Abstract: A sleeve that has the shape seen in the longitudinal direction that deviates in cross section and/or has an outside diameter that changes from a shape with a rotational symmetry to a shape with a non-rotational symmetry and has a ridge extending at least a portion of the length of the sleeve to form ledges between the ridge and adjacent curved surfaces. A method for manufacturing the sleeve includes inserting a workpiece in a die having the desired contour for the outer surface of the sleeve, heating the material and subjecting the material to internal pressure to deform the workpiece into the contour of the die to form the sleeve.

Abstract: A dental handpiece is provided with a gripping sleeve, which receives a base member arrangement composed of either a single piece or multi-pieces. The base member having bearing arrangements for supporting a drive shaft section, which is engageable with the drive shaft of a motor and has an arrangement for guiding various agent lines, such as water, air or light or electrical power on the outer surface of the base member within the interior of the sleeve. The outer sleeve is free of holding and guide elements for the agent lines and the gripping sleeve can be firmly clamped onto the base member or can be clamped to the base member with interposed elastic vibration-dampening elements.

Abstract: A catch mechanism for latching a shank of a head housing in a guide sleeve of a grip piece which latch mechanism includes stop surfaces engaged by catch surfaces characterized by an actuation element being carried on the grip part and movable radially inward to shift the catch surfaces from a first position engaged with the stop surfaces to a second position disengaged from the stop surfaces. In one embodiment, the catch surfaces are carried on a shank of the head part and the stop surfaces are on a guide sleeve of the gripping part. In other embodiments, the stop surfaces are provided on the shank of the head part and the catch surfaces are formed by an element carried on the guide sleeve.

Abstract: A dental handpiece, which has a gripping part connectable to a supply hose and a head part with a head housing which is removably held at the free end of the gripping part, characterized by the gripping part having at least one light conductor with an end located adjacent to the connection between the two parts to project light therefrom and having an inclined free end surface engaging an inclined oblique surface of the head part with the surfaces extending so that the lower end thereof merges with the head housing. A lower portion of the end surface is formed by a carrier part which accepts the ends of the light conductors to project light into the area of the tool held by the housing of the head part.

Abstract: An improved dental handpiece arrangement utilizes a drive cartridge containing the drive motor. The drive cartridge coacts with a coupling member and can be utilized with either a tubular adapter which enables use with one type of dental grip piece or can be utilized with a grip piece having an integral tubular portion for receiving the cartridge. The arrangement with the motor cartridge provides a great flexibility of utilizing grip pieces of different constructions.

Abstract: A ball catch coupling for releasably connecting two parts which permits relative rotation of the parts in the connected conditions as an annular section carried on one of the parts with a number of uniformly disposed bores at a periphery thereof, balls respectively received and rotatable in each of the bores, a closed resilient ring surrounding the balls, an annular groove in the annular section which receives the ring and permits limited axial displacement and free rotation thereof within said groove, and the other part to be connected having an annular groove which at least partially receives the ring and the balls when the two parts are connected. The limited displacement and free rotation of the ring with respect to the annular section permits engagement and disengagement to be undertaken particularly easily and with low wear.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a dental spray hand piece which has a valve for controlling the flow of an agent through an agent line that extends through the hand piece to a spray nozzle and an arrangement for preventing dripping of the agent from an end of the nozzle when the valve stops flow of the agent through the line, characterized by the arrangement for preventing dripping including a hose section of elastic material being positioned between the valve and the nozzle, a thrust piece for acting on the hose section in an arrangement for moving the thrust piece from a position engaging the hose section and a second position partially deforming the hose section from an enlarged cross-section to a cross-section of the flow through the valve. Thus, when the valve stops flow the hose section resumes its enlarged cross-section which causes a suction to draw fluid in the line between the valve and the end of the nozzle inward from the end of the nozzle.

Abstract: An improved dental hand piece which has a driven tool which either is rotated or reciprocated and includes an illumination arrangement for projecting light from an exit end at a tip of the tool and the work area includes a stroboscopic device for creating light pulses having a light frequency which coincides with a motion frequency of the tool in such a manner that the surface of the tool is visible during motion. The stroboscopic device can either be a mechanical stroboscope or be a high-speed flash stroboscope.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a dental handpiece having two parts which are coupled together for relative rotation on the axis of the dental handpiece characterized by an arrangement for conveying light through the handpiece and including a rotatable optical coupling having at least one transmission ring.

Abstract: A rotatable socket for supporting a tool for rotating in a head housing of a dental handpiece, includes a catch device which includes at least one catch member movable between a locking position for retaining a tool in the socket and an unlocking position for releasing the tool and a thumb actuated purchase. The purchase has a pressure surface that is movable from a position disengaged from each catch member to a position engaging each catch member, a cover member having a peripheral edge that is rigidly secured to the head housing, and the cover member has an elastically deformable portion movable through a stroke when pressure is applied to the purchase so that the deformable portion of the cover member will move through the stroke to cause the pressure surfaces to move each catch member to an unlocking position to release the tool from the socket.

Abstract: A dental handpiece which has a drive transmission for transmitting the rotation from a motor to a socket receiving a tool for rotation in the head of the handpiece and having at least one cooling agent line formed in sections with two of the sections being connected to one another by a rotatable connection characterized by a first drive shaft having a direct coupling with the drive shaft of the drive part at one end and having two coaxially arranged gears of different number of teeth disposed on the other end, a first sleeve supporting the first drive shaft and having each cooling line section terminating in an annular groove forming part of the rotatable connection, a second sleeve telescopically received on the first sleeve and having each cooling line section starting with a radially extending port for communicating with an annular groove, a first releasable connection between the first sleeve and the housing of the drive part which does not allow any rotation therebetween, a second releasable connection b

Abstract: A device for releasably interconnecting a head part to a handle part of a dental handpiece characterized by one of the two parts having a catch element in the form of radially projecting catch nose coacting with a counter element in the form of a recess disposed on the other part and a resilient sleeve-shaped member, which forms an outer generated surface of one of said head and handle parts, acting on one of the elements to urge the pair of elements in a coupled state and allowing a disengagement of the elements to enable releasing the connection between the hand parts when a squeezing pressure is applied to the sleeve shaped member.

Abstract: A dental handpiece which has at least two handpiece parts each having a drive shaft and a cooling line segment for at least one cooling line agent and an arrangement for releasably interconnecting the two parts with the gears of the drive shaft in driving engagement, the connecting arrangement including a guide fitting strip arranged on one of the handpiece parts and extending axially therefrom to be engaged in an axial extending guide slot in the other handpiece part to prevent twisting between the connected parts, characterized by the connecting arrangement comprising at least one catch element provided on one handpiece part and coacting with a counter element on the other handpiece part, and each of the cooling line segments of the one handpiece part extending into the guide fitting strip, the other handpiece part having a portion supporting each of its cooling line segments to project from a surface into the guide slot to form an axial connection with the segments of the fitting strip and a sealing arrang

Abstract: A dental handpiece comprising a drive section with a drive shaft for driving a tool receiving socket mounted for rotation in an end of a handle section which handle section is coupled for relative rotation on the drive section, said dental handpiece having at least one cooling medium line being formed by a line segment arranged in each of said sections for conveying the medium to a nozzle adjacent the socket, and a rotatable coupling for the cooling medium lines characterized by the rotatable coupling being formed by a first and second sleeves being telescopically assembled together for relative rotation, one of said sleeves having an annular groove for each of the cooling medium lines and the other of the two sleeves having a radial opening in communication with each of the annular channels, said sleeves being detachably connected to the respective section to rotate therewith.

Abstract: A dental handpiece with at least two drive shaft sections for transmitting the rotary motion from a drive motor to an acceptance socket which is rotatably mounted in a head part of the handpiece, each of the drive shaft sections being arranged with their axes at an angle to one another and one of the two drive shaft sections having two coaxial gears which have different numbers of teeth and the other drive shaft section having at least one gear characterized by one of the two sections being mounted for axial displacement between two positions with one of the positions having one of the two gears in engagement with a gear and the other position having the other of the two gears in engagement with a gear. The gears on the drive shaft sections can be selected so that in one of the positions a direct drive can be obtained and in the other position either a step-up or step-down ratio can be obtained. In one embodiment, a single gear of the one section coacts with the two gears of the other section.