Device for an improved use of a dental floss and related dental hygiene system comprising such device

Abstract

A device (10A, 10B) for the use of a dental floss (F). The device of the invention comprises a bar-shaped element (11A,11B) for blocking and winding the dental floss (F), and at least one ring-shaped element (12) integral with the bar-shaped element (11A,11B) and having an opening (13) adapted to receive a user's finger. The device thus configured advantageously prevents the section of dental floss used for cleaning the teeth from coming into direct contact with the user's fingers, making among other things the interdental cleaning operation simpler and more comfortable.

Description

[0001] DEVICE FOR AN IMPROVED USE OF A DENTAL FLOSS AND RELATED

[0002] DENTAL HYGIENE SYSTEM COMPRISING SUCH DEVICE

[0003] DESCRIPTION

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention generally relates to the field of dental hygiene and, in particular, concerns a device for an improved use of a dental floss, as well as a dental hygiene system comprising such device.

[0006] As is known, the regular use of dental floss to remove plaque and food residues from interdental spaces is recommended by dentists to ensure effective and complete cleaning of the teeth.

[0007] On the market, the dental floss contained within a dispenser and wound on a spool is very common, with one end of the floss protruding from the dispenser to allow the user to grasp and unwind it from the spool. In practical use of this dispenser, the user pulls the protruding end of the floss to unwind the desired length from the spool, then cuts the floss with a special cutting blade positioned on the dispenser and uses the section of floss by grasping its end portions between the thumb and index fingers of both hands and keeping the floss taut while sliding it between the teeth with a back-and-forth motion. A common practice, especially to prevent the dental floss from slipping between the fingers during use, is to wrap the end portions of the dental floss section one or more times around a segment of the index or middle finger of both hands and to grasp the floss with the thumbs and index fingers.

[0008] It has been observed, however, that many people, despite being aware of the effectiveness of dental floss for cleaning their teeth, refrain from using it in their daily dental hygiene routine because they find it difficult to hold the floss firmly in tension with their fingers during teeth cleaning operations and, in particular, they consider the direct contact of the floss with their fingers to be unhygienic, as well as uncomfortable due to the tightening action of the floss around the fingers used to keep it taut. Publication US 2014338695 A1 relates to a device for the use of a dental floss, provided with a fixing portion and a hollow seat to receive it.

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] In order to solve the aforementioned problem, the present invention aims to provide a device that, due to its structural characteristics, makes the use of dental floss not only simpler and more convenient, but also more hygienic and effective.

[0011] A further object of the present invention is to provide a device that, due to its ease of use, can encourage the constant use of dental floss for teeth cleaning by a significantly larger number of people.

[0012] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a dental hygiene system that includes the device according to the invention and allows the user to prepare, with a simple rotational movement of the wrists, an unused and clean portion of dental floss for each teeth cleaning operation.

[0013] These and other objects, which will become clearer from the following, are achieved with the device and system of claims 1 and 8, respectively. Preferred embodiments of the invention result from the remaining claims.

[0014] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] These and other features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of some of its preferred embodiments, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0016] - Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device subject of the present invention;

[0017] - Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the dental hygiene system subject of the present invention;

[0018] - Figs. 3 and 4 are partial perspective views of the device of Fig. 1 showing the way of securing one end of the dental floss to the device of the invention; - Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a variant embodiment of the device subject of the present invention;

[0019] - Figs. 6 and 7 show two ways of using the dental hygiene system according to the invention.

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] With reference to the figures of the drawings, in which similar elements are denoted by the same reference number, an embodiment of the device according to the invention is shown, generally indicated as 10A. The device 10A comprises a bar-shaped element 11A and a pair 12A of ring-shaped elements 12 which are integral with the bar-shaped element 11A and having an opening 13 adapted to receive a corresponding finger of the user.

[0022] Preferably, the ring-shaped elements 12 are integrally formed with the barshaped element 11 A, but they can also be conceived as separate elements, suitable for being attached to the bar-shaped element 11 A.

[0023] Each end 111 ,112 of the bar-shaped elements 11 A, 11 B also features a floss-locking slit 14 for the interlocking of an end portion of a dental floss.

[0024] According to the invention the bar-shaped elements 11A, 11 B have ends 111 ,112 arranged for the blocking and winding of the dental floss F in their longitudinal direction X.

[0025] On their part, the pairs 12A,12B have the ring-shaped elements 12 arranged integrally with the corresponding bar-shaped element 11 A, 11 B, positioned side by side, either at a short distance or in contact with each other, so that each one can receive, in its opening 13, a corresponding finger of a pair of contiguous fingers of the user.

[0026] Furthermore, the bar-shaped elements 11 A, 11 B are arranged tangentially relative to the respective pairs 12A,12B of rings 12, with the ends 111 ,112 of each bar 11 A, 11 B protruding from the same pairs of rings 12A, 12B.

[0027] As can be seen more clearly in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, the flosslocking slit 14 extends for a short distance in the longitudinal direction X of the bar-shaped elements 11 A, 11 B and features a guide 15 to allow for an easy and quick insertion of the end portion of the dental floss F into the floss-locking slit 14. For this purpose, the device of the invention may be provided with means 21 suitable for cutting a section of said dental floss F (Figure 4).

[0028] As for the basic structure of the bar-shaped elements 11 A and 11 B, it may have either a solid rectangular cross-section, as illustrated in Figure 1 , or an 'T'-shaped cross-section equipped with reinforcing ribs 16, as shown in the variant of Figure 5.

[0029] As shown in Figures 6 and 7, the device of the invention forms a dental hygiene system, which is also the subject of the present invention, generally indicated as 20. The dental hygiene system 20 comprises a predetermined length of dental floss F having a first end portion F1 , a second end portion F2 and, between them, an intermediate portion F3. The dental hygiene system 20 also includes a pair of devices 10A,10B according to the invention, each of which may be provided with a pair of ring-shaped elements 12, indicated as 12A,12B in the figures, positioned side by side.

[0030] More specifically, the dental hygiene system 20 comprises a first device 10A, with a bar-shaped element 11A and a pair 12A of ring-shaped elements 12, which are integral with the bar-shaped element 11A and having an opening 13 adapted to receive a finger of one of the user's hands, and a second device 10B, which also has a bar-shaped element 11 B and a pair 12B of ring-shaped elements 12, which are integral with the bar-shaped element 11 B and having an opening 13 adapted to receive a finger of the user's other hand.

[0031] Also in the system of the invention the bar-shaped elements 11 A,11 B have the ends 111 ,112 arranged for the blocking and winding of the dental floss F in their longitudinal direction X. For their part, the pairs 12A,12B have the ring- shaped elements 12 arranged integrally with the corresponding bar-shaped element 11 A, 11 B, positioned side by side, either at a short distance or in contact with each other, so that each can receive, in its opening 13, a corresponding finger of a pair of contiguous fingers of the user. Furthermore, the bar-shaped elements 11A,11 B are arranged tangentially relative to the respective pairs 12A, 12B of rings 12, with the ends 111 , 112 of each bar 11 A, 11 B protruding from the same pairs of rings 12A,12B. The first end portion F1 of the dental floss F is wound onto the first device

[0032] IOA, in the longitudinal direction of the bar-shaped element 11 A, while the second end portion F2 of the dental floss F is wound onto the second device

[0033] IOB, in the longitudinal direction of the bar-shaped element 11 B. These end portions F1 , F2 of the dental floss F, which are wound onto the respective barshaped elements 11 A, 11 B of devices 10A, 10B, are separated by an intermediate portion F3 of the dental floss F which, when properly tensioned between the user's hands, can be used for an interdental cleaning operation, as will be further explained below.

[0034] The method of use of the dental hygiene system 20 according to the invention will be described with particular reference to Figures 6 and 7 of the drawings.

[0035] When using the dental hygiene system 20 according to the invention, the user will have a dental floss, for example, contained in a conventional dental floss dispenser, and a pair of identical devices according to the invention, one for each hand, indicated in Figures 6 and 7 as 10A and 10B, respectively. These devices 10A, 10B should each be applied to one hand of the user, by inserting the index and middle fingers, or the middle and ring fingers of one hand into the corresponding ring-shaped elements 12 of a device 10A, and the index and middle fingers, or the middle and ring fingers of the other hand into the corresponding ring-shaped elements 12 of the other device 10B.

[0036] Subsequently, the user will fit one end of the dental floss F into the flosslocking slit 14 of one of the two devices 10A and will wind an appropriate length of dental floss F onto the bar-shaped element 11A of the same device 10A, simply by rotating the wrist of the hand holding the device 10A.

[0037] After cutting the dental floss F, for example, using the cutter usually provided with the dental floss dispenser, or with the mentioned floss-cutting blade 21 which can optionally be incorporated into the device itself of the invention (illustrated in Figure 4), the user will fit the cut end of the dental floss F into the floss-locking slit 14 of the other device 10B supplied on the other hand and, by rotating the wrist of this hand, the user will wind an appropriate length of dental floss F onto the bar-shaped element 11 B of the same device 10B. The dental hygiene system 20 is now ready for use. It should be noted that, for dental floss economy and a proper use of the dental hygiene system 20 according to the invention, the length of dental floss F initially wound on the barshaped element of one of the devices 10A, 10B is substantially different from the length of dental floss F wound on the bar-shaped element of the other device 10B, 10A, respectively. This is because, as will become clearer from the following, during the use of the dental hygiene system 20, the user unwinds a length of clean dental floss from one of the devices 10A, 10B, to perform a dental cleaning operation, and subsequently the user winds onto the other device 10B,

[0038] IOA, respectively, the same length of dental floss used for the dental cleaning operation. In this way, one of the two devices 10A, 10B acts as a "dispenser" of clean dental floss, while the other device 10B, 10A, respectively, acts as a "collector" of used dental floss. Therefore, at the beginning of the use of the dental hygiene system 20, the "dispenser" device of dental floss, for example, the device 10A, will have a substantially greater length of dental floss F wound on it compared to the "collector" device of dental floss, in this case, the device

[0039] IOB.

[0040] To perform the dental cleaning operation with the system 20 of the invention, previously applied to the hands and loaded with dental floss, the user hooks their fingers carrying the devices 10A and 10B and tensions the intermediate portion of dental floss to carry out a first dental cleaning operation. Once the first interdental cleaning operation is completed, the user replaces the intermediate portion of dental floss used for the first interdental cleaning operation with another portion of clean dental floss to perform a second interdental cleaning operation, by unwinding a portion of clean dental floss from the dental floss "dispenser" device, for example, the device 10A, and winding the dirty portion of dental floss, used for the first interdental cleaning operation, onto the dental floss "collector" device, in the illustrated case, the device 10B. The unwinding of clean dental floss and the winding of dirty dental floss is carried out by the user simply by rotating his / her wrists. These operations can be repeated sequentially for each interdental cleaning operation as long as clean dental floss is available on the "dispenser" device. As shown in the drawings, the devices 10A and 10B can be applied to the fingers of user's hands so that the bar-shaped element 11 A, 11 B is facing the user's face, as illustrated in Figure 7 of the drawings, or facing away from it, as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings. Naturally, other configurations on the two hands are also possible, such as one where a bar-shaped element on one hand is facing the user's face, while the bar-shaped element on the other hand is facing away from the user's face.

[0041] From the above, it is clear that the device and system according to the invention allow the intended objects to be achieved. In particular, the device and system of the invention offer a practical and original solution to enhance the experience of using the dental floss, making interdental cleaning more convenient, effective, sustainable, and hygienic.

[0042] Although the invention has been described and illustrated in relation to some of its preferred embodiments, it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and variations that are within the reach of a person skilled in the art and therefore fall within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the materials and the size may be of any type depending on specific requirements.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A device (10A,10B) for the use of a dental floss (F), characterized in that it comprises a bar-shaped element (11A,11 B) respectively provided with ends (111 ,112) for blocking and winding said dental floss (F) in the longitudinal direction (X) of the bars (11 A, 11 B), and a pair (12A,12B) of ring-shaped elements (12) integrally arranged with the corresponding bar-shaped element (11 A,11 B) and positioned side by side, either at a short distance or in contact with each other, so as to be able to receive, in their opening (13), a corresponding finger of a pair of contiguous fingers of the user, wherein said barshaped elements (11 A, 11 B) are arranged tangentially relative to the respective pairs (12A.12B) of rings (12), said ends (111 ,112) of each bar (11A.11 B) protruding from the mentioned pairs of rings (12A,12B) and being provided with a floss-locking slit (14) for the interlocking of an end portion of said floss (F).

2. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said floss-locking slit (14) extends for a short distance in the longitudinal direction of the barshaped element (11 A, 11 B) and has a guide (15) to allow the insertion of an end portion of the dental floss (F) into said floss-locking slit (14).

3. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said bar-shaped element (11 A,11 B) has a solid rectangular cross-section.

4. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said bar-shaped element (11A,11 B) has an 'T'-shaped cross-section reinforced with ribs (16).

5. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that it is provided with means (21 ) suitable for cutting a section of said dental floss (F).

6. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said ring-shaped elements (12) are integrally formed with the bar-shaped element (11 A,11 B).

7. The device according to claim 1 , characterized in that said ring-shaped elements (12) are made as separate elements attachable to said bar-shaped element (11 A,11 B).

8. A dental hygiene system (20) characterized in that it comprises:- a predetermined length of dental floss (F) having a first end portion (F1 ), a second end portion (F2), and an intermediate portion (F3) between said first andsecond end portions (F1 , F2);- a first device (10A) with a bar-shaped element (11A), for blocking and winding said first end portion (F1 ) of said length of dental floss (F) in the longitudinal direction (X) of the bar (11 A) and with a pair (12A) of ring-shaped elements (12) integral with said bar-shaped element (11A) and each having an opening (13) adapted to receive a finger of a user's hand;- a second device (10B) with a bar-shaped element (11 B), for blocking and winding said second end portion (F2) of said length of said dental floss (F) in the longitudinal direction (X) of the bars (11A,11 B) and with a pair (12B) of ring- shaped elements (12) integral with said bar-shaped element (11 B) and each having an opening (13) adapted to receive a finger of the other hand of said user,- wherein said bar-shaped elements (11 A,11 B) are arranged tangentially relative to the respective pairs (12A,12B) of rings (12), each bar (11 A, 11 B) being provided with ends (111 ,112) protruding from the aforementioned pairs of rings (12A.12B),- wherein said third intermediate portion (F3) of said length of dental floss (F) is capable of being tensioned by said user to perform an interdental cleaning operation and, after said interdental cleaning operation, is replaceable by said user with an unused and clean portion of dental floss (F), to perform a subsequent interdental cleaning operation, by unwinding an unused and clean portion of dental floss (F) from said first end portion (F1 ) of dental floss wound on the bar-shaped element (11 A) of said first device (10A) and winding said previously used intermediate portion (F3) of dental floss onto the bar-shaped element (11 B) of said second device (10B), achieved through a rotational movement of the wrists of said user.

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