US3143803A - Dental lounge unit - Google Patents

' 2 Sheets-

Sheet

2 Filed May 11, 1962 INVENTOR. JOSEPH F! LUNN {ES MG. W

The second cabinet D serves to hold three upholstered members F-l, F-Z and F3 in patient-supporting positions, as may be seen in FIGURES l and 4. In FIGURE 1 the supporting members F-1, F-2 and F3 are shown disposed in a substantially horizontal plane wherein the patient normally assumes a seated position. In FIG-

URES

2 and 4 the supporting members F-1, F2 and F-S are shown in angular juxtaposition to support the torso and head of the patient G on the member F-l, and his legs arched over members F2 and F-3. When the patient G is resting on the supporting members, as shown in phantom line in FIGURE 2, the first cabinet A may be moved out of the confines of the second cabinet D and angularly positioned relative thereto (FIGURE 6), and the dentist may thereafter assume a seated position ready to perform operative dentistry on the patient.

It will be particularly noted in FIGURE 6 that a tray H may be supported on the upper surface of the cabinet A on which the instruments and implements J to be used by the dentist may be arranged. Thus, the

instruments

1 are positioned on the same side of the patient G as that on which the dentist is seated, making it unnecessary for the dentist to constantly reach across the patient to select an instrument, as is common practice with conventional dental equipment utilized heretofore. The vertical panel C is preferably illuminable, against which dental roentgenograms K may be positioned and seen by both the patient and dentist when the first cabinet A is positioned as shown in FIGURE 6.

In detail, the first cabinet A, as may best be seen in FIGURES 4 and 5, comprises two

identical side pieces

10, a

back

12, a front 14 and a

horizontal top

16. A downwardly and rearwardly extending

wall

18 connects the rear edge of

top

16 and the upper edge of the front 14.

A horizontal cross piece 20 is situated within the confines of cabinet A. A supporting rod 22 extends downwardly from cross piece 20 to a

hydraulic cylinder

24, or other conventional means which may be used to raise or lower the rod 22.

Cylinder

24 is supported on a

horizontal base

26 having four identical casters B affixed thereto that movably support the cabinet.

The

tapered wall

18 has a number of laterally spaced

openings

28 formed therein, each of which has a

hose

3% extending therethrough that terminates in a

syringe

32 or other fluid flow control means. Each

hose

30 extends to a spring-loaded

reel

34 that is rotatably supported within the confines of cabinet A on a hollow shaft 36. A conduit 38 leads from shaft 36 to one of a number of supply conduits, as may best be seen in FIGURES 2 and 5.

The water supply conduit is identified in FIGURE 2 by the numeral 40, the compressed air supply conduit by the numeral 42, and the gas supply conduit by the numeral 44. As will be described hereinafter, electricity is supplied to panel C through conductors 48 that preferably extend upwardly through the floor 50 on which the unit rests. The means by which a fiuid seal is effected between one of the hoses 39 and a particular conduit associated with the

reel

34 on which that hose is mounted is conventional and need not be described in detail.

The panel C is preferably in the form of an inverted elongate box having

identical side walls

52, a

back

54,

top

56 and a front wall that is defined by a

lower portion

58 and an upper portion 60 which is translucent. The upper portion 60 may be frosted glass or one of the synthetic polymerized resin sheet materials available for this purpose. Two

fluorescent bulbs

62 are situated within the confines of panel C, which when electrically energized through conductors 48 by means not shown, illuminate the portion 60 as well as any roentgenograms K that may be positioned thereagainst.

A number of

rectangular openings

64 are formed in

wall portion

58 in which a number of

small drawers

68 may be slidably supported that may be used as storage space. The panel C, as may best be seen in FIGURE 5, is vertically adjustable relative to cabinet A, and if desired, may be lowered to a position in the cabinet where it is completely concealed. The sides of cabinet A are provided with threaded rotatable clamping means 68 of conventional design that can be rotated to frictionally grip or otherwise hold a

side

52 in non-movable relationship to the cabinet. Accordingly, panel C may be supported at any desired elevated position relative to cabinet A (FIGURE 4).

Second cabinet D, as can best be seen in FIGURES 1-4, includes a first side wall 79, a

second side wall

72, and an

end

74 that is oppositely disposed from the open end B. Cabinet D is movably supported on floor 50 by a second set of

casters

76.

End

74 movably supports a

vertical brake

78, which when moved downwardly, frictionally engages the floor 50 to prevent movement of cabinet D thereon. The end E of second cabinet D is open (FIGURE 3), as previously described.

The supporting members F-l, R2 and F-3 are aifixed to rigid

rectangular sheets

80, 82 and 84 respectively of substantially the same transverse cross section. Two laterally spaced, parallel rails 85 of inverted channel-shaped cross section are afiixed to sheet 89. A

shaft

88 extends transversely between the first and second side walls 7 t} and 72 respectively, as shown in FIGURE 2. The

adjacent endsof sheets

88 and 82 have

bearings

90 and 92 afiixed to the under side thereof that rotatably engage

shaft

88. The adjacent ends of

sheets

82 and 84 are pivotally connected by a number of laterally spaced hinges 94 which

permit sheets

82 and 84 to be angled upwardly relative to one another as shown. The lower rear surface of

sheet

84 has two

rollers

96 afiixed to the side portions thereof, which rollers contact the upper surfaces of two

lugs

99 afiixed to the interior surfaces of

side walls

70 and 72 respectively, also shown in FIGURE 2.

A

second shaft

98 extends transversely between the

side walls

70 and 72, and the ends of this shaft are journaled in

bearings

100 aflixed to the side walls. A

first arm

102 extends downwardly from the

second shaft

98, and a pin 104 extends transversely through

shaft arm

102 to engage a forwardly disposed end of a piston rod 1636.

Rod

196 extends through the forward end of a horizontally positioned

hydraulic cylinder

108 to engage a

piston

110 that is slidably movable therein.

Two laterally spaced

second arms

112 are rigidly affixed to

second shaft

98 and project upwardly therefrom, as best seen in FIGURES 2 and 3. Each

arm

112 supports a transversely positioned

shaft

114 that has a

roller

116 rotatably mounted thereon, and each roller engages one of the

rails

86. An inverted

U-shaped bracket

118 is situated within the confines of second cabinet D which serves to slidably support a number of

drawers

120 that are transversely movable relative to the

first side wall

76. An

opening

122 is formed inside

wall

70 through which drawers 124) may pass outwardly. A

shelf

124 extends outwardly from

bracket

118 that serves as a support for an electric motor 126 which drives a pump 128. A conduit 136 is connected to the discharge of pump 128 and extends to a

closed reservoir

132. Two

openings

134 and 136 are formed in the side walls of

hydraulic cylinder

168 that are connected to two

conduits

138 and 140 respectively, which lead to a

valve

142.

Valve

142 is connected to

conduits

144 and 146, and conduit 144 is connected to a

conduit

148 which extends to the suction side of pump 128.

Conduit

146 is connected to the interior of

reservoir

132.

When the

valve

142 is in a first position, fluid is discharged from the

reservoir

132 through conduit 14%) to move the

piston

110 to the left with concurrent rotation of the

arms

102 and 112 in a clockwise direction. As fluid is discharged into cylinder 188 as above described, fluid is also discharged from

cylinder

108 through

conduit

138 to

valve

142 and therethrough to

conduits

144 and 146 to return to

reservoir

132. As such rotation of the arms takes place, the rollers 1116 move along the

rails

86 to the right as seen in FIGURE 2, and pivot the sheet 84) and first supporting member F-l upwardly to a desired position such as that shown in phantom line. When the

valve

142 is placed in a second position, the flow of fluid to the cylinder is reversed, whereby

piston

110 is caused to move to the right (FIGURE 2), with the

arms

182 and 112 then being pivoted in a counter-clockwise direction, and the

sheet

80 and supporting member F-l in turn pivot downwardly to finally come to rest on a cross piece 150 extending between the side walls of the second cabinet D.

When the

valve

142 is moved to a third position, fluid flow through the

conduits

138 and 140 is completely obstructed, and hydraulic fluid in the

cylinder

108 serves to lock the

piston

118 at a fixed position therein whereby the

sheet

80 and supporting member F-l is held at a fixed angular position relative to the second cabinet D. A

third shaft

152 extends transversely between the side walls of cabinet D, as shown in FIGURE 2. A second

hydraulic cylinder

154 is provided that has a piston 155 slidably mounted therein, which in turn is connected to a

piston rod

158 that projects through the upper end of

cylinder

154.

Piston rod

158 terminates in a

bearing

160 through which a transversely positioned pin 162 extends. The ends of pin 162 are rigidly held in fixed position relative to sheet 82 by an inverted U-shaped bracket 164 aifixed to the under side thereof.

Two openings are formed in the side walls of

second cylinder

154 which are connected to two

flexible conduits

166 and 168 leading to a second valve 170. A conduit 172 is also connected to valve 171) through which fiuid from

reservoir

132 is discharged to said valve, and a

conduit

148 leads from valve to the suction side of pump 128. When

valve

176 is disposed in a fixed position, fluid is discharged to the second cylinder to force the piston 156 and

piston rod

158 upwardly therein to pivot the second sheet 82 and supporting member F-2 mounted thereon in a counter clockwise direction (FIG- URE 2). It will be obvious that as the second sheet 82 is so moved, the

third sheet

84 is moved concurrently therewith, together with supporting member F3 associated therewith. When valve 170 is in a second position, the fluid flow to

second cylinder

154 is reversed and the piston 156 and

piston rod

158 are moved downwardly in the second cylinder to cause the

sheets

82 and 84 and supporting members F-2 and F-S respectively to move downwardly toward cabinet D to assume the horizontal position shown in solid line in FIGURE 2.

When valve 17 0 is moved to a third position it obstructs communication between

conduits

166 and 168, and the fluid in

second cylinder

154 serves to lock the

piston

158 in a fixed position therein. With the piston so locked in

cylinder

154, the

sheets

82 and 84 and supporting members F-2 and F-3 mounted thereon are held at a desired angular position such as shown in phantom line in FIG-

URE

2.

In FIGURE 1 is will be seen that a conventional motordriven drill assembly 174 may be supported from a

rod

176 that is vertically and rotatably movable in a cylinder 178 which is mounted by conventional means on the

second side wall

72 of the second cabinet D.

A waste bowl

180 having an opening (not shown) in the bottom thereof is also provided which has an L-shaped

rigid tube

182 communicating with said opening that depends therefrom. A

leg

184 of

tube

182 is rotatably supported in a

cylindrical shell

1% affixed to the

second side wall

72. The lower end of

shell

186 is connected to drain 46.

Drain conduit 46 is extended to a vacuum breaker 1&3 from which a line 190 leads to supply a constant flow of water to bowl 180. A

saliva evacuator

192 is provided that is energized by the flow of water through line 190 after it has passed through the vacuum breaker 188. A line 194- extends upwardly out of the second side Wall and is connected by means (not shown) to conduit 40. When the patient G desires a drink of water, a cup 197 can be filled from the

line

194. Flow of water from

line

194 is controlled by a

valve

196 on the outer end thereof. Should it be desired, a

drawer

198, shown in phantom line, can be provided in second cabinet D to house an air-operated drill assembly (not shown).

Two arcuate side pieces 234 depend from the under sides of the

sheet

80 adjacent the interior surfaces of the side walls of the second cabinet D. The curved forward ends of the

side pieces

204 have an end piece 296 extending therebetween to prevent the interior of the cabinet from being seen when the

sheet

80 is in the upwardly extending position, as shown in phantom line in FIGURE 2. Two

side pieces

208 preferably extend downwardly from the lower edge portions of the sheet 82 to positions adjacent the interior surfaces of the side walls of second cabinet D to serve the same purpose as the side pieces 204-.

Operation of the dental unit is extremely simple. When the patient G enters the room, the unit is in the telescoped, inoperative position shown in FIGURE 1, and sits upon the upholstered supporting member F-2, with the members F-1, F-2 and F-3 thereafter being adjusted to the angular position shown in FIGURE 4. To assure maximum comfort for the patient, a

small pillow

210 is provided which is held in proper position on the upper forward portion of supporting member F1 by means not shown. Control of the positioning of the supporting members F-l, F-Z and F-3 is achieved by use of the

valves

142 and 170 as previously described. After proper positioning of the patient G, the first cabinet A is withdrawn from the second cabinet D and moved to an angular position relative thereto (FIGURE 6) where the dentist can easily refer thereto while he is performing operative dentistry on the patient and is in a seated position.

2. A dental lounge unit as defined in

claim

1 wherein said fifth means for adjustable maintenance of said supporting members comprise first, second and third rectangular rigid sheets, which when disposed in a horizontal plane define the top of said second cabinet.

3. A dental lounge unit as defined in

claim

1 which further includes a plurality of drawers slidably mounted in said second cabinet wherein dental instruments are stored when not in use.

4. A dental lounge unit as defined in

claim

1 which further includes a tray that rests on the upper surface of said first cabinet, which tray serves to support dental instruments in positions for use when said first cabinet is moved out of said second cabinet and disposed in a positron adjacent thereto.

5. A dental lounge unit as defined in

claim

2 wherein a plurality of laterally spaced hinges are provided that are aflixed to the adjacent endsof said second and third members.

12. A dental lounge unit as defined in

claim

10 wherein said means for movably supporting said third sheet comprise two rollers rotatably mounted on the under portion of said third sheet most distantly disposed from said second sheet, and two lugs that are aflixed to the interior surfaces of said side walls of said second cabinet, which lugs define straight surfaces on which said rollers roll.

13. A dental supply unit as defined in

claim

10 which further includes a plurality of drawers that are slidably supported in said second cabinet, and an air-operated drill assembly, which when not in use is concealed in one of said drawers.

14. A dental supply unit as defined in

claim

10 that also includes a power-operated dental drill assembly, a dental waste bowl, and means for adjustably supporting said drill assembly and bowl to permit lowering thereof to positions below the upper edge of the side walls of said second cabinet when said drill assembly and bowl are not in use.