Dental floss loop devices, and methods of manufacture and packaging same

• US 5,086,792 A
• Filed: 06/04/1990
• Issued: 02/11/1992
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Placontrol Incorporated (Perrigo Company PLC)
• Original Assignee: Placontrol Incorporated (Perrigo Company PLC)
• Inventors: Chodorow, Ingram S.
• Primary Examiner(s): WEHNER, CARY ELLEN
• Application Number:
  US07/533,937
• Time in Patent Office: 617 Days
• Field of Search: 132/321, 132/323, 132/329
• US Class Current: 132/323
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/041 Dental floss chemical aspects A61Q11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/043 Containers, dispensers, or the like, e.g. with cutting means A61C15/046 takes precedence

Abstract

Dental floss loop devices are formed by a pair of parallel floss strands extending between and having their ends secured to a pair of spaced apart gripping elements. These devices are made by feeding a pair of continuous strands of floss from a source, molding onto these strands gripping elements at successively large and small intervals along the length of the strands, and cutting the strands at the small intervals. In a variation single gripping elements are molded onto continuous parallel strands at equal intervals afterwhich each single element is divided into separate halves, with the spaced apart halves being the pair of gripping elements for each device. The invention also includes dispenser packages for these devices.

Claims

1. A dental floss loop device comprising a pair of injection molded plastic gripping elements and a pair of separate dental floss strands extending between said pair of elements with opposite ends of each floss strand secured respectively in the two elements of said pair, the two strands of said pair are equal in length and the two gripping elements of each pair are generally similar, the two ends of floss within each elements defining along their entire length within the element a pair of generally parallel lines, each gripping element is generally U-shaped with said floss strands extending axially through the legs of the U, and the base of the U extending transversely of said floss.

2. An assembly of dental floss devices, where each device comprises a pair of spaced-apart first and second injection molded plastic gripping elements and a pair of dental floss segments extending between said pair of elements, with opposite ends of each floss segment secured respectively to the two elements of each pair, said assembly comprising a plurality of said devices situated in spaced parallel relationship, the floss strands of each device extending axially in a generally straight line, each of said first gripping elements being contiguous with and joined to other first gripping elements immediately adjacent thereto, each of said second griping elements being contiguous with and joined to other second gripping elements immediately adjacent thereto, said assembly further comprising at least one generally stiff first support means extending between and having its ends respectively joined to one pair of said first and second gripping elements, whereby said first support means maintains said first elements spaced apart from said second elements of each pair respectively and maintains said strand between each pair of first and second elements generally straight, each device being separable from an adjacent device by breaking off one pair of first and second elements relative to the adjacent pair of first and second elements to which they are joined.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said first support means comprises a rod oriented generally parallel to said strands and said parallel strands define a succession of parallel lines from first to last, and said support means is situated approximately midway between said first and last strands.

4. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said first support means comprises a rod oriented generally parallel to said strands and said parallel strands define a succession of parallel lines from first to last, and said support means is situated outward and adjacent said first strand.

5. An assembly according to claim 2 further comprising junction means joining each two mutually adjacent first gripping elements and each two mutually adjacent second gripping elements.

6. An assembly according to claim 5 wherein said first and second gripping elements are injection molded plastic and each of said junction means comprises injection molded plastic the same as and contiguous with said gripping elements.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein each of said junctions has a central part and has end parts immediately adjacent a gripping element, said end parts having cross-sectional area substantially less than that of said central part, whereby, when said junction is bent, an end part will break more readily than said central part.

8. A dental floss loop device comprising a pair of injection molded plastic gripping elements, each being flexible and bendable to a generally convex shape when pressed by a user'"'"'s finger, and a pair of separate dental floss strands extending between said pair of elements with opposite ends of each floss strand secured respectively in the two elements of said pair, the two strands of said pair are equal in length and the two gripping elements of each pair are generally similar, the two ends of floss within each elements defining along their entire length within the element a pair of generally parallel lines.

9. A device according to claim 8 wherein said base of the U is smaller in cross-section and more flexible than said legs in cross-section.

10. A dental floss loop device comprising a pair of injection molded plastic gripping elements and a pair of separate dental floss strands extending between said pair of elements with opposite ends of each floss strand secured respectively in the two elements of said pair, the two ends of floss within each elements defining along their entire length within the element a pair of generally parallel lines, an assembly of loop devices wherein said devices are situated in succession with one gripping element of each device being adjacent one gripping element of the next successive device, wherein the pairs of floss strands of each device are contiguous between and joining each two adjacent devices, each device being separable from the adjacent device when the floss strands therebetween are severed and wherein adjacent gripping elements of each two successive devices are joined and contiguous and are separable from each other by forcible separation.