Patent ID: 7628613

Claim:
A coupling device for mechanically and electrically coupling a dental instrument to an electrical connector, said device comprising: a tubular clasp made of an electrically conductive resilient material having a first cylindrical portion attachable to said connector and a second cylindrical portion attachable to said dental instrument; said first cylindrical portion having a first slot that extends axially along an outer cylindrical surface of the tubular clasp; said second cylindrical portion having a second slot that extends axially along an outer cylindrical surface of the tubular clasp opposite the first slot and in alignment therewith; and said second cylindrical portion having a first notch formed in the second slot in the cylindrical outer surface of the tubular clasp on one side of the clasp and having a second notch formed in the second slot in the cylindrical outer surface of the tubular clasp on an opposite side of the clasp so that the first notch and the second notch are aligned, whereby insertion of a dental instrument into the first notch and the second notch in the second slot causes opposite sides of the second portion of the tubular clasp to resiliently splay apart to accommodate said dental instrument and to hold said dental instrument while performing a dental procedure.