Patent Application
20060018123
This invention relates to curing light devices for curing light activatable composite materials. Specifically, this invention relates to curing light devices having a reflector.
In the field of tooth restoration and repair, dental cavities are often filled and/or sealed with compounds that are photosensitive, either to visible and/or ultraviolet light. These compounds, commonly known as light-curable compounds, are placed within dental cavity preparations or onto dental surfaces and are cured when exposed to light from a dental curing light device.
Many light-curing devices are configured and constructed with reflectors for directing light from the light sources into the patient's mouths. The light sources maybe lamps, halogen bulbs or light-emitting diodes (LED).
The reflectors that are in use are ordinarily constructed mostly of metal. Typically, the part of the housing of the curing light attaching or holding the reflector is constructed out of a polymeric material.
The present invention relates to a curing light device that resolves some of the problems of prior art devices, including thermal expansion problems during use. The curing light device is suitable for curing light curable dental composite material. The device includes a housing having a substantially hollow interior. The housing has a distal end and a proximal end. The portion of the housing that is disposed towards the distal end may serve as a handle. A light module is housed in a desirable position in the interior of the housing. The light module includes at least one light source, at least one reflector to direct and/or focus the light from the light source towards a target, and at least one heat sink located in the proximity of the light source to conduct heat away from the light source. The heat sink may include a phase change material, which may be more efficient in heat dissipation than a conventional metal block.
The proximal end of the housing includes a light emitting end. The proximal end of the housing may further include an extension portion, which may be a light guide, a light transport module, a lens cap, or the like, for transporting light to a desired position of a work surface, such as a patient's mouth.
In one embodiment, the reflector may be of a substantially cylindrical shape, having a hollow interior, a proximal end, a distal end, an inside and an outside surface. The reflector may be located inside the housing and may form an integral part of the proximal end of the housing, as the extension of the housing. The interior surface of the reflector may have a reflective surface. In one aspect, the reflective surface may include a thin coating of metal.
In another embodiment, the reflective surface is concave, and is adapted for directing and/or focusing light from a light source to a desired location, such as the mouth of a patient.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the reflector and the portion of the housing in which it is mounted may be formed of the same material or different materials having similar coefficients of thermal expansion. This may potentially minimize stress to the assembled curing light device that would otherwise result from thermal effects during use.
In a further embodiment of the invention, the curing light may include a housing made of a polymer, and a polymeric, molded reflector having a reflective coating on its inside surface. In one aspect, the coating may be a metal coating, formed by any coating method including vacuum deposition.
In still another embodiment of the invention, the reflector and at least the portion of the housing close to the reflector are integrally molded together.
In yet another embodiment of the invention, the reflector may be attached to the housing. The attachment may be effected by an adhesive, and/or grooves or threads present in either one or both mating surfaces. The attachment may be permanent or temporary (i.e., removable and replaceable).
In yet a further embodiment of the invention, the housing includes an extension portion, which may include a light transport device or a light guide. In this embodiment, the reflector may be attached to the extension. The extension and the reflector may also be integrally molded together, or attached together. The attachment may be permanent or removable. In one aspect, the reflector may include a reflective coating.
In still yet another embodiment of the invention, the extension may include a lens cap. The reflector may be adapted to be connected to the lens cap and a portion of the proximal end of the housing. The lens cap, the reflector and the portion of the proximal end of the housing to which the reflector is attached may be made of the same material or material having substantially similar coefficient of thermal expansion.
The various reflective coatings described herewith may be very thin, but of sufficient thickness and/or substantial uniformity to form a good reflective surface. Any material that may form such a coating is suitable.
a shows a perspective view of the curing light of the invention;
b shows a side view of the curing light of the invention;
c shows a sectional side view of a curing light of the invention, depicting a reflector in an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
a shows a perspective view of an embodiment of the reflector of the invention;
The detailed description set forth below is intended as a description of the presently preferred device provided in accordance with aspects of the present invention and is not intended to represent the only forms in which the present invention may be prepared or utilized. It is to be understood, rather, that the same or equivalent functions and components may be accomplished by different embodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Although any methods, devices and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention, the preferred methods, devices and materials are now described.
All publications mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference for the purpose of describing and disclosing, for example, the designs and methodologies that are described in the publications which might be used in connection with the presently described invention. The publications listed or discussed above, below and throughout the text are provided solely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the present application. Nothing herein is to be construed as an admission that the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention.
A curing light device useful for curing or activating light-activated materials is disclosed. The present invention has applications in a variety of fields, including but not limited to medicine and dentistry, where light-activated materials comprising a photoinitiator or photoinitiators are used. As an example, a photoinitiator absorbs light of a particular wavelength and initiates the polymerization of monomers into polymers.
Exemplary embodiments, as depicted in
Each of the portions 12 and 14 may also have a distal end and a proximal end. The portions 12 and 14 may be joined together by any attachment means, with the proximal end of handle portion 12 abutting the distal end of the front portion 14. Suitable attachment modes include, but are not limited to, friction fit, mating bayonet formations, tongue and groove type formations, internesting pin and pinhole formations, latches and other interconnecting structures. Adhesives, such as a structural adhesive including a cyanoacrylate based material such as, for example Loc-Tite™ or Super Glue™, other structural bonding adhesives including an epoxy, one or two part, polyurethane adhesives, one or two parts, or a foam mounting adhesive. The foam mounting adhesive may also aid in shock absorption. The adhesive may also be used, not just in place of the other attachment means, but in addition to other attachment means. In the illustrated embodiments, a friction fit mode is exemplified.
The housing, including its handle portion 12 and front portion 14, may be constructed out of a high temperature polymer or composite, such as ULTEM®, which is an amorphous thermoplastic polyetherimide or Xenoy® resin, which is a composite of polycarbonate and polybutyleneterephthalate or Lexan® plastic, which is a copolymer of polycarbonate and isophthalate terephthalate resorcinol resin, all available from GE Plastics, or any other suitable resin plastic or composite. At the same time, high impact polystyrene, some polyesters, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, and polypropylene may also be suitable.
Polymeric composites such as engineering prepregs or composites, are also suitable for the composition of the housing. The composites may be filled composites, filled with conductive particles such as metal particles or conductive polymers to aid in the heat dissipation of the device.
As shown in
An on/off button or switch 18 may be located on the handle portion 12, near the junction between the handle portion and the front portion 14, for manually turning on/off of the curing light. The button may be a molded part, made out of a polymer such as high temperature plastics or polymers used in other parts of the housing, as discussed above. It may also be of the same or different color from the housing. A different color may also help to accentuate its presence and make it easier to find.
In one embodiment, as shown, for example, in
In another embodiment, the curing light device may include at least one lens cap 47, as exemplified, to provide an exit aperture for light from light source 20 and to close the light emitting end 16 of the curing light.
Also included in the present embodiment are electrical and control components, which may be located within the housing portions 12, 14 towards the distal end of the curing light 10. The curing light 10 may be battery powered or tethered to a power source or transformer. Battery powered curing lights may afford better portability.
A battery 70 may provide electrical power for operating the light source 20 via battery contacts 70a and pin connector 40. In one embodiment, a single rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion battery may be used to power the curing light 10. The on/off button 18 may serve to manually operate the curing light by providing a user input signal through a shaft or post 17, which interfaces with a printed circuit board 50, may also be located within the handle portion 12, and is mounted close to the battery 70, for example. In one embodiment, printed circuit board 50 includes a device, which may or may not include a microprocessor, that monitors battery life, LED temperature, or system functionality.
The heat sink 60, exemplified here as an elongated heat sink, although other geometries are possible, is shown to be positioned inside the front portion 14, in close proximity to the light source, to conduct, or dissipate heat from the light source. If the light source is located in the handle portion 12 or an extension portion 14, then the heat sink is correspondingly located as well.
In another embodiment, the heat sink may be configured to have fins, corrugations, or other geometric features adapted to provide a larger surface area for convective cooling of the heat sink. In still another embodiment, the curing light device may include an electric motor mechanically coupled to a fan or turbine. The fan or turbine may be adapted to draw or urge ambient air across a surface of the heat sink to provide cooling of the heat sink.
The heat sink may be made of any suitable material that is efficient in heat conduction or dissipation, as mentioned above, and may include monolithic heat sinks and combinational heat sinks. Combinational Heat sinks are often a combination of two different kinds of materials, the first with a low thermal expansion rate and the second with high thermal conductivity. Monolithic heat sinks may be made of one material. Examples of some heat sink materials which may be used in curing light devices depicted herein include copper, aluminum, silver, magnesium, steel, silicon carbide, boron nitride, tungsten, molybdenum, cobalt, chrome, Si, SiO2, SiC, AlSi, AlSiC, natural diamond, monocrystalline diamond, polycrystalline diamond, polycrystalline diamond compacts, diamond deposited through chemical vapor deposition and diamond deposited through physical vapor deposition, and composite materials or compounds. As mentioned, any materials with adequate heat conductance and/or dissipation properties may be used. If desired, a heat sink 120 may also have fins or other surface modifications or structures to increase surface area and enhance heat dissipation.
The heat sink 60 may include a phase change material, to more efficiently divert heat away from the light source or heat generating source. This is disclosed in a co-pending patent application, 10/______,______, entitled “Dental Light Devices Having an Improved Heat Sink”, to be filed concurrently; and a U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/585,224, filed Jul. 2, 2004, entitled “Dental Light Devices with Phase Change Heat Sink”; incorporated herein by reference.
Heat sinks having a phase change material may more efficiently remove or divert heat from a light source or sources with a given weight of heat sink material when compared to a heat sink made of a solid block of thermally conductive material such as metal. Such a heat sink may even efficiently remove or divert heat from a curing light device when a reduced weight of the material is used. Using a phase change material enclosed inside a hollow thermally conductive material such as a metal heat sink instead of a conventional solid metal heat sink can decrease the weight of the curing light and increase the time the heat sink takes to reach the “shut off” temperature, as it is called in the dental curing light industry. The period prior to reaching the shut off temperature is called the “run time”. Increasing the “run time”, i.e., the time that the light can remain on, increases the time when a dentist can perform the curing or whitening procedure.
In one embodiment, a rechargeable dental curing light including at least one phase change material is disclosed. In another embodiment, a dental whitening light including at least one phase change material is disclosed. The heat sink includes a block of thermally conductive material, such as metal, having a bore or void space which is at least partially filled with a phase change material.
The heat sink may be constructed by hollowing out a thermally conductive material, such as metal, and at least partially filling the void with at least one phase change material prior to capping it to secure the phase change material inside, such that the at least one phase change material is substantially contained or surrounded by a thermally conductive material such as metal normally used in the construction of a conventional heat sink.
Alternatively, the heat sink may be cast or machined from a thermally conductive material, such as metal, to create walls surrounding a bore or void. The bore or void is partially filled with at least one phase change material prior to capping it to secure the material inside.
In one embodiment, the inventive heat sink may be used by itself. In another embodiment, it may be used in addition to a fan, in conjunction with a conventional metal block heat sink or combinations thereof.
The inventive heat sink may be installed into the dental curing light, imaging or whitening light source in the same manner a conventional metal block heat sink is installed, such as by attaching it to the heat generating source, i.e., the light source, which may include any of the ones mentioned above or combinations thereof, or by attaching it to another heat sink.
Suitable phase change material may include organic materials, inorganic materials and combinations thereof. These materials can undergo substantially reversible phase changes, and can typically go through a large, if not an infinite number of cycles without losing their effectiveness. Organic phase change materials include paraffin waxes, 2,2-dimethyl-n-docosane (C24H50), trimyristin, ((C13H27COO)3C3H3), and 1,3-methyl pentacosane (C26H54). Inorganic materials such as hydrated salts including sodium hydrogen phosphate dodecahydrate (Na2HPO4.12H2O), sodium sulfate decahydrate (Na2SO4.10H2O), ferric chloride hexahydrate (FeCl3.6H2O), and TH29 (a hydrated salt having a melting temperature of 29° C., available from TEAP Energy of Wangara, Australia) or metallic alloys, such as Ostalloy 117 or UM47 (available from Umicore Electro-Optic Materials) are also contemplated. Exemplary materials are solids at ambient temperature, having melting points between about 30° C. and about 50° C., more for example, between about 35° C. and about 45° C. Also, the exemplary materials have a high specific heat, for example, at least about 1.7, more for example, at least about 1.9, when they are in the state at ambient temperature. In addition, the phase change materials may, for example, have a specific heat of at least about 1.5, more for example, at least about 1.6, when they are in the state at the elevated temperatures.
The phase change material may also have a high latent heat of fusion for storing significant amounts of heat energy. This latent heat of fusion may be, for example, at least about 30 kJ/kg, more for example, at least about 200 kJ/kg.
Thermal conductivity of the materials is a factor in determining the rate of heat transfer from the thermally conductive casing to the phase change material and vice versa. The thermal conductivity of the phase change material may be, for example, at least about 0.5 W/m° C. in the state at ambient temperature and at least about 0.45 W/m° C. in the state at elevated temperature.
A perspective posterior view and an anterior view of an embodiment of the handle portion 12 are shown in
The end cap 30 is cylindrical in shape and may be attached to the distal end of the handle portion 12. It may be molded as part of the handle portion 12. It may also be attached by other means, such as adhesive bonding, heat bonding, or threaded attachment.
In one embodiment, the proximal end of the handle portion 12 may be slightly tapered, as shown in
In one embodiment, the handle portion 12 and the extension tube portion 14 are mechanically and electrically connected via a pin connector 40, and receptacle 90 as shown in
In one embodiment of the invention, as shown in
Referring again to
The reflector 46 may be of a cylindrical shape, as exemplified in
In the present embodiment shown in
The reflector 46 may also be molded onto the end of section 15 and housed inside section 16, in addition to being threaded or otherwise fitted to neck section 15, as discussed above.
In one embodiment, the reflector 46 may be permanently attached to either the proximal end of the front portion 14 or an extension thereof. In another embodiment, the reflector 46 may be made to be removable. If an extension portion 16 is present, the extension may include a permanently attached or integrally molded reflector, and may be made to be removable from the proximal end of the housing as one part.
In an exemplary embodiment, the reflector 46 may be metallized on its interior surface 46b so as to create a reflective surface. Depending on the thickness of the metal coating, the amount of reflection can be varied. For example, a high degree of reflectivity is desirable.
The reflective surface may also shape and focus the light emitted by the light source 20. In some embodiments, a focusing lens may also be used. The direction of light reflection depends on the shape or curvature of the reflective surface 46b. For example, a concave surface may be used, or a certain degree of curvature of the surface may be designed to influence the direction of the reflected light, individually or collectively. Thus, the shape and the curvature of the reflective surface will help to shape and focus the light to any desired direction.
The threaded portion 46a of the reflector 46 may be towards the end distal 48, surrounding the LED aperture 46c, as is shown in
The reflector 46 may be, for example, molded or cast out of a polymer, such as those used for the construction of the housing 101. In another embodiment, the reflector 46 may be, for example, injection molded using a mold. This may produce higher degree of reproducibility of the reflectors 46. The polymers, as noted, may also be those that can be molded or cast and coated.
In one embodiment, the reflective surface is, for example, metallic, and may be formed through coating. Any one or more coating techniques for forming a thin film coating may be used. Such techniques include any methods of metallization of a polymeric surface such as Gas-phase coating techniques. These techniques are generally known as physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and plasma deposition. These techniques commonly involve generating a gas-phase coating material that condenses onto or reacts with a substrate surface. Various gas-phase deposition methods are described in “Thin Films: Film Formation Techniques,” Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4.sup.th ed., vol. 23 (New York, 1997), pp. 1040-76, incorporated herein by reference.
PVD is a vacuum process where the coating material is vaporized by evaporation, by sublimation, or by bombardment with energetic ions from a plasma (sputtering). The vaporized material condenses to form a solid film on the substrate. The deposited material is generally metallic or ceramic in nature (see Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology as cited above).
CVD processes involve reacting two or more gas-phase species (precursors) to form solid metallic and/or ceramic coatings on a surface (see Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology as cited above). In a high-temperature CVD method, the reactions occur on surfaces that can be heated at 300° C. to 1000° C. or more, and thus the substrates are limited to materials that can withstand relatively high temperatures. At the same time, in a plasma-enhanced CVD method, the reactions are activated by a plasma, and therefore the substrate temperature can be significantly lower, and polymers such as polystyrene and polyester may also be used in the construction of the reflector.
Plasma deposition, also known as plasma polymerization, is analogous to plasma-enhanced CVD, except that the precursor materials and the deposited coatings are typically organic in nature. The plasma significantly breaks up the precursor molecules into a distribution of molecular fragments and atoms that randomly recombine on a surface to generate a solid coating (see Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology as cited above). A characteristic of a plasma-deposited coating is the presence of a wide range of functional groups, including many types of functional groups not contained in the precursor molecules, thus it is less amenable to use in the present invention.
Other embodiments of the invention may include a reflecting surface that includes anodized aluminum, and a reflecting surface formed by vapor deposition of dielectric layers onto metallic layers. For example, a metallic layer may be deposited on an anodized surface as a base reflection layer, followed by deposition of a low refractive index and then a high refractive index dielectric layer. Such materials include those available from Alannod, Ltd. of the United Kingdom, and may include a cholesteric liquid crystal polymer.
Cholesteric liquid crystal polymers can reflect rather than transmit light energy, and may be used either as a surface coating layer or as the main ingredient of the reflector, as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,293,435, 5,332,522, 6,043,861, 6,046,791, 6,573,963, and 6,836,314, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Other materials with similar properties may also be employed in the invention.
The coating methods used in the invention may include, for example, those that may be operated at lower temperatures to create a thin and substantially continuous layer on a polymeric surface. Such methods may add to the versatility and flexibility in the choice of materials, both the polymeric material and the metallic coating. Some metallic coating may be reflective only as a thin coating. These may thus be used, as well as lower temperature polymers.
Any metal that is amenable to being coated as a relatively thin film to generate a reflective surface may be used. Some examples include aluminum, indium/tin oxide, silver, gold and mixtures thereof. Aluminum may also be in the form of anodized aluminum.
In one embodiment, reflector 46 and an extension or front portion 14, or at least portions of the front portion 14 may be, for example, made out of the same material, similar material, or material having little or no difference in the coefficients of thermal expansion. Where different coefficients of thermal expansion are present, as is found in a reflector 46 made of metal and a plastic extension, the result may be hoop stress imparted from the metal reflector into the housing as the reflector expands at a rate greater than the extension. Such hoop stress may lead to premature failure of the unit. Such failure is minimized or eliminated by the present embodiment of the invention.
For example, a polymer that may be molded or cast; or a metal or metallic alloy may be used, as mentioned above, if the front portion of the curing light is also made of metal. Suitable polymers include polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polystyrene, polyester, acrylic polymers, polyvinylchloride, polyamide, or polyetherimide like ULTEM®; a polymeric alloy such as Xenoy® resin, which is a composite of polycarbonate and polybutyleneterephthalate or Lexan® plastic, which is a copolymer of polycarbonate and isophthalate terephthalate resorcinol resin (all available from GE Plastics), liquid crystal polymers, such as an aromatic polyester or an aromatic polyester amide containing, as a constituent, at least one compound selected from the group consisting of an aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid (such as hydroxybenzoate (rigid monomer), hydroxynaphthoate (flexible monomer), an aromatic hydroxyamine and an aromatic diamine, (exemplified in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,242,063, 6,274,242, 6,643,552 and 6,797,198, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference), polyesterimide anhydrides with terminal anhydride group or lateral anhydrides (exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 6,730,377, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference)or combinations thereof.
In addition, any polymeric composite such as engineering prepregs or composites, which are polymers filled with pigments, carbon particles, silica, glass fibers, conductive particles such as metal particles or conductive polymers, or mixtures thereof may also be used. For example, a blend of polycarbonate and ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) may be used for the housing 101a.
Generally, materials usable in housing 101 include, for example, polymeric materials or composites having high temperature resistance.
A liquid crystal polymer or a cholesteric liquid crystal polymer, such as one that can reflect rather than transmit light energy, may be used in various embodiments of the invention. For example, a liquid crystal polymer or a cholesteric liquid crystal polymer may be used as a coating on an interior surface 101 of the light module housing 101, to minimize the waste of light energy generated by the light source (as described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,293,435, 5,332,522, 6,043,861, 6,046,791, 6,573,963, and 6,836,314, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference).
In general, a plastic housing is used for a curing light device. Thus, a plastic reflector is chosen. In addition, a plastic molded reflector 46 also offers increased impact resistance in various embodiments of the invention. When the plastic reflector 46 is molded out of the same material as the extension housing, the two components, when mated as system, form a much more impact resistant configuration than a metal reflector bonded into the plastic extension during drop test. Without wishing to be bound to a theory, it is surmised that during drop tests with the system having a metal reflector, more of the load is directly transmitted to the extension, increasing the potential for high stress levels in the extension and failure of the extension. Additionally, metal reflectors are usually bonded to the housing using a bonding adhesive. Because the metal reflector does not absorb impact, it may simply separate from the extension when the curing light is dropped, breaking its adhesive bond.
As mentioned above, the reflector, 46, may be, for example, molded, as the molding process is highly repeatable. A mold may be made and the optical geometry of the inside of the reflector remains substantially invariant over the molding process, from part to part. This compares very favorably with the manufacturing process involved in making metal reflectors. In particular, individually machining metal reflectors may create a potential for high variability in the geometry and the surface reflectivity. This variability may be evident not just from reflector to reflector, but over the surface of a single reflector. This variability may lead to lower illumination efficiencies.
The plastic reflector also allows for a vacuum metallization process to be used to create a mirror like finish, thus yielding a high, to very high, level of efficiency in the illumination system. This is especially true in comparison to a polished surface of a machined metal part, since polishing is more likely to create pits and non-uniformity in the metal surface depending on the abrasive polishing materials and methods used.
Since the molding process is amenable to mass production, the use of a plastic molded part that is metallized also may yield a more efficient illumination system for a given price in comparison to a machined metal part.
In addition, plastic reflectors may have an extra advantage of being adapted to be formed in any color. Experimentation has found that molding the reflector out of a white plastic may yield better reflectivity.
In one embodiment, the thickness of the reflective layer may be sufficiently thin so as not to substantially affect the thermal expansion of the base polymer, or the mechanical properties of the reflector.
In an exemplary embodiment, a single LumiLeds™-type LED light source 20 may be mounted in the front portion 14 at its light-emitting end 16. The light source may be a Luxeon™ V Star light source which may include up to four LEDs mounted on a single sub-mount and encapsulated by a single lens. Such a light source is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,355 to Harrah et al and U.S. Pat. No. 6,274,924 to Carey et al, which are both assigned to LumiLeds Lighting of San Jose, Calif., the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The Luxeon™ V Star light source is available in a blue color, Lambertian radiation pattern, and produces about 525 mW/cm2. Other wavelengths are also possible.
As shown in
In one embodiment, the curing light further includes an extension portion such as light transport, a light pipe, a light guide, or similar structure, for directing or transporting light to a desired location of a work surface such as patient's mouth. The light module may also be located in the extension portion, but is generally located in the housing.
An elongated mounting member (not shown), which may be made of copper or a brass material, may be used for mounting the light source 20 (as shown in
As noted, the extension may be a light guide or any of the structures mentioned above, for directing the light onto a working surface. In one embodiment, the light source and the reflector maybe located away from the emitting end 16 so that the locus of heat dissipation from the curing light is comparatively remote from patient.
In an exemplified embodiment, the PCB assembly 50 may be configured to provide time cycles of one to two minutes or so on duration, to thereby cure light activated compositions. At the end of each such cycle, the curing light may be turned back on manually. The PCB may also be configured to have a high temperature shut off that can automatically shut the curing light down during any of the selected cycles.
In
Having described the invention in the preferred embodiments, the invention is further embodied in the appending claims set forth below.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/585,224, filed Jul. 2, 2004, entitled “Dental Light Devices With Phase Change Heat Sink”; 60/631,267, filed Nov. 26, 2004, entitled “Curing Light Having A Reflector”; 60/658,517, filed Mar. 3, 2005, entitled “Apparatus and Method For Radiation Spectrum Shifting in Dentistry Application”; 60/594,297, filed Mar. 25, 2005, entitled “Curing Light Having A Detachable Tip”; 60/631,267, filed Nov. 26, 2004, entitled “Curing Light Having A Reflector”; 60/594,327, filed on Mar. 30, 2005, entitled, “Curing Light”; and 60/664,696, filed Mar. 22, 2005, entitled “Curing Light Having A Detachable Tip”; the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The present application includes claims that may be related to the claims of co-pending United States patent applications, No. 10/______,______, to be concurrently filed, entitled “Illumination System for Dentistry Applications”; 10/______,______, to be concurrently filed, entitled “Voice Alert System for Dentistry Applications”; 10/______,______, to be concurrently filed, entitled “Light Guide for Dentistry Applications”; 10/______,______, to be concurrently filed, entitled “Retracting Devices”; and 10/______,______, to be concurrently filed, entitled “Support System for Dentistry”; the contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60585224 | Jul 2004 | US | |
| 60631267 | Nov 2004 | US | |
| 60658517 | Mar 2005 | US | |
| 60594297 | Mar 2005 | US | |
| 60631267 | Nov 2004 | US | |
| 60594327 | Mar 2005 | US | |
| 60664696 | Mar 2005 | US |
