Dental string or floss holder with means for adjusting string or floss tension

Claim 1

A TOOTH CLEANING INSTRUMENT ADAPTED TO MOUNT A SHORT CLOSED TENSILE MEMBER LOOP OF DENTAL STRING IN A TENSION-ADJUSTABLE MANNER AND IN A POSITION FOR EFFECTIVE USE IN FORCING SAME BETWEEN ADJACENT TEETH FOR REMOVAL OF FOOD PARTICLE DEBRIS THEREFROM, COMPRISING: A LONGITUDINAL HANDLE MEMBER PROVIDED WITH SUBSTANTIALLY TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED BIFURCATED YOKE MEANS AT A FRONT END THEREOF, SAID BIFURCATED YOKE MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED, SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL FINGERS SEPARATED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR OPENING AND SPACED APART IN A DIRECTION SUSBTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE TRANSVERSE LENGTH DIRECTION OF EACH OF SAID FINGERS WHEREBY TO CAUSE SAID TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED BIFURCATED YOKE MEANS TO BE OF A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR U-SHAPED CONFIGURATION, EACH OF SAID TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED FINGERS BEING PROVIDED WITH INWARDLY GROOVED, TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED GUIDE CHANNEL MEANS ALONG THE COMPLETE TRANSVERSE LENGTHS OF THE OUTER EDGES THEREOF AND BEING ADDITIONALLY PROVIDED WITH PERPENDICULARLY COMMUNICATING, LATERALLY ALIGNED, REARWARDLY GROOVED, INWARDLY DIRECTED GUIDE CHANNEL MEANS COMPLETELY ALONG THE INWARDLY DIRECTED FRONT END EDGES OF EACH OF SAID SPACED FINGERS, SAID GUIDE CHANNEL MEANS BEING COOPERABLE TO RECEIVE THEREIN CORRESPONDING SIDE AND FRONT PORTIONS OF A SHORT CLOSED TENSILE MEMBER LOOP OF DENTAL STRING WITH A FRONT TOOTH CLEANING PORTION THEREOF BEING ADAPTED TO LIE LATERALLY ACROSS THE FRONT EDGE OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR OPENING BETWEEN THE PARALLEL LATERALLY SPACED FINGERS OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULAR U-SHAPED BIFURCATED YOKE MEANS IN A POSITION FO EFFECTIVELY USING SAME BY FORCING SAME BETWEEN ADJACENT TEETH FOR REMOVAL OF FOOD PARTICLE DEBRIS THEREFROM; AND MANUALLY CONTROLLABLY SLIDABLY OPERABLE LONGITUDINAL TENSION ADJUSTMENT MEANS CARRIED BY THE BACK OUTER SIDE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL HANDLE MEMBER AND HAVING A FORWARDLY POSITIONED, OUTWARDLY DIRECTED ENGAGEMENT HOOK MEANS COOPERABLE FOR ENGAGEMENT WITH A REAR PORTION OF A SHORT CLOSED TENSILE MEMBER LOOP OF DENTAL STRING FOR MANUALLY CAUSED SLIDABLE MOVEMENT THEREOF AND FOR CORRESPONDING ADJUSTMENT OF THE TENSION OF A FRONT TOOTH CLEANING PORTION OF A SHORT CLOSED TENSILE MEMBER LOOP OF DENTAL STRING, SAID MANUALLY CONTROLLABLY SLIDABALY OPERABLE TENSION ADJUSTMENT MEANS COMPRISING A LONGITUDINAL SLIDE MEMBER HAVING SAID ENGAGEMENT HOOK MEANS AT THE FORWARD END THEREOF AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM THE ADJACENT SURFACE OF THE LONGITUDINAL HANDLE MEMBER AND HAVING A SIMILARLY OUTWARDLY EXTENDING, MANUALLY ENGAGEABLE PROJECTION AT THE REAR END OF SAID LONGITUDINAL SLIDE MEMBER, AND BEING PROVIDED WITH PIN-IN-SLOT LONGITUDINAL SLIDABLE MOUNTING SAID CONSTRAINT MEANS EFFECTIVELY LONGITUDINALY SLIDABLY COUPLING AND MOUNTING SAID LONGITUDINAL SLIDE MEMBER TO THE ADJACENT BACK OUTER SURFACE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL HANDLE MEMBER ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE THEREOF FROM THE TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED BIFURCATED YOKE MEANS, SAID PIN-IN-SLOT LONGITUDINAL SLIDABLE MOUNTING MEANS COMPRISING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALLY SPACED, TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED RIVETS RIGIDLY CARRIED BY SAID LONGITUDINAL HANDLE MEMBER IN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING AND DIRECTED RELATIONSHIP AND A PAIR OF LONGITUDINALY DIRECTED, ALIGNED, AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACED SLOTDEFINING PORTIONS PROVIDED IN SAID LONGITUDINAL SLIDE MEMBER OF SAID TENSION ADJUSTMENT MEANS SLIDABLY RECEIVING CORRESPONDING SHANK PORTIONS OF SAID TWO RIVETS THEREIN AND EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THERETHROUGH, SAID TWO RIVETS HAVING ENLARGED OUTER HEADS WIDER THAN THE SLOTS DEFINED BY SAID SLOT-DEFINING PORTIONS OF SAID SLIDE MEMBER AND BEING POSITIONED OUTWARDLY THEREOF IN A MANNER POSITIVELY RETAINING AND MOUNTING SAID SLIDE MEMBER IN SAID LONGITUDINALLY SLIDABLE RELATIONSHIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID OUTER BACK SURFACCE OF SAID LONGITUDINAL HANDLE MEMBER; SAID LONGITUDINAL HANDLE MEMBER, SAID TRANSVERSELY DIRECTED YOKE MEANS, AND SAID TENSION ADJUSTMENT MEANS BEING MADE OF A MATERIAL OF A STERILIZATION-DAMAGE RESISTANT TYPE CAPABLE OF BEING STERILIZED WITHOUT DAMAGE.