The present invention relates to a dental flosser apparatus employed as an oral sanitary implement and, more particularly, to an electric dental flosser apparatus for electrically rotationally oscillating a strand of floss.
A dental floss for cleaning the spaces between the user's teeth is conventionally known as an oral sanitary implement. In cleaning the spaces between the teeth, it is effective to finely move a strand of floss made of a bundle of fine fibers, and an electric dental flosser apparatus for electrically driving the strand of floss has been recently provided.
The electric dental flosser apparatus of this kind is shown in, for example,
Patent Document 1: Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 07-425
However, because the proximal end of the floss holding portion 6′ is positioned on the extension line A of the drive shaft and because the strand of floss 5′ passes through a position away from the extension line A of the drive shaft, the distance between the extension line A of the drive shaft and the opposite distal ends of the floss holding portion 6′ is large. Accordingly, when the electric dental flosser apparatus 1′ is driven, the width C of oscillation of the opposite distal ends of the floss holding portion 6′, i.e., the two portions of the floss holder 3′ that hold opposite ends of the strand of floss 5′ becomes very large, as shown in
The present invention has been developed to overcome the above-described disadvantages.
It is accordingly an objective of the present invention to provide an electric dental flosser apparatus capable of improving the feeling of use and performing effective flossing by rendering, when the strand of floss is inserted between the teeth or during flossing in which the strand of floss has been inserted between the teeth under the condition in which the dental flosser apparatus is in operation, the portions of the floss holder that hold opposite ends of the strand of floss not to easily impinge on the teeth, an internal wall of the mouth or the like.
Another objective of the present invention is to provide an electric dental flosser apparatus capable of effective flossing by oscillating the strand of floss in a direction of a line that connects an intermediate portion of the strand of floss stretched between opposite distal end portions of a forked floss holding portion with a proximal end portion of the floss holding portion.
In accomplishing the above objectives, the electric dental flosser apparatus according to the present invention includes a drive shaft, a drive mechanism operable to rotationally oscillate the drive shaft about its own axis, a floss holder mounted on the drive shaft so as to be oscillated rotationally by the drive shaft, and a flosser element stretched on the floss holder. The flosser element is held taut in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the drive shaft so as to pass across an extension line of the drive shaft or a position adjacent thereto.
This construction can reduce the distance between the extension line of the drive shaft and those portions of the floss holder that hold opposite ends of the flosser element and, hence, when the electric dental flosser apparatus is in operation, the width of oscillation of such portion of the floss holder holding the opposite ends of the flosser element can be reduced. As a result, under the condition in which the electric dental flosser apparatus is in operation, when the flosser element is inserted between the teeth or during flossing in which the flosser element has been inserted between the teeth, the portions of the floss holder holding the opposite ends of the flosser element won't easily impinge on the teeth, an internal wall of the mouth or the like, making it possible to improve the feeling of use without any unpleasant feeling given to the user and to accomplish safe and effective flossing.
The floss holder may include a forked floss holding portion. In this case, an intermediate portion of a line connecting an intermediate portion of the flosser element and a proximal end portion of the floss holding portion is positioned on an extension line of the drive shaft or a neighborhood thereof.
This construction can also reduce the distance between the extension line of the drive shaft and opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion and, hence, when the electric dental flosser apparatus is in operation, the width of oscillation of the opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion can be reduced. As a result, under the condition in which the electric dental flosser apparatus is in operation, when the flosser element is inserted between the teeth or during flossing in which the flosser element has been inserted between the teeth, the opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion won't easily impinge on the teeth, an internal wall of the mouth or the like, making it possible to improve the feeling of use without any unpleasant feeling given to the user and to accomplish safe and effective flossing. Also, because the center of rotational oscillation of the flosser element is positioned on an intermediate portion of a line that connects an intermediate portion of the flosser element with the proximal end portion of the floss holding portion, it becomes possible to move the flosser element back and forth in a direction of such a line, resulting in more effective flossing.
Further, the floss holder may include an elastically deformable neck portion mounted on the drive shaft and a floss holding portion mounted on the neck portion.
If the neck portion is elastically deformable, when the flosser element is inserted between the teeth, a load applied to the flosser element elastically deforms the neck portion, and an intermediate portion of the flosser element moves towards the extension line of the drive shaft or a neighborhood thereof, making it possible to easily insert the flosser element between the teeth. Also, during flossing in which the flosser element is placed between the teeth, the load that has been applied to the flosser element is reduced or lost and, hence, the neck portion returns to its original state before the elastic deformation in which the intermediate portion of the line connecting the intermediate portion of the flosser element and the proximal end portion of the floss holding portion is positioned on the extension line of the drive shaft or the neighborhood thereof. As a result, the flosser element oscillates in the direction of such line, making it possible to accomplish effective flossing.
Conveniently, the neck portion mounted on the drive shaft and the floss holding portion mounted on the neck portion are formed independently, and the floss holding portion having the flosser element stretched thereon is removably mounted on the neck portion.
By this construction, replacement of the flosser element that is regarded difficult for the ordinary users can be easily carried out merely by replacing the floss holding portion on which the flosser element is stretched taut. Also, the flosser element can be held under uniform tension and, at the same time, the floss holding portion can be disposed of after use, making it possible to provide hygienic flossing.
If the floss holding portion is made of a biodegradable plastic material, the floss holding portion can be buried in the ground after use, and even if it is burnt, it won't damage a furnace because it produces a lower quantity of heat than the ordinary plastic materials do with no toxic substances such as dioxin produced. Further, even if the user swallows, though this is not unlikely during normal use, the floss holding portion by mistake, he or she won't be adversely affected thereby.
The floss holder may include a generally U-shaped floss holding portion having a floss guide groove defined in opposite distal end surfaces and a portion or the entirety of an outer side surface thereof. In this case, a length of floss can be wound around the floss holding portion while received in the floss guide groove.
With this construction, replacement of the flosser element that is regarded difficult for the ordinary users can be easily carried out by stretching the flosser element taut between the opposite distal end portions of the U-shaped floss holding portion. Further, commercially available floss that has been cut into a predetermined length can be used as a length of floss, resulting in an economical use of the electric dental flosser apparatus.
If the floss holder is removably mounted on the drive shaft, any one of a plurality of floss holders having different shapes can be selectively mounted on the drive shaft to accomplish effective flossing, or different floss holders can be selectively used depending on the users. Also, in the case where the floss holder wears out, it is sufficient if only the floss holder is replaced, resulting in an economical use of the electric dental flosser apparatus.
The floss holding portion may be inclined such that the flosser element stretched thereon is positioned on a further distal end side beyond the distal end of the neck portion in an axial direction of the drive shaft.
In this case, the flosser element can be easily inserted into the mouth without causing the floss holding portion and the neck portion to impinge on the teeth, an internal wall of the mouth or the like. Also, even during flossing in which the flosser element has been inserted between the teeth, it is unlikely that the floss holding portion or the neck portion would impinge on teeth adjacent to the target teeth, an internal wall of the mouth or the like.
If a plurality of flosser elements are stretched taut on the floss holder, effective flossing can be accomplished.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter with reference to the drawings.
An electric dental flosser apparatus 1 shown in
The dental flosser body 2 accommodates a motor 12 and a dry cell 13 employed as a power source for the motor 12 or a power unit for the electric dental flosser apparatus 1. The dry cell 13 can be replaced upon removal of a dry cell cover 1-4 that forms a portion of the body casing 11. The drive shaft 4 is supported within the end portion of the dental flosser body 2 so that a longitudinal axis of the drive shaft 4 is held in alignment with a longitudinal axis of the dental flosser body 2. The drive shaft 4 is connected to a motor shaft 15 of the motor 12 via a motion conversion mechanism accommodated within the dental flosser body 2.
The motion conversion mechanism acts to convert a rotational motion about the motor shaft 15 to a rotational oscillating motion about the drive shaft 4 (that is, an oscillating motion in a direction about the drive shaft). In the illustrated electric dental flosser apparatus 1, the motion conversion mechanism includes a face gear 17 held in mesh with a gear 16 secured to the motor shaft 15 and an eccentric cam 18 for converting rotation of the face gear 17 to the rotational oscillating motion of the drive shaft 4.
Reference numeral 19 shown in
The floss holder 3 is mounted at its proximal end portion on an end portion of the drive shaft 4, and includes a neck portion 8 mounted on the drive shaft 4 and a floss holding portion 6 unitarily formed with the neck portion 8 to hold a flosser element 5.
The neck portion 8 has a proximal end portion mounted on the end portion of the drive shaft 4 that protrudes from an end portion of the dental flosser body 2. The neck portion 8 is curved from the proximal end portion thereof towards a distal end portion thereof so as to be gradually apart from an extension line A of the drive shaft 4. That is, the neck portion 8 is smoothly inclined with respect to the extension line A of the drive shaft 4.
The floss holding portion 6 has a forked shape or is generally formed into a figure “U” as viewed from the drive shaft 4, and a proximal end portion of the floss holding portion 6 is formed with the distal end portion of the neck portion 8. A strand of floss or flosser element 5 is stretched taut between opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion 6 so as to extend in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the drive shaft 4 and pass across the extension line A of the drive shaft 4. In the illustrated embodiment, an intermediate portion of the flosser element 5 crosses the extension line A of the drive shaft 4, but it may pass across a position adjacent to the extension line A of the drive shaft 4.
The body casing 11 has an ON/OFF switch 20 mounted on a front portion thereof to turn on or off the motor 12. When the motor 12 is driven, rotation of the motor shaft 15 causes a rotational oscillation of the drive shaft 4 about its longitudinal axis and, at the same time, a rotational oscillation of the floss holder 3, which in turn causes a rotational oscillation of both the floss holding portion 6 and the flosser element 5 about the extension line A of the drive shaft 4 (or the neighborhood of the extension line A of the drive shaft 4), as shown in
Because the flosser element 5 is stretched taut in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the drive shaft 4 so as to pass across the extension line A of the drive shaft 4 or the neighborhood thereof, the distance between the extension line A of the drive shaft 4 and the opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion 6 becomes small and, hence, when the electric dental flosser apparatus 1 is in operation, the width C of oscillation of the opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion can be reduced as shown in
In this embodiment, as shown in
When the motor 12 is driven, both the floss holder 3 and the flosser element 5 having opposite ends held by the floss holder 3 are rotationally oscillated about the intermediate portion of the line B (the extension line A of the drive shaft 4 or the neighborhood thereof), as shown in
As described hereinabove, by positioning the intermediate portion of the line B on the extension line A of the drive shaft 4 or the neighborhood thereof, when the electric dental flosser apparatus 1 is in operation, the distance between the extension line A of the drive shaft 4 and the opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion 6 can be reduced, as in the first embodiment, making it possible to reduce the width C of oscillation of the opposite distal end portions of the floss holding portion 6 during operation of the electric dental flosser apparatus 1. In addition, the back and forth motion of the flosser element 5 in the direction of the line B results in more effective flossing.
It is preferred that the neck portion 8 be elastically deformable, as best shown in
It is to be noted here that the manner in which the neck portion 8 is formed elastically deformable is not limited to the neck portion 8 having the elastic portion 21, but the neck portion 8 may have a thickness or shape that elastically deforms the neck portion 8.
In this case, when the flosser element 5 is inserted in between the teeth, the load applied to the flosser element 5 elastically deforms the neck portion 8, as shown in
In this embodiment, as shown in
With this configuration in which the neck portion 8 and the floss holding portion 6 are formed independently, and the floss holding portion 6 having the flosser element 5 stretched thereon is removably mounted on the neck portion 8, replacement of the flosser element 5 that is regarded difficult for the ordinary users can be easily carried out merely by replacing the floss holding portion 6 on which the flosser element 5 is stretched taut. In this case, the flosser element 5 is held under uniform tension and, at the same time, the floss holding portion 6 can be disposed of after use, making it possible to provide hygienic flossing.
It is preferred that the floss holding portion 6 be made of a biodegradable plastic material such as a poly-lactic acid-based one or a starch-based one. The biodegradable plastic material can be used in the same manner as the ordinary plastic products and is a plastic material that is resolved, after use, into water and carbon dioxide by microorganisms and/or resolving enzymes existing in the natural world to return to nature. The floss holding portion 6 made of such a biodegradable plastic material can be buried in the ground after use, and even if it is burnt, it won't damage a furnace because it produces a lower quantity of heat than the ordinary plastic materials do with no toxic substances such as dioxin produced. Further, even if the user swallows, though this is not unlikely during normal use, the floss holding portion 6 made of a biodegradable plastic material by mistake, he or she won't be adversely affected thereby.
It is to be noted here that the construction according to this embodiment is applicable to the second embodiment referred to above.
In this embodiment, as shown in
Although not shown, the floss guide groove 9 may be formed in the opposite distal end surfaces and a portion of the outer side surface of the U-shaped floss holding portion 6.
With this construction, replacement of the flosser element 5 that is regarded difficult for the ordinary users can be easily carried out by stretching the flosser element 5 taut between the opposite distal end portions of the U-shaped floss holding portion 6 in the above-described manner. Further, commercially available floss that has been cut into a predetermined length can be used as a length of floss 10, making it possible to reduce the manufacturing cost and running cost.
It is to be noted here that the construction according to this embodiment is applicable to the second or third embodiment referred to above.
In this embodiment, the floss holding portion 6 having the flosser element 5 stretched thereon is removably mounted on the drive shaft 4. This construction is applicable to a floss holder 3a for the back teeth, as shown in
Further, because the construction according to the third embodiment referred to above in which the floss holding portion 6 is removably mounted on the neck portion 8 is used up in some cases due to, for example, wear of the floss holding portion 6, it is particularly effective to apply the construction according to this embodiment to the third embodiment.
It is to be noted here that connection between the floss holder 3 and the drive shaft 4 can be accomplished by engaging a protrusion formed on one of a proximal end portion of the floss holder 3 and a distal end portion of the drive shaft 4 with a recess formed in the other of the proximal end portion of the floss holder 3 and the distal end portion of the drive shaft 4. In an example illustrated in
In this embodiment also, the floss holder 3 may be made of a biodegradable plastic material, and this embodiment is also applicable to any one of the second to fourth embodiments.
In this embodiment, as shown in
This configuration allows the floss holding portion 6 and the neck portion 8 to be easily inserted into the mouth without causing the floss holding portion 6, the neck portion 8, and the dental flosser body 2 to impinge on the teeth 7, an internal wall of the mouth or the like. Also, as shown in
This embodiment is applicable to any one of the second to fifth embodiments referred to above.
In this embodiment, as shown in
The provision of the plurality of flosser elements 5 stretched on the floss holder 3 enables effective flossing.
This embodiment is applicable to any one of the second to sixth embodiments referred to above.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2003-280359 | Jul 2003 | JP | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/JP04/09258 | 6/24/2004 | WO | 4/24/2006 |