Flossing device with advancing and tensioning mechanism

• US 6,874,509 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2001
• Issued: 04/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mark C. Bergman
• Original Assignee: Mark C. Bergman
• Inventors: Bergman, Mark C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson, John J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Doan, Robyn Kieu
• Application Number:
  US09/861,254
• Publication Number:
  US 20020170570A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 132/325, 132/322, 132/323, 132/326, 132/327, 132/328
• US Class Current: 132/325
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/046 Flossing tools
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/048 with heads removable from handle, e.g. interchangeable heads

Abstract

A hand-held dental flossing device has a housing with a handle that may be held with one hand. A dental floss supply is located in the housing and a winding gear is rotatably mounted to the housing. A free end of the dental floss strand from the floss supply is threaded through the housing into a floss exit arm of the housing where it passes through an exit opening to an exposed area of the flossing arm. Used dental floss returns into the housing, via a receiving opening, where it passes through an optional disinfectant supply before or as it wound onto the winding gear. The housing has an opening where the winding gear extends therefrom and is accessible to the fingers of the user'"'"'s hand. The winding gear has teeth that cooperate with a stopper to form a one-way ratchet gear. A floss-tensioning button is located in the housing and has first and second ends extending from the housing. The first and second ends are accessible to the user'"'"'s hand holding the handle of the flossing device. When in a first position, the tensioning button allows the floss strand to be readily advanced by winding the gear while in a second position, the floss strand is relatively taut so that winding the gear will even further tension the strand. The device may have an F-shaped cross-section, enlarged, funnel-shaped openings for the floss to exit and enter the housing, and a disinfectant supply for disinfecting used floss. The device may be reloadable with floss.

Claims

1. A hand-held dental flossing device, comprising:

(a) a housing having a handle, a main body, an extension arm and a top and a bottom;

(b) a dental floss supply disposed in the housing;

(c) a winding gear rotatably mounted to the housing for having a free end of a dental floss strand from the supply attached to the gear, the winding gear having at least a portion accessible from the exterior of the housing proximate the handle;

(d) means for tensioning the floss mounted to the housing and having floss passing from the supply past the means for tensioning to the extension arm and returning to the winding gear, the means for tensioning being movable from a floss threading position where the floss strand is relatively loose so that it may be wound by the winding gear to a floss locking position where the floss strand is locked so that the floss is relatively tight and where, in response to further winding of the winding gear with the means for tensioning in the floss locking position, the floss strand will be further tensioned between the means for tensioning and the winding gear, wherein the means for tensioning has a first portion accessible from outside the housing to actuate the means for tensioning, whereby a user of the device can wind the floss and activate the first means for tensioning using a hand which is holding the handle, and

(e) a disinfectant supply comprising a disinfecting composition and being disposed in the housing such that the dental floss strand passes through the disinfectant supply as it returns to the winding gear,

(f) wherein the flossing device further comprises a receiving opening and an exit opening disposed on the housing, wherein floss exiting the exit opening passes to an exposed area, and floss entering the receiving opening from the exposed area passes to the winding gear, whereby a user may floss using the floss at the exposed area such that used floss enters the receiving opening and is wound on the winding gear, and wherein the disinfecting composition is applied to the used floss downstream of the receiving opening for disinfecting the used floss.

2. The flossing device of claim 1, wherein the disinfecting composition comprises an agent selected from the group consisting of anti-microbial, germicidal, antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agents.

3. The flossing device of claim 1 wherein the extension arm further comprises a floss exit arm and a floss entrance arm disposed generally perpendicular to a main body of the extension arm.

4. The flossing device of claim 1 wherein the extension arm is generally F-shaped.

5. The flossing device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the receiving opening and exit opening is generally funnel-shaped.

6. The flossing device of claim 1 wherein at least one of the exit opening and the receiving opening is generally elongated in shape.

7. The flossing device of claim 1 wherein the main body of the extension arm comprises an interior, and wherein the interior is divided by a septum.

8. The flossing device of claim 1, further comprising a roller mechanism disposed in at least the receiving opening, such that the dental floss strand moves through the roller mechanism as it passes through the receiving opening for reducing tension on the floss as it enters the housing and for packing the floss.

9. The flossing device of claim 1 further including a disinfectant supply comprising a disinfecting composition.

10. The flossing device of claim 9 wherein the disinfectant supply is disposed in the housing such that the dental floss strand passes through the disinfectant supply as it returns to the winding gear from the extension arm.

11. The flossing device of claim 1, further comprising means for providing access to the dental floss supply and to the winding gear.

12. The flossing device of claim 1, wherein the extension arm includes a groove.

13. The flossing device of claim 12 further including a knob disposed on the housing, such that floss from the exposed area moves through the groove and is wound onto the knob.

15. The flossing device of claim 12 wherein the extension arm is generally F-shaped.

16. The flossing device of claim 12 wherein each of the distal ends has a funnel formed there at having a central axis substantially coinciding with a central axis of the floss exit arm and floss entrance arm.

17. The flossing device of claim 12, wherein the disinfectant supply is disposed in the housing such that the dental floss strand passes through the disinfectant supply as it returns to the winding gear.

18. The flossing device of claim 12, further comprising means for providing access to the dental floss supply and the winding gear.

14. A hand-held dental flossing device, comprising:

(a) a housing;

(b) a dental floss supply mounted to the housing;

(c) a winding gear rotatably mounted to the housing for having a free end of a dental floss strand from the supply attached to the gear;

(d) a dental floss path formed in the housing from the supply to pass an exit opening in the housing to an exposed area where the dental floss strand is exposed;

(e) a receiving opening formed in the housing to receive the dental floss strand from the exposed area;

(f) means for tensioning the floss mounted to the housing and having a floss threading position where the floss strand is relatively loose so that it may be wound by the winding gear and a floss locking position where the floss strand is relatively tight so that winding the winding gear will further tension the floss strand; and

wherein

(g) the extension arm has a floss entrance arm and a floss exit arm each having distal ends where the receiving opening and exit opening are located, respectively, and at least one of the distal ends is formed as a funnel so as to be wide at the opening and narrow away from the opening.