Dental finishing-strip package.

Application filed September 3,1902. Serial Ho. 121,944. (No model.)

To all whom it may concerrb:

Be it known that I, Jacob A. Thomas, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hanover, in the county of York and State of Pennsyl5 vania, have invented a new and useful Dental Finishing-Strip Package, of which the following is a specification.

It has heretofore been the general custom of manufacturers and dealers in dental supio plies to put up dental finishing-strips loosely in boxes. This arrangement has proven unsatisfactory, because when one strip is withdrawn from the box on account of their roughened surfaces others cling thereto and are 15 likewise pulled out. For the same reason it is difficult to replace them in the box, while their presence loosely in the cabinet-drawers is very objectionable.

It is the object of this invention to overcome 20 the above-noted objection by providing a simple and easily-manufactured package which will hold the strips in neat relation and permit the removal of one or more without disturbing the arrangement of the others.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is fully disclosed in the accompanying drawings and is described in the following specification.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective 30 view of the package. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the same, showing the bunch in its outermost position. Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspective 35 view of the head.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

In the embodiment shown a casing 10 is em40 ployed, which is preferably rectangular in cross-section and constructed of metal, one end of the casing being open, the other end being closed by a wall 11, which wall is spaced from two of the sides, as shown, to provide 45 the openings 12. In this casing is slidably mounted a bunch of dental finishing-strips 13, that are movable through the open end thereof. These strips are secured together at their inner ends by means of transverse clamp-bars 50 14, which embrace the inner end of the bunch and are fastened by suitable rivets 15 passing therethrough. It will be observed that the ends of the clamp-bars project beyond the side edges of the bunch of strips, being preferably bent toward each other, as shown at 55 16. As a result a head is formed at the inner end of the bunch.

Arranged transversely across the open end of the casing are spaced stops 17, which are located on opposite sides of the strips and are 60 arranged in the paths of movement of the projecting end 16 of the clamp-bars. Thesestops are preferably formed of a single piece of wire 18, threaded through suitable openings formed in the walls of the casing and having 65 their ends twisted together, as shown at 19, whereby said wire may be readily detached, if desired.

The strips 13 are preferably longer than the casing 10, so that when the bunch is in its in- 70 nermost position the free ends of said strips will project beyond the casing, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Thus when the dentist desires a strip he can easily grasp the exposed end of the bunch and pull it outwardly until 75 the clamp-bars engage the stops. He may then readily tear off one or more of the strips and replace the bunch within the casing. It will thus be seen that the strips are always maintained in neat arrangement, and one or 80 more may be removed without disarranging the others. The package, as shown, can be constructed by manufacturers and the casing thrown away after all the strips have been used, or the casing may be constructed of 85 pleasing shape and durable material for permanent use, in which case the bunches of strips may be placed therein by the dentists having said casings.

From the foregoing it is thought that the 90 construction, operation, and many advantages of the herein-described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, 95 proportion, and minor details of construction may be resorted to wi thou t departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.