US1239633A - Dental-floss holder. - Google Patents

Description

F. H. STICKLER.

DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED 0m. 5. l9l6.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917 g! X k FRANK H. STICKLER, F AKRON, .OI-IIO.

DENTAL-FLOSS HOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK H. STIOKLER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Akron,--in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dental-Floss Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for holding dental floss in position to be employed for clearing the spaces between teeth from obstructions, and at the same timeprotect'ing the bolt or ball of floss,

and exposing only the'portion which is actually in use.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction, as hereinafter shown and described and then specifically pointed out in the claims; and in the drawingsillustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved device;

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, with the lower portion in section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The improved device comprises a receptacle for the bolt or reel of the floss, and a holder for the portion of the flosswhich is to be used and detachably connected to the receptacle. The receptacle is represented as a whole at 10 and open at one end and internally threaded at the open end as shown in Fig. 3. The receptacle 10 is preferably provided at its closed end with a ring 11, to enable the implement to be suspended when not in use. The body 10 is preferably provided with flattened portions 12 at its opposite sides to enable the body to be more easily grasped and at the same 5 time adapted to receive advertising matter and the like. Dental floss is usually furnished in a mass, wound into a circular elongated roll, represented conventionally at 13, and the interior of the-body 10 corresponds in size to-the diameter of the roll of floss, so that the latter will closely within the receptacle.

The holder member of the improved de-- vice comprises a base portion 14 having an externally threaded plug 1 1' to engage the threaded terminal of the receptacle as shown in Fig; 3. Extending from the base portion 14 are arms 15, spaced apart andeach pro- Vided with an upwardly openmgcleft or ment.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. jljl, 1911 7., Application filed October 5, 1916. Serial No. 123,920.

notch 13, and surrounded by an annular channel ndicated at 17 adjacent to the cleft. The main portion 14 of the holder corresponds in diameter to the receptacle 10, as

shown at 18 and depending from the por-' j tion 18 -of the holder are tension lips 19 which bear against the adjacent sides of the receptacle 10 and extend over a portion of the upper end of the same, as shown. Formed through the plug portion 14 of the holder is a passage 20 for the floss, the passage preferably extending obliquely to the longitudinal axis of the plug and opening at one end into the interior of the receptacle and at the other end into the space between the lower end of the holder and the upper end of the receptacle.

When the device is. to be used, a few inches of the floss is withdrawn from the roll 13, and threaded through the passage 20, and thence carried upwardly and through one of the clefts 16 and thence wound around the adjacent channel 17 once or more and then carried across the space between the members 15 and through the cleft 16 of the other member 15, thence wound one or more times around the adjacent channel 17 and thence forced between the adjacent tension lip 19 and the body 10, as indicated in Fig. 3.

The portion of the floss which extends between the members 15 may be stretched relatively tight, and held in its strained position by the windings in the channel 17, as will be obvious.

By this means a device is produced for supporting a portion of the floss in convenient position for use between the teeth, which may thus be freed from obstructions or deposits of foreign matter, and the teeth maintained in a sanitary condition.

The portion of the floss which is to be used being stretched relatively tight, will render this portion of the floss very sensitive to any irregularities in the crevices between the teeth upon which it is being used, and will thus quickly indicate to the user the fact of such irregularities and notify the person that the teeth need the attention of a floss from contamination or disarrange- Preferably the terminals of the lips 19 are formed with their inner faces curved slightly outward, as shown, to facilitate the entrance of the floss.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is 1. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle open at one end with a flat margin surrounding holder including arms in spaced relation and a plug engaging in the opening of the receptacle and having a lateral shoulder corresponding to the flat margin of the receptacle, said arms having lips extending in advance of the shoulder with the inner faces of the lips diverging'away from the receptacle to form converging recesses, said plug having a guideway therethrough for dental floss and terminating at its outer end the opening a I at the juncture of the body and the holder andits plug, whereby a tension is produced in the out-going floss when the plug is inserted and another tension means provided by the depending lips for the outer terminal 2. A device of the class described comprising a receptacle for dental floss, a holder for dental floss including arms in spaced relation and having means for retaining a portion of the floss stretched between them, and lips depending from the holder at opposite sides of the receptacle with their inner faces converging toward the body of the holder to form contracted recesses in which the dental floss is adapted to be inserted and operating as tension devices.

In testimony whereof IafiiX my signature.

FRANK H. STICKLER. [1,. s]

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