Toothbrush

• US 20030154567A1
• Filed: 01/27/2003
• Published: 08/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Fritsch, Thomas, Harms, Michael, Schwarz-Hartmann, Armin, Drossler, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/351,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154567A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/40 orbiting, e.g. nutating
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2204/002 using batteries

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush having a handpiece, a bristle holder which is arranged on a head portion of the handpiece and is rotatable about an axis of rotation of the bristle holder, and a drive mechanism for the bristle holder, wherein the drive mechanism includes a motor which is arranged on the handpiece, and a transmission member which transfers a driving motion from the motor to the bristle holder. According to the invention, a drive rocker is provided as transmission member, and is arranged to rock in multiple axes and is driven by the motor such that it approximately traverses a double conical path. The connection between the drive rocker and the bristle holder is realised in jointed manner about an articulated axis that is parallel to the bristle holder'"'"'s axis of rotation. For easy assembly, and space-saving attachment of the motor, a motor-supporting chassis is provided that may be inserted into the toothbrush hosing section and attached thereto for supporting the motor, wherein the chassis together with the attached motor may be inserted into the toothbrush housing through a frontal opening in the corresponding toothbrush housing section lengthwise relative to the toothbrush, and may be secured thereto.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush having a handpiece (1), a bristle holder (8) which is arranged on a head portion (2) of the handpiece (1) and is rotatable about an axis of rotation (18) of the bristle holder, and with a drive (4, 9) for the bristle holder, wherein the drive mechanism includes a motor (4) which is arranged on the handpiece, and a transmission member (9) which transfers a driving motion from the motor to the bristle holder, characterised in that a drive rocker (12) is provided as transmission member (9), is arranged to rock in multiple axes and is driven by the motor such that it approximately traverses a double conical path, and that the connection (20) between the drive rocker (12) and the bristle holder (8) is realised in jointed manner about an articulated axis (21) that is parallel to the bristle holder'"'"'s axis of rotation (18).

2. The toothbrush according to the preceding claim, wherein the articulated connection (20) between the bristle holder (8) and the transmission member (9) enables a further degree of freedom besides articulation about the axis of articulation (21), particularly permitting a translatory motion between the drive rocker (12) and the bristle holder along the axis of articulation (21), wherein the drive rocker (12) is preferably seated in a notch-shaped recess (22) in the bristle holder. (8)

3. The toothbrush head according to according to either of the preceding claims, wherein the bristle holder (8) is arranged in the handpiece (1) so that it may move along the bristle holder'"'"'s axis of rotation (18), and the articulated connection (20) between the bristle holder (8) and the drive rocker (12) is equipped with effective transmission means which transfer at least some of the corresponding movements of the drive rocker along the articulated axis (21) to the bristle holder (8), wherein the drive rocker (12) is preferably seated in a recess (22, 25), the lengthwise extension of which along the articulated axis (21) is smaller than the amplitude of the motion of the drive rocker along the articulated axis.

4. The toothbrush according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the bristle holder (8) is seated on drive rocker (12) essentially without any play in along the along the articulated axis (21).

5. The toothbrush according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the motor end of the transmission member (9) is coupled to motor (4) via a cam mechanism, is preferably controlled directly in articulated manner by a cam (15) that is fixed non-rotatably on the drive shaft (10), so that the motor end of transmission member (9) is drivable in circular track.

6. The toothbrush according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a bearing member (13) that is displaceable longitudinally relative to the toothbrush, preferably a slidable bearing ring, is provided for bearing the transmission member (9) between the motor and the bristle holder.

7. The toothbrush according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a seal (14) is provided, particularly formed by the transmission bearing to insulate the transmission member (9) from the toothbrush housing (6).

8. The toothbrush according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the transmission member (9) is a one-piece rigid rod, preferably conformed as a simple, straight wired having no protrusions, angles or similar.

9. The toothbrush according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the motor (4) is supported with its drive shaft (10) in longitudinally with respect to the toothbrush inside the handpiece (1).

10. The electric toothbrush having a motor (4), particularly according to any of the preceding claims, particularly according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein a motor-supporting chassis (27) is provided that is attachable to the inside of toothbrush housing section (6) for the purpose of securing the motor, wherein the chassis (27) together with the attached motor (4) may be inserted into the toothbrush housing through a frontal opening in the toothbrush housing section lengthwise relative to the toothbrush, and may be secured thereto.

11. The toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the chassis engages automatically with the toothbrush housing when it is inserted in a linear motion.

12. The toothbrush according to one of the previous claims 10 or 11, wherein the chassis has a battery compartment (29) and supports a switching unit (31) and the chassis with motor, battery and switching unit may be inserted into the toothbrush housing section (6) as a pre-assembled unit.

13. The toothbrush according to one of the previous claims 10 to 12, wherein a movable contact breaker (31) is provided on the chassis (27) as a switching unit, which is operated to cause the disconnection from a battery contact (30) of a battery in the battery compartment.

14. The toothbrush according to one of the previous claims 10 to 13, wherein a rotational engagement code (34) is provided on the chassis (27) and/or on the toothbrush housing section (6), which allows the chassis to be inserted in one alignment only relative to the toothbrush housing section.

15. The toothbrush according to one of the previous claims 10 to 14, wherein an insertion guide (33), particularly in the form of longitudinal ridges (34) is provided on the chassis (27) and/or the toothbrush housing section (6).

16. The toothbrush according to one of the previous claims 10 to 15, wherein a housing cap (40) may be placed onto, particularly screwed onto the toothbrush housing opening through which the chassis (27) may be inserted, and wherein the housing cap (40) preferably encloses the battery compartment of the chassis (27).

17. The toothbrush according to one of the previous claims, wherein only one movable bristle cluster is provided on the bristle holder (8).

18. The toothbrush according to one of the previous claims, wherein the brush head has at least one stationary bristle cluster (26) and one movable bristle cluster (19) on the bristle holder (8).

19. Toothbrush according to one of the previous claims, wherein the movable bristle cluster is approximately circular in shape and is arranged so that it may be driven in rotating oscillating manner an/d or is arranged on a frontal end of the brush head (2).