Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C17/00—Devices for cleaning, polishing, rinsing or drying teeth, teeth cavities or prostheses; Saliva removers; Dental appliances for receiving spittle
  • A61C17/16—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices
  • A61C17/22—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like
  • A61C17/222—Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C17/00—Devices for cleaning, polishing, rinsing or drying teeth, teeth cavities or prostheses; Saliva removers; Dental appliances for receiving spittle
  • A61C17/16—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices
  • A61C17/22—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like
  • A61C17/32—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like reciprocating or oscillating
  • A61C17/34—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like reciprocating or oscillating driven by electric motor
  • A61C17/3409—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like reciprocating or oscillating driven by electric motor characterized by the movement of the brush body
  • A61C17/3472—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like reciprocating or oscillating driven by electric motor characterized by the movement of the brush body with combined movements of the brush body
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
  • A61C—DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE
  • A61C17/00—Devices for cleaning, polishing, rinsing or drying teeth, teeth cavities or prostheses; Saliva removers; Dental appliances for receiving spittle
  • A61C17/16—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices
  • A61C17/22—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like
  • A61C17/32—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like reciprocating or oscillating
  • A61C17/34—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like reciprocating or oscillating driven by electric motor
  • A61C17/3409—Power-driven cleaning or polishing devices with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like reciprocating or oscillating driven by electric motor characterized by the movement of the brush body
  • A61C17/3418—Rotation around the axis of the toothbrush handle

Definitions

• This invention relates to power toothbrushes, and more specifically concerns a new brushhead for use with power toothbrushes.
• the present arrangement produces multiple brushhead motions effective in cleaning teeth at a resonant frequency without use of typical mechanical linkages and therefore overcomes the disadvantages of conventional multi-motion toothbrush heads.
• the brushhead for use with a power toothbrush having a back- and-forth sweeping-type driving motion produced by a drive assembly comprises: a neck portion configured for attachment to an extending portion of the drive assembly; and a bristle base member positioned at a distal end of the neck portion, the bristle base member including a central portion and two paddle members on opposing sides of the central portion, the central portion and the paddle members extending in cantilever fashion, respectively, from the distal end of the neck portion, wherein opposing ends of the central portion and the paddle members are free to move, wherein the central portion follows the movement of the drive member in a back-and-forth sweeping motion for action along the teeth, while the two paddle members move in and out, toward and away from the teeth.
• Figure 1 is an elevational view of a power toothbrush with the brushhead of the present invention.
• Figure 2 is a top view of a brushhead embodying the present invention.
• Figure 3 is a top view of one embodiment of the bristle base portion of the new brushhead, without bristles.
• Figures 4A-4D are lateral cross-sectional views of the bristle base portion of Figure 3, showing the relative motion of the bristle base during operation of the toothbrush.
• Figure 5 is a top view of another embodiment of the bristle base portion, without bristles.
• Figures 6A-6D are lateral cross-sectional views of the bristle base of Figure 5, showing the relative motion of the bristle base portion during operation of the toothbrush.
• Figure 1 shows a power toothbrush generally at 10 which includes the brushhead 12 of the present invention and a handle portion 14.
• Handle portion 14 in general includes a drive assembly 16 powered by a rechargeable battery 18 and controlled by a microprocessor 20.
• the handle also includes an on/off switch 22 and a control button 24 for controlling the mode of operation of a multi-mode toothbrush.
• the drive assembly 16 includes a driveshaft 26 which produces a sweeping (partial rotation) motion of the brushhead assembly 12.
• the rotational amplitude is 5-28°, with a preferred range of 7-14°.
• the proper operation of the present brushhead 12 requires such a sweeping, i.e. partial rotation, motion.
• Brushhead 12 includes an elongated, slim neck portion 30 which is hollow at a proximal end 32, into which driveshaft 26 securely fits.
• a bristle base member 36 At the distal end 34 of neck portion 30 is a bristle base member 36 which is particularly configured and structured to produce a multi-motion action involving separate portions of the bristle base assembly and hence the bristles thereon, or alternatively, a single-motion action toward and away from the teeth of the user.
• the multi-motion arrangement is preferred, and is illustrated in the brushhead of Figures 1, 2 and 3.
• the alternative motion arrangement is shown in Figure 5.
• the bristle base member includes a central portion 34 and two side paddle member portions 36 and 38 on opposing sides of the central portion.
• the overall width of the brushhead is 13 mm, although it could be smaller, while the width of the central portion is approximately 2-5 mm and the width of each of the two paddle member portions is also 2-5 mm.
• the central portion and the two paddle members are substantially co-planar, with the two paddle members being substantially identical.
• the central portion 34 and the two paddle members 36, 38 are connected at their proximal ends to the distal end of the brushhead neck portion.
• the opposing free ends 46, 48 of the two paddle members are free to move.
• the central portion 34 extends beyond the free ends of the two paddle members 36, 38 and includes a cap-like end piece 50 which extends between the outer sides of the two paddle members and forward of the free ends thereof, terminating in a curved end surface 52.
• the central portion and the two paddle members can be integral with of the neck portion of the brushhead, or they can be separate and connected thereto.
• the entire bristle base member will be made of a plastic, such as polypropylene or polyester.
• the thickness of the paddles is approximately 2-5 mm, with 4 mm being preferred.
• a dual motion brushhead is achieved without any mechanical linkages, due to the cantilever arrangement of the two paddle members and a sweeping, i.e. partially rotating, action of the appliance driveshaft, which drives the central portion of the brushhead in a scrubbing-type action on the teeth, but also produces the in and out action of the paddle members.
• the multi-motion requires that the brushhead be driven rotationally in a side- to-side (oscillating) manner about the axis of the neck portion.
• An appliance motor driven by a sinusoidal signal, produces the required driveshaft motion for the brushhead.
• the in-and-out action of the two paddle members will have the same frequency.
• the amplitude of the paddle member motion is a function of paddle stiffness, paddle mass and loading of the brushhead by user action.
• the paddle stiffness is a function of the geometry of the paddle, described above, and the modulus of elasticity of the brushhead material.
• an effective multi-motion toothbrush is desirably achieved having two important cleansing actions, produced by the arrangement and configuration of the bristle base assembly itself without any additional mechanical cams or linkages.
• the bristle base arrangement can also be used for just in-and-out (toward and away from the teeth) single motion action.
• the structural arrangement of the brushhead is shown in Figure 5 at 52. It includes two substantially identical paddle members 54 and 56 (except for the curved free ends) which are substantially co-planar.
• the physical dimensions of the paddle members, the rotation of the driveshaft and the range of the poking motion is similar to that of the embodiment of Figure 3.
• the space between the two paddle members in this case is approximately 0.5-1 mm.
• a new brushhead for a power toothbrush which is arranged and configured to produce a multi-motion action by virtue of the bristle base structure and arrangement, when the brushhead structure is driven in a sweeping (partially rotating) motion, without any mechanical linkages or cams.

Landscapes

• Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Dentistry (AREA)
• Epidemiology (AREA)
• Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
• Animal Behavior & Ethology (AREA)
• General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
• Public Health (AREA)
• Veterinary Medicine (AREA)
• Brushes (AREA)

Priority Applications (7)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=47594956

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (9)

Cited By (1)

Families Citing this family (2)

Citations (3)

Family Cites Families (12)

• 2012
  • 2012-12-11 US US14/366,311 patent/US9050162B2/en active Active
  • 2012-12-11 TR TR2018/06992T patent/TR201806992T4/tr unknown
  • 2012-12-11 BR BR112014014908A patent/BR112014014908A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2012-12-11 EP EP12816523.0A patent/EP2793740B1/en active Active
  • 2012-12-11 WO PCT/IB2012/057165 patent/WO2013093709A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2012-12-11 RU RU2014130047A patent/RU2014130047A/ru not_active Application Discontinuation
  • 2012-12-11 JP JP2014548271A patent/JP6190385B2/ja active Active
  • 2012-12-11 CN CN201280063767.8A patent/CN104010590B/zh active Active
• 2014
  • 2014-07-01 IN IN4965CHN2014 patent/IN2014CN04965A/en unknown

Patent Citations (3)

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