GB2357249A

GB2357249A - Tongue scraper

Info

Publication number: GB2357249A
Application number: GB0021992A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Po-Jung Wang
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1999-12-08
Filing date: 2000-09-07
Publication date: 2001-06-20
Also published as: AU5362600A; CN2397902Y; CA2317268A1; GB0021992D0

Abstract

A tongue scraper includes a handle portion 1 and a head portion 11 connected to a front end of the handle portion. The head portion is formed from a flat strip material having a suitable width and is curved into a geometrical shape. All edges and turns on the head portion are chamfered or rounded to ensure safety in use of the fur remover. Flatly laying the head portion on a tongue and lightly moving the head portion from inner area to outer area of the tongue may easily scrape off fur on the tongue to ensure oral hygiene and avoid foul breath. May form integral part of a toothbrush.

Description

2357249 A FUR REMOVER

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a fur remover, and more particularly to a simple and convenient fur remover that enables a user to easily and safely remove fur on the tongue to maintain good oral hygiene and avoid foul breath.

The rapid economic development in recent years has brought great changes in people's life. Personal and environmental hygiene has become an important factor in our daily life. It is a common preference of most people to pursue good smell. On the other hand, bad odor and/or anything emitting bad smell disgusts everybody and is generally an equivalent of negative and despised thing.

People would no doubt give something with bad odor the worst evaluation. In our daily life, foul breath is an example that disgusts everybody. Communication through conversation among people would very possibly unpleasantly stop due to someone with foul breath. Foul breath not only disgusts everyone but also makes the person with f oul breath feel embarrassed.

There are many factors that result in foul breath, including physiological, metal, and pathological factors. However, investigations indicate that more than 90% of people with foul breath have dental and oral disorders and such people usually have tartar and furry tongue. The removal of tartar has become a thing people used to do in their daily life 2 and therefore causes fewer problems in oral hygiene. on the other hand, most people pay little attention to fur on the tongue that therefore causes more problems in oral hygiene. A normal tongue is pink in color. However, keratinized tops of the taste buds on the tongue make the tongue look a little white. Bacteria tend to reproduce in peeled epidermises, food residues and salivary on the tongue, causing such substances to deposit and form fur on the tongue. Volatile sulfur compounds (VSC), that are major substances causing foul breath, will very easily form in mouth having a furry tongue. The fur on the tongue is not easily cleaned. Expired air passing through a furry tongue would immediately smell badly and form foul breath.

For people breathing with mouth while sleep, the tongue becomes extremely dry when both the movement of tongue and the secretion of salivary reduce, resulting in large quantity of fur formed on the tongue.

Some people try to wipe off fur with a towel or remove fur with a toothbrush, but these ways are troublesome and show little effect. People are discouraged from getting used to clean the fur while brushing their teeth and poor oral hygiene still exists among most people.

It is therefore desirable to develop a simple and convenient device that can be used while tooth brushing to effectively remove fur on the tongue.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

3 A primary object of the present invention is to provide a f ur remover that can be convenient used at any time to saf ely scrape off fur on the tongue and helps maintain good oral hygiene and eliminate foul breath.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fur remover that has simple structure and can therefore be made at low cost.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a f ur remover that can be an integral rear part of a toothbrush, so that fur on the tongue may be conveniently scraped of f while brushing teeth.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a fur remover that can be easily wash-cleaned and dried by hanging it on a hook to meet hygienic requirement.

BRIEF DESQRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The structure and the technical means adopted by the present invention to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a fur remover according to a f irst embodiment of the present invention, in which a head portion thereof is in the shape of a semicircle; 4 Fig. 2 is a fur remover similar to that of Fig. 1 but has a circular head portion; Fig. 3 is a fur remover similar to that of Fig. 1 but has a triangular head portion; Fig. 4 shows the manner of using the present invention to remove fur from a user's tongue; Fig. 5 shows the present invention has scraped off fur on the tongue; Fig. 6 is another embodiment of the present invention in which a fur remover having a circular head portion is integrally provided at a rear end of a toothbrush; Fig. 7 is a fur remover similar to that of Fig. 6 but has a semicircular head portion; and Fig. 8 shows that the fur remover of the present invention may be conveniently hung on a hook.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Please ref er to Fig. 1 in which a fur remoVer according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The fur remover has simple structure and mainly includes a handle portion 1 and a head portion 11 connected to a f ront end of the handle portion 1. The head portion 11 is formed f rom a f lat strip material having a suitable width and extends a predetermined distance from the front end of the handle portion 1. The head portion 11 is preferably curved into a certain suitable shape. To ensure safe and comfortable use of the fur remover, every edges 12 and turns 12 on the head portion 11 are chamfered or rounded. The head portion 11 may be of any suitable geometrical shape, including but not limited to a semicircle as shown in Fig.

1, a circle as shown in Fig. 2, a triangle as shown in Fig.

3, a suitable length of segment (not shown) or any other geometrical shapes.

Please ref er to Figs. 4 and 5. To use the fur remover of the present invention to remove fur 4 on a tongue 3, simply hold the fur remover at the handle portion 1 such that one side of the head portion 11 is laid f latly on an inner portion of the tongue 3. Then, apply a minor force to move the fur remover from the inner portion of the tongue 3 toward an outer portion thereof. At this point, fur 4 on the tongue 3 can be easily scraped off from the tongue 3. Thereafter, move the head portion 11 to flatly abut it on side areas of the tongue 3. Again, apply a minor force to move the head portion 11 of the fur remover f rom inner portions to outer portions of two sides of the tongue 3 to scrape of f all fur 4 from the tongue 3.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate fur removers according to another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the fur remover has a handle portion 1 that is integrally f ormed at a rear end of a toothbrush 2, such that the toothbrush 2 has bristles 21 provided at a front end just 6 as a conventional toothbrush and the head portion 11 of the fur remover at the rear end thereof. When a user uses the toothbrush 2 of Fig. 6 or 7 to clean his or her teeth, he or she may conveniently use the fur remover at the other end of the toothbrush 2 to scrape off fur 4 from the tongue 3. The fur remover of the present invention is so easy for use that it is useful in helping users to scrape off fur 4 everyday and always maintain thorough and good oral hygiene to eliminate the embarrassing problem of foul breath.

Please refer to Fig. 8. Since the head portion 11 of the fur remover of the present invention is formed from curved or bent flat strip material, it can be conveniently hung on a hook 5 mounted on a wall, for example, in a hygienic manner without being arbitrarily disposed.

7

Claims

What is claimed is:

1.A fur remover comprising a handle portion and a head portion, said head portion being connected to a front end of said handle portion to extend a predetermined distance from said handle portion, and said head portion being f ormed f rom a f lat strip material having a suitable width and being preferably curved into a predetermined shape.

2. A fur remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein all edges and turns on said head portion are chamfered or rounded to ensure safe use of said fur remover.

3. A fur remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said head portion may be curved into a semicircle, a circle, a triangle, a segment or any other geometrical shapes.

4. A fur remover as claimed in claim 1, wherein said handle portion forms an integral part of a rear end of a toothbrush.

5. A fur remover substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, or as illustrated in, any of.the accompanying drawings.