U.S. patent application number 10/123555 was filed with the patent office on 2003-10-16 for tooth paste dispensing toothbrush.
Invention is credited to Sanchez, Sam.
Application Number | 20030194261 10/123555 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 28790743 |
Filed Date | 2003-10-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030194261 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sanchez, Sam |
October 16, 2003 |
Tooth paste dispensing toothbrush
Abstract
A toothbrush including a head portion having a plurality of
bristles, an internal chamber, and one or more openings to couple
therethrough tooth paste from within the internal chamber to
proximate the bristles. The toothbrush further includes a neck
portion having an internal conduit fluidly coupled to the internal
chamber of the head portion. The toothbrush additionally includes a
connector portion to mate with a corresponding connector of a
separate tooth paste dispenser. Another embodiment includes a
housing portion for enclosing at least a portion of the separate
tooth paste dispenser. Yet another embodiment includes an integral
container portion for storing tooth paste with a pushing pad for
dispensing of tooth paste.
Inventors: |
Sanchez, Sam; (Glendora,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN
12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD, SEVENTH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90025
US
|
Family ID: |
28790743 |
Appl. No.: |
10/123555 |
Filed: |
April 16, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
401/282 ;
401/183 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B 2200/1066 20130101;
A46B 11/0065 20130101; A46B 11/0041 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
401/282 ;
401/183 |
International
Class: |
A47L 013/22 |
Claims
It is claimed:
1. A toothbrush, comprising: a head portion including a plurality
of bristles, an internal chamber, and one or more openings to
couple therethrough fluid from within said internal chamber to
proximate said bristles; a neck portion including an internal
conduit fluidly coupled to said internal chamber of said head
portion; and a connector portion to mate with a corresponding
connector of a separate tooth paste dispenser.
2. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein said connector comprises a
set of threads to mate with a corresponding set of threads of said
corresponding connector of said separate tooth paste dispenser.
3. The toothbrush of claim 1, further comprising a housing portion
to at least partially enclose said separate tooth paste
dispenser.
4. The toothbrush of claim 3, wherein said connector portion at an
end of said neck portion.
5. The toothbrush of claim 1, further comprising a thumb rest
situated proximate said neck portion.
6. A toothbrush, comprising: a head portion including a plurality
of bristles, an internal chamber, and one or more openings to
couple therethrough fluid from within said internal chamber to
proximate said bristles; a neck portion including an internal
conduit fluidly coupled to said internal chamber of said head
portion; and a container portion is fluidly coupled to said
internal conduit of said neck portion, wherein said container
portion comprises a pushing pad to push fluid from said container
portion to said internal conduit of said neck portion, wherein said
pushing pad comprises a pushing portion situated external to said
container portion and a boot situated within said container
portion.
7. The toothbrush of claim 6, wherein said boot is wider at a side
of said container portion opposite said neck portion than at a
region closer to said neck portion.
8. The toothbrush of claim 6, wherein said width of said boot
increases in a direction away from said neck portion.
9. A combination comprising: a toothbrush comprising: a head
portion including a plurality of bristles, an internal chamber, and
one or more openings to couple therethrough fluid from within said
internal chamber to proximate said bristles; a neck portion
including an internal conduit fluidly coupled to said internal
chamber of said head portion; and a toothbrush connector portion;
and a tooth paste dispenser comprising: a container for holding
tooth paste; and a dispenser connector mated to the toothbrush
connector.
10. The combination of claim 1, wherein said connector comprises a
set of threads to mate with a corresponding set of threads of said
corresponding connector of said separate tooth paste dispenser.
11. The combination of claim 1, further comprising a housing
portion to at least partially enclose said separate tooth paste
dispenser.
12. The combination of claim 3, wherein said connector portion at
an end of said neck portion.
13. The combination of claim 1, further comprising a thumb rest
situated proximate said neck portion.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to toothbrushes, and in
particular, to tooth paste dispensing toothbrushes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The act of brushing one's teeth typically requires the use
of both hands. Generally, a user uses one hand to firmly hold the
toothbrush, and the other hand to dispense tooth paste onto the
bristles of a toothbrush by squeezing the tooth paste dispenser.
The two hand process, however, at times may be inconvenient,
difficult, frustrating, and sometimes impossible. This is
especially true if a user is using one hand to perform other
activities, such as driving, writing, or activating a television
remote control. In addition, some users may have disabilities which
impair them from using two hands to properly dispense tooth paste
and brush his/her teeth.
[0003] Thus, there is a need for a toothbrush which allows the
dispensing of tooth paste and subsequently brushing one's teeth
with the use of only one hand. Such a need and others are met with
the toothbrushes described in accordance with the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An aspect of the invention relates to a toothbrush that is
convenient for dispensing tooth paste and subsequently brushing
with the use of only one hand. The toothbrush comprises a head
portion including a plurality of bristles, an internal chamber, and
one or more openings to couple therethrough tooth paste from within
the said internal chamber to proximate the bristles. The toothbrush
further comprises a neck portion including an internal conduit
fluidly coupled to the internal chamber of the head portion. The
toothbrush additionally includes a connector portion to mate with a
corresponding connector of a separate tooth paste dispenser.
[0005] The connector portion may include a set of threads to mate
with a corresponding set of threads of the dispenser's connector.
The toothbrush may further include a housing portion to at least
partially enclose the separate tooth paste dispenser. The connector
portion may be situated within the housing portion. In addition,
the toothbrush may further include a thumb rest situated proximate
the neck portion.
[0006] Another aspect of the invention relates to another type of
toothbrush that is also convenient for dispensing tooth paste and
brushing with the use of only one hand. The toothbrush comprises a
head portion including a plurality of bristles, an internal
chamber, and one or more openings to couple therethrough tooth
paste from within the internal chamber to proximate the bristles.
The toothbrush also includes a neck portion including an internal
conduit fluidly coupled to the internal chamber of the head
portion. Additionally, the toothbrush includes a container portion
fluidly coupled to the internal conduit of said neck portion. The
container portion includes a pushing pad to push fluid from the
container portion to the internal conduit of the neck portion. The
pushing pad, in turn, comprises a pushing portion situated external
to the container portion and a boot situated within the container
portion.
[0007] Other aspects, features and techniques of the invention will
become apparent to one skilled in the relevant art in view of the
following detailed description of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 illustrates a view of an exemplary toothbrush for
coupling to a toothpaste dispenser in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention;
[0009] FIGS. 2A-B illustrate front and perspectives views of an
exemplary toothbrush for coupling to a toothpaste dispenser in
accordance with another embodiment of the invention; and
[0010] FIGS. 3A-C illustrate front, side, and disassembled views of
an exemplary tooth paste dispensing toothbrush in accordance with
another embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a view of an exemplary toothbrush 100 for
coupling to a toothpaste dispenser 108 in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. The toothbrush 100 comprises a head
portion 102, a neck portion 104, and a connector portion 106. The
head portion 102, in turn, comprises a plurality of bristles 114,
one or more openings 116 fluidly coupled to an internal chamber 118
of the head portion 102. The neck portion 104, in turn, comprises
an elongated internal conduit 120 fluidly coupled to the internal
chamber 118 of the head portion 102. The connector portion 106
comprises an internal set of threads 122 for mating with a
corresponding set of threads 110 of the toothpaste dispenser 108.
As customary, the toothpaste dispenser 108 may include a squeezable
container 112 or other type of dispensing container.
[0012] In operation, a user screws the connector 106 of the
toothbrush 100 onto the corresponding connector 110 of the tooth
paste dispenser 108. Once the connectors 106 and 110 are snugly
fastened together, the user squeezes the container 112 (or
otherwise activates the dispensing mechanism of the container 112)
to cause tooth paste contained within the container 112 to flow
through the elongated conduit 120 of the neck portion 104, into the
internal chamber 118 of the head portion 102, and subsequently out
to the bristles 114 by way of the one or more openings 116. At such
moment, the user can begin to brush his/her teeths. During
brushing, if the user desires more tooth paste, he/she merely
squeezes the tooth paste container 112 (or otherwise activates the
dispensing mechanism of the container 112) to cause more tooth
paste to flow to the bristles 114.
[0013] FIGS. 2A-B illustrate perspective and front views of an
exemplary toothbrush 200 for coupling to a toothpaste dispenser 250
in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The
toothbrush 200 comprises a head portion 202, a neck portion 204,
and a dispenser housing portion 206. The head portion 202, in turn,
comprises a plurality of bristles 214 and one or more openings 216
fluidly coupled to an internal chamber 218 of the head portion 202.
The neck portion 204, in turn, comprises an elongated internal
conduit 220 fluidly coupled to the internal chamber 218 of the head
portion 202, and at an end of the neck portion, an internal set of
threads 222 for mating with a corresponding set of threads 252 of
the toothpaste dispenser 250.
[0014] The housing portion 206 further includes an internal chamber
224 for at least partially housing the toothpaste dispenser 208 may
including its squeezable container 212 or other type of dispensing
container. An opening 228 into the housing portion 206 is provided
to allow the insertion and removal of the tooth paste dispenser.
The housing portion 206 may further include a pushing pad 226 of
resilient material. The remaining portion of the housing portion
206 may be comprised of a more rigid material than the pushing pad
226. The toothbrush 200 may further include, along the outer walls
of the housing portion 206 and/or the neck portion 204, a thumb
rest 230 to allow a user's thumb to rest upon during brushing.
[0015] In operation, a user inserts the tooth paste dispenser 250
into the internal chamber 224 of the housing portion 206 of the
toothbrush 200 through the opening 228. Then, the user screws the
connector 222 of the toothbrush 200 onto the corresponding
connector 252 of the tooth paste dispenser 250. Once the connectors
222 and 252 are snugly fastened together, the user pushes on the
pushing pad 226 of the housing portion 206 to squeeze the container
254 (or otherwise activates the dispensing mechanism of the
container 254) to cause tooth paste contained within the container
254 to flow through the elongated conduit 220 of the neck portion
204, into the internal chamber 218 of the head portion 202, and
subsequently out to the bristles 214 by way of the one or more
openings 216. At such moment, the user can begin to brush his/her
teeths. During brushing, if the user desires more tooth paste,
he/she merely pushes on the pushing pad 226 to further squeeze the
tooth paste container 254 (or further activate the dispensing
mechanism of the container 254) to cause more tooth paste to flow
to the bristles 214.
[0016] FIGS. 3A-C illustrate front, side, and disassembled views of
an exemplary tooth paste dispensing toothbrush 300 in accordance
with another embodiment of the invention. The toothbrush 300
comprises a head portion 302, a neck portion 304, and a container
portion 306 for holding tooth paste. The head portion 302, in turn,
comprises a plurality of bristles 314 and one or more openings 316
fluidly coupled to an internal chamber 318 of the head portion 302.
The neck portion 304, in turn, comprises an elongated internal
conduit 320 fluidly coupled to the internal chamber 318 of the head
portion 302. The container portion 306 comprises a pushing pad 322
having a pushing portion 324 situated outside of the container
portion 306 through an opening 326 in the container portion 306.
The pushing pad 322 further includes a boot portion 328 situated
within the container portion 306 for pushing the tooth paste
towards the elongated internal conduit 320 of the neck portion 304.
The boot portion 328 is inclined in a manner that its width is
greater towards the bottom of the container 328. This inclination
allows the boot portion 328 to push the tooth paste to the bristles
314 when the user pushes on the pushing pad 322.
[0017] In operation, a user pushes on the pushing pad 322 of the
toothbrush 300, which causes the boot portion 328 to push tooth
paste within the container 306 to flow through the elongated
conduit 320 of the neck portion 304, into the internal chamber 318
of the head portion 302, and subsequently out to the bristles 314
by way of the one or more openings 316. At such moment, the user
can begin to brush his/her teeths. During brushing, if the user
desires more tooth paste, he/she merely pushes the pushing pad 322
to cause more tooth paste to flow to the bristles 314.
[0018] In the foregoing specification, the invention has been
described with reference to specific embodiments thereof. It will,
however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be
made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of
the invention. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to
be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
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