US1608532A

US1608532A - Rotary toothbrush

Info

Publication number: US1608532A
Application number: US98051A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robey William Goff
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1926-03-29
Filing date: 1926-03-29
Publication date: 1926-11-30
Anticipated expiration: 1943-11-30

Description

Nov. 30,1926.

.- W. G. ROBEY ROTARY TOOTHBRUSH Filed March 29 111111111111111111111141'lll/1,11IMI/Wg] IllllllllIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIJII A INVENTOR 6 POEY ATTORNEY ifllllll- Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED/STATES NPa'leiar OFFICE.

WILLIAM GOFF ROBEY, OF GRAFTO, XVEST VIRGINIA.

ROTARY TOOTHBRUSI-I.

This invention is anV improvement in tooth brushes, and more particularly' in" brushes ofthe YrotarV type.

The tooth7 brushes usually employed do not'thoroughly cleanse the teeth, because it L is difficult toy applyv Vthe brush to allparts of the teeth in the approved manner, that is, With the bristles moving from the roots totvards the points, and when the brush is applied With the usual reciprocating Inovement, the interstices 'between the teethare t not reached.

i Rotary brushes as heretofore constructed havenot been suitable for individual use, becauseL of complications in constructionor because of bulli, and one of the primary objects of the present invention is the provi'sion'of a light Weight, small and compact motor operatedl brush of the rotary type, wherein the motor is manually operated, and of a size to be conveniently held in one hand and operated by the said hand, leaving the other hand free to manipulate the brush.

Another object is the provision of a simply constructed brush of the character specified which may be economically manufac tured, and soldat a reasonable price.

' Vitli these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts fully described hereinafter, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claims appended hereto, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction Within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to Without departing from the spirit of the invention.`

In the drawings forming a part hereof L-f Figure 1 is a side elevation with the motor casingin section.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the brush supporting element. Figure 4 isa section on the line of Figure 3.

The present embodiment of the invention comprises 'a brush and its supporting mechanism inwvhich the brush is rotatably mounted, and a motor for driving the brush, the motor'1 being manually" operated land connected to thebrush by a flexible shaft in the usual manner. The motor also is of such size that it may be easily held in the Application mea March 2,9, 192e. .sel-iai No. eaosl.

hand, and operated While so held, leaving the other hand free to manipulate the brush.

The motor is held in a casing 1, which preferably is of cylindrical construction, and of any suitable material. The motor in cludes a shaft 2, journalled in the end Walls of the casing at the center thereof, and the shaft carries a fly-Wheel 3 of suliicient Weight to insure smooth, even running'of the motor when it is in operation.

At'one end of the shaft 2 a pinion 4 is secured, meshing with another pinion 5 on a jacl; or stub shaft 6 journalled in the end of the casing, and in a bearing bracket 7 secured to the casing wall. The jack shaft extends through the casing Wall, and outside of the ivall carries afcoupling 8, for connection with the flexible shaft to be described.

At the opposite side of the fly-Wheel 3 from the pinion 4, a second pinion 9 is secured to the shaft 2, and the pinion meshes with a pinion 10 on a counter-shaft 11, journalled in asubstantially U-shaped bracket 12 extending'radially from the casing Wall. The pinion 10 `is relatively large, and a second pinion 13 relatively small is rigidly connected with the pinion 10.

This pinion 13 meshes with a gear Wheel 14, at one end of a hub or sleeve 15 Which is loosely journalled on the shaft 2. The sleeve 15 is provided at its other` end with al ratchet Wheel 16, and it will be evident that when the ratchet Wheel is rotated, in a manner to be presently described, the shaft .2 will be driven through the

gears

14, 13, 10l

and 9. The said gears provide a speeding up gear train for rotating the shaft 2 at a speed relatively high as compared with the speed of rotation of the sleeve 15. The motion of the shaft 2 is transmitted to the jack shaft 6, by the gears 4 and 5,- and at a yet higher rate as applied to the shaft 6.

The ratchet Wheel 16 is rotated by means of a pavvl 17. This pavvl is pivoted `to an arc shaped member 18, in the form of a plate of material similar to that of the casing 1, and the said plate is sli-dably mounted on the inner face of the side v vall of the casing rotating on the shaft 2. The plate has radial extensions 1S? Which are journalled on the shaft, and the plate is free to swing in.- an arc shaped path limited by a'handle member to be presently described. It lWill be noticed, referring to Figure 2, that the cas Vand they are preferably so arranged thatV cover a little more than half ing side wall is cutaway vas indicated at 19 for enabling the movement of a substantially U-shaped handle 20 connected with the plate, and extending through the opening. Y

The handle 2O has the arms thereof secured to the plate 18, and on the body portion of the handle a grip 21 is mounted, the said grip being of any suitable material, as for instance, soft rubber or the like Another handle 22 of U-shape is connected with the casing 1. The arms of the handle 22 may be securedV to the casing 1 in any suitable manner, or they may be integral therewith, as may be found desirable in practice, and the body of the handle 22 also carries a soft rubber grip 23.

'A spring 24C is arranged between the plate 18 and the casing 1, and the spring is designed to hold the yplate and the handles in normal position.y When the grips 21 and 23 are moved toward each other, Ithe pawl engages the teeth and rotates the ratchet wheel.A l/Vhen the pressure on the grips is released, the sprin moves the plate 18 in the opposite direction, and the pawl slips lidly over .the teeth of the ratchet wheel. The movement of the ratchet Vwheel is imparted to the jack shaft 6, and to the brush to be presently described, the movement of the shaft 2 being steadied, governed and made uniformed by the iy wheel 3.

The toothbrush proper comprises a cylindrical body 25, having tufts 26 of bristles 4extending radially therefrom. The bristles may be of any desired nature and character,

the contour of the brush as a whole is elliptical. The body 25 has a reduced axial extension 27, which at the end remote from the Vbrush is' polygonal in cross section, to engage within a socket 28 on a shaft 29. The

shaft 29 is journalled in a trough shaped Y casing 30 of any suitable material, having at I the end adjacent to the brush a spoon bowl shaped enlargement 31. j

fThe enlargement 31 is of dimensions to of the brush, and acts as a shield to protect the soft tissues of the mouth from the vaction of the bristles. Roller bearings 27 are provided for supportingV the extension 27 in the trough, andthe shaft 29 is relatively fixed in the trough, so far asregards bodily movementI That endfof the trough remote fromV the enlargement 31 has connected therewith, threadedly as shown, a tubular; extension 32. The remote end of this extension is threaded to engagewithin a coupling 33 at one end of aflexible shaft 34 of usual construction, the

,other end of theI shaft being adapted to engage within the coupling 8 before mentioned. VReferring to Figures l and 3, it will be noticedk that the connection between the shafts l'34 andl29 is Ythe usual socket connection, and the coupling 33 by its engagement with the tubular extension 32 prev-ents disengagement of the shafts. A similar connection is provided at 8, between the jack shaft and the flexible'shaft. The coupling S is a threaded cap which engages thecasing of the flexible shaft, holding the socleted parts together. rIhe engagement between the jack shaft and the rotary part of the iiexible shaft at 8 is similar to that shown at the left of Figure 3 between the

shafts

34 and 29.

To disengage the fiexible shaft from the jack shaft, the cap is released from the flexible shaft, after which the shaftsl may be moved away from each other. This is also 'true with the connection atf33. Referring to Figure 1 it will be noticed that housing members 35 are arranged at the ends of the shaft 2, and these housing members have oil holes by means of which the motor maybe lubricated. i

In opera/tion, the brush is held in either hand, grasping the handle 52. The motor is heldin thev other hand, the hand engaging the! grips 21 and 23. When the grips are pressed together, the ratchet wheel is rotated, the motion being transmitted to the brush. Vhen the pressure on the grips is relaxed, the spring returns the parts to normal position.'

It will be noticed referring to the drawing, that the entire length of brush and handle is in smooth regular lines, with no rough edges, corners or the like to touch the lthe handleadjacent to the exible shaft is provided with a tubular grip fitting closely thereof, the said grip being indicated at 52, and the edges of the trough shaped portion of the handle are rounded. The free edge of the bowl is beaded or enlarged as shown at 53 entirely around the bowl. Y

What isv claimed as new is t 1. A -motorl for rotary tooth brushes, adapted to be held in one hand and operated thereby, including a cylindrical casing having a -radial handle member and an opening in the side wall adjacent thereto, a shaft at the axis of the casing and provided with a fiywheel, a sliding plate mounted withinthe casing at the opening'and closing the same, said plate provided with a. handle'member extending through the opening, the handle Y members adapted to be gripped by the hand supporting the motor to move themtoward `each other,'a spring acting on the plate to move the handle members apart, a pawl and ratchet connectionbetween the plate and the driven byv the pawl engaging the Wheel when the handle members are moved toward each other, a speeding up gear train between the ratchet wheel and the shaft, and a coupling shaft parallel with the first named shaft and having a driving connection therewith, and extending throngh one end Wall of the casing.

Signed at Grafton, in the county of Taylor, and State of Test Virginia, this 17th day of March A. D. 1926.

WILLIAM GOFF ROBEY.