Tooth brush

Abstract

A hygienic article having a first member (12) connected to a second member (18) to form a tooth brush. A protective cover member (52) is attached to the second member (18) to allow storage within a pocket or purse.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to an article of hygiene having a bristle portion attached to a tube member to define a tooth brush.

[0002] It is important to maintain a hygiene program to protect one's teeth, and it has been suggested that one brush after each meal. While the opportunity to brush may take place after morning breakfast and evening dinner, during the day it most often is inconvenient as one may not have a tooth brush. It has been suggested that one have a disposable tooth brush. One such article is a finger brush that is disposable, another article is a tooth brush that has been reduced in size and still another solution would be to carry a tooth brush and a packet of paste as separate articles.

[0003] It is an object of the present invention to combine a brush and paste packet into a small unitary component that may be retained in a pocket or purse and thereby provide a hygiene article that is available upon a person desiring to brush his or her teeth.

[0004] In more detail, the hygienic article includes a first member with a first closed end and a second opened end whereby a paste stored therein may be removed and placed on bristles located on a second member, the second member having a threaded surface that is mated with threads on the opened end of the first member to form a unitary structure.

[0005] In more detail, the first member is a tube with a closed end and an opened end with threads thereon wherein paste is retained, the second member is a stem with a first end that is threaded to the opened end of the tube to seal the tube and a second end with bristles thereon which are placed in perpendicular alignment with the tube to define a compact unit for oral hygiene.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hygienic article of the present invention;

[0007] FIG. 2 is a side view of the bristles and stem for the hygienic article of FIG. 1; and

[0008] FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The hygienic article (10) shown in FIG. 1 consists of a first member (12), a second member (18) and a protective cover (52) that are united to form a tooth brush that may be retained in a purse, pocket or made available as a disposable item in a vending machine located in a wash room.

[0010] In more particular detail, the first member (12) has a first end (14) and a second end (16) separated by a tubular section. The first end (14) is closed while the second end (16) has an opening (20) through which paste located in the tube is made available. The opening (20) is defined by a projection (50) with a threaded surface (28) that surrounds the opening (20). The second end (16) of the first member (12) has an indentation (21) located in a plane parallel with the first end (14).

[0011] The second member (18) seen in FIG. 2 includes a stem (30) with a first end (34) and a second end (32). A plurality of bristles (40) extend from adjacent the second end (32) of stem (30) while a threaded surface (42) extends inward from the first end (34).

[0012] The first end (34) of the stem (30) has a projection (50) that axially extends therefrom. This projection (50) is designed to be located in an indentation (21) on the second end (16) of the first member (12).

[0013] The protective cover member (52) is designed to cover the second end (32) of the stem (30) and in particular the plurality of bristles (40) to keep them from being exposed to the surrounding environment.

[0014] The protective cover member (52) has an end cap (60) that is hinged at end (62) and a hooked surface (64) that engages a surface (66) on the protective cover member (52) to lock the protective cover member (52) on the second member (18) as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3.

[0015] A strand of thread (68) is wound on a cylinder (70) and is retained on the protective cover member (52) by tabs (72, 72', 72''). A portion of the strand of thread (68) may be removed from the cylinder (70) by pulling and engaging with a sharp surface (78) on the tab (72'') to cut the strand (68).

Mode of Operation

[0016] The end cap (60) on the protective cover member (52) is removed and the first member (12) is unscrewed from the second member (18). A quantity of paste is removed by squeezing the tube (12) and placed on the plurality of bristles (40). Thereafter, the threads (28) are again mated with threads (42) to attach the second member (18) to the first member (12). End (34) is brought into engagement with face (16) such that projection (50) is located in an indentation (21) and the bristles (40) are aligned in a locked position that is in a parallel plane with the first end (14). The hygienic article (10) is now ready to be utilized in the mouth of an individual to clean teeth. Once a brushing has ended, the protective cover member (52) is returned to cover the plurality of bristles (40) and the end cap (60) engaged to allow for storage within one's pocket or purse.

Claims

1. An article for oral hygiene comprising; a first member having a first end and a second end, said first end being closed and said second end having an opening with a first threaded surface thereon; and a second member having a first end and a second end, said first end having a plurality of bristles extending therefrom and said second end having a second threaded surface thereon, said second threaded surface being mated with said first threaded surface to secure said second member with said first member to form a unitary structure with said bristles being perpendicular to said first member.

2. The article as recited in claim 1 further including a protective cover member that covers said bristles on said first end of said second member.

3. The article as recited in claim 2 further including a plurality of tabs that extend from said protective cover member, said tabs engaging and holding a coil of floss.

4. The article as recited in claim 3 wherein said first member retains a paste that assists in cleaning teeth.

5. The article as recited in claim 4 wherein said protective cover member is removable from said second member.

6. The article as recited in claim 5 wherein one of said plurality of tabs includes a sharp surface whereby said coil of floss may be severed to obtain a desired length of floss.

7. The article as recited in claim 6 wherein said protective cover member includes a hinged door that allows the protective cover member to be moved longitudinally off the first end of said second member.

8. The article as recited in claim 7 wherein said second end of said second member includes an indentation that receives a projection on said second end to maintain the perpendicular alignment between said bristles and said first member.

9. A tooth brush for cleaning the teeth of an individual having a first member for retaining a quantity of paste and a second member with a plurality of bristles that extend therefrom characterized in that threads on the first member are mated with second threads on the second member to define a unity structure with said plurality of bristles being perpendicular to the first member.

10. The tooth brush as recited in claim 9 wherein said second member has an indentation that receives a projection on said first member to assure that perpendicular relationship is maintained.