Did You Know...
...that while attempting to develop a super strong glue, 3M employee Spencer Silver accidentally developed a glue that was so weak it would barely hold two pieces of paper together? However, his colleague Art Fry needed the glue. Fry sang with his church choir and marked the pages of his hymnal with small scraps of paper that often fell out. He used Silver's glue to hold the papers in place. Today we call this invention Post-it Notes.
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7360270 | Toothbrush A toothbrush includes a head having a bristle carrying surface formed from a thin resilient flexible dome shaped membrane. An air space is located between the base of the head and the membrane so that the membrane is capable of flexing to alter its original shape du... | 04/22/2008 |
| 7347691 | Protective sleeve for saliva ejector The protective sleeve for a saliva ejector is formed of a soft, porous plastic material for installation upon the end of a conventional ejector tube to protect the soft tissues within the mouth of a dental patient during dental work. The device has a generally cylin... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7334286 | Toothbrush and methods of making and using same The disclosed embodiments relate to a toothbrush and methods of making and using it, wherein an elongated body has a bristle brush head portion and a handle portion. The body is composed of flexible material so that the handle portion can be grasped in the hand of t... | 02/26/2008 |
| 7322067 | Oral care implement An oral care implement with a handle includes a head with a tissue cleanser. The tissue cleanser may be a pad composed of an elastomeric material. The pad is disposed on the head on a surface opposite the tooth cleaning elements. The tissue cleanser may include a pl... | 01/29/2008 |
| 7273327 | Oral care implement An oral care implement with a handle includes a head with a releasable material (e.g., an oral medicament) and a tissue cleanser for cleaning the soft tissues and removing odor-causing bacteria from the mouth. In one arrangement, the releasable material is disposed ... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7252645 | Massage thumb tool A thumb tool for use by a massage therapist includes a tubular sleeve having at least a portion of which is a rigid plastic tubular sleeve that slides over the thumb. A portion of the tool may include a flexible PVC thermo plastic membrane. The tool may be a one-pie... | 08/07/2007 |
| 7211102 | Pressure-activated vibrating teether A teething device is provided which includes a fluid-filled membrane sized to be at least partially received in the mouth of a child, a housing attached to the fluid-filled membrane, a handle sized to be grasped by a child, a vibrator configured to impart vibration ... | 05/01/2007 |
| 7174595 | Bathing brush A bathing brush comprises an elongated bar, an elastic net and a massaging device. The bar has a base portion at an end thereof, a securing portion at an edge of the base portion and a handle having an end thereof fixed with the base portion. The elastic net is pres... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7137163 | Power toothbrush and power source A powered toothbrush is provided and includes a handle portion having a neck formed at one end and a head coupled to the neck. The handle portion is adapted to receive a single battery therein in a tight fitting arrangement. The head includes a base, and one or more... | 11/21/2006 |
| 7073225 | Plaque eradicating system utilizing a plurality of double-sided toothbrushes or toothbrush heads The present invention 10 discloses a plaque eradicating toothbrush series having a set of toothbrushes 12, 22, 28 with multiple functions and can be provided with interchangeable brush heads or in one piece. Both sides of the toothbrush comprise either... | 07/11/2006 |
| 7069615 | Squeegee device and system A toothbrush is disclosed that includes and applicator head and a handle coupled to the applicator head for manipulating the applicator head while cleaning teeth and gums. The applicator head includes a curved squeegee element and bristles that surround elongated wa... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7070603 | Ear cleaning apparatus, tip and a method for cleaning an ear An ear cleaning apparatus, a tip and a method for cleaning an ear are provided. The ear cleaning apparatus may have a tip having protrusions. The protrusions may be made of a pliable material to assist in removing wax, dirt and/or other build-up from within an ear c... | 07/04/2006 |
| 7051394 | Dentition cleaning device and system An electric toothbrush is disclosed that includes and applicator head and a motorized handle coupled to the applicator head for moving the applicator head while cleaning teeth and gums. The applicator head includes a curved squeegee element and bristles that surroun... | 05/30/2006 |
| 7047589 | Dentition cleaning device and system An oral-care device with a power cleaning head is disclosed. The power cleaning head comprises squeegee wiping elements or squeegee wiping elements and bristles. The power cleaning head is configured to rotate, oscillate, vibrate or otherwise move while cleaning tee... | 05/23/2006 |
| 7044929 | Hinged therapeutic mouthpiece This invention relates to devices for insertion into the mouth for the application of heat or cold to oral tissue to provide a therapeutic effect. The device 10 includes an upper member 11 substantially conforming to a contour of an upper gum line, a l... | 05/16/2006 |
| 6955539 | Characterization of motion of dual motor oral hygiene device An oral hygiene device is disclosed having at least two motors to simultaneously vibrate and impart motion upon the head portion of the oral hygiene device, most beneficially at the tip. A first motor is positioned in the handle portion of the device to impart a fir... | 10/18/2005 |
| 6944903 | Dentition cleaning device and system An applicator with squeegee configurations is disclosed. The applicator has a removable cover. In accordance with the embodiments of the invention, the removable cover is sealed through a squeegee edge using a suitable adhesive. The removable cover can be formed fro... | 09/20/2005 |
| 6932088 | Suction-fitted mouthguard A mouthguard (10) has a U-shaped base (11) having an upper surface (16) and a lower surface (18). An inner wall (19) extends upwardly from an inner margin of the base upper surface. An outer wall (21) extends upwardly from a... | 08/23/2005 |
| 6905507 | Teething pacifier A teething pacifier comprising a pacifier guard having two opposing sides, a nipple extending outwardly from one side of the pacifier guard and a handle associated with the opposite side of the pacifier guard. The handle includes a first teething material and a seco... | 06/14/2005 |
| 6722805 | Tongue adhered dentifrice apparatus A dentifrice apparatus (10) for cleansing the teeth and gum tissues of a user wherein, the apparatus (10) includes an enlarged head member (20) having a top surface (24) provided with a plurality of projections (25) and a bottom su... | 04/20/2004 |
| 6676616 | Intraoral stimulating implement To provide an intraoral stimulating implement which is provided with at least a mounting portion which is mounted on between a part of the teeth and a part of lips and a pressing portion which is integrally fixed to the mounting portion so that it presses... | 01/13/2004 |
| 6669475 | Personal interproximal dental surface cleaning and drug delivery device Disclosed is a device for use to clean interproximal dental surfaces, subgingival areas and periodontal pockets and deliver a drug to these surfaces, areas and pockets after they have been cleaned. The device has a reservoir for storing and supplying the ... | 12/30/2003 |
| 6475172 | Instrument for cleaning tonsils A tonsil cleansing tool for removing a spot of debris and build up from a tonsillar pit on a tonsil comprises an elongate shaft having a loop shaped element attached to one end and a presser element having an opening therethrough attached to the other end... | 11/05/2002 |
| 6336461 | Tooth cleaning device A tooth cleaning device for cleaning teeth of plaque without using a toothbrush having bristles thereon. The tooth cleaning device includes a tubular member that is elongated and has a first end and a second end. The first end is open for accessing an int... | 01/08/2002 |
| 6183427 | Dozing preventive device and its method A dozing preventive device and its method are disclosed, in which the user does not have to move to a specific place for dozing prevention, and neighboring people are not disturbed. The dozing preventive device is small and is simple in its construction s... | 02/06/2001 |
| 6065967 | Oral cleansing article and method of using the same An oral hygiene article adapted to be received as a whole within a mouth so that the article can thereby be manipulated with the tongue to dislodge foreign particles, promote salivary excretion, drag bacterial plaque, and massage the gums. The article inc... | 05/23/2000 |
| 5930860 | Prophy bristle toothbrush A toothbrush for cleaning and polishing teeth includes a handle attached to a brush head. Attached to the brush head are a plurality of elastomeric prophy bristles for polishing teeth, and a plurality of bristle tufts for scrubbing teeth, the bristle tuft... | 08/03/1999 |
| 5718667 | Oral hygiene instrument An oral hygiene instrument according to this invention by means of vibration generating means vibrates by way of a holder member an oral hygiene tool removably attached to the holder member and comprises a cap member having a cap side thread portion which... | 02/17/1998 |
| 5711759 | Oral hygiene device An oral hygiene device for use by infants, toddlers and small children as an effective tool for soothing and strengthening the gums and, when the new teeth begin to grow in, as an implement employed to keep the teeth clean and maintain both the gums and t... | 01/27/1998 |
| 5649964 | Vibrating teething ring device A teething ring device for massaging the gums of an infant. The inventive device includes an annular teething ring having a plurality of radial extension members projecting therefrom. A vibration handle is rotatably mounted to the teething ring for impart... | 07/22/1997 |
| 5551952 | Teething ring A teething ring comprising a teething member and a mechanism for causing vibrations in the teething member. The teething member has a portion thereof of a size sufficient to allow an infant to place the portion between its gums. The portion is constructed... | 09/03/1996 |
| 5511273 | Variable engagement toothbrush A plastic looped handle has a front ring with two parallel members connected by a front brush head member. Bristles in curved rows extend from one side of the brush head for brushing of teeth, while convex protrusions extend from the other side of the bru... | 04/30/1996 |
| 5509801 | Oral therapeutic apparatus for cooling oral tissues An oral therapeutic apparatus and a method of using the oral device for treating a patient undergoing a chemotherapy treatment are disclosed wherein the oral device is formed to be insertable within the patient's mouth and receive a circulated cooling med... | 04/23/1996 |
| 5487201 | Disposable tooth and gum cleaning device An oral wipe comprised of a sleeve, the sleeve being comprised of interwoven material, the sleeve having a closed end extending to at least one corner at the closed end, a pick element comprised of a heat sealable component, and a piece of dental floss, t... | 01/30/1996 |
| 5337436 | Brushless tooth cleaning device The device has an elastic cleaning head with an aperture. On the inside facing the aperture there is a brushless cleaning layer (12), e.g. of looped fabric. For cleaning purposes the head is first fitted over an incisor (15) and moved to and fro, fully co... | 08/16/1994 |
| 5323795 | Dental instrument for massaging gums and cleaning teeth A dental instrument, particularly such an instrument equipped on a toothbrush, which provides excellent tooth picking function, gum line probing, and gum massage. A distal end segment of a handle is provided with an elastomer oral hygiene member in the fo... | 06/28/1994 |
| 5291878 | Baby teething gum massager The baby teething gum massager has a body in the shape of a figure eight with a forward curved portion dimensioned to fit within a child's opened mouth and a rearward curved portion which is wider than a child's mouth, the forward curved portion containin... | 03/08/1994 |
| 5230356 | Personal toothpick A personal toothpick comprises a curved handle with a thin wire hollow form at each end, designed to enter the smallest space between teeth to extract impacted food particles in between teeth and gums. The handle is of a modified s-shaped configuration wi... | 07/27/1993 |
| 5228433 | Finger mounted dental appliance A tooth and gum appliance that includes a flexible sheet or pad which can carry cleaners, mild abrasives, medicaments or other substances has a miniature hook-loop fastener member at one edge of the pad, the mating fastener member being carried by a tab t... | 07/20/1993 |
| 5127415 | Multi-purpose dental applicator A multi-purpose dental applicator including a handle and an interchangeable removable member which can be a yoke supporting a length of dental floss, a toothbrush, a spiral wound wire tooth cleaning brush, a rubber tip gum massager, or a length of abrasiv... | 07/07/1992 |
