JPH0345610Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a toothbrush. More specifically, the present invention relates to a foldable toothbrush.

[Conventional technology and problems]

When carrying a toothbrush, a long handle is inconvenient when carrying it in a bag or pocket. Therefore, various toothbrushes have been proposed in which the handle is folded in two to make it more compact. For example,
−65467, Utility Model No. 50-9179, Utility Model Kai No. 54-
No. 119770, Utility Model No. 58-21331, Utility Model No. 59-36722
No., Utility Model Publication No. 59-46139, etc.
These toothbrushes are constructed so that the handle is divided into two halves, a shaft is provided to connect them, and the handle is folded by rotating one of the handles around this axis. There is. When brushing teeth, these conventional toothbrushes are used with the folded handle rotated and stretched out. At this time, during the act of brushing teeth, a certain amount of force is applied to the handle because the handle is grasped with the palm of the hand. Since the rotating shaft portion is structurally weak, there is a high risk of damage due to this force, and it is desired to improve the structure of this portion.

[Means for solving problems]

In view of the above-mentioned problems of conventional folding toothbrushes, the inventors of the present invention have completed various studies, particularly regarding the structure of the part connecting the two handles. That is, the present invention consists of a first handle having a toothbrush bristle part provided at its tip, and a second handle having a cavity for storing the folded first handle and the bristle part. In the folding toothbrush, an elongated hole having a long axis in the longitudinal direction of the handle and inclined toward the distal end is provided at the end of the first handle opposite to the flocked part, and a second handle is provided. To provide a foldable toothbrush characterized in that a pair of projections to be inserted into the elongated hole are provided on both side walls of the handle rod on the opposite side from the part housing the flocked part.

[Effect]

The action of the toothbrush of the present invention will be explained using FIGS. 1 and 2 regarding an embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a side view of the toothbrush of the present invention in an expanded state. FIG. 2 is a side view of the folded state. In FIGS. 1 and 2, 1 is a first handle, and 2 is a flocked part. The flocked part is 2'
It consists of a flocking stand of 2" and a flocking part of 2". 3 is the second handle rod, and inside it, as is clear from Figure 2 and Figure 4 to be described later, there are the first handle rod and the flocking part. 4 is an elongated hole provided at the end of the first handle, and 5 is a pair of protrusions provided on both side walls of the second handle. 5 is inserted into the elongated hole 4. In Fig. 1, the first handle is stretched to make it suitable for brushing teeth. The state of the connecting portion when viewed from above (from above in FIG. 1A) is shown in FIG. 1B.

On the other hand, the state in which the first handle is folded is shown in FIG. 2, and in this case, a pair of protrusions 5 are located at the end of the elongated hole 4 on the side opposite to the flocking table.

What is important when extending the handle and brushing teeth is that both handles are firmly connected to each other so that they do not wobble, and that the connected portion is strong enough to withstand external forces.

In this regard, the toothbrush of the present invention has been devised. That is, as is clear from FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, which is an enlarged view of the In Figure 3B, the feature is that the long axis of the elongated hole is formed downward to the left. By slanting the hole in this manner, when the pair of protrusions 5 are inserted and slid into the hole to form the state shown in FIG.
Since the hole is slanted as described above, when these protrusions are slid into the hole, the protrusions are forced against the wall of the hole, resulting in the situation shown in Figure 1. In addition, since the protrusion 5 is securely locked in the elongated hole 4, the handle rod does not wobble and the connection portion is also strong. The angle θ of inclination is preferably in the range of 0.5° to 60° with respect to the horizontal axis direction.
If the angle is too small, the locking force will be insufficient; if the angle is too large, the sliding distance to lock will have to be shortened as shown in Figure 3C, making it impossible to obtain a satisfactory locking condition. . The most preferred angle of inclination is 1° to 10°.

By the way, in the state shown in FIG. 2 in which the handle is folded, the first handle 1 can freely rotate within a range of 180 degrees with respect to the second handle 3, so the toothbrush Even when not in use, if you tilt it or subject it to vibration, the first handle may pop out of the cavity of the second handle. There are two possible ways to prevent this. One of them is the flesh wall of the first handle and the second handle when the first handle is folded (the fourth
In this method, the clearance between the toothbrush and the toothbrush (7) in Figure B is made as small as possible to generate a frictional force therebetween, thereby preventing the first handle from rotating when the toothbrush is not in use. Another method is to push the first handle 1 to the right in Figure 2 in the state shown in Figure 2,
Slide the pair of protrusions 5 into the elongated hole, and
In the figure, the protrusion 5 is positioned at the left end of the elongated hole (the end of the hole on the side of the flocked portion). When it is slid in this way, the end of the first handle 1 opposite to the flocked part in FIG.
It is also conceivable that it may protrude from the end of the second handle rod, resulting in a state that is not very desirable in terms of appearance. However, this can be solved by making the second handle a little longer, or by providing the pair of protrusions a little further inside (a little more to the left in Figure 2). A foldable toothbrush designed in this manner is of course included within the technical scope of the toothbrush of the present invention.

The elongated hole provided in the first handle with its long axis in the longitudinal direction is preferably oval, and the pair of protrusions provided in the second handle are also cylindrical. Good. This allows the protrusion to move smoothly through the hole. Further, the size (diameter) of the protrusion should be such that it fits tightly against the wall of the elongated hole. It is more convenient to form this protrusion integrally with the second handle rod because this can simplify the manufacturing process of the toothbrush. Of course, a small cylinder may be manufactured separately from the second handle rod, and this may be glued or heat-sealed to a predetermined position on the second handle rod, and a hole may be made at the position where the protrusion is to be provided. The protrusion may be formed by drilling and inserting a cylinder into the hole.

If this protrusion is formed integrally with the second handle, when inserting this protrusion into the elongated hole of the first handle, the flesh wall forming the cavity of the second handle (the This means that 7) in Figure 4B is pushed outward to some extent. Therefore, as the material for the second handle rod, a material that has some elasticity (recovers to its original state even if deformed), such as polypropylene resin or polyethylene resin, is suitable.

AS (acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer) resin and ABS (acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer) resin are too hard, so it is better to use them after modifying them to have elasticity.

The material of the first handle is not limited by its physical properties, and may be one commonly used for toothbrushes, such as AS
Resin, ABS resin, polypropylene, nylon, etc. can be used.

Regarding the depth of the part of the second handle rod that accommodates the flocking part, rather than making it deep enough to accommodate all the flocking and the flocking table, it should be so deep that only the flocking is stored and the flocking table is not stored. It is better. By exposing the bristle bed to the outside in this way, you can apply force to the bristle bed and rotate the first handle easily, and it also makes it easier for the bristle to come into contact with the outside air, so you can soak it in water after brushing your teeth. Wet hair transplants tend to dry out easily.

In addition, in order to accelerate the drying of the flocked hair, the part of the second handle rod that accommodates the flocked part (6' in Fig. 4B)
It is advisable to provide ventilation holes on either or both of the bottom and sides. FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the second handle rod in which a ventilation hole 8 is provided on the bottom surface of the part that accommodates the flocked portion. Although there are no particular restrictions on the shape or number of ventilation holes, it is generally preferable to use regular shapes such as rectangles, squares, ellipses, and circles, and to arrange them regularly, as this creates an aesthetic appearance, rather than irregular shapes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1A is a side view of the toothbrush of the present invention in the stretched state, Fig. 1B is a plan view of the connecting part, Fig. 2 is a side view of the toothbrush in the folded state, and Fig. 3A is the first handle rod. Figures 3B and C are side views showing the elongated hole provided in the first handle, Figure 4A is a side view of the second handle, and Figure 4B is its plane. Figure, 5th
The figure is a bottom view showing a preferred embodiment of the second handle. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... First handle rod, 2... Flocked part, 3... Second handle lever, 4... Elongated hole, 5... Protrusion, 6... Cavity, 7... Flesh wall part, 8... ...vents.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] 1. A first handle having a toothbrush flocked part at its tip, and a second handle having a cavity for storing the folded first handle and the flocked part. In a folding toothbrush consisting of a rod, an elongated hole having a long axis in the longitudinal direction of the handle and inclined toward the distal end is provided at the end of the first handle on the opposite side from the flocked part. A folding toothbrush, characterized in that a pair of protrusions inserted into the elongated hole are provided on both side walls of the second handle rod opposite to the part that accommodates the flocked part. 2. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the pair of protrusions inserted into the elongated holes of the first handle are formed integrally with the second handle main body. 3. When the first handle rod is folded and stored in the cavity of the second handle, the flocked part of the first handle is stored in the cavity of the second handle, and the 2. The toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bristle-planting stand is configured so that it is not housed in the cavity of the second handle. 4. Utility model registration claims 1 to 4, in which ventilation holes are provided on either or both of the bottom and side surfaces of the second handle portion that accommodates the flocked portion of the first handle rod.
The toothbrush according to any one of item 3.