Special receptacle or package – For body treatment article or material – Dental
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-17
2004-04-06
Luong, Shian (Department: 3728)
Special receptacle or package
For body treatment article or material
Dental
C206S232000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06715603
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
A dental care kit assembly including a container having predetermined, reduced size configuration and a plurality of operative components including dental floss, a cleaning implement, etc. for the practice of dental hygiene at almost any location or environment where a conventional toothbrush or other dental hygiene facilities are typically not available.
2. Description of the Related Art
The problems associated with maintaining proper dental hygiene in a variety of locations where conventional cleaning implements, such as a toothbrush, etc. are not commonly available, are widespread. In addition to the general population, those individuals being fitted with some type orthodontic appliance, such as braces, may encounter unusual difficulty in maintaining the desired quality of dental hygiene. Known attempts to overcome such problems generally include the combined packaging of items such as dental floss, one or more additional cleaning instruments, a supply of dentifrice, etc. In many cases such dental care products are collectively assembled in a consolidated package in order to make such hygiene assemblies more convenient for use. However, the vast majority of known assemblies of this type are still relatively bulky and are commonly associated with a package or container which stores or contains the various components in the same compartment or areas.
One problem associated with packaging of the type described above is a likelihood of contamination of all of the dental care products if and when at least one of such products, such as a cleaning instrument, has been utilized and replaced in the package. Also, while the provision of dental floss is common practice in such dental hygiene assemblies, it is normally provided in a relatively small quantity such as a single strand. Moreover, when provided, the strand of dental floss is frequently stored in an area where removal of a segment of such strand, having a preferred length, is difficult if not impossible. Accordingly a user is forced to use substantially the entire strand and then discard the strand after use. Moreover, if more than one dental floss strand is provided, the strands may be packaged in a common area and not sufficiently separated or independently mounted to prevent tangling thereof.
It is also well known, to use some type of cleaning instrument which frequently resembles at least a portion of a conventional toothbrush at least in terms of function if not specific structure. Such a cleaning implement has been known to take a variety of different structural embodiments including various devices which fit on or about one or more fingers of the user. A cleaning segment of such implement may be in the form of outwardly directed bristles, cleaning materials or the like which are intended to come into direct contact with the teeth and gums of the user. While intended for only temporary use, such cleaning instruments have been recognized as being generally inefficient, especially when it is intended to combine or add to such implements a dentifrice in the form of a gel, paste, power, etc.
When assemblies and the various products of the type set forth above are utilized, the user frequently enjoys minimal benefits in terms of adequate dental hygiene and often must endure a messy and ineffective procedure in attempting to reach the various areas of the teeth and gums required to be cleaned. Also, use of such known and conventional dental hygiene assemblies typically requires the various components to be discarded immediately after use in order to avoid contamination of all of the commonly packaged components even when only one of such components has been used.
Accordingly, based on the above recognized problems associated with such known dental hygiene assemblies, there is a need in this area for an improved dental care assembly, which is preferably provided or made available in a kit format. Such an improved or preferred dental care kit assembly should include operative components which are structured for efficient use and preferably contained or packaged in separate or segregated areas of a container. Also, the various structural and operative components of a preferred dental care kit assembly should be particularly adapted to facilitate the cleaning of the mouth of individuals having various types of orthodontic appliances. At the same time, the operative and structural components of a preferred and improved dental care kit assembly should be capable of providing the desired degree of dental hygiene to those users without any type of orthodontic appliances.
The container should be of a reduced size and configuration and more preferably correspond to the size of a credit card. Such an improved dental care kit assembly could therefore be located within any convenient place on a person's clothing, wallet, purse, etc. As such an improved dental care kit assembly could be used in almost any location where a toothbrush or other conventional hygiene products are not conveniently available. Further, the various operative components contained within the improved dental care kit assembly would be sufficient in quantity and uniquely structured so as to serve one or more users without fear of contamination of the remaining unused components or remaining quantities thereof.
In addition, a preferred and improved dental care kit assembly, of the type described in greater detail hereinafter, could be structured to be disposable after a single or limited use of the various components associated therewith. Alternatively, the improved assembly could be structured to have a more extended operable life, wherein its various components could be repeatedly used and subsequently stored in segregated locations, thereby eliminating the fear of contamination between users. Also such an improved dental care kit assembly could include at least some operative components which are structured for a single use and disposal thereafter. Such “replaceable” components would then be replaced by new components and stored in the aforementioned container, especially when the container and the remainder of the dental care kit assembly is intended for repeated or extended use.
Also, the structural features and/or the materials from which the container and the operative components are formed should be inexpensive, whether the dental care kit assembly is intended for disposal after limited use or for a more extended operable life. Finally, the container should have sufficient structural integrity to resist folding, collapse or other manipulation which would derogatorily effect or damage the operative components or the container itself.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a dental care assembly preferably provided in a kit format which is structured to be either disposable after limited use or capable of being used repeatedly for a period of time. The versatility of the dental care kit assembly is significantly enhanced by the structuring thereof to include a predetermined, reduced size configuration. Accordingly, a preferred embodiment, to be described in greater detail hereinafter, closely resembles the overall dimension and configuration of a conventional credit card, debit card or like structure.
More specifically, the dental care kit assembly of the present invention comprises a container preferably having a flat configuration characterized by a significantly reduced thickness. The thickness of the container is primarily dictated by the dimension and configuration of the operative components contained therein. Therefore, the predetermined, reduced size configuration enables the entire kit assembly to be carried in a variety of convenient locations on the person of the user or within a purse, wallet, etc. typically carried by a user.
In order to provide a user with proper dental care and/or hygiene, the aforementioned operative components of which the kit assembly is comprised should be such as to provide adequate cleaning of the user's teeth, mouth, etc. whether or not t
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