GB1601092A - Toothbrush holder - Google Patents

Description

(54) TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER (71) 1, LOUIS WILLIAM SANDER SON, a British subject, of The Old Vicarage, Tuxford, Nottinghamshire, do hereby declare the invention, for which I pray that a patent may be granted to me, and the method by which it is to be performed, to be particularly described in and by the following statement: The present invention relates to a toothbrush holder.

A well known type of toothbrush holder consists of a fitting which can be attached to a convenient surface, such as a wall above a wash hand basin. Such a holder generally has one or more slots, in each of which the usually narrow handle of an ordinary toothbrush can be placed, the bristle head, being too large to pass through the slot, resting on an upper surface around the slot to retain the brush in the holder.

A disadvantage of such known holders is that they cannot be used to hold brushes having enlarged handles, such as those adapted to form a container for toothpaste.

An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a toothbrush holder, particularly, but not exclusively for a toothbrush having an enlarged handle.

According to the present invention there is provided a toothbrush holder comprising a support adapted to be fixed to a vertical surface, a cover attached to the support and having an internal abutment surface, fixed relative to the support, which slopes downwardly, in the fixed position of the support, over a rest for a toothbrush bristle head, the rest being carried by the support or by the cover and being spaced from the abutment surface by a distance greater than the depth, and less than the length, of the bristle head so that a toothbrush may be located in the holder by inserting the bristle head upwardly between the rest and the internal abutment surface to place the bristles on the rest, and allowing the brush to rotate about the rest until part of the bristle head engages the internal abutment surface to cause the bristle head to be retained on the rest by weight of the brush.

Since the toothbrush is engaged in the holder by inserting the bristle head upwardly into the holder, the size and shape of the toothbrush handle are immaterial. The holder is preferably such that the toothbrush handle hangs substantially vertically from the holder.

The cover may substantially enclose the holder, apart from a lower insertion opening for the toothbrush head. The rest may, for example, comprise a pin which spans the space between opposite walls of the cover or may be a projection carried by the cover or by the support. The rest may be releasably engaged with the support or cover in which case a plurality of positions for the rest are preferably provided to accommodate toothbrush heads of different sizes.

The support preferably comprises a back plate which can be attached to a suitable vertical surface, such as a wall, by any convenient means. Preferably the back plate is provided with an adhesive surface layer, such as an adhesive pad, for attachment to the surface.

The holder may be made from, for example, metal or wood but is preferably made from plastics material. Adjoining parts, for example, of the support and the cover, may be glued, welded or fastened together in any suitable manner or the holder, if made from plastics materials, may be made in one piece by injection moulding. Alternatively the cover and support may be made separately such that they can be releasably interengaged; this could be particularly useful if it is desired to take the holder apart for cleaning, or if it is desired to screw the holder to a wall rather than using an adhesive pad.

A holder according to the invention having an enclosing cover is preferably provided with an air vent in an upper part, in use.

If a lower part, in use, of the holder is enclosed, a drainage hole is preferably provided.

Toothbrush holders according to the invention may be made singly or some embodiments may be made with groups of two of more holders side by side, for use by respective members of a family. Alternatively a single holder may be made which is intern ally divided into compartments, each of which is adapted to accommodate a toothbrush head.

Two embodiments of the invention will now be more particularly described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying purely diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush holder according to one embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the toothbrush holder shown in Figure 1; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line III--III of Figure 2; Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to Figure 2 of a toothbrush holder according to a second embodiment of the invention, and Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of the holder of Figure 4 without a toothbrush, taken on line V-V of Figure 4.

In the drawings the same reference numerals are used throughout to designate the same or corresponding component parts.

Referring to Figures 1 to 3 of the drawings, a toothbrush holder according to the invention is generally indicated 1 in its position of use attached to a vertical wall 2. A toothbrush 3 having an enlarged handle 4, designed to contain a toothpaste reservoir, and a bristle head 5 is engaged in the holder 1.

The holder 1 is made from a resilient thermoplastics material and has a substantially rectangular backing plate 6 provided with an adhesive pad 7 for attaching the holder to the wall 2, as shown. The pad 7 is slightly smaller than the backing plate 6 so that it is substantially concealed from view between the plate 6 and the wall 2 and so that cleaning around the holder 1 is facilitated.

A cover 8 for the holder is formed from a sheet of the same resilient plastics material, which is bent about an axis of symmetry to form a rounded, upper front portion of the cover 8 joining two parallel spacedapart substantially triangular walls 9. Two longer, parallel and coplanar edges 10 of the walls 9 are welded to the opposite vertical edges of the backing plate 6, the shorter, lower edges 11 being free and substantially horizontal.

An air vent 12 is left between the cover 8 and the backing plate 6 at the upper apex of the holder, while the lower edges 11 define an entrance opening 13 of the holder 1.

The backing plate 6 and cover 8 could alternatively be made integrally, for example by injection moulding.

A rest for the bristle head 5 of the toothbrush 2 is provided in the holder 1 in the form of a pin 14 which spans the gap between the walls 9 of the cover 8 and is located adjacent the entrance opening 13.

The ends of the pin 12 are engaged in cooperating blind holes 15, one in each of the walls 9, to retain the pin in the cover 8.

Two pairs of such blind holes 15 are provided in the embodiment illustrated in Figures 1 to 3 so that the pin 14 can be located in either of two positions to accommodate toothbrush heads 5 of different depths d in the holder.

When fitting the pin 14 in a pair of the opposite blind holes 15, the walls 9 of the cover 8 are splayed apart at the lower edges 11 so that the pin 14 can be fitted into the cover 8 near the plate 6 and then pushed towards the selected pair of holes 15 until the ends of the pin 14 snap-engage in the holes 15.

The pin 14 is located in a selected pair of the holes 15 such that the perpendicular distance D between the pin 14 and the internal surface 16 of the upper, front portion of the cover 8 is greater than the depth d of the bristle head 5, including the bristles.

To locate the toothbrush 3 in the holder 1 the bristle head 5 is inserted upwardly between the pin 14 and the cover 8 and the lowermost bristles of the head 5 rested on the pin 14. The brush 3 is then allowed to rotate clockwise, as seen in Figure 2, about the pin 14 until the upper end of the bristle head 5 engages the internal surface 16 of the cover 8, which acts as an abutment surface, preventing further rotation of the brush 3 and retaining the latter in the holder 1 in the position shown, in which the brush handle 4 hangs substantially vertically.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 4 and 5 the cover 8 of a toothbrush holder la is of substantially the same shape as that shown in Figure 1. Both the cover 8 and the backing plate 6 are made by injection moulding and are so formed that they can be releasably interengaged. To this end the backing plate 6 is formed with bevelled longitudinal edge faces 17, which are vertical in the monuted POsitiOn of the plate, the bevelled faces being on the side to which the adhesive pad 7 is attached. The cover 8 is formed with laterally inwardly projecting lips 18 along its edges 10, the lips 18 having bevelled surfaces which cooperate with the bevelled edge faces 17 so that when the backing plate 6 is fixed to the wall 2 by the pad 7, the cover 8 can be slid downwardly on to the plate 6, the lips 18 engaging the respective bevelled edge faces 17 of the plate 6 to retain the cover 8 firmly in position on the plate 6.

The backing plate 6 and the rear opening of the cover 8 defined by the lips 18 are tapered in width slightly towards the top of the holder la, and the cover 8 is made from a resilient plastics material so that it can be forced gently downwards on to the plate 6 and is a tight fit in its position of use.

A laterally inwardly projecting, rounded protuberance 19 is provided at the lower end of each lip 18, to snap over the lower ends of the edge faces 17 so as to help retain the cover 8 in position. The resilient walls 9 of the cover 8 are forced apart as the cover 8 is pushed downwards allowing the protuberances 19 to slide over the edge faces 17 of the backing plate 6 before snap-engaging beneath the lower ends of the edge faces 17 into the position shown.

The protuberances 19 help to prevent upward movement of the cover 8, in use, when, for example, a toothbrush 3 is inserted in the holder la and is knocked against the cover 8.

In the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, the cover 8 substantially encloses the adhesive pad 7 giving a neat appearance to the holder la. The cover 8 can be readily removed for cleaning.

The rest for the bristle head 5 is, in this embodiment, formed by a wall 14a which projects upwardly and forwardly from the lower edge of the plate 6 into the holder la.

Bevelled edges 20 of the wall 14a have a clearance from the inside surfaces of the cover walls 9 and serve to conduct water downwardly to drainage openings 21 adjacent the lower edge of the backing plate 6.

A further wall 22, parallel to the wall 14a, projects upwardly and forwardly into the holder la from an upper part of the backing plate 6 and acts as a stop to prevent the toothbrush head 5 being pushed into the narrow upper part of the holder la where the bristles might be damaged.

WHAT I CLAIM IS: 1. A toothbrush holder comprising a support adapted to be fixed to a vertical surface, a cover attached to the support and having an internal abutment surface, fixed relative to the support, which slopes downwardly, in the fixed position of the support, over a rest for a toothbrush bristle head, the rest being carried by the support or by the cover and being spaced from the abutment surface by a distance greater than the depth, and less than the length of the bristle head so that a toothbrush may be located in the holder by inserting the bristle head upwardly between the rest and the internal abutment surface to place the bristles on the rest, and allowing the brush to rotate about the rest until part of the bristle head engages the internal abutment surface to cause the bristle head to be retained on the rest by the weight of the brush.

2. A toothbrush holder as claimed in Claim 1, in which the support comprises a substantially flat back plate having an adhesive surface layer for attachment of the plate to a vertical surface.

3. A toothbrush holder as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the cover substantially encloses the holder, apart from an insertion opening for the toothbrush head.

4. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, in which the rest comprises a pin which spans the space between opposite walls of the cover.

5. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, in which the rest is releasably engaged with the support or the cover and is engageable therewith in a plurality of positions to adapt the holder to accommodate toothbrush heads of different sizes.

6. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the support and the cover are releasably interengaged.

7. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the cover is provided with an upper air vent.

8. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, which is subdivided internally into compartments, each of which is adapted to accommodate a toothbrush.

9. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, moulded in plastics material.

10. A toothbrush holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 or Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.

**WARNING** end of DESC field may overlap start of CLMS **.

Claims (10)

**WARNING** start of CLMS field may overlap end of DESC **. to the plate 6 and is a tight fit in its position of use. A laterally inwardly projecting, rounded protuberance 19 is provided at the lower end of each lip 18, to snap over the lower ends of the edge faces 17 so as to help retain the cover 8 in position. The resilient walls 9 of the cover 8 are forced apart as the cover 8 is pushed downwards allowing the protuberances 19 to slide over the edge faces 17 of the backing plate 6 before snap-engaging beneath the lower ends of the edge faces 17 into the position shown. The protuberances 19 help to prevent upward movement of the cover 8, in use, when, for example, a toothbrush 3 is inserted in the holder la and is knocked against the cover 8. In the embodiment of Figures 4 and 5, the cover 8 substantially encloses the adhesive pad 7 giving a neat appearance to the holder la. The cover 8 can be readily removed for cleaning. The rest for the bristle head 5 is, in this embodiment, formed by a wall 14a which projects upwardly and forwardly from the lower edge of the plate 6 into the holder la. Bevelled edges 20 of the wall 14a have a clearance from the inside surfaces of the cover walls 9 and serve to conduct water downwardly to drainage openings 21 adjacent the lower edge of the backing plate 6. A further wall 22, parallel to the wall 14a, projects upwardly and forwardly into the holder la from an upper part of the backing plate 6 and acts as a stop to prevent the toothbrush head 5 being pushed into the narrow upper part of the holder la where the bristles might be damaged. WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. A toothbrush holder comprising a support adapted to be fixed to a vertical surface, a cover attached to the support and having an internal abutment surface, fixed relative to the support, which slopes downwardly, in the fixed position of the support, over a rest for a toothbrush bristle head, the rest being carried by the support or by the cover and being spaced from the abutment surface by a distance greater than the depth, and less than the length of the bristle head so that a toothbrush may be located in the holder by inserting the bristle head upwardly between the rest and the internal abutment surface to place the bristles on the rest, and allowing the brush to rotate about the rest until part of the bristle head engages the internal abutment surface to cause the bristle head to be retained on the rest by the weight of the brush.

2. A toothbrush holder as claimed in Claim 1, in which the support comprises a substantially flat back plate having an adhesive surface layer for attachment of the plate to a vertical surface.

3. A toothbrush holder as claimed in Claim 1 or Claim 2, in which the cover substantially encloses the holder, apart from an insertion opening for the toothbrush head.

4. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 3, in which the rest comprises a pin which spans the space between opposite walls of the cover.

5. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any of Claims 1 to 4, in which the rest is releasably engaged with the support or the cover and is engageable therewith in a plurality of positions to adapt the holder to accommodate toothbrush heads of different sizes.

6. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 5, in which the support and the cover are releasably interengaged.

7. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of Claims 1 to 6, in which the cover is provided with an upper air vent.

8. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, which is subdivided internally into compartments, each of which is adapted to accommodate a toothbrush.

9. A toothbrush holder as claimed in any one of the preceding Claims, moulded in plastics material.

10. A toothbrush holder substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in Figures 1 to 3 or Figures 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings.