Richard J Daley

US Patent:

59471336, Sep 7, 1999

Filed:

Oct 20, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/954102

Inventors:

Michael Kossak - Chevy Chase MD
Richard Daley - Scituate RI
Ted Lubin - Boston MA
Douglas Schultheis - Cumberland RI
Paul Kotowski - Foster RI
Bernard A. Fitzmorris - Washington DC

International Classification:

A61C 1500

US Classification:

132323

Abstract:

A dental flossing device is characterized by a flossing circuit comprising a floss supply spool and a take-up spool mounted to a housing containing a gear train assembly adapted to rotate the take-up spool in a winding direction. The floss feeds from the supply spool along a pair of prongs forming a forked extension of the handle and is stretched across the forked prongs and appropriately tensioned to be inserted into a user's mouth for flossing. To maintain hygiene, the take-up spool is mounted outside the housing. In a manually operated embodiment, a manually depressible trigger projecting from the housing is operable to rotate the take-up spool with reverse rotation thereof being prevented with a ratchet mechanism. Release of the manually depressible trigger reversely rotates the supply spool through a short arcuate interval to remove slack and then locks the supply spool against unwinding rotation through gear teeth. In a preferred manually operated embodiment, first and second ratchet mechanisms are utilized to prevent reverse rotation of the supply and take-up spools while sufficiently tensioning the floss circuit.

US Patent:

56785780, Oct 21, 1997

Filed:

Apr 22, 1996

Appl. No.:

8/635854

Inventors:

Michael Kossak - Washington DC
Richard Daley - Scituate RI
Ted Lubin - Boston MA
Douglas Schultheis - Cumberland RI
Paul Kotowski - Foster RI
Bernard A. Fitzmorris - Washington DC

International Classification:

A61C 1500

US Classification:

132322

Abstract:

A dental flossing device is characterized by a flossing circuit comprising a floss supply spool and a take-up spool mounted to a housing containing a gear train assembly adapted to rotate the take-up spool in a winding direction. The floss feeds from the supply spool along a pair of prongs forming a forked extension of the handle and is stretched across the forked prongs and appropriately tensioned to be inserted into a user's mouth for flossing. To maintain hygiene, the take-up spool is mounted outside the housing. In a manually operated embodiment, a manually depressible trigger projecting from the housing is operable to rotate the take-up spool with reverse rotation thereof being prevented with a ratchet mechanism. Release of the manually depressible trigger reversely rotates the supply spool through a short arcuate interval to remove slack and then locks the supply spool against unwinding rotation through gear teeth. In a preferred manually operated embodiment, first and second ratchet mechanisms are utilized to prevent reverse rotation of the supply and take-up spools while sufficiently tensioning the floss circuit.