DENTAL FLOSS UNIT

• US 3,831,611 A
• Filed: 02/06/1973
• Issued: 08/27/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thelma Hendricks
• Original Assignee: Thelma Hendricks
• Inventors: Hendricks, Thelma
• Primary Examiner(s): Peshock, Robert
• Application Number:
  US05/330,119
• Time in Patent Office: 567 Days
• Field of Search: 132/92R 32/4R
• US Class Current: 132/324
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/043 Containers, dispensers, or the like, e.g. with cutting means A61C15/046 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/046 Flossing tools

Abstract

A unit for handling dental floss, for the purpose of cleaning the teeth, in the form of a cylindrical rod with the dental floss contained on a spindle inside the rod and led out through a hole in the side. The dental floss is wrapped several turns around the rod and led through an eye opening at the rod'"'"''"'"'s end with the free end of the floss grasped by one hand and the rod about which the floss has been wrapped grasped with the other hand when cleaning the teeth. One edge of the eye opening at the end of the rod is finished with a cutting edge so that after a section of dental floss has been used, it may be cut off.

Claims

1. A device for the handling of dental floss, in the general shape of a cylinder of uniform diameter, with one section of the cylinder containing a hollow axial recess for the storing of a spindle of dental floss, and with a hole in the side wall of said cylinder section for the drawing of a length of dental floss stored on the spindle through said hole of the exterior of the device, with the cylindrical wall of the solid section of the device serving as a fixed spindle about which to wrap the dental floss so as to hold a free end of the dental floss tight, with the wrapped turns of dental floss about the cylindrical wall serving to provide frictional engagment, and with the wall of the solid section, about which the floss may be wrapped, providing a bearing surface against which a finger of the user may press the wrapped floss to obtain further frictional engagement, with an eye located at the end of the solid spindle section through which the free section of dental floss may be led off of the spindle, in which a cutting edge is formed on an inside surface of the eye at the end of the spindle so as to permit cutting the free section of dental floss after it has been used, the cutting edge being located in the section of the eye adjacent to the free end of the spindle so that the cutting edge does not come into engagement with the dental floss during normal use, with the dental floss in normal use being manually held against the opposed rounded face of the eye from the cutting edge, said rounded face of the eye being adjacent to the section of the spindle about which the dental floss is wrapped.