Unitary cartridge type turbine assembly
AssigneeProfessional Mfg. Corp.
InventorRobert T. Iudica
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A unitary turbine assembly in the form of a cartridge readily inserted as a unit in turbine operated dental handpieces and removable as a unit therefrom for replacement without damage to or requiring change or modification of the housing of the handpiece in which the turbine assembly is contained.
Claims15
A self-contained cartridge assembly free of any outer enclosure for insertion and use as a unit in and for removal from a plurality of dental handpieces in which the housing interiors are different in size and in which each housing has a fluid inlet to direct fluid into the housing and an outlet to exhaust fluid from the housing and in which the housing becomes the enclosure for said cartridge assembly when said cartridge assembly is positioned therein, said cartridge assembly comprising
- sleeve shaped means of substantially the length of the housing and for engagement with a dental tool,
- a turbine having impeller faces extending into the housing and for impingement thereagainst by fluid directed into the housing through the fluid inlet thereof to rotate said turbine,
- said impeller being connected with said sleeve for conjoint rotation therewith,
- rollable bearings fixed on said sleeve on opposite sides of said impeller,
- and engaging means captured on said rollable bearings extending outward therefrom for fluid tight engagement with the wall of the handpiece housing on opposite ends of said impeller to confine and direct the inlet fluid against said impeller and the faces thereof to contain the fluid from flowing outward from between said cartridge and the engagement of said engaging means with the housing.
In combination with a turbine operated dental handpiece having a housing with an interior wall to accommodate a turbine and fluid inlet and outlet means for the supply and exhaust respectively of fluid from the housing, a unitary turbine assembly free of any enclosure comprising
- rollable bearings relatively spaced from each other and each said bearing having inner and outer races,
- a rotatable turbine in said space between said bearings and having a plurality of impeller faces to receive the impingement of fluid thereagainst in the housing,
- seal means captured on the outer races of said bearings in fluid tight direct engagement with the interior wall of the housing to enclose said turbine between said spaced bearings and the interior wall such that fluid entering the housing is caused to impinge upon the impeller faces and to exhaust outward from the housing through the fluid outlet means,
- and an elongated dental tool holder mounting said bearings in their spaced relationship and with said turbine therebetween,
- said tool holder including a sleeve connected with said inner races of said bearings and with said turbine to rotate conjointly therewith,
- and said seal means being releasably engageable with the interior wall of the housing to enable said unitary turbine assembly to be inserted into and removed from engagement as a unit with the housing wall so that the housing becomes the enclosure for the unitary turbine assembly.
A wall-less unitary cartridge type turbine assembly free of an outer enclosure for use in a circular housing of a dental handpiece in which the interior circular wall of the housing is utilized as the wall of the turbine assembly, said assembly comprising
- a rotatable axially elongated chuck having operable means for releasable engagement with a dental tool,
- a sleeve connected with said chuck for rotation therewith and rotation relative thereto to actuate said operable means to releasably engage a dental tool,
- a turbine on said sleeve intermediate the ends thereof for rotation therewith,
- said turbine having a plurality of circumferentially spaced impeller faces against which fluid may impinge to rotate said turbine,
- rollable bearings spaced axially along said sleeve and on opposite sides of said impeller and axially from said impeller faces,
- each of said rollable bearings having inner and outer races with said inner race connected with said sleeve for rotation therewith and said outer race being rotatable with respect thereto,
- and seal means of yieldable deformable material mounted on said outer race of each of said bearings and from displacement therefrom so that said chuck, sleeve, turbine, rollable bearings and seal means are connected together as a unit free of an enclosing wall and for use as a cartridge type insert into and for removal from the housings of different dental handpieces with said seal means yielding to fit into the interior wall of the housing and deforming into fluid-tight engagement therewith such that the housing wall becomes the temporary enclosing wall of said turbine assembly while the same is therein and until said turbine assembly is removed from said housing by disengagement of said seal means therefrom.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.