Dental floss holders

• US 4,008,728 A
• Filed: 05/27/1975
• Issued: 02/22/1977
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1975
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization, Inc.
• Original Assignee: The Raymond Lee Organization, Inc.
• Inventors: Sanchez, Nicolas S.
• Primary Examiner(s): McNeill, G.E.
• Application Number:
  US05/580,807
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• Field of Search: 132/91, 132/89, 132/90, 132/92
• US Class Current: 132/324
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/046 Flossing tools

Abstract

An elongated member has two like, forwardly, downwardly and outwardly extending prongs attached to its forward end slightly forward of an outwardly extending bore. In one embodiment, the member extends forwardly of a reservoir for receiving a spool of dental floss, and bears two opposed outwardly extending slotted posts. The forward end of each prong bears a hole, and a conventional dental floss cutter tab is disposed behind one post. In a second embodiment, the member and prongs are made of a flexible material, and the bore, posts, cutter and reservoir are omitted, with the hole in each prong being changed to a spiral slot.

Claims

1. A dental floss holder comprising:

an elongated member with forward and rearward ends and lying in a plane;

first and second like prongs integral at one rearward end with the forward end of the member, the prongs being opposed and extending forwardly, downwardly and outwardly to form a V in a single plane that intersects the plane in which the member lies, each prong having a spiral slot in its forward end;

a hollow, cylindrical reservoir extending rearwardly of the member and bearing a hole through which dental floss can be withdrawn from the interior of the reservoir;

two like opposed outwardly extending post each having a vertical slot and each being attached to the member at points forwardly of the reservoir; and

a spool of dental floss located in the reservoir, with the floss passing out of the hole in the reservoir, passing through the slot in each post and being wrapped around each post and passing through the holes in the prongs and extending between the prongs intermediate the wrapped portions.

2. The holder of claim 1 wherein said member adjacent said prongs has a transverse bore, said floss after passing each one of the posts passes through said transverse bore before passing to the holes in the prongs.

3. The holder of claim 2 wherein each one of the posts is disposed on the same side of the member as a corresponding prong and wherein there are two portions of the floss in the bore that cross each other.

4. The holder of claim 3 further including a conventional dental floss cutter tab attached to the member directly behind one of the posts.