The present invention provides a dental chair that includes an accessory unit with an adjustable support device.
A typical dental procedure room is ten feet by eight feet which must accommodate various items, such as a dental procedure chair, a Dental Accessory Unit (DAU), an operator, e.g. a dentist and/or dental assistant, storage cabinetry and any further dental equipment. Therefore, floor space in the dental procedure room is at a premium.
Traditionally, the DAU can support such accessories as, but not limited to, a cuspidor, dental assistants instrumentation and a dental light. Such DAU's have been traditionally arranged adjacent to the dental procedure chair in a predetermined right or left hand side configuration based on the preference and/or needs of the operator.
DAU's have also been supported by a movable support device that would allow limited movement of the DAU along the particular side of the examination chair that the support device was configured for, e.g. the right hand side or the left hand side. Reconfiguring a pre-configured right hand side support device and DAU for left hand side operation, or vice a versa, typically required extensive time, effort and expense. Therefore reconfiguration of a configured support device on a short term basis, e.g. temporary use of a left hand configured DAU by a right handed operator, was not a practical consideration.
The present invention provides a dental chair and accessory unit that includes an adjustable support device that can be quickly and easily configured for either left hand or right hand operation and requires a minimum of valuable office floor space.
One embodiment of the present invention is a dental chair having a dental accessory unit movably mounted thereon for being selectively positioned at either the left-hand or right-hand side of the chair to facilitate dental procedures to be performed by a dental practitioner. The dental chair having a seat portion configured to support a dental patient, and a base sized and configured to support the seat portion. The support device is attached at a rear area of the base, the support device having a first arm member and a second arm member movably mounted on the base for movement in a generally horizontal plane. The support device also has a first pivot joint arranged between the base and the first arm member, with the first pivot joint being positioned to rotate about a first axis generally perpendicular to the horizontal plane, a second pivot joint arranged between the first and second arm members, with the second pivot joint being positioned to rotate about a second axis generally perpendicular to the horizontal plane, a DAU being carried on the second arm member, a third pivot joint arranged between the second arm member and the DAU, with the third pivot joint being positioned to rotate about a third axis generally perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and a locking device for each of the pivot joints for selectively locking the pivot joint in either one of two predetermined angular locking positions, wherein the support device facilitates folding of the arm members and the dental accessory unit in an operative position at either the left or right side of the dental chair.
In a further aspect of the invention, the adjustable support device may also be configured to pivot from a right side to a left side of the dental chair, or vice a versa, while remaining closely adjacent to the dental chair during the transition from one side to the other and also include one of the pivot joints with a master locking device and the each of the other pivot joints each comprise a slave locking device with the locking devices being interconnected so that configuring the master lock device to an unlock mode enables the slave lock devices to be unlocked. The master locking device may also include a release handle. Furthermore, at least one of the locking devices may include a biasing mechanism for biasing the one locking device to a locking mode that automatically locks once the pivot joint is moved to a locking position.
In a further aspect of the invention, the dental chair with an adjustable support device may further include a chair control system configured to control a position of the seat portion. The dental chair may further include a safety switch system that includes a plurality of safety switches in communication with the chair control system where the safety switch system is configured to provide a safety switch control signal to the control system and the control system is configured to prevent the seat portion from moving if the control system determines that the support device is in a motion path of the seat portion, based on the safety switch control signal.
In a further aspect of the invention, each locking device may include a locking cam plate and an associated locking bolt. Furthermore, each locking device may be actuated via push/pull control cables that are in communication with the release handle.
Another embodiment of the present invention is an adjustable support device adapted to be mounted on a dental chair for selectively positioning a dental accessory unit either at the left-hand or right-hand side of the dental chair to facilitate dental procedures to be performed by a dental operator, the adjustable support device including a first arm member and a second arm member to be movably mounted on the dental chair for movement in a generally horizontal plane, a first pivot joint arranged between the dental chair and the first arm member, with the first pivot joint being positioned to rotate about a first axis generally perpendicular to the horizontal plane, a second pivot joint arranged between the first and second arm members, with the second pivot joint being positioned to rotate about a second axis generally perpendicular to the horizontal plane, a DAU being carried on the second arm member, a third pivot joint arranged between the second arm member and the DAU, with the third pivot joint being to rotate about a third axis generally perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and a locking device for each of the pivot joints for selectively locking the pivot joint in either of two predetermined angular locking positions, wherein the support device facilitates folding of the arm members and the dental accessory unit toward the dental chair in an operative position at either the left or right side of the dental chair.
In a further aspect of the invention, the one of the pivot joints may include a master locking device and each of the other pivots may include a slave locking device with the locking devices being interconnected so that configuring the master lock device to an unlock mode enables the slave locking devices to be unlocked. At least one of the locking devices may further include a biasing mechanism for biasing the locking device to a locking mode. Also, the master locking device may include a release handle, and the master locking device may automatically lock once the pivot joint is moved to a locking position, and each locking device may be actuated via push/pull control cables that are in communication with the release handle.
The above-mentioned and other concepts of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings of a preferred embodiment of the present invention of the dental chair having an adjustable support device. The illustrated embodiments of the dental chair and adjustable support device are intended to illustrate, but not limit the invention. The drawings contain the following figures:
In a dental clinical setting, a typical dental procedure room includes a dental chair 11 with a DAU 27. The dental chair 11 operates to provide a stable and comfortable support for a dental patient during a dental examination or procedure. The DAU 27 is capable of, but not limited to, supporting such accessories as a cuspidor, dental assistants instrumentation and a dental light to assist the dental staff during clinical procedures.
The invention described herein employs one or more basic concepts. For example, one concept relates to a dental chair and DAU with an adjustable support device. A benefit of the inventive device is the ability to reconfigure the position of the DAU from one side of the dental chair to the other while securely supporting the DAU. More specifically, the ability to reconfigure the position of the DAU from one side of the dental chair to the other quickly and easily while requiring a minimum of floor space and without resorting to expensive and time consuming disassembly and reassembly of the support device while providing a secure and stable support for the DAU. Another concept of the present invention relates to a DAU with an adjustable support device as described above, configured for retrofit to an existing dental chair.
While the present invention is disclosed in the context of a dental apparatus having an adjustable support device designed to securely support a DAU. The principles of the present invention, however, are not limited to use within a dental apparatus or the dental or medical fields. One skilled in the art may find additional applications for the apparatus, and configurations disclosed herein. Thus the illustration and description of the present invention in context of the exemplary dental chair with DAU having an adjustable support device and a retrofittable DAU having an adjustable support device are merely two possible applications of the present invention. However the present invention has particular applicability for use as a stable adjustable support device for a DAU.
An overview of the invention is provided below followed by a more detailed description. Referring to
In a preferred embodiment of
The inventive dental chair 1 and DAU 27 with an adjustable support device 20 employs attachment member 21, first movable member 23 and second movable member 25 and first pivot joint 22, second pivot joint 24, and third pivot joint 26, as discussed above and seen in
Referring to the preferred embodiment of
Referring to
Referring to
One of the three locking mechanisms (one of 61, 62 or 63) may function as a master that controls a locking and un-locking of the other two locking mechanisms. The master locking mechanism may be connected to the two slave locking mechanisms by a cable arrangement that allows the master to control the release of the two slave locking mechanisms where activation of the release handle 64 of the master locking mechanism (one of 61, 62 or 63) releases the locking bolts of the two slave locking mechanisms and allows the adjustable support device 20 and the DAU 27 to collapse into a minimum size envelope and rotate between the right and the left side configuration as seen in