US2760628A - Plastic toothpicks - Google Patents
Plastic toothpicks Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US2760628A US2760628A US328931A US32893152A US2760628A US 2760628 A US2760628 A US 2760628A US 328931 A US328931 A US 328931A US 32893152 A US32893152 A US 32893152A US 2760628 A US2760628 A US 2760628A
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- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- toothpicks
- toothpick
- plastic
- tip
- card
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
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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
- A61C15/02—Toothpicks
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65D—CONTAINERS FOR STORAGE OR TRANSPORT OF ARTICLES OR MATERIALS, e.g. BAGS, BARRELS, BOTTLES, BOXES, CANS, CARTONS, CRATES, DRUMS, JARS, TANKS, HOPPERS, FORWARDING CONTAINERS; ACCESSORIES, CLOSURES, OR FITTINGS THEREFOR; PACKAGING ELEMENTS; PACKAGES
- B65D71/00—Bundles of articles held together by packaging elements for convenience of storage or transport, e.g. portable segregating carrier for plural receptacles such as beer cans or pop bottles; Bales of material
Definitions
- My present invention relates to plastic toothpicks and to cards thereof adapted to be packaged in folders or envelopes.
- Wooden toothpicks have objectionable features that have long been recognized. Among these may be noted their tendency to splinter in use and the difficulty of presenting them to the public in an attractive, convenient and sanitary manner. Furthermore, wooden toothpicks are not as thin as they should be for various uses. As a consequence, proposals have been made to provide plastic toothpicks as such stock has a satisfactory texture and affords a wide range of fast colors. Plastics also have the advantage of enabling toothpicks to be produced and packaged so that they can be dispensed under sanitary conditions as in envelopes and folders ensuring maximum convenience to the users and affording an excellent advertising medium.
- Molded plastics are not satisfactory for use in the production of toothpicks, however, because of objectionable size limitations since a molded plastic toothpick of the size and shape of a conventional wooden. toothpick is too brittle and otherwise lacks the desirable characteristics thereof. Extruded plastics, on the other hand, are too flexible when formed from sheet stock of gauge otherwise suitable.
- each toothpick con-- sists of a body of thin and flexible plastic stock that is pointed at one end to provide a tip and has a longitudinal crimp extending substantially from end to end thereof but terminating short of the apex of the tip.
- a toothpick is longitudinally stiffened throughout the main. part thereof, while its tip remains relatively flexible there by enabling material costs to be held to a minimum and the toothpicks to have novel and advantageous characteristics.
- Fig. l is a view, in perspective, of a folder of toothpicks in accordance with the invention.
- Fig. 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, along the: indicated lines 22 of Fig. 1.
- Fig. 3 is an edge view of a card of toothpicks formed from a plastic sheet
- Fig. 4 is an elevational view of such a card.
- each toothpick 5 is shown as having a pointed end or tip 6 that is preferably somewhat rounded.
- the toothpicks 5 are made of relatively thin and flexible stock such as plastic in sheet form which has the advantage of low cost and the inherent disadvantage of being too flexible. That disadvantage is obviated by forming each toothpick 5 with a longitudinal. crimp 7 which extends from a point rearwardly of the apex of the tip 6, but preferably includes a part thereof, substantially to its other end.
- the main part of each toothpick is sufficiently stiffened while its tip retains its relative flexibility to facilitate its use 2,760,628 Patented Aug. 28, 1956 without injury to the gums or fillings.
- the crimp 7 imparts to the main toothpick part a cross sectional shape making it easy to hold in use while its tip 6 is substantially flat.
- a card 8 is formed consisting of a plurality of toothpicks 5 interconnected by a web 9 containing the number of toothpicks desired for packaging and card having a score line 10 to enable individual toothpicks to be readily separated therefrom.
- the crimps 7 effect their spacing throughout the major portion of their length as may best be seen in Fig. 4 with the crimps merging with flat end portions as shown in Fig. 3.
- Toothpicks in accordance with the invention are adapted to be packaged in envelopes or in the same manner as paper matches as by connecting the webs 9 of a plurality of cards 8, as by a staple 11, to a folder 12, which may be formed from a plastic sheet or from cardboard.
- a folder 12 which may be formed from a plastic sheet or from cardboard.
- one card 8 may be so disposed relative to another so that its toothpicks may nest on the V which adjacent sides of adjacent toothpicks of the other card thus positioning the points of the toothpicks of the respective cards out of alinement and making the package suitably compact.
- toothpicks in accordance with the invention are well adapted to be inexpensively manufactured with their construction rendering them satisfactory in use.
- the toothpicks are adapted to be packaged in ways that meet commercial requirements, including adaptability to advertising, while enabling sanitary conditions to be maintained until the entire contents of the package have been used.
- a toothpick package comprising a folder, a pair of cards secured in said folder, each of said cards being of relatively thin and flexible plastic stock and consisting of a plurality of toothpicks, and a web interconnecting one end of the toothpicks, the other end of each toothpick being pointed to provide a tip and a longitudinal crimp of V-shaped cross section extending substantially from end to end thereof but terminating short of the apex of said pointed end thereby to stiffen the main part thereof, each toothpick of one card being disposed to nest against a V defined by adjacent sides of adjacent toothpicks of the other card in the zone of their crimps.
- a toothpick comprising a body of relatively thin and flexible plastic stock having one of its ends in the form of a V-shaped point to provide a tip, and a longitudinal crimp of V-shaped section extending substantially from end-to-end of said body approximately along the center line thereof but terminating in said pointed end short of the apex thereof to stiffen said toothpick except in the zone of said apex and to retain flexibility in said zone.
- a toothpick card of relatively thin and flexible plastic stock comprising a plurality of toothpicks each of which has a V-shaped end to provide a pointed tip, and a Web interconnecting the other ends of the toothpicks, each toothpick having a longitudinal crimp of V-shaped section extending substantially from end-to-end thereof along its center line but terminating in said tip short of the zone of the apex thereof to stiffen said toothpick in said zone, the tips and the webs occupying the same plane.
Description
28, 1956 R. B. BRIGGS 2,760,628
PLASTIC TOOTHPICKS Filed Dec. 31, 1952 INVENTOR.
Robert B. Briggs United States Patent PLASTIC TOOTHPICKS Robert B. Briggs, Natick, Mass. Appiication December 31, 1952, Serial No. 328,931 3 Claims. (Cl. 206-29) My present invention relates to plastic toothpicks and to cards thereof adapted to be packaged in folders or envelopes.
Wooden toothpicks have objectionable features that have long been recognized. Among these may be noted their tendency to splinter in use and the difficulty of presenting them to the public in an attractive, convenient and sanitary manner. Furthermore, wooden toothpicks are not as thin as they should be for various uses. As a consequence, proposals have been made to provide plastic toothpicks as such stock has a satisfactory texture and affords a wide range of fast colors. Plastics also have the advantage of enabling toothpicks to be produced and packaged so that they can be dispensed under sanitary conditions as in envelopes and folders ensuring maximum convenience to the users and affording an excellent advertising medium. Molded plastics are not satisfactory for use in the production of toothpicks, however, because of objectionable size limitations since a molded plastic toothpick of the size and shape of a conventional wooden. toothpick is too brittle and otherwise lacks the desirable characteristics thereof. Extruded plastics, on the other hand, are too flexible when formed from sheet stock of gauge otherwise suitable.
in accordance with the invention, each toothpick con-- sists of a body of thin and flexible plastic stock that is pointed at one end to provide a tip and has a longitudinal crimp extending substantially from end to end thereof but terminating short of the apex of the tip. Such a toothpick is longitudinally stiffened throughout the main. part thereof, while its tip remains relatively flexible there by enabling material costs to be held to a minimum and the toothpicks to have novel and advantageous characteristics.
in the accompanying drawings, an embodiment of the invention is shown which illustrates its novel features and advantages.
in the drawings:
Fig. l is a view, in perspective, of a folder of toothpicks in accordance with the invention.
Fig. 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, along the: indicated lines 22 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an edge view of a card of toothpicks formed from a plastic sheet, and
Fig. 4 is an elevational view of such a card.
In the drawings, each toothpick 5 is shown as having a pointed end or tip 6 that is preferably somewhat rounded. The toothpicks 5 are made of relatively thin and flexible stock such as plastic in sheet form which has the advantage of low cost and the inherent disadvantage of being too flexible. That disadvantage is obviated by forming each toothpick 5 with a longitudinal. crimp 7 which extends from a point rearwardly of the apex of the tip 6, but preferably includes a part thereof, substantially to its other end. By this construction, the main part of each toothpick is sufficiently stiffened while its tip retains its relative flexibility to facilitate its use 2,760,628 Patented Aug. 28, 1956 without injury to the gums or fillings. At the same time,- the crimp 7 imparts to the main toothpick part a cross sectional shape making it easy to hold in use while its tip 6 is substantially flat.
In practise, the toothpicks are cut by dies from sheets of plastic and cellulose acetate in the order of .0125 or .015 inch in thickness has proved satisfactory for this purpose. in production, a card 8 is formed consisting of a plurality of toothpicks 5 interconnected by a web 9 containing the number of toothpicks desired for packaging and card having a score line 10 to enable individual toothpicks to be readily separated therefrom. During the formation of the toothpicks in cards, the crimps 7 effect their spacing throughout the major portion of their length as may best be seen in Fig. 4 with the crimps merging with flat end portions as shown in Fig. 3.
Toothpicks in accordance with the invention are adapted to be packaged in envelopes or in the same manner as paper matches as by connecting the webs 9 of a plurality of cards 8, as by a staple 11, to a folder 12, which may be formed from a plastic sheet or from cardboard. In that case, see Figs. 1 and 2, one card 8 may be so disposed relative to another so that its toothpicks may nest on the V which adjacent sides of adjacent toothpicks of the other card thus positioning the points of the toothpicks of the respective cards out of alinement and making the package suitably compact.
From the foregoing, it will be apparent that toothpicks in accordance with the invention are well adapted to be inexpensively manufactured with their construction rendering them satisfactory in use. In addition, the toothpicks are adapted to be packaged in ways that meet commercial requirements, including adaptability to advertising, while enabling sanitary conditions to be maintained until the entire contents of the package have been used.
What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:
1. A toothpick package comprising a folder, a pair of cards secured in said folder, each of said cards being of relatively thin and flexible plastic stock and consisting of a plurality of toothpicks, and a web interconnecting one end of the toothpicks, the other end of each toothpick being pointed to provide a tip and a longitudinal crimp of V-shaped cross section extending substantially from end to end thereof but terminating short of the apex of said pointed end thereby to stiffen the main part thereof, each toothpick of one card being disposed to nest against a V defined by adjacent sides of adjacent toothpicks of the other card in the zone of their crimps.
2. A toothpick comprising a body of relatively thin and flexible plastic stock having one of its ends in the form of a V-shaped point to provide a tip, and a longitudinal crimp of V-shaped section extending substantially from end-to-end of said body approximately along the center line thereof but terminating in said pointed end short of the apex thereof to stiffen said toothpick except in the zone of said apex and to retain flexibility in said zone.
3. A toothpick card of relatively thin and flexible plastic stock, said card comprising a plurality of toothpicks each of which has a V-shaped end to provide a pointed tip, and a Web interconnecting the other ends of the toothpicks, each toothpick having a longitudinal crimp of V-shaped section extending substantially from end-to-end thereof along its center line but terminating in said tip short of the zone of the apex thereof to stiffen said toothpick in said zone, the tips and the webs occupying the same plane.
(References on following page) References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS France Nov. 10, 1911 France Oct. 3, 1932 France Feb. 16, 1948
Priority Applications (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US328931A US2760628A (en) | 1952-12-31 | 1952-12-31 | Plastic toothpicks |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US328931A US2760628A (en) | 1952-12-31 | 1952-12-31 | Plastic toothpicks |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
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US2760628A true US2760628A (en) | 1956-08-28 |
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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US328931A Expired - Lifetime US2760628A (en) | 1952-12-31 | 1952-12-31 | Plastic toothpicks |
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Cited By (13)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3486611A (en) * | 1968-05-03 | 1969-12-30 | Delphis Roger Ouimet | Toothpick package |
US4312370A (en) * | 1980-05-13 | 1982-01-26 | George Hinge | Toothpick |
US5016659A (en) * | 1990-04-02 | 1991-05-21 | Mas Eduardo M | Compact mouth and breath freshener apparatus |
US5560379A (en) * | 1994-08-12 | 1996-10-01 | Pieczenik; George | Dental paper pick and flosser |
US5735300A (en) * | 1996-11-19 | 1998-04-07 | Higgins; Patrick O. | Toothpick |
US6044848A (en) * | 1999-02-02 | 2000-04-04 | Huang; Pin-Chin | Toothpick assembly |
US6220258B1 (en) | 1999-03-15 | 2001-04-24 | Robert B. Briggs | Extruded plastic toothpick and method |
US20050282113A1 (en) * | 2004-03-12 | 2005-12-22 | Howard Fraiman | Apparatus for simulating interdental papilla |
US20110203608A1 (en) * | 2010-02-22 | 2011-08-25 | Carlos Rivera | Interdental Space Cleaner |
USD843063S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-03-12 | Dentek Oral Care, Inc. | Interdental pick |
USD843062S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-03-12 | Dentek Oral Care, Inc. | Interdental pick |
USD843061S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-03-12 | DenTek Oral Care, Inc | Interdental Pick |
USD846806S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-04-23 | DenTek Oral Care, Inc | Interdental pick set |
Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR433950A (en) * | 1911-08-18 | 1912-01-19 | Aurel Meckel | Toothpicks with preservative envelopes |
US1462062A (en) * | 1922-11-01 | 1923-07-17 | George M Browning | Toothpick and method of making same |
US1555111A (en) * | 1922-07-04 | 1925-09-29 | Flowers John Benjamin | Toothpick |
FR737236A (en) * | 1932-01-15 | 1932-12-08 | Toothpick pouch | |
US2254545A (en) * | 1938-08-01 | 1941-09-02 | Henry T Roberts | Match book |
FR936536A (en) * | 1946-12-09 | 1948-07-22 | Fabrication Et De Conditiionne | Panel manufacturing process and material for its application |
US2470523A (en) * | 1944-11-15 | 1949-05-17 | Russo Giuseppe | Match book |
-
1952
- 1952-12-31 US US328931A patent/US2760628A/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Patent Citations (7)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
FR433950A (en) * | 1911-08-18 | 1912-01-19 | Aurel Meckel | Toothpicks with preservative envelopes |
US1555111A (en) * | 1922-07-04 | 1925-09-29 | Flowers John Benjamin | Toothpick |
US1462062A (en) * | 1922-11-01 | 1923-07-17 | George M Browning | Toothpick and method of making same |
FR737236A (en) * | 1932-01-15 | 1932-12-08 | Toothpick pouch | |
US2254545A (en) * | 1938-08-01 | 1941-09-02 | Henry T Roberts | Match book |
US2470523A (en) * | 1944-11-15 | 1949-05-17 | Russo Giuseppe | Match book |
FR936536A (en) * | 1946-12-09 | 1948-07-22 | Fabrication Et De Conditiionne | Panel manufacturing process and material for its application |
Cited By (14)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3486611A (en) * | 1968-05-03 | 1969-12-30 | Delphis Roger Ouimet | Toothpick package |
US4312370A (en) * | 1980-05-13 | 1982-01-26 | George Hinge | Toothpick |
US5016659A (en) * | 1990-04-02 | 1991-05-21 | Mas Eduardo M | Compact mouth and breath freshener apparatus |
US5560379A (en) * | 1994-08-12 | 1996-10-01 | Pieczenik; George | Dental paper pick and flosser |
US5735300A (en) * | 1996-11-19 | 1998-04-07 | Higgins; Patrick O. | Toothpick |
US6044848A (en) * | 1999-02-02 | 2000-04-04 | Huang; Pin-Chin | Toothpick assembly |
US6220258B1 (en) | 1999-03-15 | 2001-04-24 | Robert B. Briggs | Extruded plastic toothpick and method |
US20050282113A1 (en) * | 2004-03-12 | 2005-12-22 | Howard Fraiman | Apparatus for simulating interdental papilla |
US7296997B2 (en) * | 2004-03-12 | 2007-11-20 | Howard Fraiman | Apparatus for simulating interdental papilla |
US20110203608A1 (en) * | 2010-02-22 | 2011-08-25 | Carlos Rivera | Interdental Space Cleaner |
USD843063S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-03-12 | Dentek Oral Care, Inc. | Interdental pick |
USD843062S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-03-12 | Dentek Oral Care, Inc. | Interdental pick |
USD843061S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-03-12 | DenTek Oral Care, Inc | Interdental Pick |
USD846806S1 (en) | 2017-04-04 | 2019-04-23 | DenTek Oral Care, Inc | Interdental pick set |
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