CA2103617A1 - Dental floss holder - Google Patents
Dental floss holderInfo
- Publication number
- CA2103617A1 CA2103617A1 CA 2103617 CA2103617A CA2103617A1 CA 2103617 A1 CA2103617 A1 CA 2103617A1 CA 2103617 CA2103617 CA 2103617 CA 2103617 A CA2103617 A CA 2103617A CA 2103617 A1 CA2103617 A1 CA 2103617A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- dental floss
- shaft
- spool
- reel
- arms
- 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.)
- Abandoned
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 comprising: a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end; a spool containing a supply of dental floss; means for supporting the spool on the handle; a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel on the handle; means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms;
and means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends of arms, said means comprising: means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before the ends of arms; means preventing said reel to be unwound; being understood that when the dental floss is wound up on the reel and either the spool is locked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is locked between the spool and the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when either the spool is unlocked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is unlocked between the spool, and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn in a controlled manner from the spool by the reel.
A dental floss holder comprising: a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end; a spool containing a supply of dental floss; means for supporting the spool on the handle; a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel on the handle; means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms;
and means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends of arms, said means comprising: means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before the ends of arms; means preventing said reel to be unwound; being understood that when the dental floss is wound up on the reel and either the spool is locked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is locked between the spool and the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when either the spool is unlocked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is unlocked between the spool, and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn in a controlled manner from the spool by the reel.
Description
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DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER
Field of the invention .:, ~ .
The present invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to reduce waste of dental floss while allowing to create a desired tension in a portion thereof positioned between each end of a pair of arms.
Backaround of the invention When in a dental floss holder, a dental floss is drawn from a spool comprising a supply of dental floss, in a controlled manner by a drawing mechanism and when the used dental floss is rolled on a reel, it is possible to substantially reduce the amount of dental floss to be used at each time and to improve the salubrity since it is no longer necessary to grasp the dental floss between fingers of the user and to throw away lengths of used dental floss. However, such devices are provided with a spool mechanically connected to a reel and prohibit the selection of a desired tension in the dental floss. Such a selection of the tension in the dental floss is important to allow the user to feel comfortable when moving said dental floss between his teeth. Indeed, a tension too weak may make difficult the insertion of the dental floss between adjacent teeth and a tension too strong may cause damage to the gums. Furthermore, devices known to allow a selection of a desired tension in the dental floss to satisfy user's requirement, are only provided with means by which the dental floss is grasped between fingers of the user and drawn from a spool comprising a supply of dental floss, and with means allowing to pinch the free end of the dental floss between a pair of opposite members, and means allowing either to pinch the portion of the dental floss before the ends of arms between a pair of opposite member and/or to mechanically lock the spool containing the supply of dental floss.
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DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER
Field of the invention .:, ~ .
The present invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to reduce waste of dental floss while allowing to create a desired tension in a portion thereof positioned between each end of a pair of arms.
Backaround of the invention When in a dental floss holder, a dental floss is drawn from a spool comprising a supply of dental floss, in a controlled manner by a drawing mechanism and when the used dental floss is rolled on a reel, it is possible to substantially reduce the amount of dental floss to be used at each time and to improve the salubrity since it is no longer necessary to grasp the dental floss between fingers of the user and to throw away lengths of used dental floss. However, such devices are provided with a spool mechanically connected to a reel and prohibit the selection of a desired tension in the dental floss. Such a selection of the tension in the dental floss is important to allow the user to feel comfortable when moving said dental floss between his teeth. Indeed, a tension too weak may make difficult the insertion of the dental floss between adjacent teeth and a tension too strong may cause damage to the gums. Furthermore, devices known to allow a selection of a desired tension in the dental floss to satisfy user's requirement, are only provided with means by which the dental floss is grasped between fingers of the user and drawn from a spool comprising a supply of dental floss, and with means allowing to pinch the free end of the dental floss between a pair of opposite members, and means allowing either to pinch the portion of the dental floss before the ends of arms between a pair of opposite member and/or to mechanically lock the spool containing the supply of dental floss.
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However, such a pinching may damage said dental floss and the use of a mechanism to removably lock the whole spool actually makes the installation or replacement of said spool difficult.
Therefore, there is a strong need for a dental floss holder having all aforesaid advantages without any of aforesaid drawbacks.
Advantageously, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing either to removably lock a spool on which a supply of dental floss is mechanically connected and wound or to removably lock the dental floss after the spool and before ends of arms, in order to allow in association with means allowing to draw the dental floss from the spool, to adjust the tension in the dental floss positioned between ends of arms.
- .
More particularly, a preferred aspect of the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to lock the dental floss after the spool and before ends of arms, by mere friction of the dental floss against the surface of a single member to thus avoid any damage to said floss. Indeed, it has been surprisingly found that when the dental floss is wound for at least one turn (preferably at least two turns) around a member provided with an outer surface allowing such a frictional engagement with dental floss that said friction is more than enough to lock the dental floss thereon.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to adjust at will the tension of a portion of the dental floss positioned between ends of arms.
Fur~hermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to avoid disposal of substantial lengths of used dental flo~s at each time one wants to use said holder.
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, ,, -, Furthermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to draw the dental floss from a supply in a controlled manner and without having to grasp said floss between fingers of the user, and allowing to reduce the amount of dental floss to be drawn from the spool ~t each time one wants to use said holder.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder in which the spool containing a supply of dental floss is free in the handle of the fork to thus allow it to be easily installed or replaced.
More particularly, the invention relates to a dental floss holder comprising:
- a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end;
- a spool containing a supply of dental floss;
- means for supporting the spool on the handle;
- a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
- means for removably mounting the ree] on the handle;
- means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends, said means comprising:
means for removably locking the spool with respect to the handle of the dental floss is mechanically connected and wound thereon or preferably for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before said ends of arms;
. means for winding up the dental floss on the reel;
means for preventing said reel to be unwound, - -~
preferably means allowing rotation of the reel in one direction and preventing any rotation in the opposite ~ ~
direction; - -being understood that when the dental floss is wound up on ~` 2~3~17 - -, the reel and the spool is locked with respect to the handle or, preferably the dental floss is locked between the spool and before the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when the dental floss wound up on the reel and the spool is unlocked with respect to the handle or, preferably the dental floss is unlocked between the spool and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn from the spool by the reel in a controlled manner.
lo Brief descriDtion of the drawinas:
The present invention will be better understood with reference to the following non-restrictive description of a preferred embodiment thereof, made in connection with the enclosed drawings wherein: .
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a dental floss holder according to the invention;
Figure 2 represents an exploded view of the dental floss holder of Figure 1;
Figure 3 represents a top plan view of the dental floss holder of Figure 1;
Figure 4 represents a cross sectional view according to line IV-IV of the dental floss holder of Figure 3;
Figure 5 represents a cross sectional view according to line V-V of the dental floss holder of Figure 3;
Figure 6 represents a cross sectional view according to line VI-VI of the dental floss holder of Figure 3; and Figure 7 represents a cross sectional view according to line VII-VII of the dental floss holder of Figure 3.
. `j, ~ ~ 2 ~ 7 Figure 8 is a perspective view of optional tips to be mounted at one end of an arm; and Figure 9 is a partial exploded view of a variant of the dental floss holder.
Description of_a Preferred embodiment of the invention:
A preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a dental floss holder 1 comprising:
- a fork 3 having a handle 5 and a pair of arms 7, each arm having an end g;
- a spool 11 containing a supply of dental floss 13;
- means for supporting the spool 11 on the handle 5;
- a reel 17 for receiving the dental floss 13 from the spool 11;
- means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel 17 on the handle 5;
- means for supporting the dental floss 13 on each end 9 of arms 7 and positioning a portion of the dental floss 13 located between the spool 11 and the reel 17, between ends 9 of said arms 7; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental ~
floss 13 between said ends 9, said means comprising: -. means for winding up the dental floss 13 on the reel ~ -17;
means 27 for removably locking the dental floss 13 .:
after the spool 11 and before the ends 9; - -~
means preventing said reel 17 to be unwound, - .. -preferably means allowing rotation of the reel 17 in one direction and preventing any rotation in the opposite direction;
being understood that when the dental floss 13 is wound up on the reel 17 and locked between the spool 11 and the ends 9, a tension is created in said dental ~loss 13, and when the dental floss 13 is wound up on the reel 17 and unlocked ." ,",. ,,, ",, , ,. ".", , " , , , , ",", " ,, ,, . ,~ , , . ,j .
7 : -between the spool 11 and the ends 9, said dental floss 13 may be drawn from the spool 11 by the reel 17.
Advantageously, the handle 5 and arms 7 of the fork 3 define a hollow casing 41, which preferably may be longitudinally divided into two halves that is a first half defining a hollow container 41a and a second half defining a lid 41b.
The portion of said container 41a corresponding to the handle 5 may be preferably divided into three distinct compartments 43, 45 and ~7 , that is a first compartment 43 where the reel 17 is housed, a second compartment 45 where the spool 11 is housed and a third compartment 47 where means 27 are housed.
Furthermore, the casing 41 is preferably provided with three ducts 49, 51 and 53 for the dental floss, that is a first duct 49 between the second and the third compartment 43 and 45, a second duct 51 between the third compartment 47 and the end 9 of one of said arms 7 and a third duct 53 between the end 9 of the other of said arms 7 and the first compartment 43.
Ducts 49, 51 and 53 may be of any size and even communicate in part therebetween. Advantageously, each ducts 51 and 53 may consist of a groove provided in the first half of the casing 41 and closed by a corresponding portion of the second half of the casing 41. Means for supporting the dental floss 13 on each end 9 advantageously comprise an opening 9' provided in each end, each opening g' communicating with a corresponding duct 51,53. Preferably each opening 9' may be positioned in the bottom of a small groove 9".
Preferably, as illustrated in Figure 8, arms 7 may be provided with ducts 51 and 53 of substantial diameter in which tips 10 are introduced and fastened by any appropriate fastening means. Preferably, the diameter of tips lo is such to be in frictional engagement with a corresponding duct 51 or 53 and locked therein. Each tip 10 may be provided with a ~f,"'''", "~" '"~,~ ~, "' ' 2 1 ~ 7 central bore or, preferably, a lateral groove lOa and eventually with a groove lob for the dental floss 13. Said grooves lOa and lOb are part of a preferred embodiment for defining means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool 11 and the reel 17, between said ends 9 of arms 2.
Preferably, across the duct 49, a restriction rod 49' may be lo provided. Such a rod is optional and is merely intended to align the dental floss 13 with respect to means 27. Said rod may be made of any appropriate material and mounted across the duct 49 by any appropriate means.
Preferably, the second half 41b may be further provided with openings 43', 45' and 47' that match with the compartment 43, 45, 47 respectively. This second half 41b may be fastened on the first half 41a by any appropriate means well known in the art such as screws, clips, glue, etc. Preferably, the size of openings 43', 45' and 47 correspond to the size of compartments 43, 45 and 47, respectively. -~-The casing 41 and/or the tips 10 may be of any appropriate material and preferably made of plastic material.
25 Advantageously, when made of plastic material, said halves ~
and/or tips may be obtained by moulding. - -The compartment 45 may be closed with a cap 46 whose a lower -part thereof 48 matches with the opening 45' provided in the upper half of 41b. Friction between the lower part 48 and the opening 45' is sufficient to keep the cap 46 in place and close the compartment 45. ~ --Advantageously, means for pivotally mounting the reel 17 on -the handle 5 and winding up the dental floss 13 on the reel 17 comprise the first compartment 43 where said reel 17 is ,, , : ,.:,,,, ,., , , ,, , , ";, ~,",, ~ ' " . ~
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housed, a second shaft 55 having opposite ends, one end being attached to a knob 57 having a lower part 57a that matches with the opening 43, while the opposite end engages a corresponding recess 59 provided in the bottom 61 of the first compartment 43, said reel 17 being provided with a co-axial sleeve 63 adapted to receive said sècond shaft 55 and being coaxially mounted between both ends of said second shaft 55. Advantageously, the friction existing between the sleeve 63 and the second shaft 55 is more that enough to prevent rotation of the reel 17 on said shaft 55 . However, locking means of sleeve 63 on the shaft 55 may be provided, if necessary. Such means are well known in the art.
Preferably, the lower part 57a may have a cylindrical outer surface provided with a protuberance 58 and the opening 43' is provided with a groove 44 for receiving said protuberance 58 to clip the knob 57 on the casing while allowing it to turn in said opening 43'. Such a way to clip a knob is well known in the art and does not need any further extensive description.
Preferably, the reel 17 and/or the spool 11 may be provided with a small locking groové 17' to receive one end of the dental floss and lock it with respect to the reel 17.
Preferably, the reel 17 and the spool 11 are identical so that an empty spool may replace a reel filled with used dental floss.
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Alternatively, with reference to Figure 9, means for pivotally mounting a reel 17 identical to the one described hereinbefore on the handle 5 and winding up the dental floss on ~he reel 17 may comprise a first compartment 143 where said reel 17 is housed, a second shaft 155 having opposite ends, one end being attached to a knob 157 having a lower part 157a that matches with the opening 143, while the opposite end engages a corresponding recess 159 provided in the wall 160 of the first compartment 1~3, said reel 17 being ~, ,",", ,"";,",, '' ", ,,"~;" ~
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2~3~7 provided with a co-axial sleeve 163 adapted to receive the second shaft 155. Advantageously, the friction existing between the sleeve 163 and the second shaft 155 is more than enough to prevent rotation of the reel 17 on said shaft.
However, locking means of the reel 17 on the shaft 155 may be provided, if necessary. Such means are well known in the art.
Preferably, the lower part 157a may have a cylindrical outer surface provided with a protuberance 158 and the first compartment is provided with a circular groove 144 for receiving said protuberance 158 to clip the knob 157 on the casing while allowing it to turn in said compartment 143.
Such a way to clip a knob is well known in the art and does not need any further extensive description. of course, when the reel is mounted in the compartment 143, the second half 41b does not have an opening 43'.
Preferably, the duct 53 communicates with the compartment 43 or 143 at a point that is orthogonal with the axis of rotation of the reel and facing said reel. - -~
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Advantageously, means allowing rotation of the reel 17 in one direction and preventing rotation of the reel 17 in the opposite direction may comprise ratchet means 39. ~
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Preferably, ratchet means consist of a toothed wheel 65 co~
axially mounted on said second shaft 55, of a pawl 67 having -opposite ends, one end being immovably attached to the casing 41 and the other end projecting in the first compartment 43 to engage a tooth of the tookhed wheel 65 when the reel 17 is --30 to be axially turned in one direction and slide on teeth of --the toothed wheel 65 when the reel 17 is axially turned in the opposite direction. The pawl 67 and the toothed wheel 65 may be made of any appropriate material, and preferably of plastic material. The pawl 67 may be mounted in the first 35 compartmen~ 43 (or 143) by any appropriated means, preferably by gluing or with a fastener such aæ a screw. The toothed ,.. . . .. .
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wheel 65 may be mounted on the second shaft 55 (or 155) by any appropriate means well know in the art. Preferably, friction existing bet~een a central bore of the toothed wheel 65 and the shaft 55 (155) is more than enough to lock the 5 wheel on said shaft. However, if necessary, locking means may be provided. Said locking means are well know to the man skilled in the art and do not necessitate any further extensive description.
Advantageously, means 27 for removably locking the dental floss 13 after the spool 11 and before said ends 9 may comprise:
- a first shaft 31 mounted on the handle 5 and having a longitudinal axis, 15 - a member 33 having an out~r surface 35 rotatable co-axially to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 31 and around which a portion of the dental floss 13 is wound, said surface 35 allowing such a frictional engagement with the dental floss that said friction will be more than enough to lock the 20 dental floss thereon; and - means 37 for selectively allowing or preventing rotation of the outer surface 35 according to the longitudinal axis of the first shaft 31.
25 Preferabl~, as illustrated, means 27 for removably locking the dental floss 13 after the spool 11 and before said ends 9 may comprise:
- a first shaft 31 pivotally mounted on the handle 5 and having a longitudinal axis;
30 - a member 33 immovably mounted on said first shaft 31 and having the outer surface 35 that is cylindrical and co-axial with the longitudinal axis of said first shaft 31 and around which a portion of the dental floss 13 is wound; and - mean~ 37 for removably moving the shaft 31 along its 35 longitudinal axis between two distinct positions, that is a first position where the first shaft 31 is allowed to rotate ", ",; ,,, , ~ ,, ,i .
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~ 2~3g~ 7 freely according to its longitudinal axis and a second position where the first shaft 31 is prevented to rotate according to its longitudinal axis.
Preferably, the member 33`has a co-axial bore 33' in which a corresponding portion 31 ' of the first shaft 31 is snugly engaged, said bore 33' and portion 31' having a square cross section.
Preferably, the cylindrical outer surface 35 is made of rubberlike material, especially of rubber.
:, Preferably, means for removably moving the first shaft 31 between two distlnct posltlons, comprise a pair of co-axial 15 bores 69 provided in walls 71 of the casing 41 perpendicularly to a longi.tudinal axis of said fork 3 said first shaft 31 being slidably mounted in said bore 69, a protuberance 73 radially projecting from the shaft 31 and a notch 75 provided in the casing 41, the first position being defined when the first shaft 31 is slid in said bores 69 and the protuberance 73 is moved away from the notch 75 and the second position belng defined when first shaft 31 is slld in said bores 69 and the protuberance 73 is engaged in said notch 75.
Advantageously, means may be further provided to automatically reset the protuberance 73 in the notch 75.
Preferably, said means may comprise a coil spring 83 co~
axially mounted on the shaft 31, a first stopper 85 immovably 30 mounted on the shaft 31, and a second stopper 87 defined by a part of the casing 41 surrounding a corresponding bore 69, the distance between both stoppers 85,87 being less than the length of the coil spring 83 in its rela~ed state to thus force the protuberance 73 toward and against the notch 75.
In orde~ to use a dental floss holder according to the ~" ~ , ,." " ,", " ., ., ~, ,, , " , " , , , ,, ",,, ~ , ~ , . , . , - :
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` 21 ~3~7 preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, one only have to remove the cap 46 from the opening 45' and introduce in the compartment 45 a spool 11 of dental floss 13. The free end of the dental floss 13 is slid through the duct ~9, s turned around the surface 35 of the member 33, slid through the ducts 51 and 53, the openings 9' and the groove 9" (or the grooves lOa and lOb) and t.hen tied on the reel 17, especially by engagement of the dental floss 13 in the groove 17' (after having preferably removed said reel 17 from the housing 43 through the opening 43' or from the housing 143).
Then the reel 17 is return to its original position and is turned until an appropriate tension is obtained in the dental floss 13 positioned between ends 9. To obtain a fresh portion of dental floss between ends 9, the member 33 is allowed to lS rotate by moving the shaft 31 to remove the protuberance 73 from the notch 75, and the knob 57 is turned to drive the reel 17 into an axial rotation to draw a portion of the dental floss from the spool 11 until the portion located between ends 9 is completely housed in the duct 53. Then the protuberance 73 is returned in the notch 75 and because khe friction of the dental floss 13 on the surface 35, a tension is created in the dental floss 13 when the reel 17 is turned to wind used dental floss thereon. Said tension is kept because the reel 17 can not be unwound, the pawl 67 engaging a tooth of the toothed wheel 65.
Of course the invention also relates to all obvious variations that could be obvious to a man skilled in the art.
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However, such a pinching may damage said dental floss and the use of a mechanism to removably lock the whole spool actually makes the installation or replacement of said spool difficult.
Therefore, there is a strong need for a dental floss holder having all aforesaid advantages without any of aforesaid drawbacks.
Advantageously, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing either to removably lock a spool on which a supply of dental floss is mechanically connected and wound or to removably lock the dental floss after the spool and before ends of arms, in order to allow in association with means allowing to draw the dental floss from the spool, to adjust the tension in the dental floss positioned between ends of arms.
- .
More particularly, a preferred aspect of the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to lock the dental floss after the spool and before ends of arms, by mere friction of the dental floss against the surface of a single member to thus avoid any damage to said floss. Indeed, it has been surprisingly found that when the dental floss is wound for at least one turn (preferably at least two turns) around a member provided with an outer surface allowing such a frictional engagement with dental floss that said friction is more than enough to lock the dental floss thereon.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to adjust at will the tension of a portion of the dental floss positioned between ends of arms.
Fur~hermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to avoid disposal of substantial lengths of used dental flo~s at each time one wants to use said holder.
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, . ..
, ,, -, Furthermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder allowing to draw the dental floss from a supply in a controlled manner and without having to grasp said floss between fingers of the user, and allowing to reduce the amount of dental floss to be drawn from the spool ~t each time one wants to use said holder.
Furthermore, the invention relates to a dental floss holder in which the spool containing a supply of dental floss is free in the handle of the fork to thus allow it to be easily installed or replaced.
More particularly, the invention relates to a dental floss holder comprising:
- a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end;
- a spool containing a supply of dental floss;
- means for supporting the spool on the handle;
- a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
- means for removably mounting the ree] on the handle;
- means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends, said means comprising:
means for removably locking the spool with respect to the handle of the dental floss is mechanically connected and wound thereon or preferably for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before said ends of arms;
. means for winding up the dental floss on the reel;
means for preventing said reel to be unwound, - -~
preferably means allowing rotation of the reel in one direction and preventing any rotation in the opposite ~ ~
direction; - -being understood that when the dental floss is wound up on ~` 2~3~17 - -, the reel and the spool is locked with respect to the handle or, preferably the dental floss is locked between the spool and before the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when the dental floss wound up on the reel and the spool is unlocked with respect to the handle or, preferably the dental floss is unlocked between the spool and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn from the spool by the reel in a controlled manner.
lo Brief descriDtion of the drawinas:
The present invention will be better understood with reference to the following non-restrictive description of a preferred embodiment thereof, made in connection with the enclosed drawings wherein: .
Figure 1 represents a perspective view of a dental floss holder according to the invention;
Figure 2 represents an exploded view of the dental floss holder of Figure 1;
Figure 3 represents a top plan view of the dental floss holder of Figure 1;
Figure 4 represents a cross sectional view according to line IV-IV of the dental floss holder of Figure 3;
Figure 5 represents a cross sectional view according to line V-V of the dental floss holder of Figure 3;
Figure 6 represents a cross sectional view according to line VI-VI of the dental floss holder of Figure 3; and Figure 7 represents a cross sectional view according to line VII-VII of the dental floss holder of Figure 3.
. `j, ~ ~ 2 ~ 7 Figure 8 is a perspective view of optional tips to be mounted at one end of an arm; and Figure 9 is a partial exploded view of a variant of the dental floss holder.
Description of_a Preferred embodiment of the invention:
A preferred embodiment of the invention relates to a dental floss holder 1 comprising:
- a fork 3 having a handle 5 and a pair of arms 7, each arm having an end g;
- a spool 11 containing a supply of dental floss 13;
- means for supporting the spool 11 on the handle 5;
- a reel 17 for receiving the dental floss 13 from the spool 11;
- means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel 17 on the handle 5;
- means for supporting the dental floss 13 on each end 9 of arms 7 and positioning a portion of the dental floss 13 located between the spool 11 and the reel 17, between ends 9 of said arms 7; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental ~
floss 13 between said ends 9, said means comprising: -. means for winding up the dental floss 13 on the reel ~ -17;
means 27 for removably locking the dental floss 13 .:
after the spool 11 and before the ends 9; - -~
means preventing said reel 17 to be unwound, - .. -preferably means allowing rotation of the reel 17 in one direction and preventing any rotation in the opposite direction;
being understood that when the dental floss 13 is wound up on the reel 17 and locked between the spool 11 and the ends 9, a tension is created in said dental ~loss 13, and when the dental floss 13 is wound up on the reel 17 and unlocked ." ,",. ,,, ",, , ,. ".", , " , , , , ",", " ,, ,, . ,~ , , . ,j .
7 : -between the spool 11 and the ends 9, said dental floss 13 may be drawn from the spool 11 by the reel 17.
Advantageously, the handle 5 and arms 7 of the fork 3 define a hollow casing 41, which preferably may be longitudinally divided into two halves that is a first half defining a hollow container 41a and a second half defining a lid 41b.
The portion of said container 41a corresponding to the handle 5 may be preferably divided into three distinct compartments 43, 45 and ~7 , that is a first compartment 43 where the reel 17 is housed, a second compartment 45 where the spool 11 is housed and a third compartment 47 where means 27 are housed.
Furthermore, the casing 41 is preferably provided with three ducts 49, 51 and 53 for the dental floss, that is a first duct 49 between the second and the third compartment 43 and 45, a second duct 51 between the third compartment 47 and the end 9 of one of said arms 7 and a third duct 53 between the end 9 of the other of said arms 7 and the first compartment 43.
Ducts 49, 51 and 53 may be of any size and even communicate in part therebetween. Advantageously, each ducts 51 and 53 may consist of a groove provided in the first half of the casing 41 and closed by a corresponding portion of the second half of the casing 41. Means for supporting the dental floss 13 on each end 9 advantageously comprise an opening 9' provided in each end, each opening g' communicating with a corresponding duct 51,53. Preferably each opening 9' may be positioned in the bottom of a small groove 9".
Preferably, as illustrated in Figure 8, arms 7 may be provided with ducts 51 and 53 of substantial diameter in which tips 10 are introduced and fastened by any appropriate fastening means. Preferably, the diameter of tips lo is such to be in frictional engagement with a corresponding duct 51 or 53 and locked therein. Each tip 10 may be provided with a ~f,"'''", "~" '"~,~ ~, "' ' 2 1 ~ 7 central bore or, preferably, a lateral groove lOa and eventually with a groove lob for the dental floss 13. Said grooves lOa and lOb are part of a preferred embodiment for defining means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool 11 and the reel 17, between said ends 9 of arms 2.
Preferably, across the duct 49, a restriction rod 49' may be lo provided. Such a rod is optional and is merely intended to align the dental floss 13 with respect to means 27. Said rod may be made of any appropriate material and mounted across the duct 49 by any appropriate means.
Preferably, the second half 41b may be further provided with openings 43', 45' and 47' that match with the compartment 43, 45, 47 respectively. This second half 41b may be fastened on the first half 41a by any appropriate means well known in the art such as screws, clips, glue, etc. Preferably, the size of openings 43', 45' and 47 correspond to the size of compartments 43, 45 and 47, respectively. -~-The casing 41 and/or the tips 10 may be of any appropriate material and preferably made of plastic material.
25 Advantageously, when made of plastic material, said halves ~
and/or tips may be obtained by moulding. - -The compartment 45 may be closed with a cap 46 whose a lower -part thereof 48 matches with the opening 45' provided in the upper half of 41b. Friction between the lower part 48 and the opening 45' is sufficient to keep the cap 46 in place and close the compartment 45. ~ --Advantageously, means for pivotally mounting the reel 17 on -the handle 5 and winding up the dental floss 13 on the reel 17 comprise the first compartment 43 where said reel 17 is ,, , : ,.:,,,, ,., , , ,, , , ";, ~,",, ~ ' " . ~
'~
` ` 2~3~ ~
housed, a second shaft 55 having opposite ends, one end being attached to a knob 57 having a lower part 57a that matches with the opening 43, while the opposite end engages a corresponding recess 59 provided in the bottom 61 of the first compartment 43, said reel 17 being provided with a co-axial sleeve 63 adapted to receive said sècond shaft 55 and being coaxially mounted between both ends of said second shaft 55. Advantageously, the friction existing between the sleeve 63 and the second shaft 55 is more that enough to prevent rotation of the reel 17 on said shaft 55 . However, locking means of sleeve 63 on the shaft 55 may be provided, if necessary. Such means are well known in the art.
Preferably, the lower part 57a may have a cylindrical outer surface provided with a protuberance 58 and the opening 43' is provided with a groove 44 for receiving said protuberance 58 to clip the knob 57 on the casing while allowing it to turn in said opening 43'. Such a way to clip a knob is well known in the art and does not need any further extensive description.
Preferably, the reel 17 and/or the spool 11 may be provided with a small locking groové 17' to receive one end of the dental floss and lock it with respect to the reel 17.
Preferably, the reel 17 and the spool 11 are identical so that an empty spool may replace a reel filled with used dental floss.
' ~ .
Alternatively, with reference to Figure 9, means for pivotally mounting a reel 17 identical to the one described hereinbefore on the handle 5 and winding up the dental floss on ~he reel 17 may comprise a first compartment 143 where said reel 17 is housed, a second shaft 155 having opposite ends, one end being attached to a knob 157 having a lower part 157a that matches with the opening 143, while the opposite end engages a corresponding recess 159 provided in the wall 160 of the first compartment 1~3, said reel 17 being ~, ,",", ,"";,",, '' ", ,,"~;" ~
,~ ~ ,, :,.. ... .. ..
2~3~7 provided with a co-axial sleeve 163 adapted to receive the second shaft 155. Advantageously, the friction existing between the sleeve 163 and the second shaft 155 is more than enough to prevent rotation of the reel 17 on said shaft.
However, locking means of the reel 17 on the shaft 155 may be provided, if necessary. Such means are well known in the art.
Preferably, the lower part 157a may have a cylindrical outer surface provided with a protuberance 158 and the first compartment is provided with a circular groove 144 for receiving said protuberance 158 to clip the knob 157 on the casing while allowing it to turn in said compartment 143.
Such a way to clip a knob is well known in the art and does not need any further extensive description. of course, when the reel is mounted in the compartment 143, the second half 41b does not have an opening 43'.
Preferably, the duct 53 communicates with the compartment 43 or 143 at a point that is orthogonal with the axis of rotation of the reel and facing said reel. - -~
-. . -: -;
Advantageously, means allowing rotation of the reel 17 in one direction and preventing rotation of the reel 17 in the opposite direction may comprise ratchet means 39. ~
-:' "
Preferably, ratchet means consist of a toothed wheel 65 co~
axially mounted on said second shaft 55, of a pawl 67 having -opposite ends, one end being immovably attached to the casing 41 and the other end projecting in the first compartment 43 to engage a tooth of the tookhed wheel 65 when the reel 17 is --30 to be axially turned in one direction and slide on teeth of --the toothed wheel 65 when the reel 17 is axially turned in the opposite direction. The pawl 67 and the toothed wheel 65 may be made of any appropriate material, and preferably of plastic material. The pawl 67 may be mounted in the first 35 compartmen~ 43 (or 143) by any appropriated means, preferably by gluing or with a fastener such aæ a screw. The toothed ,.. . . .. .
g ~
wheel 65 may be mounted on the second shaft 55 (or 155) by any appropriate means well know in the art. Preferably, friction existing bet~een a central bore of the toothed wheel 65 and the shaft 55 (155) is more than enough to lock the 5 wheel on said shaft. However, if necessary, locking means may be provided. Said locking means are well know to the man skilled in the art and do not necessitate any further extensive description.
Advantageously, means 27 for removably locking the dental floss 13 after the spool 11 and before said ends 9 may comprise:
- a first shaft 31 mounted on the handle 5 and having a longitudinal axis, 15 - a member 33 having an out~r surface 35 rotatable co-axially to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 31 and around which a portion of the dental floss 13 is wound, said surface 35 allowing such a frictional engagement with the dental floss that said friction will be more than enough to lock the 20 dental floss thereon; and - means 37 for selectively allowing or preventing rotation of the outer surface 35 according to the longitudinal axis of the first shaft 31.
25 Preferabl~, as illustrated, means 27 for removably locking the dental floss 13 after the spool 11 and before said ends 9 may comprise:
- a first shaft 31 pivotally mounted on the handle 5 and having a longitudinal axis;
30 - a member 33 immovably mounted on said first shaft 31 and having the outer surface 35 that is cylindrical and co-axial with the longitudinal axis of said first shaft 31 and around which a portion of the dental floss 13 is wound; and - mean~ 37 for removably moving the shaft 31 along its 35 longitudinal axis between two distinct positions, that is a first position where the first shaft 31 is allowed to rotate ", ",; ,,, , ~ ,, ,i .
~, , " ", , ", ,, ",,, j,,, ",,, , , ", , ", ~ , . .
~ 2~3g~ 7 freely according to its longitudinal axis and a second position where the first shaft 31 is prevented to rotate according to its longitudinal axis.
Preferably, the member 33`has a co-axial bore 33' in which a corresponding portion 31 ' of the first shaft 31 is snugly engaged, said bore 33' and portion 31' having a square cross section.
Preferably, the cylindrical outer surface 35 is made of rubberlike material, especially of rubber.
:, Preferably, means for removably moving the first shaft 31 between two distlnct posltlons, comprise a pair of co-axial 15 bores 69 provided in walls 71 of the casing 41 perpendicularly to a longi.tudinal axis of said fork 3 said first shaft 31 being slidably mounted in said bore 69, a protuberance 73 radially projecting from the shaft 31 and a notch 75 provided in the casing 41, the first position being defined when the first shaft 31 is slid in said bores 69 and the protuberance 73 is moved away from the notch 75 and the second position belng defined when first shaft 31 is slld in said bores 69 and the protuberance 73 is engaged in said notch 75.
Advantageously, means may be further provided to automatically reset the protuberance 73 in the notch 75.
Preferably, said means may comprise a coil spring 83 co~
axially mounted on the shaft 31, a first stopper 85 immovably 30 mounted on the shaft 31, and a second stopper 87 defined by a part of the casing 41 surrounding a corresponding bore 69, the distance between both stoppers 85,87 being less than the length of the coil spring 83 in its rela~ed state to thus force the protuberance 73 toward and against the notch 75.
In orde~ to use a dental floss holder according to the ~" ~ , ,." " ,", " ., ., ~, ,, , " , " , , , ,, ",,, ~ , ~ , . , . , - :
~ , ,~7 " ; ,, : ", " ~ " ,, ~" , , . ., ,, .,, ':' ~ '' ,~ ,, , , : , .. .
~,, " , :,,, , "~,/,, ,,. "
` 21 ~3~7 preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings, one only have to remove the cap 46 from the opening 45' and introduce in the compartment 45 a spool 11 of dental floss 13. The free end of the dental floss 13 is slid through the duct ~9, s turned around the surface 35 of the member 33, slid through the ducts 51 and 53, the openings 9' and the groove 9" (or the grooves lOa and lOb) and t.hen tied on the reel 17, especially by engagement of the dental floss 13 in the groove 17' (after having preferably removed said reel 17 from the housing 43 through the opening 43' or from the housing 143).
Then the reel 17 is return to its original position and is turned until an appropriate tension is obtained in the dental floss 13 positioned between ends 9. To obtain a fresh portion of dental floss between ends 9, the member 33 is allowed to lS rotate by moving the shaft 31 to remove the protuberance 73 from the notch 75, and the knob 57 is turned to drive the reel 17 into an axial rotation to draw a portion of the dental floss from the spool 11 until the portion located between ends 9 is completely housed in the duct 53. Then the protuberance 73 is returned in the notch 75 and because khe friction of the dental floss 13 on the surface 35, a tension is created in the dental floss 13 when the reel 17 is turned to wind used dental floss thereon. Said tension is kept because the reel 17 can not be unwound, the pawl 67 engaging a tooth of the toothed wheel 65.
Of course the invention also relates to all obvious variations that could be obvious to a man skilled in the art.
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, . . .
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Claims (16)
1. A dental floss holder comprising:
- a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end;
- a spool containing a supply of dental floss;
- means for supporting the spool on the handle;
- a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
- means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel on the handle;
- means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends of arms, said means comprising:
? means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before the ends of arms;
? means preventing said reel to be unwound;
being understood that when the dental floss is wound up on the reel and either the spool is locked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is locked between the spool and the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when either the spool is unlocked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is unlocked between the spool, and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn in a controlled manner from the spool by the reel.
- a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end;
- a spool containing a supply of dental floss;
- means for supporting the spool on the handle;
- a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
- means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel on the handle;
- means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends of arms, said means comprising:
? means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before the ends of arms;
? means preventing said reel to be unwound;
being understood that when the dental floss is wound up on the reel and either the spool is locked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is locked between the spool and the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when either the spool is unlocked with respect to the handle or the dental floss is unlocked between the spool, and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn in a controlled manner from the spool by the reel.
2. A dental floss holder comprising:
- a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end;
- a spool containing a supply of dental floss;
- means for supporting the spool on the handle;
- a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
- means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel on the handle;
- means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends of arms, said means comprising:
? means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before the ends of arms;
? means for winding up the dental floss on the reel;
? means allowing rotation of the reel in one direction and preventing any rotation in the opposite direction;
being understood that when the dental floss wound up on the reel and the dental floss is locked between the spool and before the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when the dental floss is unlocked between the spool and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn in a controlled manner from the spool by the reel.
- a fork having a handle and a pair of arms, each arm having an end;
- a spool containing a supply of dental floss;
- means for supporting the spool on the handle;
- a reel for receiving the dental floss from the spool;
- means for removably and pivotally mounting the reel on the handle;
- means for supporting the dental floss on each end of arms and positioning a portion of the dental floss located between the spool and the reel, between ends of said arms; and - means for providing and maintaining a tension in the dental floss between said ends of arms, said means comprising:
? means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before the ends of arms;
? means for winding up the dental floss on the reel;
? means allowing rotation of the reel in one direction and preventing any rotation in the opposite direction;
being understood that when the dental floss wound up on the reel and the dental floss is locked between the spool and before the ends of arms, a tension is created in said dental floss, and when the dental floss is unlocked between the spool and the ends of arms, said dental floss may be drawn in a controlled manner from the spool by the reel.
3. A dental floss holder according to claim 2, wherein means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before of said ends of arms comprise:
- a first shaft mounted on the handle and having a longitudinal axis, - a member provided with an outer surface rotatable co-axially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft and around which a portion of the dental floss is wound, said surface allowing such a frictional engagement with the dental floss that this latter does not slide thereon; and - means for selectively allowing or preventing rotation of the outer surface according to the longitudinal axis of the first shaft.
- a first shaft mounted on the handle and having a longitudinal axis, - a member provided with an outer surface rotatable co-axially with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft and around which a portion of the dental floss is wound, said surface allowing such a frictional engagement with the dental floss that this latter does not slide thereon; and - means for selectively allowing or preventing rotation of the outer surface according to the longitudinal axis of the first shaft.
4, A dental floss holder according to claim 2, wherein means for removably locking the dental floss after the spool and before the ends of arms comprise:
- a first shaft pivotally mounted on the handle and having a longitudinal axis;
- a member immovably mounted on said first shaft and having a cylindrical outer surface that is co-axial with the longitudinal axis of said first shaft and around which a portion of the dental floss is wound said surface allowing such a frictional engagement with the dental floss that this latter does not slide thereon; and - means for removably moving the shaft along its longitudinal axis between two distinct positions, that is a first position where the first shaft is allowed to rotate freely according to its longitudinal axis and a second position where the first shaft is prevented to rotate according to its longitudinal axis.
- a first shaft pivotally mounted on the handle and having a longitudinal axis;
- a member immovably mounted on said first shaft and having a cylindrical outer surface that is co-axial with the longitudinal axis of said first shaft and around which a portion of the dental floss is wound said surface allowing such a frictional engagement with the dental floss that this latter does not slide thereon; and - means for removably moving the shaft along its longitudinal axis between two distinct positions, that is a first position where the first shaft is allowed to rotate freely according to its longitudinal axis and a second position where the first shaft is prevented to rotate according to its longitudinal axis.
5. A dental floss holder according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical outer surface is made of rubberlike material.
6. A dental floss holder according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein means allowing rotation of the reel in one direction and preventing rotation of the reel in the opposite direction comprise ratchet means.
7. A dental floss holder according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the handle and arms of the fork defines a hollow casing.
8. A dental floss holder according to claim 6, wherein the handle and arms of the fork defines a hollow casing, the fork being longitudinally divided into two halves and the handle part being divided into three distinct compartments, that is a first compartment where the reel is housed, a second compartment where the spool is housed and a third compartment where the member pivotally mounted on the first shaft is housed, and wherein three ducts are provided for the dental floss, that is a first duct between the second and the third compartment, a second duct between the third compartment and the end of one of said arms and a third duct between the end of the other of said arms and the first compartment.
9. A dental floss holder according to claim 8, wherein means for pivotally mounting the reel on the handle comprise the first compartment where said reel is housed, a second shaft having opposite ends, one end being immovably attached to a knob while the opposite engages a corresponding recess provided in the bottom of the first compartment, said reel being provided with a co-axial sleeve adapted to receive said second shaft and being coaxially mounted between both ends of said second shaft.
10. A dental floss holder according to claim 9, wherein ratchet means consist of a toothed wheel co-axially mounted on said second shaft, and of a pawl having opposite ends, one end being immovably attached to the casing and the other end projecting in the first compartment to engage a tooth of the toothed wheel when the reel is to be axially turned in one direction and slide on teeth of the toothed wheel when the reel is axially turned in the opposite direction.
11. A dental holder according to claim 5, wherein means for removably moving the first shaft between two distinct positions, comprise a pair of co-axial bores provided in walls of the casing perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of said fork said first shaft being slidably mounted in said bore, a protuberance radially projecting from the shaft and a notch provided in the body, the first position being defined when the first shaft is slid in said bores and the protuberance is moved away from the notch and the second position being defined when first shaft is slid in said bores and the protuberance is engaged in said notch.
12. A dental holder according to claim 10, wherein means for removably moving the first shaft between two distinct positions, comprise a pair of co-axial bore provided in walls of the casing perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of said fork, said first shaft being slidably mounted in said bore, a protuberance radially projecting from the shaft and a notch provided in the body, the first position being defined when the first shaft is slid in said bores and the protuberance is moved away from the notch and the second position being defined when first shaft is slid in said bores and the protuberance is engaged in said notch.
13. A dental floss holder according to claim 5, wherein means are further provided to automatically reset the protuberance in the notch.
14. A dental floss holder according to claim 12, wherein means are further provided to automatically reset the protuberance in the notch.
15. A dental floss holder according to claim 13, wherein said means for automatically resetting the protuberance in the groove comprise a coil spring co-axially mounted on the shaft, a first stopper immovably mounted on the shaft, and a second stopper defining a part of the casing, the distance between both stoppers being less than the length of the coil spring in its relaxed state to thus force the protuberance toward and against the notch.
16. A dental floss holder according to claim 14, wherein said means for automatically setting the protuberance in the groove comprise a coil spring co-axially mounted on the shaft, a first stopper immovably mounted on the shaft, and a second stopper defining a part of the casing, the distance between both stoppers being less than the length of the coil spring in its relaxed state to thus force the protuberance toward and against the notch.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2103617 CA2103617A1 (en) | 1993-08-09 | 1993-08-09 | Dental floss holder |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2103617 CA2103617A1 (en) | 1993-08-09 | 1993-08-09 | Dental floss holder |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2103617A1 true CA2103617A1 (en) | 1995-02-10 |
Family
ID=4152128
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2103617 Abandoned CA2103617A1 (en) | 1993-08-09 | 1993-08-09 | Dental floss holder |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2103617A1 (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2006122995A1 (en) * | 2005-05-20 | 2006-11-23 | Munoz Perez Francisco Jose | Dental floss dispenser in the form of a toothbrush |
-
1993
- 1993-08-09 CA CA 2103617 patent/CA2103617A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WO2006122995A1 (en) * | 2005-05-20 | 2006-11-23 | Munoz Perez Francisco Jose | Dental floss dispenser in the form of a toothbrush |
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