Device for supporting and operation a dental floss

• US 5,176,157 A
• Filed: 04/19/1991
• Issued: 01/05/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mirko Mazza
• Original Assignee: Mirko Mazza
• Inventors: Mazza, Mirko
• Primary Examiner(s): WEHNER, CARY ELLEN
• Application Number:
  US07/687,971
• Time in Patent Office: 627 Days
• Field of Search: 132/322, 132/323, 132/324, 132/325
• US Class Current: 132/322
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/047 power-driven

Abstract

The device comprises a rear part containing a motor connected through a series of crown gears and of spindles to a front part shaped complementarily to the rear part, and containing a reel on which a dental floss is wound up, and a truncated-cone element on which the floss winds up as it is used that engages with a spindle driven into continuous rotation, while a small roller with two circumferential races engages with another spindle which is made to oscillate about its vertical axis, so that the dental floss encompasses the small roller and runs between the ends of two branches of a fork and is thus caused to advance swingingly as well as gradually removed after use.

Claims

1. A device e for supporting and operating a dental floss comprising:

a rear pat enclosed in a housing shaped with a hand grip and containing motor means having a rotating pinion and drive means of said housing;

a front part coupled with a corresponding coupling zone of said rear part and having means for supporting a roll of dental floss, said front part having an elongate section terminating in a fork with said dental floss extending from said roll and along said elongated part and having a portion stretched between branches of said fork;

said drive means located in said rear part to engage said motor pinion comprising;

a series of cascade-connected crown gears rotatably supported by a plurality of vertical spindles, each of said crown gears having two sections of different diameter, with a section of smaller diameter of each crown gear engaging with a section of larger diameter of a subsequent crown gear, a section of larger diameter of a first crown gear engaging with said motor pinion while a last crown gear is keyed onto a first spindle to dive the same first spindle into axial rotation; and

a rocker element rotatably supported by a second spindle and having an end engaging with a cam integral with one of said crown gear and having the other end engaging with a third spindle to bring about a swinging motion about a vertical axis of said third spindle.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein said first spindle and third spindles each have an cam projecting out of said housing, an end of one of said first and third spindles having a polygonal section.

3. A device as in claim 1, wherein said cam is formed by a groove on a side of one of said crown gears.

4. A device as in claim 1, wherein said rocker element is supported with the axis of rotation parallel to the axis of said third spindle to which is coupled to the other end of said rocker element, said rocker element other end having a tooth engaging with a sector gear splined to said thick spindle.

5. A device as in claim 1, wherein said rear art serves as a hand grip and surface formed on an extension of said hand grip to serve as a coupling for said front and rear parts.

6. A device as in claim 1, when said support means, engaging with said drive means comprise:

a reel on which said dental floss is wound supported with its axis vertical;

friction drive means acting on said reel;

means to lock an end of said dental floss to drive the floss;

said dental floss running through an elongated section of said front part and exiting from one of said fork branch and entering through the other branch;

a roller having two circumferential spaced races rotatably supported with its axis vertical to engage said drive means, and receiving in each of said races, a corresponding portion of dental floss to impart a swinging motion to said floss.

7. A device according to claim 6, wherein said friction drive mean comprises:

a small disk mounted coaxially between said reel and a cover, said reel having one of its faces resting against a corresponding head of said reel and with a tubular member integral therewith for receiving in a complementary coupling the part of said drive mean extending from said rear part;

elastic means mounted coaxially between said reel and the bottom of a box element for pressing said reel against said small disk to provide a friction contact to transmit motion from said tubular member to said reel;

a pawl for engaging the part of said drive means projecting from said rear part to press, through a truncated-cone element mounted coaxially to and against said disk locking said reel said elastic means to impart to said reel a tendency to rotate counter to the unwinding direction of the flow so as to keep said floss stretched and to drive said locking means into rotation.

8. A device according to claim 7, wherein said disk also locks the dental floss when said pawl is disengaged from said part of said drive means projecting from said a rear part, locking said floss between its upper surface and the edge of said hold provided on said cover, to allow the cuting of the portion of said dental floss already used while keeping the remaining floss stretched.

9. A device according to claims 6, wherein said locking means comprises said small disk and said truncated-cone element for locking an end of the dental floss between the lower edge of said truncated-cone element and the corresponding surface of said small disk, to drive said dental floss.

10. A device according of claim 6, further comprising a roller held in position by a flat band coaxially provided on its lower head in a corresponding seating made on the bottom of a box element, while provision is made for a protrusion made in said cover and fitting a corresponding seating provided on the upper head of said roller.

11. A device according to claim 6, wherein the ends of said fork branches are bent downwards, and each has a small roller at its end on which said dental flows runs.

12. A device according to claim 6, wherein said front part to which said fork is fastened has an open channel inside which said dental floss runs.