MXPA03009980A - Chewable toothbrush. - Google Patents

Abstract

A chewable toothbrush includes a pliable bristle anchor, bristles attached to the bristle anchor, and a handle attached to the bristle anchor. In one embodiment, the bristle anchor includes a cavity that holds a material such as toothpaste or mouthwash. When the toothbrush is chewed, the material is released from the cavity and onto the bristles. The toothbrush may be realized as a single-use disposable unit or as a multiple-use unit. The cavity in a multiple-use unit can be reloaded with material prior to each use.

Description

TOOTHBRUSH W1AST1CABLE FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to a toothbrush. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toothbrush having a chewable anchor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The state of the art contains a large number of different designs of toothbrushes. A typical manually operated toothbrush includes rows of bristles attached to a rigid head. The user holds the toothbrush against his teeth and moves the toothbrush to carve the teeth. A conventional toothbrush held in the hand requires manual manipulation to effectively clean the teeth. Some known toothbrushes are designed for a simple use or for a limited number of uses. As "temporarily" a single-use toothbrush also uses a stiff bristle head and also requires use to manually manipulate the toothbrush.

Through the state of the art there are many toothbrushes, most are not set apart from the manual operation of the standard design. Therefore, there is a need for a toothbrush to clean the teeth in a new and original way.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A toothbrush according to the present invention may include a chewable bristle anchor which makes it possible to use for cleaning the teeth by chewing on the toothbrush. The user does not need to manipulate the toothbrush using the traditional brushing movement. Several single-use and multi-use toothbrushes can be designed according to the techniques of the present invention.

The foregoing and other aspects of the present invention can be carried out in a form by a toothbrush comprising a chewable bristle anchor having an incompressible shape, a plurality of bristles attached to the bristle anchor, and a handle connected to the anchor of bristles. The bristle anchor is configured to compress itself in response to the application of an external force and to return to its incompressible shape in response to withdrawal of external force.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES A more complete understanding of the present invention can be derived by reference to the detailed description and claims when considering in conjunction with the following figures, wherein such reference numbers refer to similar elements in all figures.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush configured in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a bristle anchor suitable for use with the toothbrush shown in the figural; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the toothbrush shown in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a plan view of a toothbrush portion shown in Figure 1; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a bristle anchor in a compressed state; Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a portable bristle anchor; Figures 7 to 9 are perspective views of various configurations of toothbrushes according to the present invention; Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of an assembly and a tube of toothpaste; Y Figure 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating a technique for dispensing toothpaste into a cavity formed within a bristle anchor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED MODALITY Figure 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush 100 configured in accordance with the present invention. The example embodiment described herein is suitable as a single-use toothbrush. Alternatively, the toothbrush 100 may be configured for use as a multi-purpose toothbrush. The toothbrush 100 generally includes a chewable bristle anchor 102 (concealed from the view in Figure 1), but shown in Figures 2 to 5), a plurality of bristles 104 attached to the bristle anchor 102, and a handle 106 connected to the bristle anchor 102. As described below in greater detail, the bristle anchor 102 includes a cavity that stores a moisturizing material such as a liquid or a mouthwash gel. The humectant material is released from the cavity when the user chews the toothbrush 100. Prior to use, the humectant material is temporarily sheltered within the cavity with a layer of wax and / or a layer of toothpaste.

The bristle anchor 102 is preferably formed of a flexible material that allows the bristle anchor 102 to be compressed when chewed. The bristle anchor 102 is formed such that it initially remains as an incompressible shape (as shown in Figures 2 to 4). Although the shape of the bristle anchor 102 can vary for a given toothbrush, the embodiment of the example uses an oblong anchor and formed as football. The bristle anchor 102 is configured to compress itself in response to the application of an external force (such as a chewing force) and to return to the incompressible shape in response to removal of the external force. Figure 5 describes the anchor of bristles 102 in a deformed or compressed form resulting from the application of an external force F. The bristle anchor 102 can be formed of a resilient material having elastic memory that allows it to return to its original shape. As an example, the bristle anchor 102 can be formed of some suitable material such as plastic, rubber, nylon, a composite material, or other material. The properties of hardness, resilience, elasticity, tensile strength, and other physical properties of the bristle anchor 102 can be selected for the particular design.

The bristles 104 may be attached to the bristle anchor 102 in some convenient manner. For example, the bristles 104 can be molded into the anchor of bristles 102, inserted and joined within holes formed in the bristle anchor 102, or the like. In a practical embodiment, the bristles 104 can be located in a random fashion or in a specific pattern satisfactory for the shape, size, or application of the toothbrush 100. For example, in a practical embodiment, the plurality of bristles 104 includes a plurality of short bristles 104a, each having a relatively low stiffness, a plurality of intermediate bristles 104b, each having a relatively intermediate stiffness, and a plurality of long bristles 104 c, each having a relatively high stiffness (see Figure 4) . The short bristles 104a act as the first layer of bristles, which are applied to the line of the user's gums. In use, the biting movement causes the short bristles 104a to gently push against and massage the gum line, thus removing the present material and plaque from the gum line. The intermediate bristles 104b act as the second layer of bristles.

Intermediate bristles 104b clean the plaque and particles below the gum line and reach crevices between teeth. The intermediate bristle layer 104b also functions to clean the entire surface of each tooth and the gums. The long bristles 104c, clean and stimulate the bottom and roof of the mouth and tongue. In a practical embodiment, the short bristles 104a each have a length of about 1/8 of an inch, the intermediate bristles each have a length of about 1/4 inch, and the long bristles each have a length of about 3/8 of an inch For purposes of illustration, Figure 4 only shows a small number of bristles 104; A practical toothbrush 100 includes a large number of bristles 104 arranged densely (as shown in Figure 1).

The bristles can be formed as single strings, as represented by the bristles 104, or as bent strings, as represented by the bristles 105 (see figure 4). The bent bristles 105 can be used to reduce the irritation of the mouth and gums while the toothbrush is chewed. As shown in Figure 5, the bent bristles 105 may have different length and stiffness (as described above in relation to the bristles 104).

The resilience of the bristle anchor 102 changes the angle of the bristles 104 with each bite. In response to the chewing movement, the bristles 104 move and "press down" on the teeth and gums to loosen and remove exterior particles. The bristles of different length and the bristles with different stiffness, combined with the compression of the anchor of bristles 102 during the chewing, stimulate the gums and the mouth in an original way.

As shown in Figure 3 and Figure 5, the bristle anchor 102 includes a cavity 108 formed therein. The cavity 108 is suitably configured to store a substance (e.g., water, mouthwash, a liquid gel, a dentifrice such as toothpaste or toothpaste, a wetting material, or a similar material) that is released when an external force it is applied to the bristle anchor 102. For safety, the substance must be edible and non-toxic. The toothbrush can be dimensioned specifically for use by an adult or child, that is, the size of the bristle anchor 102 and the cavity 108 can be relatively small or relatively large depending on the intended use. For example, the cavity 108 can be sized to contain some volume of material, for example between 2 to 10 milliliters. As well shown in Figure 2 and Figure 4, a number of filtration holes 110 can be formed in the bristle anchor 102; the filtering orifices 110 are suitably configured to release the substance contained in the cavity 108. As described in Figure 5, when the bristle anchor 102 is compressed, the substance contained in the cavity 108 pressed through the filtration orifices 110 In one embodiment, the filtration holes 110 have a diameter of approximately 1/32 of an inch. Of course, the size, shape and distribution of the filter holes 110 may vary according to the particular design and application of the toothbrush 100. When the toothbrush 100 is chewed, the substance existing in the cavity 108 eventually enters in contact with the exposed portion of the toothbrush 100 and comes into contact with the user's teeth.

Instead of the filtering holes 110, the bristle anchor 102 can include openings, slits, capillaries, fissures, or some convenient conduit configured to transfer the substance from the interior of the cavity 108 to the exterior of the cavity 108. In truth, the bristle anchor 102 can be formed of a porous material capable of releasing the substance via a filtering or leaching action. Alternatively, the bristle anchor 102 can be formed of an absorbent material such as a sponge material or a foamed material. Instead of a substance contained in a cavity, the absorbent material can be impregnated with a convenient substance that is released when the user chews the toothbrush.

As mentioned above, a toothbrush 100 can be configured as a single use available unit.

Additionally, the toothbrush 100 can be configured such that the user does not need to apply water or otherwise pre-moisten the bristles 104 prior to use. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the toothbrush 100 (the portion of the head). For reasons of clarity, the bristles 104 are not shown in Figure 3. As described above, the embodiment illustrated includes an anchor of bristles 102 having filter holes 110 formed therein. In bristle anchor 102 includes a hollow portion forming the cavity 108. For the "water-free" toothbrush version 100, a suitably wet material 112 is connected in the cavity 108. The humectant material 112 preferably serves to moisten the bristles 104 and the user's teeth. In this regard, the humectant material 112 can be water, mouthwash, disinfectant, or some appropriate lubricant. Additionally, the humectant material 112 can be a liquid, a gel, a number of capsules filled with liquid, or the like.

The toothbrush 100 may include a shutter 114 formed around the bristle anchor 102; the shutter 114 is configured to temporarily shield the wetting material 112 within the cavity 108. Prior to use, the shutter 114 prevents the wetting material 112 from being prematurely released by the filtering holes 110. In a practical embodiment, the shutter 114 substantially surrounds the bristle anchor 102 to ensure that all the filter holes 110 are covered. According to an exemplary embodiment, the shutter 114 comprises a wax layer having a thickness between 1/16 inch and 1/8 inch. Alternatively, the obturator 114 may include a dentifrice (such as a toothpaste), a tooth-wax mixture, a substance such as gum, or some material capable of forming a temporary seal around the bristle anchor 102.

The obturator 114 is relatively hard prior to use and becomes relatively soft during use. When chewed, the mixture with the substance (preferably a liquid or a gel) released from the cavity 108, and heated by the mouth of the user, the shutter 114 becomes soft and capable of trapping evicted particles. In this way, the shutter 114 can also function to remove food, plaque, and other particles, from the user's teeth, gums, and mouth.

The toothbrush 100 may also include a dentifrice 116 formed around the bristle anchor 102. The dentifrice 116 may be a dry toothpaste, molded tooth powder, a dental gel, or the like. In the exemplary embodiment shown in Figure 3, the dentifrice 116 is formed around the obturator 114 at a thickness between 1/16 of an inch and 1/8 of an inch. Thus, the obturator 114 may be surrounded by a layer of dentifrice 116. Alternatively, the dentifrice may also serve only as a stopper. Alternatively, the dentifrice layer may be surrounded by the obturator layer. Notably, the obturator 114 and the toothpaste 116 are formed between bristles 104, which can assist in retaining the obturator 114 and toothpaste 116 on the bristle anchor 102 during manufacture, shipping, and storage.

When it is new, the toothbrush 100 can be packaged as shown in Figure 1. The bristle anchor is attached to the handle 106, which can include a stem 118 and / or a protective lip 120. The stem 118 can be formed to from the same chewable material as the bristle anchor, or that can be formed from some convenient material such as plastic. Stem 118 can be rigid, adjustable, or flexible, depending on the particular design. The protective lip 120 helps to position the toothbrush 100 in the mouth of the users and prevent the toothbrush 100 from being swallowed or completely inserted into the mouth of the users. The handle 106 can be made as a grip finger configuration (as shown in Figure 1) or as a more conventional configuration (as shown in Figure 7). Although not a requirement of the present invention, the bristle anchor, e) stem 118, protective lip 120, and handle 116 can be formed as an integral unit through injection molding or some convenient manufacturing process.

The toothbrush may also include a removable protective enclosure 122 surrounding at least the bristles 104. In the illustrated example, the protective enclosure 122 covers the bristles 104, the bristle anchor, the stem 118, and a portion of the protective lip 120. The protective enclosure 122 can be removed prior to use. In a practical embodiment, the protective enclosure 122 is a plastic wrap or a molded plastic lid.

When the toothbrush 100 is initially chewed, the outer layers of dentifrice 116 and the obturator 114 are loosened and compressed against the bristle anchor 102. The compression of the bristle anchor 102 results in a squeezing action that forces the humectant material 112 out of the cavity 108, as illustrated in Figure 5. The chewing action imparts an external force to the bristle anchor 102, and the wetting material 112 is released from the cavity 108 in response to the force (small arrows in Figure 5). they represent the movement of the humectant material 112). The humectant material 112 eventually becomes mixed with toothpaste 116 and obturator 114. If the wax is used as a stopper 114, the wax traps particles of dislodged food and plaque when the toothbrush 100 is chewed. After chewing, the user can discard the toothbrush 100.

Figure 6 illustrates a portion of an alternative toothbrush 124 according to the present invention. The toothbrush 124 includes many of the features described above in relation to the toothbrush 100. For example, the toothbrush 124 includes a bristle anchor 126 (the bristles are not shown in Figure 6) having a cavity 128 formed therein. An inlet channel 129 formed in the bristle anchor 126 is configured to provide for the insertion of a substance into the cavity 128. As described above, the substance may be a dentifrice, toothpaste, or the like. The embodiment shown in Figure 6 includes the inlet channel 129 formed within the handle 130 of the toothbrush 124.; the inlet channel 129 is coupled to the cavity 128 such that the substance can be charged into the cavity 128. Alternatively, the inlet channel can be formed within the bristle anchor 126 or at some suitable location communicating with the cavity 128. .

A convenient connector 132 may also be formed within the handle 130. The connector 132 is conveniently configured to engage a dispenser 134 for the substance. Accordingly, the connector 132 can be formed within the handle 130 at one end of the inlet channel 129. In a practical implementation, the connector 132 is made in an internally inserted portion of the inlet channel 129. The threaded mold in FIG. the inside engages the threaded mold on the outside of a toothpaste dispenser such as a tube of toothpaste. The toothbrush 124 can be loaded with toothpaste after each use by attaching the handle 130 to the dentifrice dispenser 134. The toothbrush 124 can remain on the dentifrice dispenser 134 during use, can be removed and used by holding the handle 130, or can be removed and attached to an extended handle 136 of convenient configuration (see Figure 8).

Figure 9 is a schematic representation of an alternative toothbrush 138 configured in accordance with the present invention. For purposes of illustration, Figure 9 shows portions of the toothbrush 138 removed. The toothbrush 138 shares some features with the toothbrush 100. For example, the toothbrush 138 includes a chewable bristle anchor 140, a plurality of bristles 142 attached to the bristle anchor 140, a handle 144, a cavity 146 within the bristle anchor 140, a convenient material 148 contained within the cavity 146, and a number of filtration holes 150 formed within the external wall of the bristle anchor 140.

The bristle anchor 140 may include an inlet channel 152 formed there; the inlet channel 152 is suitably configured to adjust the insertion of the material 148 into the cavity 146. In addition, the material 148 can be a dentifrice (e.g. toothpaste, tooth powder, or dental gel), mouthwash, an agent humectant, or similar. The input channel 152 enables the toothbrush 138 to be recharged with material before each use. In this regard, the toothbrush 138 requires not to be a unit of single use or available.

Toothbrush 138 may also include an assembly 154 configured to dispense material 148 within cavity 146. As shown in the cross-section of FIG. 10, assembly 154 may be a hollow cone having a connector 156 that engages with a dispenser 158 for the substance that is loaded into the cavity 146. In the embodiment of the example, the connector 156 is realized as an internally threaded mounting portion 154 and the connector 156 threaded onto a threaded portion of the dispenser 158 (which may be a tube of toothpaste). As illustrated in Figure 11, the assembly 154 can be inserted into the inlet channel 152 to facilitate insertion of the material into the cavity 146. After the cavity 146 is loaded with the material, the assembly 154 can be removed from the dispenser 158 and returning to a corresponding connector 160 on the handle 144 for storage (see Figure 9). In practice, the connector 160 may be a properly threaded tip that receives the internal cords forming an assembly 154.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of a toothbrush having an extended handle 162, and Figure 8 is a perspective view of a toothbrush having a removable extended handle 136. A toothbrush configured in accordance with the present invention may include a short finger handle (as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 9) or an extended handle as shown in Figure 7. Alternatively, a toothbrush configured in accordance with the present invention may include a portion of removable head that engages with an extended handle (as shown in Figure 8), a dispenser (as shown in Figure 6), or some compatible object. In other words, the technique of the present invention can be applied to a number of different practical embodiments.

The present invention has been described above with references to several preferred embodiments, and showing particular implementations and described therein are illustrative of the invention and in a good manner and are not intended to limit other inventors of the scope of the invention in any way. In fact, certain changes and modifications can be made to the preferred embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention. These and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention, as expressed in the following claims.

Claims (23)

1. A toothbrush comprising: A chewable bristle anchor formed of a flexible and resilient material and having an incompressible shape, said bristle anchor being configured to compress itself in response to the application of an external force and to return to said incompressible shape in response to the withdrawal of said external force; A plurality of bristles attached to said bristle anchor; Y A handle connected to said bristle anchor, wherein said plurality of bristles comprise: A plurality of short bristles, each having a relatively low stiffness; A plurality of intermediate bristles, each having a relatively intermediate stiffness; A plurality of long bristles, each having a relatively high stiffness.

2. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said bristle anchor is formed of an absorbent material.

3. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said bristle anchor is formed of a porous material.

4. A toothbrush according to claim 1, further comprising a cavity formed within said bristle anchor, said bristle anchor being further configured to release a substance contained in said cavity in response to the application of an external force.

5. A toothbrush according to claim 4, wherein said substance comprises a dentifrice.

6. A toothbrush according to claim 4, further comprising an inlet channel formed in said bristle anchor, said inlet channel being configured to adjust the insertion of said substance into said cavity.

7. A toothbrush according to claim 4, further comprising: An inlet channel formed within said handle, said inlet channel being coupled with said cavity to adjust the insertion of said substance into said cavity; and A connector formed within said handle at an end of said inlet channel, said connector being configured to be coupled with a dispenser of said substance.

8. A toothbrush comprising: A chewable bristle anchor formed of a flexible material, said bristle anchor being configured to compress itself in response to the application of an external force; A cavity formed within said bristle anchor; A substance contained in said cavity, said bristle anchor being further configured to release said substance in response to the application of an external force; A plurality of bristles attached to said bristle anchor; and A plug formed around said bristle anchor, said plug being configured to temporarily seal said substance within said cavity;

9. A toothbrush according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of filtering holes formed in said bristle anchor, said filtering orifices configured to release said substance.

10. A toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein said substance comprises a humectant material.

11. A toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein said substance comprises a mouth rinse.

12. A toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein said substance comprises a dentifrice.

13. A toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein said bristle anchor is formed of a porous material.

14. A toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein said obturator comprises wax.

15. A toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein said obturator comprises a dentifrice.

16. A toothbrush according to claim 8, further comprising a dentifrice around said bristle anchor.

17. A toothbrush according to claim 16, wherein said toothpaste is formed around said obturator.

18. A toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein said obturator is formed between said plurality of bristles.

19. A toothbrush according to claim 8, further comprising a removable protective enclosure surrounding said plurality of bristles.

20. A toothbrush according to claim 8, further comprising an inlet channel formed in said bristle anchor, said inlet channel being configured to adjust the insertion of said substance into said cavity.

21. A toothbrush according to claim 20, further comprising an assembly configured to dispense said substance into said cavity.

22. A toothbrush according to claim 21, wherein said assembly includes a coupling a connector configured to mate with a dispenser for said substance.

23. A toothbrush according to claim 22, further comprising a handle connected to said bristle anchor, said handle being configured to engage said connector for storage of said coupling.