ambient temperature.
In accordance with the findings of the applicant and as taught in the aforementioned patent the physical properties of photocurable dental material(s) are enhanced when preheated just prior to clinical usage. Examples of dental materials which can be enhanced by preheating prior to use include restorative materials (commonly referred to as filling materials), etching agents, bleaching compositions, dental cements, impression materials and more particularly photocurable dental restorative materials.
Applicants co-pending application also teaches preheating one or more standard pre-filled compules of dental material using a small heating device capable of housing a plurality of pre-filled compules in a removable section of the device. The removable section acts as a heat sink for all of the compules permitting the removable section to be removed after being heated to an elevated temperature and placed close to the patient, preferably upon a standard bracket tray which most dentists presently use to hold instruments and medicaments, during a given operative procedure. Prior to use a heated compule is placed in a conventional dispenser by the dentist and dental material is then extruded directly into the prepared dental cavity.
Conventional dispensers are mechanical extruding devices such as taught by U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,853 to Welsh and U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,207 to Dragan and have no other purpose. The dispenser of the present invention is a hand held portable device designed to heat a compule of dental material which is removably inserted in the dispenser to an elevated temperature above that of ambient and to controllably extrude the pre-heated dental material from the compule directly from the dispenser into an oral cavity for clinical application.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a dispenser for controllably heating a compule of dental material which is removably inserted into the dispenser and for extruding dental material from the compule. The compule has a circumferential flange at one end which surrounds a movable sealing plug and has a generally cylindrical body in which the dental material to be extruded is stored. The dispenser of the present invention comprises:
an elongated section having a front end with a cavity open to the atmosphere for removably receiving said compule and a rear end,
a housing connected to the rear end of said elongated section with a handle in the form of a pistol grip extending from said housing,
a plunger mounted for reciprocal movement in the rear end of said elongated section with said plunger having a piston extending from one end of said plunger in alignment with the cavity,
a manually movable lever arm having one end connected to said plunger for controllably advancing the piston into engagement with said compule to dispense dental material from the dispenser, said movable lever being spaced apart from said handle so that said lever and handle may be held in one hand by the operator of the dispenser and squeezed for controllably advancing the plunger as the lever moves relative to said handle, the movable lever arm is preferably connected to the plunger by means of a rack and pinion mechanism.
a source of electrical power,
a heating unit in juxtaposition to said cavity at said front end of said dispenser for heating the compule when in said cavity with said heating unit including a heating element; and
an electrical control unit connected in said housing to said source of electrical power for controlling the supply of electrical energy to said heating element in the heating unit. The use of a rack and pinion mechanism provides this design the ability to control the force and the rate of dispensing by varying the measurements of the rack and pinion dimensions.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3831815 (1974-08-01), Glasgow
patent: 3951308 (1976-04-01), Thirtle
patent: 4065034 (1977-12-01), Callan
patent: 4330280 (1982-05-01), Dougherty
patent: 4384852 (1983-05-01), Welsh
patent: 4472141 (1984-09-01), Dragan
patent: 4974752 (1990-12-01), Sirek
patent: 5061179 (1991-10-01), Dragan
patent: 5125836 (1992-06-01), Dragan
patent: 5236269 (1993-08-01), Handy
patent: 5306147 (1994-04-01), Dragan
patent: 5489207 (1996-02-01), Dragan
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