US20110209299A1 - Multi-tooth-surface brushing device - Google Patents
Multi-tooth-surface brushing device Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20110209299A1 US20110209299A1 US12/714,562 US71456210A US2011209299A1 US 20110209299 A1 US20110209299 A1 US 20110209299A1 US 71456210 A US71456210 A US 71456210A US 2011209299 A1 US2011209299 A1 US 2011209299A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- brushes
- tooth
- brush
- brushing
- bristles
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
- 230000001680 brushing effect Effects 0.000 title claims abstract description 48
- 230000001720 vestibular Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 19
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 8
- 210000002455 dental arch Anatomy 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000004140 cleaning Methods 0.000 abstract description 7
- 238000005201 scrubbing Methods 0.000 description 3
- 239000004677 Nylon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000001746 injection moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229920001778 nylon Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000004033 plastic Substances 0.000 description 1
- 230000001105 regulatory effect Effects 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A46—BRUSHWARE
- A46B—BRUSHES
- A46B9/00—Arrangements of the bristles in the brush body
- A46B9/02—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups
- A46B9/04—Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
- A46B9/045—Arranged like in or for toothbrushes specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A46—BRUSHWARE
- A46B—BRUSHES
- A46B7/00—Bristle carriers arranged in the brush body
- A46B7/06—Bristle carriers arranged in the brush body movably during use, i.e. the normal brushing action causing movement
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A46—BRUSHWARE
- A46B—BRUSHES
- A46B9/00—Arrangements of the bristles in the brush body
- A46B9/02—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups
- A46B9/026—Position or arrangement of bristles in relation to surface of the brush body, e.g. inclined, in rows, in groups where the surface of the brush body or carrier is not in one plane, e.g. not flat
Abstract
A multi-tooth-surface brushing device for improving cleaning capacity by maximizing bristle contact with the lingual, the vestibular and the occlusal tooth surfaces simultaneously throughout the entire brushing process.
Description
- The present invention relates to toothbrushes and, in particular, it is concerned with improving cleaning capacity by providing brush head configuration directed at maximizing bristle contact with the lingual, the vestibular and the occlusal tooth surface simultaneously throughout the entire brushing process.
- It is well known that proper dental hygiene is not a simple matter and requires manipulating the brush head into proper orientations to access all of the tooth surfaces requiring brushing. Many brushers simply lack the desire to invest the required effort, or the awareness of what proper brushing requires, and/or the time and the patience.
- U.S. Pat. No. 3,146,478 teaches a toothbrush having a rotatable bristle configuration directed at brushing plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously. Hoverer, the bristles do not provide the abrasive cleaning action normally provided by the bristle stiffness because the bristles are configured to rotate as they glide over the teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 6,343,396 teaches a tooth cleaning device is which the bristles provide the required abrasive action; however, since the bristles are mounted in a single rotatable carriage, the bristles do maintain contact with the differing lingual and vestibular tooth curvatures.
- Therefore, there is a need for a toothbrush configured to clean each of the tooth surfaces in a manner maintaining optimal contact with lingual, vestibular, occlusal tooth surfaces simultaneously.
- The present invention is multi-tooth-surface brushing device for brushing lingual, vestibular, occlusal tooth surfaces simultaneously.
- According to the teachings of the present invention there is provided a multi-tooth-surface brushing device for brushing a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously includes (a) a handle having a head, and (b) at least two opposing brushes pivotably mounted on said head so that when a user's vestibular tooth surface contacts a first of said two opposing brushes, said first brush aligns with a vestibular-curvature and when a user's lingual tooth surface contacts a second of said two opposing brushes, said second brush aligns with a lingual-curvature.
- According to a further feature of the present invention the two opposing brushes have bristles of varying length, wherein the bristles of the first brush collectively form a substantial concave brushing surface and the bristles of the second brush collectively form a substantial convex-brushing surface.
- According to a further feature of the present invention the bristles are disposed at a slope in which an unattached end of the bristles is more distant from the head than an end of the bristles attached to a bristle support of each of the opposing brush heads.
- According to a further feature of the present invention the second brush is implemented as having a length less or equal to or less than one-half of a length of the first brush.
- According to a further feature of the present invention, there is also provided a third brush disposed in the head opposite a space in between the bristles of the opposing brushes.
- There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a method for brushing vestibular and lingual tooth surfaces simultaneously by way of a toothbrush including a handle and a head having least two opposing brushes pivotably mounted on the head so that when a user's teeth are in contact with a brushing surface of each of the opposing brushes, each of the two opposing brushes independently aligns with contours of tooth surfaces in a dental arch includes bringing the brushing surfaces of the at least two opposing brushes in contact with vestibular and lingual tooth surfaces so that the toothbrushes independently align with contours of the tooth surfaces in the dental arch.
- There is also provided according to the teachings of the present invention, a method for assembling a multi-tooth-surface brushing device having two opposing brushes for brushing vestibular and lingual tooth surfaces simultaneously includes: (a) providing a toothbrush handle including a head, the head having two pins rigidly attached for pivotal mounting of the two opposing brushes, each pin including at least one flange for securing each of the brushes to one of the two pins, (b) providing two brushes, each of the brushes including a bristle support having a bore of a diameter greater than a diameter of the pins, the bore including at least one annular groove disposed in a wall of the bore corresponding to the at least one flange, and (c) inserting each one of the two pins into the bore disposed in each of the brushes so that the at least one flange is seated in the at least one annular groove thereby enabling independent rotation of each of the brushes held securely on the pins.
- The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is an isometric bottom-view of a two-brush embodiment of a multi-surface tooth brushing device. -
FIG. 2 is an isometric bottom-view of three-brush embodiment of a multi-surface tooth brushing device. -
FIG. 3 is an schematic bottom-view depicting the brushing surface curvatures formed by the bristles and the relative lengths of the brushes of the multi-surface tooth brushing device. -
FIGS. 4 and 5 are isometric bottom-views of two-brush embodiment of a multi-surface tooth brushing device depicting the independent pivotal action of each of the brushes. -
FIGS. 6 and 7 are schematic, top partial-transparent-views of the multi-surface tooth brushing device surface cleaning device depicting the independent pivotal action of each of the brushes as the device is moved along the dental arch. -
FIG. 8 is an isometric bottom-view of three-brush embodiment of a multi-surface tooth brushing device depicting sloping bristles. -
FIG. 9 is a schematic side-view of the device ofFIG. 7 depicting bristles disposed at an angle sloping away from the toothbrush head. -
FIG. 10 is an isometric bottom-view of a two-brush embodiment of the multi-surface tooth brushing device depicting pins on which the pivotal brushes rotate. -
FIG. 11 is an isometric, partial cut-away bottom-view of a set of two opposing pivotal brushes and a bore in which the pins ofFIG. 9 are disposed. -
FIG. 12 is an isometric, exploded bottom-view of a set of two opposing pivotal brushes and corresponding pins. - The present invention is multi-tooth-surface brushing device with improved cleaning capacity by maximizing bristle contact with the lingual, the vestibular and the occlusal tooth surface simultaneously throughout the entire brushing process.
- The principles and operation of the method according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and the accompanying description.
- Turning now to the figures,
FIG. 1 depicts a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment of a multi-tooth-surface brushing device respectively. The brushing device, generally designated 1, includeshead 2,handle 3, a first pivotally mountedbrush 4 and associatedbristles 6, second pivotally mountedbrush 5 and associatedbristles 8. The three-brush embodiment depicted inFIG. 1 further includes third brush 9 statically mounted onhead 2 opposite the space defined betweenbristles FIG. 2 depicts an analogous two-brush embodiment. The three-brush embodiment enables global scrubbing in which each of the vestibular, the lingual, and the occlusal tooth surfaces are cleaned simultaneously. -
FIG. 3 depicts two brushing surface geometries; brushingsurfaces Bristles 6 vary in length to collectively form a curvature approximating thevestibular curvature 12 of the dental arch andbristles 8 vary in length to collectively form a curvature approximating thelingual curvature 13 of the dental arch as shown inFIGS. 6 and 7 . -
FIG. 3 also depicts an additional feature of the present invention in whichbrush 5 has a length less than the length ofbrush 4 The reduced length ofbrush 5 advantageously enables a user to brush difficult-to-access molars. Furthermore, the shorter brush provides for a brushing surface having a curvature more closely fitting the lingual-tooth-surface curvature. In a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, the brush length ofbrush 5 is half or less than half of the brush length ofbrush 4; however, it should be appreciated that any embodiment in which the length of one brush is less than the opposing brushes is included within the scope of the present intention. -
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate the independent, bi-directional rotation ofbrushes brush 4 in contact with thevestibular tooth surfaces 12, brush 4 pivots into best-fit alignment withvestibular tooth surface 12 and similarly, when the brushing surface ofbrush 5 contacts thelingual tooth 13 surface, brush 4 independently pivots into a best-fit alignment withlingual tooth surface 13 as shown in 6-7 As the individual moveshead 2 along either the mandibular or maxillar dental arch,brushes -
FIGS. 8 and 9 depict an additional feature directed at improving cleaning effectiveness. As is known in the field of dental hygiene, ideal scrubbing is accomplished when the bristles contact the teeth at an angle of about 45 degrees relative to the substantially vertical plane defined by the teeth. To this ends,bristles bristle support 18.Bristle support 18 has a sloping surface to which the bristles are fastened so thatbristles head 2 in a non-limiting, exemplary implementation. A variant embodiment having bristles fastened to a non-sloping bristle support (not shown) is also included in the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that an embodiment in which bristles are disposed in a non-parallel manner relative tohead 2 is included within the scope of the present invention. - As shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9 ,bristles head 2 to ensure that all of the sloping bristles contact the tooth surface. -
FIGS. 10 and 11 depict a non-limiting pivot arrangement ofbrushes pins 21 rigidly attached tohead 2.Brushes upwards bore 23 extending into the height ofbrushes pins 21. Each ofbrushes pins 21 by way of aflange 25 disposed on eachpin 21 that pivotally engagesannular groove 24 disposed in the inner surface ofbore 23. It should be noted that a configuration having a plurality of flanges and corresponding plurality of annular grooves is included within the scope of the present invention. Brush rotation is limited by way of plurality ofsmall protrusions 22 protruding upwardly fromhead 2 so as to block brush rotation. In a non-limiting embodiment each brush has no more than 180 degrees of freedom rotation. In a variant embodiment angular brush rotation is regulated by a flange and groove arrangement as is known to those skilled in the art. The brushing device is assembled by slidingbrushes pins 21 untilflanges 24 are seated in the corresponding annular groves disposed in the bore wall. - It should be noted that both manual and powered toothbrushes are included within the scope of the present invention.
- In a non-limiting, exemplary embodiment the handle is manufactured from hard plastic formed by injection molding whereas the bristles are manufactured from nylon and fastened to the brush head as is known to those skilled in the art. It should be noted that any polymeric material and other manufacturing process typically used in the art are included in the scope of the present invention.
- It will be appreciated that the above descriptions are intended only to serve as examples, and that many other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims (7)
1. A multi-tooth-surface brushing device for brushing a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously comprising:
(a) a handle having a head; and
(b) at least two opposing brushes pivotably mounted on said head so that when a user's vestibular tooth surface contacts a first of said two opposing brushes, said first brush aligns with a vestibular-curvature and when a user's lingual tooth surface contacts a second of said two opposing brushes, said second brush aligns with a lingual-curvature.
2. The multi-tooth-surface brushing device of claim 1 , wherein said two opposing brushes have bristles of varying length, wherein said bristles of said first brush collectively form a substantial concave brushing surface and said bristles of said second brush collectively form a substantial convex-brushing surface.
3. The multi-tooth-surface brushing device of claim 2 , wherein said bristles are disposed at a slope in which an unattached end of said bristles is more distant from said head than an end of said bristles attached to a bristle support of each of said opposing brush heads.
4. The multi-tooth-surface brushing device of claim 3 , wherein said second brush is implemented as having a length less or equal to or less than one-half of a length of said first brush.
5. The multi-tooth-surface brushing device of claim 2 , further comprising a third brush disposed in said head opposite a space in between said bristles of said opposing brushes.
6. A method for brushing vestibular and lingual tooth surfaces simultaneously by way of a toothbrush including a handle and a head having least two opposing brushes pivotably mounted on said head so that when a user's teeth are in contact with a brushing surface of each of said opposing brushes, each of said two opposing brushes independently aligns with contours of tooth surfaces in a dental arch comprising bringing said brushing surfaces of said at least two opposing brushes in contact with vestibular and lingual tooth surfaces so that said toothbrushes independently align with contours of the tooth surfaces in the dental arch.
7. A method for assembling a multi-tooth-surface brushing device having two opposing brushes for brushing vestibular and lingual tooth surfaces simultaneously comprising:
(a) providing a toothbrush handle including a head, said head having two pins rigidly attached for pivotal mounting of the two opposing brushes, each pin including at least one flange for securing each of said brushes to one of said two pins;
(b) providing two brushes, each of said brushes including a bristle support having a bore of a diameter greater than a diameter of said pins, said bore including at least one annular groove disposed in a wall of said bore corresponding to said at least one flange; and
(c) inserting each one of said two pins into said bore disposed in each of said brushes so that said at least one flange is seated in said at least one annular groove thereby enabling independent rotation of each of said brushes held securely on said pins.
Priority Applications (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/714,562 US20110209299A1 (en) | 2010-03-01 | 2010-03-01 | Multi-tooth-surface brushing device |
PCT/IB2011/050774 WO2011107907A1 (en) | 2010-03-01 | 2011-02-24 | Multi-tooth-surface brushing device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US12/714,562 US20110209299A1 (en) | 2010-03-01 | 2010-03-01 | Multi-tooth-surface brushing device |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20110209299A1 true US20110209299A1 (en) | 2011-09-01 |
Family
ID=44504476
Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/714,562 Abandoned US20110209299A1 (en) | 2010-03-01 | 2010-03-01 | Multi-tooth-surface brushing device |
Country Status (2)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (1) | US20110209299A1 (en) |
WO (1) | WO2011107907A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120054971A1 (en) * | 2010-09-07 | 2012-03-08 | Dugan David M | Animal tooth brush |
US9648942B2 (en) | 2014-08-19 | 2017-05-16 | Regents Of The University Of Minnesota | Toothbrush |
US11330895B2 (en) | 2020-02-08 | 2022-05-17 | Joseph E Noonan, JR. | Dental cleaning apparatus |
Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1492660A (en) * | 1923-05-08 | 1924-05-06 | Harry J Arkus | Toothbrush |
US2588601A (en) * | 1950-02-06 | 1952-03-11 | Alfred E Zavagno | Spring pressed toothbrush |
US3350737A (en) * | 1966-05-18 | 1967-11-07 | Makowsky Herbert | Toothbrush with a divided pivotable brush |
US3398421A (en) * | 1967-03-28 | 1968-08-27 | Rashbaum Abraham | Toothbrush having pivotal bristle carrying members |
US5499422A (en) * | 1995-01-05 | 1996-03-19 | Lavazoli; Rudi | Rotating head tooth brush |
US5956797A (en) * | 1996-11-06 | 1999-09-28 | Wilson; Vernon C. | Toothbrush device |
Family Cites Families (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US3994039A (en) * | 1975-04-01 | 1976-11-30 | Joseph Hadary | Toothbrush |
US5327607A (en) * | 1992-06-01 | 1994-07-12 | Wagner Eugene C | Toothbrush for cleaning multiple sides of teeth |
US6574820B1 (en) * | 1999-10-22 | 2003-06-10 | The Gillette Company | Brush head for toothbrush |
TWM280701U (en) * | 2005-08-18 | 2005-11-21 | Yu-Man Ke | Brush head and toothbrush featuring with the brush head |
US20070283519A1 (en) * | 2006-06-10 | 2007-12-13 | Moss David B | Toothbrush with rotating head |
-
2010
- 2010-03-01 US US12/714,562 patent/US20110209299A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2011
- 2011-02-24 WO PCT/IB2011/050774 patent/WO2011107907A1/en active Application Filing
Patent Citations (6)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US1492660A (en) * | 1923-05-08 | 1924-05-06 | Harry J Arkus | Toothbrush |
US2588601A (en) * | 1950-02-06 | 1952-03-11 | Alfred E Zavagno | Spring pressed toothbrush |
US3350737A (en) * | 1966-05-18 | 1967-11-07 | Makowsky Herbert | Toothbrush with a divided pivotable brush |
US3398421A (en) * | 1967-03-28 | 1968-08-27 | Rashbaum Abraham | Toothbrush having pivotal bristle carrying members |
US5499422A (en) * | 1995-01-05 | 1996-03-19 | Lavazoli; Rudi | Rotating head tooth brush |
US5956797A (en) * | 1996-11-06 | 1999-09-28 | Wilson; Vernon C. | Toothbrush device |
Cited By (3)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20120054971A1 (en) * | 2010-09-07 | 2012-03-08 | Dugan David M | Animal tooth brush |
US9648942B2 (en) | 2014-08-19 | 2017-05-16 | Regents Of The University Of Minnesota | Toothbrush |
US11330895B2 (en) | 2020-02-08 | 2022-05-17 | Joseph E Noonan, JR. | Dental cleaning apparatus |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
WO2011107907A1 (en) | 2011-09-09 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
AU2009200958B2 (en) | Toothbrushes | |
US6931688B2 (en) | Toothbrush | |
US7386909B2 (en) | Toothbrush | |
AU2001250031B2 (en) | Toothbrush | |
TWI422341B (en) | Toothbrush | |
CA2543619C (en) | Toothbrush with enhanced cleaning effects | |
US7430780B2 (en) | Toothbrush | |
US5072481A (en) | Multi-surface toothbrush | |
US20030033682A1 (en) | Toothbrush | |
US20020138928A1 (en) | Electric toothbrush | |
US8635734B2 (en) | Toothbrush with bristles of non circular tips | |
JPS63503438A (en) | toothbrush | |
NZ237951A (en) | Toothbrush - brushhead adjustable to a concave or convex curvature | |
JPH01501448A (en) | toothbrush | |
US20020157202A1 (en) | Multiple head toothbrush | |
US20110209299A1 (en) | Multi-tooth-surface brushing device | |
KR200426835Y1 (en) | Rotary toothbrush | |
KR100743809B1 (en) | A toothbrush | |
CN210095975U (en) | Y-shaped tooth protection brush head | |
CN215603810U (en) | 360 toothbrush | |
WO2001001800A8 (en) | Brushes | |
TH49306A (en) | A toothbrush with a pattern of effective bristles. | |
TH49306B (en) | A toothbrush with a pattern of effective bristles. |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |