WO2000036993A2

WO2000036993A2 - Dental flosser and dispenser

Info

Publication number: WO2000036993A2
Application number: PCT/CA1999/001119
Authority: WO
Inventors: Gerardo Pablo; Jacob Peretz
Original assignee: Novopick Inc.
Priority date: 1999-11-23
Filing date: 1999-11-23
Publication date: 2000-06-29
Also published as: WO2000036993A3; AU1256200A

Abstract

Our invention relates to a 'Dental Flosser and Dispenser'. A particular application is for the device to be able to effectively floss and clean one's teeth free of food debris, plaque, tartar, and other such material imbedded in-between one's teeth, in particular after having a meal. The device's main focus is to replace the awkward use of tying and twining of the dental floss thread into one's fingers and hands (left) into the other one's fingers and hands (right) to floss one's teeth. The invention is designed not only to eliminate the use of ones hand in flossing but also to dispense the dental floss thread in a highly, effective, calibrated manner. The device, with its unique design, is able to both hold and dispense the dental floss thread in an easy, simple motion. Because of the nature of its intended use and purpose for personal use in one's oral hygiene and dental care and for safety and health concerns, the device is designed and manufactured for use as a one-time use disposable item. The device is recommended for individual use only and recommended for use much like a toothbrush in a personal way.

Description

TITLE - DENTAL FLOSSER AND DISPENSER DISCLOSURE

The invention relates to a DENTAL FLOSSER AND DISPENSER, such Flosser and Dispenser is the embodiment of the invention. Such device will be an effective, functional, safe, and hygienic way and means of having a dental flosser in combination of being a dental floss dispenser at the same time.

Conventional dental floss comes packed or packaged in a variety of plastic or steel casing, a person wanting to floss one's teeth still has to pull out the floss from either the Dental spool or Dental cartridge and then wrap it around one's finger (Right Hand) and finally to get the proper tension for flossing and be effective most times one's blood circulation on the fingers become restricted. Having done all the above of having to stick one's hand inside the mouth is still unsanitary and unhygienic.

The invention eliminates the use of both hands in the wrapping and tying of the dental floss of the purpose of flossing. Thus the Dental flosser is designed to hold the floss taut and rigid for the flossing and cleaning of one's teeth.

The invention is also a dispenser of dental floss, at the same time as a dental holder, the device is designed to manually dispense the right length of floss required for each individual use. The device can and will receive an existing dental floss spool or dental floss cartridge that is readily available on the market.

The invention, in particular, is designed much like a toothbrush and is in the form of a toothbrush and for it to be used in a toothbrush-likemanner.

The HEAD houses the main embodiment of the invention. It is the central part of the device, it houses the dental flosser. The two arms, The TOP ARM and The BOTTOM ARM are the two integral components of the Flossing Action. The TOP ARM is where the Dental Spool Floss Thread comes out of the Casing through the body through a canal when getting the flosser ready for action. The dental thread is tied down a CROSS BAR in a series of cross tying action, upon completion, the dental thread follows the canal to the bottom arm wherein the dental thread is secured in place.

The dental thread is secured in place by the gripping action of the canal. After getting the proper tension the dental thread is spun around the body in a series of spiral loops in a SPIRAL TRACK that goes around the body to secure the dental thread into place. It is then locked into place by inserting it to the dental floss thread CUTTER and STOPPER The cutter and stopper is situated just below the bottom arm and prevents the dental thread from unwinding and becoming loose. When all the above actions have been completed, the dental flosser is now ready for personal use.

The BODY connects the HEAD and the CASING into one integral component. The body is a hollow tube whereby the dental floss thread stored in the casing passes through on its way to the head. The length of the tube will be a desired length whereby the use of one's hands reaching inside the mouth is lessened. The dental floss thread running through the body from the dental cartridge is always primed and in place ready for action. The body is where the flosser, the top arm and the bottom arm are both anchored.

The body is equipped with a SPIRAL TRACK that is designed for looping and tying down the dental thread preventing it from becoming loose. The body also houses the dental thread CUTTER and STOPPER. As the word cutter implies, it cuts the dental thread to its desired length, the stopper locks the desired length of thread and prevents it from becoming loose.

The CASING or HOUSING, is where the dental floss spool or the dental floss cartridge (magazine) is stored. The casing is equipped with a dental spool and/or a dental floss cartridge holder whichever may be the case. The casing is equipped with an exit hole that connects the body and the casing together whereby the dental thread passes through from the dental spool.

The SPOOL HOLDER or SPOOL CARTRIDGE holds the dental spool thread into place and also acts as a base at the same time. The spool holder is equipped with a long tubular rod to hold the spool into place. A spool cartridge may be inserted the way it is much like a magazine chamber. Upon loading of the spool or cartridge it is ready for action.

Part #1, The HEAD, at the top end of the device are two arms, the top arm and the bottom arm, parallel to one another, spaced accordingly to accommodate the largest tooth or molar in the insertion process of the dental floss thread when required for use.

The top arm, as the word implies, is on the top connected to the end of the body and directly below is the bottom arm spaced accordingly. The top and the bottom arm holds the dental floss thread into place for the flossing action.

The top arm is equipped with a cross bar for securing the dental floss to get the proper tension on the dental floss itself, once the dental floss is tied down onto the cross bar in a cross tying motion, it is then positioned to follow the top arm gully which positions the dental floss into place to go into the bottom arm. Once the dental floss is at the end of the arm, it drops down into the bottom arm and follows the bottom gully underneath the bottom arm, the dental floss thread is then winded and wrapped around a spiral track in the body and secured into place by looping it around the cutter and stopper.

Part #2, The BODY is the middle portion of the device and it plays a secondary role in the process. The body joins Part #1, The Head and Part #3, The Casing together. The body is a long, thin, rounded shaft much like a tube, hollow in the centre. Its main function is to deliver the dental floss from its casing.

The top arm is connected to the end of the body at a right angle perpendicular to the body. The bottom arm is directly below the top arm and is of the same length as the top arm. It is also at a right angle perpendicular to the body.

The body's secondary function and role with its long shaft gives the device depth and distance for it to be inserted inside one's mouth, for the cleaning action required to use the dental floss effectively without putting one's hand inside one's mouth. The body also houses the spiral track situated just below the bottom arm for attaching and tying the dental thread to its required final length.

The body also is where the dental thread cutter and stopper is housed. The main function of the cutter and stopper is to cut the dental thread to its required length and to lock it into place to prevent it from becoming loose.

Part #3, The CASING, at the bottom of the device at the opposite end of the head, is a rounded shaft much like a tube, hollow in the inside. Its function is to house the dental floss spool or a dental floss cartridge that is readily available in the market place.

RECTΠTED SHEET (RULE 91) The casing is equipped with a dental floss spool holder or a dental floss cartridge holder. The dental spool holder is designed much like a sewing machine spool holder. It has a thin shaft like a tubular rod where the spool is dropped into when one requires to dispense dental floss. The floss is pulled out of the top arm exit and the spool rotates around the rod to dispense the floss for use without the dental floss jamming inside the casing. In the case of a dental spool cartridge the cartridge is loaded inside the casing and the dental floss thread is just pulled into place and pulled into the body through the head secured into place and primed for action.

After the use of the dental flosser one can unwind the used dental thread and cut the used portion. The dental flosser upon loading the new thread into the head is now primed and ready for its next use upon tying and securing floss into its programmed position.

The object and focus of the invention is to eliminate the unsanitary use of one's hands in flossing. The invention will eliminate the above practice and offer a better, healthier and much more effective way of personal flossing.

While the main object and focus of the invention is eliminating the use of a person's hand in flossing, one of the secondary results in using the device is in the saving of dental floss with its effective tie down system versus the hand use twisting, there is less dental floss used in one's personal cleaning.

RECTΠTΓED SHEET (RULE 9i)

Claims

CLAIMTHE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVEPROPERTY OR PRTVTLEGE IS CLAIMED ARE AS FOLLOWS

1. A Dental Floss Holder and Dispenser:

A device to effectively hold and dispense dental floss without using both hands to twist and tie dental floss to clean one's teeth.

2. The device is an effective tool in cleaning one's teeth through the use of dental floss.

3. The device is a dental floss holder.

4. The device is a dental floss dispenser.

5. The device is divided into four (4) integral parts. Part #1, the Head, Part #2, the Body, Part #3, the Casing and Part #4, the Spool Holder Base.

6. Such material must be resilient, preferably plastic, which lends itself in a practical and way to be produced in pressed die-cut, on moulded form.

7. Such material can also be die-casted out of metal or metal alloys.

8. Part #1, The Head, at one end of the device at the top are two arms, both parallel to one another, both at right angles and both perpendicular protruding from the body to a desired length spaced evenly to comfortably accommodate the insertion of the head in-between a person's teeth.

9. The top arm, as the word implies, is on the top and the bottom arm directly below the other. The top arm is where the dental floss is held and tied down with enough tension to replace a person's fingers and hands for the cleaning motion when using dental floss.

RECTΓFΠCD SHEET (RULE 91)

10. The top arm is equipped with a gully that runs from the body to the end tip of the arm, bissecting it just past the right angle connection of the arm to the body is a cross bar.

11. The gully is a part of the canal system which holds the floss in place. It is located in the centre portion of the top arm and is the delivery system for the dental floss thread that strategically centres the dental floss thread to the bottom arm.

12. The Cross Bar bisects the top arm and is a straight track that is used for securing the dental floss thread from its spool or cartridge from the housing from disengaging or becoming loose when required for use and at the same time to give it tension when the dental floss thread is tied down to the bottom arm.

13. When securing the dental floss thread into the cross bar, the dental thread passes through the track and is then tied and secured by following the cross bars turning right and then around the top arm still following the track and then upon looping back and turning to the right following the gully. Upon reaching the end of the top arm is a squeezer that holds the dental floss thread into place to go into its next motion

14. The Spiral Tracks around the main shaft are designed to tie down the dental floss thread and lock into place the dental floss for use.

15. The Dental Floss Cutter and Stopper, as the word implies, cuts the desired length of dental floss required and locks the thread form being disengaged and loose.

16. Part #3, The Casing at the bottom of the device at the opposite end of the thread is rounded shaft, much like a tube, hollow in the inside, its function is to house the dental floss spool or dental floss cartridge.

17. The dental floss thread spool holder or dental floss thread cartridge is designed much like a sewing machine thread spool/holder. It has a thin tubular shaft much like a rod where the dental floss spool is dropped into or inserted. Once the spool is inside the rod the spool will rotate to dispense the thread.

18. When one requires dental floss, the dental floss is pulled out of the head form the body, the spool holder allows the release of the dental floss from the dental spool rod rotates in a circular motion, releasing the dental floss for use, without jamming.

19. The Spool Holder also acts as a base and cover for the casing.

20. In operation when desired for use, the dental flosser and dispenser allows the person to use the device much like a toothbrush. By putting the head portion into one's mouth and inserting the flosser in-between ones teeth, the flosser is now ready for use. The flosser, by gently going in an up down motion and gently going sideways it is a safe, hygienic, sanitary and healthy way of flossing. By using the dental flosser one can clean and get into the inner recesses of one's gums and teeth to clear plaque, debris and tartar imbedded in-between one's teeth without the messy, unhygienic use of sticking one's hand inside one's mouth.

21. After each use, the user just pulls the used dental floss of the head, cut off used dental floss thread, throw away, pull out new dental floss thread and reload.

22. Upon reloading dental floss thread into the head, the user can rinse the head before or after each use if required.

RECTIFffiD SHEET (RULE 91)