Patent US3886956A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US3886956A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Dental floss holder
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1973-12-07
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Granted: 1975-06-03
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Expires: 1993-12-07
Abstract
Abstract A dental floss holder having a housing which forms a handle and supports a floss holding head as by a neck cantilever mounted on the housing. A pincer arranged in the housing is spring-biased to normally grip floss extending from a supply spool also arranged in the housing to the head and to retain the floss for being manually tensioned by a ring and clamp arrangement selectively clampable on a free end of the floss. The pincer is selectively releasable from the floss for passing clean floss from the spool to the head. The latter has a pair of spaced, co-directionally extending fingers forming a fork across which a length of floss is arranged for use. Each finger has a pair of floss guides provided thereon and arranged spaced from one another along the extent of the associated finger.
Inventors
- 👤 Walter A Cash
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-24 16:26
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61C; A61C15/00; A61C15/04; A61C15/046
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim
204 words
A dental floss holder, comprising, in combination: a. a support, the support including a housing having a cavity, a cover selectively enclosing the cavity, and a supply means for furnishing floss; b. head means connected to the support for holding floss in position to clean between teeth; c. gripping means for selectively retaining floss held by the head means, the gripping means being arranged in the cavity, and the gripping means arranged between the supply means and head means along a path of floss passing from the supply means to the head means, the gripping means including a pincer having a pair of elements pivotally connected together and arranged forming a pair of cooperating handles and a pair of cooperating jaws, and a spring biasing the jaws toward one another and gripping floss passing therebetween, resilient pieces mounted on the jaws for facilitating gripping of the floss, one of the handles being arranged abutting a wall of the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing for selective movement toward the one of the handles for opening the jaws and releasing the floss.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
204 words
A dental floss holder, comprising, in combination: a. a support, the support including a housing having a cavity, a cover selectively enclosing the cavity, and a supply means for furnishing floss; b. head means connected to the support for holding floss in position to clean between teeth; c. gripping means for selectively retaining floss held by the head means, the gripping means being arranged in the cavity, and the gripping means arranged between the supply means and head means along a path of floss passing from the supply means to the head means, the gripping means including a pincer having a pair of elements pivotally connected together and arranged forming a pair of cooperating handles and a pair of cooperating jaws, and a spring biasing the jaws toward one another and gripping floss passing therebetween, resilient pieces mounted on the jaws for facilitating gripping of the floss, one of the handles being arranged abutting a wall of the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing for selective movement toward the one of the handles for opening the jaws and releasing the floss.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
204 words
A dental floss holder, comprising, in combination: a. a support, the support including a housing having a cavity, a cover selectively enclosing the cavity, and a supply means for furnishing floss; b. head means connected to the support for holding floss in position to clean between teeth; c. gripping means for selectively retaining floss held by the head means, the gripping means being arranged in the cavity, and the gripping means arranged between the supply means and head means along a path of floss passing from the supply means to the head means, the gripping means including a pincer having a pair of elements pivotally connected together and arranged forming a pair of cooperating handles and a pair of cooperating jaws, and a spring biasing the jaws toward one another and gripping floss passing therebetween, resilient pieces mounted on the jaws for facilitating gripping of the floss, one of the handles being arranged abutting a wall of the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing for selective movement toward the one of the handles for opening the jaws and releasing the floss.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
204 words
A dental floss holder, comprising, in combination: a. a support, the support including a housing having a cavity, a cover selectively enclosing the cavity, and a supply means for furnishing floss; b. head means connected to the support for holding floss in position to clean between teeth; c. gripping means for selectively retaining floss held by the head means, the gripping means being arranged in the cavity, and the gripping means arranged between the supply means and head means along a path of floss passing from the supply means to the head means, the gripping means including a pincer having a pair of elements pivotally connected together and arranged forming a pair of cooperating handles and a pair of cooperating jaws, and a spring biasing the jaws toward one another and gripping floss passing therebetween, resilient pieces mounted on the jaws for facilitating gripping of the floss, one of the handles being arranged abutting a wall of the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing and the other of the handles arranged in an opening provided in the housing for selective movement toward the one of the handles for opening the jaws and releasing the floss.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
68 words
A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the head means includes a longitudinal neck cantilever mounted on and arranged extending from the housing, and a head connected to a free end of the neck, the head being provided with a pair of spaced, co-directionally extending fingers arranged forming a fork across which a length of floss is arrangeable, the housing forming a handle for the head means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
153 words
A structure as defined in claim 2, wherein the head means further includes guide means provided on the head for guiding floss about the head and between the fingers, the head being curved from the neck to form a hump and continued curving from the hump to a substantially perpendicular orientation with respect to the neck, the guide means including a pair of guides provided on each finger and arranged spaced from one another along the curvature of the head, and a resilient pad mounted on a convexly curved surface of the head adjacent the neck, the curvature of the head permitting teeth of a jaw opposed to a jaw between teeth of which the floss is to be inserted to bring pressure on the head to force the floss between the teeth, and the resilient pad protecting the teeth of the opposed jaw during extraction of the floss from between the teeth.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
41 words
A structure as defined in claim 1, wherein the supply means includes a spool of floss disposable in the cavity, and the housing includes an abutment arranged extending into the cavity for preventing movement of the spool toward the gripping means.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-06-02 | 1978-12-02 | 1979-06-03 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-06-02 | 1982-12-02 | 1983-06-03 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-06-02 | 1986-12-02 | 1987-06-03 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |