Patent ID: 7785101

Claim:
A self-ligating bracket for use in orthodontics comprising a base; an occlusal wall extending from the base and having at least one occlusal ligature wing; a gingival wall extending from the base and having at least one gingival ligature wing; a slot separating the occlusal wall and the gingival wall from one another and extending continuously in the mesial-to-distal direction; a slide retained in a guide provided in one or both of the occlusal wall and the gingival wall and arranged for displacement in the guide in a gingival-to-occlusal direction, between a closed position, in which the slide bridges the slot, and an open position in which the slot is open in a labial direction; a leaf spring for retaining of the slide in both the closed position and the open position; a spring recess for seating the leaf spring, the spring recess being arranged in one of the gingival wall and the occlusal wall of the bracket and provided with an opening facing the slide, a spring end projecting toward an outside of the spring recess; a first stop on the slide abutting against the spring end in the open position of the slide; a projection on the slide, facing the spring end, and arranged in order that during displacement of the slide to the closed position, the projection abuts the spring end before it reaches the closed position, sufficient space being available on both sides of the projection for accommodating the spring end projecting from the spring recess; the spring recess for the leaf spring expanding toward a spring recess opening facing the slide so that the leaf spring has sufficient play, in the recess, for bending the spring leaf in two possible directions of displacement of the slide the spring recess opening being nonsymmetrical and having surfaces displaced from the leaf spring end at different distances for causing greater resistance to open the slide than to close the slide; and a second stop on the bracket, for abutment of the slide in the closed position, once the projection has overcome the spring.