# US 5,342,196 A · Dental hand piece

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 5,342,196 A
- Document ID: US5342196A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/024,375
- Filed: 1993-03-01
- Granted: 1994-08-30
- Earliest claimed: 1993-03-01
- Inventors: Gregory L. Van Hale
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5342196A

## CPC

- A61C 17/0208: {combined with means providing suction (A61C17/0211 takes precedence)}
- A61C 1/052: {Ducts for supplying driving or cooling fluid, e.g. air, water}
- A61C 1/088: {Illuminating devices or attachments (for examination of the mouth A61B1/24 and A61B1/06)}
- A61C: DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; {tongue scrapers A61B17/24;} preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00)

## Abstract

An aspirating dental hand piece having at its distal end a vacuum scoop that circumscribes the work tool and automatically carries away cooling water and debris during operation of the hand piece. The hand piece includes a two-part handle. The distal portion of the handle terminates in a suction scoop or shroud within which the gas driven motor is housed. This portion of the handle is divided into two portions, one of which houses the cooling fluid, gas and fiber optic conduits, and the other of which forms a fluid passageway in communication with the suction scoop for carrying away the cooling fluid and the debris generated during the drilling and grinding operations. The fluid and debris passageway is sealed with respect to the conduit carrying portion of the handle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An aspirating dental hand piece system comprising:
(a) an elongated first handle member including:
(i) an outer wall defining an interior space having first and second ends, said first end terminating in a downwardly depending shroud having an open mouth;
(ii) a gas driven motor connected to said outer wall proximate said first end of said interior space;
(iii) a work tool rotatably driven by said motor, said work tool having a shank portion extending from said open mouth of said shroud;
(iv) cooling means, including a source of cooling fluid, for directing a cooling fluid outwardly of said open mouth of said shroud toward said shank portion, said cooling means comprising a spray jet disposed within said shroud and a fluid conduit disposed within said shroud and a fluid conduit disposed within said interior space of said first handle member, one end of said fluid conduit being in communication with said spray jet and the other end being in communication with said source of cooling fluid;
(v) a divider wall connected to said outer wall for dividing said interior space of said first handle member into first and second portions, said second portion being in communication with said shroud; and
(vi) vacuum means including a vacuum source for producing a vacuum within said second portion tending to urge said cooling fluid to flow inwardly into said second portion; and
(b) an elongated second handle member removably connected to said first handle member, said second handle having an outer wall defining an interior space and connector means for interconnecting said first and second handle members.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A system as defined in claim 1 further including illuminating means for illuminating said shank portion of said work tool.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A system as defined in claim 2 in which said illuminating means comprises a first fiber optic conduit extending through said interior of said second handle member and a second fiber optic conduit connected to said first optic conduit and extending through said first portion of said interior space of said first handle member.

### Claim 4

As aspirating dental hand piece system for use in grinding a patient's tooth comprising:
(a) an elongated first handle member including:
(i) an outer wall defining an interior space having first and second ends, said first end terminating in a downwardly depending shroud having an open mouth;
(ii) a gas driven motor connected to said outer wall proximate said first end of said interior space;
(iii) a work tool rotatably driven by said motor, said work tool having a shank portion extending from said open mouth of said shroud;
(iv) cooling means, including a source of cooling fluid for directing a cooling fluid outwardly of said open mouth onto the tooth said cooling means comprising a pair of spray jets disposed within said shroud and a pair of fluid conduits disposed within said interior space of said second handle member one end of each said fluid conduit being in communication with one of said spray jets and the other end of each said fluid conduit being in communication with said source of cooling fluid; and
(v) a divider wall connected to said outer wall for dividing said interior space into first and second portions comprising a fluid passageway in communication with said shroud;
(b) an elongated second handle member removably connected to said first handle member, said second handle including:
(i) an outer wall defining an interior space; and
(ii) a vacuum conduit carried within said interior space;
(c) connector means for releasably interconnecting said first and second handle members so that said vacuum conduit is in communication with said fluid passageway of said first handle means; and
(d) vacuum means including a vacuum pump connected to said vacuum conduit for producing a vacuum within said vacuum conduit and said fluid passageway sufficient to urge said cooling fluid flowing onto the tooth to then flow inwardly into said mouth of said shroud.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A system as defined in claim 4 further including illuminating means for illuminating the tooth.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

A system as defined in claim 4 further including an exhaust conduit connected to said motor and extending through said interior space of said first and second handle members.

### Claim 7

An aspirating dental hand piece system comprising:
(a) a first handle member including:
(i) an outer wall defining an interior space having first and second ends, said first end terminating in a downwardly depending shroud having an open mouth;
(ii) a motor connected to said outer wall proximate said first end of said interior space;
(iii) a work tool rotatably driven by said motor, said work tool having a shank portion extending from said open mouth of said shroud;
(iv) cooling means, including a source of cooling fluid, for directing a cooling fluid outwardly of said open mouth of said shroud toward said shank portion, said cooling means comprising a spray jet disposed within said shroud and a fluid conduit disposed within said interior space of said second handle member, one end of said fluid conduit being in communication with said spray jet and the other end being in communication with said source of cooling fluid;
(v) vacuum means including a vacuum source for producing a vacuum tending to urge said cooling fluid to flow inwardly into said interior space; and
(b) a second handle member connected to said first handle member, said second handle having an outer wall defining an interior space and connector means for interconnecting said first and second handle members.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

A system as defined in claim 7 in which said vacuum means comprises a vacuum conduit disposed within said interior space of said second handle member one end of said conduit being in communication with said vacuum source.

### Claim 9 (depends on 7)

A system as defined in claim 7 further including illuminating means for illuminating the tooth.

### Claim 10 (depends on 7)

A system as defined in claim 7 in which said motor is gas driven and in which said system further includes an exhaust conduit connected to said motor and extending through said interior space of said first and second handle members.