US1221586A - Dental-floss holder. - Google Patents

Description

A. w. POWELL.

DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER. APPLICATION FILED JAN-24.1916.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

treme ends of the ARTHUR W. POWELL, OF TAYLORVILLE, ILLINOIS.

DENTAL-FLOSS HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 3, 1917.

Application filed. January 24, 1916. Serial No. 73,767.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR a. citizen of the United States, residing in Taylorville, in the county of Christian and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dental-Floss Holders, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to dental-floss holders, and has for its object to provide a device of this character which shall be eX- treniely simple in construction, which will enable the floss to be secured in position for use with great facility, which will reliably hold the floss in such position, and which device may be readily sterilized. With the above objects in view the inven-' tion resides in a dental-floss holder having a handle portion and a two-prong holder, each prong having secured on its outer end a section of coiled spring-wire, the coils whereof are in contact, except at the exprongs, and free to separate to permit the entrance between them of the dental-floss.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which-- Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of my improved device, and showing a piece W. POWELL,

,of dental-floss secured thereon in position for use;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation thereof; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the upper end portion of one of the prongs showing the manner of mounting the coiled spring thereon.

Referring now to the drawing, my improved holder is made by bending a single lengthof wire upon itself to form a handle portion 1, then, coiling the two legs of the wire together, as indicated at 2, to give permanency-to the form of the handle. then branching the wires outwardly, as indicated at 3, and then bending the wires inward to form the prongs a, which have a slightly diverging relation to each other. coaXia-lly-on the end of each prong is a length of coiled spring-wire 5 which embraces the end of the prong and is secured at its outer end to the tip of the prong by brazing or soldering, as indicated at 6. The body of the coil below the tip of the prong is free to slide upon the prong to permit the coils to separate.

Mounted In operation the end portionof a length of dental-floss is inserted between two convolutions of the coil, and is wound once or twice about the prong, each turn causing the loss to pass the coil. The floss is then carried over to the opposite coil and at the same time given two or more turns about the end of such prong, the floss in this movement, as in the case of the first prong, passing between the convolutions of the coiled spring-wire, after which it is separated from the main length or body of the floss. As shown by Fig. 1, the floss will extend between the two prongs and will be secured at opposite ends between the coils thereon. The floss will also be held sufficiently taut by the spring character of the prongs, which are slightly pressed together in winding the floss between the coils, and when released will spring apart, thereby drawing the floss taut. As shown by Fig. 2, the .prongs are slightly curved in the direction of their length, that is, later-' ally with respect to their common plane, and this curvature facilitates the use of the device in inserting the floss in the space between the teeth at the back of the month. In using the device the operator, either the person whose teeth are to be cleaned, or another person, such as a dentist, holding the device by the handle portion and placing it in the mouth, forces the dental-floss between the'teeth, and then by moving the device back and forth in the usual manner causes the floss to remove any substance which mav have become lodged in the spaces between the teeth.

I claim:

l. A dental-floss holder comprising a handle portion and two prongs. each prong having a length of a coil of spring-wire mounted thereon and secured at its outer end to the tip only of the prong.

2. A,,dental-floss holder comprising a single length of wire bent and coiled upon itself to form a handleportion and two prongs, and a section-of coiled spring-wire surrounding the end portion of each prong and secured at its outer end to the tip only of the prong.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

ARTHUR W. POWELL.

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