Dental mixing device having an auto-aligning mixing tip

Abstract

A dental mixing device with a barrel, a mixing tip, and a plunger. The plunger moves dental material through the barrel where it is mixed using a mixing tip. The mixing tip includes an auto-aligning fitting female element configured to align with an auto-aligning fitting male element of the barrel. This auto-alignment simplifies the attachment between the mixing tip and the barrel. The mixing tip also includes a seal component with a soft material (or component) to insert into the auto-aligning fitting element which is a hard material (or component) to achieve seal. The seal component and auto-alignment fitting element can be combined together into one component instead of two components.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A device comprising:
 a plunger;   a barrel attached to the plunger, the barrel configured to hold a first dental barrel holding a first dental material and a second dental barrel holding a second dental material, wherein the barrel comprises a male auto-aligning fitting element having a protruding dam; and   a mixing tip attached to the barrel, wherein the mixing tip comprising a female auto-aligning fitting element having a split slot, wherein the protruding dam of the male auto-aligning fitting element is configured to align with and press on the split slot of the female auto-aligning fitting element.   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the barrel comprises a locating slot configured to align with a locating block on the mixing tip, wherein the locating slot and locating block create only one way to match the barrel to the mixing tip. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing tip comprises a syringe. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the protruding dam separates the first dental material and the second dental material. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the female auto-aligning fitting element comprises plastic. 
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the plastic comprises Polyoxymethylene, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or polypropylene. 
     
     
         7 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the mixing tip comprises a male or female threaded coupling which mates with a coupling of the barrel. 
     
     
         8 . The device of  claim 1  further comprising a seal component, wherein the seal component and the female auto-aligning fitting element are over-molded together into one component. 
     
     
         9 . The device of  claim 8 , wherein the seal component and the female auto-aligning fitting element are two separate components configured to attach together. 
     
     
         10 . A device comprising:
 a plunger;   a barrel attached to the plunger, the barrel configured to hold a first dental barrel holding a first dental material and a second dental barrel holding a second dental material, wherein the barrel comprises a protruding dam;   a mixing tip attached to the barrel, wherein the mixing tip comprising a split slot, wherein the protruding dam is configured to align with and press on the split slot; and   a seal component attached to the mixing tip, wherein the seal component is structured to match up with and insert into the split slot,   wherein the seal component comprises a soft material and the split slot comprising a hard material, wherein the soft material of the seal component is configured to shrink and expand, wherein the soft material of the seal component shrinks upon receiving pressure from the hard material of the split slot.   
     
     
         11 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the barrel comprises a locating slot configured to align with a locating block on the mixing tip, wherein the locating slot and locating block create only one way to match the barrel to the mixing tip. 
     
     
         12 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the mixing tip comprises a syringe. 
     
     
         13 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the protruding dam separates the first dental material and the second dental material. 
     
     
         14 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the hard material comprises plastic. 
     
     
         15 . The device of  claim 14 , wherein the plastic comprises Polyoxymethylene, Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene, or polypropylene. 
     
     
         16 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the soft material comprises thermoplastic Elastomer or Silicone. 
     
     
         17 . The device of  claim 10 , wherein the mixing tip comprises a threaded coupling which mates with a coupling of the barrel. 
     
     
         18 . The device of  claim 10  further comprising a female auto-aligning fitting element, wherein the seal component and the female auto-aligning fitting element are over-molded together into one component. 
     
     
         19 . The device of  claim 18 , wherein the seal component and the female auto-aligning fitting element are two separate components configured to attach together.