Portable oral hygiene system
A novel oral hygiene system comprised of a plurality of substantially cylindrical pieces removably attached to each other that may be adapted to contain breath spray, dental floss, a dental floss cutter, toothpicks and breath mints in a compact and highly portable container.
The instant application claims the filing-date priority of the Provisional Application No. 60/666,613 filed Mar. 31, 2005, the specification of which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUNDProper oral hygiene is important to maintain healthy teeth and gums. Although many individuals practice good oral hygiene when home, they often do not have the necessary dental equipment and supplies available to them when traveling or away from home for brief periods. It would be a benefit to these individuals to have an oral hygiene system that included the dental equipment and supplies to continue to practice proper oral hygiene when away from home. Additionally, it can often be desirable to perform oral hygiene procedures such as flossing and using a breath spray or mouthwash solution after dining at a public restaurant or in preparation for a business meeting. It would therefore be an additional benefit to have an oral hygiene system that could easily be carried and concealed in a pocket or purse.
SUMMARYThe present disclosure is directed to an apparatus that satisfies this need. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a first cylindrical piece adapted to attach a push-down spray valve assembly and contain a liquid breath spray. A second cylindrical piece may be removably attached to the first piece by means of, for example, a bayonet mount, screw threads, or a press fit. The second piece may be adapted to contain a spool of dental floss and a floss cutter. A third cylindrical piece may be removably attached to the second piece by means of, for example, a bayonet mount, screw threads, or a press fit. The third piece may be subdivided into two compartments, one containing breath mints and the other containing toothpicks.
In another embodiment, the apparatus comprises a first cylindrical piece adapted to attach a push-down spray valve assembly and contain a liquid breath spray. A second cylindrical piece may be removably attached to the first piece by means of, for example, a bayonet mount, screw threads, or a press fit. The second piece may be adapted to contain toothpicks and a portion of a spool of dental floss. A third cylindrical piece may be removably attached to the second piece by means of, for example, a bayonet mount, screw threads, or a press fit. The third piece may be adapted to hold a floss cutter. A fourth cylindrical piece may be removably attached to the third piece by means of, for example, a bayonet mount, screw threads, or a press fit. The fourth piece may be adapted to contain breath mints.
One object of the present disclosure is to provide an oral hygiene system comprising a generally pen-shaped housing containing breath spray, dental floss, a floss cutter, toothpicks and breath mints.
Another object of the disclosure is to nest the breath spray, dental floss & floss cutter, toothpicks and breath mints in a single container in order to conserve space, such as a container generally shaped like a pen with a clip for attaching the container to, for example, a shirt pocket.
Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide a portable, easily concealable apparatus that dispenses breath spray, dental floss, a floss cutter, toothpicks and breath mints wherever an individual desires.
Still other benefits and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading and understanding of the following detailed specification.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In this disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a sufficient understanding of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details or with obvious substitutions. In other instances, well-known elements have been illustrated in schematic or block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail. Additionally, some details have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not considered necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention, and are considered to be within the understanding of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, components may be referred to by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name, but not function.
The first cylindrical piece 100 has a hollow internal cavity containing a transverse interior partition 110, as shown in
As shown in
The third cylindrical piece 190 shown in
As shown in
As shown in
The fourth piece 320 shown in
It is clear from the above that the objects of the invention have been fulfilled. While the components of an oral hygiene system are shown as having consistent dimensions in the various figures, the proportions shown are exaggerated for clarity. They are illustrative only and may be altered without notice. For instance, the first piece 100 can be proportionally shorter than shown and second piece 140 and third piece 190 can be longer. Additionally, while the disclosure and the figures describe substantially cylindrical pieces, one of skill in the art would readily understand that the pieces could have other cross-sectional shapes such as, for example, triangular, square, hexagonal or octagonal. The disclosure is intended solely to teach the concepts of the invention to one skilled in the art and is not limiting of the scope of the invention which is the province of the appended claims.
It is noted that the embodiments of an oral hygiene system described herein in detail for exemplary purposes may be subject to many different variations in structure, design, application and methodology. Because many varying and different embodiments may be made within the scope of the inventive concepts herein taught, and because many modifications may be made in the embodiment herein detailed in accordance with the descriptive requirements of the law, it is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
Claims
1. An oral hygiene system comprising:
- a first substantially cylindrical piece defining a first volume adapted to receive breath spray;
- a second substantially cylindrical piece defining a second volume adapted to receive a spool of dental floss wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece; and
- a third substantially cylindrical piece defining a third volume adapted to receive a plurality of toothpicks and a plurality of breath mints wherein said third piece is removably attached to said second piece.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein said first piece comprises a threaded upper portion and a transverse interior partition.
3. The system of claim 2 further comprising a push-down spray valve assembly having a threaded portion threadably attached to said threaded upper portion of said first piece.
4. The system of claim 1 wherein said second piece comprises a crosspiece attached across an upper rim of said second piece, said crosspiece having:
- a hole therethrough for passing dental floss from one side of the crosspiece to the opposite side of the crosspiece; and
- a mount for receiving a dental floss cutter.
5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a dental floss cutter attached to said mount.
6. The system of claim 1 wherein said third piece comprises a substantially longitudinal partition attached to said third piece and dividing said third volume into two compartments.
7. The system of claim 1 further comprising a clasp attached to said oral hygiene system for slideably attaching said oral hygiene system to a garment.
8. The system of claim 1 wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit.
9. The system of claim 1 wherein said third piece is removably attached to said second piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit.
10. The system of claim 1 wherein said oral hygiene system is portable.
11. An oral hygiene system comprising:
- a first substantially cylindrical piece defining a first volume adapted to receive breath spray, said first piece having a transverse interior partition and a threaded upper portion for receiving a push-down spray valve assembly having a threaded portion;
- a second substantially cylindrical piece defining a second volume adapted to receive a spool of dental floss wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece, said second piece comprising a crosspiece attached across an upper rim of said second piece, said crosspiece having:
- a hole therethrough for passing dental floss from one side of the crosspiece to the opposite side of the crosspiece; and
- a dental floss cutter attached to said crosspiece;
- a third substantially cylindrical piece defining a third volume, said third piece comprising a substantially longitudinal partition attached to said third piece and dividing said third volume into a first compartment for receiving breath mints and a second compartment for receiving tooth picks; and
- a clasp attached to said oral hygiene system for slideably attaching said oral hygiene system to a garment.
- wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit, and
- wherein said third piece is removably attached to said second piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit.
12. An oral hygiene system comprising:
- a first substantially cylindrical piece defining a first volume adapted to receive breath spray;
- a second substantially cylindrical piece defining a second volume adapted to receive a first portion of a spool of dental floss and a plurality of tooth picks, wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece;
- a third substantially cylindrical piece defining a third volume for receiving a second portion of said spool of dental floss, said third piece comprising a dental floss cutter wherein said third piece is removably attached to said second piece; and
- a fourth substantially cylindrical piece defining a fourth volume adapted to receive a plurality of breath mints wherein said fourth piece is removably attached to said third piece.
13. The system of claim 11 wherein said first piece comprises a threaded upper portion and a transverse interior partition.
14. The system of claim 12 further comprising a push-down spray valve assembly having a threaded portion threadably attached to said threaded upper portion of said first piece.
15. The system of claim 11 wherein said second piece comprises a substantially cylindrical insert attached to said second piece and dividing said second volume into a cylindrical compartment for receiving said first portion of a spool of dental floss and a crescent-shaped channel along an edge of said cylindrical compartment for receiving said plurality of toothpicks.
16. The system of claim 11 further comprising a clasp attached to said oral hygiene system for slideably attaching said oral hygiene system to a garment.
17. The system of claim 11 wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit.
18. The system of claim 11 wherein said third piece is removably attached to said second piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit.
19. The system of claim 11 wherein said fourth piece is removably attached to said third piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit.
20. An oral hygiene system comprising:
- a first substantially cylindrical piece defining a first volume adapted to receive breath spray, wherein said first piece comprises a transverse interior partition, a threaded upper portion, and a push-down spray valve assembly having a threaded portion threadably attached to said threaded upper portion of said first piece;
- a second substantially cylindrical piece defining a second volume, wherein said second piece comprises a substantially cylindrical insert attached to said second piece and dividing said second volume into a cylindrical compartment for receiving said first portion of a spool of dental floss and an annular compartment for receiving said plurality of tooth picks, wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece;
- a third substantially cylindrical piece defining a third volume for receiving a second portion of said spool of dental floss, said third piece comprising a dental floss cutter wherein said third piece is removably attached to said second piece;
- a fourth substantially cylindrical piece defining a fourth volume adapted to receive a plurality of breath mints wherein said fourth piece is removably attached to said third piece; and
- a clasp attached to said oral hygiene system for slideably attaching said oral hygiene system to a garment,
- wherein said second piece is removably attached to said first piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit, and
- wherein said third piece is removably attached to said second piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit, and
- wherein said fourth piece is removably attached to said third piece by an attachment apparatus selected from the group consisting of: bayonet mount, screw threads, and press fit.
Type: Application
Filed: Mar 31, 2006
Publication Date: Oct 12, 2006
Inventor: Richard Iderstine (Detroit, MI)
Application Number: 11/394,226
International Classification: A61C 15/00 (20060101); A45D 44/18 (20060101);