Coated dental devices with dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble coatings and methods for manufacturing
AssigneeWhiteHill Oral Technologies, Inc.
InventorsDale G. Brown, Ira D. Hill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Coated, disposable, one-handed, dental devices, including dental flossers, dental picks and dental stimulators, having dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble coatings that are suitable for subsequently absorbing volatile flavors from a flavor reservoir, while maintained under flavor-sealed conditions, wherein tumbling motion is imparted to said devices while simultaneously coating said tumbling devices with multiple coatings of the dry-to-the-touch-coatings, wherein said multiple coatings comprise from between about 0.25 and about 6% by weight of said multicoated devices.
Claims26
A method for coating disposable, one-handed dental devices with dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble coatings suitable for subsequently absorbing volatile flavors, comprising:
- (a) introducing said devices into a moving coating drum that imparts tumbling motion to said dental devices,
- (b) introducing, periodically into said drum, a dry-to-the-touch, saliva soluble, coating mixtures,
- (c) coating said moving dental devices with coatings of said dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble, coating mixtures,
- (d) removing substantially all the moisture between coatings, and
- (e) discharging said coated dental devices from said coating drum, at such time as said dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing coating comprises from between about 0.25 and about 6% by weight of said coated devices.
An apparatus useful for coating disposable, one-handed dental devices with multiple dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble coatings that includes:
- (a) a coating drum arrangement, which preferably rotates around an axis, keeping dental devices introduced into said drum in motion,
- (b) a means for periodically introducing a dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble, coating mixture containing high levels of active ingredients into said drum at a controllable rate, and
- (c) controllable heat and air flow means for removing moisture from said dry-to-the-touch, flavor-adsorbing, coated dental devices between coatings as they are tumbled in said coating drum.
A method for coating disposable, one-handed dental devices with dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble, coating mixtures containing chemotherapeutic ingredients and suitable for absorbing volatile flavors, comprising:
- introducing said devices into a coating vessel that imparts motion to said devices, periodically introducing said dry-to-the-touch, saliva soluble, coating mixtures containing chemotherapeutic ingredients into said coating vessel, and removing moisture from said vessel between coating applications with the introduction of controllable heat and air flow.
Disposable, one-handed, flavor-absorbing, coated dental devices produced by adapting confectionery coating processes, including:
- (a) introducing said devices into a moving coating drum that imparts tumbling motion to said dental devices,
- (b) introducing, periodically into said drum, a dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble, coating mixture,
- (c) coating said moving dental devices with said coating mixtures,
- (d) removing substantially all the moisture between coatings, and
- (e) discharging said dry-to-the-touch, flavor-adsorbing, coated dental devices from said coating drum, at such time as said coating comprises from between about 0.25 and about 6% by weight of said coated devices.
In confectionery coating technology, the improvement comprising introducing disposable, one-handed dental devices into a rotating confectionery coating drum and periodically introducing dry-to-the-touch, flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble, coating mixtures to coat said devices with multiple coatings of a dry-to-the-touch, saliva soluble, coating that is capable of subsequently absorbing volatile flavors.
A coated, disposable, one-handed, dental device having a flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble coating contained in a flavor-sealed package fitted with a flavor reservoir containing a volatile flavor.
A coated, disposable, one-handed, dental device having a flavor-absorbing, saliva soluble coating, and having adsorbed a volatile flavor from a flavor reservoir, while contained in a flavor-sealed package.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.