Tooth cleaning appliance

Claim 2

A manually held device for enabling the removal of food particles from the teeth of a user, said device comprising an elongated handle member, a dental floss storage compartment in the interior of said handle member for storing a supply of dental floss, a supply of dental floss in said dental floss storage compartment, a Y-shaped dental floss supporting and tensioning means including first and second spreader arms flaring outwardly from a support stem portion, an implement storage chamber in the interior of said handle member for storing said Y-shaped dental floss supporting and tensioning means, connecting means for removably attaching said support stem to one end of said handle member, a dental floss tensioning pin including a dental floss holding portion engageable with dental floss extending from said Y-shaped means, pin support means in said handle member supporting said dental floss tensioning pin for axial movement between an extended position in which said dental floss holding portion is exposed externally of said handle so that the portions of a length of dental floss extending from said dental floss storage compartment across said spreader arms can be engaged with said dental floss holding portion and an inward floss tensioning position in which the dental floss holding portion is positioned inwardly of said handle so that dental floss engaging said holding portion when said pin is in its extended position is tensioned by movement of said pin to its inward position.

Claim 3

The invention of claim 1 wherein said dental floss tensioning pin comprises first and second axially spaced coaxial cylindrical portions, a tapered conical portion connecting said first and second cylindrical portions coaxially between said cylindrical portions, said tapered conical portion having a larger end adjacent the innermost end of said second cylindrical portion and a smaller end terminating in a radial plane surface defining the innermost extent of said first cylindrical portion, said radial surface and said tapered conical surface comprising said dental floss holding portion of said pin, a head flange extending radially outwardly from the outer end of said first cylindrical portion externally of said handle member and a base flange extending radially outwardly from the outer end of said second cylindrical portion externally of said handle member on the opposite side of said handle member from said head flange, wherein said support means in said handle supporting said dental floss tensioning pin comprises a transverse passageway extending through said handle defined by an inwardly tapering conical surface extending inwardly in a converging manner from the side of said handle adjacent said head flange and terminating medially of said handle and a cylindrical surface of a diameter approximately equal the diameter of said second cylindrical portion extending from the inner termination of said conical portion to the opposite side of said handle adjacent said base flange.

Claim 4

The invention of claim 1 wherein said first cylindrical portion and said conical surface in said handle are of approximately the same axial length.

Claim 5

The invention of claim 3 additionally including an inwardly extending V-shaped slot in said head flange having sharp edges for enabling the severing of said dental floss.

Claim 6

The invention of claim 4 wherein said handle member comprises a cylindrical sleeve having a threaded aperture in one end and an elongated implement support member having a base end threadably received in said threaded aperture in said cylindrical sleeve and an outer end having an internally threaded implement attachment recess and further including a toothbrush head having a threaded rod end threadably Receivable in said implement attachment recess, said toothbrush head being dimensioned to be received in said implement storage chamber.

Claim 7

The invention of claim 5 wherein said Y-shaped dental floss supporting and tensioning means is formed unitarily of plastic material, said stem portion is split along its axis and includes a split cylindrical end member having threads on its outer surface dimensioned to be threadably receivable in said implement attachment recess and split along an axial plane into two half-cylinders, a flexible hinge portion defining a junction between said flaring arms and said half-cylinders, said flexible hinge portion being relatively thin so that said flaring arms can be bent to move toward each other to permit said Y-shaped means to be received in said implement storage chamber.

Claim 8

The invention of claim 6 additionally including a radial wall formed internally of said cylindrical sleeve and separating said dental floss storage compartment and said implement storage chamber.

Claim 9

The invention of claim 7 additionally including a dental floss guide passageway extending through said implement support member from the base end of said implement support member and having an outer termination adjacent said head flange of said pin whereby a strand of dental floss from a body of dental floss stored in said dental floss storage compartment can be pulled outwardly from said compartment for attachment to said Y-shaped support and engagement with said tensioning pin.

Claim 10

The invention of claim 8 additionally including floss guide slots in the outer ends of said spreader arms.

Claim 11

The invention of claim 9 wherein said tensioning pin is formed of metal.