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:
Nov. 17, 1998
Filed:
Jul. 24, 1997
Bernd Gugel, Ulm-Einsingen, DE;
Bernhard Kuhn, Schemmerhofen, DE;
Kaltenbach & Voigt GmbH & Co., Biberach, DE;
Abstract
A handpiece having a releasable retaining device for a tool having a shaft about which the tool rotates. The handpiece has a housing and a drive sleeve rotatably mounted in the housing. The drive sleeve has a hollow cylindrical insertion hole into which the shaft of the tool is placed. A drive means is provided for rotation of the drive sleeve. First and/or second releasable couplings are provided for rotatably and/or axially connecting the shaft to the drive sleeve. The releasable couplings have either a coupling slider or pressure member which is displaceable between coupling and decoupling positions. An actuating device is provided for displacing the coupling slider or pressure member into their decoupling position. In one embodiment the coupling slider is made of a ceramic material and fabricated into its final form by means of a single fabrication process without after treatment. In another embodiment the coupling slider is made from a ceramic material, and a ring-shaped spring (urging the coupling slider into its coupling position) has ends separated by a distance. The coupling slider has two peripheral grooves on a side opposite a free end of the coupling slider, in which grooves the ends of the ring-shaped spring are disposed. In a third embodiment, the pressure member is fabricated from a ceramic material and has a color mark on a visible surface formed by coloring the ceramic material.