Abstract:
A handle system for use with a disposable flosser having an elongate flosser handle to fixedly and replaceably receive the flosser. The system includes an auxiliary handle having a blind bore; a cap movably mounted to the auxiliary handle adjacent the blind bore and defining a channel; and a flexible member received within the channel and the blind bore of the auxiliary handle and configured for receiving a portion of the flosser handle. The cap is movable between first and second positions to urge the flexible member against the flosser handle when the flosser handle is received within the flexible member so as to frictionally retain the flosser handle.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     This invention relates generally to dental hygiene devices. More particularly, this invention relates to handle devices for use with disposable flossers.  
       BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     Disposable flossers are widely used dental hygiene devices. Many disposable flossers are relatively compact and it has been observed that the small handle commonly provided on disposable flossers is often difficult to grasp. A need therefor exists for a larger and reusable handle device that can be used with disposable flossers to facilitate their use.  
         [0003]     With regard to the foregoing, the present invention is directed to a handle system for use with a disposable flosser having an elongate flosser handle to fixedly and replaceably receive the flosser.  
         [0004]     In a preferred embodiment, the system includes an auxiliary handle having a blind bore; a cap movably mounted to the auxiliary handle adjacent the blind bore and defining a channel; and a flexible member received within the channel and the blind bore of the auxiliary handle and configured for receiving a portion of the flosser handle. The cap is movable between first and second positions to urge the flexible member against the flosser handle when the flosser handle is received within the flexible member so as to frictionally retain the flosser handle.  
         [0005]     In another aspect, the invention relates to a flossing system having a flosser with a handle and an handle system for cooperating with the flosser handle.  
         [0006]     In a preferred embodiment, the handle system includes an auxiliary handle, a cap rotatably connected to the auxiliary handle between a first position and a second position and having a first interior dimension and a second smaller interior dimension, and a flexible member configured for receiving a portion of the flosser handle and received within a retainer statically positioned relative to the auxiliary handle.  
         [0007]     When the cap is in the first position the first interior dimension of the cap cooperates with the retainer to enable the flosser handle to be freely insertable through an aperture of the cap for receipt by the flexible member. When the cap is rotated to the second position the second and smaller interior dimension of the cap bears against portions of the retainer to urge the flexible member against the flosser handle to fixedly restrain the flosser handle from movement relative to the handle system. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     Further features of preferred embodiments of the invention will become apparent by reference to the detailed description of preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the figures, which are not to scale, wherein like reference numbers, indicate like elements through the several views, and wherein,  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a handle system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a partial exploded view of the system of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view showing components of the handle system of  FIGS. 1 and 2 .  
         [0012]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of a front cap component of the system of  FIG. 1 ;  FIG. 4B  is a front end view of the cap of  FIG. 4A ;  FIG. 4C  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 C- 4 C of  FIG. 4B ; and  FIG. 4D  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  4 D- 4 D of  FIG. 4B .  
         [0013]      FIG. 5A  is a perspective view of a flosser gripper component of the handle system of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 5B  is a side view thereof.  
         [0014]      FIG. 6A  is a perspective view of a gripper retainer component of the handle system of  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 6B  is a cross-sectional side view thereof.  
         [0015]      FIG. 7A  is a side view of a shell component of a handle portion of the system of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 7B  is a cross-sectional view of the handle portion of  FIG. 7A  taken along line  7 B- 7 B; and  FIG. 7C  is a cross-sectional view taken along line  7 C- 7 C.  
         [0016]      FIG. 8  is an exploded side view of grip components of the handle portion of the system of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 9  is a side view showing the grip components of  FIG. 8  installed on the shell component of  FIG. 7A .  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]     With initial reference to  FIGS. 1-3 , the invention relates to a flosser handle system  10  configured for releasably retaining a disposable flosser  12 . The system  10  preferably includes a front cap  14 , a flosser gripper  16 , a gripper retainer  18 , and a handle  20 . The system  10  advantageously receives and fixedly retains a disposable flosser to facilitate use of the flosser. The used flosser may then be easily removed from the handle system  10  for disposal, and a new flosser  12  installed.  
         [0019]     With reference to  FIG. 2 , the flosser  12  is preferably a plastic disposable flosser available from DenTek Oral Care, Inc. of Maryville, Tenn. The flosser  12  includes a handle  22  and a pair of arms  24  and  26  extending from a distal end  22   a  of the handle  22 . Floss  28  extends between the arms  24  and  26 . The handle  22  has a length L of about  2  inches, and of decreasing taper from the distal end  22   a  to proximal end  22   b . In this regard, the proximal end  22   b  is preferably configured to serve as a toothpick. Such flossers are advantageous to provide portable and effective flossing devices, yet their small size and the taper of the handle can make them hard to grip and manipulate for some users during flossing. Accordingly, the handle system  10  provides an auxiliary and reusable handle structure that may be used with the flosser  12 .  
         [0020]     With reference to  FIG. 3 , wherein the components are shown exploded from the assembled state. In the assembled state, the gripper retainer  18  is partially received within the handle  20 , with the flosser gripper  16  fully received within the retainer  18  to provide a gripper/retainer assembly. The cap  14  is installed on the handle to surround the exposed portion of the gripper/retainer assembly and can rotate between two positions. A ring  30  is preferably provided to facilitate desired spacing and connection of the cap  14  to the handle  20 .  
         [0021]     As explained more fully below, the handle  22  of the flosser  12  is passed through an aperture defined in the front of the cap  14  and is received by the gripper/retainer assembly. The cap  14  is then rotated from a first position to a second position. The interior geometry of the cap is selected so that rotation of the cap squeezes the gripper/retainer assembly so as to bear the gripper  16  against the handle to frictionally engage the flosser  12  from movement.  
         [0022]     With reference to  FIGS. 4A-4D , the cap  14  is preferably of one-piece molded plastic construction and configured to define an elongate and substantially cylindrical interior channel  40  extending from a rear end  41  to a front end  42  where a front aperture  43  is defined. A pair of raised channel sidewall portions  44   a  and  44   b  are preferably defined on portions of the channel  40  adjacent the front end  42  to provide structure for reducing the effective diameter of the channel so that when the cap  14  is rotated from the first position to the second position the channel  40  is rotated about the gripper/retainer assembly so that the sidewall portions  44   a  and  44   b  are placed in contact with the gripper/retainer assembly and squeeze the gripper/retainer assembly sufficiently to grip the handle  22  of the flosser  12 . Thus, when the cap  14  is in the first position, the gripper/retainer assembly is within the diameter D 1 . When the cap  14  is rotated to the second position, the gripper/retainer assembly is within the smaller diameter D 2 . For the purpose of example, the diameter D 1  of the channel  40  is preferably about 7.2 mm and the diameter D 2  is preferably about 6.2 mm. While the cap is described configured for rotational manipulation, it will be understood that it could be configured to enable other motion to effect dimensional variation, such as pulling or pushing the cap toward and away from the handle  20 .  
         [0023]     The cap  14  defines a mounting shaft  45  adjacent the rear end  41  sized to fit within the handle  20 . A shaft extension  45   a  preferably extends from the shaft  45  for cooperating with the interior geometry of the handle  20  during rotation of the cap  14  between first and second positions, as explained more fully below. A pair of flexible mounting tabs  46   a  and  46   b  are preferably defined on opposite sides of the shaft  45  to facilitate mounting of the cap  14  onto the handle  20 . The cap  14  also preferably includes a thicker head portion  47  extending from the mounting shaft  45  to the front end  42 , such that a shoulder  48  is defined at the juncture of the shaft  45  and the head  47 . The shoulder  48  is positioned adjacent the handle  20  and the exterior diameter of the head portion  47  is preferably substantially the same as the exterior portion of the handle  20  to which it is adjacent when installed to provide a smooth interface.  
         [0024]     With reference to  FIGS. 5A-5B , the gripper  16  is preferably of one-piece molded construction and made of a flexible polymeric material such as rubber and the like. The gripper  16  is preferably substantially U-shaped and includes a pair of substantially spaced apart and mutually facing legs  50  and  51 . The legs  50  and  51  are joined together at one end by a bend  52  and by a web  53  bridging between one of the common side edges of the legs along a rear end of the gripper  16  adjacent the bend  52 . Elongate fins  54  and  55  are defined along the outer edges of the legs  50  and  51 , respectively, adjacent the web  53 . Ripples or other rugous topographies  56  and  57  are preferably defined along the inner mutually facing surfaces of the legs  50  and  51  from adjacent the web  53  to the free ends of the legs for frictionally engaging the handle  22  of the flosser  12  when the handle  22  is received within elongate channel  58  defined by the retainer  16  and, in particular, when the gripper  16  is squeezed against the handle  22 .  
         [0025]     With reference to  FIGS. 6A-6B , the gripper retainer  18  is preferably of one-piece molded plastic construction. The gripper retainer  18  is preferably substantially U-shaped and includes a pair of substantially spaced apart and mutually facing legs  60  and  61  joined together at one end by a bend  62 . A pair of lips  63   a  and  63   b  are defined at the free ends of the legs  60  and  61  and sized so as to fit within the aperture  43  when the retainer  18  is received within the cap  14 . Elongate slots  64  and  65  are defined along the legs  60  and  61 , respectively, for receiving the fins  54  and  55 , respectively, when the gripper  16  is received by the gripper retainer  18 . In addition, one or more extensions  66  preferably extend from a side edge of the legs  60  or  61  or both to help maintain the gripper  16  in linear alignment with the retainer  18  and retained within interior cavity  67  of the gripper retainer  18 .  
         [0026]     The exterior of the retainer  18  is preferably somewhat cylindrical and sized to substantially correspond to the diameter D 1  of the cap  14 , but slightly smaller so that it can be slidably received within the cap  14 . The legs  60  and  61  are urged toward one another when the cap  14  is rotated to the second position and the retainer  18  is exposed to the smaller D 2  diameter of the cap  14 . In this regard, it is preferred that the retainer  18  remain static relative to the handle  20  and not rotate when the cap  14  is rotated from the first position to the second position. To facilitate this, a notch  68  is preferably defined adjacent the rear end of the gripper retainer  18  which is received within the handle  20  for cooperating with corresponding structure of the handle  20  to statically seat the gripper retainer  18  within the handle  20 .  
         [0027]     The handle  20 , shown assembled in  FIG. 9 , preferably includes a shell component  70  ( FIGS. 7A-7C ) and a grip component  80  ( FIG. 8 ) preferably overmolded onto the shell component. With reference to  FIGS. 7A-7C , the shell component  70  is preferably of one-piece molded plastic construction and includes a blind bore  71  with an opening  72  defined at a front end thereof. Various portions  73  of the shell component  70  are preferably recessed so as to define sites for receiving the grip component  80  such that a smooth interface is provided between exterior surfaces of the grip component  80  and exposed surfaces of the shell  70  and to render an aesthetically pleasing appearance.  
         [0028]     With reference to  FIGS. 7B and 7C , the bore  71  is configured for statically seating the gripper retainer  18  and rotatably retaining the cap  14  such that the cap  14  may be rotated between the first position in which the gripper/retainer assembly is exposed to the first diameter D 1  of the cap  14 , and the second position in which the gripper/retainer assembly is exposed to the second diameter D 2  of the cap  14 .  
         [0029]     In this regard, the blind end of the bore  71  is configured to define a retainer receptacle  74  for receiving the gripper retainer  18  so as to maintain the retainer  18  static relative to the handle  20 . The receptacle  74  includes a portion  74   a  for receiving the notch  68  and a larger portion  74   b  for receiving a portion of the retainer proximate the bend  62  thereof.  
         [0030]     In addition, a cap receptacle  75  is defined between the receptacle  74  and the opening  72  of the blind bore  71  for rotatably receiving the cap  14 . The receptacle  75  includes a portion  75   a  for receiving the shaft extension  45   a  and a larger portion  75   b  for receiving the remainder of the shaft  45 . The portion  75   a  is sized so that one edge of the shaft extension  45   a  contacts one edge of the portion  75   a  when the cap  14  is in the first position. The cap  14  may then be rotated to the second position, wherein the opposite edge of the shaft extension  45   a  contacts the opposite edge of the portion  75 . Thus, the cap may be freely rotated between the first and second positions, with such rotation preferably being encompassed by only a partial rotation of the cap  14  relative to the handle  20 , such as an approximately one-quarter turn or revolution. A pair of projections  76   a  and  76   b  are preferably located within the portion  75   b  for cooperating with the mounting tabs  46   a  and  46   b  of the cap  14  so as to facilitate snap-fitting of the cap  14  to the handle  20  and to retain the cap  14  in the second position until force is applied to rotate it back to the first position.  
         [0031]     With reference to  FIG. 8 , the grip component preferably includes an upper grip  82  and a lower grip  84 , each preferably molded of a flexible polymeric material, such as a rubber, and including rugous topography to facilitate gripping of the handle. With reference to  FIG. 9 , the handle  20  is shown with the grip component  80  installed on the shell component  70 , preferably by overmolding.  
         [0032]     The handle system  10  provides a reusable handle that can be used with disposable flossers, such as flosser  12 , to facilitate use thereof. To install the flosser, the cap  14  is located in the first position so that the larger D 1  diameter of the cap  14  is oriented relative to the gripper/retainer assembly received within the cap. The handle  22  of the flosser  12  is passed through the aperture  43  of the cap  14  so that the handle  22  is received within the channel  58  of the gripper  16 . The cap  14  is then rotated to the second position to bear the sidewall portions  44   a  and  44   b  against the gripper/retainer assembly to squeeze the gripper  16  against the handle  22  of the flosser  12 . The flosser  12  is thus firmly retained by the handle assembly  10 . The cap  14  may thereafter be returned to the first position and the flosser  12  removed.  
         [0033]     The foregoing description of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention has been provided for purposes of illustration only, and it is understood that numerous modifications or alterations may be made in and to the illustrated embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.