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US 2006/0234181 A1Published application
Dental Articulator Extender
OwnerEdwin Van Valeyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An extender device connects between the halves of an articulator thereby increasing the width of the articulator while still allowing the articulator to be handled as one piece during its application to the models. In an embodiment, the extender device is of a snap-fit design.
Claims10
A dental model articulator comprising:
- a pair of arms, each arm having a first arm segment and a second arm segment, the first arm segment terminating at its distal end in a first arm connection element that is pivotably engageable with one of first and second dental models and terminating at its proximal end in a node element, the second arm segment terminating at its distal end in a second arm connection element that is pivotably engageable with the other of the first and second dental models and terminating at its proximal end in a retaining element, the retaining element receiving the node element to define a hinge joint;
- a pair of extender elements, each extender element connecting a pair of arm connection elements.
A hinge joint mechanism for use in a dental model articulator connecting a pair of centrically occluding models, the hinge joint mechanism comprising:
- two convex elements for connecting to one of the articulated models and juxtaposed concentrically on a common axis that is approximately sagittally perpendicular with respect to the models;
- two opposing concave elements for connecting to the other of the articulated models and disposed coaxially on the common axis and facing each of the convex elements, each concave element having a detent for receiving a respective convex element;
- and
- resilient compression means for restraining the convex elements in the detents to limit free action of the hinge joint;
- and
- extender elements connecting between the pair of convex elements and the pair of concave elements respectively.
3 more elements
A method of articulating upper and lower dental models, the method comprising:
- providing a hinge joint mechanism to connect to the respective upper and lower dental models and allow hinging motion between the models;
- and
- inserting extender elements between left and right halves of the hinge joint mechanism for respective upper and lower portions of the hinge joint mechanism to form a widened hinge joint mechanism.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.