Patent ID: RE44046

Claim:
A light hardening device for hardening a light hardenable mass applied for dental purposes, the light hardenable mass having a photo initiator actuable to initiate hardening of the mass upon irradiation of the photo initiator with light and the photo initiator being sensitive to light across a range of sensitivities which vary from one another at different wavelengths of a set of photo initiator wavelengths, the photoinitiator having a maximum spectral sensitivity of approximately 470 nm, the light hardening device comprising: a first light emitting diode for emitting light at a range of intensities which vary from one another at different wavelengths of a set of first light emitting diode wavelengths, the range of first light emitting diode intensities overlapping the range of , photo initiator light sensitivities at most only partially; and a second light emitting diode for emitting light at a range of intensities which vary from one another at different wavelengths of a set of second light emitting diode wavelengths, the range of second light emitting diode intensities overlapping the range of photo initiator light sensitivities to a relatively greater extent than the partial overlap of the range of first light emitting diode intensities with the range of photo initiator light sensitivities ; and a control device, wherein the first light emitting diode and the second light emitting diode can be actuated at different times and with different radiation intensities by the control device; wherein the first light emitting diode has an emission maximum at approximately 505 nm and has only partial overlap with the sensitivity of the photoinitiator; wherein the second light emitting diode has an emission maximum of approximately 460 nm and has greater overlap than the first light emitting diode with the sensitivity of the photoinitiator; and wherein the first light emitting diode partially hardens the light hardenable mass and wherein the second light emitting diode completely hardens the light hardenable mass .