The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 19, 1978
Filed:
Nov. 12, 1976
George Vernon McGaha, Charlotte, NC (US);
Pelton & Crane Company, Charlotte, NC (US);
Abstract
A dental or medical handpiece instrument console apparatus, including means for holding, extending and retracting operating flexible hose attached to the instruments, for easy use in over-the-patient positions, as follows. A hollow cabinet, a plurality of handpiece instruments and connecting operating flexible hose positioned within the cabinet in generally U-shaped configurations and in horizontal, parallel positions. Improved, selectively actuatable, extending and retracting mechanisms are provided for the flexible hose including a pulley attached to a cable of a rotatable reel which carries a ratchet wheel engageable by a pawl such that the instrument and hose may be pulled to an extended position and the pawl engaged with the ratchet wheel to lock the hose and instrument in its extended position and which will release the ratchet wheel for retraction of the instrument and hose into the console by a bias when non-use of the instrument is desired. There is also provided a selectively actuatable mechanism associated with each of the instruments and hose and which is responsive to movement of the instrument and hose from the retracted position to a desired extending position for allowing the pawl to engage the ratchet wheel if the instrument and hose are released in a desired extended position within a predetermined timed period and which allows release of the pawl from the ratchet upon a slight forward movement of the instrument and hose when it is desired to retract the instrument and hose.