Reusable Dental Floss Handle With Segmented Attachment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current dental floss devices generate significant plastic waste and are not adaptable to different types of floss or user needs, particularly for individuals with weak hands or tight teeth, and they often require disposable parts.
Innovation Solution
A reusable dental floss device with a handle that allows easy attachment and removal of any type of floss, made from durable materials like sturdy plastic or stainless steel, with a design that minimizes moving parts for easy cleaning and durability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a fixed piece of floss is used in a plastic frame, then the device is easy to manufacture and simple in structure, but after a single use all or part of the device is disposed of creating large amounts of plastic waste
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into two distinct components: a reusable handle and disposable floss. The handle remains with the user for multiple uses while only the floss is discarded after single use, eliminating plastic waste from the handle portion.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention separates the disposable floss from the reusable handle, allowing users to discard only the consumed floss while recovering and reusing the handle for hundreds of additional uses, thereby reducing plastic waste.
2Device complexity
If a fixed piece of floss is employed in a plastic frame, then the device structure is simple, but the type of floss employed may not suit all users especially those with tight teeth
Solution Approach 1:
The handle is designed as a universal interface that can accommodate multiple types of floss (waxed, unwaxed, flavored, textured) through a standardized attachment mechanism, making the device adaptable to different user needs and dental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The floss attachment system allows for dynamic replacement of the floss component while maintaining a static, simple handle structure, enabling users to switch between different floss types based on their specific dental needs without changing the handle.
3Ease of manufacture
If current devices employ a fixed piece of floss in a plastic frame, then the device is easy to manufacture, but manipulating the floss can be difficult, awkward, or painful for users with weak hands or fingers
Solution Approach 1:
The handle acts as an intermediary tool that amplifies the user's manual dexterity, providing a leveraged interface for manipulating the floss between teeth, making the flossing process easier and less painful for users with weak hands or fingers.
4Ease of operation
If devices have moving parts to enable floss manipulation, then ease of operation is improved, but the device becomes harder to clean and sanitize
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts and eliminates moving parts from the device design, creating a static handle structure that is easy to clean and sanitize while still providing effective floss manipulation through simple mechanical advantage.
5Adaptability or versatility
If devices have multiple components to enable floss attachment, then adaptability is improved, but the device becomes more complex and prone to breaking
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the attachment mechanism directly into the handle structure itself, eliminating the need for separate moving parts or complex assembly components, thereby reducing the number of parts that can break while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
A flossing device is provided comprising a body extending from a first end to a second end and defining a handle and a head. The head includes a first leg and a second leg spaced apart and extending parallel to each other at the second end. Each of the first leg and the second leg have a tip portion and a groove, the groove extending from a top end surface of the tip portion and into each leg. The groove is operable to receive a portion of floss. The device further comprises an upper protuberance and a lower protuberance disposed on each side of the body and near the head. Each of the upper protuberances and the lower protuberances have a retainer portion for receiving a portion of the floss and have a stop portion for holding the floss on the retainer portion.