U.S. patent application number 10/871422 was filed with the patent office on 2005-12-22 for tooth brush having rotary brush device.
Invention is credited to Liao, Chung Min, Liao, Li Wen, Wang, Brad.
Application Number | 20050278878 10/871422 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 35479017 |
Filed Date | 2005-12-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050278878 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Liao, Li Wen ; et
al. |
December 22, 2005 |
Tooth brush having rotary brush device
Abstract
A tooth brush includes a handle, a shank attached to the handle
and having a housing, a casing disposed in the housing, and a
paddle wheel rotatably received in the casing and having a shaft
extended out of the casing. A rotary brush device is attached to
the shaft of the paddle wheel, and includes a number of brush
members for teeth brushing purposes. A water supplying device may
be used to supply water into the casing, to drive and to rotate the
paddle wheel relative to the casing, and to drive the brush members
of the rotary brush device to brush teeth. The casing includes a
cover having one or more orifices for allowing water to flow out
through the orifices of the cover of the casing.
Inventors: |
Liao, Li Wen; (Taichung,
TW) ; Liao, Chung Min; (Taichung, TW) ; Wang,
Brad; (Taichung, TW) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Li Wen Liao
P.O. Box 63-99
Taichung
406
TW
|
Family ID: |
35479017 |
Appl. No.: |
10/871422 |
Filed: |
June 18, 2004 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/29 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A46B 11/063 20130101;
A61C 17/30 20130101; A46B 13/06 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
015/029 |
International
Class: |
A46B 013/06 |
Claims
I claim:
1. A tooth brush having a handle, said tooth brush comprising: a
shank for attaching to the handle, and including a housing provided
thereon and having a space formed in said housing, a cover attached
to said housing to enclose said space of said housing, and said
cover including at least one orifice formed therein, for allowing
water to flow out through said at least one orifice of said cover,
a paddle wheel rotatably received in said space of said housing,
and including a shaft extended out of said cover, a rotary brush
device attached to said shaft of said paddle wheel, and including a
plurality of brush members provided on for teeth brushing purposes,
and water supplying means for supplying water into said space of
said housing, to drive and to rotate said paddle wheel relative to
said housing, and to drive said brush members of said rotary brush
device to brush teeth.
2. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said rotary brush
device includes a base having a central hub provided thereon, and
engaged onto said shaft of said paddle wheel, to attach said rotary
brush device to said shaft of said paddle wheel.
3. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 2, wherein said shaft of
said paddle wheel includes a peripheral groove formed therein, said
rotary brush device includes at least one projection extended into
said central hub thereof, to engage into said peripheral groove of
said shaft of said paddle wheel, to attach said rotary brush device
to said shaft of said paddle wheel.
4. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 2, wherein said rotary brush
device includes an outer peripheral rim, and at least one bar
coupled between said central hub and said outer peripheral rim, to
form at least one opening in said base, and to allow water to flow
through said at least one opening of said base.
5. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 4, wherein said at least one
bar of said rotary brush device includes an inclined surface formed
therein, and facing toward said paddle wheel.
6. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing
includes a casing received in said space thereof, and said cover is
attached to said casing.
7. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 6, wherein said casing
includes an inlet port directed toward an outer peripheral portion
of said paddle wheel, to allow water to flow onto said outer
peripheral portion of said paddle wheel, and to effectively rotate
said paddle wheel relative to said casing.
8. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 7, wherein said water
supplying means includes a water pump coupled to said inlet port of
said casing, to pump water into said inlet port of said casing.
9. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said housing
includes a plate attached thereto and having a plurality of
stationary brush members provided on, for teeth brushing
purposes.
10. The tooth brush as claimed in claim 9, wherein said housing
includes a recess formed therein, and a partition extended into
said recess thereof, to form a peripheral shoulder in said housing,
and to receive said plate.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a tooth brush, and more
particularly to a tooth brush having a rotary brush device and
having a water jet for cleaning teeth.
[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0004] Various kinds of typical tooth brushes have been developed
and comprise a brush device for brushing or cleaning teeth of
users. For allowing the typical tooth brushes to easily brush or
clean the teeth of the users, some of the typical tooth brushes
provide a water spraying nozzle coupled to the brush device, for
supplying water into the mouth of the users while conducting teeth
brushing or cleaning operations.
[0005] For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,189 to Levinson et al., and
U.S. Pat. No. 3,593,707 to Pifer disclose two of the typical tooth
brushes and each also comprising a brush device for brushing or
cleaning teeth of users, and each further comprising a water
spraying nozzle coupled to the brush device, for supplying water
into the mouth of the users while conducting teeth brushing or
cleaning operations. However, the brush devices may not be rotated
to brush or clean the teeth of the users.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,927,434 to Burgess discloses another typical
tooth brush comprising a pair of parallel rotary brushes
synchronously driven by a fluid motor in opposite directions of
rotation, to brush or clean the teeth of the users. However, no
water may be supplied to clean the teeth of the users.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 4,181,997 to O'Rourke discloses a further
typical tooth brush comprising a brushing unit provided with
rotating brushes, a dentifrice carrying cartridge attachable to a
water faucet, and supporting an impeller operated by water pressure
to rotate the brushes. The cartridge unit has a passage for
conducting water from the faucet to the rotating brushes.
[0008] However, the impeller is disposed far away from the rotating
brushes of the brushing unit, and may not be used to directly or
effectively rotate or drive the rotating brushes.
[0009] The present invention has arisen to mitigate and/or obviate
the afore-described disadvantages of the conventional tooth brush
devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The primary objective of the present invention is to provide
a tooth brush including a rotary brush device for suitably cleaning
teeth of users.
[0011] The other objective of the present invention is to provide a
tooth brush including a water jet for spraying water and for
suitably cleaning the teeth of the users.
[0012] In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is
provided a tooth brush comprising a handle, a shank attached to the
handle, and including a housing provided thereon, a casing disposed
in the housing, a paddle wheel rotatably received in the casing,
and including a shaft extended out of the casing, a rotary brush
device attached to the shaft of the paddle wheel, and including a
plurality of brush members provided on for teeth brushing purposes,
and a water supplying device for supplying water into the casing,
to drive and to rotate the paddle wheel relative to the casing, and
to drive the brush members of the rotary brush device to brush
teeth.
[0013] The rotary brush device includes a base having a central hub
provided thereon, and engaged onto the shaft of the paddle wheel,
to attach the rotary brush device to the shaft of the paddle wheel.
The shaft of the paddle wheel includes a peripheral groove formed
therein, the rotary brush device includes at least one projection
extended into the central hub thereof, to engage into the
peripheral groove of the shaft of the paddle wheel, to attach the
rotary brush device to the shaft of the paddle wheel.
[0014] The rotary brush device includes an outer peripheral rim,
and at least one bar coupled between the central hub and the outer
peripheral rim, to form at least one opening in the base, and to
allow water to flow through the opening of the base. The bar of the
rotary brush device includes an inclined surface formed therein,
and facing toward the paddle wheel.
[0015] The casing includes a cover attached thereon, and having at
least one orifice formed therein, for allowing water to flow out
through the orifice of the cover and to flow onto the bar.
[0016] The casing includes an inlet port directed toward an outer
peripheral portion of the paddle wheel, to allow water to flow onto
the outer peripheral portion of the paddle wheel, and to
effectively rotate the paddle wheel relative to the casing.
[0017] The water supplying device includes a water pump received in
the handle, and coupled to the inlet port of the casing, to pump
water into the inlet port of the casing.
[0018] The housing includes a plate attached thereto and having a
plurality of stationary brush members provided on, for teeth
brushing purposes. The housing includes a recess formed therein,
and a partition extended into the recess thereof, to form a
peripheral shoulder in the housing, and to receive the plate.
[0019] Further objectives and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent from a careful reading of the detailed
description provided hereinbelow, with appropriate reference to the
accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a partial exploded view of a tooth brush in
accordance with the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tooth brush;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a rotary brush
device;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the tooth brush, taken
along lines 4-4 of FIG. 2;
[0024] FIG. 5 is a partial cross sectional view of the tooth brush;
and
[0025] FIG. 6 is an enlarged partial cross sectional view, taken
along lines 6-6 of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0026] Referring to the drawings, and initially to FIGS. 1-4, a
tooth brush in accordance with the present invention comprises a
handle 10 including a chamber 11 formed therein (FIG. 4), and
including a front portion 12 having a conduit 13 laterally disposed
therein. A shank 20 includes one end detachably secured to the
front portion 12 of the handle 10 with such as one or more spring
latches 21 (FIGS. 1, 4), and includes a head or a housing 22 formed
or provided on the other end thereof.
[0027] The housing 22 of the shank 20 includes a recess 23 formed
therein, and a rib or partition 24 extended into the recess 23
thereof, to form or define a circular space 25 therein. The
partition 24 is not completely extended through the recess 23 of
the housing 22, in order to form a notch 26 in the housing 22 and
communicated between the recess 23 and the space 25 of the housing
22. It is preferable that the partition 24 includes a thickness
less then the thickness of the depth of the recess 23 of the
housing 22, to form or define a peripheral shoulder 27 in the
housing 22.
[0028] A water pump 30 is disposed in the chamber 11 of the handle
10, and is coupled to the conduit 13 with a pipe 31, and a tube 32
is coupled to the water pump 30 and includes one end 33 extended
out through the handle 10, for coupling to a water reservoir, and
for allowing water to be pumped through the conduit 13 and the pipe
31 by the water pump 30. One or more batteries 34 may be disposed
in the chamber 11 of the handle 10, and coupled to the water pump
30, for energizing the water pump 30. The handle 10 may include one
or more switch buttons 14 provided thereon (FIG. 2) for operating
the water pump 30.
[0029] A casing 40 is received in the space 25 of the housing 22,
and secured to the housing 22 with adhesive materials, fasteners
(not shown), or by welding processes, and includes an inlet port 41
extended therefrom, and extended through the notch 26 of the
housing 22, and includes a chamber 42 formed therein. A hose 35 has
one end 36 coupled to the conduit 13 of the handle 10, and the
other end 37 coupled to the inlet port 41 of the casing 40, to
allow the water to be pumped into the chamber 42 of the casing 40
by the water pump 30.
[0030] A cover 43 is attached onto the casing 40, and secured to
the casing 40 with adhesive materials, fasteners (not shown), or by
welding processes, to enclose the chamber 42 of the casing 40, and
includes a center hole 44 and one or more orifices 45 formed
therein. It is preferable that the orifices 45 of the cover 43 are
aligned with each other, and located distal to the inlet port 41 of
the casing 40 and the water pump 30.
[0031] A paddle wheel 50 is rotatably received in the space 25 of
the housing 22, and includes a shaft 51 extended therefrom, and
extended through the center hole 44 of the cover 43 of the casing
40, for allowing the paddle wheel 50 to be stably and rotatably
received in the space 25 of the housing 22 by the cover 43. It is
preferable that the inlet port 41 of the casing 40 is directed
toward the outer peripheral portion 53 of the paddle wheel 50
(FIGS. 4, 5), to allow the water to flow onto the outer peripheral
portion 53 of the paddle wheel 50, and to allow the paddle wheel 50
to be effectively rotated or driven by the water jet supplied
through the inlet port 41 of the casing 40 by the water pump
30.
[0032] A rotary brush device 6 is further provided and includes a
base 60 having a central hub 61 provided thereon, to engage onto
the shaft 51 of the paddle wheel 50 (FIG. 6), and includes one or
more projections 62 extended into the central hub 61 thereof, to
engage into a peripheral groove 52 of the shaft 51 of the paddle
wheel 50 (FIG. 6), and to attach the rotary brush device 6 to the
shaft 51 of the paddle wheel 50. The rotary brush device 6 may
either be solidly secured to or rotatably secured to the shaft 51
of the paddle wheel 50 by the engagements of the projections 62
into the peripheral groove 52 of the shaft 51 of the paddle wheel
50.
[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the rotary brush device 6 includes a
number of brush members 63 provided on or extended from the base
60, and includes one or more ribs or bars 64 coupled between the
central hub 61 and an outer peripheral rim 67 thereof, to form or
define one or more openings 65 in the base 60, and to allow water
to flow through the openings 65 of the base 60. It is preferable
that each of the bars 64 includes a tapered or inclined surface 66
formed or provided in the lower portion thereof, and facing toward
the cover 43 and the paddle wheel 50.
[0034] In operation, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when water is
supplied into the chamber 42 of the casing 40, via the pipe 31 and
the hose 35, by the water pump 30, the water may flow in a fast
speed into the chamber 42 of the casing 40 as a water jet, to drive
or to rotate the paddle wheel 50 and/or the rotary brush device 6
relative to the housing 22, for brushing or cleaning the teeth of
the users with the brush members 63.
[0035] The water flowing into the chamber 42 of the casing 40 may
then flow out of the casing 40 via the orifices 45 of the cover 43,
and may then flow or impact onto the tapered or inclined surfaces
66 of the bars 64 of the rotary brush device 6, and then sprayed
into the mouths of the users, for further cleaning the teeth of the
users. The flowing or impacting of the water onto the tapered or
inclined surfaces 66 of the bars 64 of the rotary brush device 6
may further facilitate the rotating of the rotary brush device 6
relative to the housing 22.
[0036] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plate 70 may further be
provided and engaged into the peripheral shoulder 27 of the housing
22, and may be secured to the housing 22 with adhesive materials,
fasteners (not shown), or by welding processes, to enclose the
recess 23 of the housing 22. The plate 70 may include a number of
stationary brush members 71 provided on or extended from, for
allowing the users to selectively brush their teeth with the
stationary brush members 71 in addition to the brush members 63 of
the rotary brush device 6. The plate 70 may also be engaged with
the casing 40, to further stably secure or retain the casing 40 in
the housing 22.
[0037] The rotary brush device 6 may be changeably or replaceably
attached to and driven by the shaft 51 of the paddle wheel 50,
and/or may be driven by the water flowing onto the inclined
surfaces 66 of the bars 64 of the rotary brush device 6. The cover
43 may also be directly attached to the housing 22, to enclose the
space 25 of the housing 22, and to retain the paddle wheel 50
within the space 25 of the housing 22 without the casing 40. The
shank 20 may be attached to various handles 10 or other tooth brush
apparatuses (not shown).
[0038] Accordingly, the tooth brush includes a rotary brush device
for suitably cleaning teeth of users, and includes a water jet for
spraying water and for suitably cleaning the teeth of the
users.
[0039] Although this invention has been described with a certain
degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present
disclosure has been made by way of example only and that numerous
changes in the detailed construction and the combination and
arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the
spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
* * * * *