U.S. patent application number 10/427356 was filed with the patent office on 2003-11-13 for toothbrush.
This patent application is currently assigned to Colgate-Palmolive Company. Invention is credited to Jimenez, Eduardo J..
Application Number | 20030208870 10/427356 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 22576701 |
Filed Date | 2003-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030208870 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Jimenez, Eduardo J. |
November 13, 2003 |
Toothbrush
Abstract
A toothbrush includes a flexible neck connecting the head to the
handle. The handle is a stout handle which is wider than the width
of the head. At least a portion of the handle has a channel in its
outer surface to reduce the amount of material of said handle.
Inventors: |
Jimenez, Eduardo J.;
(Manalapan, NJ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Patent Department
Colgate-Palmolive Company
909 River Road
P.O. Box 1343
Piscataway
NJ
08855-1343
US
|
Assignee: |
Colgate-Palmolive Company
|
Family ID: |
22576701 |
Appl. No.: |
10/427356 |
Filed: |
May 1, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10427356 |
May 1, 2003 |
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29160392 |
May 9, 2002 |
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D474029 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
15/167.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B 5/0062 20130101;
A46B 5/007 20130101; A46B 15/0002 20130101; A46B 2200/1066
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
15/167.1 |
International
Class: |
A46B 009/04 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A toothbrush comprising a handle, a head having a front surface
and a rear surface, cleaning elements mounted outwardly from said
front surface, a flexible neck connecting said head to said handle,
said handle being a stout handle being wider than the width of said
head, and at least a portion of said handle having a void to reduce
the amount of material of said handle.
2. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said handle has at least one
channel in its outer surface to comprise said void.
3. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said handle has a front
surface on the same side of said handle as said front surface of
said head and a rear surface on the same side of said handle as
said rear surface of said head, and said channel being located in
said front surface of said handle.
4. The toothbrush of claim 3 including a further channel located in
said rear surface of said handle in the general area of said
neck.
5. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said channel is of stepped
formation having a shallow portion and an intermediate portion and
a deep portion.
6. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said channel is in a side
surface of said handle.
7. The toothbrush of claim 6 wherein said channel extends
completely through said handle from one side surface to the
opposite side surface.
8. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said handle has a front
surface on the same side of said handle as said front surface of
said head, said handle having a rear surface on the same side as
said rear surface of said head, each of said front surface of said
handle and said rear surface of said handle having an outwardly
curved profile to provide a bulge in the side profile of said
handle.
9. The toothbrush of claim 8 wherein said channel is in said front
surface of said handle.
10. The toothbrush of claim 9 including a further channel in said
rear surface of said handle located in the general area of said
neck.
11. The toothbrush of claim 8 wherein said front surface is a
smooth curve from the remote tip of said handle to said neck, and
said rear surface of said handle having an S-shaped curve.
12. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said flexible neck is in the
form of a joint having an undulated outer surface of varying
thickness.
13. The toothbrush of claim 12 wherein said joint comprises a
plurality of outwardly extending rings interconnected by reduced
diameter connections, and said neck being made of a flexible
elastomeric material.
14. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said flexible neck includes
an aperture extending completely through said neck, a backbone on
one side of said aperture, and a bridge on the opposite side of
said aperture.
15. The toothbrush of claim 13 wherein said bridge is of an
undulated formation having inward and outward bends.
16. The toothbrush of claim 14 wherein said bridge includes a
single centrally located inward bend.
17. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said cleaning elements
comprise bristles having a side profile in the form of a wave.
18. A toothbrush comprising a handle, a head having a front surface
and a rear surface, cleaning elements mounted outwardly from said
front surface, a flexible neck connecting said head to said handle,
said flexible neck including an aperture extending completely
through said neck from one side surface to the opposite side
surface, a backbone extending longitudinally over said aperture, a
bridge extending longitudinally over said aperture remote from said
backbone, and said bridge including at least one inwardly directed
indent.
19. The toothbrush of claim 18 wherein said bridge is of undulated
structure having a plurality of indents.
20. The toothbrush of claim 18 wherein said bridge has a single
inwardly directed centrally located indent.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Various techniques have been used to enhance the appearance
of toothbrushes so as to attract the attention of users and thereby
encourage the use of the toothbrush.
[0002] A form of toothbrush having popularity is one wherein the
handle is of an enlarged size which has ergonomic benefits as well
as a pleasing appearance. A difficulty with such large size or
stout handles, however, is that when the toothbrushes are mass
produced the large handles require more time for the plastic
material used for making the handles to cool. It would be desirable
if a toothbrush could be fabricated having the benefits of large
handles without the manufacturing detriments.
[0003] The prior art has taken various approaches in forming
toothbrushes having some areas of flexibility. Reference is made to
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,146,645, 6,367,112, 6,292,973, 4,520,526 and
5,765,254. Reference is also made to the following patents which
disclose toothbrushes having cavities or apertures in the handle
and/or neck, namely, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,109,339, 4,283,808,
4,654,921, 5,272,784, 5,377,377 and 5,735,012 and UK patent
application GB2282959, UK patent 169450 and German DE 298 20 182,
Japanese patent application H 11-334284 and Japanese patent
disclosure no. 2001-211936. Reference is also made to U.S. Pat.
Nos. 5,054,154 and 5,903,949 which disclose toothbrushes having
flexible necks. Reference is also made to design Pat. Nos.
D360,981, D372,363, D417,960, D451,283, D453,269, D388,959 and
D360,761.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] An object of this invention is to provide a toothbrush
having an enhanced appearance.
[0005] A further object of this invention is to provide such a
toothbrush having a stout handle, but one which could be mass
produced using less material and improved manufacturing speed as
compared to toothbrushes having conventional stout handles.
[0006] In accordance with this invention the toothbrush includes a
head which carries the cleaning elements, such as bristles. The
head is secured to a handle by a neck. In accordance with this
invention the neck is flexible. The handle is of a large size
having a width which is wider than the width of the head. At least
a portion of the handle is of reduced thickness while still
maintaining its stout appearance to reduce the amount of material
necessary for forming the handle. As a result, when the handle is
molded it can be molded at a higher speed than would otherwise
result with conventional oversize or stout handles.
[0007] The handle may include at least one channel for receiving
some of the fingers of the user, such as the thumb. If desired, a
further channel could be disposed on an opposite side of the handle
for receiving an additional finger, such as the index finger.
THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view partly in section of a
toothbrush formed in accordance with this invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the toothbrush shown
in FIG. 1;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken through FIG. 2 along
the line 3-3;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of a further form of
handle in accordance with this invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the toothbrush shown
in FIG. 4;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a side elevational view partly in section of yet
another toothbrush in accordance with this invention;
[0014] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken through FIG. 6 along
the line 7-7;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a side elevational view of a power operated
toothbrush in accordance with this invention;
[0016] FIGS. 9-10 are side elevational views of yet another
toothbrush in accordance with this invention in different stages of
operation; and
[0017] FIGS. 11-12 are views similar to FIGS. 9-10 of yet another
toothbrush in accordance with this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] FIGS. 1-3 illustrate a toothbrush 10 in accordance with this
invention. As shown therein toothbrush 10 includes a handle 12 and
a head 14 connected to the handle 12 by a neck 16. Head 14 carries
a plurality of cleaning elements 18 which are schematically
illustrated. Cleaning elements 18 may be of any known form such as
bristles or elastomeric cleaning or massaging members.
[0019] In accordance with one aspect of this invention the neck 16
is a flexible neck which permits the head 14 to move in various
directions such as shown in phantom in FIG. 1 where the neck could
move in a rotational direction wherein its longitudinal axis pivots
about the neck 16 which functions as a pivot joint. The pivot joint
could result from a series of rings and intermediate valleys or
connecting sections creating an undulated outer surface at neck 16.
The flexibility of the neck could be particularly enhanced by
making neck 16 from a soft resilient elastomeric material.
[0020] As best shown in FIG. 2 handle 12 is a stout or oversized
handle having a width or transverse dimension greater than the
width or transverse dimension of head 14. As best shown in FIG. 3
handle 12 includes a dished out or channel portion 20 over
substantially its entire length so that the resultant thickness of
handle 12 is generally uniform, although when viewed from the side
(FIG. 1) the handle profile appears to have an outwardly curved
front surface 22 and a rear surface 24. By having the longitudinal
channel 20 in handle 12, handle 12 is made from less material. As a
result, when the toothbrushes 10 and in particular the handles 12
are massed produced there is no increase in time required for the
plastic material to cool than would otherwise result if the handle
did not include a channel. Moreover, by forming the channel 20 in
handle 12 there is less material used which reduces cost and
improves the speed in manufacturing. Accordingly, the incorporation
of channel 20 reduces the material while still giving the desired
fat or oversized appearance which is preferred for ergonomic
reasons. Moreover, channel 20 provides a convenient location for
the user to place one or more fingers when holding the toothbrush
10.
[0021] FIGS. 4-5 show a further toothbrush 10A having a flexible
neck 16 connecting the head 14 to handle 12A. As shown therein the
channel 20A is formed in a step type configuration wherein the
depth of the channel gradually increases from portion 26 which is a
generally shallow part of channel 20A to the deepest portion 28
with an intermediate depth portion 30. FIG. 4 also shows the
cleaning element pattern to be a plurality of tufts of bristles 18A
having a wave profile.
[0022] The neck 16 of FIGS. 4-5 also differs from the neck 16 of
FIGS. 1-2 in that there is a smooth transition from the reduced
thickness to the increased thickness sections of neck 16 in FIGS.
1-2 as compared to the more abrupt and distinct transitions shown
in FIGS. 4-5.
[0023] FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate yet another variation wherein the
toothbrush 10B has a channel 34 formed in the backside of handle
12B opposite the main channel 36. Channel 36 may conveniently
function for receiving one or more fingers of the user while
channel 34 may function for receiving other fingers. It is
preferred that the channels extend close to the neck 16 so that,
for example, the thumb could be readily received in one channel
while the index finger and/or other fingers received in the
opposite channel.
[0024] FIG. 6 shows the cleaning elements to be bristles 18B
forming a profile having two longitudinal end sections which taper
inwardly and then form an intermediate section which tapers
outwardly. Toothbrushes 10, 10A and 10B could be of any suitable
dimensions. For example, the toothbrush may have an overall length
from the remote tip of handle 12 to the opposite remote end of head
14 which is about 190 mm. The thickness of handle 12 from the base
of channel 20 to the outer surface 24 could be, for example, 5 mm
while the sculpted handle could have a thinner wall design
extending outwardly toward outer surface 22 of about 1.6-5 mm.
Similar proportions could be used for handles 10A and 10B.
[0025] The toothbrushes 10, 10A and 10B accordingly comprise a one
component toothbrush having a molded-in unique flexible neck
feature. This provides a new ornamental design of the neck and the
handle for the toothbrush. The details of the shape of the neck
function and communicate flexibility and movement. The handle is
contoured so as to appear stout while having a generally even
material thickness. More particularly because of the provision of
at least one channel in the handle the handle has a reduced
thickness in at least one portion of its profile. In that regard,
the profile shown, for example, in FIG. 1 is one in which the outer
surfaces 22 and 24 and the side surfaces 23,23 give the appearance
of a handle which is curved in its outer surfaces and stout in its
side surfaces. Despite this overall oversize or stout appearance,
because of the provision of at least one channel, the actual amount
of material used is far less than would be expected when
considering the oversize appearance of the handle.
[0026] FIG. 8 illustrates a variation of this invention wherein the
toothbrush 10C is an electric or power operated toothbrush in
contrast to toothbrushes 10, 10A and 10B being manual toothbrushes.
As with the manual toothbrushes, electric toothbrush 10C would also
include a head 14 connected to the handle 12C by a neck 16 which
could be structured in the same manner as in the manual
toothbrushes so as to provide the flexible neck feature. Because
handle 10C houses the power components, such as the batteries and
motor for operating the power toothbrush handle 10C is hollow. As a
result, it is not necessary to form a channel in the outer surface
of handle 10C in contrast to the manual toothbrushes previously
illustrated wherein the channels are formed in the outer front and
rear surfaces 22,24. Such contoured channels, however, may be
included in handle 10C for ergonomic and aesthetic purposes.
[0027] Although not illustrated, electric toothbrush 10C could
include at least one movable section which would cause movement of
the cleaning elements 18C in any suitable direction such as a
rotational oscillation, a continuous rotation, a longitudinal
reciprocation, a transverse reciprocation or a pivoting about the
longitudinal axis of head 14. The power to the head could be
transmitted from a shaft extending through neck 16 to a suitable
movable carrier in head 14 for carrying the cleaning elements 18C.
The shaft could be a flexible shaft to accommodate the flexing
movement resulting from neck 16.
[0028] As illustrated in various side views, particularly for the
manual toothbrush the profile of the rear side of the toothbrush
handle takes the shape of an S which bulges outwardly opposite the
outward bulge of the front surface and then bends inwardly as the
front and rear surfaces connect to the neck thereby forming a
tapered section adjacent to the neck.
[0029] FIGS. 9-10 illustrate a toothbrush 10D wherein the flexible
neck is achieved by having a cutout 38 extending completely through
the neck from one side surface to the other leaving a backbone 40
and a flexible bridge 42. The backbone 40 and bridge 42 could be
made of an elastomeric material that would permit the backbone and
bridge to bend upon the application of force such as in either of
the directions of the arrows 44,46 shown in FIG. 10. This would
result in a bending of the head 14 as shown, for example, by the
directional arrow 48 of FIG. 10. The flexible neck for the
toothbrush 10D differs from the flexible neck shown with regard to
the prior toothbrushes. In that respect, the flexible neck 16 is
formed by a series of ribs extending outwardly and joined by
smaller diameter connecting portions so as to result in an
undulated outer surface of the neck 16. The neck of FIGS. 9-10,
however, is formed by creating an aperture or opening completely
through the neck portion to cause the flexibility.
[0030] FIGS. 9-10 also show an alternative manner of reducing the
amount of material for the handle 12D. As shown therein an aperture
50 extends completely or at least partially through the handle 12D
from one side surface toward the other side surface. In that sense
the channel is located at the outer surface on at least one side of
the handle whereas in the prior embodiments the channel is located
on an outer surface at the front and/or rear portions of the handle
rather than at the side.
[0031] FIGS. 11-12 show a variation where the toothbrush 10E
includes a flexible joint formed by an aperture 52 extending
completely through the neck so as to result in a backbone 54 on one
side of aperture 52 with a bridge 56 on the other side. Bridge 56
is a thin bridging member which in its normal condition slopes
outwardly away from backbone 54, but has a single indented portion
58 generally centrally located and disposed toward backbone 54.
This differs from bridge 42 of FIGS. 9-10 which has a series of
portions extending toward and away from backbone 40. When force is
applied along the lines of force 44,46 the head 14 would bend as
indicated for example by the arrow 48.
[0032] The handle 12E of FIGS. 11-12 would be formed more along the
lines of the handles shown in FIGS. 1-2 and 4-6 wherein a channel
20 is formed in one of the outer surfaces of handle 12E.
[0033] In general, the invention thus comprises a toothbrush which
could be manual or power operated. In the preferred practice of the
invention the toothbrush has a flexible neck joining the handle to
the head which has the cleaning elements. In the preferred practice
of the invention the handle is a stout or oversized handle which is
larger in its transverse direction than the transverse dimension of
the head. Preferably, the handle has front and rear surfaces which
curve outwardly away from each other to create the stout
appearance. The amount of material used in making the handle,
however, is minimized by forming at least one channel which extends
from at least one surface of the handle. That surface preferably is
a front and/or a rear surface, but could also be a side surface in
addition to or instead of a channel on the front and/or rear
surface. In its broad practice the toothbrush could include the
flexible neck feature without the stout handle, particularly a
stout handle having at least one channel or could be practiced
where the material reduction is made by having at least a portion
of the handle contain a void. Such void could be completely
enclosed (such as in the power toothbrush) or could be exposed to
an outer surface thereby forming the channel.
* * * * *