Ball-and-Socket Prosthetic Attachment for Angular Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dental prosthetic attachment systems often require custom manufacturing and specific dental implant designs, making them complex and costly, and struggle to achieve angular positioning without using fusible materials or specialized machinery, limiting their applicability to standard implants.
Innovation Solution
A prosthetic attachment featuring a support piece with a radially distributed spherical connection section and a mounting assembly with a spherical cavity and threaded hole, utilizing a ball-and-socket joint for angular positioning, which can be applied to standard dental implants without custom machining or specialized tools, and includes a sleeve for cement retention and optional elastic ring for additional stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If custom conical elements or specialized ball-and-socket joints are used to achieve angular positioning, then the ability to accommodate non-axial alignment is improved, but the device complexity and manufacturing cost increase due to custom machining requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The support piece is designed with a universal spherical connection section that can be applied to standard dental implants, eliminating the need for custom implant designs. The ball-and-socket joint mechanism provides universal angular adjustment capability while maintaining compatibility with conventional implants, thus achieving versatility without increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The connection section is given a spherical shape with radially distributed flexible petals, and the mounting assembly includes a spherical cavity that receives a spherical head. This spheroidal geometry enables angular positioning in multiple directions while simplifying manufacturing, as spherical components can be produced using standard machining processes rather than custom conical or asymmetric geometries
2Ease of operation
If specialized ball-and-socket joints are used for angular positioning, then the positioning flexibility is improved, but the ease of manufacture deteriorates due to requirements for specialized manufacturing machinery and programs
Solution Approach 1:
The spherical connection section and spherical cavity are designed with simple geometric forms that can be manufactured using conventional machining processes. The spherical head fits into the spherical cavity, providing angular adjustment capability while avoiding the need for specialized manufacturing machinery or complex programming, thus maintaining ease of manufacture
Solution Approach 2:
The connection section is divided into radially distributed flexible petals or sectors that can be independently formed and assembled. This segmentation allows each petal to be manufactured separately using standard processes, then combined to form the complete spherical connection section, simplifying the overall manufacturing process while maintaining angular positioning flexibility
3Reliability
If conventional friction elements or telescopic structures are used, then the attachment stability is improved, but the adaptability deteriorates because they cannot achieve non-axial positioning
Solution Approach 1:
The ball-and-socket joint mechanism uses a spherical head fitting into a spherical cavity, providing stable attachment through spherical contact surfaces while enabling non-axial positioning in multiple directions. The spherical geometry inherently provides both stability through contact area and adaptability through rotational freedom, eliminating the trade-off present in conventional friction or telescopic systems
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible petals in the connection section can dynamically adjust their configuration to accommodate angular positioning requirements. The petals can flex and deform to allow the spherical head to achieve various angular positions while maintaining secure attachment, providing both stability and adaptability through dynamic structural adjustment
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a prosthetic attachment comprising a support piece (1) which can be fixed in a dental implant (2) and a mounting assembly which can be coupled to a prosthetic structure (3), wherein the joint between the support piece (1) and the mounting assembly is a ball-and-socket type joint. The support piece (1) includes a substantially spherical connection section (11) provided with radially distributed flexible sectors. The mounting assembly comprises a primary element (4) with a substantially spherical cavity and provided with a threaded through hole (41) wherein a screw (5) with a spherical head (52) is inserted. Thus, the spherical head can be introduced into the inner region of the connection section of the support piece and the wall that forms the substantially spherical cavity of the primary element (4) can be adjusted to partially and externally surround the connection section of the support piece (1), such that the mounting assembly is rotatively coupled.