U.S. patent application number 09/732460 was filed with the patent office on 2001-06-14 for toothbrush holder.
Invention is credited to Ventnor, Susan Gaye.
Application Number | 20010003332 09/732460 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 3818691 |
Filed Date | 2001-06-14 |
United States Patent
Application |
20010003332 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ventnor, Susan Gaye |
June 14, 2001 |
Toothbrush holder
Abstract
A toothbrush holder for a toothbrush having an enlarged handle,
for example a battery operated toothbrush, is provided which
comprises at least one support aperture, the or each support
aperture being expandable or has at least part thereof restricted
in a lateral dimension compared to a width of the enlarged handle.
The support aperture is suitable to support the toothbrush
vertically with a bristle-end suspended downward therefrom and
spaced from a lower drainage surface. The holder may also comprise
a locating aperture to locate the toothbrush within the support
aperture. In one embodiment, the holder comprises a housing having
a removable wall with at least one support aperture for a
toothbrush having an enlarged handle on one surface of the wall and
preferably at least one retainer for retaining a conventional
toothbrush on an opposite surface of the wall.
Inventors: |
Ventnor, Susan Gaye; (The
Gap, AU) |
Correspondence
Address: |
IAN F. BURNS
P O BOX 20038
RENO
NV
89515
US
|
Family ID: |
3818691 |
Appl. No.: |
09/732460 |
Filed: |
December 6, 2000 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
211/70.6 ;
D6/534 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A47K 1/09 20130101; A61C
17/224 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
211/70.6 ;
D6/534 |
International
Class: |
A47F 007/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Dec 8, 1999 |
AU |
PQ4550 |
Claims
1. A toothbrush holder for a toothbrush having an enlarged handle
comprising: (i) one or a plurality of support apertures for holding
a respective toothbrush vertically with a bristle end downward
wherein the or each aperture is expandable or has at least part
thereof restricted in a lateral dimension compared to a width of
the enlarged handle; and (ii) a drainage surface located below the
or each support aperture; whereby in use, the or each toothbrush is
held by the expandable aperture in a resilient manner or by the
restricted lateral dimension to suspend the or each toothbrush
above the drainage surface and spaced therefrom.
2. The toothbrush holder of claim 1 whereby the or each support
aperture is expandable.
3. The toothbrush holder of claim 1 wherein the or each support
aperture has at least part thereof of said restricted lateral
dimension.
4. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the
toothbrush holder has an outwardly extending shelf having said
plurality of support apertures.
5. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the or each
support aperture has an access opening.
6. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the or each
support aperture is of frusto-conical shape.
7. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 3 wherein each support
aperture has an upper concave recess and a lower concave recess and
said restricted lateral dimension is located at a junction of said
upper concave recess and said lower concave recess.
8. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 1 wherein the holder
has an upper shelf having a plurality of locating apertures for
each toothbrush.
9. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 8 wherein each
locating aperture has an access opening.
10. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 2 wherein the or each
expandable support aperture is provided by an internal opening of a
resilient clip.
11. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 1 comprising a
housing having one or more removable walls whereby the or each
removable wall has said one or more support apertures.
12. The toothbrush holder as claimed in claim 11 wherein the
support apertures are located on one broad surface of the or each
removable wall and there are provided retainers for retaining one
or more conventional toothbrushes on another broad surface of the
or each removable wall.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] THIS INVENTION relates to a toothbrush holder for storing at
least one toothbrush having an enlarged handle with bristle-end
oriented downward and spaced from a drainage surface.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Toothbrush holders function to store toothbrushes when not
in use in an orderly and reasonably sanitary manner. Storing
toothbrushes vertically may reduce the area required to store the
toothbrushes and also enables positioning of a bristle-end of a
toothbrush away from contact with potentially unclean surfaces, for
example a counter or bench top.
[0003] Toothbrush holders in the past have been designed to
accommodate a conventional shape of a toothbrush wherein the
toothbrush has a slender handle.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,978,003 relates to a toothbrush holder with
two separable parts to facilitate the access to an interior
thereof. A bottom part has a disposable receptacle therein to
receive drainage from a toothbrush held by the holder. A
bristle-end of the toothbrush is located upwards external to the
holder and a handle-end of the toothbrush is located internal to
the holder. Accordingly, drainage from a toothbrush flows down the
handle-end of the toothbrush to be collected in the disposable
receptacle.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,245 relates to a toothbrush holder
comprising a rack with a protective dome shaped cover to prevent
contaminants from contacting the bristle-end while permitting
passage of air for drying. Toothbrushes are stored vertically with
the bristle-end of the toothbrush upwards within the protective
cover. A toothbrush stored in this holder would drain excess liquid
down the toothbrush handle.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,855 relates to a disposable toothbrush
holder that holds toothbrushes upright, bristle-end upwards, for
sanitary drying, supported in circular apertures in a convex upper
portion supported by integrally-formed legs. This holder also
stores a toothbrush oriented such that excess liquid drains down
the toothbrush handle.
[0007] GB 2319176 relates to a toothbrush holder comprising a rack
and vessels suitable for holding a sterilising liquid. A toothbrush
is stored with bristles downward and located within a vessel. The
rack maintains each toothbrush in a position whereby the bristles
remain in the vessel. This holder is suitable if a sterilising
liquid is used.
[0008] EP 974288 relates to a toothbrush holder comprising a recess
or aperture in a wall suitable to insert and support a terminal-end
of a toothbrush with a slender handle in a cantilever-like manner.
The toothbrush is held at an acute angle to the wall and suspended
therefrom above and spaced from a drainage surface.
[0009] The above referenced U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,003; 5,769,245 and
5,687,855 relate to holders for storing toothbrushes with
bristle-ends upward and thus excess liquid drains down the
toothbrush handles when stored therein. Storing a toothbrush in
this orientation may be particularly undesirable for an electrical
toothbrush having electrical components in the handle. The
toothbrush holders described in GB 2319176 and EP 974288 relate to
holders for storing toothbrushes with bristle-end downward. The
holder described in GB 2319176 is complicated in use because of a
necessity for using vessels containing sterilising liquid. The
holder described in EP 974288 is suitable for toothbrushes with
slender handles and could not be used with a toothbrush having an
enlarged handle such as a battery operated toothbrush.
OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0010] It is an object of the invention to provide a holder for
storing a toothbrush having an enlarged handle with the bristle-end
located downward which alleviates one or more of the disadvantages
of the prior art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The invention relates to a toothbrush holder for a
toothbrush having an enlarged handle comprising:
[0012] (i) one or a plurality of support apertures for holding a
respective toothbrush vertically with a bristle end downward
wherein the or each aperture is expandable or has at least part
thereof restricted in a lateral dimension compared to a width of
the enlarged handle; and
[0013] (ii) a drainage surface located below the or each support
aperture;
[0014] whereby in use, the or each toothbrush is held by the
expandable aperture in a resilient manner or by the restricted
lateral dimension to suspend the or each toothbrush above the
drainage surface and spaced therefrom.
[0015] Preferably, the or each expandable support aperture is
provided by an internal opening of a resilient clip.
[0016] The toothbrush holder may have an outwardly extending shelf
having the plurality of support apertures.
[0017] The or each support aperture may have an access opening.
[0018] The or each support aperture may be of frusto-conical
shape.
[0019] The support aperture may have an upper concave recess and a
lower concave recess and the restricted lateral dimension in this
embodiment is located at a junction of the upper concave recess and
the lower concave recess.
[0020] The toothbrush holder may comprise an upper shelf having a
plurality of locating apertures for each toothbrush.
[0021] Each locating aperture may have an access opening.
[0022] The toothbrush holder may comprise a housing having one or
more removable walls whereby the or each removable wall has the one
or more support apertures.
[0023] The purpose of the restricted lateral dimension may be to
engage the handle or bristle attachment neck of the toothbrush in
an interference fit or by adoption of a wedging effect.
Alternatively, the restricted lateral dimension may engage a
shoulder of the toothbrush which is located at the junction of the
enlarged handle and a neck part having bristles attached thereto.
It is understood that the toothbrush with the enlarged handle held
by the restricted lateral dimension may be electrical (for example
battery operated) or non-electrical; and that a battery operated
toothbrush is one example of a toothbrush suitable of use with the
present invention.
[0024] Preferably, the support apertures are located on one broad
surface of the or each removable wall and there are provided
retainers for retaining one or more conventional toothbrushes on
another broad surface of the or each removable wall.
[0025] The holder may comprise a body or wall with opposed broad
surfaces from which support apertures may outwardly extend;
however, a support other than a wall, for example a frame, may also
be suitable for attaching support apertures of the invention.
[0026] The toothbrush holder of the present invention may be free
standing or mountable to a vertical surface such as a wall.
[0027] It is understood that the term "toothbrush" used herein
refers to non-electrical and electrical toothbrushes. The
toothbrush may have horizontal and vertical rows of bristles or may
have bristles circularly arranged with a bristle-end which may
rotate. Toothbrushes with bristles circularly arranged are commonly
known as "plaque removers". A toothbrush with an enlarged handle
relative to a bristle attachment neck may be electrical or
non-electrical, and a battery operated toothbrush is used herein as
an example of a toothbrush with an enlarged handle.
[0028] "Electrical toothbrushes" comprise battery operated
toothbrushes, and "battery operated toothbrushes" comprise both
rechargeable and non-rechargeable battery operated
toothbrushes.
[0029] It is understood that the invention relates particularly to
toothbrushes with handles which are wider than conventional
toothbrushes such as battery operated toothbrushes.
[0030] Throughout this specification unless the context requires
otherwise, the word "comprise", and variations such as "comprises"
or "comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of the
stated integers or group of integers or steps but not the exclusion
of any other integer or group of integers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] In order that the invention may be readily understood and
put into practical effect, preferred embodiments will now be
described by way of example with reference to the accompanying
drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts and
wherein:
[0032] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a toothbrush holder
constructed in accordance with a first embodiment of the
invention;
[0033] FIG. 1B is an isolated side view of a bristle-end of a
toothbrush and drainage surface as shown in FIG. 1A.
[0034] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a variation of the
embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1;
[0035] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a toothbrush holder
constructed in accordance with a second embodiment whereby
toothbrushes are held by resilient clips;
[0036] FIG. 4A is a side view of a toothbrush holder constructed in
accordance with a third embodiment of the invention whereby the
holder comprises removable wall components which may be changed
from an orientation to expose a broad surface with retainers to
retain a conventional toothbrush or a broad surface with a support
aperture to support a toothbrush having an enlarged handle;
[0037] FIG. 4B is a perspective view of a toothbrush holder
comprising three removable wall components having resilient clips
and support apertures suitable for holding a toothbrush;
[0038] FIG. 4C is an exploded perspective view of the third
embodiment of the holder shown with a removable wall component;
[0039] FIG. 4D is a perspective view of the removable wall
component comprising a resilient clip and support aperture suitable
for holding a toothbrush;
[0040] FIG. 4E is a perspective view of the removable wall
component comprising a frusto-conical shaped support aperture
suitable for holding a toothbrush;
[0041] FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a toothbrush holder
comprising frusto-conical support apertures;
[0042] FIG. 5B is a perspective view of a frusto-conical aperture
as shown in FIG. 5A; and
[0043] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toothbrush holder with
support apertures having upper and lower recesses which form a
restricted lateral dimension at a junction therebetween to support
a toothbrush.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0044] FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of toothbrush holder 10,
wherein an associated toothbrush with an enlarged handle, shown
here as a battery operated toothbrush 11, is stored in an inverted
position with a bristle-end 12 located downward. Holder 10
comprises a vertical wall 20 with a support shelf 14 having a
plurality of support apertures 15 which each support a toothbrush
11 by a restricted lateral dimension 25 and 25A as shown. There is
also provided a handle retaining shelf 17 having a plurality of
locating apertures 18 for retaining an enlarged handle 13 of
toothbrush 11. The locating apertures 18 locate each toothbrush 11
vertically above support aperture 15. Locating aperture 18 is
larger than corresponding support aperture 15 to accommodate the
enlarged handle 13 of toothbrush 11. Shoulder 26 of toothbrush 11
is shown supported by restricted lateral dimension 25A of support
aperture 15 such that bristle-end 12 of toothbrush 11 is suspended
therefrom and is spaced from drainage surface 16. Also shown is
bristle attachment neck 24 of toothbrush 11 wedged within support
aperture 15 at restricted lateral dimension 25. FIG. 1B clearly
shows spacing between bristle-end 12 and drainage surface 16. Each
support aperture 15 has an access opening 15A and each locating
aperture 18 has an access opening 18A as shown forming a passage
through which a bristle attachment neck 24 of a toothbrush 11 may
pass. Drainage surface 16 may be integral to holder 10 or removable
for easy cleaning. The toothbrush 11 shown also comprises a
removable cap 21 to replace batteries, a switch 22 to actuate the
bristle-end 12 and a decorative embellishment 23 which may also
function as a hand grip.
[0045] FIG. 2 illustrates a modified arrangement of the toothbrush
holder shown in FIG. 1. Holder 110 also stores toothbrushes 11 with
the bristle-end 12 located downward as shown; however, in this
arrangement holder 110 comprises a handle retaining shelf 117
having a plurality of closed circular locating apertures 118. In
use, toothbrush 11 is inserted downward through circular locating
aperture 118 as shown by the arrows. The bristle-end 12 of
toothbrush 11 is spaced from drainage surface 16 similarly as shown
in FIG. 1B.
[0046] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of toothbrush holder
210 as shown in FIG. 1. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 has a
plurality of support apertures which comprise resilient clips 217
which hold toothbrush 11 at enlarged handle 13 in an orientation
with the bristle-end 12 downward as shown. The bristle-end 12 of
toothbrush 11 is spaced from drainage surface 16 similarly as shown
in FIG. 1B. Toothbrush 11 may be repeatedly inserted and removed
from clip 217. In this embodiment, support shelf 14 may be omitted
and toothbrush 11 may be supported solely by resilient clip
217.
[0047] As shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, an embodiment of toothbrush
holder 310 comprises a housing with a top wall 312, a bottom wall
315, a vertical wall 319 which connects top wall 312 and bottom
wall 315, a side wall 318 (a side wall opposite wall 318 not
shown), and at least one removable wall assembly 320 comprising a
plurality of wall components 320A. The side walls may be removable
or alternatively may be dispensed with to accommodate slidable
removal of removable wall assembly 320 as discussed below. FIG. 4B
shows three removable wall components 320A, each wall component
320A comprising a resilient clip 217 and support aperture 314 to
hold a toothbrush 11. Top wall 312 comprises a groove 311 on an
inner surface thereof as shown which is suitable to receive an
arcuate attachment rib 325 of wall component 320A. Arcuate
attachment rib 325 when inserted into groove 311 is pivotable in a
hinge-like manner as shown by the bold arrow. Bottom wall 315 has
parallel ridges 312 and 313 which form a channel 316 therebetween.
Channel 316 is of sufficient width to retain a bottom end of each
wall component 320A. Removable wall component 320A may omit arcuate
attachment rib 325 and such an embodiment of removable wall
component 320A may be retained in channels located in top wall 312
and bottom wall 315 respectively of holder 310.
[0048] FIG. 4A is a side view showing removable wall component 320A
orientated with resilient clip 217 and support aperture 314 facing
outward and extending away from broad surface 350 of wall component
320A for holding toothbrush 11 having enlarged handle 13. On a
broad surface 340 opposite broad surface 350 of wall component 320A
are retainers 317A and 314A for retaining a conventional toothbrush
11A.
[0049] As shown in FIGS. 4C, 4D and 4E, removable wall component
320A may hold a toothbrush in a similar manner as shown in FIGS. 1,
3 and 5 respectively. FIG. 4C shows removable wall component 320A
comprising an upper locating aperture 317 and lower support
aperture 314, whereby removable wall component 320A is able to
slide into channel 316 and groove 311 of holder 310. FIG. 4D shows
an embodiment of removable wall component 320A with a resilient
clip 217 to hold a toothbrush handle and a support aperture 314.
FIG. 4E shows an embodiment of removable wall component 320A with a
frusto-conical support aperture 410.
[0050] When wall component 320A are changed from an orientation
exposing broad surface 350 to an orientation exposing broad surface
340 for use, it will be appreciated that each wall component 320A
is removed and reversed. Thus, each wall component 320A may be
slidably removed from holder 310 as shown in FIG. 4C or pivotably
removed from holder 310 as shown by the arrow in full outline in
FIG. 4A.
[0051] FIG. 5A shows another embodiment of toothbrush holder 400
comprising a support aperture 410 which also supports toothbrush 11
with bristle-end 12 located downward so that bristle-end 12 and
spaced from drainage surface 416. Support aperture 410 is
frusto-conical in shape and comprises a restricted lateral
dimension 425 with an access opening 430 as shown. Access opening
430 is sufficient in size to allow a toothbrush bristle attachment
neck 24 to pass therebetween. A wider end 411 of support aperture
410 is located as shown and narrows at restricted lateral dimension
425 which supports toothbrush 11 at shoulder 26 as shown. Holder
400 has a body 420 and an upper surface 421 angled as shown to
allow toothbrush 11 to be held such that bristle-end 12 is spaced
from drainage surface 416 and body 420.
[0052] FIG. 6 shows a holder 500 which is similar to holder 400
shown in FIG. 5; however, the frusto-conical support apertures of
holder 400 are replaced with a plurality of support apertures
having a restricted lateral dimension 525 formed at a junction of
lower concave recess 510 and upper concave recess 530 as shown.
Shoulder 26 of toothbrush 11 is supported by restricted lateral
dimension 525. Body 520 of holder 500 has a surface 521 angled as
shown to support toothbrush 11 in the orientation such that
bristle-end 12 of toothbrush 11 is spaced from drainage surface 516
as shown. Apertures 540 are also provided for storing conventional
toothbrushes; however, apertures 540 may be omitted.
[0053] It will be appreciated that the present invention alleviates
deficiencies of previous toothbrush holders and is advantageous in
that a toothbrush with an enlarged handle, for example a battery
operated toothbrush, may be stored vertically with the bristle-end
facing downward and suspended therefrom such that draining or
dripping of excess liquid (e.g. water, saliva and toothpaste)
remaining on the bristles following brushing does not flow onto the
handle. This is particularly advantageous for a battery operated
toothbrush which may contain electrical components such as a motor
and batteries in the handle. The invention also permits air drying
of the bristle end of the toothbrush which may improve
sanitation.
[0054] It is understood that the invention described in detail
herein is susceptible to modification and variation, such that
embodiments other than those described herein are contemplated
which nevertheless falls within the broad spirt and scope of the
invention.
* * * * *