EP1768511A1 - A foldable toothbrush, a toothpaste sachet and a dental care kit - Google Patents

Abstract

A dental care kit including a holder comprising a first, ventilated compartment for storing a toothbrush, a second, closable compartment which can be opened for inserting or replacing a toothpaste container with a nozzle, and a lid for closing both compartments simultaneously with closure of a nozzle on the toothpaste sachet by means of a cap or closure securable in the lid, or an elastically yielding pad secured in the lid. A folding toothbrush comprising a through opening in the handle and a toothpaste sachet are also described.

Description

A foldable toothbrush, a toothpaste sachet and a dental care kit.

The present invention relates to a dental care kit, particularly of the type that is suitable for a person to take with him when travelling away home or his permanent place of residence, whether on a long or a short journey, and more particularly as defined in the preambles of the attached independent patent claims.

Modern people are active and preoccupied with their own appearance and wellbeing. Market surveys have shown that such people feel a need to freshen up their mouth protect themselves from bad breath, either after a meal or between meals during the course of a day. Today it is known that lozenges, mouth spray and chewing gum are most frequently used for this purpose. However, these products have only a short-term effect and do not give the user the feeling of clean teeth or newly brushed teeth.

It is also known that some airlines offer their passengers, especially on long flights, a toothbrush case containing a toothbrush and a small tube of ordinary dental cream. This kind of toothbrush is usually of the cheapest type and normally has hard bristles. Therefore, this known solution is generally perceived as an emergency solution when the passenger's own toilet bag is not readily available during a flight. Passengers who usually use a toothbrush with soft bristles, for example "supersoft", will normally be reluctant to use a toothbrush with stiff bristles.

The use of a toothbrush for cleaning teeth or neutralising bad breath is usually preferred. This is in keeping with a result of the aforementioned survey, where 90% of those asked said they felt that they had optimal oral cleanliness and protection against bad breath after they had brushed their teeth - i.e., with a toothbrush and toothpaste.

A negative side effect of toothbrushing is that abrasion of the teeth and gums, and sometimes actual tears in the gums, may occur because of hard bristles on the brush. The damage is caused by the toothbrush bristles and abrasive agents in the toothpaste. Excessive toothbrushing is therefore harmful, and consequently the profession, i.e., dentists and dental hygienists, recommend that teeth only be brushed each morning and evening. Today there is no product on the market that satisfies the requirements of availability during the day, that gives a sensation of cleanliness like that obtained by brushing the teeth, and that does not cause abrasive damage.

A folding toothbrush with a combined handle and case is known from GB 174874. The problem of abrasion is not solved and the combination does not include toothpaste or the like.

WO 98/18364 discloses a toothbrush with a soft cleansing pad. This type of toothbrush is also known from US5930860 and US5604951. A folding brush is not described in this connection.

US2298417 discloses a travelling case with a compartment for storing toothpaste and a compartment for storing a toothbrush. The case comprises a single lid for both compartments and an extra separate lid for the toothpaste container which is a traditional tube. The brush must be unscrewed and is difficult to fasten without touching the bristles.

GB2336995 and US5701921 disclose combinations of toothbrush and toothpaste. These solutions are bulky and are not suited to being taken everywhere. The problem of abrasion is not solved either.

The object of the present invention is to provide a dental care kit which satisfies the need for a compact, hygienic dental care kit that can easily be carried around and does not cause undue abrasion when properly used. This need has existed for quite some time.

The present invention provides a toothbrush comprising a toothbrush head with bristles, a neck and a handle, wherein the neck is hinge-connected to the handle and can be folded towards the handle, characterised in that the handle comprises a through opening adapted to allow the bristles at least partly to be passed in through the opening when the neck is folded towards the handle. There is also provided a toothpaste sachet with a nozzle, characterised in that it comprises a collar portion and that the collar portion is designed for engagement with engaging means located in the sachet-receiving compartment of a holder.

The invention also comprises a dental care kit including a holder comprising a first, ventilated compartment for storing a toothbrush, a second, closable compartment which can be opened for inserting or replacing a toothpaste container with nozzle, and a lid for closing both compartments simultaneously, characterised in that the lid is designed for simultaneous closure of the nozzle on the toothpaste container by means of a cap or closure securable inside the lid, or an elastically yielding pad secured inside the lid.

Additional characteristic features of the invention are set forth in the characterising clauses of the attached subsidiary claims which disclose further embodiments, and in the following description with reference to the attached illustrations, said illustrations showing exemplary embodiments of the invention. It will of course be appreciated that the configuration or design of the dental care kit and its parts can be varied within the scope of the invention without thereby departing from the inventive idea.

Figs, la, lb, lc and Id show a toothbrush intended for the dental care kit.

Fig. 2 is a side view of a case for the dental care kit.

Figs. 3a and 3b are perspective views of further details of the case with contents, but where the toothpaste container has been removed.

Figs. 4a and 4b are side views of a closed case with a toothpick placed in and outside the case respectively.

Fig. 5 shows a typical toothpaste sachet with a non-reversible removable top intended for the dental care agent. Fig. 6 shows a second embodiment of a toothpaste sachet with nozzle intended for the dental care agent.

The toothbrush 1, as shown in Figs, la - Id, is equipped with a soft flexible pad 2 of, for example, a soft plastic material or rubber in the centre of the brush head 3. The pad is advantageously, but not necessarily, cast to be an integral part of the harder plastic material of the brush head. The pad may optionally consists of several sub-pads 2', 2", 2'". The pad 2 will gently polish the surface of the teeth, and will act as a buffer and prevent the bristles 4 on the bristle head from being pressed damagingly hard against the teeth during brushing. The bristles 4 surround the pad 2 and clean/stimulate the user's gumline for an optimal sensation of cleanliness, whilst the pad also has a stimulating effect on the gums. The combination of pad 2 and bristles 4 also allows the bristles 4 to be extra soft and gentle, unlike the prior art. The toothbrush handle 5 can be folded about a hinge 6 so that it can be folded towards the toothbrush neck 7. Furthermore, the handle 5 comprises a through opening 8. When the brush is folded as shown in Figure Id, at least a part of the bristles 4 will be passed in through the opening 8. Consequently, by through opening 8 is meant a hole or an opening which allows at least a part of the bristles 4 to be passed in through the opening and out on the other side. Furthermore, grip portions 9' and 9" are provided on the handle which allow a user to grip the bristle end of the folded toothbrush without coming into direct contact with bristles, by placing, for example, his thumb and forefinger on grip portion 9' and 9 "respectively. The opening 8 allows air circulation around the brush head 3 whilst the size of the folded toothbrush is minimised. For reasons of hygiene, it is important that the brush head is allowed to dry quickly by means of air circulation, and that the user can grip the brush without touching the bristles 4. Drying out prevents the growth of bacteria, viruses, fungus and the like. Preferably, the handle 5 and the neck 7 close to the hinge 6 comprise means for temporarily locking the neck 7 to the handle 5 in the unfolded position. Preferably, the neck 7 close to the hinge 6 can be snapped into the handle 5 by means of recesses and protrusions arranged on respectively the handle 5 or the neck 7. The dental care kit as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3a-b, will expediently comprise a case or holder 10 having a separate chamber 11 in which the folding toothbrush 1 is placed. Figure 2 shows the holder 10 including a toothbrush 1 and a toothpaste container 40, whilst Figures 3a and 3b show the same holder but without the toothpaste container 40. The holder 10 has a compartment 12 for storing toothpaste or dental cream preferably packed in a flexible sachet 45 which ends in a nozzle 41 at the top. This second compartment can be opened in that a curved part 16 of the compartment wall, also called a holder portion 16, either can be pivoted about a hinge in connection with the part 13 of the holder housing the toothbrush 1, or can be completely detached from the part 13. Thus, the compartment 12 is opened longitudinally for simple insertion and positioning of the container 40 with its nozzle 41 and for locking the sachet 45 in position. The holder portion 16 is preferably hinge-connected to the holder part 13. The second compartment 12 is opened by moving the holder portion 16 away from the holder part 13 and is closed again by moving these parts towards each other. The holder part 13 and the holder portion 16 preferably comprise means 15, 17', 17", 18' and 18" for holding the second compartment 12 closed. Such means may comprise a snap-action mechanism, or preferably a spring member 15 arranged in the lower part of the holder portion 16, more preferably close to the hinge point, and pins 17' and 17" or the like for insertion into holes/openings 18' and 18".

The part 16 is equipped internally, i.e., in the compartment 12, with a slide/metering device 14 which has a sliding button 19 for controlled metering of the paste or cream from the container 40. The device 14, which resembles a rounded block, is advantageously moveable stepwise along notches 20. In this way, one step at a time will effect the correct portioning of toothpaste or dental cream from the sachet 45 via the nozzle 41. The slide is arranged in a slot 26. The slide 14 is preferably designed so that it only engages with notches 20 when the compartment 12 is closed and the device 14 engages with the sachet 45 located in the compartment 12. This means that when the compartment 12 is opened for replacing the container 40, the slide 14 does not engage with notches 20 and consequently automatically slides down to the bottom of the holder. This is the correct starting position after insertion of a new and full container 40. This design of the slide 14 may be obtained in that the means which engage with notches 20 are spring-connected to the rest of the slide 14 and the spring means is/are loaded when the compartment 12 is closed. In a preferred embodiment, the second compartment 12 comprises an inner concave wall surface 28 for receiving a toothpaste sachet, the wall surface being arranged opposite the slide 14. The wall 28 and the slide 14 are adapted to each other so that the sachet contents are moved up and out through the nozzle 41 when the slide is moved towards the nozzle 41.

In a preferred embodiment which can be seen from Figures 4a and 4b, the holder 10 comprises, preferably in the holder part 13, a compartment 30 for storing a toothpick 31, and the toothpick is shown having a finger grip 32.

The holder has a hinged lid 21 which covers both compartments 11, 12. As can be seen from Figure 3a, in the lid 21 there is provided, in one alternative, an elastically yielding pad 22 which, when the lid 21 is closed, will be pressed against the nozzle 41 of the container 40 (see also Figure 2). The lid 21 is then preferably snap fastenable or in another manner reversibly lockable by means of locking means 27 or similar, so that the nozzle 41 is kept pressed against said pad, thereby preventing undesirable discharge of dental cream or toothpaste. In a second alternative, the lid 21 comprises an opening 22 for the snapping-in of a sachet cap or closure 143, see Figure 6. This stopper 143 will normally accompany a sachet refill 140 as shown in Figure 6 and is designed on insertion of the sachet to be snapped into place in the opening 22 when the lid 21 is closed. When the lid 21 is subsequently opened, the closure 143 will remain in the opening 22, whilst the closure engages with the nozzle 14 when the lid 21 is closed. When an empty container 140 is replaced by a new one, the used closure 143 is pressed out of the lid 21 before a new container is placed in the compartment 12. Such replacement is natural also for reasons of hygiene and to prevent paste residue from soiling the lid.

To ensure ventilation, the holder 10 is made having a number of openings. The compartment 11 preferably has ventilation slots 23 in the lid 21, ventilation aperture 35 close to the hinge point of the lid 21 and ventilation apertures around the spring member 15 in the bottom of the compartment 11 for the rapid drying out of the toothbrush bristles, thereby avoiding a permanently damp toothbrush. The compartment 12 is ventilated primarily though the slot 26. Additional ventilation apertures are also preferably provided in the lid 21 around the locking means 27. The compartment 30 for storing toothpick 31 preferably constitutes a part of the compartment 11 and is consequently ventilated in the same way as that compartment.

In a preferred embodiment, the toothpaste container is a toothpaste sachet 40 as shown in Figure 5. Another embodiment of a toothpaste sachet 140 is shown in Figure 6. The sachets have a collar portion 42/142 designed for engagement with collar engaging parts 24, 25 on the parts 13 and 16 respectively, a sachet part 45/145 for storing dental cream/toothpaste and sachet portions 44', 44", 144' and 144" for securing the containers in the holder 10. The sachet portions may optionally be the glue edges of the sachets. The term sachet, in particular a toothpaste sachet, as used in the present application is intended to mean a container made of a flexible material, such as flexible sheeting, with a nozzle connected thereto.

As can be seen from Figures 2, 3a and 3b, the holder 10 comprises contact faces 29', 29" and 39. One or more of these contact faces are adapted for contact with one or more of the sachet portions 44', 44", 144' and 144", so that the sachet portion or sachet portions are clamped in place between opposing contact faces when the second compartment 12 is closed. This means that the sachet is held in place and allows the slide 14 to be moved up towards the nozzle 41 without the basically flexible sachet moving with it or being folded or creased. This also contributes to a better emptying of the sachet.

The toothpaste or dental cream that is intended to be used is particularly gentle, i.e., has a minimum of, or is entirely without, abrasive agents. For example, the paste or cream may have a gel-like consistency, and the taste is advantageously concentrated so that a minimum amount of paste/cream is required for the individual cleaning process.

The collar 42 and the nozzle 41/141 on the paste sachet 40/140 are designed for ease of mounting in the holder via engaging parts 24 and 25. The nozzle 41 of an unused sachet 40 is in a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, closed by a stopper 43 connected via a weakened portion 46. This stopper 43 can, because of the weakened portion 46, be removed from the nozzle by twisting the stopper 43 around ("twist-off"). The stopper 43 is discarded and the nozzle 41 is closed by the pad 22 provided in the lid 21. In another embodiment as shown in Figure 6, the nozzle 141 is closed using a snap-on cap or closure 143. The cap is locked or snapped into place in a hole 22 in aforementioned lid 21 when the lid is closed for the first time after a new toothpaste sachet has been placed in the holder.

It will be understood that the illustrated solution provides a dental care kit that is easy and hygienic to use, takes up little space, for example, in a pocket or a bag, and where the toothpaste sachet is easily replaceable. Furthermore, the solution is such that the user does not need to put down items associated with the kit on a possibly dirty or unhygienic surface, the kit being easy to use and adapted to be held in the user's hands throughout the entire cleaning process. The only thing the user needs in addition is clean water to rinse the toothbrush after use, optionally also before use. Furthermore, the kit can easily be cleaned by rinsing the whole kit in clean water.

Claims

P a t e n t c l a i m s

1.

A toothbrush (1) comprising a toothbrush head (3) with bristles (4), a neck (7) and a handle (5), wherein the neck is hinge-connected to the handle and can be folded towards the handle, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the handle (5) comprises a through opening (8) adapted to allow the bristles (4) at least partly to be passed in through the opening (8) when the neck is (7) folded towards the handle (5).

2.

A toothbrush according to claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the toothbrush head (3) comprises a pad (2), optionally divided into several parts (2', 2", 2'"), of an elastically yielding material, and that the bristles (4) at least partly surround the pad (2).

3.

A toothbrush according to claim lor2, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the handle (5) and/or the neck (7) close to the hinge point comprises means for reversible locking of the neck in relation to the handle in an unfolded position.

4.

A toothbrush according to any one of claims 1-3, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the handle (5) in the region of the through opening (8) comprises at least one grip portion (9', 9").

5.

A toothpaste sachet (40, 140) with a nozzle (41, 141), c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that it comprises a collar portion (42, 142), and that the collar portion is designed for engagement with engaging means located in the sachet-receiving compartment of a holder.

6.

A toothpaste sachet as disclosed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that it comprises an outlet closed by an irreversibly removable opening element (43) via a weakened portion (46) which defines the outlet when the opening element (43) is removed.

7.

A toothpaste sachet as disclosed in claim 5, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that a sealing cap or closure (143) is fastenable on the nozzle (141), that the closure can be snapped into a hole in a lid of a holder, the lid being designed to be pivoted over a compartment in the holder in which the sachet is stored.

8.

A dental care kit including a holder (10) comprising a first, ventilated compartment (11) for storing a toothbrush (1), a second, closable compartment (12) which can be opened for inserting or replacing a toothpaste container (40) having a nozzle (41), and a lid (21) for closing both compartments simultaneously, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the lid is designed for simultaneous closure of the nozzle (41) on the toothpaste container by means of a cap or closure (143) securable inside the lid, or an elastically yielding pad (22) secured inside the lid.

9.

A dental care kit as disclosed in claim 8, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the holder has a ventilated chamber (30) for storing a toothpick (31).

10.

A dental care kit as disclosed in claim 8 or 9, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the toothpaste container (40) is a toothpaste sachet having at least one sachet portion (44', 44"), that the second, closable compartment (12) is partly defined by a detachable holder portion (16) comprising at least one contact face (39) for contact with at least one sachet portion (44', 44"), and that the rest of the holder (13) comprises at least one contact face (29', 29") for contact with at least one sachet portion (44', 44"), wherein the sachet portion is secured between the contact face on the holder (13) and the contact face on the holder portion (16) when the second compartment (12) is closed.

11.

A dental care kit according to any one of claims 8-10, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the holder has engaging means (24, 25) for engaging with a collar (42, 142) on the toothpaste container (40, 140).

12. A dental care kit according to any one of claims 8-11, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the holder in the second compartment comprises a concave wall surface (28) for receiving a part of the toothpaste container and a slide (14) movable in a slot (26).

13.

A dental care kit according to claim 12, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the concave wall surface (28) is arranged on the rest of the holder (13) and the slot with the slide is arranged in the holder portion (16).

14.

A dental care kit according to claim 12 or 13, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that the slide (14) is movable stepwise when the second compartment (12) is closed and freely movable when the second compartment is open.

15.

A dental care kit according to any one of claims 8-14, c h a r a c t e r i s e d i n that it further comprises a toothbrush (1) according to any one of claims 1-4 and a toothpaste sachet (40, 140) according to any one of claims 5-7.