Pod for shipping prepasted orthodontic appliances
AssigneeTP Orthodontics, Inc.
InventorAndrew C. Kesling
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pod for shipping a prepasted orthodontic appliance including a compartment having a cover or lid. The appliance includes uncured adhesive on its base and is removably attached to the underside of the lid and removable from the pod upon lifting of the lid. It is thereafter removable from the cover for placement on a tooth. The appliance is removably mounted on the lid by a compressible element frictionally engagable with an opening or openings of the appliance. When the lid is in closed position the appliance is suspended above the bottom of the pod so that the uncured adhesive does not touch the interior walls of the pod.
Claims12
A pod for shipping and/or storing a prepasted orthodontic bracket having a body with a base,
- said body including tie wings extending from said base, and an outwardly opening archwire slot between the wings for receiving an archwire, and,
- a layer of uncured adhesive on the base for bonding the bracket to a tooth,
- said pod including a compartment having bottom and side walls into which the bracket may be received, and a lid attached to said pod for closing the compartment,
- and means mounted on the lid for frictionally retaining the bracket within the compartment to support and removably hold the bracket on the lid during shipment to prevent the uncured adhesive from engaging the bottom and side walls of the pod,
- whereby lifting the lid to open the compartment will remove the bracket from the pod for subsequent engagement by an instrument to remove the bracket from said retaining means on the lid and mount the bracket on a tooth.
A package for a prepasted bracket comprising a carrier having at least one pod within which a bracket may be received,
- said bracket including an upper side having opposed tie wings and an archwire slot therebetween, a bottom side having a base, opposed edges, and an uncured bonding adhesive on the base,
- said pod having a bottom wall and sidewall means extending upwardly from the bottom wall defining a compartment with an opening into which a bracket may be inserted into or removed therefrom, and
- cover means attached at an end thereof to said pod and movable between open and closed positions for enclosing the opening when in closed position,
- said cover means including means extending therefrom to frictionally engage said bracket to support the bracket within the pod such that the bonding adhesive on said base does not touch said bottom wall and side wall means,
- whereby the bracket is inhibited from moving in the pod during shipping and upon opening the cover means presents the bracket for removal from the cover means and be readily available for mounting on a tooth.
A package for shipping and/or storing an orthodontic appliance having
- a prepasted base with a layer of uncured adhesive on the base for bonding the appliance to a tooth,
- said package including a compartment into which the appliance may be inserted and withdrawn therefrom,
- said compartment being defined by side and bottom walls,
- and a lid having inner and outer sides and being attached to said compartment along one edge thereof for closing the compartment and including thereon means on the inner side for frictionally engaging said appliance to suspend the appliance in the compartment from the lid so that the adhesive on the base will not touch said walls,
- whereby lifting of the lid to open the compartment withdraws the appliance therefrom so that it can be grasped and removed from the lid and directly mounted on a tooth.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.