JP3093466U - Tooth pick with two functional ends - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (With correction) [Problem] To provide an easy-to-operate tooth pick capable of removing various types of food pieces caught in gaps between teeth. A tooth pick has an integral body, the body having a blade portion located at one end of the body,
It has a claw section 14 located at the opposite end of the body and a handle section 16 located between the blade section and the claw section.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]   This application is US Provisional Application No. 60 / 268,16, filed February 12, 2001. No. 3, claiming priority, the entire application of which is incorporated herein by this reference. Shall be.

[0002]

[Technical field to which the device belongs]

  The present invention relates generally to dental hygiene equipment, and in particular to toothpicks. Ku (toothpick) and its use.

[0003]

[Prior art]

  Traditionally toothpicks or toothpicks are commonly used on a daily basis, but many are circular It has a rod-like shape with a cross section, and one end thereof is tapered and sharpened. Then, the sharp tip is used to remove food pieces sandwiched between the teeth. . The other end is untreated or has a decorative finish or fingers. Depending on the product, some may be modified to make it easier to grasp.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

  Such a conventional toothpick has one end of the fixed shape as described above. Since it can not be used, it is difficult to deal with various conditions of food pieces sandwiched between teeth Yes. Traditional tooth picks are made of flexible or inflexible material, It is difficult to reach and operate between molars.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

  The present invention which solves the above problems is as follows.   The tooth pick according to the first aspect of the present invention has an integral body, the body comprising: A blade portion located at one end of the main body, and a claw portion located at the opposite end of the main body, And a handle portion located between the blade portion and the claw portion. .

[0006]   The tooth pick according to the second aspect of the present invention is an integral unit made of thermoplastic material. A toothpick having a basic body, the body being located at one end of the body. Of the blade part, the claw part, and the claw part located at the opposite end of the main body. A handle portion located therebetween, the blade portion being elongated and tapered. And the blade portion is bent so as to be bent between the first posture and the second posture. Is flexible, and when it is bent to the second posture, the bent posture is almost Characterized by keeping.

[0007]   The tooth pick according to the third aspect of the present invention is an integral body made of thermoplastic material. A toothpick having a conventional body, the body being (i) located at one end of the body Blades that are slender and taper uniformly over their entire length. Has a substantially triangular cross section over almost its entire length, and It is flexible enough to be bent to and from the second position, and is not bent to the second position. Blade part that keeps its bent posture almost when A claw located at one end on the opposite side, with an inner arcuate surface, an outer arcuate surface, and a taper And a side surface marked with, the radius of curvature of the outer arcuate surface is greater than the radius of curvature of the inner arcuate surface. A large claw, and (iii) a hanger located between the blade and the claw. The dollar portion has opposite side surfaces, and the opposite side surfaces extend over substantially the entire length thereof. And a handle portion having a shallow recess extending therethrough.

[0008]   The toothpick according to the present invention has two functional ends (ie blade part and claw part). ), It is sandwiched between adjacent teeth, orthodontic bridges and other dental instruments. It can remove almost any type of food scrap. Tapered blade It is fitted and fits in most gaps between teeth. Furthermore, the bent posture (shape By maintaining the shape, it is possible to reach the gap between the molars. Also You can use the claw part to operate to remove the food pieces that are firmly attached. Wear. The user holds these two machines by grasping the handle located in the middle. It is possible to manipulate the active end, and when switching the end to be used, the part that gets wet with saliva There is no need to touch.

[0009]

[Embodiment of device]

  As shown in the accompanying drawings, a toothpick according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided. C is a blade portion (blade portion) 12 located at three different portions, that is, at one end of the main body. And a claw portion (claw portion) 14 located at the opposite end of the main body, and blades thereof. By the integral body 10 consisting of the handle part 16 located between the claw part and the claw part. Is characterized by.

[0010]   It is not always necessary to make the entire main body 10 of the same material, Manufacturing is simplified by using the material. There is only one toothpick of the present invention Since it is discarded at most several times, the material used for manufacturing is such It should be durable enough for the application. The integral body is preferably a blade section Is flexible and generally retains its posture when bent into the desired shape It is made of a thermoplastic material. Even if the entire body 10 is not made of the same material, The cord portion 12 has flexibility as described above and maintains the set posture. It is preferable to use a thermoplastic material that can be used. A suitable thermoplastic material for this However, polyethylene is not limited thereto.

[0011]   The toothpick is characterized by a substantially flat back surface 20. this The back surface 20 is at least the length of the blade portion, the length of the handle portion, and the claw portion. It extends along a part.

[0012]  The blade portion 12 constitutes more than half of the entire length of the toothpick body 10. , Elongated and tapered. The taper is uniform over its entire length. Bu The raid portion has opposite side faces 22, 24, which form an edge 26. Intersect. The edge 26 is inclined toward the back surface 20 (that is, contact with the handle portion). It is inclined from the continuation point to the end of the blade). Best shown in Figure 3. Back side 20 also narrows and meets edge 26 at the end of the blade. The blunt portion 28 is formed. Such an arrangement of the side faces 22, 24 and the back face 20 The blade portion has a substantially triangular cross section over its entire length. This section triangle The area of the shape decreases from the maximum area adjacent to the handle to the minimum area of the tip. Ku. The cross-sectional views of FIGS. 4A and 4B thus show the cross-sectional area along the length of the blade section. Shows a decrease.

[0013]   The opposite end of the body 10 is a claw portion. Like the blade part, the claw part It is marked. However, the claw taper is uniform along its entire length. is not. Claw portion has inner arcuate surface 32, outer arcuate surface 34, and tapered It has side surfaces 36 and 38. The outer arcuate surface 34 has a greater curvature than the inner arcuate surface. Has a radius that causes the claw to look like a claw . The tapered sides 36, 38 have uneven taper, so Encounter at a mid-range position to form the edge of the inner arcuate surface. Inner bow and outer A tip 40 is formed where the side arcuate surfaces meet.

[0014]   A handle portion 16 is provided between the blade portion 12 and the claw portion 14. Handle part 16 Is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the front surface 42 opposite to the back surface 20 and the opposite side surfaces. 44 and 46. Each side surface 44, 46 is not a flat surface but is shallow over its entire length. Has a dent. These indentations on opposite sides allow the handle to It has a reduced thickness in the middle and accepts the user's fingers (ie thumb and index finger) It has become so.

[0015]   The tooth pick of the present invention may be manufactured by conventional injection molding or molding. You can That is, fill the mold with one or more thermoplastic materials and And remove the tooth pick from the mold.

[0016]   When in use, the user grasps the toothpick on the sides 44, 46 and Part is inserted into the gap between the teeth, and also manipulated along the gum line (while stimulating the gum). To make. In places where it is difficult to reach, such as between molars, while using or when the user The blade portion can be bent by grasping the blade portion with the hand. this The new shape of the curved blade keeps the user It becomes possible to operate between. If there is a food piece that is firmly sandwiched between the teeth, , The claw part can be pointed at the sandwiched food piece so that it can be operated. ) Toothpick can be used. The claw is less flexible, so To remove stubborn pieces of food that can't be removed by some raids Suitable for The handle is located between the claw and the blade, so the user can Cut the end to be used without grabbing the end of the toothpick that is wet with saliva. It is possible to replace.

[0017]   The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and other embodiments can be considered. For example, Han The dollar part has a significant effect, but it is not necessary. Therefore, the book In another embodiment of the invention, a tooth pick is described for the first embodiment above. Is it an integral body having a blade part and a claw part at one end and the other end similar to Can consist of In such a configuration, the blade part and the claw part And simply transition to each other without a noticeable handle (Ie continuous).

[0018]   Although the present invention has been described in detail above by way of example, those details are not For the purpose of illustration, those skilled in the art will understand the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. It should be understood that various modifications can be made without departing from.

[0019]

[Effect of device]

  The toothpick according to the present invention has two functional ends (ie blade part and claw part). ), It is sandwiched between adjacent teeth, orthodontic bridges and other dental instruments. It can remove almost any type of food scrap. Tapered blade It is fitted and fits in most gaps between teeth. Furthermore, the bent posture (shape By maintaining the shape, it is possible to access the gap between the molars. Also, use the claw part to operate to remove the firmly attached food pieces. You can The user can grasp these two by grasping the handle located in the middle. You can manipulate the functional end of the and get wet with saliva when switching the end used No need to touch the parts.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a top view of a tooth pick according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a side view of the tooth pick shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a bottom view of the tooth pick shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the blade portion taken along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the blade portion taken along the line BB of FIG. 3, showing the tapered structure of the blade portion together with FIG. 4A.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 Toothpick 12 Blade part 14 Claw 16 Handle 20 back 22 and 24 sides 26 Edge 32 inner bow 34 Outer arcuate surface 36, 38 side 42 front 44,46 sides

Claims (18)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A toothpick having an integral body, the body comprising a blade portion located at one end of the body,
A tooth pick having a claw portion located at the opposite end of the main body and a handle portion located between the blade portion and the claw portion. 2. The tooth pick according to claim 1, wherein the blade portion is elongated and tapered. 3. The tooth pick according to claim 2, wherein the taper of the blade portion is substantially uniform over the entire length of the blade portion. 4. The blade portion has a substantially triangular cross section over substantially its entire length.
Toothpick as described. 5. The tooth pick according to claim 1, wherein the blade portion has flexibility. 6. The blade portion is flexible between a first posture and a second posture, and when the blade portion is bent to the second posture, the blade portion is maintained substantially in the bent posture. The tooth pick according to claim 5, which is characterized in that. 7. The tooth pick according to claim 1, wherein the blade portion is formed of a thermoplastic material. 8. The tooth pick according to claim 7, wherein the thermoplastic material is polyethylene. 9. The tooth pick according to claim 1, wherein the tooth pick is formed of a thermoplastic material. 10. The tooth pick according to claim 9, wherein the thermoplastic material is polyethylene. 11. The tooth pick according to claim 1, wherein the claw portion is tapered. 12. The taper of the claw portion is not uniform over the entire length of the claw portion.
Toothpick as described. 13. The tooth pick according to claim 11, wherein the claw portion has an inner arcuate surface, an outer arcuate surface, and a tapered side surface. 14. The tooth pick of claim 11, wherein the radius of curvature of the outer arcuate surface is greater than the radius of curvature of the inner arcuate surface. 15. The tooth according to claim 1, wherein the tooth pick has a flat surface extending along substantially the entire length of the blade portion and the handle portion and at least a portion of the length of the claw portion. pick. 16. The tooth pick according to claim 15, wherein the handle portion has opposite side surfaces adjacent to the flat surface, and the opposite side surfaces have a shallow recess extending over substantially the entire length thereof. 17. A toothpick having an integral body formed of a thermoplastic material, the body comprising a blade portion located at one end of the body and a claw portion located at an opposite end of the body. A handle portion located between the blade portion and the claw portion, the blade portion being elongated and tapered along substantially its entire length, and the blade portion having a first position and a second position; A tooth pick, which is flexible enough to be bent with respect to a posture and retains substantially the bent posture when being bent to the second posture. 18. A toothpick having an integral body formed of a thermoplastic material, the body comprising: (i)
A blade portion located at one end of the main body, which is elongated and is uniformly tapered over substantially the entire length,
It has a substantially triangular cross-section over substantially its entire length and is sufficiently flexible to be bent between a first position and a second position and, when bent to the second position, substantially A blade portion for maintaining a bent posture, and (ii) a claw portion located at one end on the opposite side of the main body, having an inner arcuate surface, an outer arcuate surface, and a tapered side surface. A claw part having a radius of curvature of the outer arcuate surface larger than a radius of curvature of the inner arcuate surface, and (iii) a handle part located between the blade part and the claw part, having opposite side surfaces. , A handle portion having a shallow recess extending over substantially the entire length thereof, the tooth pick.