AU2021236506B1

AU2021236506B1 - A brushing device

Info

Publication number: AU2021236506B1
Application number: AU2021236506A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Andrew Williams
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2021-09-22
Filing date: 2021-09-22
Publication date: 2022-02-24
Anticipated expiration: 2041-09-22
Also published as: WO2023044521A1

Abstract

BRUSHING DEVICE In the present subject matter, a device for brushing is disclosed, which includes a hollow head 5 including a major upper surface and a major lower surface. The major upper surface is provided with a plurality of holes. The major upper surface is detachably mounted on the hollow head. One or more cleaning elements extend longitudinally and laterally 10 from the plurality of holes to at least partially cover the major upper surface; and a hollow tube having a proximal end and a distal end. The hollow tube is connected to the hollow head via the proximal end. 1

Description

A BRUSHING DEVICE FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates, in general to

a device for brushing, and particularly relates to a

brushing device for teeth and performing oral

cleaning.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Toothbrushes have been commonly used for

removing plaque and detritus from various surfaces of

teeth. The toothbrushes in combination with tooth

cleaning gels or pastes are further used to clean the

teeth more effectively. The toothbrushes with

different designs and different bristle profiles are

used to target cleaning of teeth from various angles and various positions or from interdental areas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0003] Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be

more completely understood in consideration of the

following detailed description in connection with the

following figures. The figures are not necessarily

drawn to scale. Like numerals used in the figures

refer to like components. When pluralities of similar

elements are present, a single reference numeral may

be assigned to each plurality of similar elements with a small letter designation referring to specific

elements. When referring to the elements collectively

or to a non-specific one or more of the elements, the

small letter designation may be eliminated. However, it will be understood that the use of a numeral to refer to a component in a given figure is not intended to limit the component in another figure labelled with the same number.

[0004] FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a

device for brushing, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter; and

[0005] FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a

single bristle from one or more cleaning elements of

FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment of the

present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] In the following description, reference is

made to the accompanying figures that form a part

thereof and in which various embodiments are shown by

way of illustration. It is to be understood that other

embodiments are contemplated and may be made without

departing from the scope or spirit of the present

disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense. In

the following disclosure, the following definitions

are adopted.

[0007] As recited herein, all numbers should be

considered modified by the term "about". As used

herein, "a," "an," "the," "at least one," and "one or

more" are used interchangeably.

[0008] In general, toothbrushes may be manufactured

to function as an object for taking care of oral

hygiene. A conventional toothbrush (hereinafter

referred to as the "toothbrush") may be provided with an adjustable handle or an adjustable head that may suit the cleaning requirements of teeth. Further the toothbrush may be provided with different tufts of bristles. The tufts of bristles may be configured such that one or more profiles, like a flat profile, a zig zag profile etc. of the bristles may target effective cleaning of various teeth surfaces, such as occulsal, incisal, buccal, lingual, mesial, and distal.

[0009] Further, an electronic toothbrush may also be

used with a similar or same configuration of the

conventional toothbrush. To save time and effort the

electronic toothbrush may be provided with an

electrical motor to facilitate cleaning of teeth from

one or more of the above mentioned teeth surfaces.

[0010] However, such conventional toothbrushes

(electronic and non-electronic), while going through a

manufacturing stage at original equipment manufacturer

(OEM) level, may be mostly focused upon effective

cleaning performance of teeth. Therefore, the

conventional toothbrushes may have limitations in

terms of life cycle of the bristles. The wearing out

of the bristles is one of the most significant factor

in discarding the usage of a toothbrush

(interchangeably referred to as "the waste toothbrush"). The worn out bristles not only

negatively impact the cleaning of the teeth, but also

leads to a drastic collection of waste toothbrushes.

All over the world every year, over a billion waste

toothbrushes create a plastic wastage of millions of

tonnes.

[0011] Considering an alarming increase in the

environmental pollution over a past decade, it becomes

highly imperative to significantly reduce the

collection of the waste toothbrushes.

[0012] The present subject matter discloses a device

for brushing, which includes a hollow head including a

major upper surface and a major lower surface. The

major upper surface is provided with a plurality of

holes. The major upper surface is detachably mounted

on the hollow head. One or more cleaning elements

extend longitudinally and laterally from the plurality

of holes to at least partially cover the major upper

surface; and a hollow tube having a proximal end and a

distal end. The hollow tube is connected to the hollow head via the proximal end.

[0013] The device of the present disclosure is

provided with hollow configurations that enable the

accommodation of additionally lengthy one or more

cleaning elements, such that worn out of ends of the

one or more cleaning elements may be cut off to expose

fresh ends for a continuous usage of the one or more

cleaning elements. The device is designed to

detachably accommodate the major upper surface, such

that the major upper surface holding the one or more cleaning elements may be replaced upon a consummation

of the one or more cleaning elements. The continuous

usage of the one or more cleaning elements and an

ability of replacing the major upper surface with the

one or more cleaning elements may ensure everlasting

usage of the device, thereby significantly

contributing in the reduction of the plastic wastage.

[0014] Referring to figures now, FIG. 1 shows a

schematic view of a device 100 for brushing, in

accordance with an embodiment of the present subject

matter. The device 100 includes a hollow head 102 having a major upper surface 104 and a major lower

surface 106. In some embodiments, the major upper

surface 104 and the major lower surface 106 may also

generally refer to a top portion and a bottom portion

of the hollow head 102 respectively. The major upper

surface 104 is provided with a plurality of holes 108.

In some embodiments, the plurality of holes 108 may be

a group of see-through cavities. The major upper

surface 104 is detachably mounted on the hollow head

102. In an example implementation of the present subject matter, the major upper surface 104 may be

mounted and removed from the hollow head 102 by a

sliding mechanism (not shown). The detachable mounting

may facilitate a replacement of the major upper

surface 104 with pre-configured set of bristles upon

consummation. In some embodiments, each of the major

upper surface 104 and the major lower surface 106

includes at least one of a substantially planar

configuration and a curved configuration. Specifically

in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the major upper surface 104 and the major lower surface 106 lie in separate

planes substantially parallel to and spaced apart from

each other. In some embodiments, the major lower

surface 106 includes a coarse profile on an outer side

thereof. In other words, an exterior portion of the

major lower surface 106 may have an operationally

rough profile. In an example, the operationally rough profile may be used to clean a user's tongue by rubbing the major lower surface 106 on a surface of the tongue.

[0015] The device 100 further includes one or more

cleaning elements (also depicted as a single unit in

FIG. 2) 110 extending longitudinally and laterally

from the plurality of holes 108 to at least partially

cover the major upper surface 104. In some

embodiments, the one or more cleaning elements 110 may

be configured to completely cover the major upper

surface 104 by laterally extending upto a contour of

an external periphery of the major upper surface 104.

In some embodiments, the one or more cleaning elements

110 are made of a synthetic fiber, such as nylon. In

some embodiments, the plurality of holes 108 may have

different patterns that may allow different

configurations of the one or more cleaning elements

110, where different configurations may correspond to

different application attributes. For example, the

plurality of holes 106 may have a particular pattern

for creating a zig-zag configuration of the one or

more cleaning elements 110 to facilitate interdental

cleaning. In some embodiments, the plurality of holes

108 includes an anti-slippage element (not shown) to

partially secure the one or more cleaning elements 110

on the plurality of holes 108 and allow bi-directional

movement of the one or more cleaning elements 110. In

other words, the one or more cleaning elements 110 are

held in the plurality of holes 108, such that a user

is able to pull out the one or more cleaning elements

110.

[0016] The device 100 further includes a hollow tube 112 having a proximal end 112a and a distal end 112b.

The hollow tube 112 is connected to the hollow head

102 via the proximal end 112a. The hollow tube 112 may also act as a holding element for the device 100. In

some embodiments, the hollow head 102 is detachably

connected to the hollow tube 112. Further the

connection state between the hollow head 102 and the

hollow tube 112 is flexible. The flexible connection

state ensures that hollow head is moveable while in

usage for brushing and function, which enables to

control the tension on the one or more cleaning

elements 110. In some embodiments, the device 100

further includes a latch mechanism (not shown) to secure the connection state between the hollow head

102 and the hollow tube 112. Further, the hollow tube

112 is provided with an opening and closure mechanism.

[0017] In some embodiments, the one or more

cleaning elements 110 are longitudinally accommodated

inside the hollow tube 112 corresponding to at least

partial length of the hollow tube 112. In other words,

additionally lengthy one or more cleaning elements 110

are used in the device 100. Further, specifically in

the embodiment of FIG. 1, the hollow tube 112 acts as a storage space for the one or more cleaning elements

110. Further, the one or more cleaning elements 110

may be spread upto partial or entire length of the

hollow tube 112. One of the advantages of the device

100 is that the size and dimensions of the, hollow

head 102, the hollow tube 112 may be varied to

accommodate as desired lengthy cleaning elements, which may further add to the life of the device 100.

In some embodiments, each of the hollow head 102 and

the hollow tube 112 contains at least one of a fluid or a substance. In an example, the fluid or the

substance may include but not limited to toothpaste, a

teeth medication fluid, an anti-bacterial liquid,

mouth rinsing liquid etc. In some embodiments, a

portion of the hollow tube 112 is soft and bendable to

enable a pumping action. In an example implementation

of the present subject matter, the pumping action may

be performed by pressing the hollow tube 112 to exert

a positive pressure inside the hollow tube 112. In an

example implementation of the present subject matter,

the hollow tube 112 may be made of a plastomeric

material. In some embodiments, each of the one or more

cleaning elements 100 has a hollow structure, to allow

the at least one of the fluid or the substance travel

through the hollow structure. In other words, the

pumping action of the hollow tube 112 may create the

positive pressure to pass the fluid or the substance

through the hollow structure. In an example, while

brushing, the user may press the hollow tube 112 to

have the toothpaste come out of the hollow structure

and on exposed ends of the one or more cleaning

elements 110.

[0018] In some embodiments, hollow tube 112 is

provided with a gripping element (not shown) at least

partially surrounding an outer surface 112c of the

hollow tube 112 and spread along at least partial

length of the hollow tube 112. In some embodiments,

the gripping element is made of an elastomeric material. The gripping element may assist the holding of the device 100 by palms of the user. Further, the cleaning elements probably at least one of: bristle clusters and wires. Furthermore, the one or more cleaning elements are made of a synthetic fiber or nylon or polyester or a natural material or a man-made material.

[0019] The hollow head 102 of device 100 is

detachably connected to the major upper surface 104,

which enables the user to replace the major upper

surface 104 holding the one or more cleaning elements

110 upon consummation. Further a hollow structure of

the hollow head 102 and the hollow tube 112 enable the

accommodation of additionally lengthy one or more cleaning elements 110, such that worn out of ends of

the one or more cleaning elements 110 may be cut off

to expose fresh ends for a continuous usage of the one

or more cleaning elements 110, thereby increasing the

overall life cycle of the device 100.

[0020] Although specific embodiments have been

illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that

a variety of alternate and/or equivalent

implementations can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from

the scope of the present disclosure. This application

is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of

the specific embodiments discussed herein. Therefore,

it is intended that this disclosure be limited only by

the claims and the equivalents thereof.

Claims

We claim: 1. A device (100) for brushing, the device (100) comprising: a hollow tube (112) having a proximal end (112a) and a distal end (112b); a hollow head (102) including a major upper surface (104) and a major lower surface (106), the major upper surface (104) being provided with a plurality of holes (108), wherein the hollow tube (112) is detachably connected to the hollow head (102) at the proximal end (112a); and one or more cleaning elements (110) longitudinally accommodated inside the hollow tube (112) corresponding to at least partial length of the hollow tube (112), the one or more cleaning elements (110) being constituted so as to be pullable from the hollow tube (112) in a predetermined manner, wherein one or more cleaning elements (110) extend longitudinally and laterally from the plurality of holes (108) to cover the major upper surface (104) at least partially.
2. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the upper major surface and the major lower surface includes at least one of a substantially planar configuration and a curved configuration.
3. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the major lower surface includes a coarse profile on an outer side thereof.
4. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the major

upper surface is detachably mounted on the hollow head.
5. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the device

comprises a fastener mechanism to secure a connection

state between the hollow head and the upper surface.
6. The device as claimed in any one of the preceding

claims 1 to 5, wherein the hollow head is detachably

connected to the hollow tube, and wherein the

connection state between the hollow head and the hollow

tube is flexible.
7. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the

plurality of holes comprises an anti-slippage element

to secure the one or more cleaning elements in the

plurality of holes.
8. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of

the hollow head and the hollow tube contains at least

one of a fluid or a substance.
9. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein a portion

of the hollow tube is soft and bendable to enable a

pumping action.
10. The device as claimed in one of claims 1 to 10,

wherein each of the one or more cleaning elements has a

hollow structure, to allow the at least one of the

fluid or the substance travel through the hollow

structure.
11. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the

hollow tube is provided with a gripping element at

least partially surrounding an outer surface of the

hollow tube and spread along at least partial length of

the hollow tube.
12. The device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the

gripping element is made of an elastomeric material.
13. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the

cleaning elements is at least one of: bristle clusters

and wires.
14. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one

or more cleaning elements are made at least one of a

synthetic fiber, nylon, polyester, a natural material,

and a man-made material.
15. The device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the

hollow tube is provided with an opening and closure

mechanism.