DOCTOR AUXILIARY TOOL

FIELD OF ART

The invention relates to the field of the medical instrumentation technique and in particular to a folding auxiliary tool for medical applications.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The auxiliary medical tool disclosed in the present invention has not been disclosed in the prior art.

Numerous examinations and medical, dental and aesthetic interventions are carried out daily in private clinics, by a doctor and one or more assistants, depending on complexity. Assistants usually assist doctors by holding an ancillary tool or by giving them the appropriate tool at all times. The need for assistants comes from the fact that the doctor usually wants to have hands free to perform the examination or surgery, so someone else needs to give an extra tool, such as a photopolymerization machine. On the other hand, carrying out an examination or intervention in a confined space, such as the oral cavity, is rendered difficult due to the presence of three or four hands, as the practitioner's area of activity is substantially limited. Additionally and inevitably many times, the assistant cannot direct the tool exactly where the doctor desires, since he/she usually does not have an unobstructed view to see clearly. A further problem so far arises from the multitude of different tools and components that each doctor is required to apply to facilitate his/her work. This means that around a chair in which the patient sits, the doctor may have to apply a multitude of tools and accessories, making his/her work harder, while increasing the cost of buying and maintaining.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to advantageously overcome the aforementioned disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art by proposing an auxiliary tool for doctors, which makes the doctor autonomous during an examination or intervention.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an auxiliary tool for doctors having a tensioner with flexibility, with the result that it is suitably adapted to the requirements of the doctor.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a doctor auxiliary tool having a tool head on which various tools and accessories can be applied, depending on the situation, serving the doctor.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a doctor ancillary tool, made of materials such as titanium, allowing it to be sterilized in an oven, meeting hygiene requirements. It is a further object of the invention to provide a doctor auxiliary tool, which bears a clamp properly screwing onto different surfaces, such as the headrest of the medical chair, holding thereon the tool prior to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a doctor auxiliary tool which can be stabilized in a selected position, facilitating the doctor during an examination or surgery.

A further advantage of the present invention is the fact that the doctor auxiliary tool is rotatable, ensuring its user-friendliness in any direction.

It is therefore an advantage of the above characteristics, the fact that it relieves the doctor from the requirement for assistants in order to carry out examinations and interventions, offering him additional help. Furthermore, it allows the doctor to have his/her hands free, without worrying about keeping accessories and tools.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent in the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art with reference to the accompanying drawings in which it is illustrated in an exemplary, non-limiting manner. Figure 1 is a perspective view of the auxiliary medical tool, according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows a side view of the auxiliary medical tool, the rotation head being shown.

Figure 3 shows, in section, an exemplary illustration of the auxiliary medical tool.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of the doctor auxiliary tool according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a side view of the auxiliary medical tool, the tool attachment head as well as the tool stabilizing handle being shown.

Figure 6 shows a sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of the auxiliary medical tool, with its drive cable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, we will describe exemplary embodiments of a doctor auxiliary tool in order to understand the technical features thereof. The doctor auxiliary tool has a clamp (1), Fig. 1, consisting of a fixed blade (2) and a detachable blade (3), which are held together by screws (4). The user can mount and fix the auxiliary tool, for example on a medical chair, by removing the detachable blade (3) and screwing it again after locking the tool in place. In the fixed blade (2) there is a vertically extending blade (5), Fig. 2, with a hole, on which a rotating lever (6) is screwed transversely. The screw that joins the rotating lever (6) with the extending blade (5) passes through holes from the base (7) of the auxiliary medical tool. By rotating the lever (6), the base (7) tightens or loosens against the vertically extending blade (5), allowing the tool to be stabilized or twisted accordingly, providing the necessary degree of freedom of movement.

A tubular extension (8) about 50 cm long is fitted in the base, being made of flexible but at the same time plastic material in order to maintain the shape given by the user. Its coating is made of silicone, allowing it to be easily cleaned and providing the necessary hygiene. The tubular extension (8) may be fitted on the base (7) by screwing in order to be detached as required. At the other end of the tubular extension (8), a tool head (9) is similarly fitted. The tool head (9) has circumferential holes (10) for positioning the tools used at the time. The tools used may include, but are not limited to, mirrors, photopolymer lamps used during seals, and suction devices. The tool head (9) has a button (11), which is pressed by the user to release and pull the tool out of the hole (10). Resetting the button (11) to its initial position is achieved by means of a return spring (12), which is located inside the tool head (9). In an alternative embodiment of the device, the tubular extension (8) can be replaced by an array of metal elements (13), Fig. 3, which are arranged one after the other. The metal elements (13) have a spherical head

(14) at one end thereof and an open receptacle to the other one, so that one fits at the other. The spherical head (14) has a hole for the cable (15) which holds them together to pass through. The spherical head allows the rotation of each metal element appropriately, relative to its adjacent one. In this way, the formed extension can be turned at any desired angle, to serve the doctor. The cable (15) is firmly attached inside the tool head (9). A tensioner base (16) is placed on the base (7) of the auxiliary tool for tightening the cable

(15). The tensioner base (16) has a rotating stabilization handle (17), on which the cable (15) ends. The rotation of the stabilization handle (17) either stretches or loosens the cable (15), thereby also firmly holding or loosening the metal elements (13), giving the suitable shape to the doctor auxiliary tool. The metal elements (13) as well as all the relevant accessories of the medical tool can be made of suitable materials such as steel or titanium, thus enabling the insertion of the auxiliary medical tool into a furnace for sterilizing it. Its degrees of freedom, thanks to both the metal elements (13) and the torsion that allows it between its parts, ensure that it can be turned in the desired angles for every occasion. It should be noted at this point that the description of the invention was made by reference to exemplary embodiments, not being limited thereto. It is obvious that any change or modification in any aspect of the shape, dimensions, morphology, materials and components of construction and assembly, unless they constitute a novel inventive step and do not contribute to the technical development of the already known, are considered to be within the scope and in the contemplation of the present invention.