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US 4,379,693 AGranted
Orthodontic biassing device
OwnerMelvin Wallsheininventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed are various embodiments of orthodontic biassing devices having means for preventing backing-off of the elongated threaded actuating member under reaction forces in the mouth. The backing-off preventing means may comprise angulated or off-set bores for the threaded member and/or guide bars, various means for causing binding up of the guide bars and/or elongated threaded members in the body members, and arrangements wherein the dimensional tolerances are such that one body member may angulate relative to the other body member under force applying conditions to cause binding of the members to thereby prevent backing-off of the threaded member due to reaction forces.
Claims51
An orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- two body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- each of said body members having a first further bore therein which is laterally offset from said threaded bore, said first further bores having respective axes which are non-colinear with each other;
- a first elongated member coupled to both of said body members and slideably engaged in said first further bore of said at least one body member and serving as a guide bar for said biassing device;
- each of said body members having a second further bore therein which is laterally offset from said threaded bore and which is laterally offset from said first further bore, said second further bores having respective axes, said first and second further bores being located on the same side of said body member, all of said threaded bores and said first and second further bores having axes which lie substantially in a common plane, to permit substantially free access to said elongated threaded member over at least 180.degree.;
- and
- a second elongated member coupled to both of said body members and slideably engaged in said second further bore of at least one of said body members and serving as a second guide bar for said biassing device.
4 more elements
In an orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- two body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- and
- means cooperatively coupled to said threaded member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- the improvement wherein:
- said backing-off preventing means comprises a deformation in at least one of said threaded bores of said body members for frictionally engaging said elongated threaded member which is threadably engaged therein, said frictional engagement being such that said elongated threaded member is manually threadable in the expanding direction of said body members, but is substantially frictionally non-threadable in the contracting direction of said body members under the influence of reaction forces applied by the teeth to said body members.
3 more elements
In an orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- two body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- and
- means cooperatively coupled to said threaded member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- the improvement wherein:
- said backing-off preventing means comprises an enlarged end portion at at least one end of said elongated threaded member for frictionally engaging said threaded bore.
3 more elements
In an orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- two body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- and
- means cooperatively coupled to said threaded member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- the improvement wherein:
- said backing-off preventing means comprises a sleeve-like member engageable over said elongated threaded member and abutting against at least one of said body members for preventing backing-off of said threaded member.
3 more elements
An orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- first and second body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- at least one of said body members having a further elongated bore therein which is laterally offset from said threaded bore;
- at least one elongated member coupled to both of said body members and slideably engaged in said further bore of said at least one body member;
- and
- said elongated member comprising backing-off preventing means cooperatively coupled with said at least one body member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- said backing-off preventing means comprising an enlarged end portion at at least one end of said elongated member for frictionally engaging an inner side wall of said further bore of said at least one body member with sufficient frictional force to substantially prevent backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces.
4 more elements
An orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- first and second body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- at least one of said body members having a further elongated bore therein which is laterally offset from said threaded bore;
- at least one elongated member coupled to both of said body members and slideably engaged in said further bore of said at least one body member;
- and
- said elongated member comprising backing-off preventing means cooperatively coupled with said at least one body member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- said elongated member having a roughened or serrated outer surface which frictionally bears against an inner surface portion of said further bore of said at least one body member.
4 more elements
An orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- first and second body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- at least one of said body members having a further elongated bore therein which is laterally offset from said threaded bore;
- at least one elongated member coupled to both of said body members and slideably engaged in said further bore of said at least one body member;
- and
- said elongated member comprising backing-off preventing means cooperatively coupled with said at least one body member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- said elongated member having an irregular outer surface which frictionally bears against an inner surface portion of said further bore of said at least one body member.
4 more elements
An orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- first and second body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- at least one of said body members having a further elongated bore therein which is laterally offset from said threaded bore;
- at least one elongated member coupled to both of said body members and slideably engaged in said further bore of said at least one body member;
- and
- said elongated member comprising backing-off preventing means cooperatively coupled with said at least one body member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- said backing-off preventing means comprising a longitudinally distorted outer surface portion of said elongated member, said further bore being substantially straight.
4 more elements
In an orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- two body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- and
- means cooperatively coupled to said threaded member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- the improvement wherein:
- said backing-off preventing means comprises said elongated threaded member having an outer threaded diameter which is threadably engaged in said threaded bore with a clearance therebetween to permit said elongated threaded member to angulate relative to said body members to bind relative to said body members under the influence of said reaction forces.
3 more elements
In an orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- two body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- and
- means cooperatively coupled to said threaded member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- the improvement wherein:
- said backing-off preventing means comprises oversized threads on said elongated threaded member relative to the size of the threads of said threaded bore, whereby said elongated threaded member is manually rotatable in said threaded bores to expand the distance between said body members, but frictionally engages said threaded bore to prevent backing-off of said body members due to said reaction forces.
3 more elements
In an orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- two body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- and
- means cooperatively coupled to said threaded member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative expanded positions;
- the improvement wherein:
- said elongated threaded member has threads of different size than the threads of said bores of said body members such that said elongated threaded member frictionally engages said threaded bores, but is manually rotatable relative to said body members in the expanding direction of said body members, but is frictionally retained to prevent backing-off of said threaded member due to said reaction forces.
3 more elements
An orthodontic biassing device comprising:
- first and second body members adapted to engage one or more teeth and to be spaced from each other, each of said body members having a threaded bore therein, said threaded bores being oppositely threaded;
- an elongated threaded member having externally threaded end portions which are oppositely threaded and which are threadably engageable in said threaded bores of said body members to selectively expand or contract the spacing between said body members;
- at least one of said body members having a further elongated bore therein which is laterally offset from said threaded bore;
- at least one elongated member coupled to both of said body members and slideably engaged in said further bore of said at least one body member;
- and
- said elongated member comprising backing-off preventing means cooperatively coupled with said at least one body member for preventing backing-off of said threaded member due to reaction forces applied to said body members when the spacing between said body members is expanded under the influence of said elongated threaded member, thereby causing said body members to remain at their relative positions;
- said backing-off preventing means comprising said elongated member being dimensioned relative to said further bore of said at least one body member to provide a clearance therebetween, and said threaded member having a loose threaded engagement with the threads of said threaded bores into which it is threaded, to permit said elongated member to angulate relative to said at least one body member to bind relative to said body member under the influence of said reaction forces.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.