GB2620432A - Apparatus for dental flossing - Google Patents

Abstract

The dental floss holder 100 comprises a first arm 101 comprising a first distal end 101d that comprises a first dental floss retaining means 101fr that is configured to retain at least a part of the portion of dental floss. The dental floss holder also comprises a second arm 102 comprising a second distal end 102d that comprises a second dental floss retaining means 102fr that is configured to retain at least a second part of the portion of dental floss. The first and second dental floss retaining means are spaced apart by a separation distance 101sd. The dental floss holder further comprises adjusting means 103 configured to adjust the separation distance between the first and second dental floss retaining means. Also disclosed is a dental flosser comprising the dental floss holder 100; and a portion of dental floss (106, Fig.5) having at least one filaments extending between a first and second protuberance (107, Fig.5). The adjustment means may comprise a wedge member (105, Fig.6) to force the arms from a first separation distance 101sd to a second separation distance (101sd’, Fig.2) wherein the first distance is less than the second.

Description

APPARATUS FOR DENTAL FLOSSING

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

Examples of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for oral care, in particular an apparatus for dental flossing. Some examples, though without prejudice to the foregoing, relate to a dental floss holder for releasably retaining a portion of dental floss, and a dental flosser comprising a dental floss holder and a portion of dental floss.

BACKGROUND

Conventional dental flossers, also known as flossers or floss picks, typically comprise a moulded handle having two arm portions which hold a small section/strand of dental floss therebetween for cleaning interdental spaces. Such dental flossers usually come in the form of "Y" or "F" shaped dental flossers. Typically, the dental floss is "in-moulded" during a process of injection moulding the dental floss holder/handle. In such a manner the strand/piece of dental floss is permanently fixed and secured in position on the arms of dental floss holder/handle. This means that the dental floss of the dental flosser is not user replaceable and hence the dental flosser, namely the dental floss holder/handle, is not reusable with new/replacement strands of dental floss.

Dental flossers in which the dental floss is detachable/replaceable are known, such as a moulded plastic Y-shaped dental flosser holder/handle to which a user can manually attach and secure a length of dental floss across the ends of the "Y" shaped arms. However, conventional dental flossers and conventional dental flossers with detachable dental floss may not always be optimal. Such dental flossers may suffer from one or more of the following issues: insufficient tension in the dental floss when attached and held in the holder/handle Of the dental floss were loosely held between the arms of the holder/handle and the dental floss were to sag, this could make it difficult or impossible to manoeuvre the dental flosser within a user's mouth to pull the dental floss back and forth between the user's teeth, thereby preventing/impeding the dental flosser from performing its cleaning function); the dental flosser holder/handle may not be able to sufficiently clamp/grip/secure the dental floss (if the dental floss were not sufficiently clamped/gripped/secured at each arm of the dental floss holder/handle the dental floss may escape from one or both arms during use; this could make it difficult or impossible to manoeuvre the dental flosser within a user's mouth to pull the dental floss back and forth between the user's teeth, thereby preventing/impeding the dental flosser from performing its cleaning function [for example, it is estimated that a pull strength of at least 25 Newtons force is required to ensure the floss does not slip out of the grip when in use]); for dental flossers with replaceable dental floss, repeated insertion and replacement of dental floss may, over time, wear/damage/weaken/erode the dental flosser's dental floss clamping/gripping mechanism, i.e., a clamping/gripping surface against which dental floss is held in place may gradually wear away over repeated use and reduce the dental flosser holder/handle's ability to securely clamp/grip and hold replacement dental floss in place; and the user removal of used dental floss and user attachment of new/replacement dental floss may be an involved or complex process.

It is useful to provide an improved apparatus for dental floss, not least such as an improved dental floss holder/handle for releasably retaining a portion of dental floss. One or more aspects/examples of the present disclosure may or may not address one or more of the background issues.

The listing or discussion of any prior-published document or any background in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document or background is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge. One or more aspects/examples of the present disclosure may or may not address one or more of the background issues.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The scope of protection sought for various embodiments of the invention is set out by the claims.

According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there are provided examples as claimed in the appended claims. Any examples and features described in this specification that do not fall under the scope of the independent claims are to be interpreted as examples useful for understanding various embodiments of the invention.

According to at least some examples of the disclosure there is provided a dental flosser for releasably retaining a portion of dental floss, the dental floss holder comprising: a first arm comprising a first distal end that comprises first dental floss retaining means configured to retain at least a first part of a portion of dental floss; a second arm comprising a second distal end that comprises a second dental floss retaining means configured to retain at least a second part of the portion of dental floss, wherein the first and second dental floss retaining means are spaced apart by a separation distance; and adjusting means configured to adjusting the separation distance.

According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided a method of providing and/or manufacturing an apparatus and/or system as described herein.

According to various, but not necessarily all, examples of the disclosure there is provided a method of using an apparatus and/or system as described herein.

The following portion of this 'Brief Summary' section describes various features that can be features of any of the examples described in the foregoing portion of the 'Brief Summary' section. The description of a function should additionally be considered to also disclose any means suitable for performing that function.

In some but not necessarily all examples, at least the distal ends of the first and second arms are configured to be moveable between a first configuration having a first separation distance and a second configuration having a second separation distance different to the first separation distance.

In some but not necessarily all examples, at least the distal ends of the first and second arms are configured to be biased towards the first configuration.

In some but not necessarily all examples, herein the first separation distance of the first configuration is less than the second separation distance of the second configuration.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the adjusting means comprises user manipulable means for moving at least the distal ends of the first and second arms between the first and second configurations.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the dental floss holder comprises means for locking the at least the distal ends of the first and second arms in the second configuration.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the means for adjusting the separation distance comprises means for forcing apart at least the distal ends of the first and second arms.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the dental floss holder further comprises a gap between the first and second arms, and wherein the means for adjusting the separation distance comprises a wedge member that is insertable into the gap to spread the arms apart.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the first and/or second dental floss retaining means are configured to releasably restrain at least the first and/or second parts of the portion of dental floss respectively.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the first and/or second dental floss retaining means respectively comprise first and/or second receiving surfaces for respectively receiving the first and/or second parts of the portion of dental floss.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the first and/or second receiving surfaces respectively comprise first and/or second concave portions.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the dental floss holder is in the form of a "Y" shaped floss holder floss holder or an "F" floss holder shaped floss holder.

In some but not necessarily all examples, there is provided a dental flosser comprising the above-mentioned dental floss holder; and a portion of dental floss, wherein the portion of dental floss comprises at least one filament extending between a first protuberance and a second protuberance.

In some but not necessarily all examples, a ratio of the thickness of the at least one filament to a thickness of either of the first and second protuberance is greater than: 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, 40:1, 50:1 or 60:1.

In some but not necessarily all examples, a separation distance of the first and second protuberances is greater than the first separation distance.

In some but not necessarily all examples, a separation distance of the first and second protuberances is substantially equal to or less than the second separation distance.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the first and/or second dental floss retaining means comprise first and/or second receiving surfaces respectively having shapes at least partially complimentary to shapes of the first and/or second protuberances respectively.

In some but not necessarily all examples, the first and/or second dental floss retaining means are configured to locate the first and/or second protuberances respectively.

While the above examples of the disclosure and optional features are described separately, it is to be understood that their provision in all possible combinations and permutations is contained within the disclosure. It is to be understood that various examples of the disclosure can comprise any or all of the features described in respect of other examples of the disclosure, and vice versa. Also, it is to be appreciated that any one or more or all of the features may be performed in a method and/or by an apparatus, in any combination, as desired, and as appropriate.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAW NGS

Some examples will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in 25 which: FIG. 1 shows a plan view of an example dental floss holder in a first configuration; FIG. 2 shows a plan view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 in a second configuration; FIG. 3 shows a bottom view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 in the first configuration; FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 in the second configuration; FIG. 5 shows plan views of the dental flosser holder of FIG. 1 holding a portion of dental floss in each of the first and second configurations; FIG. 6 shows a bottom view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 holding a portion of dental floss in each of the first and second configurations; FIG. 7 shows a close-up detail of a plan view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 in the first configuration; FIG. 8 shows a close-up detail of a bottom view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 in the first configuration; FIG. 9 shows a close-up detail of a plan view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 in the second configuration; FIG. 10 shows a close-up detail of a bottom view of the dental floss holder of FIG. 1 in the second configuration; FIG. 11 shows plan views of another example dental floss holder in each of a first and second configuration; FIG. 12 shows bottom views of the dental floss holder of FIG. 11 in each of the first and second configurations; FIG. 13 shows a close-up detail of a yet further example dental floss holder in a first configuration; FIG. 14 shows a close-up detail of the dental flosser of FIG. 13 in a second configuration; FIG. 15 shows an example of a portion of dental floss; and FIG. 16 shows an example of a plurality of portions of dental floss.

The figures are not necessarily to scale. Certain features and views of the figures can be shown schematically or exaggerated in scale in the interest of clarity and conciseness. For example, the dimensions of some elements in the figures can be exaggerated relative to other elements to aid explication. Similar reference numerals are used in the figures to designate similar features. For clarity, all reference numerals are not necessarily displayed in all figures.

In the drawings (and description) a similar feature may be referenced by a similar three-digit number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The figures (not least FIGs. 1 to 10) illustrate, and the following description describes, various examples of the disclosure including a dental floss holder 100 for releasably retaining a portion of dental floss 106. The dental floss holder 100 comprises a first arm 101 comprising a first distal end 101d that comprises a first dental floss retaining means 101fr that is configured to retain at least a part of the portion of dental floss. The dental floss holder also comprises a second arm 102 comprising a second distal end 102d that comprises a second dental floss retaining means 102fr that is configured to retain at least a second part of the portion of dental floss. The first and second dental floss retaining means are spaced apart by a separation distance 101sd. The dental floss holder further comprises adjusting means 103 configured to adjust the separation distance between the first and second dental floss retaining means, thereby adjusting the dental floss holder between a first configuration, having a first separation distance, and a second configuration, having a second separation distance.

FIG. 1 illustrates a plan/top-down view of the dental floss holder 100 in a first configuration, namely wherein the first and second dental floss retaining means 101fr and 102fr are spaced apart by a first separation distance 101sd.

FIG. 2 illustrates a plan/top-down view of the dental floss holder 100' in a second configuration, namely wherein the distal ends of the first and second arms 101' and 102' have been moved relative to one another so as to adjust the separation distance between the first and second dental floss retaining means to a second separation distance 101sd' different to the first separation distance 101sd of FIG. 1.

In this regard, at least the distal end of each of the first and second arms is configured to be moveable, e.g., bendable/spreadable/splayable, so as to alter the separation distance such that in a first configuration there is a first separation distance and in a second configuration there is a second separation distance. In some examples, the first separation distance is less than the second separation distance.

In the first configuration, the relative position of the first and second distal ends is different to the relative position of the first and second distal ends in the second configuration. In such a manner, the separation distance between the first and second ends differs in the first and second configurations.

In some examples, the adjustment means 103 adjusts the separation distance by broadening/widening/spreading/splaying the first and second arms apart thereby increasing the separation distance between the distal ends of the first and second arms and hence increasing the separation distance between the first and second dental floss retaining means respectively disposed in the distal ends of the first and second arms.

In some examples, the first and second arms are configured such that, in a default state (e.g. in which the adjustment means has not been actuated/deployed) the first and second arms are positioned relative to one another so as to define a first configuration having a first separation distance 101sd. In some examples, the first and second arms are configured in or biased towards having a relative position in the first configuration, i.e., such that the default separation distance is the first separation distance -which is less than the second separation distance of the second configuration.

FIGs. 3 and 4 show bottom/rear views of the dental floss holder in the first and second configurations respectively. These figures also illustrate further details of the adjusting means 103 for adjusting the separation distance between the first and second dental floss retaining means. In this regard, the adjusting means comprises a user manipulable means, such as a user actuatable mechanism, for moving at least the distal ends of the first and second arms relative to one another between the first and second configurations having first and second separation distances 101sd and 101sd'.

FIGs. 1 and 3 shows the dental floss holder in a default/normal state, i.e., wherein the adjusting means has not been actuated/deployed, and in which the adjusting means 103 is in its default position (which in this example is a 'raised' position wherein the adjusting means 103 is disposed/slid along the length of the dental floss holder such that it is closer to the arms as compared to an actuated/deployed state in which the adjusting means is in a 'lowered' position -as shown in FIGs. 2 and 4).

As can be seen in the underside view of FIG. 3, the adjusting means 103 comprises a gap 104 between the first and second arms, namely at proximal ends thereof where the arms connect to and extend from a main body portion of the dental floss holder (such main body portion may comprise or define a handle/holding/gripping means by which a user can hold onto, grip and manoeuvre the dental floss holder -an upper portion of which is shown in the Figures). The adjusting means also comprises a wedge member 105. The adjusting means is moveably mounted to the dental floss holder and configured to be movable from a first position/configuration shown in FIG. 3 (wherein the wedge member 105 is in its 'raised' position outside of the gap) to the second position/configuration shown in FIG. 4 (wherein the wedge member is in its 'lowered' position inserted/wedged towards/into the gap thereby splaying/spreading apart the first and second arms 101' and 102'; hence increasing the separation distance between the first and second dental floss retaining means to the second separation distance 101sd'). In such a manner, the adjusting means thereby provides a user manipulable/user actuatable mechanism for adjusting the second separation distance by transitioning the dental floss holder between a default/first configuration and an actuated/second configuration (namely by moving the adjusting means, and its wedge member, in an axial direction into and out of the gap between the first and second arms) FIGs. 5 and 6 show plan and bottom views respectively of the process via which a portion of dental floss 106 is inserted into the dental floss holder. As shown in the left-hand drawings of each of FIGs. 5 and 6, when the dental floss holder 100 is in the first configuration, first and second ends of a portion of dental floss 106 are respectively inserted by a user into the first and second dental floss retaining means. In this regard, the portion of dental floss 106 is inserted, by a user, into the dental floss holder when the adjustment mechanism has not been actuated and is in its raised position such that the wedge member is outside of/removed from/not wedged between the gap 104 between the arms. In this configuration, the wedge member is not forcing/spreading/splaying the arms apart, but instead the arms are in their default position having a first separation distance (which is narrower than the second separation distance of the second configuration).

As shown in the left-hand drawings of each of FIGs. 5 and 6, the portion of dental floss is retained between the arms of the dental floss holder, but the portion of dental floss is itself slack/not fight/not stretched between the arms. In order to place the portion of dental floss under tension so that is not slack but instead is tight/stretched between the arms (as shown in the right-hand drawings of each of FIGs. 5 and 6), after the portion of dental floss has been inserted into the dental floss holder whilst in the first configuration, the dental floss holder is then transitioned to the second configuration. In this regard, the adjustment mechanism is actuated such that the wedge member 105' is moved into its lowered position such that it is inserted into and wedged between the gap 104 between the arms (i.e. such that that the wedge member forces/spreads/splays the arms apart so as to have a second, wider, separation distance). This thereby places the portion of dental floss under tension.

A discussion will now be made of an example of how a portion of dental floss is retained between the arms of the dental flosser by the dental floss retaining means.

The portion of dental floss 106 comprises at least one filament of dental floss material. The at least one filament of dental floss material may comprise one or more: cords, strands, strings, and/or threads of dental floss or dental tape. The portion of dental floss 106 could define a one filament dental floss or a multiple filament dental floss. Such filament(s) could be waxed or unwaxed dental floss and/or dental tape. As used herein, the term "portion of dental floss" can, but need not necessarily, be used to refer to an allocated amount/single serving of dental floss, such as a small length of dental floss for extending between the arms of the dental floss holder.

In some, but not necessarily all examples, the portion of dental floss 106 comprises at least one filament extending between first and second protuberances 107 (see also FIG. 15). The protuberances may be nodules, protrusions, knobs or catch members that are securely attached/fixed to the portion of dental floss, e.g. at or proximal to each end of the portion of dental floss. The protuberances may be shaped in the form of a sphere, a hemisphere, a cone, a tapered/wedge shape or may have any other suitable shape/geometry. The protuberances may be significantly greater in thickness than the thickness of the filament of the portion of dental floss. For instance, a dimension/thickness of the protuberances may be greater than 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 or 60 times the thickness of the dental floss filament. In some examples, the dental floss filament may be 50 -80 microns thick/wide and each protuberance may be 2 -3mm thick/wide.

A separation distance between the first and second protuberances may be greater than the first separation distance between the dental floss retaining means in the first configuration. Accordingly, when the dental flosser 100 is in the first configuration (wherein first and second dental floss retaining means are spaced apart by a first separation distance), the portion of dental floss is longer/greater in extent than the first separation distance. Hence the first and second protuberances can be readily placed by a user in the respective first and second retaining means of the dental flosser.

As shown in FIGs. 7 and 8 (illustrating a plan view and a bottom view respectively of the arms of the dental floss holder), the first and second dental floss retaining means 101fr and 102fr comprises first and second receiving surfaces 101rs 102rs which are configured to receive and retain the first and second protuberances 107 of the portion of dental floss 106. The first and second receiving surfaces may respectively comprise first and second portions that are shaped in a complimentary manner to the shape of the protuberances, for instance so as to have a concave portion/surface for receiving a convex portion/surface of a protuberance. In this regard, each of the first and second receiving surfaces may define a recessed area/chamber/void/seat/socket for locating and restraining the protuberances (which themselves act as catches/stops/retaining members that co-operate with the dental floss retaining means to be retained therein).

The receiving surfaces may have a slot 108 therein, wherein the width of the slot is dimensioned so as to enable the dental filament of the dental portion to pass therethrough, but wherein the slot dimension is less than the thickness of the protuberance such that the protuberance is unable to pass through the slot. In such a manner, each receiving surface provides a barrier that mechanically blocks and restrains a protuberance from moving in a direction towards the other receiving surface/protuberance.

FIGs. 9 and 10 shown a plan view and a bottom view respectively of the arms of the dental floss holder when transitioned to the second configuration wherein the separation distance between the first and second protuberances is a second separation distance 101sd', which is longer that the first separation distance 101sd.

The separation distance of the first and second protuberances is substantially equal to or less than the second separation distance. Due to this, when the dental floss holder 100' is transitioned to the second configuration (by moving the adjusting means 103' relative to the arms of the dental floss holder in a downwards direction such that the wedge member is inserted into the gap between the arms thereby wedging/forcing apart the arms and increasing the separation distance between the first and second receiving means) the portion of dental floss, located between the first and second protuberances retained by the first and second dental floss retaining means, is thereby placed under tension. In such a manner, the adjusting means thereby provides a tensioning mechanism by which to place the portion of dental floss, retained between the first and second arms, under tension in a taut state.

When it is desired to replace the portion of dental floss with another/new portion of dental floss, the adjustment means may be moved upwards (as per the right-hand side drawings of FIGs. 5 and 6, as well as FIG. 7) such that the two arms may revert back to their default relative positions in the first configuration having the first narrower separation distance.

With the portion of dental floss slack and no longer under tension, it can be readily removed by a user.

In such a manner, examples of the disclosure thereby provide a dental floss holder with replaceable/detachable dental floss that can be selectively tensioned upon user actuation of the adjustment means.

In the examples shown in FIGs. 1 to 10, the default/normal relative position of the arms is in the first configuration wherein the arms are more narrow/closer together than in the second configuration wherein the arms are splayed/further apart from one another.

However, in other examples the dental floss holder could be configured such that the default/normal state of the dental flosser, i.e., when the adjustment means has not be actuated, responds to the arms being a wide configuration (i.e., the arms are preconfigured/biased into the wider configuration) and that, following actuation of the adjustment means, the arms are forced into the narrower configuration (i.e. to facilitate user removal/insertion of a portion of dental floss). Such an adjustment mechanism may comprise, for example, a moveable rigid sheath-like member that surrounds/envelops at least a proximal portion of the arms, whereas moving the sheath like member in an axial actual direction towards the arm forces the arm towards one another.

In some examples, the dental floss holder yet further comprises means for locking at least the distal ends of the first and second arms in the second configuration. Such locking means may be provided by a catch or frictional fit mechanism that holds/locks the adjusting means 103' in the wedged apart/splayed position (as shown in FIGs. 2, 4, 9 and 10, as well as the right-hand side drawings of FIGs. Sand 6), namely wherein wedge member 105' and the adjustment means 103' are moved into an actuated position such that the wedge member is inserted into the gap 104 between the arms. The adjustment means may be configured to provide a fight frictional fit with the body or arms of the dental floss holder when in this position, thereby holding and maintaining the position. Additionally or alternatively, a catch or lock mechanism may be provided to keep the adjustment means in position and thereby maintain the arms in the widened/splayed positions of the second configuration.

FIG. 11 shows plan views of a further example of a dental flosser in accordance with the present disclosure in each of a first configuration 200 and a second configuration 200'. In the first configuration 200, a first separation distance 201sd between the retaining means in the distal ends of the arms is narrower than a second separation distance 201sd' of the second configuration 200'.

In the first configuration, with a narrower separation distance 201sd, first and second protuberances/nodules a portion of dental floss 206 can be readily placed within the retaining means. Following this, the adjusting means 203 can then be user actuated to transition the dental floss holder into the second configuration 200'. The adjustment means 203' can be moved into its actuated position by being slid upwards along an axial length of the dental floss holder towards the arms.

FIG. 12 shows rear views of the first and second configurations of the dental floss holder of FIG. 11.

The left-hand drawing of FIG. 12 shows, a wedge member 205 (which is fixedly attached to the adjusting means for example being integrally formed therewith), in a non-actuated position, i.e. wherein it is disposed within a gap 204 between the first and second arms and is not wedging/forcing the gap apart and hence not forcing the arm apart. As shown in the right-hand drawing of FIG. 12, when moved to an actuated position (i.e., when the adjustment means is slid upwards), this causes the wedge member 205 correspondingly to slide upwards and move out of the gap into contact with protruding engagement services 209 of proximal portions of the arm which forces the arms apart thereby splaying the arms apart and increasing the separation distance between the dental floss receiving means. This has the effect of placing the dental floss portion 206' under tension.

In this example, the wedge member 205 does not have a tapering cross-sectional shape but, instead, has a circular cross-sectional shape. Nevertheless, the wedge member still serves as a wedge, i.e., it is drivable between two parts of an object to separate them, in this case driven between proximal portions 209 of the first and second arms to separate the first and second arms.

FIG. 13 shows a yet further example of a dental floss holder that uses an alternative adjustment means for adjusting the separation distance between dental floss retaining means 301fr and 302fr. In this example, the adjustment means itself comprises second arms 3031 and 3032 that are moveably mounted to the dental floss holder, e.g. configured to slide therealong, such that the arms of the adjusting means slide up to and abut against the first and second dental floss retaining means 301fr and 302fr. The distal ends of the arms of the adjusting means are tapered into a wedge shape such that the distal ends form a wedge, that when slid and driven up against the first and second dental floss retaining means forces the first and second dental floss retaining means apart thereby increasing the separation distance.

FIG. 14 shows the yet further example of the dental floss holder 300' in the second configuration wherein the adjusting means 303' has been actuated and the arms 3031 and 3032 of the adjusting means have been driven against the first and second dental floss retaining means so as to increase their separation distance 301sd' such that a dental floss portion 306 retained within the dental floss retaining means (i.e., by virtue of the protuberances 307' of the dental floss portion being retained by the retaining means) is held under tension. In such a manner, the adjusting means thereby provides a tensioning means for applying tension to a dental floss portion held in the dental floss holder.

Fig. 15 illustrates an example of a dental floss portion 406 which comprises a protuberance 407 placed at or proximal to either end of a length of one or more dental floss filaments. The separation distance between the protuberances may be configured so as to be greater than a dental floss retaining means separation distance of a dental flosser when in a first configuration; and substantially equal to or slightly less than (e.g., by 2, 5, 7, 10, 15 or 20%) a dental floss retaining means separation distance of the dental flosser when in a second configuration.

FIG. 16 shows a plurality of dental floss portions, wherein each of the plurality of dental floss portions are attached together via respective protuberances so as to form a set of dental floss portions attached to one another in parallel via the protuberances. The attachment between the protuberances is configured to be sufficiently weak/fragile so as to enable manual user separation of the individual dental floss portions. For instance, each dental floss portion could be frangibly coupled to an adjacent dental floss portion so as to enable manual user separation.

In some examples (not shown), the distal end of the arms 3032 and 3032 of the adjustment mechanism 305 may be provided with an overhanging portion/projecting lip configured such that, when the adjustment means is in its actuated position 303', the overhanging portion/projecting lip extends over at least a portion of the distal ends of the arms of the dental floss holder. This can help further retain the dental floss portion and, in particular, prevent the one or more filaments of the dental floss portion from simply sliding straight out/passing between the distal ends of the arms 3031 and 3032 of the adjustment means and the end portion of the arms of the dental floss holder.

Additionally or alternatively, in some examples (not shown), an overhanging portion/projecting lip may be provided on a distal end portion of the first and second arms of the dental floss holder and be configured such that, when in the second configuration, the overhanging portion/projecting lip extends over at least a port of the distal end portions of the arms 3031 and 3032 of the adjusting means 303. This can prevent the one or more filaments of the dental floss portion from passing between the ends of the arms of the dental floss holder and the ends of the arms of the adjusting means, which further helps retain the portion of the dental floss and prevents its one or more filaments from simply passing straight between the ends of the two pairs of arms.

Advantageously, in examples of the dental flosser holder according to the present disclosure, the adjustment means enable the application of tension to a portion of dental floss retained in the dental floss holder. This can thereby ensure that there is sufficient tension in the dental floss filament(s) when held between the arms of the dental floss holder during use. This prevents/avoids the dental floss filaments sagging during use when the dental floss filaments are being pulled to-and-fro between the user's teeth in an interdental cleaning operation.

Furthermore, in some examples of the disclosure, rather than the dental flosser holder needing to directly clamp/grip one or more dental floss filaments of a portion of dental floss in order to secure a portion of dental floss in place, instead protuberances are provided on the dental floss portion, and dental floss retaining means is configured to retain such protuberances, i.e. simply hold the protuberances in place at the ends of the arms.

Advantageously, this avoids issues in not being able to sufficiently clamp/grip dental floss filaments themselves and hence avoiding dental floss filaments being pulled out of the arms of the dental floss holder -which would impede the cleaning function of the dental flosser.

In some examples, each dental floss portion can be provided either as an individual strand with nodules provided at each end with a small section of floss provided between the nodules. In other examples, a length of strand may be provided with nodules (e.g., small plastic nodules) moulded on the floss at regular intervals apart. As discussed above, the dental floss holder is designed such that the nodules can locate in the arms of the dental floss holder.

Conventional flossers with replaceable dental floss require the dental floss holder to provide a clamping/gripping function to securely and robustly clamp/grip the floss into position and, moreover, do so in a manner such that the dental floss is held in tension and does not escape/pull out of the clamping/gripping means during use/interdental cleaning. In examples of the present disclosure, instead of clamping/gripping the dental floss/filaments/strands themselves, the dental floss holder merely needs to retain nodules of a portion of dental floss in position. Since the nodules are significantly larger in size (thickness and width) that the dental floss, the nodules can more easily be restrained, i.e. by being mechanically retained rather than being clamped/frictionally gripped/grasped tightly. Moreover, with regards to tensioning the portion of dental floss, in examples of the disclosure, it is the arms of the flosser, which are forced apart by the adjustment means in the second configuration, that enables the application of tension to the one or more filaments of the dental floss portion. Since the arms can be locked into a position, i.e., securely held in the second configuration having a wider separation distance between the dental floss retaining means, tension can be maintained in the filaments of the dental floss portion. The strain of the dental floss is taken up by the nodules against the sides of the flosser arms (as compared to conventional detachable dental flosser holders/handles wherein the dental floss is itself directly clamped to be held in position and to take up the strain).

An issue with conventional flossers with detachable floss is that the dental floss itself is directly clamped/gripped, and, due to the width/height/thinness of the dental floss, it is difficult to securely clamp/grip the dental floss. Accordingly, the clamping/gripping mechanism of conventional flossers requires a large surface area and robust mechanism to sufficiently tightly clamp/grip the dental floss. This thereby increases the size of the clamping/gripping mechanism and hence also the arms of the dental flosser. This can make the dental flosser larger and less usable (i.e., harder to be inserted into and manoeuvred within a user's mouth). In examples of the disclosure, the use of (e.g. in-moulded) protuberances/nodules on the portion of dental floss, simplify the dental floss retaining mechanism and avoids the need for a large surface area to tightly directly clamp/gripping the dental floss filaments themselves.

The various components of the dental floss holder may be made from any suitable material having the requisite properties. For example, the dental floss holder, arm, adjustment means and dental floss retaining means may be made from suitable polymers including but not limited to: Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (PE), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polyamide (PA), Poly Lactic Acid (PLA), Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVOH).

Whilst the exemplary dental floss holders in the figures are shown in the form a "Y" shaped flosser, it is to be appreciated that the inventive concept of the present disclosure could equally well be applied to other forms and shapes of flossers, not least for example an "F" shaped flosser.

Although the protuberances have been shown in the figures in the form of a sphere, in other examples, differing forms, shapes/geometries of protuberances may be provided, not least curved shapes, rectilinear shapes, rectangular shapes, star shapes and non-rotationally symmetric cross-sectional shapes.

Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

Features described in the preceding description can be used in combinations other than the combinations explicitly described.

Although functions have been described with reference to certain features, those functions can be performable by other features whether described or not.

Although features have been described with reference to certain examples, those features can also be present in other examples whether described or not. Accordingly, features described in relation to one example/aspect of the disclosure can include any or all of the features described in relation to another example/aspect of the disclosure, and vice versa, to the extent that they are not mutually inconsistent.

Although various examples of the present disclosure have been described in the preceding paragraphs, it should be appreciated that modifications to the examples given can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set out in the claims.

The term 'comprise' is used in this document with an inclusive not an exclusive meaning.

That is any reference to X comprising Y indicates that X can comprise only one Y or can comprise more than one Y. If it is intended to use 'comprise' with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context by referring to "comprising only one " or by using "consisting".

In this description, reference has been made to various examples. The description of features or functions in relation to an example indicates that those features or functions are present in that example. The use of the term 'example' or 'for example', can' or 'may' in the text denotes, whether explicitly stated or not, that such features or functions are present in at least the described example, whether described as an example or not, and that they can be, but are not necessarily, present in some or all other examples. Thus 'example', 'for example', 'can' or 'may' refers to a particular instance in a class of examples. A property of the instance can be a property of only that instance or a property of the class or a property of a sub-class of the class that includes some but not all of the instances in the class.

In this description, references to "a/an/the" [feature, element, component, means...] are to be interpreted as "at least one" [feature, element, component, means...] unless explicitly stated otherwise. That is any reference to X comprising a/the Y indicates that X can comprise only one Y or can comprise more than one Y unless the context clearly indicates the contrary. If it is intended to use 'a' or 'the' with an exclusive meaning then it will be made clear in the context. In some circumstances the use of 'at least one' or 'one or more' can be used to emphasise an inclusive meaning but the absence of these terms should not be taken to infer any exclusive meaning.

The presence of a feature (or combination of features) in a claim is a reference to that feature (or combination of features) itself and also to features that achieve substantially the same technical effect (equivalent features). The equivalent features include, for example, features that are variants and achieve substantially the same result in substantially the same way. The equivalent features include, for example, features that perform substantially the same function, in substantially the same way to achieve substantially the same result.

The above description describes some examples of the present disclosure however those of ordinary skill in the art will be aware of possible alternative structures and method features which offer equivalent functionality to the specific examples of such structures and features described herein above and which for the sake of brevity and clarity have been omitted from the above description. Nonetheless, the above description should be read as implicitly including reference to such alternative structures and method features which provide equivalent functionality unless such alternative structures or method features are explicitly excluded in the above description of the examples of the present disclosure.

Whilst endeavouring in the foregoing specification to draw attention to those features of examples of the present disclosure believed to be of particular importance it should be understood that the applicant claims protection in respect of any patentable feature or combination of features hereinbefore referred to and/or shown in the drawings whether or not particular emphasis has been placed thereon.

The examples of the present disclosure and the accompanying claims can be suitably combined in any manner apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Separate references to an "example", "in some examples" and/or the like in the description do not necessarily refer to the same example and are also not mutually exclusive unless so stated and/or except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the description. For instance, a feature, structure, process, step, action, or the like described in one example may also be included in other examples, but is not necessarily included.

Each and every claim is incorporated as further disclosure into the specification and the claims are embodiment(s) of the present disclosure. Further, while the claims herein are provided as comprising specific dependencies, it is contemplated that any claims can depend from any other claims and that to the extent that any alternative embodiments can result from combining, integrating, and/or omitting features of the various claims and/or changing dependencies of claims, any such alternative embodiments and their equivalents

are also within the scope of the disclosure.

Claims (18)

1. CLAIMSWe claim: 1. A dental floss holder for releasably retaining a portion of dental floss, the dental floss holder comprising: a first arm comprising a first distal end that comprises first dental floss retaining means configured to retain at least a first part of a portion of dental floss; a second arm comprising a second distal end that comprises a second dental floss retaining means configured to retain at least a second part of the portion of dental floss, wherein the first and second dental floss retaining means are spaced apart by a separation distance; and adjusting means configured to adjusting the separation distance.
2. 2. The dental floss holder of claim 1, wherein at least the distal ends of the first and second arms are configured to be moveable between a first configuration having a first separation distance and a second configuration having a second separation distance different to the first separation distance.
3. 3. The dental floss holder of claim 2, wherein at least the distal ends of the first and second arms are configured to be biased towards the first configuration.
4. 4. The dental floss holder of claim 2 or 3, wherein the first separation distance of the first configuration is less than the second separation distance of the second configuration.
5. 5. The dental floss holder of any of claims 2 to 4, wherein the adjusting means comprises user manipulable means for moving at least the distal ends of the first and second arms between the first and second configurations.
6. 6. The dental floss holder of any previous claim, comprising means for locking the at least the distal ends of the first and second arms in the second configuration.
7. 7. The dental floss holder of any previous claim, wherein the means for adjusting the separation distance comprises means for forcing apart at least the distal ends of the first 35 and second arms.
8. 8. The dental floss holder of any previous claim, further comprising a gap between the first and second arms, and wherein the means for adjusting the separation distance comprises a wedge member that is insertable into the gap to spread the arms apart.
9. 9. The dental floss holder of any previous claim, wherein the first and/or second dental floss retaining means are configured to releasably restrain at least the first and/or second parts of the portion of dental floss respectively.
10. 10. The dental floss holder of any previous claim, wherein the first and/or second dental floss retaining means respectively comprise first and/or second receiving surfaces for respectively receiving the first and/or second parts of the portion of dental floss.
11. 11. The dental floss holder of claim 10, wherein the first and/or second receiving surfaces respectively comprise first and/or second concave portions.
12. 12. The dental floss holder of any previous claim, wherein the dental floss holder is in the form of a "Y" shaped floss holder floss holder or an "F" floss holder shaped floss holder.
13. 13. A dental flosser comprising: the dental floss holder of any previous claim; and a portion of dental floss, wherein the portion of dental floss comprises at least one filament extending between a first protuberance and a second protuberance.
14. 14. The dental flosser of claim 13, wherein a ratio of the thickness of the at least one filament to a thickness of either of the first and second protuberance is greater than: 10:1, 20:1, 30:1, 40:1, 50:1 or 60:1.
15. 15. The dental flosser of claim 13 or 14 when dependent upon claim 2, wherein a separation distance of the first and second protuberances is greater than the first separation distance.
16. 16. The dental flosser of any of claims 13 to 15 when dependent upon claim 2, wherein a separation distance of the first and second protuberances is substantially equal to or less than the second separation distance
17. 17. The dental flosser of any of claims 13 to 16, wherein the first and/or second dental floss retaining means comprise first and/or second receiving surfaces respectively having shapes at least partially complimentary to shapes of the first and/or second protuberances respectively.
18. 18. The dental flosser of any of claims 13 to 17, wherein the first and/or second dental floss retaining means are configured to locate the first and/or second protuberances respectively.