U.S. patent application number 11/054466 was filed with the patent office on 2006-08-10 for electric toothbrush.
This patent application is currently assigned to Dr. Fresh, Inc.. Invention is credited to Puneet Nanda.
Application Number | 20060174431 11/054466 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 36778427 |
Filed Date | 2006-08-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20060174431 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Nanda; Puneet |
August 10, 2006 |
Electric toothbrush
Abstract
An electric toothbrush has a first brush that oscillates and a
second brush that oscillates opposite the first brush. The electric
toothbrush also has a shaft assembly that includes a moveable pin
that creates an oscillating motion of a first brush on a head of
the toothbrush. The method of assembly inserts a shaft assembly of
the toothbrush through a bottom hole of an elongated hollow body of
the toothbrush head to come in contact with a top hole of the
elongated body.
Inventors: |
Nanda; Puneet; (Cerritos,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MCKEE, VOORHEES & SEASE, P.L.C.
801 GRAND AVENUE
SUITE 3200
DES MOINES
IA
50309-2721
US
|
Assignee: |
Dr. Fresh, Inc.
LaMirada
CA
|
Family ID: |
36778427 |
Appl. No.: |
11/054466 |
Filed: |
February 9, 2005 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
15/22.1 ;
15/28 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61C 17/3436 20130101;
Y10T 29/49826 20150115; A61C 17/349 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
015/022.1 ;
015/028 |
International
Class: |
A61C 17/34 20060101
A61C017/34 |
Claims
1. An electric toothbrush comprising: a handle having a motor
disposed therein; a head joined to the handle; a first brush
pivotally mounted to the head having a generally circular first
bristle holder with a first outer circumference; a second brush
pivotally mounted to the head having a generally circular second
bristle holder with a second outer circumference; the first brush
interconnected to the second brush; a rotatable assembly connected
to the motor and the first brush; a switch operably connected to
the motor, wherein said switch is actuated to engage the motor
thereby causing the assembly to turn, the first brush to rotate in
a first direction, and the second brush to rotate in a second
direction opposite the first direction.
2. The electric toothbrush of claim 1 further comprising a first
toothed section upon the first outer circumference, a second
toothed section upon the second outer circumference, wherein the
first brush is interconnected to the second brush by reciprocally
joining the first and second toothed sections.
3. The electric toothbrush of claim 2 wherein the toothed sections
are on a portion of the outer circumference.
4. The electric toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the first brush is
interior of the second brush.
5. The electric toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the first brush is
larger than the second brush.
6. The electric toothbrush of claim 1 further comprising a pin
radially offset from an assembly longitudinal axis, a rectangular
slot upon the first bristle holder that extends radially inward
from the first outer circumference, wherein the pin engages the
rectangular slot throughout rotational movement of the pin causing
the first brush to oscillate.
7. An electric toothbrush comprising: a handle having a motor
disposed therein; a head joined to the handle, the head having a
pivotally mounted bristle holder with a plurality of tufts; a
rotatable assembly having a longitudinal axis and operably
connected to the motor, the assembly extending from the handle to
the head; the assembly having a shaft and cylindrical cap; the
cylindrical cap having a pin radially offset from the longitudinal
axis; the bristle holder having a slot extending radially inward
from the outer circumference to engage the pin of the cylindrical
cap; a switch operably connected to the motor, wherein said switch
is actuated to engage the motor thereby causing the bristle holder
to oscillate.
8. The electric toothbrush of claim 7 wherein the pin extends from
the cap and ends in a spherically member.
9. The electric toothbrush of claim 7 wherein the bristle holder is
generally circular.
10. The electric toothbrush of claim 7 wherein the rotatable shaft
is made of a polymeric material.
11. The electric toothbrush of claim 7 wherein the cylindrical cap
is metal.
12. The electric toothbrush of claim 6 wherein the pin has a
longitudinal axis approximately parallel the shaft longitudinal
axis.
13. The electric toothbrush of claim 7 further comprising a bushing
between the rotatable shaft and the cylindrical cap, the bushing
engaging the head but permitting rotation of the cylindrical
cap.
14. The electric toothbrush of claim 7 further comprising a gasket
between the bushing and the cylindrical cap.
15. An electric toothbrush comprising: a handle at a first end of
the toothbrush having a motor disposed therein; a head at a second
end of the toothbrush, the head having pivotally mounted interior
and exterior bristle holders each with a plurality of tufts; the
interior bristle holder being generally circular with a first outer
circumference and a first toothed section upon the first outer
circumference; the exterior bristle holder being generally circular
with a second outer circumference and a second toothed section upon
the second outer circumference; the interior bristle holder
interconnected to the exterior bristle holder by reciprocally
joining the first and second toothed sections; a rotatable assembly
having a longitudinal axis operably connected to the motor, the
assembly extending from the handle to the head; the assembly ending
in a member radially offset from the longitudinal axis; the
interior bristle holder having a rectangular slot extending
radially inward from the first outer circumference to engage the
pin throughout rotational movement of the pin; a switch operably
connected to the motor, wherein said switch is actuated to engage
the motor thereby causing the interior bristle holder to rotate in
a first direction and the exterior bristle holder to rotate in an
opposite second direction.
16. The electric toothbrush of claim 15 wherein the rectangular
slot is approximately centered upon the first toothed section.
17. The electric toothbrush of claim 15 wherein the first outer
circumference is larger than the second outer circumference.
18. A method of assembling a toothbrush including: providing a
toothbrush comprising: (a) a handle having a motor disposed within,
a motor shaft extending from the motor; (b) a head having at least
one brush pivotally attached and an elongated hollow body adjacent
the brush with a bottom opening and a top opening; (c) a shaft
assembly having a shaft and cylindrical cap; (d) the shaft having a
first end for matingly engaging the motor shaft and a second end;
(e) a cylindrical cap having a rod extending from one end and a pin
on an opposite end; (f) a bushing for placement upon the rod;
fitting the bushing upon the rod and the rod within the shaft
second end; placing the shaft assembly within the elongated hollow
body entering from the bottom opening, engaging the bushing against
the top opening, and coupling the pin to the brush; connecting the
rotatable assembly shaft first end to the motor shaft.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush.
[0002] Electric toothbrushes generally employ a moving brush. One
goal of the moving brush is to provide a motion that complements
the hand action of a user guiding the brush using a handle of the
toothbrush. A rotating motion of the moveable brush has been seen
to be particularly well suited to complementing the hand motion of
the user. Additionally, when using two moveable brushes it has been
found that two circular brushes rotating in opposite directions are
particularly well suited to complementing the user's hand motion.
Therefore, it is an objective of the current invention to employ a
rotating moveable brush. Additionally, it is a further objective of
the present invention to employ a second rotatable moving brush
that moves in a direction opposite the first brush.
[0003] In the design of a toothbrush, there is also a need for an
accurate and reliable interface between a motor that must be
connected to the moveable brushes. In the prior art, this often
requires the use of gears or other complex connections. Therefore,
a further objective of the present invention is a simple yet
efficient connection between the motor and the moveable
brushes.
[0004] One interconnection between a motor and the moveable brush
is seen in McDougall, U.S. Pat. No. 5,625,916. The '916 patent uses
a motor in-line with a shaft. The shaft ends with a bend which
creates a variety of problems including wear upon a plastic
stabilizer point at the head of the toothbrush, assembly
complications as the shaft must be fed from a portion of the head
to interconnect with a motor at the bottom portion of the head and
a wider toothbrush head that must accommodate the bent portion.
Therefore, a further objective of the present invention is to
provide a shaft structure for a toothbrush that overcomes the
difficulties of the prior art.
[0005] These and other objectives will become evident from the
following specification and claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The foregoing objectives may be achieved by an electric
toothbrush having a motor driven head with a first brush and a
second brush. The first brush rotating in a first direction with
the second brush rotating in a second direction opposite the first
direction. A feature of this design may include the first brush
oscillating in both the first direction and the second direction
with the second brush following the first brush but in an opposite
direction.
[0007] A further feature of the present invention includes a
toothed section on both the first brush and the second brush that
reciprocally join the two brushes together.
[0008] A further objective of the present invention is an electric
toothbrush that connects a motor to a moveable bristle holder with
a plurality of tuffs using a rotatable shaft. The rotatable shaft
has a longitudinal axis and is operably connected to the motor. A
cylindrical cap is attached to the rotatable shaft and has a pin
radially offset from the shaft longitudinal axis. The bristle
holder has a slot in its outer circumference that engages the pin
of the cylindrical cap. Finally, a switch is provided that is
operably connected to the motor that when actuated engages the
motor causing the bristle holder to oscillate.
[0009] A further feature of the present invention is a bushing
provided between the rotatable shaft and the cylindrical cap that
engages a front portion of the head of the toothbrush but permits
rotation of the cylindrical cap through the bushing.
[0010] A further feature of the present invention is a gasket
between the bushing and the cylindrical cap that prevents water and
other debris to enter into the head of the toothbrush.
[0011] The foregoing objectives may also be achieved by a method of
assembling an electric toothbrush including providing a toothbrush
with a handle and a head having an elongated hollow body, a
rotatable shaft, a cylindrical cap that may be received upon the
rotatable shaft, and a bushing between the rotatable shaft and the
cylindrical cap. The method also comprising the step of fitting the
bushing upon a rod of the cylindrical cap and the rod within the
rotatable shaft, placing the rotatable shaft within the elongated
hollow body entering from a bottom opening and the bushing engaging
against the top opening. The method also comprising the steps
connecting the rotatable shaft to the motor shaft.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0012] FIG. 1 is a front view of the electric toothbrush of the
present invention.
[0013] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the electric toothbrush of
FIG. 1.
[0014] FIG. 3 is a front view of the head of the present invention
illustrating the shaft assembly connected to a moveable brush.
[0015] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the shaft assembly of FIG.
3.
[0016] FIGS. 5A-B are illustrations of the operation of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1, 10 generally refers to the electric
toothbrush of the present invention that comprises a handle 12 and
a head 14 joined to the handle. The head 14 has an elongated hollow
body 16 and a first interior moveable brush 18 and a second
exterior moveable brush 20. The handle 12 has an on-button 22 and
an off-button 24 used to control the moveable brushes 18, 20.
[0018] As seen in FIG. 2, a motor 26 is provided within the handle
12 that is powered by batteries 28. The batteries 28 are accessible
by removing battery cover 30. The motor 26 has extending therefrom
a motor shaft 32 that ends in a motor coupling 34.
[0019] The head 14 is in axial alignment with the handle 12 along
longitudinal axis 36. The head 14 has a shaft assembly 38 that
generally has a top end 40 that protrudes out a top end 44 of the
elongated body 16. The shaft assembly 38 also has a bottom end 42
that is adjacent the elongated body bottom end 46. The shaft
assembly bottom end 42 attaches to the motor coupling 34. The motor
coupling 34 and shaft assembly bottom end 42 may be interchangeably
male or female members. A gasket 49 is provided at the interface
between the handle 12 and the elongated body 16.
[0020] As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the shaft assembly 38 has a shaft
48 having a bottom end 50 and a top end 52. The shaft top end 52
has a hollow 54 defined therein for connecting to a cylindrical cap
56. The cylindrical cap 56 has a rod 58 extending from a bottom end
of the cap 56 and a radially offset pin 60 extending from the top
end of the cylindrical cap 56. The pin 60 may end in a spherical
ball 62. The pin 60 has a longitudinal axis 64 that is offset from
the shaft assembly longitudinal axis 36. A bushing 66 and gasket 68
are also provided with the shaft assembly 38.
[0021] The shaft assembly 38 is connected together by placing
gasket 68 first upon rod 58 and then sliding the bushing 66 upon
the rod 58. The rod 58 is then placed into the hollow 54 of the
shaft 48.
[0022] The pin 62 is connected to the first brush 18. The brush 18
has a generally circular bristle holder 70 having a plurality of
tufts 72. The bristle holder 70 has a rectangular slot 74 that
extends radially inward into the bristle holder 70. The rectangular
slot 74 is configured to permit the pin 62 to move up and down
through it as it rotates about a circle, thus moving the bristle
holder 70 in an oscillating, side-to-side motion about its pivot
point 77. Brush 18 has a first toothed section 78 along its outer
circumference. The first toothed section 78, as illustrated, is
opposite and centered upon the rectangular slot 74.
[0023] The first toothed section 78 drives a second brush 20. The
second brush 20 has a second bristle holder 80 and second tufts 82.
The second brush 20 has an oscillating motion 86 opposite the
oscillating motion 76 of the first brush 18 as it turns about its
pivot point 87. Motion from the first brush is translated to the
second brush from the first tooth section 78 to a second tooth
section 90.
[0024] The geometry of the first tooth section 78 and the second
tooth section 90 may vary relative the circumference of the first
brush 18 and second brush 20, respectively. As best seen in FIGS.
3, 5A and 5B the second tooth section 90 is slightly more inset
than the first tooth section 78.
[0025] As seen in FIGS. 5A and 5B in operation, the motor 26
creates a rotational movement of motor shaft 32 which moves shaft
assembly 38 having pin 60. The pin 60 moves up and down within
rectangular shaft slot 74 to create oscillating motion 76. An
opposite oscillating motion 86 results from the reciprocal
interconnection between the first and second toothed sections 78,
90.
[0026] Also unique to the present invention is the method of
assembling the shaft assembly 38 within the elongated hollow body
16. As stated previously, the elongated hollow body 16 has a top
open end 44 and a bottom open end 46. Once the shaft assembly 38 is
assembled it may be placed within the bottom open end 46 into the
elongated hollow body 16 until the bushing 66 comes to rest within
the top open end 44. In this position, the shaft 48 and the
cylindrical cap freely rotate within the bushing 66 that is held
adjacent the top open end 44.
[0027] The drawings and specification there has been set forth a
preferred embodiment of the invention, and those specific terms are
employed, their use is in a generic descriptive sense only and not
for purposes of limitation. Changes in the form and the proportion
of parts as well as in the substitution of equipment are
contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient
without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention in the
following claims. For example, the present invention contemplates
variations in the shaft assembly, the size and positioning of the
first brush and the second brush, the number of brushes used, the
interface between the first brush and the second brush, variations
in the cylindrical cap, and other variations in structural and
function.
* * * * *