US1242415A - Protective cover for the blades of spatulas, &c. - Google Patents

Description

c. WQBENSON.

PROTECTIVE COVER FOR THE BLADES 0F S'PATULAS, &c.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 21,. 1915.

1,242, 11 5. v Patented Oct. 9,1917

= nome n 6. ZMBenSon I onnnnns wrianivson, or DULUTH MINNESOT I" "PROTECTIVE oovnn ron THE BnAnEs or sPATULAs, 8w.

To all whom it may concern; I

Be it known that I, CHARLns BENSON, a citizen oflth'e United States, residing at Duluth, in the, county of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Protective Covers for the Blades of Spatulas,"&c., of which the following is va, specification.

This invention relates to an improvement; ininstruments, such?v as sp'atulas used by dentists, vdruggists, and; others employ ng similar instruments. The use'of the ord'i nary: spatula with a .steel blade presents numerous -disadvantages particularly where the instrument is employed by a dentistin the mixing of cement. lThei-liquid constitu ent of dental cements ordinarily contains a certain percentage ofphosphoric acid and when such .cements are im-iXed with a steel spatula blade the blade is liable to become tarnishedand frequently the cement is dis- -colored. Furthermore, dental cements dry quickly and it is frequently found difficult to remove cement which has dried and caked, upon the bladens thecement '1 S lnsoluble in,

water and diiiicult to remove by scraping,

The present invention, therefore, aims to' provide'a spatula the-blade of which is,pro-s tected by a cover or ,sheath which does not.

in any way interfere with the use of the spatula nor detract from theresiliency orv flexibility of the blade and which-cover or sheath will be of such material as not to be in any way affected by acids and may. be soine'xpensive :as to permit of a new sheath being applied to the blade each time the spatula is used, 'thereby avoiding "the necessity" of cleaning the spatula blade after use and avoiding likelihood ofdiscoloring olf Specification of Letters Patent.

App lication filed ifIoveinber 27,1915. Serial N o. I 4

In 7 the accompanying drawings} 1 Figure 1 1s a perspective vlew ofia'dental spatula equipped with the improvement em b'odying the present invention;

2 vis aFdetail longitudinal sectional v1ew through the blade and sheath illustrate ing in full lines the normal condition of the' sheathand in. dotted linesthe man er in' which the walls of :the sheath are to," be

Patented 7 movedapart so as to release the sheath for] removal;

Fig. 8'i's a verticalftr'ansverse sectional view on the line 3 3 of F 2 illustrating tion in full-lines;

F'g. 4 i a perspective View ofthe 'sheath removed;

portion of the spatula'blade r the walls .of thesheath' in normal condition in dotted lines, and in spread apart condi i a 7 J 1Fig.5 is a, detail perspective viewsof a' .In the accompanying drawings, the numeral 1 indicates ingeneral the handle of the spatulaand Q'theblade thereof, the blade except. asjhereinafter stated being vof the v ordinary form and resilient and flexibleto the desired degree. The shank whicheon nectsthe' blade ,2 with the handle 1 is indicated; by the numeral 3 and by reference to the drawings it will/be observed that the lateral edges 4 of the =bladeare parallel'for substantially tho entire length of the blade;

butthatadjacent the point of juncture of the blade with the shank 3 these edges converge ,in, the direction ofthe shank, as iin dicated the numeral At a suitable point. and preferably immediately forwardly of the .pointof juncture of the inner end of the blade2 with the shank 3, each side or face of the :blade is formed with iapro; -.:tuberance 6 having an abrupt rearwardly presented face 7 constituting a locking shoulder, the purpose of which will be presently explained. The surface of the protuberance 6 aside from the abrupt face 7 thereof is convex and merges into the face of the blade upon which it is formed.

The blade sheath indicated in general by the numeral 8 is formed from any suitable material, such-for example as celluloid and the said sheath'is flat sided and of a mar- ,ginal contour to conform to the marginal contour ofthe blade, the" sheath being arranged to snugly fit the blade when the blade is inserted therein. In its initial form the walls of the sheath lie in contact or substantially in contact so that when the sheath is appliedto the blade the said walls will lie snugly against the opposite faces of the blade. It is stated above that the sheath has a marginal contour corresponding to the marginal contour of the blade but this isnot strictlytrue for the reason that the side edges of the sheath are parallel throughout the length of the sheath so that adjacent the open end or throat of the sheath, indicated at 9, the sheath is'interiorly slightly wider than the blade between its edge portions 5." The object in view in thus proportioning the blade and sheath will be presently stated. At the throat 9 of the sheath the walls 8 are thickened or otherwise suitably reinforced, as indicated at 10, and immediately forwardly of the thickened portion each wall is formed with an opening 11. In preparing the spatula for use, the blade thereof is inserted in one of the sheaths and as the side walls of the sheath at the mouth 9 thereof reach the protuberances G and ride upwardly upon the convex faces of the protuberances the said walls will be spread apart until their reinforced portions 10 have passed over the protuberances whereupon the side walls of the sheath by their inherent resiliency will spring toward each other and the protuberanccs 6 will be received within the openings 11, the walls of the said openings neXt adj acent the reinforcements 1O resting against the abrupt shoulders 7 and thereby serving to securely hold the sheath in place upon the blade.

Inasmuch as the side edges of the sheath Copies of this patent may be obtained for the locking shoulders 7 of the protuberanees 6 as the blade is withdrawn or the sheath is removed.

Having thus described the invention,

'what is claimed as new is:

l. The combination with the blade of a spatula or the like, the said blade being provided with a shoulder, of a sheath for the said blade reinovably fitted thereto and flexible with the blade, and provided with means vfor cooperation with the shoulder for holding the sheath in place upon the blade.

2. The combination'with the blade of a spatula or the like, the said blade being provided with a protuberance and the edges of the blade adjacent the protuberance being inwardly offset, of a sheath for the blade removably fitted thereto and flexible there-.

reinforcement with openings to receive the said protuberances upon the blade.

l. In a device of the class described, a spatula or the like having a blade provided upon its opposite faces with protuberances each having an abrupt shoulder, and a sheath removably fitted to the blade and provided at its open end with a reinforcement and provided in its walls adjacent the reinforcement with openings to receive the said protuberances upon the blade, the edges of the said blade being inwardly offset adjacent the said protuberances and the said sheath adjacent its said open end besaid blade. 7

In testimony whereof, I afliX my signature CHARLES WV. BENSON. [Lisa] five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

mg of greater width interiorly than the

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