US2524763A - Lingual tube for orthodontia - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 10, 1950 A. B. BRussE 2,524,763

LINGUAL TUBE FOR ORTHODONTIA Filed April 16, 1945 ARCHIE B. BR USSE I N V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY an orthodontic bracket by an Patented Oct. 10, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an orthodontic appliance and more particularly to a bracket for use with an arch wire and its method of manufacture.

One of the objects of this invention is to produce an improved bracket for orthodontic use which is provided with an arch wire receiving tube.

Another object is to produce an improved orthodontic bracket which is so constructed as to be provided with an arch wire receiving tube and both end and lateral attaching flanges.

Still another object is to so construct a bracket of the kind referred to that the tube and both flanges can all be produced from a single sheet of material by simple operations.

A further object of the invention is to so con struct a bracket having a tube and attaching flanges that a plurality of such bracketscan be made from a single length of flat stock by cutting and deforming operations and the resulting is particularly well adapted for attachment to a v tooth band on the lingual side. I

Another object of the invention is to. produce improved method of manufacture. I i 1 I i A still further object is to produce an orthodontic lingual tube from a single flat piece of stock by cutting and bending opertion s.

Other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a top View of a strip or series of connected orthodontic brackets made, in accordance with my invention, from a single length of flat stock;

Figure 2 is a bottom view of the strip shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a side view of said strip; and

Figure 4 is a view of a bracket attached to a tooth band and being used as a lingual tube to support and connect an arch'wire to the band.

Referring to the drawings in detail and first to Figures 1 to 3, there is shown a series of brackets each of which embodies my invention.

Said figures also show the novel method by which the brackets are made and-embodied in a strip as serially connected brackets ready for orthodontic use, said strip being generally indicated by the letter S.

The brackets are made from any suitable material such as, for example, stainless steel. The

' stock from which the brackets are to be made comprises a single sheet of the material, having a width W and any suitable length depending upon the number of connected brackets desired to comprise the strip. The stock of material used is shown in short and long dashed lines, as indicated by the numeral I. This stock is narrowed at longitudinally spaced portions by removing material at opposite edges, said material being that within the full and dashed lines and indicated by the numeral 2. The spaced narrow portions so produced are each deformed to provide arched portions indicated at A. At the time of arching these narrowedportiona or prior or subsequent thereto, a part of the material forming each arched portion is pressed outwardly to provide a projection 3 on one side of which is a flat shoulder facing in the direction of one end of the arch.

The sheet of stock intermediate the arches is out in a transverse direction along the dashed lines indicated at 5 and 6 and longitudinally along the full parallel lines 7 and 8. The cutting along the lines 5, 6, land twill produce four sections 9 integral with each arch and connecting links l0 between the arches. There will be a set of two sections 9 at each end of an arch with each set comprising sections on each side of the arch, all as shown in Figure 1. Each section 9 has a part which projects beyond the end of an arch, theprojecting part bein indicated by the numeral II and hereinafter referred to as end attaching flanges for the completed bracket. The material 12 between sections 9 of adjacent arches becomes waste material and is discarded.

The sections 9 associated with each arch are bent to positions where they will cause a closing of a major portion of the open side of the arch, thereby establishing a tubular body. The final position of the sections 9 is shown in full lines in Figures 1, 2 and 3 and when in this final position the projections 0r flanges H 50 project beyond the tubular body that they will serve as attaching means for the tubular body. When the sections 9 are bent to their final position they will lie in substantially the same plane as the original rear surface of the sheet of stock, as best shown in Figure 3. To complete the strip of brackets the connecting links H] are each provided with two transverse scores l3 and I4 and by these scores there will be established from the links lateral flanges 15 and I5 for each arch which flanges extend from opposite sides of the tubular body portion. Such lateral attaching flanges will be at right angles to the attaching flanges ll extending from the ends of the tubular body and will also be in the same plane as said latter flanges.

From the operations above described it is seen that there will be produced a series of connected brackets, generally indicated by the letter B. These brackets are now ready for orthodontic use. An example of one orthodontic use of the brackets is shown in Figure 4 where it is employed as a lingual bracket for supporting and attaching an arch wire I! to a tooth band Hi. In attaching the bracket B to the tooth band the strip S embodying the series of brackets will be held at one end and the bracket at the other end positioned on the band so that the axis of the tubular body of the bracket will be parallel to the aXis of the tooth band. The bracket will also have such a position that the shoulder 4 of the projection 3 on the outer surface of the arched portion A will face in the direction of the tissue edge of the band when said band is positioned on a tooth. With the bracket B so positioned with respect to the band it is secured to the band by welding the attaching flanges, comprising the end flanges H and the lateral flanges l5 and 16, to the band surface. At least four of the six flangesshould be welded, including both lateral flanges. It may not be necessary to weld all of the end flanges to the band in order to get sufficient holding strength. One flange l I at one end of the bracket and a diagonally opposite flange at the other end probably will be a sufficient number of these flanges to be welded. However, if desired, all of the flanges I may be welded to the band.

When the bracket B is fastened to the tooth band one end of the arch wire IT, for example, may be supported thereby and connected thereto in the manner shown. The arch wire is provided with a loop 19 adjacent one end and this loop I9 is then forced into th passage or cavity of the tubular body of the bracket with a light functional grip. The short end of the arch wire is then turned back upon itself and to a position to lie beneath and engage the shoulder 4. Preferably the turned end is such that it can be snapped into position. With such cooperation with the shoulder, the loop IQ of the arch wire will be firmly held from becoming removed from the passage or cavity, the projection, together with the end of the Wire, acting as a lock. The end of the wire cooperating with the shoulder will also be held in a definite position and thus be kept away from the tissue at the base of the tooth.

From the foregoing it is seen that I have constructed a bracket for orthodontic use that is simply constructed and so formed with attaching flanges that it can be very firmly and easily welded to a tooth band. The tubular body portion and all the attaching flanges are made from 4 a single sheet of stock. The method of making permits a strip of serially connected brackets to be constructed, thus facilitating handling and attaching.

Being aware of the possibility of modifications in the particular bracket structure disclosed and the method of manufacture I do not intend that the scope of my invention be limited in any manner except in accordanc with the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An orthodontic bracket for supporting one end of an arch wire, said bracket comprising a lingual tube adapted to be attached to a band on a tooth in such a position that the lengthwise axis of the tube is substantially parallel to the lengthwise axis of the tooth by which it is supported, the walls of said tube forming an inner socket portion into which the loop of an arch wire may be inserted, one portion of said tube having a shouldered member on its exterior surface intermediate the ends thereof against which the free end of an arch wire, when folded and moved into abutting relation, may be held under tension to prevent removal of the looped portion from the socket, and flange means for securing said bracket to a tooth band, said means being secured to said tube at a portion thereof opposite said first-recited portion.

2. An orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, wherein the shouldered member is substantially spaced from the lower end of the tube.

3. An orthodontic bracket according to claim 1, wherein the shouldered member is disposed approximately midway between the ends of the tube.

4. An orthodontic bracket for supporting one end of an arch wire, said bracket comprising a lingual tube adapted to be attached to a band on a tooth in such a position that'the lengthwise axis of the tube is substantially parallel to the lengthwise axis of the tooth by which it is supported, the walls of said tube forming an inner socket portion into which the loop of an arch wire may be inserted, said tube having a shouldered member on its exterior surface intermediate the ends thereof against which the free end of an arch wire, when folded and moved into abutting relation, may be held under tension to prevent removal of the looped portion from the socket, and flange means for securing said bracket to a tooth band.

ARCHIE B. BRUSSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,304,721 Young May 27, 1919 1,764,067 Craigo June 17, 1930 1,821,171 Atkinson Sept. 1, 1931 2,196,515 Atkinson Apr. 9, 1940 2,196,516 Atkinson Apr. 9, 1940 2,257,069 Peak Sept. 23, 1941 2,259,160 Glaser Oct. 14,1941 2,265,420 Brusse et al Dec. 9, 1941

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