Dental scaler

A vibrating device comprising:

• a hollow casing;
• a vibrator, said vibrator comprising,
• (a) a substantially rigid vibrator body having a disk-like chamber defined by a cylindrical peripheral wall and a pair of parallel flat side walls perpendicular thereto, said body having at least an exhaust port opening from said chamber on at least one of said side walls,
• (b) a rotor received within said chamber, said chamber being substantially of greater height than said rotor, said rotor having a cylindrical peripheral surface and a pair of opposite side surfaces facing, respectively, said peripheral and side walls of the chamber, the diameter of said cylindrical surface being slightly smaller than the inner diameter of said cylindrical wall to form a gap therebetween when the device is being operated, and,
• (c) means for blowing a jet of gaseous working fluid on said cylindrical surface of the rotor tangentially thereto adequate to cause said rotor to rotate within said chamber, with the cylindrical surface of the rotor spaced by said gap from said cylindrical wall, but with the edges thereof in contact with or striking said flat side walls, thereby imparting a vibratory movement to said vibrator body;
• means for resiliently supporting said vibrator within said hollow casing, and;
• means rigidly connected at an end to said vibrator body and engageable at the other end with a work piece for transmitting vibratory movement to a work piece.

A pneumatic vibratory tool comprising:

• an elongated hollow handpiece;
• a vibrator, said vibrator comprising
• (a) a substantially rigid vibrator body having a chamber defined by a cylindrical wall and a pair of opposite parallel side walls perpendicular thereto, the distance between said side walls being smaller than the inner diameter of said cylindrical wall, so that said chamber is formed in a disk-like fashion, said body having at least an exhaust port provided on at least one of side walls and communicating said chamber to the exterior of the vibrator body,
• (b) a rotor received freely within said chamber, said chamber being substantially of greater height than said rotor, said rotor having a cylindrical peripheral surface and a pair of opposite side surfaces corresponding, respectively, to said cylindrical and side walls of the chamber, the diameter of said cylindrical surface being slightly smaller than the inner diameter of said cylindrical wall, so as to form a gap between said cylindrical wall and said surface when the vibratory tool is energized, and,
• (c) means for supplying streams of compressed air on the cylindrical surface of the rotor in a direction substantially tangential to said surface adequate to cause said rotor to rotate with its cylindrical surface spaced by said gap from the cylindrical wall of the chamber, but with its peripheral edges rolling on or striking said side walls, thereby imparting vibratory movement to said vibrator body;
• an output shaft having a first end and a second end, said first end being rigidly connected to said vibrator body for operatively transmitting vibrations to said second end;
• means for resiliently supporting said vibrator and said output shaft within said hollow handpiece, and;
• a work tool mounted at the second end of the output shaft.

An air-driven dental scaler comprising:

• an elongated hollow handpiece;
• a vibrator;
• said vibrator comprising,
• (a) a substantially rigid vibrator body having a chamber defined by a cylindrical peripheral wall and a pair of parallel flat side walls perpendicular thereto, the distance between said side walls being considerably smaller than the inner diameter of said peripheral wall, so that said chamber has a disk-like shape, said body having at least an exhaust port provided in one of said side walls,
• (b) a disk-like rotor received freely within said chamber, said chamber being substantially of greater height than said rotor and said rotor having a cylindrical peripheral surface and a pair of opposite side surfaces, the diameter of said cylindrical surface being slightly smaller than the inner diameter of said cylindrical wall, so as to form a gap between said cylindrical wall and surface during operation of the scaler, and,
• (c) means for directing a jet of compressed air substantially tangentially to said cylindrical peripheral surface of the rotor, adequate to cause said rotor to rotate within said chamber, with the peripheral surface thereof spaced by said gap from the opposite cylindrical wall of the chamber and with the circumferential edges thereof in contact with or in striking relationship with said side walls of the chamber, thereby imparting a vibratory movement to said vibrator body;
• a shaft connected at an end to said vibrator body;
• means for resiliently supporting said vibrator and shaft for vibratory movement with respect to the handpiece, and;
• a scaler tip mounted detachably at the other end of said shaft.