Patent ID: 6450809
Filing Date: 2002-09-17
Classification: A61C

Abstract:
In a dental model articulator having a pair of U-shaped brackets hinged together at both ends of each bracket and each bracket having a ball between ends thereof for forming a ball-and-socket joint connection to a separate one of two stone plates bearing separate ones of a pair of a patient's dental castings used during a process for modeling of prosthesis to fit with said patient's teeth, each ball-and-socket joint having a doubly truncated spherical cavity socket affixed to a separate stone plate and having a concave band surface of a width less than said ball's diameter and a radius of curvature substantially equal to said ball's radius for capturing said ball upon pressfitting said ball through an opening on one side where said spherical cavity is truncated close to the center of said spherical cavity to allow said ball to be press fitted through the opening created by truncating the sphere on said one side, an improvement comprisingreleasable means for affixing said ball in said socket by frictional force alone between said socket and said ball, said releasable means operable to effectively adjust a radius of one relative to the other of said ball and said concave band surface, thereby to increase said frictional force between said ball and said concave band socket for affixing said ball in said socket, whereby alignment of said two plates achieved through adjustment of relative position of said ball in said socket of each ball-and-socket joint is maintained until said mechanically releasable means is released for realignment of said ball in said concave band socket as necessary during said process for modeling of prosthesis.