AU601327B1

AU601327B1 - Toothbrush

Info

Publication number: AU601327B1
Application number: AU33045/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Shuji Sakuma; Hiroshi Yoshida
Original assignee: Sangi Co Ltd
Current assignee: Sangi Co Ltd
Priority date: 1987-10-15
Filing date: 1989-04-14
Publication date: 1990-09-06
Anticipated expiration: 2009-04-14
Also published as: FR2621793A1; GB2210778A; JPH01101917A; GB8807351D0; IT1217238B; IT8820380A0; DE3811382A1; DE3811382C2

Description

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<Jri FORh Ref: 93062 FORM 0 .2 COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA PATENTS ACT 1952 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int Class Complete Specification Lodged: Accepted: Published: Priority: Related Art: Dais docunment cofl2 uis t I.

amendiacnts 1-n-de llndtr Sectuon 49rrcnd is cLrrft fur iCi-ijin& Name and Address S of Applicant: Address for Service: Kabushiki Kaisha Sangi Tsukiji Chuo Bldg.

2-11-10 Tsukiji Chuo-ku Tokyo

JAPAN

Spruson Ferguson, Patent Attorneys Level 33 ct Martins Tower, 31 Market Street Sydney, New South Wales, 2000, Australia Complete Specification for the invention entitled: Toothbrush The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us 5845/3

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1. 1 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The bristle portion of a toothbrush has a filler material of a dentrifice composition or the like packed in recesses having the toothbrush bristles implanted therein. The filler is allowed contact to tap water or saliva when the toothbrush is used and dissolves into the user's mouth via the bristles. The filler is expended slowly over time and allows the toothbrush to be used repeatedly over a longer service life. 0 tr 0 0000d 03( 0'0c t (t1.4 Al 1 TITLE OF THE INVENTION

TOOTHBRUSH

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a novel, useful toothbrush having a dental hygienic filler.

In general, toothbrushes are available in either of two basic constructions. In one, the toothbrush o comprises an integrated bristle portion and grip portion.

000o 10 In the other, the toothbrush includes a grip portion, ooeo o9oo a rod fixedly secured to the grip portion, and a bristle 00o t oooo o, 0o portion having a central bore into which the rod is 0 4 00 01 S snugly inserted.

Whenever toothbrushes of this kind are used, a toothpaste usually is applied to the brush part formed by the bristles. For this reason, the user can be Scaused considerable inconvenience if the toothpaste is 4 t not immediately at hand, such as by being left behind when the user departs on a journey. To avoid such an inconvenience, disposable, easy-to-carry toothbrushes are available that have a required mass of tooth powder or paste, filling the spaces amoung the bristles. This expedient is uneconomical, however, since the tooth powder or paste lasts only one day, meaning that the toothbrush must be changed daily.

Further, toothbrushes lose their abi ity to keep teeth clean when the brush bristles lose their .loA -2- 1 resilience, at which time it is required that the toothbrush be replaced by a new one. If ones teeth are brushed twice daily, such as in the morning and evening, as is generally the case, it is usually required to replace the toothbrush in a little less than one month period of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 0o~ 0Accordingly, an object of the present invention a 000 10 is to provide a toothbrush having a tooth-cleansing 00 06 oo dental hygienic filler that enables the toothbrush to 0 be used, without necessarily an application of a 00 toothpaste each time, until the brush bristles lose their resilience, thereby making it unnecessary to S 15 discard the brush daily.

Also specifically, the inventor has devised the toothbrush, the subject of this invention, taking into account the fact that a toothbrush ordinarily is ~replaced periodically after a relatively short period of time of e.g. one month, as mentioned above. The inventor has discovered that by providing a toothbrush i with a filler of a material that is beneficial for dental hygiene, the teeth can be supplied with the filler untill the brush bristles lose their resilience, it therefore becomes unnecessary to apply toothpaste to the brush with each use yet allows the same toothbrush to be used for normal period of time.

r u~ur~rrrruu~Lr_~Qu 3 1 According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a toothbrush comprising a bristle portion having a plurality of cavities in which the bristles are implanted and a dental hygienic filler accomodated in those cavities at the respective base portions thereof.

By this aspect of the invention, the filler enters the mouth through or along the brush bristles 0 o" while dissolving and working to cleanse both the teeth ao, 10 and the interior of the mouth.

o0 a In another aspect of the invention, there is 0 o provided a toothbrush of the type having a gril portion, a rod fixedly secured to the grip portion, and a bristle portion having bristles implanted therein and a central 15 bore into which the rod is inserted. In accordance S, with this feature of the invention, the central bore is extended to the lower portions of the bristles to o tr form a bore extension, and the bore extension is filled with a dental hygienic filler.

20 In this aspect of the inve. ozr-i, the filler enters the mouth from between the LrisLles but also from a pool formed in the bristle holding section.

The filler used in the toothbrush of the invention can be a powder, sheet, paste or liquid consisting of one or a mixture of the following materials: an ordinary dentifrice substance, an abrasive such as calcium carbonate or sodium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, i r;

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-4zeolite, silicon dioxide, aluminium oxide, cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, a germicidal agent, a medicine, a breath freshener, fluorine and a scale examining agent.

By the time all the filler has been expended by dissolution, the bristles of the toothbrush will also have lost their resilience. Thus, consumption of the filler lets the user know that it is time to replace the toothbrush or the replaceable toothbrush head portion only. It is also possible to provide toothbrushes incorporating different types of filler composition. This will allow the user to select a toothbrush with a filler composition best suited to the oral condition of the individuals mouth whenever the toothbrush is replaced.

.o When the filler containing a germicidal agent, such as °o "i isopropylmethylphenol, chlorhexidine gluconate, dequalinium (Registered o Trade Mark) chloride, benzethonium chloride, benzalhonium chloride, hinokitiol, Tego-51 (Registered Trade Mark), benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, S0 sorbic acid, potasium sorbate, paraoxybenzoic acid esters, clove and the S o like is used, the germicidal agent is dissolved from the filler after washing the toothbrush used with water, and the germicidal agent enters into the bristles. Then the germicidal agent is permeated to the top of bristle by the capillary phenomena. All the surfaces of bristles are 0o 0 covered with said germicidal agent and the bacteria do not tp: RLF/1126h I" -YI I~EN"L 1 5 1 grow on the bristles. Accordingly, the brush keeps clean.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.

o BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 10 0 Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view ao illustrating a first embodiment of a toothbrush 0 of 0oo according to the present invention; 0.

O Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the toothbrush of Fig. 1; 00 1 15 Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating a second embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the toothbrush of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating an another embodiment of a toothbrush r according to the present invention.

DESCRIPI'ION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of a toothbrush according to the invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

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6 1 A toothbrush 1 includes a bristle portion 2 having a head 3 provided with a plurality of spaced cavities 4. The cavities 4 have a depth greater than that of the cavities in a conventional toothbrush.

The bottom of each cavity 4 is filled with a dental hygienic filler material 5 in which brush bristles 6 are implanted in accordance with the usual method.

The bristle portion 2 is formed to include pools 7, o as well as a central bore 8 into which a rod secured oa 1 0 to a grip portion, neither of which are shown, is 11 0 inserted. Naturally, if the grip portion and bristle 000 portion 2 are formed integrally, the central bore 8 D will be unnecessary.

It is preferred, though not essential, that O0 15 a filler 9 in the form of a sheet or paste be adhered mo 0 C *0 a o$ to the head 3 between the grooves 4.

When used the toothbrush 1 is inserted into the mouth and is brushed across the teeth in the usual rr manner. At such time saliva or tap water comes in Bo contact with the filler 5 via the bristles 6, causing k, ~the filler 5 to dissolve and enter the interior of the mouth along the bristles 6. The dissolved filler also attaches itself to the teeth, thereby performing a cleansing and polishing function to remove dental plaque, prevent pyorrhea and kill oral bacteria. The filler 9 affixed to the head 3 comes into direct contact with saliva and the po: eion of the filler dissolved '1 -7- 1 enters the interior of the mouth to perform the same functions described above.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of a toothbrush according to the invention, in which Sportions similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are designated by like reference characters. Here the central bore 8 which receives the rod fixed to the grip portion (not shown) extends to the lower portions oo of the brush bristles 6 to provide a bore extension 1" 0 10 communicating with the pool 7. It is preferred SQ that the bore extension 10 communicate with the cavities a 0 S 4 situated along the center of the head 3 in the o o longitudinal direction thereof. The bore extension is filled with a filler 11. Though the fillers

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15 5, 9 are not essential in this embodiment, they are retained as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The filler 11 is dissolved by coming into contact with tap water or saliva received from the pool 7, and the dissolved filler enters the interior of the mouth via the pool 7, thereby removing plaque from the teeth, preventing pyorrhea and killing oral bacteria, just as the fillers 9 described above in connection with the first embodiment.

Though the cavities 4 in the above-described embodiments are bottomed, as arrangement can be adopted in which the grooves pass through the head 3 of the toothbrush. In such case the filler 5 would dissolve 8 1 enter the interior of the mouth directly from the openings in the cavities 4 and well as along the bristles 6. It is also possible to affix the sheetor paste- like filler 9 to the side of the head 3 opposite the bristles 6. The head 3 can be made of a transparent material to make the fillers 5, 9 and 11 visible from the outside.

Fig. 5 illustrates a third embodiment of a 0 toothbrush according to the invention, in which the 000 b o 10 bristle portion and grip portion are made uniformly.

0000 oo0 0As many apparently widely different embodiments o0o0 0,09 o of the present invention can be made without departing 0 0O 17 S, from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the -appended claims.

(Reference example) The hydroxyapatite powders containing ethyl paraoxybenzoate 0.15 and propylparaoxybenzoate 0.05 were filled to the holes under the bottom of bristle in the tooth brush. After said brushes were used for 1 week and 4 weeks respectively, the number of bacteria attached in the bristles were calculated. The number of bacteria in the bristles were measured as follows.

The bristles of brush used were entered into the physiological saline solution 10 ml and the adhesive materials on the bristle were falled into said solutions.

-9- 1 Said solutions were diluted to 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000 and 100,000 *times and said diluted solutions were cultured on the agar culture media at 37 0 C for 48 hours, then the total number of bacteria were calculated in each medias. As a comparative test, a common toothbrush was used for control test. The test subjects were persons respectively.

When the brushes were used for 1 week, the total number of bacteria calculated were 300 lesz in 1 0 the test group, however, the total number of bacteria Qrpa P were 70,000 80,000 in the comparative group.

Ba0 S, Also when the brush was used for 4 weeks, the number 0# fl I of bacteria were 500 less in the test group, however said number were 1,500,000 13,700 in the comparative 15 group. The grate difference for number of bacteria was seen in the comparative group due to the using period.

The significant difference is recognized between L the test group and comparative group.

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Claims

1. A toothbrush comprising: a bristle portion having a plurality of cavities In which bristles are implanted, a first dental hygienic filler accommodated in said cavities at respective bottom portions thereof, and a second dental hygienic filler of solid form affixed to said bristle portion between mutually adjacent plural groups of said cavities.

2. A toothbrush having a grip portion, a rod fixedly secured to the grip portion, and a bristle portion having bristles implanted therein and a central bore into which the rod Is inserted, characterized in that said central bore is extended to lower portions of the bristles to form a bore extension, and said bore extension is filled with a dental hygienic filler. o"o

3. The toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein a second dental a hygienic filler of solid form is affixed to said bristle portion between Soe o omutually adjacent plural groups of said bristles. S 0 DATED this EIGHTEENTH day of JUNE 1990 Kabushiki Kaisha Sangi 0 a

4 Patent Attorneys for the Applicant SPRUSON FERGUSON 'Ri