Dental Cleaning Substance Medium, Packaging, and Device

Abstract

A single-use portion of dental cleaning substance provided in a tidy, convenient, and hygienic manner. The single-use portion of dental cleaning substance may be provided in a solid form and may be utilized via a traditional toothbrush (electronic or standard) or by use of a specific device.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. sctn. 119(e) from provisional application No. 60 / 822,095, filed Aug. 11, 2006, and provisional application No. 60 / 911,585, filed Apr. 13, 2007 both of which are incorporated by reference herein, in their entireties, for all purposes.TECHNICAL FIELD[0002]The present invention is directed generally towards the formulation and packaging of a dental cleaning substance, such as toothpaste.BACKGROUND[0003]The use of toothpaste is ubiquitous, as are the problems associated with its use. A clean and tidy way to package toothpaste for convenient use is a long-standing problem. Toothpaste tubes and pumps can leak or clog and their size can be inconvenient for travel. While small, “travel-sized” tubes are more convenient, they still may clog or leak. Regardless of its size, if a toothpaste container leaks during travel, such as while in a suitcase or purse, it may create quite a mess. Other ty...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0011]Another object of this invention is to provide a clean and portable distribution medium for dental cleaning substances.

[0013]Another object of this invention is to provide a package with a single-use portion of dental cleaning substance, whereby sales, dispensing, and tracking usage may be facilitated.

Problems solved by technology

The use of toothpaste is ubiquitous, as are the problems associated with its use.

A clean and tidy way to package toothpaste for convenient use is a long-standing problem.

Toothpaste tubes and pumps can leak or clog and their size can be inconvenient for travel.

While small, “travel-sized” tubes are more convenient, they still may clog or leak.

Regardless of its size, if a toothpaste container leaks during travel, such as while in a suitcase or purse, it may create quite a mess.

Other types of packaging for toothpaste, such as toothbrushes which store the toothpaste themselves, do not resolve these issues.

There are other problems with current toothpaste containers as well.

Consumers lack a mechanism for portioning toothpaste appropriately.

Too much toothpaste on a toothbrush often leads to waste and mess, as excess toothpaste falls off the brush.

Further problems arise when multiple people share the same container of toothpaste, as this may lead to hygiene issues.

In addition to consumer problems, toothpaste manufacturers lack an accurate mechanism for determining how many brushings a container will provide for an individual consumer.

For example, a manufacturer cannot predict how much toothpaste a consumer will use per brushing, how many people will share the same tube, or how regularly those using the toothpaste will brush their teeth.

Therefore, the manufacturer may have difficulty determining the rate of consumption for its product and, thus, estimates of sales and usage can be near impossible to determine.

While other products have been manufactured in single-use packaging, single-use containers of toothpaste have been unavailable due to the difficulty of designing an appropriate package or form.

Although manufacturers may employ small containers as a way to provide samples of their product, such “sample packs” or “trial-sized” containers are designed for promotional campaigns, not regular use.

Furthermore, sample packaging does not resolve tidiness issues, as such containers of toothpaste are often messier than traditional ones.

Furthermore, because such containers often lack a solid spout, when squeezed, toothpaste may ooze out messily from them.

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