Wigglefloss

Introducing: Wigglefloss™
Wigglefloss™ combines the popular features found in disposable flossers
and adds a few new twists.

Major Features
● Fully elastic neck
● Comfort and control
● Self-aligning
● Cross-flossing ability
● Grasping positions
● Bite-down area
● Break-away toothpick
● Fully elastomeric version
● Refillable flosser version

Background of Development
Flossing tools have come a long way from the old spool of floss. The introduction of the
one-piece disposable flosser changed the way people floss.
Disposable flossers fall into two broad categories; floss at right angle to the handle, and floss
lying in the same plane as the handle. Each has its advantages. The former is better for the
back teeth, the latter for front teeth.
Design objective was to create a flosser that would combine those functions.

Breakthrough
The “Eureka” moment happened quite unexpectedly. Breaking a flat-plane flosser to make
it fit more easily into the back of the mouth to reach the molars and wiggling it back and forth
created a living hinge, resulting in a flosser with brand new capabilities.
The possibilities opened up by this discovery led to development of “Wiggle”, renamed later
to the more descriptive “Wigglefloss™”.

Advantage
1. More comfort. The fully elastic neck between the head and body blocks excessive
pressures to the teeth and gums and gives the flosser a softer feel.
2. More control. Self-aligning head enables better flossing control.
3. Less work. Cross-flossing uses less wrist and hand movement.
4. Easier to insert. Provides bite-down area to make floss insertion easier and safer.
5. Better toothpick. Long slender toothpick is safely attached until it’s used.
6. More appeal. The name Wigglefloss™ implies: It wiggles, it flosses, it’s fun!
7. Appeal to children. Action of Wigglefloss™ is adaptible for “animated” animal versions.
8. Marketing advantages include better product recognition and differentiation in a crowded
category. Highly promotable.

Fully Elastic Neck
The neck section is made to flex in response to side pressure by means of a set of fully elastic
living hinges that connect the head portion to the handle. Fully elastic means that as soon as
pressure is released everything returns to its original shape.
Up-and-down movement of the handle causes very little flexing and allows most of the force to
be transmitted to the floss. This permits full use of the flosser for up-and-down flossing.

Comfort and Control
When the floss is in the tooth space any sideways movement of the handle
results in flexing of the hinges. The stiffness of the hinges determines how much force is
transmitted to the teeth and gums. This way the hinges act as protection against injury
or discomfort from excessive force. The stiffness of the hinge set can be
determined from tooling design and material properties. From experimentation we think
that the range should be between 2 and 5 ounces, as measured by pushing the outer
“horn” of the floss head on a scale at 45º.

Self-Aligning
The head of Wigglefloss™ reacts to pressures by moving to the degree required to equalize
the forces. Wigglefloss™ can flex to an “L” shape to fit into tight spaces, such as
when flossing the back teeth, or in a more relaxed shape when flossing the front teeth.
The self-aligning ability of Wigglefloss™ gives it an expanded capacity to fit in with
individual flossing styles and preferences.

Cross-Flossing
The ability to cross-floss is unique to Wigglefloss™. Moving the handle to either side with the floss inserted between teeth
causes the head to move in the opposite direction. It can be seen as making an X pattern. The area affected by the floss in this
manner is significantly larger than the area described in conventional flossing (Which the Wigglefloss™ is also capable of).
This technique is not suited in spaces of missing teeth or the backs of the last teeth.
Grasping the head more closely works well in those instances.

Grasping Positions
The grasp can be varied during the course of the flossing according to each need.
The user will intuitively choose the best way for each situation.
Grasping close to the head for maximum
control between missing teeth and behind
back molars; farthest from the head to reach back teeth, and over the flexible hinge for cross-flossing.

Bite-Down Area
The Wigglefloss™ design incorporates a “bite-down” area to seat the floss ( see illustration below )
Biting down is the easiest and most controlled way to insert the floss into tooth spaces.
When only hand pressure is used to seat the floss, it sometimes “pops through” with excessive
force and causes a painful contact to the gums. Biting down with control helps prevent that.

Break-Away Toothpick
The tip of the toothpick is molded attached to the handle like shown in FIG A. If and when the
user decides to use it, they simply pull and bend it out breaking the thin molded connection of
the point to the body.
This allows for a long and slender toothpick, to be safely disposed and only used if needed.
It otherwise does not interfere with use of the flosser.
FIG B shows the toothpick in the break-away use position. It is molded to become
purposely deformed when bent out to remain in the extended shape for convenient use.

Design Parameters
We have found the following design guidelines to produce the best results.
1. Body major axis at 21° angle to the floss line.
2. 3 parallel hinges set at a 90° angle to the body axis, or 21° angle to floss.
3. By design, the flosser can be flexed to the limits as shown below, even though it is not
needed in normal use. When pressure is released, the flosser will return to its original flat shape.

Wigglefloss™ Fully Elastomeric
In the two-component fully elastomeric version the living hinge is created by
overmolding or comolding an elastomer into openings. The elastomer will do the
actual flexing by stretching and also provide soft gripping surfaces for fingers.
The skeletal frame is continuous around the hinge edges to add support to the hinge
and prevent flexing of the head in the vertical.

The protruding design of the hinges serves to provide better finger grips and also
creates limits to how far the hinge can flex. This can be advantageous because
base material with a lower elastic limit can be used.
The oval pad on the head provides another finger grip area.
The elastomeric features can be finished with a textured surface
for more gripping control and to enhance appearance.

Refillable Flosser
Fingernail push down clicker to change flosser positions and eject used flosser.
1. Push refill in and it stops at the first flossing position.
2. Fingernail push down and push refill all of the way in for rigid floss position.
3. Fingernail push down and push down again to eject flosser.

Tooling Layout
60 Cavities
9” X 24.5”