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US 4,492,573 AGranted
Orthodontic bracket
AssigneeAugusta Developments Inc.
InventorGustaf H. Hanson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeAugusta Developments Inc.
InventorGustaf H. Hanson
Estimating the term…
A new orthodontic bracket comprises a bracket body with a mesial-distal slot for the reception of an arch wire and a resilient retainer member for retaining the arch wire in the slot, the retainer member being movable on the bracket body in the occlusal-gingival directions between a slot-closed position and a slot-open position. When in the slot-closed position the end of the part of the retainer member which closes the slot extends into a mesial-distal extending retainer slot in the gingival wall of the arch wire slot so that movement of the retainer member end in the labial direction is limited by its engagement with the lingual wall of the retainer slot. The wall that is engaged by the retainer member end preferably in narrower than the bracket body and may comprise a small piece of the spring material used for the retainer member welded to the bracket body. The engaging faces of the retainer member and the retainer slot may be inclined to retain the retainer member in the slot-closed position. The small piece may extend gingivally from the body to provide a tie wing that can receive tie wires and elastics when required.
An orthodontic bracket comprising a bracket body having lingual, labial, gingival, occlusal, distal and mesial surface portions and a mesial-distal extending arch wire slot opening to the labial surface portion, and a retainer member of resilient material having labial and lingual portions in embracing sliding engagement with corresponding labial and lingual surface portions of the body, the retainer member being movable on the body between two positions in which the open labial side of the slot is respectively open and closed, wherein the mesial distal extending slot is provided in its gingival surface immediately adjacent to the labial bracket surface with a mesial distal extending retainer against which the end of the retainer member labial portion can engage when in slot-closed position to prevent labial movement of the thus engaged retainer member end of more than a predetermined extent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.