FLEXIBLE ORAL HYGIENE TOOL AND DISPENSER

OUTIL FLEXIBLE POUR HYGIENE BUCCALE ET CONTENANT

English Abstract

A flexible oral hygiene tool which attaches to the user's fingertip by means
of an
adhesive which can then be inserted into the oral cavity and used to clean the
surface of the teeth and gums. The tool can be brushed across the tooth's
surface resulting in cleaning. The tool shall include an oval flexible base or
support web, an adhesive layer to temporarily attach the tool to the user's
fingertip, a release liner to cover and protect the adhesive until use and a
material interwoven with the support web and projecting upward to form a
miniature brush. In the preferred embodiment, the flexible tool would be held
in
an enclosed dispenser thus protected from contamination. The dispenser also
contains a dental floss spool, lip balm reservoir and mirror. The preferred
embodiment forms a complete oral hygiene tool.

Claims

I claim:
1. An oval oral hygiene tool attachable to the fingertip of a user which may
be placed into the oral cavity in contact with the surface of the teeth for
the
purpose of cleaning.
a) Oval support web of material with one side coated with adhesive having a
flexible release liner covering the adhesive until time of usage.
b) A woven fibers forming a brush extending from the support web to form a
soft brush.
2. A dispenser for the containment, transport, and dispensing of oval oral
hygiene tools which has a sleeve body which contains a sliding cartridge.
3. A hygiene tools as described in claim 1 including a single use of
dentifrice
reapplied to the hygiene tool.
4. A hygiene tool as described in claim 1 having a protective release liner
covering the adhesive and having a tab to permit the peeling of the release
liner
from the adhesive.
3

5. A hygiene tool as described in claim 1 in which the woven fibers are
teflon.
6. A hygiene tool as described in claim 1 in which the woven fibers are
nylon.
7. A dispenser as described in claim 2 in which the sleeve body is plastic.
8. A dispenser as described in claim 2 which includes a reservoir base for
the containment of lip balm and/or dental floss.
9. A dispenser as described in claim 2 which includes a mirror.
10. A dispenser as outlined in claim 2 which is held in closed position by a
spring depressed between a lifter and a sliding cartridge.
11. A dispenser as outlined in claim 2 which permits the containment of a
minimum of 1 and a maximum of 14 oral hygiene tools as outlined in claim 1.
12. A dispenser which permits the individual dispensing of the oral hygiene
tools outlined in claim 1.
4

Description

CA 02444137 2003-10-02
~SSCrI pt! os'1
Technical Field and ~ackground
This invention relates generally to oral hygiene tools for cleaning of teeth
and
more to a flexible oval tool which attaches to the user's fingertip using a
temporary adhesive which has been pre-applied to the tool. A further object of
the invention is a dispenser which also permits storage and dispensing of the
aforementioned flexible oral hygiene tool, dental floss and lip treatments
commonly known as lip balm.
Various conventional devices such as toothbrushes are acceptable for oral
hygiene. Conventional toothbrushes have a long handle at the end of which is
mounted a set of brushes to which a dentifrice usually in a paste form is
applied.
However, there are numerous situations especially during travel when
conventional toothbrushes and paste are not convenient. The intent of the tool
is to permit the convenient use and transport of a highly effective and
compact
oral care tool.
Summary of the Invention
The main object of the invention is to provide a flexible oral hygiene tool
which
attaches to the user's fingertip, the tool can then be inserted into the oral
cavity
and brushed against the surface of the teeth and gums for the purpose of
cleaning. The tool, an object of this invention, is to provide an oral hygiene
tool
which has a flexible oval support web which has been interwoven with fibers
permitting the fibers to be attached to the support web and stand upright
forming

CA 02444137 2003-10-02
a soft b; i,3sh.
More particularly an ob)ect of the invention is a dispenser used to protect
the
flexible oral hygiene tool from contamination] as wet! as dispense dental
floss
and lip balm for the purpose of complete oral care.
A significant advantage of the invention is a dentifrice such as paste may be
pre-
applied to the oral hygiene tool and then stored for sterile protection within
the
dispenser. The dispenser can hold various numbers of individual ors! hygiene
tools, each tool representing a single oral hygiene treatment.
These and other aspects of the invention will become evident upon viewing of
the attached drawings and reviewing the detailed description.
Descrip#iion of Drawing
1. Top and side view of ors! hygiene tool.
2. Three dimensional view of main dispenser components.
3. ~'ross sections! and exterior view of assembled dispenser.
De#ailed Description of Inven#ion
As previously mentioned; the invention is an oral hygiene tool and a dispenser
for the containment and transport of the tool as well as the dispensing of
oral
hygiene related items.
iFig 1 - Top and side view of oral i~~rgiene tool
A top view of the invention in Fig 1 shows the support web (1) with the
interwoven fiber forming a soft brush. The release liner {2) with a pull-tab
extension used to remove the release liner thus exposing the adhesive. The
side view of Fig 1 shows interwoven support web (1 ), adhesive layer {3) used
to
temporarily attach the too! to the user's fingertip and the release liner (2)
used to
protect the adhesive anti( use.
Figs 2 - Three Dimensional ~liew of Dispenser
A three dimensional view of the dispenser is represented in Fig. ?. The sleeve
body {1 ) is the main externs! body to which al( other components are attached
and in which the oral hygiene tools are protected. The spring {6) is inserted
into
the lifter (3). both the spring (6) and the lifter (~) are fitted into the
cartridge (2).
The cartridge {2) is the actual tray in which the oral hygiene tools are
inserted.
The spring (6) securely holds cartridge {2) closed within the sleeve body (1
).
2

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The spring (6} and the lifter (3) also expand to displace the void space ca!
sPd
by removing the oral hygiene tools one at a time. Thus the oral hygiene tools
remain in an upright or stacked position within the dispenser. The reservoir
base (4) is used to contain a roll of dental floss andJor lip balm and fits
snugly
into the bottom of the sleeve body. The mirror plate (5) is attached to the
reservoir base (4) by adhesive or mechanical means. A small piece of stainless
steel is bent to form a dental floss cutter {7) and clipped onto the mirror
plate (5).
Figs 3 - dross sectional and exterior view of the dlispensea~
In the preferred embodiment; the oral hygiene tools (2) are supported within
the
cartridge (5) by the spring (7) and lifter (8}. The lip balm/dental floss
reservoir
{6) is shown fitted in the bottom of sleeve body (9). h!lirror (10) is fitted
within the
lip balm reservoir (6). The external view of a complete oral hygiene tool
complete with dispenser is displayed in the external view (1 )_ The top view 3
shows the position of the lifter (8) and the central location of the spring
{7) within
the sleeve body (9).
From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that although the embodiment of the
invention have been described various modifications may be made without
deviating from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly; the invention is only
limited by the claims.

Representative Drawing