Chuck with a push button release for a dental/medical device

A medical/dental device including:

• a body having a hollow sleeve and a head at an end of said sleeve, said sleeve receiving a drive mechanism, said head defining an upwardly opening chamber, said chamber having an upwardly opening mouth and a floor having an opening therethrough sized to admit the passage of a shaft of a medical/dental instrument, said shaft having an axis and a groove perpendicular to said axis and spaced from a top of said shaft, said groove being defined by upper and lower surfaces, at least said groove upper surface being perpendicular to the axis of said shaft;
• a chuck which removably receives said shaft, said chuck including a bur tube which is rotatably received in said head and a push button actuator, said shaft being receivable in said bur tube to be rotationally fixed relative to said bur tube to be driven by rotation of said bur tube;
• a cap received in the mouth of said head and having an upper opening;
• and
• a driven mechanism on said bur tube, said driven mechanism being operatively connected to said drive mechanism to be rotatably driven by said drive mechanism to rotate said bur tube and said bur;
• said bur tube including a bur tube body having an upper surface and a bore which extends through said body sized to removably receive said shaft;
• an upper portion of said shaft being extendible above said upper surface of said bur tube to space said shaft groove above said bur tube upper surface;
• said bur tube further including a flexible arm extending above said bur tube upper surface, said flexible arm including an inwardly extending finger positioned to engage said shaft groove when said shaft is inserted in said bur tube, said arm being movable between a first position in which said finger is received in said groove to prevent said shaft from being removed from said head and a second position in which said finger is disengaged from said groove to allow removal of said bur;
• an upper portion of said arm extending above the top of said shaft;
• said push button actuator being received in said cap and extending through said cap upper opening to be operable by a user of said medical/dental device, said push button actuator including a top, an annular wall depending from said top and having an inner surface, and a pedestal depending from said push button top inside of said annular wall;
• said push button being axially slideable in said cap between a first position in which said pedestal is spaced from said upper portion of said bur tube arm and a second position in which said pedestal engages said upper portion of said bur tube arm to move said arm from said arm first position to said arm second position, said push button pedestal defining a truncated cone, said pedestal having a sloped side which engages said bur tube arm upper portion to move said bur tube arm from its first position to its second position, said bur tube arm upper portion having a sloped upper surface, said sloped side of said pedestal engaging said sloped surface of said arm upper portion.

A medical/dental device including:

• a body having a hollow sleeve and a head at an end of said sleeve, said sleeve receiving a drive mechanism, said head defining an upwardly opening chamber, said chamber having an upwardly opening mouth and a floor having an opening therethrough sized to admit the passage of a shaft of a medical/dental instrument, said shaft having an axis and a groove perpendicular to said axis and spaced from a top of said shaft, said groove being defined by upper and lower surfaces, at least said groove upper surface being perpendicular to the axis of said shaft;
• a chuck which removably receives said shaft, said chuck including a bur tube which is rotatably received in said head and a push button actuator, said shaft being receivable in said bur tube to be rotationally fixed relative to said bur tube to be driven by rotation of said bur tube;
• a cap received in the mouth of said head and having an upper opening;
• and
• a driven mechanism on said bur tube, said driven mechanism being operatively connected to said drive mechanism to be rotatably driven by said drive mechanism to rotate said bur tube and said bur;
• said bur tube including a bur tube body having an upper surface and a bore which extends through said body sized to removably receive said shaft;
• an upper portion of said shaft being extendible above said upper surface of said bur tube to space said shaft groove above said bur tube upper surface;
• said bur tube further including a flexible arm extending above said bur tube upper surface, said flexible arm including an inwardly extending finger positioned to engage said shaft groove when said shaft is inserted in said bur tube, said arm being movable between a first position in which said finger is received in said groove to prevent said shaft from being removed from said head and a second position in which said finger is disengaged from said groove to allow removal of said bur;
• an upper portion of said arm extending above the top of said shaft;
• said push button actuator being received in said cap and extending through said cap upper opening to be operable by a user of said medical/dental device, said push button actuator including a top, an annular wall depending from said top and having an inner surface, and a pedestal depending from said push button top inside of said annular wall;
• said push button being axially slideable in said cap between a first position in which said pedestal is spaced from said upper portion of said bur tube arm and a second position in which said pedestal engages said upper portion of said bur tube arm to move said arm from said arm first position to said arm second position;
• said pedestal having a lower surface, a bore being formed in said lower surface, said bore having a diameter at least as great as the diameter of said bur shaft at the top of said shaft and a depth sufficiently deep to prevent the top surface of said bur shaft from contacting said pedestal when said push button is moved to its second position.

A chuck for a medical/dental device, the medical/dental device removably receiving a tool having a shaft, said shaft having an axis and a groove spaced from the top of said shaft, said groove being defined by upper and lower surfaces, at least said groove upper surface being perpendicular to the axis of said shaft;

• the chuck including a bur tube which removably receives said shaft and a push button actuator operable to move said bur tube from a first position in which said bur tube interacts with said groove of said shaft to secure said tool in said medical/dental device and a second position in which said tool may be removed from said medical/dental device;
• said bur tube including a body having wall, a top surface, an axially extending flexible arm formed in said wall and extending above said top surface, said arm having a top surface and a finger spaced below said arm top surface, said finger being snappingly received in said groove of said tool shaft to secure said tool in said medical/dental device, said finger having a flat upper surface which interferes with said groove upper surface to prevent said tool from being removed from said shaft when said bur tube is in said first position and said finger is engaged in said groove;
• said push button actuator including a top and a pedestal depending from said top, said pedestal having a sloped side wall, said push button actuator being axially slideable relative to said bur tube between a first position in which said sloped side wall of said pedestal is spaced from said top surface of said arm, and a second position in which said sloped side wall of said pedestal engages said top surface of said arm to urge said arm outwardly a distance sufficient to disengage said arm finger from said shaft groove.

A chuck for a medical/dental device, the medical/dental device removably receiving a tool having a shaft, said shaft having an axis and a groove spaced from the top of said shaft, said groove being defined by upper and lower surfaces, at least said groove upper surface being perpendicular to the axis of said shaft;

• the chuck including a bur tube which removably receives said shaft and a push button actuator operable to move said bur tube from a first position in which said bur tube interacts with said groove of said shaft to secure said tool in said medical/dental device and a second position in which said tool may be removed from said medical/dental device;
• said bur tube including a body having a top surface, a flexible arm extending above said top surface, said arm having a top surface and a finger spaced below said arm top surface, said finger being snappingly received in said groove of said tool shaft to secure said tool in said medical/dental device, said finger having a flat upper surface which interferes with said groove upper surface to prevent said tool from being removed from said shaft when said bur tube is in said first position and said finger is engaged in said groove;
• said push button actuator including a top and a pedestal depending from said top, said pedestal having a sloped side wall said push button actuator being axially slideable relative to said bur tube between a first position in which said sloped side wall of said pedestal is spaced from said top surface of said arm, and a second position in which said sloped side wall of said pedestal engages said top surface of said arm to urge said arm outwardly a distance sufficient to disengage said arm finger from said shaft groove;
• said top surface of said arm being sloped, said slope of said arm top surface corresponding to the slope of said pedestal sloped side wall.

A medical/dental device including:

• a body having a hollow sleeve and a head at an end of said sleeve, said sleeve receiving a drive mechanism, said head defining an upwardly opening chamber having a floor and an opening in said floor sized to admit the passage of a shaft of a medical/dental instrument, said shaft having an axis and a groove perpendicular to said axis spaced from a top of said shaft, said groove being defined by upper and lower surfaces, at least said groove upper surface being perpendicular to the axis of said shaft;
• a chuck which removably receives said shaft, said chuck including a bur tube which is rotatably received in said head, said shaft being received in said bur tube to be rotationally fixed relative to said bur tube to be driven by rotation of said bur tube;
• a driven mechanism on said bur tube, said driven mechanism being rotatably driven by said drive mechanism to rotate said bur tube and said shaft;
• said bur tube including a bur tube body having a wall, an upper surface, and a bore which extends through said body sized to receive said shaft;
• an upper portion of said shaft extending above said upper surface of said bur tube to space said shaft groove above said bur tube upper surface;
• said bur tube further including an axially extending flexible arm formed in said bur tube body wall;
• said arm extending above said bur tube upper surface, said flexible arm including an inwardly extending finger positioned to engage said shaft groove and a portion extending above said finger, said finger having a flat upper surface and a sloped lower surface, said arm being movable between a first position in which said finger is received in said shaft groove to prevent said shaft from being removed from said head and a second position in which said finger is disengaged from said groove to allow removal of said shaft;
• said shaft having a top edge which is beveled or rounded, said top edge of said shaft interacting with the sloped lower surface of said finger to urge said finger and said arm radially outwardly when said shaft is inserted into said head, said arm snapping from said second position to said first position when said groove comes into alignment with said finger.

A medical/dental device including:

• a body having a hollow sleeve and a head at an end of said sleeve, said sleeve receiving a drive mechanism, said head defining an upwardly opening chamber, said chamber having an upwardly opening mouth and a floor having an opening therethrough sized to admit the passage of a shaft of a medical/dental instrument, said shaft having an axis and a groove perpendicular to said axis and spaced from a top of said shaft;
• a chuck which removably receives said shaft, said chuck including a one-piece, unitary bur tube which is rotatably received in said head and a push button actuator, said shaft being receivable in said bur tube to be rotationally fixed relative to said bur tube to be driven by rotation of said bur tube;
• and
• a driven mechanism on said bur tube, said driven mechanism being rotatably driven by said drive mechanism to rotate said bur tube and said bur;
• said one-piece unitary bur tube including a bur tube body having a wall, a bore which extends through said body sized to removably receive said shaft;
• an axially extending flexible arm formed in said body wall;
• said flexible arm including an inwardly extending finger positioned to engage said shaft groove when said shaft is inserted in said bur tube, said arm being movable radially between a first position in which said finger is received in said groove to prevent said shaft from being removed from said head and a second position in which said finger is disengaged from said groove to allow removal of said bur;
• said push button actuator being received in said head;
• said push button actuator having an upper surface which is exposed eternally of said head to be pushed by an operator of the medical/dental device;
• said push button actuator including a member depending from an inner surface of said push button;
• said push button being slidable axially relative to said head between a first position in which said member is spaced from said bur tube arm and a second position in which said member engages said bur tube arm to move said arm from said arm first position to said arm second position.