US 5,490,722 A · Hands free dental floss dispenser

Abstract

A manually powered hygienic dental floss dispenser enclosed in a housing. A user pulls a lever connected to a first drive belt engaging a free wheel and an inner ratchet wheel, causing the wheels to rotate clockwise. When the user releases the lever, a spring pushes the lever back toward its original position, causing the inner ratchet wheel to engage an outer ratchet wheel engaged with a second drive belt and a daisy wheel. Counterclockwise rotations of the wheels cause the daisy wheel to engage and advance a string of dental floss at pairs of opposing radial extensions of the daisy wheel. When the lever reaches its original position it activates a cutting mechanism that severs the string of dental floss at a measured length. The measured length of dental floss passes from the interior to the exterior of the housing through a feed tube.

Claims18

Dependent claims

Apparatus for dispensing measured lengths of dental floss comprising:

a housing;
a spool disposed inside the housing having a length of dental floss wound thereon;
a dispensing means for engaging a free end of the length of dental floss at a position inside the housing and moving the free end of the length of dental floss a measured distance to a position outside the housing where the free end of the length of dental floss may be grasped by a user;
and
a cutting means for severing the length of dental floss after the dispensing means has moved the free end of the length of dental floss the measured distance.

2 more elements

An apparatus for dispensing measured lengths of dental floss comprising:

a housing;
a spool disposed inside the housing having a length of dental floss wound thereon;
a lever extending from the inside the housing to outside the housing and movable between a first position and a second position;
a spring biasing the lever toward the first position and disposed within the housing;
a first drive belt disposed within the housing connected to the driving member;
a free wheel in driven association with the first drive belt;
an inner ratchet wheel in driven association with the first drive belt;
an outer ratchet wheel periodically engaged by the inner ratchet wheel;
a daisy wheel having a plurality of pairs of opposing radial extensions for periodically engaging and carrying a free end of dental floss from the length of dental floss;
a second drive belt in driven association with the outer ratchet wheel and in driving association with the daisy wheel;
and
a cutting means.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Hands free dental floss dispenser

Life of this patent

Hands free dental floss dispenser

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18