Patent ID: 7273372

Claim:
A dental articulator comprising: a lower jaw member; two pillars each extending vertically upwardly from either side of a rear portion of said lower jaw member, said pillars each carrying a ball at a top end thereof; and an upper jaw member disposed over said lower jaw member and carrying housings each provided on either side of a rear portion of said upper jaw member, each of said balls being received in one of said housings such that said upper jaw member is pivotable about a pivot axis defined by a straight line connecting said balls; wherein each of said housings comprises a top wall coupled to said upper jaw member so as to be movable relative to said upper jaw member along a straight line extending in a first direction perpendicular to said pivot axis while kept in contact with a respective one of said balls, and a rear wall coupled to said upper jaw member so as to be movable along a straight line extending in a second direction perpendicular to both said first direction and said pivot axis while kept in contact with said respective one of said balls; wherein, for each of said housings, each of said top wall and said rear wall is configured to be fixed to said upper jaw member against movement relative to said upper jaw member when in a desired position; wherein each of said housings further includes an intermediate part fixed to said upper jaw member; wherein, for each of said housings, said top wall and said rear wall are coupled to said upper jaw member through said intermediate part; and wherein, for each of said housings, said intermediate part has a first groove extending in said first direction, and said top wall has a rib engaged in said first groove of said intermediate part so as to be movable in said first direction.