Patent ID: 9655688
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: A61C

Claim:
1. A dental instrument device, comprising: a) a middle body; b) a pair of removable instrument tips; c) a pair of collets; d) a pair of springs; and e) a pair of removable end caps; wherein said middle body comprises a shaft having a first end and a second end and defining a longitudinal axis therebetween, with the first end terminating in a first middle body/instrument tip connection interface comprising an instrument tip contacting surface having a radial face and a longitudinal face and adapted to receive one of said removable instrument tips with a right-handed tip end only in a first orientation and adapted to receive one of said removable instrument tips with a left-handed tip end only in a second orientation differing from said first orientation, and with the second end terminating in a second middle body/instrument tip connection interface adapted to receive one of said removable instrument tips with a right-handed tip end only in said first orientation and adapted to receive one of said removable instrument tips with a left-handed tip end only in said second orientation differing from said first orientation; wherein each one of said pair of removable instrument tips comprises a middle body/instrument tip connection interface comprising a middle body contacting surface having a radial face and a longitudinal face, and a working tip end with either a right-handed or a left-handed orientation with respect to said middle body/instrument tip connection interface; wherein each one of said pair of collets comprises a generally cylindrical wall defining an inner bore sized to receive a portion of said middle body and a portion of one of said instrument tips, said wall having an outer surface sized to be received in an inner bore of one of said end caps; wherein each one of said pair of removable end caps comprises an inner bore sized to receive a portion of said middle body, a portion of one of said instrument tips, and one of said collets; wherein one of said removable instrument tips with a right-handed tip end is releasably connected to said first middle body/instrument tip connection interface, and one of said removable instrument tips with a left-handed tip end is releasably connected to said second middle body/instrument tip connection interface; wherein one of said pair of collets overlays said first middle body/instrument tip connection in a manner effective for securing one of said removable instrument tips to said middle body when the collet is held in place by said end cap, and one of said pair of collets overlays said second middle body/instrument tip connection in a manner effective for securing one of said removable instrument tips to said middle body when the collet is held in place by said end cap; wherein one of said pair of springs is positioned nearer the first end of said middle body and biases one of said pair of collets along the longitudinal axis away from the second end of said middle body, and one of said pair of springs is positioned nearer the second end of said middle body and biases one of said pair of collets along the longitudinal axis away from the first end of said middle body; and wherein each one of said pair of end caps is releasably secured to said middle body in a manner effective to retain one of said pair of collets and thereby to secure one of said removable instrument tips to said middle body.