US2172591A - Dental floss holder - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 12, 1939. A 5 PETERSQN 2,172,591

DENTAL FLOSS HOLDER Filed June 20, 1938 hvewzz 7, X2; ezersom- Patented Sept. 12, 1939 PATENT OFFICE DENTAL FLoss HOLDER. Arthur L. Peterson, Long Beach, Calif. Application June 20, 1938,, Serial No. 214,671

9 Claims.

This invention is a dental floss holder.

It is now a more or less general practice to not only frequently clean the teeth of the mouth with various forms of tooth brushes, but the further care of" the teeth is greatly advanced by the reciprocation of a string of dental floss begreatly increase and encourage the more general use of floss by the people for tooth preservation by the provision of a simple, practical, low-cost, easily operated and substantial floss holder and applicator. A further object is to provide a floss holder which may be readily incorporated in conventional tooth brush structures in original manufacture, or may be readily applied to various forms in finished state and in general use.

Also, an object of the invention is to provide a floss holder readily adjustable as to its manipulating handle to facilitate access to either front, side or back teeth of the user.

An additional object is to provide a floss holder of few and simple parts and which provides for ready interchange of refill floss rolls as necessary from time to time.

The invention consists in certain advancements in this art as set forth in the ensuing disclosure and having, with the above, additional objects and advantages as hereinafter developed, and Whose construction, combinations and details of means will be made manifest in the description of the manner of operation and of the herewith illustrative embodiment; it being understood that modifications, variations and adaptations may be resorted to within the scope, spirit and principle of the invention as it is more directly claimed hereinbelow.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tooth brush and an attached floss holder of this invention, and Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof.

Figure 3 is a plan of the holder as adjusted along, that is, set in a longitudinal position on the brush handle, and Figure 4 is a plan showing the holder turned to a transverse position on the end or cap disc 4 inwardly of which projects a short conical flange 5. A considerable length of floss F may be wound on the roll 2 between its flange and its head. This roll 2, when filled, is adapted to be readily inserted endwise into a complementary barrel 6 having a closed bottom '5 and the front or.open end of which is conically bored at 3 to very snugly receive and frictionally bind on the inserted conical part 5 of the roll 2 so the inserted roll will remain in place and not turn when the floss is in use.

The barrel 6 is fixed at one side to the tangentially extending mounting shank I0 from whose opposite end there upstands a prong II with a floss notch I2 in its end to receive a length of the floss F drawn through a small hole I3 in the upper part of the barrel 6 and at about the level of the notch in the end of the prong II; the barrel and the shank, with its prong all preferably being of integral structure and of any suitable material, particularly Celluloid, or other tough composition.

By slightly loosening the roll 2 in the barrel 6 the floss can be unrolled and drawn to the prong I I thence down the outside thereof to and wound, one or two times, around the stem I5 of a clamp and cutting head It when the stem is depressed in an aperture I8 therefor passing through the bend of the prong I I where it joins the shank ID. The stem I5 is non-rotatively mounted in the aperture I8 so that when the end of the floss is snapped into a cutting notch I! in one side of the head I6 the used, drawn-off end of the floss may be easily cut and discarded. The head is normally retracted to cutting position by a small, stifi spring I9 mounted on the stem I5 under a rear end shoulder 20 of the stem.

It will be understood that the barrel 6 and the prong II may be formed as an original part of a tooth brush handle H if so desired.

In the present disclosure the shank II] is provided with a means for removably attaching it to the handle H and for enabling it to be adjusted to any desired transverse or parallel position.

The attaching means includes a bifurcated loop or clamp 2| forming yieldable side arms 22 to slidably and adaptably receive brush handles of various cross-sectional form. As here shown the tips of the arms curve inwardly out of plane so that they may bind at the points on an inserted handle H.

To provide for transverse or other angular adjustment of the shank I0 as to its support, it is joined thereto by a journaling rivet 23, with ample friction to hold it at desired adjustment.

A modified form of floss clamp is shown in Fig. 7 as including a leaf spring 25 having its forward end passed through a hole 21 in prong II, and provided with a downturned clamping bill 26 to bind on the tail end of the floss.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination wtih a handle, of a dental floss holder having means for pivotal adjustment of the holder on the handle to dispose the floss strand at desired angle to or parallel therewith and including a base attachable to the handle, and a mounting pivotally fixed on the base for application as a unit.

2. A handle provided with a floss stretching holder, and means for pivotally connecting the holder to the handle for longitudinal and transverse arrangement of a tensioned strand of the floss and including an attaching base having frictional grip arms and. a pivot for said holder.

3. A combined dental floss holder and strand tensioning means, and means for frictionally and slidably attaching it as a unified assembly to the conventional tooth brush handle without change thereof in any manner and having a pivot for the first-named means.

4. The device of claim 3, and said attaching means including a handle receiving, clip on clamp with compensating, cylindric grip arms.

5. A dental floss device including a barrel and a strand supporting prong connected thereto in laterally spaced relation, and means for holding a tensioned strand extending between the barrel and said prong and including a rotative barrel part carrying floss and frictionally held in the barrel, and a cooperative yieldable clamp.

6. A dental floss holder including a barrel having a floss pass hole in one side, and a floss holding roll forming a side of and restrainably fitted in the barrel and rotative to feed off the floss to the said hole, and means to receive and support the issued strand of floss and place it under tension while the roll is held stationary in the barrel, said means including a binder for the tail end of the strand.

7. The holder of claim 6, the barrel and the roll having directly engaging, frictional binding surfaces whereby to tension the strand.

8. A tooth applicating, floss holding device including a barrel having a tangentially projected shank with an upstanding prong on the same side as the barrel, and means including a floss reeling roll forming a closure for and normally fitted and held against rotation in the barrel, and a tail end clamp for tensioning the floss strand between the barrel roll and the prong.

9. The device of the class described, provided with a resilient clip-on device having a top basal part and thickness compensating spring arms for frictionally attaching the holding device to a conventional tooth brush handle.

ARTHUR L. PETERSON.

Images