Container for holding endodontic instruments
A container for holding endodontic instruments that may include a base, a foam pad, a retainer, and a lid. The base may include a well with a bottom and sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom to an open-ended top. The foam pad may be configured to hold one or more endodontic instruments inserted through the pad, and dimensioned to cover the open-ended top of the well. The retainer may be configured to clamp the foam pad over the open-ended top of the well so that the pad is tautly maintained in a holding position, whereby the foam pad is configured to hold at least a portion of an endodontic instrument within the well. The lid may be coupled to the base, and movable between an open position and a closed position that covers the foam pad.
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During an endodontic procedure, a dental practitioner uses various endodontic instruments to remove infected material from the root canal of a patient's teeth. These instruments come in a range of diameters and/or cone angles, and are sequentially used to bore out the root canal. To facilitate the procedure, the instruments commonly are organized in a manner that enables the dental practitioner to readily access the various instruments, and to differentiate them based on their diameters. The instruments are also sterilized prior to use to reduce and/or prevent the risk of infection.
Endodontic instruments are sometimes stored in containers that enable a practitioner to organize and/or sterilize the instruments prior to a procedure. Examples of containers for holding endodontic instruments are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,092,443; 4,191,291; 4,232,784; 4,253,830; 4,306,862; 4,397,395; 4,503,972; 5,006,666; 5,108,287; 5,154,611; 5,172,810; 5,358,112; 5,525,314; 5,967,778; 6,464,497; 6,681,925; and 6,719,560 the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
As shown in
The foam pad may be formed of any material that is consistent with its functions. For example, the foam pad may be formed of any material that is permeable to steam and substantially impermeable to biological contaminants. As discussed in more detail below, the material thus allows steam to pass into and out of the wells through the foam pad, while preventing some or all biological contaminants from passing into the wells through the foam pad. The foam pad may also be manufactured from any type of foam material having sufficient porosity and deformability to enable endodontic instruments to be repeatedly inserted into and/or through the material without compromising the foam pad's ability to form a foam barrier over the open-ended tops of the wells. For example, the foam pad may be manufactured from open-celled foam having a thickness of between about 0.125 to about 0.5 inches, and preferably of about 0.25 inches.
The retainer 16 and/or base 12 may include a securing mechanism that releasably secures the retainer to the base. For example, the base may include a clip 44 that releasably engages retainer tab 46 when the retainer has been fully engaged with the base. The retainer may thus be secured to the base. Pulling back on the clip may disengage the clip from the tab, whereby a user may disengage the retainer from the base. It should be appreciated that the container may include any types of securing mechanism for releasably securing the retainer to the base, such as a latch, a bolt, a hook, etc.
The lid 16 and base 12 is configured to ventilate the space between the lid and the foam pad. As shown in
The container is configured to hold endodontic instruments in a manner that enables a user to find and select the instruments during an endodontic procedure. As shown in
The container is configured to enable a user to sterilize endodontic instruments in a steam autoclave. During the steam autoclaving process, the fully assembled container is placed into an autoclaving chamber that is then filled with steam and pressurized. The pressure within the chamber forces the steam into the open spaces within the container that are permeable to steam. As described above and shown in
After sterilization, the container 10 prevents the endodontic instruments from being contaminated by biological contaminants, such as viruses, molds, fungi, bacteria, etc. Air enters the container in the same manner that steam enters the container as described above. Because air may carry biological contaminants, the container 10 provides several barriers to prevent these contaminants from reaching the sterilized endodontic files prior to their use in a procedure. For example, to prevent some or all biological contaminants from reaching the foam pad 14 within the closed container, the base 12 is shaped to position the foam pad a distance above the gap 56 (as shown in
The various components of the container 10 may be manufactured from any suitable material(s), and may have any size and shape consistent with their functions. The materials can be selected and/or finished to satisfy any suitable criteria, including strength, durability, appearance, and ease of use. For example, the container's components may be manufactured from autoclavable materials selected to permit sterilization of the endodontic instruments stored therein, such as high temperature plastics, ceramics, glass, foam, and/or metals, amongst others.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the foregoing depicted embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. The description of the invention should be understood to include all novel and non-obvious combinations of elements described herein, and claims may be presented in this or a later application to any novel and non-obvious combination of these elements. The foregoing embodiments are illustrative, and no single feature or element is essential to all possible combinations that may be claimed in this or a later application. Where the claims recite “a” or “a first” element or the equivalent thereof, such claims should be understood to include incorporation of one or more such elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such elements.
Claims
1. A container for holding endodontic instruments, comprising:
- a base having a well with a bottom and sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom to an open-ended top;
- a foam pad configured to hold one or more endodontic instruments inserted through the pad, and dimensioned to cover the open-ended top of the well;
- a retainer configured to clamp the foam pad over the open-ended top of the well so that the pad is tautly maintained in a holding position, whereby the foam pad is configured to hold at least a portion of an endodontic instrument within the well; and
- a lid coupled to the base, and movable between an open position and a closed position that covers the foam pad.
2. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the base includes a plurality of wells, the foam pad is dimensioned to cover the open-ended tops of each of the wells, and the retainer is configured to clamp the foam pad over the open-ended tops of each of the wells so that the foam pad is tautly maintained in a holding position to hold at least a portion of an endodontic instrument within a selected one of the plurality of wells.
3. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the base includes a vent configured to enable steam to pass into the well.
4. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 3, further comprising a filter that engages the base in a manner that filters at least some of the contaminants from the steam before it passes through the base into the well.
5. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 4, wherein the filter is a foam insert permeable to steam, but impermeable to at least some of the contaminants present in the steam.
6. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the base includes a guide, and the foam pad includes an engagement region that engages the guide so as to align the foam pad to cover the open-ended top of the well.
7. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 6, wherein the retainer includes an engagement region that engages the guide so as to align the retainer to clamp the foam pad over the open-ended top of the well.
8. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the base includes a securing mechanism that releasably secures the retainer to the base when the retainer has been used to clamp the foam pad over the open-ended top of the well.
9. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the lid includes a securing mechanism that releasably secures the lid to the base when the lid is in the closed position.
10. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the base includes a spacer that substantially creates a space between the base and the lid when the lid is in the closed position, and whereby the space enables steam to pass therethrough.
11. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the foam pad is an open celled foam having a thickness of between 0.125 to 0.500 inches thick.
12. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 1, wherein the container is autoclavable.
13. A container for holding endodontic instruments, comprising:
- a base having a well with a bottom and sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom to an open-ended top;
- a foam pad configured to hold one or more endodontic instruments inserted through the pad, and dimensioned to have a first portion that covers the open-ended top of the well, and a second portion that conforms around a top portion of the sidewalls and against an outside portion of the sidewalls;
- a retainer configured to secure the foam pad to the well, wherein the first portion of the foam pad is tautened over the open-ended top of the well, and the second portion of the foam pad is clamped by the retainer against the outside portions of the sidewalls, and wherein the first portion is configured to hold at least a portion of an endodontic instrument within the well; and
- a lid coupled to the base, and movable between an open position and a closed position that covers the foam pad.
14. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 13, wherein the base includes a vent configured to enable steam to pass into the well.
15. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 13, wherein:
- the base includes a guide;
- the foam pad includes an engagement region that engages the guide so as to align the first portion into a position to cover the open-ended top of the well, and the second portion into a position to conform around the top portion of the sidewalls and against the outside portion of the sidewalls; and
- the retainer includes an engagement region that engages the guide so as to align the retainer to clamp the second portion against the top and the outside portions of the sidewalls.
16. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 13, wherein the base includes a securing mechanism that releasably secures the retainer to the base when the retainer has been used to secure the foam pad to the well.
17. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 13, wherein the lid includes a securing mechanism that releasably secures the lid to the base when the lid is in the closed position.
18. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 13, wherein the base includes a spacer that substantially creates a space between the base and the lid when the lid is in the closed position, and whereby the space enables steam to pass therethrough.
19. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 13, wherein the foam pad is an open celled foam having a thickness of between 0.125 to 0.500 inches thick.
20. The container for holding endodontic instruments of claim 13, wherein the container is autoclavable.
21. A container for holding endodontic instruments, comprising:
- a base including a plurality of wells that each have a bottom, sidewalls extending upwardly from the bottom to an open-ended top;
- a foam pad configured to hold one or more endodontic instruments inserted through the pad, and dimensioned to cover the open-ended tops of each of the wells;
- a retainer configured to clamp the foam pad over the open-ended tops of each of the wells so that the pad is tautly maintained in a holding position, whereby the foam pad is configured to hold at least a portion of an endodontic instrument within a selected one of the plurality of wells; and
- a lid coupled to the base, and movable between an open position and a closed position that covers the foam pad;
- wherein the base includes a plurality of vents configured to enable steam to pass into each of the plurality of wells.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 3, 2006
Publication Date: Sep 6, 2007
Applicant:
Inventors: James Johnsen (Beaverton, OR), Hal Oien (Tualatin, OR)
Application Number: 11/367,158
International Classification: B65D 83/10 (20060101);