Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DENTAL SET PLATES
Background of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dental set plate.
Dental set plates have long been known such as, for example,
the dental set plate described in DE-GM 7 411 122. The dental set
plate described in that publication retains as a dental set six or seven
front teeth or side teeth in a row in readiness for a dentist or a dental
technician. The dentist makes use of drawers with inserts in an index
or classification structure which permit the arrangement of a plurality of
such dental sets in one over another or side-by-side relationship. In
this manner, a quick pre-selection can be undertaken of the color and
form of a replacement tooth which is to be made available. The
support body includes a receiving channel for receiving therein a wax-
like mass into which the replacement teeth can be pressed. At the
same time, adequate writing space above and below the receiving
channel is available, whereby the tooth color and form, the tooth
fabricator, and further individual details can be recorded in abbreviated
form.
Dental sets of such teeth are supplied in finished condition in the
dental set plates. In this regard, special transport containers have
been designed which support the dental set plates for transport in one
over another and side-by-side relationship to one another. The cases
serving as these transport containers are opened by the dentist or the
dental office staff and sorted out into the drawers. This process is a
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_ determinedly time consuming logistical process as the placement and
removal of the dental set plates must each be noted.
It continually occurs in the transport of the transport cases that
individual teeth come loose and cannot thereafter be restored to the
correct dental set plate without considerable effort. This evidently
occurs in particular if the dental set plates have been transported
during particularly cool conditions. The lowering of the transport
temperature results in a hardening of the deformable mass into which
the teeth have been pressed, as in most instances the deformable
mass is comprised of wax or a wax derivative, whereupon the retention
capability of the mass is substantially reduced.
To improve the retention capability of the mass, it is known to
use a binder wax which exhibits a good retention capability even at
significantly lower temperatures. The use of a binder wax permits
transport and storage down to minus 10 ° C without dislodgment of the
transported teeth. However, the binder wax has the undesirable
property that it has a distinctly viscous-sticky characteristic at room
temperature. In practice, it is difficult if not impossible to remove the
remnants of the binder wax from the teeth; at the same time, the
danger exists that the binder wax remnants detract from the restoration
result.
There is a further problem with conventional dental set plates
with regard to the color variations of different batches even from the
same fabricator. Differences in color and light transmissivity occur in
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different batches even with respect to teeth of the same color and light
transmissivity properties. In order to obtain the greatest possible
uniformity in the restoration result, it is desirable to use only those teeth
fabricated from the same batch so that color and light transmissivity
uniformity can be achieved. With conventional dental set plates,
however, it is not possible to regularly establish the batch origin of the
teeth.
It would further be desirable to be able to ascertain, in
connection with the never ending warranty events or damage to teeth,
individual information concerning the transport of the dental set plates.
At the same time, it is currently unsatisfactory that the stockage must
be individually manually controlled. Such control is decidedly resource
demanding in that those assigned to the task must very precisely grasp
the dental set plates on hand and then perform the corresponding
inventory control. An error in the manual inventory control easily leads
to delivery bottlenecks so that, in the event, a poorly suited tooth
replacement may have to be used if, due to inadvertence, a more
suitable replacement tooth has not been re-ordered. Moreover, the
manual inventory control is labor intensive and is thus not desirable
from a cost control perspective.
It has been proposed to provide bar codes on the underside of
the dental set plates to thereby enable automatic data gathering.
However, the affixation of such bar codes on the underside of the
dental set plates would require removal and turning movement of the
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underside to effect a reading of the bar code by a bar code reader
during a data gathering step.
Summary of the Invention
The present invention offers a dental set plate as a solution to
the challenge of providing a dental set plate which permits an optimally
reduced color variation between the replacement teeth and the teeth to
be replaced while at the same time improving the storage and transport
dispositions without having to forego the already on hand storage
location for such dental set plates with its index or classification
arrangement.
In accordance with the present invention, it is particularly
advantageous if the hood offers the possibility of protecting the teeth
during their transport so that the danger of individual teeth getting lost,
and thus rendering the dental set basically useless, is foreclosed, as
well as also offering the possibility to provide identification of the dental
set so that, at the least, the individual sorting out of the dental sets is
facilitated. The dental set plate of the present invention unexpectedly
provides the possibility of configuring the deformable wax-like mass
with a less sticky consistency without the danger of loss of the retained
dental items. If the replacement teeth are maintained in inventory by
the dentist or the dental technical personnel, the dental set plates are
typically at room temperature whereupon the wax-like mass, in any
event, better retains the replacement teeth within the dental set plate.
At the same time, the shaking experienced by the dental set plates in
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their stocked dispositions within drawers is less than the shaking which
can occur during the transport of the dental set plates. The transport of
the dental set plates also brings forth the danger that the dental set
plates will be turned around. The see through hood of the dental set
plate of the present invention also aids in preventing such turning
around of the dental set plates during their transport. As a
consequence of the ability to provide a retaining mass having relatively
less stickiness, the risk is reduced that remnants of the retaining mass
will adhere to the teeth which are removed from their retained
dispositions on the mass and thereby lead to unclean dental
conditions.
!n accordance with the present invention, it is, in addition,
particularly advantageous if the dental set plates are stackable and can
thereby be automatically transported and stocked.
It is especially advantageous, in accordance with the present
invention, if the hood of the dental set plate remains with the on hand
index or classification structure for stocking the dental set plates. In
this connection, it is provided that the dimensions of the support body
are, at least in the region thereof into which the walls of the hood
extend, configured at a smaller dimension and, in fact, configured in
correspondence with the wall strength of the hood. In one embodiment
of the dental set plate of the present invention, the hood is disposed
under the support body on a step or offset so that a certain sealing
mechanism is formed thereat. This embodiment of the dental set plate
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_ is particularly advantageous if it is sought to also provide protection of
the replacement teeth against unclean or unhygienic elements.
The drawers of a dental teeth sample cabinet are typically
constructed so as to offer a certain sealing off against the entry of dust
and dirt deposition. Nonetheless, conventional dental set plates
stocked in such cabinets must undergo a cleaning from time to time
which proves itself to be decidedly laborious as a straight forward
vacuuming of the replacement teeth with a vacuum can lead to a loss
of the teeth. The hood of the dental set plate of the present invention,
on the other hand, drastically reduces the infiltration of dust and debris
even during a stockage of the replacement teeth for several years. It is
preferred, in this connection, that the hood cover or close off the
support body on all sides thereof.
In another embodiment of the dental set plate of the present
invention, each wall of the support body to which a wall of the hood
extends, extends directly downwardly. This configuration permits a
turning over of the hood so that the inverted hood extends over the
support body from below.
The product information indicia provided on the dental set plate
in accordance with the present invention, if disposed on a side of the
dental set plate such as, in particular, on a side wall of the hood, can
be readily noted and, as well, can be readily accessed by a bar code
reader or scanner. In this manner, the stockage of the dental set
plates in a dental laboratory, a dental supply location, and a dentist
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office can be accomplished in an automatic manner. In this
connection, there exists, for example, the possibility to briefly guide
new dental set plates over the scanner during the stockage of such
dental set plates in order to thereby maintain and update an inventory
accounting. A corresponding inventory accounting program permits
the inventory status to be determined at all times. If a replacement
tooth is used, the corresponding dental set plate including its hood is
guided over another scanner or the one scanner is switched into a
mode in which it captures information to indicate the removal. of the
replacement tooth. In this manner, the status of the stockage of the
dental set plates can be precisely tracked by machine and it is also
possible to set up an automatic reordering capability which is triggered
when the available supply drops below a predetermined minimum
stockage amount.
The producf information indicia on the dental set plate of the
present invention also permits identification of the batch from which the
dental set in the dental set plate was fabricated as well as provides the
ability to trace the fabricator of the dental set.
The dental set plate of the present invention permits the
realization of at least one see through region through which the
replacement teeth can be readily viewed. The hood of the dental set
plate can, for example, be comprised of polyacrylic or another desired
suitable material. If a particularly clear plastic or synthetic material
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without color distortion is used, it is also possible to perform a color
evaluation without the risk that the hood will cause a color distortion.
In an advantageous embodiment of the dental set plate of the
present invention, two grip areas are provided on the support body
each of which is configured with a groove, corrugation, or depression.
The side walls of the hood extend preferably backwardly at the grip
areas so that the opening of the dental set plate can be reliably and
quickly performed while a firm seating of the hood is nonetheless
ensured to thereby contribute to a good seal against the penetration
into the dental set plate of dirt and other outside elements as well as
preventing a loss of the replacement teeth from the dental set plate
during its transport.
The product information indicia can be affixed to a side wall or
end wall of the hood. In those locations, there is sufficient unused
space so that, for example, a decidedly large bar code can be affixed.
In one embodiment of the dental set plate of the present invention, the
product information indicia is affixed to the cover surface of the hood
along an edge. In this manner, unobstructed viewing of the writing on
the support body and on the replacement teeth themselves is possible.
Nonetheless, the product information indicia can as needed for the
purpose, for example, of inventory accounting, also be readable by a
hand scanner if the dental set plate is disposed in the drawer of the
dental teeth sample cabinet, as the side wall of the dental set plate is
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typically covered due to the serial one after another arrangement of the
dental set plates with one another in the cabinet.
In accordance with the present invention, it is especially
advantageous if the dental set plates with their hoods are stackable
and thereby accessible for an automatic retrieval.
The affixation of the product information indicia on the side walls
of the dental set plates permits the capture of product information to
also be performed in a stacked disposition of the dental set plates. It is
to be understood that the product information indicia can be disposed
as needed on the front side as well as the backside of the dental set
plate.
In a further advantageous embodiment of the dental set plate of
the present invention, a tamper indication element is provided. This
element can be in the form, for example, of an adhesive strip secured
to the hood and the support body whose unbroken condition can be
taken as a guarantee that the dental set plate has not been opened.
In an additional advantageous embodiment of the dental set
plate of the present invention, the tamper indication element is in the
form of an adhesive strip having product information indicia thereon so
that a single label can ensure the securement of the hood and the
support body to one another as well as provide the product information
indicia.
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_ Description of the Drawings
Figure 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the dental set
plate of the present invention shown without the hood thereof and
showing the support body;
Figure 2 is a longitudinal side elevational view of the one
embodiment of the dental set plate of the present invention shown in
Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a lateral side elevational view of the one
embodiment of the dental set plate of the present invention shown in
Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a front elevational view of another embodiment
of the dental set plate of the present invention showing a product
information code on the hood thereof;
Figure 5 is a top plan view of a further embodiment of the
dental set plate of the present invention shown without the hood
thereof;
Figure 6 is a top plan view of the hood of the further
embodiment of the dental set plate of the present invention shown in
Figure 5; and
Figure T is a side elevational view of an additional
embodiment of the dental set plate of the present invention.
Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment
Figure 1 shows one embodiment of the dental set plate of the
present invention, designated as the dental set plate 10. The dental
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set plate 10 includes a support body 11 which is conventionally
configured with a channel. The support body 11 includes a receipt
location for receiving therein a wax-like, in particular, a plastically
deforrnable mass 12. Front surfaces 14 and 20 of the support body 11
extend above and below the mass 12 which are written upon in
suitable manner with information such as, for example, the name of the
dental fabricators, the type of teeth, and the dental material.
The sides of the interior of the support body 11 are bound by
inserts 16 and 18 which display further information with respect to the
teeth form and color.
In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 1, the mass 12 is
configured as a band which extends transversely across the support
body 11. It is to be understood that, in a modified embodiment of the
dental set plate, a cradle-type receiver for the mass12 can alternatively
be provided.
Six or seven teeth 22 are pressed into the mass 12. The teeth
partially overlap the front surfaces 14 and 20 but in a limited manner
such that the writing on the front surfaces can be viewed in an
unobstructed manner.
Figure 2 shows detail of how a hood 24 can be mounted on the
support body 11. The hood 24 is comprised of a see through material
and covers five sides of the support body. The hood forms a hollow
space 26 in which the teeth 22 are laid out. The height of the hollow
space 26 is selected such that even the largest of the teeth 22 to be
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_ retained can be accommodated with clearance. With the hood 24 in its
seated position thereon, the dental set plate 10 has a parallelepiped
shape.
In connection with the one embodiment of the dental set plate of
the present invention shown in Figure 1, it is presumed that an index or
classification frame structure is available at the storage site of the
dental set plate so that dental cabinets which are already on hand
therewith can be readily outfitted with the dental set plates of the
present invention. tn this regard, the dimensions of the support body
11 on its four sides are reduced in correspondence with the wall
strength of the hood 24.
Figure 3 shows the manner in which the teeth 22 can be
disposed on the mass12. Following removal of the hood 24, a tooth or
teeth can be readily removed due to the forward overlapping of the
teeth relative to the front surface 14.
In a modified embodiment of the dental set plate of the present
invention, the ends 30 and 30a are open, as seen in Figure 3, so that
the hood 24 extends over only three sides of the support body 11.
Figure 4 illustrates one manner in which product information
indicia can be affixed to the dental set plate. Two product information
indicia 34 and 36 are shown although it is to be understood that
alternatively a single one of the product information indicia can be
provided. The side wall 32 of the hood, in any event, offers sufficient
place for receiving thereon, for example, a bar code.
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It is also possible to provide product information indicia in label
form on the top side 28 of the hood 24. This can be seen, for example,
in the variation of the support body 11 shown in Figure 5. In this
variation of the support body, the mass 12 is supported in a cradle,
which, in lieu of the inserts 16 and 18, has side walls 15 and 17. In this
variation, adequate blank space for writing is available in the middle of
the top front surface 14. This permits the affixation of product
information indicia 34, as seen in Figure 6, at a location which overlaps
this blank space. Even if the product information indicia 34 is not in
see through form, a view of the teeth or the other information on the
front surfaces 14 and 20 can still be gained.
It is to be understood that the affixation of the product
information indicia 34 can be accomplished in accordance with the
preferences of the user and several product information indicia can be
provided as needed.
A modified embodiment of the dental set plate of the present
invention is shown in Figure 7. In this embodiment, a projection or
flange 40 extends around the lower portion of the support body 11.
The hood 24 extends in this embodiment of the dental set plate until
reaching the projection 40 but does not extend outwardly of the support
body 11. This embodiment of the dental set plate permits a particularly
good sealing aff of the hollow space 26 to ensure dust free receipt
therein of the teeth 22. This embodiment of the dental set plate is
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characterized by a grip recess 42 formed on a side surtace of the
support body 11 and aligned with a corresponding cut out 46 in the
hood. The grip recess 42 enables the hood and the dental set plate to
be easily separated from one another.
The specification incorporates by reference the disclosure of
German priority document P 101 14 210.2.
The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the
specific disclosure of the specification and drawings, but also
encompasses any rnodifcations within the scope of the appended
claims.
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