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

A bur tube for a medical/dental device which is adapted to removably receive a tool having a shaft, an axis and a groove spaced from the top of said shaft;

• the bur tube including a bur tube body having an upper surface, a bore which extends through said body, and a flexible arm having a finger, said finger having a flat upper surface;
• said bur tube further including a resilient member which is spaced from said bur tube body upper surface and which extends into said bur tube body bore;
• and a retaining key;
• the bur tube body having a transverse slot extending downwardly from the bur tube body upper surface;
• the transverse slot being sized and shaped to receive the retaining key and the resilient member;
• the retaining key being fixed in the bur tube body transverse slot above the resilient member to secure the resilient member in the transverse slot.

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, a groove perpendicular to said axis spaced from a top of said shaft, and a shoulder generally perpendicular to said axis and spaced axially from said groove;
• 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 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 a wall defining a bore which extends through said body sized to receive said shaft and an axially extending flexible arm;
• said flexible arm including an inwardly extending finger positioned to engage said shaft groove;
• 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 bur;
• said bur tube further including a resilient member which extends into said bur tube bore, said shoulder of said shaft abutting a lower surface of said resilient member when said shaft is received in said bur tube;
• 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 bur 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.

In combination, a bur tube for a medical/dental device and a medical/dental instrument which is removably received in the bur tube;

• the bur tube adapted to removably receive the medical/dental instrument, said instrument including a shaft having an axis, a groove perpendicular to the shaft axis, an axially extending flat surface generally parallel to the axis of the shaft and a shoulder at a bottom of said shaft flat surface extending generally perpendicular to the shaft axis;
• 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 inwardly extending finger positioned to engage said shaft groove when said shaft is inserted in said bur tube, and a resilient member extending into said bur tube bore;
• said resilient member having a bottom surface;
• said resilient member being shaped and sized to permit said flat surface of said shaft to pass above said bottom surface of said resilient member;
• said shaft shoulder being in abutting relationship with said resilient member when said shaft is received in said bur tube.