BrushMints® New Product Opportunity! **Do your teeth look clean throughout the day? **How about after your morning coffee ...a meal ...or red wine? **Do you ever wonder if you have bits of food left in your teeth after a meal? **Wouldn't it be nice if your breath mint was packaged in a handy little disposable brush? BrushMints® "Very simply, a Cleansing Breath Mint in a Brush" There is a largely unmet Consumer Need in the market place today. A Clean Smile: The consumer need is for a breath freshening product that also quickly and discretely brushes away remaining food particles and removes staining residues from the teeth after a meal. Dental Stain Prevention: Prompt removal of staining substances also prevents stains from setting-in (until conventional brushing is convenient), thus minimizing the need for costly whitening treatments.   BrushMints® New Product Summary Outline Note: All BrushMints® Product Designs are Patented and Currently in the 'Concept Phase' only. Full Exclusive Rights to the BrushMints® Trademark, and 3 Patents (covering multiple product designs) are available for licensing for the development of this much needed new product. (See Other Products on the Market Below)  1. The Device in Various Patented Embodiments: The device (in its various patented embodiments) is designed to deliver a quick convenient means to a clean looking smile and fresh breath while on-the-go. It does this by delivering a cleansing breath mint /confectionery (or oral care) product in, on or through a small disposable brush. 2. Multi-Purpose: Unlike a "mini toothbrush," the primary function of the BrushMints® product concept is to discretely address the appearance of the users ‘smile’ by quickly brushing away remaining food particles and staining residues after a meal. Additionally, by removing staining residues promptly after exposure, it minimizes and prevents staining of the teeth by not allowing staining residues to set-in (until conventional brushing is convenient). And lastly, the product also is a breath freshener. 3. Consumer Perception and Acceptability: BrushMints® products would not resemble a toothbrush; but would be perceived more as a common sense packaging for delivery of a 'functional breath mint.' —A product that can be used and enjoyed conveniently and discretely while on the go; and without the need to visit to a restroom.—See How the BrushMints® Product Concept is Unique. 4. Various Distinct Markets: The marketing and distributing potential includes retail and commercial sales in various types of retail stores and business venues. While BrushMints® would primarily be sold along side breath mints and gum in grocery stores, drug stores and convenience stores; they could also be uniquely developed and branded to be sold in the oral care isles of many of these types of retail stores. BrushMints® can be also be developed with unique branding and flavors designed expressly for specialty retail venues such as coffee houses and restaurants; and even more uniquely for the wine industry. Lastly, the product can also be developed to be sold as a complimentary promotional item for various businesses, such as the hospitality industry and dental professionals. See Marketing & Distributing Possibilities.  5. Flavor Varieties for various Distinctive Markets: The BrushMints® products can be made available in various appealing, great tasting flavors customized for various markets and unique branding. —For an example of just one distinctively unique market. See: The Wine Industry.  6. Simple Benign Formulation: The product can accomplish all of its purposes without the need for harsh abrasives or malevolent chemical whitening ingredients —While there are some benevolent whitening ingredients (such as those used in whitening gum) and non-obvious abrasive ingredients that can also be used. 7. Multiple Possible Demographics: Depending on the various possible markets and distribution venues, demographics may include: male and female; early teens to elderly senior citizens; most ethnic backgrounds, economic levels and geographic regions nationally and internationally. See: Marketability.   Multiple Possible Embodiments: **Note: Patent images do not necessarily depict the most ideal size or shape of each embodiment of the device. Sizes and shapes are broadly defined only by the claims of the patents.** The newest product embodiment, covered by the 3rd patent #8,021,067, (a division of the 2nd patent, #7,832,956) broadly, without limiting specific size and shape of the handle cover the most basic, cost efficient embodiment of the various product designs. That embodiment being, a small disposable brush with a cleansing breath mint (or confectionery product) embedded within the bristles of the brush. 8. Manufacturing: Manufacturing of the most recently patented embodiment of the device could be achieved with simple injection molding made of a relatively firm, but soft, flexible (possibly rubberized) plastic. Ideally the bristles should be longer and less dense than those of a regular toothbrush. Being made of a single injection mold, the bristles could be wider at the base, and taper to a narrow flexible point in order to quickly (and gently) sweep into the deeper crevasses of the teeth; as well as gently up along the gum line—in order to more quickly remove debris. The longer, less dense bristles would also allow for the containment of more of a cleansing breath mint in order to affect real cleansing of the teeth, and breath freshening. Longer bristles made of soft malleable plastic (as opposed to short, dense bristles); along with a sufficient amount of a tangible cleansing breath freshener would more quickly and efficiently remove debris and cleanse the visible front surfaces of the teeth. 9. The Cleansing Breath Mint: The cleansing breath mint product within the brush device could be most effective if formulated to have a consistency of a somewhat thick, creamy paste or gel; and possibly be encapsulated in a quick dissolving outer coating (depending on the packaging, and for purposes of sustainability). The breath mint should be of a substantial amount, and contain some ‘non-obvious’ abrasive quality so as to effectively cleanse the teeth: (imagine a soft creamy Altoid mint). *Note: It would also be important that the breath mint / confectionery component of the product be clearly marketed and presented as an ingestible ‘food item’ —with an emphasis on "great tasting flavors" and "enjoyment of use." 10. Packaging: This, as well as most other embodiments of the product could be packaged in various ways such as a multi-unit blister pack, simple flip top box or individually wrapped accordingly for the various markets and distribution venues outlined on the Marketing and Distributing page. See Marketing & Distributing Possibilities.  Other Products on the Market On-the-go oral care items:  There are small fold up toothbrushes, travel size toothpastes, disposable one time use mini-toothbrushes, flossing instruments and uniquely designed picks. —However, many people consider these items improper or unsuitable for use in public places.   Whitening gum: While formulated to clean and whiten the teeth, gum is naturally chewed with the back teeth and therefore does not effectively clean the visible front surface of the teeth. Paper teeth wipes: There are products such as the (now discontinued) 'Brush-Ups' Product; which are flat, textured paper finger sleeves designed to wipe the surface of the teeth. And there are also now 'Wine Wipes,' which are small paper teeth wipes dampened with a formula intended to remove red wine stains from the teeth. Paper teeth wipes can often be found to be unpleasant to use simply because they are paper. But more importantly, the flat surface cannot reach the areas within the crevasses of the teeth; and up along the gum line where food particles often become lodged and staining first occurs. The BrushMints® product concept overcomes that problem through the use of bristles which can more effectively clean the entire surface of the teeth. The Colgate Wisp Product: This product does not meet the consumer need that BrushMints® addresses in that it is a "mini toothbrush;" and many people are not comfortable using such an item in public places. Additionally, the head of the brush is small with very short dense bristles, and therefore often cannot reach into the crevasses between the teeth and up along the gum line. And, because it is intended to brush all of the teeth, it requires more time to use. Moreover, the 'freshening bead' embedded within the bristles of the Wisp product is very small and sometimes difficult to burst open. And, the small burst of breath freshener provides mostly freshness and flavor, rather than a tangible substance affecting real cleansing of the surface of the teeth —i.e. staining residues. **Click Here to see Other Ways in which The BrushMints® Product Concept is Different from other Products on the Market** Thanks for taking the time to consider my ideas!   Contact Me at: karen@klrossenterprises.com - Phone: (310) 947-3577 - Cell: (805) 444-1931.