Winding – tensioning – or guiding – Coil holder or support – Randomly oriented coil holder
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-07
2001-12-11
Walsh, Donald P. (Department: 3653)
Winding, tensioning, or guiding
Coil holder or support
Randomly oriented coil holder
C242S588300, C242S580000, C242S128000, C242S137100, CD28S066000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06328251
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to dental floss dispensing devices and methods and, more specifically, to a vehicle-shaped dental floss dispenser and method.
2. Background of the Invention
The dental health benefits associated with the regular use of dental floss are well-known and essentially universally accepted. Nevertheless, many people do not floss regularly, for a variety of reasons. Often, people fail to floss because a floss dispenser is not readily at hand when the person is brushing his or her teeth or otherwise attending to his or her dental health needs.
Over the years, some efforts have been made to develop dental floss dispensers having greater convenience and greater aesthetic appeal, presumably in the belief that such qualities would make a person more likely to position floss in a location where it would be likely to be used. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,964, issued to Fitz discloses a dental floss dispenser in the shape of a “toothed character,” wherein a dental floss spool is positioned within the character through a bottom portion thereof, and floss is passed out of the character's hand and cut at the character's teeth. While the device disclosed in Fitz is more aesthetically pleasing than non-decorative dispensers, the feature of having the floss pass outside of the character in an exposed manner makes it apparent that the “toothed character” is a floss dispenser. Moreover, a toothed character is not necessarily the type of decorative object that one commonly sees as a house decoration, particularly in rooms outside of the bathroom. For these reasons, a user may not be comfortable displaying the dispenser on a counter or other public space within the house—and particularly not in a public space outside of a bathroom. Thus, notwithstanding its aesthetic qualities, the dispenser of Fitz may also not be used as frequently as desired for good dental health, in those instances where it is concealed from view in a draw or cabinet. Further limiting the utility of the dispenser of Fitz is the fact that it is dimensioned to carry only one size of floss at any particular time, making it unsuitable for efficient use by two persons requiring different types of floss.
Therefore, a need existed to provide a floss dispenser that is aesthetically pleasing in appearance, while effectively concealing to the unsuspecting eye that it is in fact a floss dispenser. The outer configuration of the floss dispenser should, moreover, be of a type commonly seen in decorative objects displayed in a home, including in rooms other than the bathroom. The floss dispenser should further, preferably, be dimensioned to simultaneously carry more than one floss spool, so that more than one type of floss may be dispensed therethrough without the need for “reloading” the dispenser.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a dental floss dispenser that is aesthetically pleasing in appearance, while effectively concealing to the unsuspecting eye that it is in fact a floss dispenser.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dental floss dispenser having an outer configuration of a type commonly seen in decorative objects displayed in a home, including in rooms other than the bathroom.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a dental floss dispenser that is dimensioned to simultaneously carry more than one floss spool.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a dental floss dispenser is disclosed. The dental floss dispenser comprises, in combination: an automobile-shaped decorative holding structure; wherein the holding structure has the outer configuration of an automobile and includes a closeable engine compartment; a cavity located within the holding structure and dimensioned to receive a dental floss spool; wherein the cavity is not visible when the holding structure is in an upright portion; at least one dental floss spool rotatably secured in the cavity; an opening located in the cavity and dimensioned to receive therethrough the strand of dental floss, wherein the opening leads to the closeable engine compartment.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for providing a dental floss dispenser is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: providing an automobile-shaped decorative holding structure; wherein the holding structure has the outer configuration of an automobile and includes a closeable engine compartment; providing a cavity located within the holding structure and dimensioned to receive a dental floss spool; wherein the cavity is not visible when the holding structure is in an upright portion; rotatably securing at least one dental floss spool in the cavity; providing an opening located in the cavity and dimensioned to receive therethrough the strand of dental floss, wherein the opening leads to the closeable engine compartment.
REFERENCES:
patent: D. 311259 (1990-10-01), Smith
patent: D. 381468 (1997-07-01), Dolan et al.
patent: D. 429382 (2000-08-01), Crain et al.
patent: D. 431879 (2000-10-01), Perlin
patent: 5566872 (1996-10-01), Dolan et al.
Crain Jon S.
Tamez Elias
Pham Minh-Chau
Tamez Elias
Walsh Donald P.
Weiss Harry M.
Weiss & Moy P.C.
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