Improvements in Appliances or Instruments for Cleaning the Teeth and Nails.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 21st June, 1897-Accepted, 18th June, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Appliances or Instruments for Cleaning the Teeth
and Nails.
I, FRANK HARRISON, of No. 57, Sistova Road, Balham, Surrey, Dentist, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
-
My invention relates to an appliance or instrument for cleaning the teeth by
a combined scraping action and simultaneous supply of dentifrice or cleansing
liquid. It consists mainly of a collapsible tube containing dentifrice or cleansing
fluid and terminating in a tubular stem on the end of which is fixed a suitably
shaped scraping blade, on one face of which is secured a piece of porous material
such as soft leather, so that on squeezing the tube while the blade is being passed
over the teeth, a portion of the fluid will at the same time be made to issue on to
the latter.
In combination with this instrument I sometimes use a brush device, as will be
presently described.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a front view of an instrument
constructed according to my above described invention. A is a collapsible tube
containing dentifrice or cleansing fluid of any kind, and having a tubular stem B
terminating in a threaded nozzle with small opening, as shewn at Figure 2. Upon
this nozzle is screwed the head piece C, the upper part of which constitutes a
scraping blade, preferably of the configuration shewn in the front and side views
Figures 1 and 3 and having secured to its concave side the correspondingly shaped
piece of leather or other porous material D held between the blade and a part C¹
of the head. The sides of the blade are formed with such curvatures as to fit the
rounded surfaces of the teeth and into the interstices between them, and thus to
exercise an effective scraping action thereon, while at the same time by squeezing
the tube, any desired quantity of the liquid can be made to flow from the edges of
the scraper on to the teeth.
The head piece C, when screwed completely down on the nozzle, closes its orifice
and thus acts as a tap preventing the issue or deterioration of the fluid. In
operating with the instrument I first slightly unscrew the head piece so as to open
the orifice of the nozzle, and after squeezing some fluid on to the blade, I screw the
head piece down again so as to prevent farther issue of the fluid while operating
with the scraper.
When not in use, the head may be enclosed by a cylindrical cap as indicated
in dotted lines Figure 1. In some cases I construct such cap to contain a brush
as shewn at Figures 4 to 9. The cap F is for this purpose formed with a forked
or slotted upper end as shewn in the detached front and side views Figures 5 and 6.
Between the flat side cheeks F¹ thereof is fitted the square head G₁ of a brush G,
shewn detached in elevation and plan at Figures 7 and 8. The head G¹ has
lateral pivots that pass through holes formed in the cheeks F¹, so that it can be
It has in addition small pro-
turned round into different positions between these.
jections G2 which fit into corresponding recesses F3 on the inner surfaces of the

page_text: cheeks, and thus hold the brush in whatever position it may be turned, as shewn
at Figure 9. When the brush is turned from one position into another, the
cheeks Fare sprung outwards by the projections G². In order to hold the brush
securely in the position into which it has been turned, a sliding sleeve H is pro-
vided on the cap F, which sleeve is slid down, as at Figure 6, when it is desired to
turn the brush, and is then slid up as at Figures 4 and 9, so as to prevent the
cheeks F1 from being sprung outwards: The sleeve H has a slot with a bayonet
catch, working over a pin on the cap F as shown at Figure 4, in order to hold it
in the raised position.
When the brush is not in use, it is turned with the bristles inwards, as at
Figure 4.
It will be evident that the above described instrument is equally applicable for
cleaning the nails.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. An appliance or instrument for cleaning the teeth and nails consisting of
the combination of a collapsible tube or vessel containing cleansing fluid, with a
scraping blade so arranged that when using the latter a portion of the fluid in
the tube can be made to issue on to the blade, and thence on to the teeth or nails
substantially as described.
2. An appliance or instrument for cleaning the teeth and nails consisting of
the combination of a collapsible tube such as A with tubular stem B and a head C
formed as a scraping blade with piece of porous material attached thereto, sub-
stantially as described with reference to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings.
3. In the appliance described in the second claim, constructing the scraper
head C to act as a screw tap for preventing the issue of fluid from the tube A,
substantially as described.
4. In combination with the appliance referred to in the preceding claims, a cap
such as F adapted to fit over the scraping blade, combined with a brush such as G
adapted to be turned into any desired position in the forked end of the cap, and
secured therein by means of a sliding sleeve such as H, substantially as described.
Dated this 21st day of June 1897.