JPS61131706A - Toothbrush apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention includes an improved apparatus and method for polishing tooth surfaces and interdental grooves. The purpose of this tooth brushing is to remove the bacterial film that indirectly causes both tooth decay and gum disease.

In the prior art, devices and methods for brushing teeth are
Usually divided into two broad concepts. The first type is a non-powered brush in which a tuft of bristles consisting of a large number of bristles is planted on the brush head, and the bristles are moved relative to the teeth by physically moving the brush head by hand. be. Second, the brush head, which is composed of bristles and tufts similar to those used in hand brushes, is rotated, arcuated, reciprocated, or pivoted by a power mechanism, and can be moved over a large range by moving the hand. This is a powered brush that can be moved. The third is a powered brush that keeps the brush head substantially stationary and mechanically rotates each tuft individually along its axis in a fixed direction.

When the surface areas of the teeth and the grooves between the teeth are involved, even if you use a regular hand brush, the tips of the tufted bristles will not be able to brush the smooth surfaces of the oral and lingual sides of the teeth. Alternatively, it is relatively easy to move around the surface with little restriction. However, approximately 90% of dental caries and 70% of gum disease occur within the tooth-gingival groove along the central and apical surfaces, or at the top of the occlusal surface and the fissure groove. When brushing in these areas, the tips of the bristles usually pass over these fissures or depressions. If the bristles are forced into the fissures, they tend to rust together because they are flexible and long, resulting in a static position that is relatively ineffective at removing stuck bacterial films from the dental fissures.

The wedging effect of the bristles within the fissure or recessed area, as described above, is due to the relatively long and flexible bristles of the tuft. Moreover, the particular flexibility of the individual bristles results in a structure in which the bristle attachment of the brush head can transmit only a very small portion of the motion or force acting on the section to the tip of the bristle.

The power brush of the second concept as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,577.579 has the same brush structure as an ordinary hand brush;
The device and method of this invention do not have the same effect. In other words, these power brushes do not overcome the deficiencies of brush construction, such as bristle wedging and insufficient power transmission from the brush head to the bristle tops.

A third concept of power toothbrush devices, such as the power-driven toothbrush disclosed in U.S. Pat. Contains. Because of this constant rotation,
These tufts of bristles easily become dislodged from the grooves between the large surfaces of the teeth.

This phenomenon is similar to the feature in which the top of an ordinary power drill runs out when placed in an irregularly shaped starting aperture to drill a hole, or when it plunges into the surface to be drilled at an unusual angle. There is. In the mouth, the groove between the teeth and the gums is an irregularly shaped opening into which the tufts of a straight-headed brush can be inserted at right angles due to the arched curvature of the teeth. It becomes difficult. This occurs because it is difficult for the tuft to remain in this groove for a reasonable amount of time to remove the deposited material (as described above). The tendency of the brush to escape out of the grooves impairs the effectiveness of tooth brushing.

According to the present invention, an apparatus and method are provided that overcome the deficiencies of the prior art in polishing interdental grooves and tooth surfaces. The device of the invention includes a number of filament tufts, each of which rotates about its own axis in a controlled and predetermined manner. In particular, each filament tuft rotates in a controlled reciprocating manner in an opposite direction to its adjacent filament tuft. Moreover, the filament tufts are arranged in two parallel rows, the adjacent tufts of each row being not only staggered but also of different heights from each other.

In the device of the invention, when a tuft of filaments is rotated about its central axis, the filaments are twisted relative to the holder of each tuft.

This twisting phenomenon is a result of the multidimensional flexibility and elastic properties of each filament and the fact that each filament is held together only at its base, with the free end in contact with the tooth surface and interdental grooves to be polished. It is.

As a result of this twisting action, the surface of the filament is
As they are compressed against each other and the torsional action moves axially outward along each tuft, the filament tufts become increasingly stiffer and subsequently more energy is transferred from the filament tuft holder to the tuft. is transmitted along the filament and dissipated at the filament tip.This energy transfer is
more effective than prior art devices, even if the filament tip becomes trapped within the recesses and grooves of the occlusal surface of the tooth, or within the interdental groove between the central and distal surfaces of the tooth. It is.

Each filament tuft undergoes a reciprocating rotation to enable the tuft to be confined within the interdental sulcus for a period long enough to achieve polishing. This rotation begins in an angular direction that is sufficient to create both lateral movement of the tuft and effective energy transfer across the interdental sulcus to brush the proximal (medial and distal) surfaces of the tooth. However, it is smaller than the amount that could cause the filament tuft to run out and pop out of the interdental sulcus. Each filament tuft is then
Rotation in the opposite angular direction is sufficient to produce the same brushing effect that once again provides effective energy transfer while avoiding dislodging the tufts from the interdental grooves.

To ensure maximum penetration of the filaments into the interdental sulcus and to provide a filament tuft structure in which most of the filaments contact the central and distal surfaces of the curved teeth, the filaments are placed at the tip of each store, i.e. The "working end" is arranged in a tapered shape so as to have a suitably sharp shape. Additionally, the tip of each filament is tapered to allow it to more easily penetrate into the interdental sulcus.

Each tooth has facial and lingual surfaces in addition to the central and distal surfaces of the tooth. All four of these surfaces constitute the vertical surface of the crown of the tooth. Because the gingival margins of the facial and lingual tooth surfaces are vertically staggered, the filament tufts are preferably arranged in a staggered relationship within each row of tufts. A first set of long tufts is disposed along a first line in the brush head and a second set of short tufts is disposed along a second line in the brush head parallel to and spaced from the first line. It is arranged as follows. In this staggered arrangement, the long tufts reach into the interdental grooves and the short tufts buff the areas of the raised surfaces of the teeth near the gums.

Another desirable characteristic of the brushes of this invention is that the brush head itself does not undergo violent, vibratory movements. The brush head can therefore move slowly and gently over the gums approaching the tooth surface. The entire head of the brush is
No oscillatory, rotational, annular or elliptical movements or other movements than those imposed by the user.

This property is particularly important in tooth brushing.

This is because the amount of scrubbing action provided by a moving brush cannot be large enough to create what is called a "shaft vibration" due to the action of the brush head moving against the internal surface of the chimney. The invention avoids this limitation in polishing action by allowing the design of a device that rotates the filament tufts at the desired speed for effective polishing without applying power to the brush head.

Another benefit of the invention is that improved brushing can be provided to the tooth area at or near the gum margin. The reciprocating rotational movement of each section, which consists of rotating the tuft first in a first direction and then in the other direction, causes the filament tip to flare out and allow the filament tip to brush the grooves between the teeth and gums. can. This improved brushing effect is
Contributes to keeping gums healthy.

Moreover, when the separated tufts rotate reciprocatingly, the leilaments of the tufts are periodically twisted in a side-to-side helical fashion. This twisting action changes the total protrusion length of each store, thus creating a pumping action against the tooth surface that enhances the removal of the bacterial film.

Therefore, the main object of this invention is to use a large number of filament tufts rotating in a controlled reciprocating manner such that the filament tips are easily placed and maintained within the interdental sulcus of the tooth. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved tooth brushing device consisting of:

Another object of the invention is to use a plurality of filament tufts rotating in a controlled reciprocating manner to transfer power from a rotating device in the brush head through the tuft holder and tuft body to the tips of the filaments. It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved tooth brushing device with effective transmission.

Still another object of the present invention is that the reciprocating rotational movement of a number of filament tufts causes the filaments to periodically open to divergence, but that the tufts and filaments maintain their initial tightness over a relatively long period of use. To provide a tooth brushing device that retains its shape, is economically produced, and is easy to use and maintain.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a plurality of brushes arranged in a staggered relationship to effectively achieve the polishing of the interproximal surfaces of the teeth and the raised tooth surfaces offset from these crevices. To provide a tooth brushing device including long and short filament tufts.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description, except when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings, in particular to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown a device 10 of the invention particularly suitable for cleaning tooth surfaces and interdental grooves in order to remove bacterial films on teeth. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment; FIG. Areas of teeth particularly suitable for cleaning with the device according to this preferred embodiment include the flat surfaces of the teeth, the occlusal depressions and the interdental grooves.

Toothbrush 10 includes a brush head 20 at one end thereof and a power bundle 50 at the other end. The power bundle includes a drive 70 and a transmission 80 interconnecting the brush head 20 and the drive 70. Brush head 20
includes a number of long filament tufts 42 and short filament tufts 43, each of which is rotatable about a central axis. In this embodiment, ten filament tufts are arranged in the brush head 20, of which four long tufts
There are six 2 and four short tassels 43. Tufts 42 and 43 are
They are staggered along the brush head 20 in order to better brush the outer surfaces of the teeth and the surfaces facing the tongue that are raised above the interdental grooves and interproximal surfaces and located therebetween. .

Due to the staggered arrangement of the filament tufts, these teeth, the gingival margin of the interdental groove, and the raised internal and external tooth surfaces are physiologically perpendicular to each other, improving the brushing effect. Ru.

The gingival margins on the inner and outer tooth surfaces generally consist of the gingival tissue of the inner teeth,
Alternatively, it extends closer to the cervical line than the gingival margin of the groove between the tooth and the gums defined by the papillae.

The drive device 70 includes a DC motor 72 and an electrical connector 74.
Contains. Transmission device 80 provides for the transmission of mechanical energy from drive device 70 through a series of gears including pinion gear 82 and crown gear 84 . Note that a crack arm 86 and a clevis 88 are attached to the gear. Clevis 88 is pivotally connected to drive shaft 92 of gear-rack arrangement 30 . As shown in FIGS. 2, 5 and 6, the gear-rack arrangement 30 mechanically moves the tufts 42 and 43 in a controlled reciprocating motion such that the rotation of the tufts is reversed after a predetermined number of revolutions. Transfer energy. Additionally, the tufts rotate counter-rotating with respect to each other. That is, adjacent tufts rotate in opposite directions.

Referring again to FIGS. 1 and 3, the apparatus of the present invention is shown in two cross-sectional views. The power bundle 50 is
It has an outer casing 52. The casing 52 of the power bundle 50 may be formed of a suitable protective material, in particular to support the drive device 70 and the transmission device 80 and to protect the device from the effects occurring within the power bundle 50 during use of the device. It is preferably constructed of an insulating plastic material that is sufficiently rigid to provide a means of protection for personnel.

The casing 52 is a generally elongated tubular body that tapers slightly from one end to the other to mate with the brush head 20 at one end thereof, and the electrical connector 74 is a generally elongated tubular body that tapers slightly from one end to the other to mate with the brush head 20 at one end thereof, and the electrical connector 74 is connected to the casing 74 as shown in FIG. ■It is preferable to use a concentric plug that can be electrically connected to a DC power source such as a power source.

This DC power source may be a suitable battery or a transformer rectifier for AC from the domestic power line. The electrical circuit is constructed in a well-known manner, with one side of the connector 74 communicating with the DC motor 72 and the other side communicating with a switch 76 mounted on the casing 52 and thence to the DC motor 72. The circuit is completed. motor 72
is activated when switch 76 is closed. Switch 76 is a suitable single pole switch, and in this preferred embodiment switch 76 is a single pole sliding conventional knife switch.

Assembly plate 54 is secured within casing 52 of power bundle 50 by laterally mounting along its base within a grooved shoulder 53 cast into the interior wall of casing 52 . The motor 72 is secured within the handle 5° by attaching it to the upwardly curved portion of the assembly plate 54 and tightening it with machine screws 58.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the transmission 80 includes a pinion gear 82 that is coupled to the output shaft 73 of the motor. The pinion gear 82 is connected to the motor 72
It is fixed to the shaft 73 by a press fit or other suitable means so as to rotate with the rotation of the shaft 73 while being driven.

Additionally, transmission 80 includes a crown gear 84 rotatably supported by assembly plate 54, as illustrated in detail in the cross-sectional view of FIG. The crown gear 84 is mounted within a hole in the assembly plate 54 and the mounting is supported by a mounting pin assembly 94 secured by a nut 96. When the motor 72 is driven, the shaft 73 rotates and the crown gear 84 is driven through the pinion gear 82 which engages the teeth of the crown gear 84, as illustrated in FIGS. Ru.

In order to convert the rotational movement of the crown gear 84 into a linear reciprocating movement of the rack 36 and then into a reciprocating rotational movement of the tufts 42 and 43, a group of transmission elements as described below is provided. The crack arm 86 has a first end attached to a portion of the crown gear 84 radially displaced from the central axis of the crack gear 84, and a second end attached to the gear rack drive shaft 9.
It is linked to 2. A first end of the crown arm 86 includes a connector 87. As shown in FIG. 3, the connector 87 is inserted through the oil-impregnated bearing 102 which is press-fitted into the meshing recess of the crown gear 84.
It is pivoted to the crown gear 84 by a drive pin 104 mounted therein.

The second @ of the crown arm 86 is connected to a clevis shank 91 of a rack drive shaft 92 via a clevis 88 and a clevis pin 89.

Clevis 88 is secured to the end of arm 86 and includes a pin extending through an opening in the terminal portion of clevis 88 and an opening in clevis shank 91, as shown in FIGS. 89 is pivotally supported on the shaft 92.

It will be readily apparent from this stage of the description of the device that when the motor 72 is driven, the rack drive shaft 92 will move in a linear reciprocating cycle along its longitudinal axis. Probably. This reciprocation is caused by the movement of the crown arm 86 in an annular path defined by the movement of the crown gear 84. The length of the reciprocating stroke of shaft 92 is a function of the radial distance between the center of crown gear 84 and the center point of attachment of crown arm 86 to crown gear 84.

The brushes 20 including the gear-rack arrangement 30 include:
5.6.7.8.10 and 12. In an embodiment for use in tooth brushing, the brush head 20 has 1
Create 0 bunches. The number of tufts is such that the area limited by the tufts in the brush head 20 is long enough to efficiently brush many tooth surfaces and interdental grooves, and at the same time, the brushing tip of the tufts is large enough to efficiently brush many tooth surfaces and interdental grooves. The brush head 20 is suitably selected to be short enough to fit the arc of the mouth so that the brush head is placed in contact with the inner surface of the teeth. Each store is similar to a tuft commonly used in the toothpaste industry, which tuft consists of a group of filaments fixed at the base within a single hole and free at the opposite end. When this tuft is used in the devices and methods of this invention, it easily penetrates into the groove between the teeth and gums, and as it rotates about its own axis, substantially all of the filaments in each tuft are removed. It is relatively long and thin so that effective power transmission is achieved by twisting.

The tassels are 2 in which the long tassels 42 and the short tassels 42δ are mutually different.
The books are arranged in rows. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the long tufts 42 of each row are located closer to the longitudinal axis of the brush head 2o, ie, in a retracted position, than the short tufts 43 of each row. Both short tufts 43 and long tufts 42 have tapered top surfaces defined by the filament tips of each store. The tapered configuration of the long tufts 42 facilitates the insertion of the long tuft filaments into the interdental grooves.

The short tufts 43 are tapered or pointed for at least two reasons. The first reason is that if the tip of the short tuft 43 has a flat upper end surface,
The lateral reciprocation becomes undesirably intense and causes mechanical collisions with adjacent tufts; the second reason is that the depth of the interdental grooves is not constant, resulting in a flat surface. In some cases, the tip tuft is pressed too hard against the inner and outer surfaces of the raised tooth, and in other cases it is dislodged entirely. For these reasons, the ends of the short tufts 43 are pointed or tapered as schematically illustrated in the drawings.

By arranging the long tufts and the short tufts in an alternating relationship, the tooth surfaces and the grooves between the teeth can be well polished. The raised internal and external surfaces of the upper and lower teeth extend closer to the palate and floor of the mouth, respectively, than the associated interdental grooves, thereby influencing the position and elevation of the interdental grooves. A staggered relationship is established between the inner and outer sides of the surface and the position of the gingival margin. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, long tufts 42
The tufts 43 are positioned to facilitate the filament's entry into the area between the proximal surfaces of the tooth, while the short tufts 43 are positioned to facilitate access to the raised tooth surface areas.

Each store consists of a number of filaments having a predetermined diameter and physical characteristics such that the desired brushing action can be achieved by the movement of the tufts of the present invention. In this preferred embodiment, each store is approximately 0.2286 cm (0.2286 cm) in diameter.
090 inch) and consists of several hundred filaments, each filament having a diameter from o,otoi(2) to 0.01521(
0.004 to 0.006 inches). Each store tapers to an apex angle of approximately 50°, and each filament is shaped with an apical angle of approximately 25°, thereby creating a gap between the interproximal tooth surfaces, gingival grooves, and other The brushing effect on small areas is improved.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 12, ten tufts 42 and 43
are each mechanically held within a metal holder 44. The proximal ends of the filaments forming the base of each store 42 and 43 are preferably welded together with a heated platen to hold them in the desired configuration.

The proximal end of each store is then press fit into the retainer 44 such that each store has its filament and retainer 44
It is fixed to the holder 44 by frictional engagement with the inner wall of the holder 44 .

Alternatively, the filament can be held together to form a tuft within the tuft retainer 44 using conventional methods other than welding the filament's proximal ends together.

Each retainer 44 has a lower extension 45 suitable for attachment to a bore in the chamber drive shaft 46. The holder 44 is secured to the tuft drive shaft 46 with a suitable adhesive. This means of securing each tuft holder 44 to each drive shaft 46 provides a rigid interengagement between the two and constitutes an integral drive means for the tuft holder 44 and tuft drive shaft 46. There is.

As shown in Figures 5.6.8 and 9, the tuft drive shaft 46 is driven by a top bearing insert 32 mounted on a top support plate 47 and a bottom bearing insert 33 mounted on a bottom support plate 48. , is pivoted within the brush head 20. These inserts 32 and 33 are made of a suitable oil bearing material. The top bearing insert 32 has an aperture and the bottom bearing insert 33 has a recess that cooperate to extend the length between the axes of the long tuft 42 between adjacent axes. The axes are positioned to provide approximately 0.294 inches (0.746 cm), which approximates an average spacing of approximately 0.34 inches (0.7721 (0.34 inches)) between the gaps between tooth flanks. Bearing insert 32
The recesses at and 33 also position the short tufts substantially equidistant from the immediately adjacent long tufts 42. The end of each shaft 46 is
Each shaft 46 rests on a recess in the bottom bearing insert to prevent axial downward movement. Each shaft 46 is immobilized axially upwardly by a drive shaft spur gear. An idler spur gear 35 is press-fitted onto each drive shaft 46 associated with a short tuft 43, and a driven spur gear 34 is press-fitted onto each drive shaft 46 associated with a long tuft 42. A low left portion 39 is provided on each shaft 46 to ensure engagement with each gear 34,35.

Support plates 47 and 48 are mounted within the brush head 20;
and is held securely in relative relation to each other by four spacer posts 49.

In addition, it is preferable that the above-mentioned spacer post is provided with a bent shoulder at its end. The post 49 is connected to the spacer hole 6
4 and support plates 47 and 48 abut the shoulders of the post. After assembly, the ends of posts 49 inserted into holes 64 are mechanically expanded or upholstered to securely secure plates 47 and 48 thereto. The top support plate 47 has holes 6 as shown in FIG.
2 is provided.

As mentioned above, each of the ten tuft drive shafts 46 has a spur gear 34 or 35 connected thereto. The ten spur gears 34 and 35 of the drive arrangement each have a
The gear train is divided into two separate gear trains each consisting of three gears. As shown in FIG. 5, the gears are staggered so that the six driven spur gears 34 mesh with and are driven by the gear rack 36. Furthermore, the four idler spur gears 35 are driven only by meshing with the driven spur gear 34. In Figure 5, the gear rack 3
6 is shown in its rearmost position when meshing with only two spur gears 34 and the eight forward gears continue to rotate due to intermeshed gears. In operation, the rack 36 is linearly reciprocated by the gear rack drive shaft 92.

Also, in this preferred implementation, long tufts 42 and short tufts 43 have the same base circumference, and gear rack 36 brushes a distance (from the rear position in FIG. 5) equal to lz times the circumference of each store. Move in the direction of the head 20.

Due to the controlled linear reciprocating motion of the gear rack 36, each tuft undergoes a controlled reciprocating and counter-rotating rotational motion in a predetermined cycle. The reciprocating motion in one direction at 1z times the base circumference of each store is such that in this preferred embodiment, each store first rotates in one direction and then rotates 1% in the opposite direction. has been selected. however,
When measuring the circumference of the tuft as a single unit, the amount of controlled back and forth rotation depends on the diameter of the filament within each store, the length and diameter of each store itself, and the angle of inclination of the tapered surface of each store formed by the top of the filament. It changes accordingly.

In a preferred embodiment, gear rack 36 is relatively long compared to its cross-sectional dimensions. In order to reduce the possibility that the gear rack 36 will bend due to sudden reciprocating forces acting on the gear rack 36 having such a dimensional relationship, the rack is provided with a U-shaped rack plate 37, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10.
embedded in and spot welded to this.

To connect support plates 47 and 48 to power bundle 50, a metallic support tube 38 is provided that wraps around shaft 92.

Tube 38 has an outer wall that tapers in the direction of brush head 20 . At the small diameter end of the tube 38, a portion of the tube 38 is cut out to fit the assembly support plates 47 and 48 and provide opposing flat surfaces for tack welding or soldering.

As shown in FIG. 1, tapered support tube 38 has a small diameter and is threaded at the large diameter end closest to power bundle 50. As shown in FIG. This tube therefore passes through a hole in the fold of the assembly plate and is secured therein by a nut 96.

A seal 99 is disposed within this nut 96 to prevent lubricating oil from flowing from the brush head 20 into the power bundle 50.

As shown in FIGS. 1.3 and 4, the tubular portion of the gear rack drive shaft 92 connects the power bundle 50 and the brush head 20.
It is supported and pivoted by two oil-impregnated sleeve bearings 41 press-fitted into the inner diameter of the tapered support tube 38 extending between the two. To protect and isolate the gear-rack arrangement 30, shaft 92 and tube 38 of the brush head 20, an upper brush head casing half 22 and a lower brush head casing half 24 are provided.

The casing halves 22 and 24 are connected to support plates 47 and 48.
, and are fitted around the support tube 38 and bonded together at their mutual abutting surfaces to retain lubricant for the gear-rack assembly 30 and prevent moisture from entering the interior. are doing. Casing halves 22 and 2
The casing halves 22 and 24 meet the end cap 26 at the point where 4 joins the end cap 26 for the housing 52.
It passes through the inner hole and is coated with a flexible silicone adhesive as a moisture barrier.

In order to retain lubricant within the gear-rack arrangement 30 and to prevent the ingress of moisture etc. into the arrangement, a single seal 28 is provided having a hole that fits each of the ten drive shafts. It is.

As shown in No. 10.11 and 12, each chamber drive shaft 46
The portion 27 of the seal 28 adjacent to the seal 28 is raised relative to the base of the seal 28 to allow free movement. The deflection of the raised portion 27 of the seal 28 in the exemplary embodiment allows for accommodating dimensional tolerance changes between the bore centerlines of both the bearing insert 32 and the seal 28 itself.

A seal ring 29 in the brush head casing upper half 22 abuts the base surface of the seal 28 to prevent fluid from flowing around the seal 28. 1st
1 shows each opening in seal 28 being slightly smaller in diameter than necessary to fit each shaft 46. FIG. Each chamber drive shaft 4
The flexibility of the seal 28, which abuts around the periphery of 6, provides a substantially fluid tight seal.

As can be seen from the foregoing description, in operation of the apparatus of the present invention, when the switch arrangement 76 is moved so as to cause the motor 72 to move, the crack gear 84 begins to rotate. This movement further moves the crack arm 86 and causes the gear rack drive shaft to reciprocate, thereby causing the gear rack 36 to perform a corresponding linear reciprocating motion. gear rack 3
6 performs a linear reciprocating motion, it meshes with the spur gears 34 in the gear train and rotates them first a certain number of revolutions in one direction and then a certain number of revolutions in the opposite direction, thereby , causing the tuft 42.43 associated with the gear 34.35 to undergo a reciprocating and reciprocating rotational movement.

During this movement cycle, except for their instantaneous rest position, adjacent chambers will be rotating in opposite directions to each other.

The desired speed of the reciprocating rack 36 is about 800 to 1 revolution per minute with about 1 rotation in each direction per cycle.
for 300 cycles. In the preferred embodiment, the rack 36 reciprocates at 1000 cycles per minute and the tuft rotates at approximately 3000 revolutions per minute.

Therefore, the preferred embodiment of the invention includes multiple tufts with reciprocating and counter-rotating motion of approximately 1% rotation in each of the two directions. During the reciprocating cycle, each of the first tufts rotates in a first direction for about 1% rotation, and each of the second tufts rotates in the opposite direction to the first direction for about 1z rotations. and then during another A of the reciprocating cycle, each of said first tufts rotates in said second direction for about IA rotation, and each of said second tufts rotates in said second direction for about I % rotation in the first direction. This controlled reciprocating rotation of 1% rotation increases the movement within the groove between the teeth by each long tuft 42 attempting to advance along the wall of the groove between the tooth and the gums and out of the fissure. This is enough to get started. However, the rotation is reversed at an optimal point before running, and the tuft moves along and across the groove between the teeth so that it attempts to run along the opposite walls of the groove between the teeth. move backwards. By rapidly repeating this movement, the grooves between the teeth and the adjacent tooth surfaces can be thoroughly polished.Also, the reverse rotation of the adjacent tufts according to the present invention allows Maintaining contact between the grooves helps improve brush stability.

The reciprocating rotation of each store has the advantage of spreading the free ends of the filaments when the direction of rotation of the tuft is reversed during part of the reciprocating cycle. Due to this filament's flared opening, the flared filament top swells along the crevice between the gums and teeth, and in this respect helps to remove the bacterial film that causes cavities and gum disease.

This invention is not only highly desirable in use because the tuft itself moves to perform the polishing action, while the brush head remains stationary except for slow movements by the user.
An improved polishing device and method is provided which is more efficient and effective due to the special rotational movement of the tufts and the special design of the filaments.

This improved polishing action of the tooth surface is achieved by causing the tufts to perform a kind of pumping action during the reciprocating rotational movement. As the tuft moves from the highest rotational position in one direction to the highest rotational position in the other, the individual filaments move from the highest twisted position in one direction (a short helix in one direction) to the normal position (
elongated, i.e., straight filament position),
and is moved or repositioned in the opposite direction to the highest twisted position (a short spiral in the opposite direction). Therefore, the protruding length of the filament changes from short to long and back again while the filament starts from the highest twist position in one direction and progresses to the highest twist position in the opposite direction. Such a change in the protruding length of the filament provides a kind of pumping action of the filament top onto the tooth surface or interdental groove, further improving the polishing action.

Although the foregoing embodiments have been illustrated, many modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. All such modifications are intended to be covered by the claims.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of the brushing device of the present invention, illustrating a drive device and a power transmission device. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway bottom view of the tooth brushing device of FIG. 1 taken along line 2-2 to further illustrate the drive device and power transmission device. Figure 3 shows line 3-3 to further illustrate the power transmission system.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the tooth brushing device of FIG. 1 taken along the line; Figure 4 shows line 4-4 illustrating the support for the rack drive shaft.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the tooth brushing device of FIG. 1 taken along the line; FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged top view of the brush head of the tooth brushing device of FIG. 1 taken along line 5--5 illustrating the gear-rack arrangement. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the brush head of FIG. 5 taken along line 6--6 illustrating the filament tufts and further illustrating the gear-rack arrangement. FIG. 7 shows line 7-7 further illustrating the gear-rack arrangement.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the brush head of FIG. 6 taken along the line; FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the brush head of the device according to the invention further illustrating the relationship of the gear-wheel arrangement and the various layers of this arrangement. FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the brush head taken along line 9--9 illustrating the top support and top bearing insert. FIG. 10 is a partially exploded perspective view of the brush head of the device of the invention, particularly illustrating the single seal for the filament tuft drive shaft. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the single seal shown in FIG. 10 taken along line 11-11 illustrating the size of the single seal hole relative to the axis that fits into the seal hole. FIG. 12 is a partially exploded perspective view of the brush head of the apparatus according to the invention illustrating the relationship of the brush head casing to a portion of the gear-rack arrangement and a single seal; 10...Brush, 20...Brush head, 42.43
... Filament tuft, 50 ... Power bundle, 34
．． 35...Gear, 36...Reciprocating rack.

Claims (10)

[Claims] (1) a brush head; a first tuft of a plurality of filaments; each of the first tufts being rotatably attached to the brush head; a second tuft of a plurality of filaments; each of the second tufts is rotatably attached to the brush head and is shorter in length than each of the first tufts; arranged alternately in rows; a plurality of driven spur gears; each of the driven spur gears being coupled to one of the first tufts; a plurality of idler spur gears; each of the spur gears is coupled to one of the second tufts and meshes with at least two of the driven spur gears; and each of the first tufts is opposite to each of the second tufts. a rack meshing with at least two of the driven spur gears; a device for uniformly reciprocating the rack; and the first tuft and the second tuft, for polishing tooth surfaces and interdental grooves, each of which is rotated in a controlled reciprocating motion about its own central axis; and tooth brushing device. (2) a plurality of tuft drive shafts, each of the tuft drive shafts being coupled to one of the first tuft and the second tuft, and a plurality of openings adapted to the tuft drive shafts; A tooth brushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises an integral seal having: (3) The periphery of each opening in the seal is provided with a flexible seal formed by a raised portion of the seal extending from the base of the seal and in contact with the tuft drive shaft. A tooth brushing device according to claim (2). (4) The brush head includes an inner surface having a sealing ring that contacts the seal to prevent fluid from flowing through the seal. tooth brushing device. (5) Each of the first tufts and each of the second tufts has a tapered surface for tooth brushing, and the surface is formed by the tip of the filament. The tooth brushing device according to item (1). (6) The tooth brushing device according to claim (5), wherein the tip of each of the filaments is tapered to form an inclined angle. (7) The tooth brushing device according to claim (6), wherein the tapered tip of each of the filaments has an inclination angle of approximately 25 degrees. (8) Each of the filaments is at least about 0.1
016mm (approx. 0.004 inch) and approximately 0.1524m
A brushing device according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a diameter not greater than m (approximately 0.006 inches). (9) The first tuft is approximately 0.747 cm (approximately 0.294 cm)
The toothbrushing device according to claim 1, wherein the second tuft is located at a substantially equal distance from the adjacent first tuft. . (10) a brush head; a first tuft of a plurality of filaments; each of the first tufts being rotatably attached to the brush head; a second tuft of a plurality of filaments; each of the second tufts is rotatably attached to the brush head and is shorter in length than each of the first tufts; arranged alternately in two rows; a plurality of driven spur gears; each of said driven spur gears being connected to one of said first tufts; a plurality of idler spur gears; each of the idler spur gears is connected to one of the second tufts and meshes with at least two of the driven spur gears, and each of the first tufts is opposite to each of the second tufts. a rack meshing with at least two of the driven spur gears; a device for uniformly reciprocating the rack; and the first tuft and the second tuft. , each of which is rotated in a controlled reciprocating motion about its own central axis, and the device for reciprocating the racks includes a rotatable output shaft. a pinion mounted to be rotationally engaged with the output shaft, a crown gear engaging the pinion, and a crown arm rotatably and eccentrically mounted to the crown gear at a first end; a rack drive shaft rotatably attached to a second end of the crown arm at a first end; A tooth-brushing device characterized by being connected to one end of the toothbrushing device.