Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a manual handpiece formedical treatment and, more particularly, to a manual handpiece for medical treatment that enables a user to easily implant an orthodontic screw into the maxilla or the mandible with one hand, thereby enhancing the ease of operation and shortening the operation time. Background Art

[2] In an orthodontic operation, medical handpieces are generally used to implant a screw into the maxilla or the mandible. The medical handpieces are divided into an automatic handpiece and a manual handpiece depending on the manner of operation thereof.

[3] In operation, a user implants a screw picked up by the manual handpiece into the maxilla or the mandible while holding a handle portion of the manual handpiece with one hand and rotating a wheel thereof with the other hand. The use of both hands makes it inconvenient to use the manual handpiece.

[4] Furthermore, the use of both hands in implanting a screw into the maxilla or the mandible obstructs the user's field of vision within the oral cavity. During the operation, therefore, it is necessary for a user to frequently make sure that a screw is being implanted accurately and stably. This makes the operation time-consuming and onerous.

[5] In order for a user to implant a screw with one hand while doing other tasks with the other hand, there is a need to employ an assistant whose duty is to hold the screw. In addition, the user and the assistant have to work together within a limited space, which makes the operation difficult and inconvenient. This tends to reduce the user's power of concentration during the operation, consequently increasing the likelihood of occurrence of an error. Disclosure of Invention

Technical Problem

[6] In view of the problems noted above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a manual handpiece for medical treatment that enables a user to easily implant an orthodontic screw into the maxilla or the mandible with one hand.

[7] Another object of the present invention is to provide a manual handpiece for medical treatment that enables a user to do an implanting operation with one hand but to perform other tasks with the other hand.

[8] A further object of the present invention is to provide a manual handpiece for medical treatment that makes it possible to secure a sufficiently broad field of vision, thereby increasing the efficiency of work.

[9] A still further object of the present invention is to provide a manual handpiece for medical treatment that can eliminate the need to employ an assistant in implanting an orthodontic screw, thereby helping an operator to perform an operation with ease and increased concentration of attention.

[10] A yet still further object of the present invention is to provide a manual handpiece for medical treatment that assists in preventing occurrence of an error in operation, increasing the screw implantation speed and consequently shortening the operation time. Technical Solution

[11] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a manual handpiece for medical treatment, including: a handle designed to be held by a user; a housing removably attached to the handle, the housing having an internal space and a cutout through which the internal space is exposed to the outside; a wheel having a first end rotatably supported by the handle and a second end rotatably by the housing, the wheel being arranged within the housing and partially exposed to the outside through the cutout of the housing; and a connector unit including a driving shaft coaxially connected to the wheel, a driven shaft connected to the driving shaft for rotation with the driving shaft, a first connector rod fixed to the housing and configured to rotatably hold the driving shaft, a second connector rod fixed to the first connector rod and configured to rotatably hold the driven shaft and a head for picking up a screw, the head being connected to the driven shaft for rotation with the driven shaft.

Advantageous Effects

[12] With the present invention, it is possible for a user to implant a screw with one hand while performing other necessary tasks with the other hand. This enables the user to effectively use both hands, eventually increasing the efficiency of operation.

[13] Another advantage of the present invention resides in that a user can easily perform a screw implanting operation without having to employ an assistant who should otherwise hold the screw. This assists in preventing occurrence of an error in operation, increasing the screw implantation speed and consequently shortening the operation time. Brief Description of Drawings

[14] Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a manual handpiece for medical treatment in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[15] Fig. 2 is a section view of the manual handpiece for medical treatment shown in Fig.

1. Best Mode for Carrying out the Invention [16] Hereinafter, one preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[17] Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a manual handpiece for medical treatment in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

[18] A manual handpiece 100 for medical treatment according to the present invention includes a handle 110, a housing 120, a wheel 130 and a connector unit 140.

[19] The handle 110 is designed so that a user can hold it with one hand when implanting a screw into the maxilla or the mandible. The handle 110 has a through-hole 111 extending therethrough in a longitudinal direction and a coupling portion 112 formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof. The coupling portion 112 is provided with a male thread used in connecting the handle 110 to the housing 120.

[20] The housing 120 is removably coupled to the handle 110 and has a pair of cutouts

121 through which the interior of the housing 120 is visible. As can be seen in Fig. 1, the cutouts 121 are formed in a mutually opposing relationship with each other. The number of the cutouts 121 may be one or more than two.

[21] The wheel 130 is rotatably coupled to the handle 110 at one end thereof and the housing 120 at the other end thereof. The wheel 130 is arranged inside the housing 120 so that it can be partially exposed to the outside through the cutouts 121 of the housing 120.

[22] Therefore, it is possible for a user to gain access to the wheel 130 through the cutouts

121 and to easily rotate the wheel 130 with one hand. On the outer circumferential surface of the wheel 130, there is formed a plurality of grooves 131 that enables a user to turn the wheel 130 with fingers in a slip-free manner.

[23] The connector unit 140 includes a driving shaft 142, a driven shaft 144, a first connector rod 141, a second connector rod 143 and a head 145.

[24] The driving shaft 142 is coaxially connected to the wheel 130 and is rotatable together with the wheel 130. The driven shaft 144 is connected to the driving shaft 142 so that it can mesh with and rotate together with the driving shaft 142. The first connector rod 141 is fixed to the housing 120 to rotatably hold the driving shaft 142. The second connector rod 143 is fixed to the first connector rod 141 to rotatably hold the driven shaft 144. The first connector rod 141 and the second connector rod 143 are coupled together in such a fashion that the relative angle therebetween can be adjusted.

[25] The driving shaft 142 and the driven shaft 144 are connected to each other in a non- coaxial relationship. In other words, the driving shaft 142 and the driven shaft 144 are connected so that they can make an obtuse angle with respect to each other. By connecting the driving shaft 142 and the driven shaft 144 in an angled relationship, it becomes possible for a user to easily handle the manual handpiece 100 within the oral cavity of a patient. [26] In order to transfer the torque of the driving shaft 142 to the driven shaft 144 in an angled direction, the driving shaft 142 and the driven shaft 144 are connected to each other by means of bevel gears or face gears.

[27] The head 145 is carried by the driven shaft 144 so that it can receive the torque of the driven shaft 144 and transfer the same to a screw picked up. The head 145 is configured to pick up the screw. The head 145 is connected to the driven shaft 144 through a crown gear so that it can deliver the torque of the driven shaft 144 to the screw at a right angle.

[28] The housing 120 is provided with a housing cap 124 for fixing the connector unit 140 to the housing 120 and a housing coupler portion 122 removably coupled with one end of the handle 110.

[29] The wheel 130 has a protrusion 133 and a central hole 132. The protrusion 133 of the wheel 130 is inserted into the through-hole 111 of the handle 110 and fixed in place by a rotating bolt 134 inserted into the through-hole 111 from the opposite side. Preferably, a handle bushing 113 for reducing friction and assuring smooth rotation of the wheel 130 is arranged on the inner circumferential surface of the handle 110.

[30] The driving shaft 142 is inserted into the central hole 132 of the wheel 130 and fixed to the wheel 130 by a fixing volt 135. This ensures that, if the wheel 130 rotates in the forward or reverse direction, the driving shaft 142 is also rotated together with the wheel 130.

[31] The operation of the manual handpiece 100 will now be described in detail. A screw is first picked up by the head 145 of the connector unit 140. Thereafter, a user holds the handle 110 with one hand and puts the head 145 into the oral cavity. The screw is brought into contact with the maxilla or the mandible into which it is to be implanted. Then, the handle 110 of the manual handpiece 100 is pushed by the palm to press the screw against the maxilla or the mandible. In this state, the wheel 130 exposed through the cutouts 121 of the housing 120 is rotated in the screw-tightening direction with the fingers of the hand holding the handle 110. By doing so, it is possible to easily drive the screw into the maxilla or the mandible. Thus, the user can perform the screw implanting operation with one hand more efficiently than when using both hands. In addition, this makes it possible to secure a sufficiently broad field of vision, thereby shortening the operation time.

[32] One end of the wheel 130 is supported by the housing 120 while the other end is supported by the handle 110 in a state that the protrusion 133 of the wheel 130 is fixed in place by the rotating bolt 134. Therefore, the wheel 130 is stably and smoothly rotated with little vibration even if the wheel 130 is pressed by the fingers of the user.

[33] Upon rotating the wheel 130, the driving shaft 142 fixed to the central hole 132 of the wheel 130 is rotated together with the wheel 130. This causes rotation of the driven shaft 144 meshing with the driving shaft 142 through bevel gears. The torque of the driven shaft 144 is finally transferred to the head 145 picking up the screw. As a result, the screw is driven into the maxilla or the mandible. [34] Needless to say, it is possible to remove a screw implanted into the maxilla or the mandible by rotating the wheel 130 in the opposite direction from the screw-tightening direction. [35] While one embodiment of the present invention has been described hereinabove, the present invention shall not be limited thereto but may be modified in many different forms without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the claims.

Industrial Applicability

[36] The manual handpiece of the present invention can be used in implanting

[37] or removing a screw into the maxilla or the mandible.