Patent ID: 7144250

Claim:
In a dental tray system that includes a plurality of essentially identical hand piece holders each attached to a dental tray for conveniently presenting any of a plurality of different hand pieces for use in performing dental procedures, and wherein at least some of the hand pieces require electrical power, an improved tray system comprising: a rechargeable dental curing light apparatus mountable at one end thereof in one of the essentially identical hand piece holders of the dental tray system so that the dental curing light apparatus is held in an essentially upright position similar to said some of the hand pieces requiring electrical power, said rechargeable dental curing light apparatus comprising a slender body portion that extends between a mountable end portion and a light-emitting end portion, the body portion is essentially uniform in circumference from the mountable end portion to the light-emitting end portion, the slender body portion being configured to be held in the hand of a user free from external electrical wires, and the mountable end portion of the dental curing light apparatus comprising a means for providing electrical contact for recharging the dental curing light apparatus; a light source configured to emit radiant energy suitable for curing a light-curable compound, the radiant energy being emitted from the light-emitting end portion; an electrically rechargeable power supply disposed within the body portion so that when used for curing a light-curing compound the dental curing light apparatus is not connected to external electrical wires; and at least one of the essentially identical hand piece holders comprising a recharging docking station comprised of: a mounting body structure that includes an internal cavity configured in size and shape to frictionally engage the mountable end portion of the dental curing light apparatus and to hold the dental curing light apparatus at said mountable end portion so that the dental curing light apparatus extends upwardly and is presented in an essentially upright position that can be conveniently grasped; means, located in the internal cavity of said mounting body structure, for electrically contacting the electrical contact means of the mountable end portion of the dental curing light apparatus to permit recharging the rechargeable power supply when the mountable end portion of the dental light curing apparatus is received within the internal cavity of the mounting body structure; and means for electrically connecting the means for electrically contacting the electrical contact means of the dental curing light apparatus to a source of electrical power.