AU2003284955A1

AU2003284955A1 - Toothbrush with decorative protective cover

Info

Publication number: AU2003284955A1
Application number: AU2003284955A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Eduardo J. Jimenez
Original assignee: Colgate Palmolive Co
Current assignee: Colgate Palmolive Co
Priority date: 2002-10-25
Filing date: 2003-10-24
Publication date: 2004-05-13
Also published as: KR20050067201A; EP1578228A2; WO2004037107A3; RU2005115871A; US20060059643A1; CO5690522A2; WO2004037107A2; BR0315601A; CA2502741A1; MXPA05003644A

Description

WO 2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 TOOTHBRUSH WITH DECORATIVE PROTECTIVE COVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It would be desirable to provide a toothbrush with some 5 form of structure which could prevent the cleaning elements, such as bristles, from inadvertent contact with various sur faces. Such structure would enhance the cleanliness of the elements. It would be desirable to prevent the cleaning elements from having their shape distorted by preventing the 10 cleaning elements pressing against a surface such as a sink top during periods of non-use. It is known to provide caps over the head of a toothbrush to attempt to accomplish such results. Generally such caps envelope the entire toothbrush head which creates a chamber where contamination and bacte 15 ria may collect. It is further desirable to provide a toothbrush which would be attractive to potential consumers particularly children to encourage use of the toothbrush. It would also be desirable to have means for facilitat 20 ing multiple decorative protective covers for such toothbrushes. In particular, it would be helpful to have multiple decorative covers that could be collected or assem bled to spark interest in the toothbrush by users, particu larly children. Means for interchangeable use of these sev 25 eral decorative covers to maintain this interest in the toothbrush, and brushing, is also desirable.

WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of this invention is to provide a decorative cover for a toothbrush wherein the cover is confined solely to the cleaning element side of the toothbrush head. 5 A further object of this invention is to provide such a cover which may be ornamental in appearance to attract con sumers such as children. In accordance with this invention a cover made of a shape retaining material is mounted at the front face of the 10 toothbrush head which is the face from which the cleaning elements extend outwardly. The cover is located so as not to be in pressing contact with the cleaning elements and is preferably spaced from the outer ends of the cleaning ele ments. The cover is of a size to cover the entire area of 15 the outer ends of the cleaning elements, but preferably spaced from the cleaning elements to permit unconfined cir culation of air around and through the bristles. The cover may be of generally planar shape without any inwardly extending walls or flanges and may be connected to 20 the head in any suitable manner such as by one or more posts on the cover extending into corresponding holes in the head. In other practices of the invention the cover could have one or more depending walls or flanges which could be used as the detachable mounting structure to secure the cover to the 25 toothbrush head. In a preferred practice of the invention the outer surface of the cover has ornamentation such as a figurine to enhance the attractability of the toothbrush when the cover is detachably mounted in place.

WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 Removable attachment of the cover to the toothbrush may also be accomplished by a cover having a length greater than the length of the toothbrush head. In such an embodiment, the cover may be attached to the toothbrush by a slip or 5 snap fit of U-shaped cover flanges extending along the lon gitudinal length of the toothbrush. The internal clearance between these flanges is dimensioned so that the flanges may be easily pressed over the body of the toothbrush head and/or handle to secure the cover on the toothbrush. Con 10 versely, the cover is easily removed from the toothbrush by simply pulling on the cover. As the cover is pulled off, the flexible flanges expand to allow easy removal of the cover, especially by children. The cover preferably includes a receptacle on its out 15 side decorative face. In one embodiment, a female connector is included in the cover to facilitate placement of inter changeable decorative overlays over all or part of the cover. The decorative overlays have connectors complement ing that on the cover so that the overlay may be easily at 20 tached to or released from the cover. A male connector on the overlay can be used to facilitate this removable inter action with a female connector on the cover. Other connec tors for joining the overlay to the cover are contemplated by this invention, for example, a ball and socket connector. 25 The decorative overlays preferably have a shape, color and theme that complement the shape, color and theme of the cover.

WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 It is an object of this invention to provide a toothbrush with multiple covers and/or overlays that can be mixed or matched to visually engage youthful toothbrush us ers. The overlays can be collected and interchanged on a 5 periodic, even daily, basis to heighten a child's interest in using the toothbrush. The shape, color and theme of the cover and/or overlays attract the eye and interest of poten tial users, particularly children. The shape, color and theme of the cover or overlay can 10 also be complemented with a decorative front panel or es cutcheon on the surface of the toothbrush facing the user. This escutcheon can also be collected and interchanged, like the covers and overlays, to promote use of the toothbrush and otherwise enhance its appearance. 15 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a toothbrush in corporating one form of cover in accordance with this inven tion; Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the toothbrush 20 shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the toothbrush shown in Figures 1-2; Figure 4 is a side elevational view partly in section of an alternative toothbrush in accordance with this inven 25 tion; Figure 5 is an end elevational view partly in section of the toothbrush shown in Figure 4; 4 WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 Figure 6 is a side elevational view partly in section of yet another toothbrush in accordance with this invention; Figure 7 is an end elevational view partly in section of the toothbrush shown in Figures 6; 5 Figure 8 is a side elevational view of yet another toothbrush in accordance with this invention; Figure 9 is a side elevational view of a toothbrush in corporating a complementary decorative cover and overlay in accordance with this invention; 10 Figure 10 is a front elevational view of a powered toothbrush incorporating the complementary decorative cover, overlay and front panel in accordance with this invention; Figure 11 is fragmental front elevational view of the decorative cover of this invention without the decorative 15 overlay in place; Figure 12 is a fragmental exploded view of toothbrush in accordance with this invention showing the decorative cover and decorative overlay with, respectively, female and male connectors. 20 Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the toothbrush in accordance with this invention showing a decorative cover and overlay with another form of connector,. i.e., ball and socket. Figure 14 is a side elevational of the toothbrush in 25 accordance with this invention showing another connector, ball and detent, for releasably attaching the overlay to the cover. 5 WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 DETAILED DESCRIPTION The present invention in general includes a cover which would be detachably mounted to the head of a toothbrush at the front face of the toothbrush which carries the cleaning 5 elements such as bristles. The cover would be located out wardly of the cleaning elements and preferably be spaced from the cleaning elements so as not to apply pressure against the cleaning elements when the cover is mounted in place. Preferably the cover is mounted in such a manner 10 that air flow is readily permitted through the cleaning ele ments. This free circulation of air can be accomplished us ing posts or other releasable connectors for attaching the cover to the toothbrush head. In another embodiment, one or more walls or flanges interact with the side of the 15 toothbrush head to hold the cover in position so that air may flow through the cover. Those flanges may also have perforations to permit the flow of air. In another embodiment of this invention, the cover con tains flexible flanges which extend from the visible face of 20 the cover a distance sufficient to engage the head and/or handle of the toothbrush. The flanges are flexible enough to attach the cover to the toothbrush with relatively little pressure, which is particularly useful with youthful users. By extending the flanges for some distance along the longi 25 tudinal axis of the toothbrush body and/or head, sufficient frictional surface exists between flanges and toothbrush to hold the cover in place. Conversely, the flexibility of WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 these flanges, and minimal friction between cover and toothbrush body permit easy removal of the cover before use. In a preferred practice of this invention the outer surface of the cover has ornamentation to appeal to users, 5 particularly children. That ornamentation can be formed in the cover as a raised or indented figure, for example as shown in Figures 1-3. Alternatively, the cover itself can be created in three-dimensional detail to represent a real or mythical character as shown in Figures 9-14. The cover 10 can also form the background for a decorative overlay at tached to the cover as illustrated in Figures 9-14. A decorative escutcheon on the front of the toothbrush which complements the visual theme of cover and overlay is also contemplated. Preferably, this escutcheon would be re 15 movable so that different escutcheons could be used as vis ual complements to a variety of covers and overlays avail able for use on the toothbrush. Figures 1-3 show a manual toothbrush 10 in accordance with one embodiment of this invention. As shown therein 20 toothbrush 10 includes a handle 12 mounted at one end to a head 14. Head 14 has a front face 16 and a rear face 18. The front face and rear face are connected together by in termediate side walls 20,20 and end wall 22. A plurality of cleaning elements 24, such as bristles, are mounted to and 25 extend outwardly from front face 16. In accordance with this invention a shield or cover 26 is detachably mounted to head 14 outwardly of cleaning ele ments 24. The cover may be located where the outer ends of 7 WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 cleaning elements 24 barely make contact with the inner sur face of cover 26 so that the cover does not press against the cleaning elements. Preferably, however, the inner sur face of cover 26 is located spaced from the outer ends of 5 cleaning elements 24 as shown in Figures 1 and 3. As illus trated, the cover extends beyond the outer periphery of the cleaning elements so that no cleaning elements are disposed outwardly of the cover. Thus, even if the toothbrush is placed on its side, none of the cleaning elements would con 10 tact the support surface such as the sink top. In a preferred practice of this invention the outer surface of cover 26 includes some form of ornamentation 28 such as a figurine which would be attractive to users, par ticularly children. As illustrated in Figures 1-3, that or 15 namentation comprises a slightly raised figurine 28 atop cover 26 which is designed to have appeal to young children. That figurine 28 could also be portrayed as a depression within cover 26. In Figures 9-14, the cover 26 forms an or namental background for the decorative overlay 52 attached 20 thereto. However, the cover 26 in the embodiment shown in Figures 9-11 could contain sufficient child-attention getting ornamentation of its own so that the overlay 52 would not be necessary. Cover 26 is preferably made of a shape retaining mate 25 rial to assure that it will not come in contact with the cleaning elements. Any suitable shape retaining material such as a stiff, hard plastic or elastomer may be used. Cover 26 could be transparent, translucent or opaque. The WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 thickness and shape of cover 26 are not critical and can be adjusted for cost considerations. Cover 26 provides protection from contact of cleaning elements with some surface containing harmful bacteria or 5 germs, such as a kitchen or bath countertop. In addition, cover 26 acts as a barrier to minimize contamination col lecting on the cleaning elements. Where the cover 26 is simply of generally planar shape without any depending walls or flanges there is complete air flow through and across the 10 cleaning elements which also is beneficial in preventing ac cumulation of bacteria or other contaminants. Cover 26 in all of its embodiments, particularly those illustrated in Figures 9-14, helps to create an attractive appearance that draws attention. It provides a distinctive 15 attraction to potential customers shopping for a new toothbrush. Once purchased, that attraction reminds persons that the toothbrush is there and should be used. In addi tion to acting as a reminder, the attractive features of cover 26 and/or decorative overlay 52 shown in Figures 9-14 20 draw children to the brush and initiate a fun atmosphere in which the brushing will take place. In addition, parents can use the features of cover 26 and/or decorate overlay 52 to start a conversation with children which can be steered toward the importance of daily tooth brushing. With the use 25 of multiple decorative overlays and/or covers contemplated by this invention, the conversation never goes stale. These attention getting features of the toothbrush 10 can be further enhanced by use of decorative escutcheon 50

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WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 generally overlying the toothbrush handle 12. The escutch eon 50 preferably has decorative features which complement those of cover 26 and/or overlay 52. Cover 26 can be detachably secured to head 14 in any 5 suitable manner. As shown in Figures 1 and 3 the securing structure may comprise one or more pegs or posts 30 extend ing outwardly from the lower surface of cover 26. Each peg or post is received in a hole or detent 32 in the front face 16 of head 14. Where a single peg or post is used the peg 10 or post would preferably be located in the axial and trans verse center of cover 26 to fit in a correspondingly located hole in the front face 16 of head 14. Where two pegs or posts are used, such as illustrated in Figure 1, the pegs or posts would be preferably equally spaced apart from the ends 15 of cover 26 and fit in correspondingly located detents 32. Where three or more pegs or posts are used the location would be selected to take into account the ease in mounting and detaching cover 26 to head 14. Thus, the pegs or posts could be located near the side walls 20 and/or end wall 22 20 of head 14 or at some intermediate location(s) on face 16. Figures 4-5 illustrate a variation of the invention wherein the cover 26A has a pair of flanges or side walls 34 extending away from the inner surface of cover 26A. This results in a generally U-shaped structure. The flanges 34 25 terminate in bent ends 36 as shown in Figure 5 for fitting in grooves 38 in the side walls 20,20 of head 14. Figure 4 illustrates an end wall or flange 40 that can also be pro vided on cover 26A. Cover 26A is open, however, at its end 10 WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 disposed toward the handle 12 which thus permits air to cir culate through the cleaning elements. Figure 6 shows a variation where cover 26B includes a pair of walls or flanges 34, but is open at both ends to 5 create an open tunnel. This embodiment is preferred over the embodiment of Figures 4-5 because the open ends more readily enhance the circulation of air through the cleaning elements. Figure 7 illustrates a variation in the mounting of 10 cover 26B as compared with that of cover 26A shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 7 each flange 34 is provided with spaced projections or balls 42 which fit in spaced sockets 44 in each side wall 20 of the head. The walls or flanges 34 are preferably made of material which is sufficiently 15 springy or resilient to permit the bent ends 36 or balls 42 to snap in the corresponding grooves or sockets. Figure 8 shows a further variation wherein the cover 26C has side walls or flanges 34 and an end wall 40 as in Figure 4, but also includes a further end wall 46 located on 20 the side of the cover near the handle. In this embodiment a plurality of vent holes or perforations 48 is provided through the various surfaces of the cover, such as the end walls or flanges 34 to permit air circulation to and through the cleaning elements. Such perforations could also be pro 25 vided for any of the other covers. As is apparent from the drawings a significant differ ence of the various covers as compared to conventionally used caps is that the covers do not extend beyond the side 11 WO 2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 walls of the head 14. In other words, the cover does not extend completely to the rear face 18 of head 14. In a pre ferred practice of the invention the covers also differ from conventional caps in the enhanced air flow or air circula 5 tion of the cleaning elements. Where the cover includes side walls or flanges the mounting structure may in general be considered as including projections which engage complementary mounting structure in the head in the form of openings. Thus, such projections 10 could be the inwardly turned ends of the flanges or could be balls or other projections which engage grooves or spaced holes or sockets in the head. The walls or flanges of the cover are preferably located at the outer periphery of the cover. The invention, however, could be practiced where 15 such walls or flanges are located inwardly of the periphery so that the main portion of the cover extends outwardly be yond one or more of such walls or flanges. In practice the cover would be mounted on the head 14 of the toothbrush during periods of non-use. When mounted 20 on the toothbrush the cover would function to protect the cleaning elements by providing some form of ornamentation. The appearance of the toothbrush would thus be enhanced to make its use more desirable, particularly for children. When it is intended to use the toothbrush the cover would be 25 detached by removing the locking members of the shield such as the posts, bent ends or balls from the complementary locking members on the head such as the holes, grooves or sockets so that the cover could then be placed to the side 15 WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 and the toothbrush would be used in a normal manner. After use of the toothbrush the cover would be reattached by en gaging its locking members with the complementary locking members of the head. 5 Figure 9 illustrates an embodiment of this invention in which power toothbrush 10A includes a head 14 on which is mounted a cover 26. The toothbrush illustrated in Figs. 9 10 is a powered toothbrush but the cover 26 could also be used on a manual toothbrush. A decorative overlay 52 may be 10 attached to cover 26 to give a full three-dimensional effect to the actual or mythical character or scene being por trayed. The cover is removably attached to toothbrush 10 or 10A by flanges 54 and 56 which extend away from the face of 15 cover 26. The open distance between these flanges is de signed to frictionally touch the edges of handle 12 and/or head 14 of toothbrush 10 and thereby hold the cover 26 in place on the toothbrush body. The flanges 54, 56, and pref erably the whole cover 26, are formed of a relatively flexi 20 ble material. That material allows the flanges 54, 56 to snap fit over the head 14 and/or handle 12 of toothbrush 10 to hold it in place. That flexibility also permits ready removal of cover 26 from toothbrush 10 or 10A with just a small amount of force pulling at the cover. 25 In one embodiment, illustrated in Figures 9-12, the decorative overlay 52 is connected to cover 26 through the mating relationship of connectors 58 and 60. As best illus trated in Figure 12, the decorative overlay 52 contains a Il_ WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 male connector 60 which mates with a female connector 58 on the face of cover 26. These connectors are dimensioned to allow easy addition and removal of the decorative overlay 52, which is particularly helpful where children are using 5 the toothbrush 10A. Other connectors are illustrated in Figures 13 and 14. In Figure 13, a ball 64 formed as part of overlay 52 is releasably inserted into socket 66 formed in cover 26. In Figure 14, a hemispherical protrusion or ball 68 on the insides of overlay 52 fit into a mating de 10 pression 70 or socket in the face of cover 26. Decorative escutcheon 50 may similarly be exchanged for other escutcheons using like connectors. Alternatively, es cutcheon 50 can be removably attached to the handle portion 12 of toothbrush 10 with the use of flexible flanges similar 15 to those described above in conjunction with cover 26. In a preferred practice of this invention the cleaning elements are bristles which could be of any known form. The cleaning elements could also include elastomeric members such as massage elements in addition to, or instead of, 20 bristles. Figures 1-7 illustrate the toothbrush 10 to be a manual toothbrush. Figures 8-12, however, shows the practice of the invention wherein the toothbrush 10A is a power or elec tric toothbrush which would have one or more movable sec 25 tions on the head 14. The electric toothbrush 10A would have a hollow handle 12 for housing the batteries and motor of the toothbrush. The motor would drive a shaft which would extend from the handle into the head so as to move the

IA

WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 one or more movable sections. Operation of the power drive could be controlled by switch 62. Any suitable form of movement of the section(s) could be utilized such as oscillating rotation, continuous rota 5 tion, linear longitudinal oscillation, linear transverse os cillation and a rocking back and forth about the longitudi nal axis of the head. Combinations of such movements could also be used.

Claims

1. A toothbrush comprising a handle, a head mounted to one end of said handle, cleaning elements extending out wardly from the head, a cover for the toothbrush extending 5 beyond the periphery of at least a portion of cleaning ele ments on the toothbrush head, a mounting structure detach ably securing the cover to the toothbrush, and at least one interchangeable decorative overlay detachably connected to the cover. 10

2. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the mounting structure includes flexible U-shaped flanges on the cover that are dimensioned to engage at least one of the head and handle of the toothbrush when the cover is placed on the toothbrush. 15

3. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein mating male and female connections on the cover and decorative overlay de tachably connect the decorative overlay to the cover.

4. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein a ball and socket are used to removably connect the decorative overlay 20 to the cover.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein multiple depres sions which are capable of receiving and holding mating hemispherical surfaces are used to removably connect the decorative overlay to the cover. 25

6. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the appearance of the decorative overlay is complemented by the appearance of the underlying cover. WO 2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919

7. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the cover has decorative features complementing the features of the over lay.

8. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein a decorative es 5 cutcheon is detachably attached to the toothbrush handle.

9. The toothbrush of claim 8 wherein the decorative escutcheon complements the appearance of the cover.

10. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein there are a plu rality of overlays detachably connected to the cover with at 10 least one overlay being mounted between the cover and an other overlay.

11. A toothbrush comprising a handle, a head mounted to one end of the handle, the head having a front face and a rear face, the head having opposite side walls and an inter 15 mediate end wall connecting the front face to the rear face, cleaning elements mounted to and extending outwardly of the front face, a cover made of a shape retaining material, mounting structure detachably securing the cover to the head on the front face side of the head, and the cover extending 20 outwardly of the cleaning elements beyond the outer periph ery of the cleaning elements and out of pressing contact with the cleaning elements.

12. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover is mounted to the head so as to permit air flow and air circu 25 lation through the cleaning elements.

13. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cleaning elements are bristles, and the cover being spaced from and out of contact with the bristles. 1 7 WO2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919

14. The toothbrush of claim 11 including a visible or namentation on the cover.

15. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover is generally planar without any depending walls. 5

16. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the mounting structure comprises at least one post extending from the cover and engaged in a corresponding hole in the front face of the head.

17. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover in 10 cludes side flanges extending outwardly from each side of the cover to create a generally U-shaped structure.

18. The toothbrush of claim 17 wherein the cover is open at both axially longitudinal ends to create an open tunnel between the side flanges. 15

19. The toothbrush of claim 17 wherein the cover in cludes an end flange at its end remote from said handle, and said cover being open at its end near said handle.

20. The toothbrush of claim 17 wherein the mounting structure includes projections on the side flanges engaged 20 in openings in the side walls of the head.

21. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover in cludes an end flange at its end remote from the handle and a second end flange at its end disposed toward the handle, and the cover including air holes to permit air circulation 25 through the cleaning elements.

22. The toothbrush of claim 11 wherein the cover is of a size to completely cover the entire area of the outer ends of the cleaning elements, and the cover being disposed to WO 2004/037107 PCT/US2003/033919 extend no further than the walls of the head whereby the cover does not extend to the rear face. IQ