Dental floss applicator
OwnerJames P. Berarducciinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A dental floss holder for readily applying floss to teeth includes a pistol grip offset handle with an arm extending angularly forward of the handle top and a post extends laterally of the handle bottom, a thimble at the end of the arm is engaged by the index finger, a receiving ring is located forwardly of the thimble and a floss stretching member is selectively rotatably positionable in such member having two spaced upstanding fingers with a loop end of floss engaged thereon and passing through the ring and another loop end about the post on the handle and adapted to be stretched taut by squeezing the floss between its ends towards the handle by the user's fingers and a lip retractor is included on the flossing head.
Claims35
A dental floss applicator comprising an elongated handle having a lower end portion and an upper end portion, an elongated arm having rearward and forward end portions and a generally horizontal axis passing therebetween, said rearward end portion being connected to said upper end portion of said handle with said handle extending downwardly and laterally of said horizontal axis, a support means attached to and extending forwardly of said arm forward end portion, a selectively detachable floss stretcher having a movable base member positioned on said support means in an upright position and alternately in a downright position, a pair of spaced oppositely facing generally vertical finger members projecting from said base member and having bifurcated free ends adapted to receive floss therein, selective locating means between said base member and said support means to selectively orient said base member in various rotative positions about a generally perpendicular axis to said horizontal axis with respect to said support means in either said upright and downright positions.
A dental floss applicator comprising an elongated pistol grip handle having a lower end portion and an upper end portion, a post means projecting laterally from said lower end portion for receiving floss thereabout, and an elongated arm having opposite end portions, one said arm end portion being connected to and extending forward from said upper end portion, a thimble member attached to the other said arm end portion and adapted to receive an index finger tip of a user's hand gripping said handle of said applicator, a support means attached to and extending forwardly of said thimble member, and a detachable floss stretcher positionable on said support means in selected rotative orientations, said stretcher including a base member adapted to fit onto said support means in an upright position and downright position, a pair of finger members projecting generally in the vertical direction from said base member and terminating in a forked configuration adapted to receive a length of floss therein and stretched between said pair of finger members, and notch means between said base member and said ring support for indexing said annular base member in a plurality of radially different positions on said support means.
A dental floss applicator comprising an L-shaped body including an elongated pistol grip having an upper and a lower end portion, an elongated arm having an elongated generally horizontal axis and end portion affixed to and extending forward from said grip upper end portion;
- a floss engaging post projecting laterally outwardly from said grip lower end portion, a support means rigidly attached to the opposite end portion of said arm;
- a floss stretching member selectively detachable to said support means, said floss stretching member including a base, means for rotatively positioning said base abot a generally vertical axis on said support means, said stretching member having two upwardly extending fingers attached to diametrically opposite sides of said base, each finger having a V-shaped depression in the upper extremity thereof.
A dental floss applicator comprising an elongated pistol grip handle having a lower end portion and an upper end portion, a pair of posts projecting laterally from said lower end portion and adapted to receive a portion of the dental floss thereabout, an elongated arm having rearward and forward end portions, said rearward end portion being connected to said upper end portion and extending generally horizontally, a thimble member attached to said forward end portion and having a cavity therein opening rearwardly to receive an index fingertip therein of a hand gripping said handle, a ring support attached to and extending forwardly of said thimble member, a selectively attachable floss stretcher having a base member with a passageway therethrough and positioned within said ring support in an upright position and alternately in a downright position, a pair of spaced oppositely facing generally vertical finger members projecting from said base member and having bifurcated free ends adapted to receive a portion of floss therein, selective locating means between said base member and said ring support to selectively orient said base member in various rotative positions with respect to said ring support in either said upright and downright positions, and a continuous loop of dental floss having a portion spanning between said finger members and passing through said passageway in said base member and looped about one said post when said stretcher is in said upright position and looped about the other said post when said stretcher is in said downright position, said thimble including a guideway engageable by said floss when said stretcher is in said downright position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.