Interdental toothcleaner holder

• US 5,435,033 A
• Filed: 07/18/1994
• Issued: 07/25/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Don E.L. Millner
• Original Assignee: British Technology Group USA Inc (Boston Scientific Corporation)
• Inventors: Millner, Don E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US08/276,601
• Time in Patent Office: 372 Days
• Field of Search: 15/145, 15/146, 15/167.1, 15/176.1-176.6, 15/194, 15/202, 15/206, 15/22.1, 132/321, 433/147
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 7/04 interchangeably removable bristle carriers
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/00 Devices for cleaning between the teeth

Abstract

A holder for an interdental toothcleaner of the type having a substantially rigid but flexible stem and cleaning means on the stem. The holder includes a neck having a tip projection radially therefrom adjacent one end thereof and a slot extending longitudinally therealong from the one end and diametrically opposite the tip. A hole extends through the tip and transversely across the neck to the slot. A cap having a passage therethrough which is open at one end and closed at the other end is on the neck and slidable therealong. The cap has a first slot therethrough which extends from its open end and in which the tip slides. The cap has a second slot therethrough diametrically opposite the first slot. The second slot is closed at both ends with the ends being spaced from the ends of the cap. The stem of a toothcleaner passes through the hole in the tip and projects beyond the groove in the neck and through the second slot in the cap. The cap is moved on the neck causing one end of the second slot to engage the stem and bend it into the groove in the neck. The cap holds the stem in the groove to secure the toothcleaner to the support.

Claims

1. A support for an interdental toothcleaner which toothcleaner has a relatively stiff but bendable stem and cleaning means on the stem, said support comprising:

an elongated neck having an end;

a tip projecting radially from the neck adjacent to but spaced from the end thereof;

a hole extending transversely through the tip and the neck;

a groove in said neck extending longitudinally along said neck from said end and crossing said hole diametrically opposite the tip;

a cap having a passage therethrough through which the neck extends so that the cap is slidable longitudinally along said neck from said end, said passage having a closed end and an open end;

a first slot in the cap extending longitudinally along a portion of the cap over the groove in the neck, said first slot being shorter than the length of the cap with the ends of the first slot being spaced from the ends of the cap; and

a second slot extending through and longitudinally along the cap through which the tip extends to allow the cap to be moved, said second slot extending from the open end of the cap to a point adjacent but spaced from the closed end of the cap;

the hole in the neck adapted to receive the stem of an interdental toothcleaner which also extends through the first slot in the cap, means at one end of the first slot to engage said stem as the cap is slid in one direction along the neck to bend the stem and press it into the groove in the neck and thereby lock the toothcleaner to the support, and means at the other end of the first slot to engage the end of the stem which the cap is slid in the opposite direction along the neck to lift the stem out of the groove and thereby allow the toothcleaner to be removed from the support.

2. The support of claim 1 in which the hole through the tip flares outwardly at the end of the tip to provide for ease of inserting the stem of the toothcleaner into the hole.

3. The support of claim 1 including a key extending radially inwardly from the surface of the passage in the cap and fitting into the groove in the neck to prevent rotation of the cap on the neck but allow longitudinal movement of the cap on the neck.

4. The support of claim 1 in which the second slot has a first set of detents adjacent but spaced from the open end thereof which detents reduce the width of the second slot so as to limit the movement of the cap on the neck in one direction.

12. The support of claim 1 in which the neck has means at one end for mounting the support on a handle having means for sonically energizing the support.

13. The support of claim 1 in which the neck extends from and is integral with a handle.

5. The support of claim which the second slot has a second set of detents adjacent but spaced from the closed end of the second slot which second set of detents reduces the width of the second slot so as to limit movement of the cap on the neck in the opposite direction.

6. The support of claim 5 in which the second set of detents is spaced from the closed end of the second slot a distance substantially equal to the cross-sectional dimension of the tip so that when the cap is moved sufficiently to place the tip in the space between the closed end of the second slot and the second set of detents the cap will be held in that position.

7. The support of claim 6 further comprising a projection extending outwardly from the cap at an end of the first slot, said projection adapted to be engaged by a users finger to move the cap along the neck.

8. The support of claim 7 in which the projection is at the end of the first slot adjacent the open end of the cap.

9. The support of claim 8 in which the projection has a surface at the end of the first slot and a narrow groove extends along the said surface of the projection and the end surface of the first slot, said groove being of a width corresponding to the diameter of the stem of a toothcleaner.

10. The support of claim 9 in which the end surface of the first slot which is adjacent the closed end of the cap is curved.

11. The support of claim 10 including a bump projection from the bottom of the groove in the neck adjacent the hole through the neck, said bump being on the side of the hole away from the end of the neck.

14. A support for an interdental toothcleaner which toothcleaner has a relatively stiff but bendable stem and cleaning means on the stem, said support comprising:

an elongated neck having an end;

a tip projecting radially from the neck adjacent to but spaced form the end of the neck;

a hole extending through the tip and transversely through the neck;

a groove in said neck extending longitudinally along said neck from said end diametrically opposite the tip and crossing the hole;

a cap slidable longitudinally along said neck from said end;

a first slot extending through and longitudinally along a portion of the cap over the groove in the neck, said first slot being shorter than the length of the cap with the ends of the first slot being spaced from the end of the cap; and

a second slot extending through and longitudinally along the cap from one end of the cap but spaced from the other end of the cap so that the second slot has one open end and one closed end with the tip extending through the second slot to allow the cap to be moved longitudinally along the neck;

the hole in the neck adapted to receive the stem of an interdental toothcleaner which also extends through the first slot in the cap, one end of the first slot being adapted to engage said stem as the cap is moved in one direction along the neck to bend the stem and press it into the groove in the neck and thereby lock the toothcleaner to the support.

15. The support of claim 14 in which the second slot has a first set of detents adjacent but spaced from the open end thereof which detents reduce the width of the second slot so as to limit the movement of the cap on the neck in one direction.

16. The support of claim 15 in which the second slot has a second set of detents adjacent but spaced from the closed end of the second slot which second set of detents reduces the width of the second slot so as to limit movement of the cap on the neck in the opposite direction, the second set of detents being spaced from the closed end of the second slot a distance substantially equal to the cross-sectional dimension of the tip so that when the cap is moved sufficiently to place the tip in the space between the closed end of the second slot and the second set of detents, the cap will be held in that position.

17. The support of claim 14 including means at the other end of the first slot for engaging the end of the stem of the toothcleaner when the cap is slid in the opposite direction along the neck to lift the stem out of the groove and thereby allow the toothcleaner to be removed from the support.