Patent ID: 8398395

Claim:
An accessory for use with a dental articulator, the accessory comprising: a dental model holder, adapted and configured to hold a dental model; and a mounting assembly for removably affixing said dental model holder to a dental model articulator designed and configured for holding dental models by means of a temporary layer of plaster; said mounting assembly including: a removable mounting member; and an articulated arm coupled between said dental model holder and said mounting member, said articulated arm including: a rod; and two independently manipulable and lockable ball joint assemblies, one coupled to each end of the rod, one of said ball joint assemblies being coupled to the dental model holder, and another one of said ball joint assemblies being coupled to said mounting member, permitting rotation and swiveling of the dental model holder about the ball joint assemblies substantially in all directions; each of said ball joint assemblies further including: a spherical ball member; a socket member having at least one opening and substantially spherical internal walls for snugly engaging and receiving a portion of said spherical ball member; and a socket locking member having internal walls, a portion of said walls being substantially spherical for snugly engaging a portion of said spherical ball member, and screw threads about an opening on said socket locking member cooperating with screw threads about said at least one opening of said socket member to tighten said socket locking member to said socket member about said spherical ball member, for independently locking said ball joint assembly in a desired position with said spherical ball member locked against rotation by and between the spherical internal walls of the socket member and the spherical portion of the internal walls of the socket locking member.