Absorbent swab imbiber

#The present invention relates to a device for soaking or impregnating with a treating liquid an absorbent swab held at the ends of a plier and adapted to be used by dentists or the like.

#Photo-polymerizing composites are now used for filling tooth cavities. These composites, once placed within the cavity, are simply exposed to light to harden. This takes a few seconds. However, the cavity must be prepared prior to inserting the photo-sensitive composite. The cavity is first coated with a mixture of a polymer containing calcium hydroxide and a catalyst, in order to protect the nerve of the tooth. Then the cavity surface is coated with an acid for etching said surface, so as to improve the fastening of the filler to the tooth. Then a rather liquid resin material is coated on the cavity surface, in order to make a firm bond between the filler and the tooth. For the last two operations, a conventional method is as follows: the acid and the resin are each enclosed in a small container with a screw cap to prevent evaporation of the treating acid and resin. The dentist must unscrew the cap of the related container, empties a few drops of the treating liquid on a platen and then press a cotton swab onto the liquid on the platen by means of a dentist pliers holding the swab. Then the bottle must again be closed. These are time-consuming operations, especially because two similar treatments must be made for each tooth filling.

#The general object of the invention is to simplify and accelerate the above-noted operation as carried out by a dentist for dental work, such as tooth filling and the like operations where an absorbent swab is required to be soaked into a liquid.

#In the annexed drawings:

#FIG. 1 is an elevation of the imbiber in accordance with the invention as held in a cavity of a service tray, part of which is shown in cross-section;

#FIG. 2 is a partial elevation of the top portion of the imbiber showing how an absorbent swab held by pliers is caused to be imbibed with a treating liquid contained in the container;

#In the drawings, like reference characters indicate like elements throughout.

#A container 1, preferably made of plastic material, has a top open neck 2 with external threads 3, onto which is removably threaded a sleeve member 4 having complementary internal threads 5 at the bottom portion thereof, said threads terminating at their upper ends at a downwardly-facing shoulder 6 (see Fig. 6). The external surface of sleeve member 4 is knurled, as shown at 7, for ease in threading and unthreading the sleeve member 4 on and from the neck 2. A pumping assembly, generally indicated at 8, is carried by the neck 2, being located within the same and extending within the container 1. The pumping assembly 8 comprises a pump cylinder 9 held upright within the neck 2 and co-axial therewith by means of an external flange 10 formed at the upper end of the cylinder 9 (see FIG. 6) and sandwiched between the top face of the neck and the shoulder 6 of the sleeve member 4 when the latter is fully threaded on the neck 2. Obviously, the flange 10 could be permanently adhered to the shoulder 6 of the sleeve member 4. The lower end of the pump cylinder 9 tapers to form a seat 11 for a check valve, namely a ball 12 held by gravity on seat 11 but capable of free upward movement to allow liquid flow in cylinder 9.

#An intake tube 13 can be integrally formed with the lower end of cylinder 9 and extends within the container close to the bottom of the same, as shown in FIG. 1. A piston 14, integrally formed at the lower end of a piston rod 15, is inserted within the cylinder 9 and has a sliding fit therewith. The piston 14 has a greater diameter than that of the piston rod 15 and is retained within the cylinder 9 by radially inward projections 16 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) integrally formed at the upper end of the cylinder 9. These projections are formed by each one of several independent tabs 17 separate from each other by a slot 18. The upper radially inner surface of the tab 17 is rounded, as shown at 19, so that it is easy to insert the piston 14 within the cylinder by simply pressing the same against the rounded surfaces 19 of the tabs 17 to cause radial bending of the tabs, as shown in FIG. 7. The material being resilient, the tabs 17 simply spring back to their original upright position, constituting limiting means to define the upper limit position of the piston 14.