EP0039356A1 - Boucles de soies dentaires et procede de production - Google Patents

Boucles de soies dentaires et procede de production

Info

Publication number
EP0039356A1
EP0039356A1 EP19800902096 EP80902096A EP0039356A1 EP 0039356 A1 EP0039356 A1 EP 0039356A1 EP 19800902096 EP19800902096 EP 19800902096 EP 80902096 A EP80902096 A EP 80902096A EP 0039356 A1 EP0039356 A1 EP 0039356A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
strands
invention defined
loops
loop
length
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.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP19800902096
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
Inventor
Leslie N. Aikman
Maurice Le Cover
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP0039356A1 publication Critical patent/EP0039356A1/fr
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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
    • A61C15/045—Threading or knotting devices

Definitions

  • This invention relates to dental care products in the form of loops of dental floss material and to methods for making such products.
  • Dental flossing has long been available as a supplement to, or substitute for, brushing with tooth ⁇ paste for many years. Greater understanding of the mech ⁇ anisms of tooth decay and gum disease have led dental associations and dentists to institute a major patient education program relating to the use of dental floss.
  • Some excellent floss materials have been developed. Most are made of synthetic fiber strands woven into floss threads shaped as circular threads or narrow ribbons or tapes. A length of such a floss material drawn and worked between the user's teeth and in the gingival sulcus disturbs and removes plaque and aids in preventing the decay and disease process. The difficulty stems not from the floss material but from the manner in which it must be held during use. Typical instructions suggest that the user remove a 46 cm length of floss from a storage spool. That length is then "anchored" to the user's hands by wrapping the ends of the length around the user's middle fingers until the hands are separated by about 5 cm.
  • Floss motion is to be guided during cleaning by manipulation of the thumbs.
  • Fresh floss is made available by winding and unwinding between middle fingers to transfer the floss. While effective, that method is awkward and requires considerable practice. It is more difficult for children to learn than tooth brushing, so that it is easy to abandon flossing, in the years when tooth care habits are formed.
  • a common complaint is that entwining the floss around one's fingers, tourniqet like, results in discomfort and even pain.
  • the difficulty that has attended flossing in the past has been overcome in the invention by providing dental floss in the form of loops of floss.
  • floss in closed-loop form is even less convenient than the thread form that has been universal.
  • the loop form is less convenient.
  • the loop becomes a far more convenient and practical product than a straigh floss thread.
  • the looped floss of the invention is much easier to use and can be used much more effectively than the straight thread form of the past.
  • the loops are made to have a circumference, in preferred form, not less than eighteen centimeters and not more than forty centimeters. Given a loop of that size, users are led naturally to its proper use.
  • the looped floss product may be produced and packaged for sale inexpensively, in a form no less convenient for the pur ⁇ chaser to deal with than the straight thread floss form.
  • the floss loops are interconnected end to end in series. The user simply severs the floss material at the interconnection point to remove the end loop from the series.
  • Two threads may be extended in generally parallel fashion and joined together at inter ⁇ connecting portions along their length. The interconnectio portion is made sufficiently long to permit severing at an intermediate point along that portion to preserve the inte connection on both sides of that point.
  • two interconnections spaced closely together, preferably within one inch (or 2.5 cm), may be made in each interconnection region. Such a con ⁇ struction permits severing an individual loop from the length of loops.
  • the loops can be arranged in series.
  • the loops can be connected to ⁇ gether for convenient packaging by forming a series of loops at spaced points along a single floss thread.
  • Interconnection may be made by any bonding pro- cess or by tying knots.
  • Tying has the feature that the knot can be arranged so that the standing parts of the thread can be made to diverge whereby the sides of the loop are spread apart and the loop is conveniently opened to loop form.
  • the preferred floss materials have little resilience. Instead, they are pliant.
  • a length corres ⁇ ponding to one loop is pulled from the spool and severed at a point in the interconnection region. It is possible to use the same kind of severing mechanism that is now used to sever conventional thread floss.
  • the loop After removal from the cord of loops, the loop must be spread apart and held with both of the user's hands.
  • the thread sides are easily identified and are easily separable to open the loop. That can be facilitated by selecting a proper knot configur ⁇ ation when tying, as described above.
  • the threads are interconnected by a bonding process , examples of which are sonic or thermal bonding, they are simply held such that the threads diverge somewhat at one side of the bond.
  • a major advantage of the invention is that existing floss materials, including threads, ribbons and tapes, may be employed. Even existing packaging is useabl although the increased utility of the loops of the inven- tion warrants the use of specially designed dispensers.
  • the floss is braide into a continuous length of braided material at spaced points along its length.
  • the result is the addition of a braided strand somewhat larger in diameter than the floss which can be used to scrub the surface of the teeth and gu whereby to increase the utility of the product.
  • Figure 1 is a plan view of a dental floss loop which embodies the invention
  • Figure 2 is a view illustrating how the loop may be held during use at one side of a user's mouth
  • Figure 3 illustrates how the loop is held when the position of the hands is reversed for use at the opposite side of the user's mouth
  • Figure 6 is an isometric view of a convention ⁇ al dental floss holder in which is stored a cord of floss loops which embody the invention
  • Figure 7 is a plan view of a series of dental floss loops formed by tying loops
  • Figure 8 is a greatly enlarged view of the interconnected portion of two threads of dental floss
  • Figure 9 illustrates how the loop is held when using a double thickness of floss
  • FIG. 10 illustrates another embodiment
  • Figure 11 is an enlargement of a portion of the embodiment of Figure 10. Description of Preferred Embodiments
  • the floss loop 10 of Figure 1 has a circumfer ⁇ ence of 28 centimeters. It is made of a floss composed of polyamide fibers woven into strands that are, in turn, woven into a narrow ribbon. The ribbon is twisted in the direction of its length to form a thread of irregular diameter along its length to facilitate the slight scraping and even abrating action that removes plaque as the thread is drawn against the sides of a user's teeth and in the gingival sulcus.
  • the loop of Figure 1 is formed of two le of such a thread which have been laid parallel and bonded t gether at spaced portions along their length.
  • the two leng have been numbered 12 and 14, respectively, to facilitate their identification in Figure 8 which, in enlarged view, shows how the lengths 12 and 14 have been bonded together. These were bonded by a combined sonic and thermal process at bond region 16 and 18. As a consequence of the bonding, the filaments and strands of the two threads have been bond together at 16 and 18 to form an integral interconnected portion originally as long as portion 16 and 18, before the bonded end 18 of the preceding loop was cut away.
  • loop 10 of Figure 1 was part of a "cord" formed by two threads which were bonded together at positions or regions along their lnegth spaced approxi ⁇ mately 14 cm apart. Although the product thus formed has the appearance of a two-thread cord, the threads could be spread apart intermediate the bond points to reveal a number of loops connected end to end in series.
  • the two threads were drawn through the bonding tool together. At the downstream side, the two threads were spread apart. They converged and came together at the position of the bonding tool.
  • the two threads were joined over the inter ⁇ connection region and in the process a short length of each strand was bonded to the other and became slightly stiff and resilient. The result is that the threads at the up ⁇ stream side of the bond tend to separate slightly. That feature has several advantages. It makes it easy to separate the threads to open the loops, and it makes the bond region more readily recognizable when severing individual loops of the cord.
  • FIG. 7 One such variation is shown in Figure 7 where loops 26, 27, 28 and 29 of a series of loops are shown. All are formed one at a time from a single strand 30 of twisted polyester filaments. The loops are formed by tying knots in strand 30. For identification, the knots have been numbered 31, 33, 37 and 39, respec ⁇ tively. If too large or too small, the loop exhibits disadvantages, but properly sized, it is surprisingly easy and effective to use. That use is illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.
  • the preferred loop size requires only about one- half of the amount of floss thread recommended to be used by makers of the conventional threads and the dental asso ⁇ ciations. There is some added expenses, of course, in acco pushing interconnection in the practice of the method of the invention. The result is that the looped product of the invention is produced at a cost comparable to the cost of a corresponding amount of the previous straight thread product. Packaging costs for the looped product need not be greater for the new looped product.
  • FIG. 6 That conventional packaging may be employed is illustrated in Figure 6 where a looped floss cord 34, made according to the invention, is stored in a conventional floss thread dispenser.
  • the case 36 of the dispenser house a spool whose axis is perpendicular to the dispenser side walls.
  • the walls are formed with inwardly extending cir ⁇ cular depressions which fit into the axial bore of the spool and serve as bearings for spool rotation.
  • One wall 38 and its depression 40 are visible.
  • the length of floss loops 34 is wound on that spool in the manner in which cord is sually wound, and the standing part emerges from the exit slot 42 of the holder.
  • the user draws out a short length of cord until the interconnection region 46 can be placed under the cutting edge of tab 44. Thereupon, the interconnection is placed under the tab and is pulled up to sever the cord.
  • the operation is the same as it would be if conventional straight floss thread was being dispensed.
  • the user iden ⁇ tify the interconnection region lest he sever the loop instead of separating the end loop away. If the bonding method or knotting method does not produce a readily visible interconnection area, that area can be colored or it can be altered in shape to provide a tactile signal when withdrawn from its dispenser.
  • the cord 34 of Figure 6 has colored markings at some of the interconnection regions along its length. Various bonding techniques were used in its forma ⁇ tion and some are illustrated- in schematic fashion in Figures 4 and 5.
  • the two floss threads 50 and 52 are bonded together sonically and thermally over the entire length of the interconnection regions 53 and 54.
  • the two floss strands 62 and 64 are made to cross one another twice at each of the interconnection regions 65 and 66. The threads are bonded together sonically at each cross-over point. To separate a floss loop from the cord, the cord is severed between the two bonds at the inter ⁇ connection region.
  • the invention provides two kinds of products, one a superior dental floss structure in loop form, and the other a cord of interconnected dental floss loops which may be connected in series form, as in Figures 4, 5 and 10, or in parallel, as in Figure 7, or in some ot fashion.
  • the utility of the floss loop does not depend up its production in cord form.
  • the loop is just as useful i cut one at a time from a sleeve or tube of floss material.
  • Dental floss is ordinarily used only to clean sp between teeth. That limitation is overcome in the embodim of Figure 10.
  • two strands of floss, 7 and 72 extend in parallel and are interconnected over spa regions of their length by being braided at those regions another strand of floss material. Three of those regions

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)
  • Package Frames And Binding Bands (AREA)
  • Decoration Of Textiles (AREA)

Abstract

La presente realisation se rapporte aux applications de la soie dentaire dans lesquelles les formes actuelles de soie dentaire presentent une utilisation difficile et/ou peu commode. La soie dentaire dans la presente realisation a la forme d'une boucle (10), qui peut etre composee de fils de soie conventionnels, et a une circonference mesurant de 18 a 40 centimetres. Une suite continue ou cordon d'une telle boucle peut etre obtenue en formant une succession de boucles a partir d'un fil de soie simple (30) ou enjoignant ensemble une paire de fils de soie (50 et 52) qui ont ete arranges en parallele en des zones espacees (54) sur leur longueur.
EP19800902096 1979-10-05 1980-09-30 Boucles de soies dentaires et procede de production Withdrawn EP0039356A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US8236879A 1979-10-05 1979-10-05
US82368 1979-10-05

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0039356A1 true EP0039356A1 (fr) 1981-11-11

Family

ID=22170767

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19800902096 Withdrawn EP0039356A1 (fr) 1979-10-05 1980-09-30 Boucles de soies dentaires et procede de production

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0039356A1 (fr)
WO (1) WO1981000959A1 (fr)

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4836226A (en) * 1987-11-20 1989-06-06 Wolak Ronald G Endless article for cleaning teeth
US5086792A (en) * 1989-02-16 1992-02-11 Placontrol Corp. Dental floss loop devices, and methods of manufacture and packaging same
US6371133B1 (en) * 1996-05-01 2002-04-16 Loops, L.L.C. Variable-guage tooth-flossing loops
GB2349338A (en) * 1999-03-27 2000-11-01 Douglas Howard Miller Inter-dental cleaning devices

Family Cites Families (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1570357A (en) * 1924-07-12 1926-01-19 William F Lawrenz Dental toothpick
US2180522A (en) * 1938-11-01 1939-11-21 Henne Isabelle Dental floss throw-away unit and method of making same
US3860013A (en) * 1971-07-06 1975-01-14 Henry P Czapor Dental strip
US3903601A (en) * 1974-07-11 1975-09-09 Modcom Inc Dispenser for orthodontic chain-formed intraoral devices

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
See references of WO8100959A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO1981000959A1 (fr) 1981-04-16

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Legal Events

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PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

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AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): AT CH DE FR GB LU NL SE

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

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Effective date: 19811104