Patent Publication Number: US-2019167398-A1

Title: Dental flosser

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates generally to personal hygiene products and, more particularly, to dental flossers designed for flossing a user&#39;s teeth. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Dental floss is used to remove food and dental plaque from between an individual&#39;s teeth in order to prevent dental disease, such as gingivitis, from developing in the individual&#39;s mouth. Thus, flossing is widely recognized as an important part of dental hygiene. However, many individuals consider dental flossing to be a relatively complicated and time-consuming operation, and therefore floss their teeth rarely and/or reluctantly. In this regard, flossing requires a relatively high level of dexterity. 
     For example, conventional spooling-type floss dispensers require the individual to unwind a portion of floss from the dispenser, pull the floss against a blade of the dispenser to cut the portion of floss, and then grip the portion of floss between and/or around their fingers with one end of the portion in each hand, to guide the portion of floss between each pair of teeth. Gripping the portion of floss with both hands and accurately guiding the portion of floss between teeth can be particularly difficult due to the thin nature of the floss, the flexibility of the floss, and/or the moisture present in the individual&#39;s mouth. 
     Also, conventional pick-type floss holders are poorly suited for flossing certain teeth, such as rear molar teeth, due to the manipulation angles required to guide the floss held by the holder between pairs of teeth. In addition, such holders are usually intended to be used once and then disposed of in their entirety, including the handle portion, which is typically plastic, thereby resulting in undesirable excess waste. 
     Thus, it would be desirable to provide a reusable device for providing easier flossing with a lower dexterity requirement. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one embodiment, a dental flosser includes a handle and a housing coupled to the handle. The housing includes a chamber for rotatably receiving a spool having first top and bottom surfaces and a side surface and having a supply of floss wound about the side surface, the supply of floss having second top and bottom surfaces. The housing further includes a floss orifice for directing at least a portion of the supply of floss therethrough. The dental flosser also includes an actuator including at least one contact surface configured to frictionally engage at least one of the first top surface, the first bottom surface, the second top surface, or the second bottom surface. The actuator further includes a biasing member for biasing the at least one contact surface relative to the spool. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Various additional features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon review of the following detailed description of one or more illustrative embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the one or more embodiments of the invention. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an exemplary dental flosser in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the dental flosser of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary dental flosser in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary dental flosser in accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference to  FIG. 1 , an exemplary dual-purpose dental floss holder and dispenser, or dental flosser  10 , including a handle  12  coupled to a housing  14  for holding and dispensing dental floss  16  is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As set forth in further detail below, the housing  14  is configured to receive a bobbin or spool  18  having a supply of floss  16  wound therearound ( FIG. 2 ). The spool  18  is rotatable within the housing  14  such that at least a portion of the supply of floss  16  may be unwound therefrom and exposed from the housing  14  for flossing a user&#39;s teeth. The dental flosser  10  includes an actuator  20  for locking and/or unlocking rotation of the spool  18 . When the spool  18  is unlocked, the user may expose a desired length of floss  16  from the housing  14  by unwinding a portion of the floss  16  from the spool  18 . When the spool  18  is locked, the user may grip the exposed portion of floss  16  with one hand and the handle  12  with the other hand in order to provide an improved flossing experience with a minimal dexterity requirement. The features of the dental flosser  10  are set forth in further detail below to clarify each of these functional advantages and other benefits provided in this disclosure. 
     Referring now to  FIG. 2 , with continuing reference to  FIG. 1 , the illustrated housing  14  includes a top housing portion  22  and a bottom housing portion  24 . While relative terms such as “top” and “bottom” are used herein, such terminology is used only with respect to the frame of reference provided in the accompanying drawings, and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. The top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  are defined by a top wall  26  and a bottom wall  28 , respectively, and by respective sidewalls  30 ,  32 . In the embodiment shown, the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  each have a generally teardrop shape. More particularly, the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  each have a generally bulbous shape proximate the handle  12  and taper inwardly toward a dispensing end  34  of the housing  14 . Together, the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  define a generally circular chamber  36  and a generally tapered chamber  38  separated from each other by a partition  40 . A chamber aperture  42  extends through the partition  40  for allowing floss  16  to pass therethrough. 
     As shown, the sidewalls  30 ,  32  of the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  also define an orifice  44  at the dispensing end  34  of the housing  14  for directing floss  16  from the tapered chamber  38  to the exterior of the housing  14 . A seal, such as a grommet  46 , may be positioned within the orifice  44  for directing floss  16  therethrough while preventing foreign material such as saliva from entering the tapered chamber  38  from the exterior of the housing  14 . The grommet  46  may be constructed of a rubber material or any other material suitable for sealing the space between the periphery of the orifice  44  and the floss  16  extending therethrough. In the embodiment shown, a blade  48  for cutting a portion of the floss  16  is provided on the sidewall  32  of the bottom housing portion  24  substantially distal from the dispensing end  34 . The blade  48  may also be used to hold a portion of the floss  16  on the exterior of the housing  14 . As shown, the top housing portion  22  also includes an aperture  50  extending through the top wall  26  and aligned with the chamber  36 , the purpose of which will be described in greater detail below. 
     In the embodiment shown, the handle  12  and the bottom housing portion  24  are integrally formed together as a unitary piece. Alternatively, the handle  12  and the bottom housing portion  24  may be separately formed as individual pieces and coupled together. In one embodiment, the handle  12  and/or housing  14  may be constructed of a plastic material. 
     The spool  18  of floss  16  is rotatably received in the chamber  36  of the housing  14 . In the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2 , the spool  18  is flanged. More particularly, the spool includes top and bottom flanges  52 ,  54  extending radially outwardly from a hollow cylindrical body having an inner bore  58  and an outer side surface (not shown). The top and bottom flanges  52 ,  54  may include generally circular top and bottom surfaces  60 ,  62 , respectively. The supply of floss  16  is wound about the side surface of the cylindrical body, and at least a portion of the supply of floss  16  extends from the spool  18  through the chamber aperture  42 , the tapered chamber  38 , and the orifice  44  to the exterior of the housing  14 , such that pulling the free end  64  of the floss  16  away from the spool  18  may cause the spool  18  to rotate, thereby allowing additional portions of floss  16  to unwind from the spool  18  and advance through the orifice  44 . As shown, the flanges  52 ,  54  may each have a cross dimension similar to that of the chamber  36  so that the close fit of the flanges  52 ,  54  with the sidewalls  30 ,  32  and/or partition  40  may assist the spool  18  in remaining substantially centered within the chamber  36 . Alternatively, the spool may comprise the hollow cylindrical body itself, i.e., without the top and bottom flanges  52 ,  54 , as described in detail below in connection with the dental flosser embodiment of  FIG. 4 . 
     While the body of the spool  18  has been described as being hollow and cylindrical in one embodiment, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the body of the spool  18  may alternatively be solid or partially hollow, and have other cross-sectional shapes than cylindrical. 
     The illustrated actuator  20  includes a generally cylindrical button  66  extending through the aperture  50  of the top housing portion  22 . Alternatively, the actuator  20  may include a soft or living button formed of a resilient piece of material, a flexible film, or a thinned area of the material forming the top housing portion  22 , defined in an area of the top housing portion  22 , such that the aperture  50  may be eliminated. In any event, the actuator  20  further includes at least one projection, such as a pair of oppositely disposed arms  68 , extending radially outwardly from the button  66 . The arms  68  each include top and bottom surfaces  70 ,  72 , and are positioned above the spool  18  such that the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  oppose the top surface  60  of the spool  18 . In this manner, the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  may be configured to frictionally engage the top surface  60  of the spool  18  to lock the spool  18  against rotation and thereby halt and/or prevent the unwinding of floss  16  from the spool  18 . Thus, the frictional engagement between the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  and the top surface  60  of the spool  18  may at least partially define a locked condition of the spool  18 . In one embodiment, the frictional engagement between the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  and the top surface  60  of the spool  18  may cause the bottom surface  62  of the spool  18  to frictionally engage the bottom wall  28  of the housing  14 . In this manner, the spool  18  may be sandwiched between the arms  68  and the bottom wall  28  to further contribute to the locking of the spool  18  against rotation. In any event, when the spool  18  is in the locked condition, the free end  64  of the floss  16  may be held taut by the user without causing rotation of the spool  18  and unwinding of the supply of floss  16 . 
     The actuator  20  also includes a biasing member, such as a spring  74 , positioned between the button  66  and the housing  14  for biasing the button  66 , and more particularly the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68 , away from the spool  18  such that the spool  18  may be freely rotatable. In the embodiment shown, the spring  74  extends through the inner bore  58  of the spool  18  and is positioned over a guide pin  76  provided on the bottom wall  28 . The biasing of the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  away from the spool  18  by the spring  74  may define an unlocked condition of the spool  18 . When the spool  18  is in the unlocked condition, the top surfaces  70  of the arms  68  may each abut the top wall  26  near the aperture  50  to prevent the button  66  from becoming dislodged. 
     In the embodiment shown, the spool  18  is normally in the unlocked condition. In other words, absent a threshold external force on the button  66 , the biasing of the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  caused by the spring  74  prevents the bottom surfaces  72  from frictionally engaging the top surface  60  of the spool  18 . 
     Upon the application of an external force on the button  66  sufficient to overcome the biasing caused by the spring  74 , the button  66  may be depressed toward the bottom wall  28  such that the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  move toward and frictionally engage the top surface  60  of the spool  18  to place the spool  18  in the locked condition. Such an external force may be generated, for example, by a user&#39;s finger or thumb while gripping the handle  12  with a single hand. Removal of the external force on the button  66  may allow the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  to be urged away from and disengage the top surface  60  of the spool  18  by the biasing of the spring  74  to return the spool  18  to the unlocked condition. 
     In use, the user may expose a desired length of floss  16  from the housing  14  by pulling the free end  64  of the floss  16  away from the spool  18  while the spool  18  is in the normal, unlocked condition, thereby allowing portions of the floss  16  to unwind from the spool  18  and advance out of the orifice  44 . Once the desired length of floss  16  has been exposed, the user may depress the button  66  with a thumb or finger to overcome the bias of the spring  74  and cause the bottom surfaces  72  of the arms  68  to frictionally engage the top surface  60  of the spool  18 , thereby locking the spool  18 . The user may then guide the exposed portion of floss  16  between the user&#39;s teeth by gripping the exposed floss  16  with one hand, such as at or near the free end  64  of the floss  16 , and gripping the handle  12  of the flosser  10  with the other hand, while continuing to depress the button  66  to maintain the spool  18  in the locked condition. Thus, the user need only directly grip the floss  16  with one hand and may easily manipulate the flosser  10  with the other hand, thereby reducing the amount of dexterity required to perform the flossing operation. In this regard, the handle  12  of the flosser  10  may have an ergonomic configuration similar to that of a toothbrush. It will be appreciated that the user may position the dispensing end  34  of the housing  14  proximal to each pair of teeth being flossed, such as directly within the user&#39;s mouth, in order to provide accurate guiding of the floss  16 . In doing so, the grommet  46  may prevent saliva or debris from entering the housing  14  of the flosser  10 . 
     Once the exposed portion of floss  16  has been spent, the user may release the button  66  to unlock the spool  18  and may subsequently pull additional portions of fresh floss  16  from the spool  18  to continue the flossing operation. In addition or alternatively, the user may cut away the spent portion of floss  16 , such as via the blade  48  attached to the housing  14 . It will be appreciated that the distal positioning of the blade  48  from the dispensing end  34  may maintain the blade  48  at a comfortable distance away from the user&#39;s mouth during the flossing operation. However, the blade  48  may be positioned elsewhere on the flosser  10 , or may be eliminated without departing from the scope of the invention. 
     In the embodiment shown, the top housing portion  22  is at least partially removable from the bottom housing portion  24  such that the contents of the housing  14  may be accessible by opening the housing  14 , such as for maintenance and/or replacement of the components housed therein. In this regard, the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  include complementary flanges  80  and recesses  82  on their respective sidewalls  30 ,  32  for providing a snap-fit therebetween. Thus, the user may unsnap the top housing portion  22  from the bottom housing portion  24  to open the housing  14  in order to replace the spool  18  of floss  16 , for example, and subsequently re-snap the top housing portion  22  to the bottom housing portion  24  to close the housing  14  and resume using the flosser  10 . A notch  84  may be provided on the sidewall  32  of the bottom housing portion  24  adjacent the interface with the top housing portion  22  for receiving the tip of the user&#39;s thumb or finger in order to assist the user in wedging the top housing portion  22  away from the bottom housing portion  24 . In this manner, the user may continue to make use of the flosser  10  with a replacement spool  18  after the supply of floss  16  of an initial spool  18  has been depleted, rather than disposing of the flosser  10  in its entirety. It will be appreciated that various other configurations of the housing  14  may be used to provide access to the contents of the housing  14 . For example, the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  may be hingedly coupled to each other. 
     In another embodiment, the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  may be configured to be substantially permanently attached to each other. In such cases, the flosser  10  may be disposed of in its entirety after the supply of floss  16  of the initial spool  18  has been depleted. 
     Various other modifications may be made to the exemplary flosser shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the partition  40  may be eliminated. In such cases, the sidewalls  30 ,  32  of the top and bottom housing portions  22 ,  24  may be configured to maintain the alignment of the spool  18  within the chamber  36 . In addition or alternatively, the actuator  20  may assist in maintaining the alignment of the spool  18  within the chamber  36 . 
     Turning now to  FIG. 3 , wherein like reference numerals represent like features, an exemplary dual-purpose dental floss holder and dispenser, or dental flosser  110 , including a handle  112  coupled to a housing  114  for holding and dispensing dental floss  116  is shown in accordance with another embodiment. The primary difference between the flosser  110  of this embodiment and the flosser  10  of the previously described embodiment is the configuration of the actuator  120 . More particularly, the actuator  120  of this embodiment includes a generally cylindrical button  166  extending through the inner bore  158  of the spool  118  and the aperture  150  of the top housing portion  122 . The actuator  120  further includes at least one projection, such as a pair of oppositely disposed arms  168 , extending radially outwardly from the button  166 . The arms  168  each include top and bottom surfaces  170 ,  172 , and are positioned below the spool  118  such that the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  oppose the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118 . In this manner, the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  may be configured to frictionally engage the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118  to lock the spool  118  against rotation and thereby halt and/or prevent the unwinding of floss  116  from the spool  118 . Thus, the frictional engagement between the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  and the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118  may at least partially define a locked condition of the spool  118 . In one embodiment, the frictional engagement between the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  and the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118  may cause the top surface  160  of the spool  118  to frictionally engage the top wall  126  of the housing  114 . In this manner, the spool  118  may be sandwiched between the arms  168  and the top wall  126  to further contribute to the locking of the spool  118  against rotation. In any event, when the spool  118  is the locked condition, the free end of the floss  116  may be held taut by the user without causing rotation of the spool  118  and unwinding of the supply of floss  116 . 
     The actuator  120  also includes a biasing member, such as a spring  174 , positioned between the button  166  and the housing  114  for biasing the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  toward, and into frictional engagement with, the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118  such that the spool  118  may be locked against rotation. In the embodiment shown, the spring  174  is below the spool  118  and is positioned over a guide pin  176  provided on the bottom wall  128 . 
     In the embodiment shown, the spool  118  is normally in the locked condition. In other words, absent a threshold external force on the button  166 , the biasing of the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  caused by the spring  174  causes the top surfaces  170  to frictionally engage the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118 . Upon the application of an external force on the button  166  sufficient to overcome the biasing caused by the spring  174 , the button  166  may be depressed toward the bottom wall  128  such that the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  move away from and disengage the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118  to place the spool  118  in the unlocked condition. Such an external force may be generated, for example, by a user&#39;s finger or thumb while gripping the handle  112  with a single hand. Removal of the external force on the button  166  may allow the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  to be urged toward and frictionally engage the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118  by the biasing of the spring  174  to return the spool  118  to the locked condition. 
     In use, the user may expose a desired length of floss  116  from the housing  114  by depressing the button  166  with a thumb or finger to overcome the bias of the spring  174  and cause the top surfaces  170  of the arms  168  to disengage the bottom surface  162  of the spool  118  and unlock the spool  118 , while pulling the free end of the floss  116  away from the spool  118 , thereby allowing portions of the floss  116  to unwind from the spool  118  and advance out of the orifice  144 . Once the desired length of floss  116  has been exposed, the user may release the button  166 , thereby allowing the spool  118  to return to the normal, locked position. The user may then guide the exposed portion of floss  116  between the user&#39;s teeth by gripping the exposed floss  116  with one hand, such as at or near the free end of the floss  116 , and gripping the handle  112  of the flosser  110  with the other hand. Thus, in this embodiment, the need to continue to depress the button  166  to maintain the spool  118  in the locked condition while performing the flossing operation is eliminated. 
     Various other aspects of the flosser  110  are similar to those described above with regard to the previous embodiment and will be readily understood, and thus are not repeated here for the sake of brevity. 
     Turning now to  FIG. 4 , wherein like reference numerals represent like features, an exemplary dual-purpose dental floss holder and dispenser, or dental flosser  210 , including a handle  212  coupled to a housing  214  for holding and dispensing dental floss  216  is shown in accordance with yet another embodiment. 
     In the embodiment shown, the spool  218  of floss  216  is unflanged. More particularly, the spool  218  includes a hollow cylindrical body having an inner bore  258 , a top surface  260 , a bottom surface, and an outer side surface (not shown). 
     The actuator  220  includes a generally cylindrical button  266  extending through the aperture  250  of the top housing portion  222 . In the embodiment shown, the actuator  220  further includes at least one projection, such as a generally circular flange  268 , extending radially outwardly from the button  266 . The flange  268  includes top and bottom surfaces  270 ,  272 , and is positioned above the spool  218  such that the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  opposes the top surface  260  of the spool  218 . In this manner, the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  may be configured to frictionally engage the top surface  260  of the spool  218  to lock the spool  218  against rotation and thereby halt and/or prevent the unwinding of floss  216  from the spool  218 . Thus, the frictional engagement between the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  and the top surface  260  of the spool  218  may at least partially define a locked condition of the spool  218 . In one embodiment, the frictional engagement between the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  and the top surface  260  of the spool  218  may cause the bottom surface of the spool  218  to frictionally engage the bottom wall  228  of the housing  214 . In this manner, the spool  218  may be sandwiched between the flange  268  and the bottom wall  228  to further contribute to the locking of the spool  218  against rotation. When the spool  218  is the locked condition, the free end of the floss  216  may be held taut by the user without causing rotation of the spool  218  and unwinding of the supply of floss  216 . 
     The actuator  220  also includes a biasing member, such as a spring  274 , positioned between the button  266  and the housing  214  for biasing the button  266 , and more particularly the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268 , away from the spool  218  such that the spool  218  may be freely rotatable. In the embodiment shown, the spring  274  extends through the inner bore  258  of the spool  218  and is positioned over a guide pin  276  provided on the bottom wall  228 . The biasing of the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  away from the spool  218  by the spring  274  may define an unlocked condition of the spool  218 . When the spool  218  is in the unlocked condition, the top surface  270  of the flange  268  may abut the top wall  226  near the aperture  250  to prevent the button  266  from becoming dislodged. 
     In the embodiment shown, the spool  218  is normally in the unlocked condition. In other words, absent a threshold external force on the button  266 , the biasing of the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  caused by the spring  274  prevents the bottom surface  272  from frictionally engaging the top surface  260  of the spool  218 . Upon the application of an external force on the button  266  sufficient to overcome the biasing caused by the spring  274 , the button  266  may be depressed toward the bottom wall  228  such that the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  moves toward and frictionally engages the top surface  260  of the spool  218  to place the spool  218  in the locked condition. Such an external force may be generated, for example, by a user&#39;s finger or thumb while gripping the handle  212  with a single hand. Removal of the external force on the button  266  may allow the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  to be urged away from and disengage the top surface  260  of the spool  218  by the biasing of the spring  274  to return the spool  218  to the unlocked condition. In another embodiment, the flosser  210  may be configured to be normally in the locked condition in a manner similar to the embodiment shown and described with respect to  FIG. 3 . 
     While the flange  268  of the actuator  220  has been described as frictionally engaging the spool  218 , the flange  268  may additionally or alternatively frictionally engage the supply of floss  216  wound around the spool  218 . In this regard, the wound supply of floss  216  may define a top surface  290  and a bottom surface  292 . As shown, the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  opposes the top surface  290  of the wound supply of floss  216 . Thus, the bottom surface  272  of the flange  268  may be configured to frictionally engage the top surface  290  of the wound supply of floss  216  to halt and/or prevent the unwinding of floss  216  in manner similar to that previously described with respect to the spool  218 . In one embodiment, the flange  268  or other projection of the actuator  220  may be downwardly canted or inclined in order to position at least a portion of the bottom surface  272  closer to the top surface  290  of the wound supply of floss  216  for frictional engagement therewith. In another embodiment, the top surface  270  of the flange  268  may be positioned to oppose the bottom surface  292  of the wound supply of floss  216  for frictional engagement therewith, in a configuration generally similar to that of  FIG. 3 . In addition or alternatively, the spool  218  may be eliminated such that the wound supply of floss  216  may be spool-less. 
     Various other aspects of the flosser  210  are similar to those described above with regard to the previous embodiments and will be readily understood, and thus are not repeated here for the sake of brevity. 
     While the present invention has been illustrated by the description of various embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been described in considerable detail, it is not intended to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Thus, the various features discussed herein may be used alone or in any combination. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. The present invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the scope of the general inventive concept.