DE4211811A1 - Toothbrush with indicator for cleaning pressure on teeth - has brush head, which turns, when contact pressures exceeds certain level - Google Patents

Abstract

The toothbrush has a device, to indicate and then reduce the cleaning pressure on teeth/gums. It has a long thin circular or elliptical neck, which is totally reversible. When a certain cleaning pressure on the teeth is exceeded, the brush head (Zk) rotates through a certain angle about its own longitudinal axis resp. that of the neck (H). The complete brush is mfd. fully automatically, in a single process and as a fully integrated unit, by using a two-part injection tool. The bristles are added subsequently. USE/ADVANTAGE - Toothbrush indicates cleaning pressure on teeth, and/or prevents further cleaning, unless cleaning pressure is returned to normal

Description

The invention relates to the cleaning pressure / cleaning force on the teeth or the toothbrush to reduce the gums Manufacturing process therefor.

So far, several attempts have become known, one flexible To create a toothbrush that has the effective cleaning power on the Teeth or gums after reaching a maximum casual intensity (usually 200-300 pounds) automatically applied will catch and with it the teeth and especially the gums protects against permanent damage.

For example, DE-PS 36 40 898 has a narrow neck that is intended to solve this task. Numerous commercial designs of this patent do not fulfill this function in spite of considerable market success, since the measured cleaning power also easily reaches the values of 400-800 pounds and the user cannot experience this at all. This is due to the fact that the "elastic" neck actually has hardly elastic properties for the force range of 200-300 pounds (thicker than 3.5 mm in diameter or more than 10 mm ² in cross section). This task would have to be solved, but only with much thinner necks, which in turn is not practical because of the great risk of breakage and / or permanent bending of the neck.

The brush head would also constantly chaotic excursions in all levels, making brushing teeth impossible.

The US-PS 45 20 526 has the same properties.

A toothbrush with a reversibly twistable brush head is the subject of DE-OS 37 37 223 ( FIG. 3), but the reversible twistability of the fixed style or the brush head could be achieved only with great difficulty and costly by a "material of maximum flexibility" around the style, which is not inherently torsional. A toothbrush of this kind also requires several operations, which make it unrivaled by this substantial cost.

All this was accordingly the object of the invention, a actually flexible and easy to manufacture toothbrush too create that the user very clearly when exceeding the maximum cleaning power (F) on the teeth or gums warns and / or brushing his teeth under this force  totally forbidden conditions, so he has to clean immediately Bring it back to normal level (lightning fast).

That is in a generic facility by the kenn Drawing features of claim 1 solved.

It shows Fig. 1, a finished molded complete toothbrush which consists of only a single part, which is for the production of the highest importance. The two arrows pointing in the opposite direction in the upper area of the handle (G) represent the way in which the entire toothbrush is permanently ready for operation, either by light, one-time pressure using versatile automatic options (such as the so-called "two-material technique"") or by manual pressure of the respective user, who can certainly be expected to do this.

This task significantly simplifies the two wall thickness reduction decorations of the handle (G) due to their sufficient elasticity, as well as the possible application of the well-known snap-in device tion (not shown) on the bearing surfaces and / or any where on the handle surfaces.

Show it

Fig. 1, 2 and 3 further that the thin and long, the neck (H) or the brush head (Zk) carrying and reversible-tor dbare neck lower part (Ho) by means of good cross-sectional quatra-like top layer (Lo) and sub-layer (Lu ) of the neck (H) only allows a good torsion of the brush head (Zk) to the starting position that can be limited by spreading (A) on the neck (H) when the normal cleaning power (F) is exceeded.

This warns the user and / or makes it impossible for him to continue brushing his teeth and he has to reduce the cleaning power at lightning speed. It shows Fig. 3 as a case. After reducing this excessive cleaning power, the brush head automatically returns to normal position due to reversible torsion of the lower neck (Ho) ( Fig. 2). It shows Fig. 2 also the cross-section of the entire storage. Since it can be seen that the upper bearing (Lo) and underlay tion (Lu) form a square bearing, so that the cross-sectional circular neck (H) in the area has very little contact area with them, so that the Reibungsver losses are kept low can be, which favors the torsion effect. Since this is only of importance in the vertical tooth brushing process, the lower neck (Ho) has a cross-section of moderately circular or elliptical shape (main axis of the ellipse vertical). This is shown in Fig. 2 (dotted curve around (Ho)).

The toothbrush according to the invention is well suited for all 3-gang tooth brushing techniques:
Stillmann technology
Dr. Bass method
and
Charters technique.

For particularly conscious users of Stillmann technology (red and white Procedure with an initial 45 ° angle to the gums) opportunity instead of z. B. 280 pounds cleaner, in one Usually the maximum permitted cleaning power is intentionally lower adjust, e.g. B. at 160 pounds, so the tedious rotation principle comes about much easier.

Also for use according to Dr. Bass vibration technology is an option this toothbrush as a very useful indicator.

Because the commercial names for toothbrushes like "soft", "medium", "hard" or any combination in between like "soft-medium", "medium-hard" etc. have very little meaning, it is much better, the toothbrushes according to the most important principle To name: According to the maximum permitted cleaning power of the respective Toothbrush such as B. 190 pounds, 290 gr. (Due to incorrect use of the gram as a unit of force), or in different "force levels", such as B. "Power level 1", "Power level 2" etc.

All because the cleaning effect on the teeth or the tooth meat and the massage effects on the gums caused by physical laws, depending on the cleaning power are irrelevant, which trade name is used for this were!

That automatically requires the use of only "soft" or possibly "middle" bristles, because the "hard", especially for the Gums that are harmful (all old trade names). In addition to the cleaning power and the correct cleaning technology, this is easy can be learned, the cleaning time is the third important factor for optimal tooth brushing results.

Therefore, there is a solution to this task, although very much trivial, the application of any mechanical or electrical / electronic miniature alarm clock on somewhere on the gan zen toothbrush can be attached.

Reference numeral

(A) Spread of the neck (H)
(B) bristles
(G) handle
(Go) wall thickness reduction of the handle (G)
(H) neck
(Ho) the reversibly twistable lower neck
(Lo) overlay
(Lu) underlay
(Zk) brush head
F max. maximum cleaning power on teeth or gums

Claims (10)

1. The brushing pressure on the teeth or gums reducing-indicating toothbrush with a long and thin, circular in cross section or slightly elliptical (main axis ver tical) and reversibly twistable neck (Ho), characterized in that the Exceeding a certain cleaning pressure (cleaning force) on the teeth or gums the brush head (Zk) rotates (twisted) by a certain angle around its own longitudinal axis or the longitudinal axis of the neck (H), and so this clearly indicates to the user and / or it makes further brushing of teeth impossible under such force conditions. 2. The object of claim 1, characterized in that the whole toothbrush in a single operation and as fully integrated unit fully automatic through a 2-part, 16-fold injection mold can be produced (before bristling). 3. The object of claim 1 and 2, characterized in that there is advantageously a cross-sectionally square-like, double neck or brush head storage, consisting of upper bearing (Lo) and lower bearing (Lu), in the region of the thumb rest, in the hollow interior thereof the cross-sectionally circular neck (H) with downward spread (A) is mounted precisely, so that the brush head can only rotate about its own longitudinal axis or around the longitudinal axis of the neck (H); the two bearings (Lo and Lu) can also be attached anywhere along the entire neck (H) or (Ho), and exchange their positions (based on Fig. 1, Fig. 2). 4. The object according to claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the two-sided top layer (Lo) and bottom layer (Lu) a small distance apart along the longitudinal axes of the hand have handles (G), so that double-sided, 16-fold injection mold (horizontal and vertical) the complete toothbrush (initially without bristles) in a single operation, and that at the lower end of the neck (H) in the area of the upper storage (Lo) attached spread (A) the torsional limit Has a function in that the handle sides (G) when reaching a certain torsion of the neck (H) or the brush head (Zk) (in relation to the starting position) touched and further torsion ver prevents; this twist is on the entire normal-acting plaster tailored to the teeth or gums.   5. The object according to claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the U-shaped and mechanically stable handle (G) on his lowest end cross-sectional vertical wall thickness reduction gene (Go) on both sides, so that the two handles (G) light due to this elasticity before first use put it into operational readiness permanently. 6. The object according to claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the required operational readiness of the whole toothbrush either by simply pressing the two handles (G) in the upper area and with the participation of known mechanical locking devices (not shown) in Storage area and / or anywhere along the handle (G) or according to the same principle with the help of automatic ver binding techniques, such as the so-called "two-material" - "two color technology "is permanently achieved. 7. The object according to claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the reversibly twistable neck lower part (Ho) of the lower one Connection surface of the two handles (G) arises without any reduction of own torsional ability by against mechanical contact on the side; the same applies to the fingers or the palm that does not touch the neck (Ho) at all. 8. The object according to claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the neck (H) between the bearing and the brush head is mechanically stable and that the lengths of the neck (H) and its reversibly twistable lower part (Ho) different from each other could be. 9. The object according to claims 1 to 8, characterized in that he only had the correct commercial names for his May have cleaning properties that can only be changed according to the most important Principle: according to the maximum permitted cleaning power, according to the torsion effect sets in, e.g. B. "150 pounds", "300 gr.", (Because of incorrect use of the gram as a unit of force) or in any an indirect form such as B. "Power level 1", "Power level 2" etc. 10. The object according to claims 1 to 9, characterized in that somewhere in the toothbrush a miniature mechanical or electrical / electronic alarm clock can be attached.