The present invention relates generally to dental procedures, and more particularly to apparatuses and methods for activating and/or deactivating a plurality of medical devices used in a dental procedure, such as an endodontic procedure.
Dental procedures, especially endodontic procedures, are often lengthy and involve multiple steps that require a variety of small electrical devices. By way of example, root canal therapy may be completed in essentially a three step process using multiple electronic devices. First, a dentist, endodontist, or other medical practitioner mechanically removes infected pulp from within the internal root structure of a tooth. In this regard, the clinician may use an electronic pulp vitality scanner to assess the state of the pulp tissue within the root canal prior to removal. Furthermore, an electronic apex locator may be used to identify the length of the root canal and to ensure that the pulp tissue has been removed all the way to the apex of the canal. Moreover, the clinician may use an electronic motor to drive endodontic files that shape the canal. Second, the internal root structure is cleaned and disinfected leaving a void in the place of the infected pulp. This step may involve the use of an electronic ultrasonic device to clean and further shape the canal. Third, the void is obturated or filled with a biocompatible, semi-structural material, such as Gutta Percha. Devices used during this process can be, for example, an electronic downpack device to heat and condense the material in the apical portions of the canal and an electronic backfill device to fill the proximal regions of the tooth. As a result, endodontic procedures can be lengthy, and, accordingly, clinicians are eager to save time wherever possible.
During certain dental procedures, such as that described above, clinicians must repeat the task of turning on and off each of the devices individually throughout the procedure. Previously, corded devices could be activated simultaneously by plugging them into a single power strip and turning on the power strip so as to turn on all of the devices electronically coupled to the power strip. However, some devices do not turn on simply because they are electrically connected. Moreover, with the rise of the use of cordless devices, simply turning on a power strip is unlikely to activate all the devices. In many cases, the devices needed for endodontic procedures are equipped with a dedicated power switch that needs to be individually turned on by the user to activate the device. Cordless devices may be connected to electricity, for example, when positioned on a base while the device is charging (e.g., in a cradle charging station), but are not activated until the power switch is pressed. Clinicians must spend time that could otherwise be used more efficiently making sure the necessary devices are turned on and off. Additionally, some devices, for example the backfill device, require a certain amount of time to warm-up before they are fully operational for their intended use in the procedure. Forgetting to turn on a device that must warm up beforehand can further increase the length of a procedure. A longer procedure results in decreased efficiency for the clinician and a longer time the patient must be in the chair.
There is a need for an apparatus and method for use in endodontic procedures, such as root canal therapy, that addresses present challenges and drawbacks such as those discussed above.
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with a general description of the invention given above, and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the invention.
The present invention includes apparatuses and methods involving powered devices used in dental procedures. For example, devices may include, but not limited to, a scanner, apex locator, drill, cleaner, scraper, filler, hardener, or other medical devices. The devices may be powered through a cord or may be cordless and are capable of being activated and deactivated. In some cases, the devices may require a warm up period after activation before they are ready for use. While embodiments of the invention are described herein in the context of dental and endodontic applications, it should be appreciated that aspects of the invention may prove beneficial over a broader range of medical procedures utilizing a plurality of electrical/powered devices or instruments. Accordingly, the present invention should not be necessarily limited to applications in the dental or endodontic fields.
A wide variety of events may act as a triggering event. For example, the triggering event may be the activation or deactivation of a device. For example, when a first device is activated, a second device may also activate. Alternatively, when a first device is deactivated, a second device is activated. In alternate embodiments, the triggering event may occur based on a device reaching a certain output. For example, the triggering event may occur when a drill motor reaches a certain speed. In further alternate embodiments, the triggering event may be the lapse of a predetermined amount of time. Thus, for example, after a first device has been activated for a predetermined amount of time, a second device may be activated. The triggering event may also occur upon a voice command being spoken or sufficient eye contact being made with a retinal scanner. If the central unit is configured to receive the devices as illustrated in
In some embodiments of the present invention, one triggering event results in a variety of signals being sent to more than one device.
The devices used in the present invention may have an order of use in any given procedure. For example, in a root canal procedure, a pulp scanner may be used before a drill. Further, the number of devices may vary based on the procedure being performed. Though some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated using a specific number of devices, embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any certain number of devices. Because the number and order of devices used in dental procedures varies, a triggering event schedule may be utilized. The particular signal sent due to the occurrence of a triggering event may be determined based on the schedule. The complexity of the schedule may vary. In such an embodiment, the first triggering event may activate only a first device or more than just the first device, as illustrated in
Certain embodiments of the present invention include a device capable of communicating with another device.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, a device may be in communication with more than one other device.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, a device may be in communication with a central unit and at least one other device.
In certain embodiments of the present invention, a triggering event may result in the triggering event schedule being overridden.
As stated above, the communication between the central unit and/or the devices may be accomplished using mechanical means, electrical means, wired communication, or wireless communication. The communication between the central unit and/or the devices may be accomplished using a controller. The controller may be separate from the devices and central unit or it may be integral to a device or the central unit. The controller may include a processor, a memory, a mass storage memory device, an input/output (I/O) interface, and a Human Machine Interface (HMI). The controller may also be operatively coupled to one or more external resources via a network or I/O interface. External resources may include, but are not limited to, servers, databases, mass storage devices, peripheral devices, cloud-based network services, or any other suitable computer resource that may used by the controller.
The processor may include one or more devices selected from microprocessors, micro-controllers, digital signal processors, microcomputers, central processing units, field programmable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, state machines, logic circuits, analog circuits, digital circuits, or any other devices that manipulate signals (analog or digital) based on operational instructions that are stored in the memory. The memory may include a single memory device or a plurality of memory devices including, but not limited, to read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), flash memory, cache memory, or any other device capable of storing information. The mass storage memory device may include data storage devices such as a hard drive, optical drive, tape drive, non-volatile solid state device, or any other device capable of storing information. The processor may operate under the control of an operating system that resides in the memory. The operating system may manage computer resources so that computer program code embodied as one or more computer software applications, such as an application residing in the memory, may have instructions executed by the processor. In an alternative embodiment, the processor may execute the application directly, in which case the operating system may be omitted. One or more data structures may also reside in the memory and may be used by the processor, operating system, or application to store or manipulate data.
The I/O interface may provide a machine interface that operatively couples the processor to other devices and systems, such as a network or external resource. The application may thereby work cooperatively with the network or external resource by communicating via the I/O interface to provide the various features, functions, applications, processes, or modules comprising embodiments of the invention. The application may also have program code that is executed by one or more external resources, or otherwise rely on functions or signals provided by other system or network components external to the controller. Indeed, given the nearly endless hardware and software configurations possible, persons having ordinary skill in the art will understand that embodiments of the invention may include applications that are located externally to the controller, distributed among multiple computers or other external resources, or provided by computing resources (hardware and software) that are provided as a service over the network, such as a cloud computing service.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the embodiments of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, “comprised of”, or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising”.
While all of the invention has been illustrated by a description of various embodiments and while these embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not the intention of the Applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the Applicants' general inventive concept.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62244364 | Oct 2015 | US |