Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
;- WO93/12822 212 ~ 5 7 1 PCT/US92/11367
ORTHODONTIC BAND STERILI2ATION CASSETTE
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
_
The invention relates to the field of sterilization
devices. It further relates to cassettes used to hold small
parts to prevent their loss or damage during t~e ~terilization
process. '~
It is a common problem in the fitting of orthodontic
bands that many of the bands are lost or damaged during the
fitting, cleaning or sterilizing process. In fitting
orthodontic bands it is frequently necessary to try numerous
variously sized orthodontic bands until the appropriately
sized band is ~ound for a particular tooth. Each band which
is attempted and not appropriately sized is removed from the
mouth and then placed on a counter until the fitting process
is completed. After the fitting is completed it is necessary
for the orthodontist or an assistant to collect the unused
bands, wash them by hand and then collect the bands and
sterilize them. Due to the small size of the bands, they are
: easily dropped or mi5handled which can cause them to be lost
; 20 or damaged. Further, a~ter the bands are removed from
sterili2ation, they must be sorted by hand, and replaced in
the appropriate containers for the next use. This sorting
: requires a great deal of time and effort.
The placement of the orthodontic bands on a counter after
:25: they have been remoYed from a patients mouth increases the
possibility that the orthodontist or his or her assistants may
come into contact with the bands which are exposed to oral
fluids. This increases the risk to the orthodontist or
: assistants of exposure to germs or disease.
Many types of cassettes or boxes are known for use in
sterilizing equipment used in a medical or dental setting.
Examples of these inventions are shown in the Brewer patent,
U.S. Patent No. 4,959,l99 which discloses a cassette used for
212~67~
W~93/12~22 PCT/US92/11367
the sterilization of d~ntal instruments; the Riihimaki, et al.
patent, U.s. Patent No. 4,854,4~5 which discloses a cassette
for sterilizing dental instruments; the Maly patent U.S.
Patent No. 4,402,407 which discloses a surgeon's chest for
sterilizing surgical instruments; and the Dietz patent U.S.
Patent No. 3,092,443 which discloses a dental burr holder and
sterilizer.
The art also discloses boxes for storaye of small parts
such as orthodontic brackets as shown by the Georgakis patent,
U.S~ Patent No. 4,898,276.
The problem in the art is that most of the sterilization
devices are designed for the sterilization of dental
instruments which are of a sufficient size that there is
little risk of these items being lost in the sterilization
processa Further dental and surgical instruments are of
sufficient size and strength so that they are not likely to be
damaged during the handling or processing necessary in the
sterilization phase. There is not known a cassette
manufactured of sufficient materials to readily withstand
repeated use in the dental sterilization process and which can
be used to hold small parts, such as orthodontic bands, and
that can assist in the segregation and organization of these
parts.
Another problem with the current method of sterili2ing
orthodontic bands is that they are often placed in standard
autoclave bags for sterilization. These bags are disposed of
after each use which causes a repeated expense.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a cassette used in a dental or
orthodontic office to separate orthodontic bands and in which
those orthodontic bands can be sterilized. The cassette is
-' W093~28~2 2 1 2 ~ ~ 7 1 PCT/US92/113~7
manufactured from materials, such as stainless steel, that can
withstand repeated sterilization processing. The cassette is
divided into multiple compartments, each compartment labeled
to correspond to a different class of orthodontic bands.
The cassette comprises two substanti~l~y parallel
sidewalls. The cassette has a base and two endwalls which are
attached to the sidewalls which define an open topped
container. There are multiple dividers placed in between the
sidewalls parallel to the endwalls. These dividers divide the
cassette into multiple compartments. The cassette incorporates
a sliding lid which slides in grooves incorporated into the
sidewalls near the top of the cassette. This lid allows the
cassette to be selectively opened to allow access to some or
all of the compartments.
The cassette further contains labels or other indicia
corresponding to the different compartments in each cassette.
This allows small parts to be segregated into the different
compartments in the cassette. The cassette is perforated to
allow the penetration of steam, if an autoclave is used for
sterilization, or the penetration of other liquid sterilizers.
It is an object of the invention to provide a cassette
which prevents or minimizes the loss or damage to orthodontic
bands occurring during the fitting and sterilization process.
It is a further ob~ect of the invention to provide a
2 cassette which allows for the~segregation of orthodontic bands
during the fitting process.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a
sterilization cassette which redures the time spent sorting
orthodontic bands or other small parts after sterilization.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a
cassette which assists in maintaining a clean and sterile
i 2 5 6 71 'PF~
q 2 / ~ l 3
environment in an orthodontic or dental office during the
proce~urs of fitting orthodontic bands .
It is a further ob~ect of the invention to provide a
reusable sterilization cassette which reduces the cost of ;
5 ~t~rilizing orthodonti c bands .
~--- , ` ,.
Fig. 1 i~; a perspective view of one embs:~diment of th~
pre~ent inventlon.
Fig. 2 i~ a cro~s-section Yie!W O th~ pres~nt invention
10 taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 i~ an cross-~ection ~view of the present invention -
taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 4 i a perspective view of a ~ec:ond embodimerlt of
th~ pre~3ent in~ention.
,'` .'
Fig. 5 i~ a cros~-sectiorl viLew of the second embodiment :;
O:e the present inYention taken along line 5-5 o~ Fig. 4.
Fig. ~ i~; a top view showing the lid of the second
enbodiment of the present invention.
.
DETAIL~:D OES~PTIO~ OF THE PRE~ERP~ED 131'1BQDIMENT ; - ~
.. ..
The present invention consists of a cassette with
m~ltiple compartm~nt8 fo~ temporary storage of orthodontic
band~ during the sterilization proces~. A~; shown in Fig. 1,
the ~3~3et'ce 10 ~q :Eormed in th~ shape of a box having a base
1 1, endwalls 1 2, and two substantially parallel sidewalls 1 3 .
25 DiYider~ 15 ~r~ shown in Fig. 2, which i~ a cro~s-section
view of the cassette. The divider 15 which separate th~
SUBSTITU~ SHEhT
2i25671 ~ 92 / 1 1 3 6
container into multiple compartments may be either movable or
immo~rable and they extend ~enerally from the base of the
ca~ette to a point near groove 30, shown in Fi~. 3, which is
near the top of ~idewalls 13.
The cassett~ 10 comprises a lid 14 which slides open to
allow acce~;s to th~ ~nterior compartnnent~ of the cassette 10.
The cassett~ 10 further compri~e~ a fix~t indicia 16 which
indicate~ ~he var~ou~ compartments of the cassette 10 and a
second indicia 17, such as a label, which indicate~ th~
10 . c:ontent~ of the ca~sette. Second indicia 17 is used to
identify ~ach cagsette if multiple cassette~ ar~ used. It is
anticipated that multiple cassettes will be used by an
orthodonti~t in the band fitting procl3s~.
When used iEor . egregation of orthodonti~:: bands sec:ond
15 indicia 17 will ~ndicate the type of tooth th~ band~ are
designed for, suc:h a~ maxillary and mandibular cuspids,
maxillary and mandibular 1 st bicu p~ds ~ maxillary and
mandibular 2nd bicu~pid~, maxillary and mandibular 1st molar,
maxillary and man~ibular 2nd molars, maxillary and mandibular
20 central~, and maxillary and mandibular lat2rals, and the ~ir~t
indicia 16 will urther segregate the band~ by indicating
whath~r they axe for an upper or lower right or lef 'c tooth ~
Other indicia could of cour~e b~ used for a dif ferent
segreg~tion method.
~he lid 1~ for the cassette 10 consists of a sliding
m~ 3r whlch ~ e~ in a groove 30 which is incorporated into
the top of the idewall~ 13, a~ shown in Fig. 3. Thi~ ~iding
lid r4 could include a lip, such as shown by 31, designed. to
pre~ent full re~ J3l of the ~liding :n~mber. The lid 14 i~
selecti~ely held open or closed by fr~ction with the groove 30
in wh~c~ it ~lides. The lid 14 ~lide~ in the d~rection
indicated by arrow 3 in Fig. 1 in order to clo~e the cassette
10. Lid 14 allow-R selective access to the interior
compartments ,.
SUBSTITUTE SHE~r
212 ~ ~ 7 1 'P~ 2 J'~
` 9 2 / 1 l 3 6
Further if it is desired, the lid 14 could be securely
closed with a variety of known methods. One such method would
be to incorps: rate notche~ ( not shown ) at predetermined place-
~in th~ qroove 30 in which th~ lid 14 ~lide~ and a spring
5 activat~d l~ver ( not shown ) which engage~ said notch . The
lever could }: e released by th~ orthodo21tict or assi~tant
manually releasing the lever. Other simple types of
m~chanisms to allow the lid to be releasably ~ecur~d in an
op~n, partially op~n, or clo~ed po~ition are commonly knowr~
Th~ cassette 10 i-~ mamlfactured with a perforated
material used for th~ .~idewall~, endwall~, and dividers. The
lid and the bae2e may be made out of -~olid or perforat~d
material~. It i~ prePerable to manufacture the base from 2
solid material so that bodily fluids or other contaminant~ on
15 the bands do not pass from thg ca~sette onto a working
surf a~:e . The per~oration3 are shown a~ numeral 18 . Th~
perforations 18 allaw steam to pe3netrat~ th~ cassette 10 if it
is used in an autoclave. The perforation also allow for
~terilizitlg liquidR to penetrat0 the ca~sette 10 to sterilize
20 the small part~ j ~uch a~ the orthodontic bands, placed in the
ca~sette. The per~oration~ ar~ sized so that the small part~
suc:h as orthodontic bands placed in cassette 10 cannot pas~
through the perforation~. The perforation~ are si~ed to
prevent the mo~rement of parts between the multiple
25 compartment of cassette 10.
Th~ cassette 10 can be manufactured from any material
that can be repeatedly sterilized and can withstand the stre~C
of belng r¢peatedly used in an autoclave or repeatedly exposed
to ~terilizing ~iquids. An acceptable material would be
30 surgic:al steel.
TXe, cassette is used by the orthodor~tist during th~
proces~ of fitting o:rthodontic bands. Usually during this
process the orthodontist work~ on locating a properly sized
band for a speci. is: tooth by trial and error, selecting
SUBSTITUT~ SHE~
: .
7 P ` 9 2 / 1 1 3 ~,
certain .~ized band an~ attempting to f it it on the tooth. If
the band ~3 ap~ropriately sized it i~ fi~ted to the 'cooth, If
th~ bz~d is the wrong size, the band which wa~ attempted is
plaeed in the appropriately labelled compartment of the
5 appropriately labelled cassette. The cassette indicating the
appropriate indicla for the sp~cific tooth being worked on by
the orthodontist would be placed in close proximity to the
orthc~dontist. The <::as~ette 10 would be placed on a counter or
otlher flat surface near the orthodontist. Th~ flat base 11
10 would be placed on the flat ~urface. In thi~ orientation the
lis~ 14 would be on the top of the cassette. The lid 14 slid~
open to allow the att mpted bands to be placed in the
cc~rre~ponding marked compartment in the ca~sette. In thi~ way
th~ ba~d8 are segregated to allow for ea~e of sorting aft~r
15 ~ter~lization. It i~3 common after sterilization to return the
band~ to the orig~nal manufacturer~ container~.
A second enlbodiment of the iLnvention is shown in Figs. 4
and 5. ~n thi embodiment, the cassette 20 i5 c:onstructed in
a manner similar to the cas~ette 10, except that thi cassette
20 doe~ not have a sealed base menlber. Rather, this cassette 20
incorporate~ tws:~ sl~ dable lids 24 on o~pos~ te side o~ the
cassette 20. In addition to the vertical dividers 25, th~
cassette 20 also comprises a horizontal div~ der 21 which
separate~ the ca~ette into a lower and an upper portion.
25 Thi~ provide~ cas~ette 2û with twice as snany compartments as
cas~ette 10~
The cass0tte i~ manufactured in dimensions to allow it to
be e~rily uxed with commonly availabla ~terilization method,
such as placed in an autoclave, a dental ultrasonic
~0 ~terili~ing un~t, or cold sterile containers~, The cassette i~
furthe~-~zed to allow . use in those deviceq while allowln~
room for the sterilization of other dental ln~truments.
SUBSTIl~ SH}3ET
. .
2 i 2 S ~ 7 1 ~P~ 2 ` '
~T,~'S 92 /11
8 ~:
Thi3 cassette i~ further manufactured so that multiple
ca~ettes can be placed together in a single case thereby
reduc~ng the stora~e room nesces~ary for the cassettes.
While the invention has been described with reference to
5 the praferred embs~dimentc ther~of, tho~e skilled in the art
will und2r~tand that variation~ in design, detail, siz~, ~;hap~
and s:hoice of materials for manufacture may be made and ~till
fall within the ~pirit and scope of the present inventio~,
which i~ intended to be limited only by the claims appended
hereto. :
SUBSq~ ~ S~! ;
