Abstract:
A dispensing container (12), such as a double-barrel cartridge used in dispensing dental material, matingly receives a sliding cap (14) that maintains a seal between material in the barrels (28, 30) and the atmosphere. The cap (14) includes a body (16) and a gasket (48) within the body (16), and the cap (14) also includes a cam portion (50) that shifts the body (16) slightly away from an outlet (36) of the container (12) as the cap (14) is moved toward a closed position to seal the container (12). Once the cap (14) is in a fully closed position, the cam portion (50) enables the body (16) to shift somewhat closer to the container outlet (36) in order to increase the compression of the gasket (48) between the body (16) and the outlet (36). Optionally, an orienting section (54) is provided for insuring that the cap (14) is coupled to the container (12) in only one certain orientation, so that the likelihood of cross-contamination of material within the barrels (28, 30) due to residual material on the gasket is substantially reduced.
Abstract:
A dispensing applicator (10) includes a body (14) with a handle (16), a pivotable lever (18) and a front holder (26) with a receptacle (32) that is adapted to removably receive a dual chamber cartridge (12). In certain embodiments, the majority of the cartridge contents are expelled during a single stroke of the lever (18), an advantage when used for single patient use in dental or medical fields. In other embodiments, the holder (26) is rotatably connected to the body (14) so that the holder (26) and the cartridge (12) can be moved as needed in an arc in order to vary the orientation of the cartridge (12) relative to the applicator handle (16). The rotatable connection enables the cartridge (12) to be moved to any one of a number of different orientations as may be desired to provide optimum maneuverability of the applicator (10) in use and to enhance the operator's vision of the application site.
Abstract:
A dispensing system (20) for dental material made of two components has a dual chamber cartridge (24) that releasably connects to an applicator (22). The chambers of the cartridge are located in an over-under orientation relative to the user's grip on the applicator, enabling the system to be especially useful for placing dental material in regions of the patient's oral cavity that are difficult to access. Certain embodiments of the invention include a static mixing assembly (26) having a swivelable cannula, and an exit conduit (78) of the mixing assembly is optionally curved along its length.