CA1200408A - Dental flosser - Google Patents
Dental flosserInfo
- Publication number
- CA1200408A CA1200408A CA000429321A CA429321A CA1200408A CA 1200408 A CA1200408 A CA 1200408A CA 000429321 A CA000429321 A CA 000429321A CA 429321 A CA429321 A CA 429321A CA 1200408 A CA1200408 A CA 1200408A
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- casing
- shaft
- spool
- floss
- applicator
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
- A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
- A61C15/00—Devices for cleaning between the teeth
- A61C15/04—Dental floss; Floss holders
- A61C15/046—Flossing tools
Landscapes
- Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Dentistry (AREA)
- Epidemiology (AREA)
- Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
- Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
- General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
- Public Health (AREA)
- Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
- Dental Tools And Instruments Or Auxiliary Dental Instruments (AREA)
Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A dental floss holder and applicator includes a tooth-brush-shaped handle with a tubular casing mounted on the bottom front thereof and a pair of forwardly extending arms on the top end thereof for supporting dental floss in a usable position.
The floss is on a spool removably mounted in the casing, and is dispensed through a hole in the casing to a winding mechanism.
The winding mechanism which also may be removably mounted in the casing, includes a shaft extending through a bifurcated plug in the top end of the casing, a drive pulley on one end of the shaft for receiving floss from the casing, a take-up pulley on the other end of the shaft, and a drive disc on the shaft beside the drive pulley. A toothed wheel on the shaft in the plug is engaged by a pawl for permitting rotation of the shaft, pulleys and drive wheel in one direction only.
A dental floss holder and applicator includes a tooth-brush-shaped handle with a tubular casing mounted on the bottom front thereof and a pair of forwardly extending arms on the top end thereof for supporting dental floss in a usable position.
The floss is on a spool removably mounted in the casing, and is dispensed through a hole in the casing to a winding mechanism.
The winding mechanism which also may be removably mounted in the casing, includes a shaft extending through a bifurcated plug in the top end of the casing, a drive pulley on one end of the shaft for receiving floss from the casing, a take-up pulley on the other end of the shaft, and a drive disc on the shaft beside the drive pulley. A toothed wheel on the shaft in the plug is engaged by a pawl for permitting rotation of the shaft, pulleys and drive wheel in one direction only.
Description
~o~
This invention relates to a dental floss holder and applicator.
There are many dental floss holders disclosed by the patent litera-ture. Examples of such holders are described in Unit~d States Patents Nos. 2,013,143, issued to V.C. Getz on September 3, 1935; Z,467,221, issued to A.J. Pastl on April 12, 1949; 2,742,047, issued -to R.A. Ness on April 17, 1956;
3,340,881, issued to L.M. Cowan on September 12, 1967; 3,534,745, issued to W.A. Waters on October 20, 1970; 3,734,107, issued to I.B. Thierman on May 22, 1973; 3,746,017, issued to J.S. Cassel-man on July 17, 1973 and 3,861,406, issued to R.E. Stitt on January 21, 1975.
Many of the devices disclosed in the art are somewhat complicated and consequently expensive to manufacture. Thus, in spite of the large number of patents relating to dental floss holders, there still exists a need for a simple dental floss holder and applicator. The object of the present invention is to meet such need by providing a relatively simple dental floss holder and applicator, which is easy to produce and use.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a dental floss holder and applicator comprising elongated handle means;
tubular casing means on one end of said handle means; said casing means having an open top end and an open bottom end for receiving a spool of dental floss; means on said base means for holding the spool in said casing means; applicator means on the ~k other end of said handle means for receiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair oE
spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usable position between the free ends of the arms; and windiny means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said winding means including plug means closing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means being rotatable in said casing means and said plug means, tooth-ed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rota-tion with said shaft means, pawl means extending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limiting rotation thereof to one direction; first pulley means mounted on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means;
second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and disc means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means.
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a pre-ferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a partly sectioned front elevation view of ,,, a dental floss holder and appli~ator in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view :Erom the front and below of the top end of the device of Fig. l;
Figure 3 is a rear elevatlon view of the device of Figs. l and 2; and Figure 4 is a perspective view from one side and below of a winding mechanism for use in the device of Figs. l to 3.
With reference to the drawing, the basic elements of the dental floss holder and applicator of the present invention include a handle generally indicated at 1, a tubular casing 2 mounted on the handle l for carrying floss, and a winding mech-anism 3, which may be removably mounted within the end of casing
This invention relates to a dental floss holder and applicator.
There are many dental floss holders disclosed by the patent litera-ture. Examples of such holders are described in Unit~d States Patents Nos. 2,013,143, issued to V.C. Getz on September 3, 1935; Z,467,221, issued to A.J. Pastl on April 12, 1949; 2,742,047, issued -to R.A. Ness on April 17, 1956;
3,340,881, issued to L.M. Cowan on September 12, 1967; 3,534,745, issued to W.A. Waters on October 20, 1970; 3,734,107, issued to I.B. Thierman on May 22, 1973; 3,746,017, issued to J.S. Cassel-man on July 17, 1973 and 3,861,406, issued to R.E. Stitt on January 21, 1975.
Many of the devices disclosed in the art are somewhat complicated and consequently expensive to manufacture. Thus, in spite of the large number of patents relating to dental floss holders, there still exists a need for a simple dental floss holder and applicator. The object of the present invention is to meet such need by providing a relatively simple dental floss holder and applicator, which is easy to produce and use.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to a dental floss holder and applicator comprising elongated handle means;
tubular casing means on one end of said handle means; said casing means having an open top end and an open bottom end for receiving a spool of dental floss; means on said base means for holding the spool in said casing means; applicator means on the ~k other end of said handle means for receiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair oE
spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usable position between the free ends of the arms; and windiny means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said winding means including plug means closing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means being rotatable in said casing means and said plug means, tooth-ed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rota-tion with said shaft means, pawl means extending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limiting rotation thereof to one direction; first pulley means mounted on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means;
second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and disc means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means.
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates a pre-ferred embodiment of the invention, and wherein:
Figure 1 is a partly sectioned front elevation view of ,,, a dental floss holder and appli~ator in accordance with the present invention;
Figure 2 is a perspective view :Erom the front and below of the top end of the device of Fig. l;
Figure 3 is a rear elevatlon view of the device of Figs. l and 2; and Figure 4 is a perspective view from one side and below of a winding mechanism for use in the device of Figs. l to 3.
With reference to the drawing, the basic elements of the dental floss holder and applicator of the present invention include a handle generally indicated at 1, a tubular casing 2 mounted on the handle l for carrying floss, and a winding mech-anism 3, which may be removably mounted within the end of casing
2, for dispensing dental floss from the casing 2. The handle l has the same shape as a conventional toothbrush, except for a generally C-shaped head 4, which defines the applicator portion of the device. The head 4 includes a pair of forwardly extend-ing, slightly inclined, arcuate arms 5 and 6. As best shown in Figs. 2 and 3, each arm 5 and 6 includes a small groove 8 extend-ing around the outer periphery thereof for receiving and retain-ing dental floss 9. At the rear of the head 4, the handle 1 extends upwardly beyond the top of the g~oove 8 and includes an open-top groove 10 (Fig. 2) for the floss 9. A pair of slots 13 are provided in the top rear of the handle for guiding the floss 9 into the arm 5 and out of the arm 6.
The casing 2 is defined by a clear plastic tube with an open bottom end 15 and an inclined open top end 16. A spool 17 carrying the dental floss 9 ls inserted into the bottom end 15 of the casing 2. The spool 17 is defined by a shaft 18 in the form of a rod, with a disc 19 on the top end and a second disc 20 near the bottom end. There is sufficient clearance between the discs l9 and 20, and the casing 2 that the spool 17 is readily slida~le in the casing 2. The disc 20 closes the bottom end of the casing 2 when the spool 17 is inserted into the casing. The bottom end of the shaf-t 18 extends down-wardly beyond the disc 20 for facilitating manual insertion and removal of the spool 17. The spool 17 is held in the casing 2 by a small wire clip 22, howe~er it will be appreciated that the method of retention is by way of example only and is not intend-ed to be limiting. The wire clip 22 is defined by a short lengthof spring wire, which extends outwardly from between the casing 2 and the handle l. The clip 22 is merely pushed to one side when a spool 17 is being inserted into the casing 2. Once a spool 17 has been inserted, the clip bears against the bottom ends of the casing 2 and the spool 17. During dispensing of floss, the spool 17 rotates in the casing 2.
Dental floss 9 is dispensed through an opening 24 in one side of the casing 2 near the top end 16 thereof. The floss 9 passes through the opening 24/ three or four turns around a pulley 25, upwardly to the top rear of the handle 1, through one _ ~ _ slot 13 nearest the arm 5 in-to the groove 8 in the arm 5, around the arm 5, across the gap ~etween the arms 5 and 6, into the groove 8 in the arm 6, around such arm 6, and through the other slot 13 to a take-up pulley 26.
Referring to Fig. 4, the winding mechanism 3 includes a lug 28 which closes the top end of the casing 2. The bottom end of the plug 28 is bifurcated. A toothed wheel 29 is mounted on a shaft 30 extending transversely through the top end of the plug 28. The wheel 29 rotates with the shaft 30 between the arms 31 of the plug 2~. A metal pawl 33 extends upwardly from beneath the casing 2 through an opening (no-t shown) in ~he rear of the casing into engagement with the toothed wheel 29. Thus, the wheel 29 can be rotated in one direction only, i.e. the wheel 29 can be rotated in the direction required to dispense dental floss and not in the opposite direction. The pulley 25 is mounted on one end of the shaft 30 adjacent a drive disc 34.
The disc 34 includes transversely extending grooves 35, which facilitate gripping and turning of the disc. The take-up pulley 26 is fixedly mounted on the other end of the shaft 30. Thus, when the disc 34 is rotated, -the pulley 25, the toothed wheel 29 and the take-up pulley 26 rotate in the same direction.
As can be seen more clearly in ~ig. 4 the winding mech-anism 3 is snap-fitted into plug 28 via slot 36, thus enabling the toothed wheel 29 r shaft 30, and the pulleys 25 and 26 to be separated from plug 28 to facilitate cleaning and/or repair.
~2~
In order to use the holder and applicator, the first step is to load the casing 1 with a spoo] 17 of floss. Several centimeters of dental floss 9 are unwound from the spool 17, and the free end of the floss is tied to one end of a flexible wire threader (not shown) inserted through the opening 24 from inside to outside the casing 2. The floss is pulled through the open-ing 24 and, at the same time, the spool 17 is inserted into the casing 2 to prevent accumulation of the floss in front of the spool. The floss is threaded around the arms 5 and 6 in the manner described hereinbefore, and wound around the take-up pulley 26 in the direction of rotation of the pulleys. By pro-viding a small pln (not shown) in the groove of the pulley 26 it is easy to attach the floss to the pulley. The floss is looped around the pulley and around the pin to secure the floss.
The floss holder and applicator can then be used. In order to replace the floss 9 between the arms 5 and 6, the disc 34 is rotated, which advances the floss. When the take-up pulley 26 is full r the floss is cut between the arm 6 and the pulley 26, the used floss is removed from the pulley, and the free end of the unused floss is again connected to the pulley 26.
J~
SUPPLE~ENTAR~Y DI CLOSURI::
Another embodiment of the invention has been made. The object of creating a third embodiment of the invention is to improve upon the original structure, In the latest version of the 5 dental floss holder and applicator, the latch at the bottom end of the casing has been made integral with the casing. Moreover, a knob or handle for rotating the shaft carrying the pulleYs has been replaced with a simple flat rectangular knob, which is easy to grasp and rotate.
It will be appreciated that all embodiments of the invention include elongated handle means~ tubular casing means on one end of said handle means; said casing means having an open top end and an open bottom end for receiving a spool of dental floss; latch means on said base means for holding the spool in ~5 said casing means; applicator means for holding the spool in said casing means; applicator means on the other end of said handle means for receiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair of spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usable position between the free ends of the arms; and winding means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said winding means including plug means closing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means beinq rotatable in said casing ,~
means and said plug means, toothed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rotation with said shaft means, pawl means extending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limiting rotation thereof to one direction; first pulley means mounted on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means; second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means out~ide of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and knob means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means.
The third embodiment of the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:
15 Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bottom end of an alternative body of the invention, and Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a spool and winding device for use in the device of Fig. 5.
With reference to Figs. 5 and 6, in the third embodiment of the invention, the handle 1 and casing 2 are replaced by a tubular casing 35, which defines both the bottom end of the handle and a tubular casing on one end thereof, The top end of the handle carrying the spaced apart arms (not shown) for retaining a strip of floss i5 integral with the casing 35 and is essentially the same as the device of Figs. 1 to 4. The clip 22 " .
~12~
for holding the spool in the casing 35 is replaced by a lever 36.
The bottom end 37 of the casing 35 is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the casing. 1A7hen fully inserted the enlarged bottom end 39 of the spool 40 extends out of the casing 35, so that the spool can be moved manually.
The lever 36 is integral with the casing 35 t and is defined by a strip of material separated at its sides from the remainder of the casing 35 by slits 41. The outer free end 43 of the lever 36 extends outwardly slightly beyond the end 39 of the casing 35 for manual release. A shoulder 44 on the lever 36 in the casing 35 normally engages a disc 45 near the bottom end of the spool 40 for retaining the spool in the casing. In order to remove the spool 40, the lever 36 is pivoted outwardly to release the disc 45.
As shown in Fig. ~, the spool 40 includes a shaft 47 on which dental floss 9 is wound. The plug 28 is replaced by a cylindrical plug 4~ which includes a transversely extending rectangular aperture 49 for the toothed wheel 29. The drive disc 34 is replaced by another form of knob, namely a flat handle 50 which is mounted on the shaft 30, as are the pulleys 26 and 52.
The pulley 52 is defined by the inner surface of the handle 50 and a disc connected thereto. ~ rectangular lug 53 extends downwardly frol~ the bottom end 54 of the plug 4~ for engaging the generally cruciform top end 56 of the spool 40.
The lug 53 and the end 56 of the spool 40 define a lock. r~7hen the spool is pushed upwardly against the plug 48, the lug slides between two arms of the end 56 of the spool, so that the latter cannot be rotated, i.e. the spool 40 is locked. sy pulling the spool 40 a short distance out of the casing 35, the spool is released from the lug 53 and is free to rotate.
, ;~ .,,
The casing 2 is defined by a clear plastic tube with an open bottom end 15 and an inclined open top end 16. A spool 17 carrying the dental floss 9 ls inserted into the bottom end 15 of the casing 2. The spool 17 is defined by a shaft 18 in the form of a rod, with a disc 19 on the top end and a second disc 20 near the bottom end. There is sufficient clearance between the discs l9 and 20, and the casing 2 that the spool 17 is readily slida~le in the casing 2. The disc 20 closes the bottom end of the casing 2 when the spool 17 is inserted into the casing. The bottom end of the shaf-t 18 extends down-wardly beyond the disc 20 for facilitating manual insertion and removal of the spool 17. The spool 17 is held in the casing 2 by a small wire clip 22, howe~er it will be appreciated that the method of retention is by way of example only and is not intend-ed to be limiting. The wire clip 22 is defined by a short lengthof spring wire, which extends outwardly from between the casing 2 and the handle l. The clip 22 is merely pushed to one side when a spool 17 is being inserted into the casing 2. Once a spool 17 has been inserted, the clip bears against the bottom ends of the casing 2 and the spool 17. During dispensing of floss, the spool 17 rotates in the casing 2.
Dental floss 9 is dispensed through an opening 24 in one side of the casing 2 near the top end 16 thereof. The floss 9 passes through the opening 24/ three or four turns around a pulley 25, upwardly to the top rear of the handle 1, through one _ ~ _ slot 13 nearest the arm 5 in-to the groove 8 in the arm 5, around the arm 5, across the gap ~etween the arms 5 and 6, into the groove 8 in the arm 6, around such arm 6, and through the other slot 13 to a take-up pulley 26.
Referring to Fig. 4, the winding mechanism 3 includes a lug 28 which closes the top end of the casing 2. The bottom end of the plug 28 is bifurcated. A toothed wheel 29 is mounted on a shaft 30 extending transversely through the top end of the plug 28. The wheel 29 rotates with the shaft 30 between the arms 31 of the plug 2~. A metal pawl 33 extends upwardly from beneath the casing 2 through an opening (no-t shown) in ~he rear of the casing into engagement with the toothed wheel 29. Thus, the wheel 29 can be rotated in one direction only, i.e. the wheel 29 can be rotated in the direction required to dispense dental floss and not in the opposite direction. The pulley 25 is mounted on one end of the shaft 30 adjacent a drive disc 34.
The disc 34 includes transversely extending grooves 35, which facilitate gripping and turning of the disc. The take-up pulley 26 is fixedly mounted on the other end of the shaft 30. Thus, when the disc 34 is rotated, -the pulley 25, the toothed wheel 29 and the take-up pulley 26 rotate in the same direction.
As can be seen more clearly in ~ig. 4 the winding mech-anism 3 is snap-fitted into plug 28 via slot 36, thus enabling the toothed wheel 29 r shaft 30, and the pulleys 25 and 26 to be separated from plug 28 to facilitate cleaning and/or repair.
~2~
In order to use the holder and applicator, the first step is to load the casing 1 with a spoo] 17 of floss. Several centimeters of dental floss 9 are unwound from the spool 17, and the free end of the floss is tied to one end of a flexible wire threader (not shown) inserted through the opening 24 from inside to outside the casing 2. The floss is pulled through the open-ing 24 and, at the same time, the spool 17 is inserted into the casing 2 to prevent accumulation of the floss in front of the spool. The floss is threaded around the arms 5 and 6 in the manner described hereinbefore, and wound around the take-up pulley 26 in the direction of rotation of the pulleys. By pro-viding a small pln (not shown) in the groove of the pulley 26 it is easy to attach the floss to the pulley. The floss is looped around the pulley and around the pin to secure the floss.
The floss holder and applicator can then be used. In order to replace the floss 9 between the arms 5 and 6, the disc 34 is rotated, which advances the floss. When the take-up pulley 26 is full r the floss is cut between the arm 6 and the pulley 26, the used floss is removed from the pulley, and the free end of the unused floss is again connected to the pulley 26.
J~
SUPPLE~ENTAR~Y DI CLOSURI::
Another embodiment of the invention has been made. The object of creating a third embodiment of the invention is to improve upon the original structure, In the latest version of the 5 dental floss holder and applicator, the latch at the bottom end of the casing has been made integral with the casing. Moreover, a knob or handle for rotating the shaft carrying the pulleYs has been replaced with a simple flat rectangular knob, which is easy to grasp and rotate.
It will be appreciated that all embodiments of the invention include elongated handle means~ tubular casing means on one end of said handle means; said casing means having an open top end and an open bottom end for receiving a spool of dental floss; latch means on said base means for holding the spool in ~5 said casing means; applicator means for holding the spool in said casing means; applicator means on the other end of said handle means for receiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair of spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usable position between the free ends of the arms; and winding means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said winding means including plug means closing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means beinq rotatable in said casing ,~
means and said plug means, toothed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rotation with said shaft means, pawl means extending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limiting rotation thereof to one direction; first pulley means mounted on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means; second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means out~ide of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and knob means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means.
The third embodiment of the invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:
15 Figure 5 is a perspective view of the bottom end of an alternative body of the invention, and Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of a spool and winding device for use in the device of Fig. 5.
With reference to Figs. 5 and 6, in the third embodiment of the invention, the handle 1 and casing 2 are replaced by a tubular casing 35, which defines both the bottom end of the handle and a tubular casing on one end thereof, The top end of the handle carrying the spaced apart arms (not shown) for retaining a strip of floss i5 integral with the casing 35 and is essentially the same as the device of Figs. 1 to 4. The clip 22 " .
~12~
for holding the spool in the casing 35 is replaced by a lever 36.
The bottom end 37 of the casing 35 is inclined with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the casing. 1A7hen fully inserted the enlarged bottom end 39 of the spool 40 extends out of the casing 35, so that the spool can be moved manually.
The lever 36 is integral with the casing 35 t and is defined by a strip of material separated at its sides from the remainder of the casing 35 by slits 41. The outer free end 43 of the lever 36 extends outwardly slightly beyond the end 39 of the casing 35 for manual release. A shoulder 44 on the lever 36 in the casing 35 normally engages a disc 45 near the bottom end of the spool 40 for retaining the spool in the casing. In order to remove the spool 40, the lever 36 is pivoted outwardly to release the disc 45.
As shown in Fig. ~, the spool 40 includes a shaft 47 on which dental floss 9 is wound. The plug 28 is replaced by a cylindrical plug 4~ which includes a transversely extending rectangular aperture 49 for the toothed wheel 29. The drive disc 34 is replaced by another form of knob, namely a flat handle 50 which is mounted on the shaft 30, as are the pulleys 26 and 52.
The pulley 52 is defined by the inner surface of the handle 50 and a disc connected thereto. ~ rectangular lug 53 extends downwardly frol~ the bottom end 54 of the plug 4~ for engaging the generally cruciform top end 56 of the spool 40.
The lug 53 and the end 56 of the spool 40 define a lock. r~7hen the spool is pushed upwardly against the plug 48, the lug slides between two arms of the end 56 of the spool, so that the latter cannot be rotated, i.e. the spool 40 is locked. sy pulling the spool 40 a short distance out of the casing 35, the spool is released from the lug 53 and is free to rotate.
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Claims (9)
OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A dental floss holder and applicator comprising elongated handle means; tubular casing means on one end of said handle means, said casing means having an open top end and an open bottom end for receiving a spool of dental floss; means on said base means for holding the spool in said casing means;
applicator means on the other end of said handle means for re-ceiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair of spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usable position between the free ends of the arms; and winding means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said winding means including plug means clos-ing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means being rotatable in said casing means and said plug means, toothed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rotation with said shaft means, pawl means ex-tending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limit-ing rotation thereof to one direction; first pulley means mount-ed on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means; second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and disc means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means.
applicator means on the other end of said handle means for re-ceiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair of spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usable position between the free ends of the arms; and winding means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said winding means including plug means clos-ing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means being rotatable in said casing means and said plug means, toothed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rotation with said shaft means, pawl means ex-tending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limit-ing rotation thereof to one direction; first pulley means mount-ed on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means; second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and disc means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means.
2. A holder and applicator according to claim 1, where-in said first pulley means is integral with said disc means.
3. A holder and applicator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein said winding means is removably mounted in the top end of said casing means.
4. A holder and applicator according to claim 1 , wherein said shaft means, said toothed wheel means, said first and second pulley means and said disc means, are removable from said plug means to facilitate cleaning/servicing.
CLAIMS SUPPORTED BY SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
CLAIMS SUPPORTED BY SUPPLEMENTARY DISCLOSURE
5. A dental floss holder and applicator comprising elongated handle means; tubular casing means on one end of said handle means; said casing means having an open top end and an open bottom end for receiving a spool of dental floss; latch means on said base means for holding the spool in said casing means;
applicator means for holding the spool in said casing means;
applicator means on the other end of said handle means for receiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair of spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usuable position between the free ends of the arms; and winding means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said wind-ing means including plug means closing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means being rotat-able in said casing means and said plug means, toothed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rotation with said shaft means, pawl means extending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limiting rotation thereof to one direction;
first pulley means mounted on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means; second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and knob means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means A
applicator means for holding the spool in said casing means;
applicator means on the other end of said handle means for receiving dental floss from said casing means; said applicator means including a pair of spaced apart arms extending outwardly from said handle means for retaining a strip of floss in a usuable position between the free ends of the arms; and winding means for removing dental floss from said casing means and for storing used dental floss, said wind-ing means including plug means closing the top end of said casing means, shaft means extending through the top end of said casing means and through said plug means, said shaft means being rotat-able in said casing means and said plug means, toothed wheel means on said shaft means in said plug means for rotation with said shaft means, pawl means extending into engagement with said toothed wheel means for limiting rotation thereof to one direction;
first pulley means mounted on one end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from the spool before the floss passes to said applicator means; second pulley means on the other end of said shaft means outside of said casing means for receiving floss from said applicator means; and knob means on said one end of said shaft means for rotating said shaft means, said first pulley means and said second pulley means A
6. A holder and applicator according to Claim 5, wherein said latch means includes lever means on the bottom end of said casing means for normally engaging said spool to hold the spool in the casing means, said lever means being pivotal with respect to said casing means for releasing the spool, whereby the spool can be removed from said casing means.
7. A holder and applicator according to Claim 6, wherein said lever means is integral with said casing means.
8. A holder and applicator according to Claim 5, including lock means for preventing rotation of the spool in said casing means.
9. A holder and applicator according to Claim 8, wherein said lock means includes a lug extending downwardly from said plug means for engaging to the top end of the spool, the spool being slidable between a locked, lug engaging position and an unlocked position out of engagement with the lug.
Priority Applications (5)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000429321A CA1200408A (en) | 1983-05-31 | 1983-05-31 | Dental flosser |
| AU28534/84A AU568559B2 (en) | 1983-05-31 | 1984-05-23 | Floss holder |
| GB08413615A GB2141935B (en) | 1983-05-31 | 1984-05-29 | Dental floss holder/applicator |
| DE19843420300 DE3420300A1 (en) | 1983-05-31 | 1984-05-30 | DENTAL THREAD HOLDING AND INSERT DEVICE |
| JP11377984A JPS60185548A (en) | 1983-05-31 | 1984-05-31 | Dental froth adapting and holding instrument |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000429321A CA1200408A (en) | 1983-05-31 | 1983-05-31 | Dental flosser |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1200408A true CA1200408A (en) | 1986-02-11 |
Family
ID=4125366
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000429321A Expired CA1200408A (en) | 1983-05-31 | 1983-05-31 | Dental flosser |
Country Status (5)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| JP (1) | JPS60185548A (en) |
| AU (1) | AU568559B2 (en) |
| CA (1) | CA1200408A (en) |
| DE (1) | DE3420300A1 (en) |
| GB (1) | GB2141935B (en) |
Families Citing this family (10)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2180753A (en) * | 1985-05-08 | 1987-04-08 | Roger Paul Haywood | Floss dispenser |
| US4637412A (en) * | 1985-06-27 | 1987-01-20 | Armando Martinez | Device for storing dental floss and for forming three separately-usable strips of floss for use with tensioning means |
| US4790336A (en) * | 1987-07-23 | 1988-12-13 | Kuo Ming Chuan | Dental floss applicator |
| AU611623B3 (en) * | 1990-11-07 | 1991-04-30 | Raymond Chen | Tooth cleaner device for retention of reel means carrying a spool of strings |
| US5141008A (en) * | 1991-05-15 | 1992-08-25 | Lee Lawrence L | Dental floss applicator |
| US5186191A (en) * | 1991-10-30 | 1993-02-16 | Loubier Robert J | Motor driven dental floss applicator |
| IL110522A (en) * | 1993-08-03 | 2005-06-19 | Kossak Michael | Flossing equipment and method of operation |
| US5495863A (en) * | 1994-05-05 | 1996-03-05 | Bergman; Mark C. | Flossing device with advancing and tensioning mechanisms |
| WO2002030319A1 (en) | 2000-10-13 | 2002-04-18 | Michael Kossak | Improvements to manually held dental flossers |
| US6874509B2 (en) | 2001-05-18 | 2005-04-05 | Mark C. Bergman | Flossing device with advancing and tensioning mechanism |
Family Cites Families (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE639170C (en) * | 1935-02-11 | 1936-11-30 | Guillaume Barsch | Tooth cleaner |
| US3592203A (en) * | 1969-12-29 | 1971-07-13 | Bradford J Johnson | Dental floss dispenser |
-
1983
- 1983-05-31 CA CA000429321A patent/CA1200408A/en not_active Expired
-
1984
- 1984-05-23 AU AU28534/84A patent/AU568559B2/en not_active Ceased
- 1984-05-29 GB GB08413615A patent/GB2141935B/en not_active Expired
- 1984-05-30 DE DE19843420300 patent/DE3420300A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1984-05-31 JP JP11377984A patent/JPS60185548A/en active Pending
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| JPS60185548A (en) | 1985-09-21 |
| AU2853484A (en) | 1984-12-06 |
| GB2141935B (en) | 1986-10-01 |
| GB8413615D0 (en) | 1984-07-04 |
| DE3420300A1 (en) | 1984-12-13 |
| AU568559B2 (en) | 1988-01-07 |
| GB2141935A (en) | 1985-01-09 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |