Dental floss loop devices, and methods of manufacture and packaging same
First Claim
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.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
10 Claims
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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.
- 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.
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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.
Specification