The present invention relates to dental floss holders.
Dental floss holders are well known for aiding consumers in flossing teeth. These devices generally include a handle, and a pair of spaced apart arms extending from the handle with a strand of dental floss stretched between the arms. The dental floss is held in tension between the arms, so that a user can grip the handle to insert the floss between the user's teeth.
Some dental floss holders are molded from a thermoplastic, with the dental floss inserted in the mold and molded in place into the arms of the dental floss holder. Examples of these holders include U.S. Pat. No. D301,071 to Franchi, U.S. Pat. No. D316,617 to Cheung, U.S. Pat. No. D279,826 to Schindler, and U.S. Pat. No. D276,088 to Fong. These dental floss holders provide benefits in manufacturing, because they only require a single molding material, and can be formed in a single molding step. Additional benefits are provided by recent thermoplastic dental floss holders that also include an integral toothpick. For instance, the dental floss holder may include an elongated base having a pair of arms extending from one side and carrying a strand of floss, and a toothpick extending from a second side opposite the first side.
Despite the availability of current devices, manufacturers are continually striving to create dental devices with increased shelf appeal and increased function.
The aforementioned problems are overcome by the present invention, wherein a dental floss holder includes an interproximal pick with a plurality of outwardly extending nubs.
In one embodiment, the dental floss holder includes a handle having a first portion and a second portion. A pair of arms extends from the first portion. The arms are spaced apart and include a strand of dental floss stretched therebetween. An interproximal pick extends from the second portion. The interproximal pick includes a plurality of nubs that extend outwardly from the pick. The handle, arms and interproximal pick are molded from a single, integrally molded piece.
In another embodiment, the dental floss holder includes a handle, a pair of arms extending from a first portion of the handle, a strand of dental floss material extending between the arms, an elongated shaft extending from a second portion of the handle, and a sleeve on at least a portion of the shaft. The sleeve includes an outer surface having a plurality of nubs extending outwardly therefrom. The handle, arms and elongated shaft are molded from a single piece, and the sleeve is a softer material that is molded over the shaft.
The present invention provides advantages in functionality and manufacturing, while also improving aesthetics. The interproximal pick including the nubs increases the cleaning effectiveness between teeth. In addition, the embodiment including a sleeve formed from a softer material is less harmful to a user's teeth and gums than a traditional toothpick. The dental floss holder, including the floss and the pick, are molded in a single molding step, such that the increased functionality does not substantially increase manufacturing time.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by reference to the description of the current embodiments and the drawings.
A dental floss holder according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown generally in
The dental floss holder 10 is typically formed from an injection molded plastic. In the embodiment shown in
The pair of spaced apart arms 14 and 16 extend from the first end 22 of the handle 12. In the illustrated embodiment, the arms are parallel, and at least a portion of the arms 14, 16 includes the same peripheral flange 34 as the handle 12. The first arm 14 terminates in a tip 38, and the second arm terminates in a tip 40. A strand of dental floss 18 is attached to each of the arms 14, 16 near the tips 38 and 40 such that it is stretched across the span between the arms 14, 16 and held in tension. The floss 18 may be attached to the arms by a variety of methods. In one embodiment, the floss 18 is molded in place into the arms 14, 16, such that the floss extends straight through both of the arms 14, 16, with a portion extending out the reverse side of each arm that may be trimmed to a desired length. The floss 18 may be comprised of a variety of suitable materials, such nylon or similar material, PTFE, for example.
In the illustrated embodiment, the interproximal pick 20 extends from the second end 24 of the handle 12. Alternatively, the interproximal pick could extend from another location on the handle 12, such as the top edge 26 or the bottom edge 28. As shown in
The manufacture of the dental floss holder shown in
An alternative embodiment of the dental floss holder 10′ is shown in
Manufacture of the dental floss holder 10′ of the second embodiment is similar to the manufacture of the dental floss holder 10 of the first embodiment,. However, the dental floss holder 10′ of the second embodiment is typically molded in two stages, with the handle 12′, arms 14′, 16′ and elongated shaft 60′ of the interproximal pick 20′ molded integrally in the first stage, and the sleeve 62′ molded from a second material over the elongated shaft 60′ in the second stage.
The above description is that of the current embodiments of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents. Any reference to claim elements in the singular, for example, using the articles “a,” “an,” “the” or “said,” is not to be construed as limiting the element to the singular.