Electric toothbrush for implementing the bass brushing technique

• US 20060168744A1
• Filed: 01/28/2005
• Published: 08/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: The Smartbrush Corporation
• Original Assignee: The Smartbrush Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Ngar Ling, Nevue, Stephen A., Butler, Clarence P.
• Application Number:
  US11/046,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20060168744A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/22.100
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 5/0066 Flexible resilience by elastic deformation of the material
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3454 Translation along the axis perpendicular of the axis of toothbrush handle and in the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/40 orbiting, e.g. nutating

Abstract

An electric toothbrush for brushing teeth and gums having a generally cylindrical handle having a longitudinal axis and a generally hollow interior, a stem attached to the handle, a head connected to the stem and having a front portion with a plurality of tufts of bristles anchored to the head, and a motor housed in the hollow interior of the handle, wherein the stem is operatively moved by the motor such that the stem pivots with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical handle by a predefined angle Θ within a plane generally normal to the plurality of tufts of bristles to impart a measured up and down sweeping motion to the head relative to the teeth and gums being brushed.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush for brushing teeth and gums, said toothbrush comprising:

a generally cylindrical handle having a longitudinal axis and a generally hollow interior;

a stem attached to said handle;

a head connected to said stem and having a front portion with a plurality of tufts of bristles anchored to said head; and

a motor housed in the hollow interior of said handle,

wherein said stem is operatively moved by said motor such that said stem pivots with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical handle by a predefined angle Θ

within a plane to impart a measured up and down sweeping motion to the head relative to the teeth and gums being brushed.

2. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stem is rotatable within said handle and may be selectively positioned at one of a plurality of locations about the longitudinal axis of said handle.

3. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 2, wherein said front portion is arranged so that in one of said plurality of locations of rotation the bristles of the head are at about a forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle, whereby the Bass technique of brushing teeth and gums can be practiced without twisting of the toothbrush handle by the user by moving the toothbrush against the surface of the teeth and gums in a conventional manner.

4. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stem is rotatable within said handle and may be selectively positioned in three different positions, wherein in a first position the bristles of the head are at about a zero degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle, in a second position the bristles of the head are at about a positive forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle, and in a third position the bristles of the head are at about a negative forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle.

5. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stem is rotatable within said handle and may be selectively positioned in two different positions, wherein in a first position the bristles of the head are at about a positive forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle, and in a second position the bristles of the head are at about a negative forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle.

6. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head is bendable and will remain in a bent position during normal brushing of teeth.

7. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a wire embedded within said head to permit modification of the curvature of the head relative to the surface of the teeth when brushing.

8. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stem may be selectively bent relative to the longitudinal axis of said handle.

9. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said stem pivots in a plane that includes the longitudinal axis of the handle.

10. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said bristles are stationary with respect to said stem.

11. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said angle Θ

is up to about 10 degrees.

12. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1 wherein, said angle Θ

is up to about 6 degrees.

13. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said generally cylindrical handle includes a flat portion for supporting a thumb and fingertips.

14. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a drive mechanism operatively connecting said motor with said stem and a pivot pin about which said stem pivots,

said drive mechanism including a drive wheel, a drive pin, and a drive rod,

said drive wheel being is operatively connected to and powered by said motor on a first side of said drive wheel, and to said drive pin, which is attached to in an offset manner to said drive wheel on a second side of said drive wheel opposite the first side,

said drive rod having an axis and being operatively connected to drive pin via a linear slot formed in a bottom end of said drive rod,

said pivot pin extending through and normal to the axis of said drive rod and pivotally supporting said drive rod within the hollow interior of said handle,

wherein activation of said motor causes said drive wheel to spin, which causes said drive pin to trace a circular path in an X-Y plane and as said drive pin moves in the X-axis direction component, said drive pin slides within said linear slot imparting no X-axis direction motion to said drive rod, and as said drive pin moves in the Y-axis direction component, said drive pin contacts a side wall of said linear slot causing said drive rod to pivot about said pivot pin causing said drive rod to pivot about said pivot pin such that said stem also moves, pivoting about said pivot pin in a side-to-side motion in a plane normal to the axis of said pivot pin, imparting a planar two-dimensional sweeping motion to said stem and said head.

15. An electric toothbrush for brushing teeth and gums, said toothbrush comprising:

a generally cylindrical handle having a longitudinal axis and a generally hollow interior;

a stem attached to said handle;

a head connected to said stem and having a front portion with a plurality of tufts of bristles anchored to said head; and

a motor housed in the hollow interior of said handle, and

a drive mechanism operatively connecting said motor with said stem and a pivot pin about which said stem pivots,

said drive mechanism including a drive wheel, a drive pin, and a drive rod,

said drive wheel being is operatively connected to and powered by said motor on a first side of said drive wheel, and to said drive pin, which is attached to in an offset manner to said drive wheel on a second side of said drive wheel opposite the first side,

said drive rod having an axis and being operatively connected to drive pin via a linear slot formed in a bottom end of said drive rod,

said pivot pin extending through and normal to the axis of said drive rod and pivotally supporting said drive rod within the hollow interior of said handle,

wherein activation of said motor causes said drive wheel to spin, which causes said drive pin to trace a circular path in an X-Y plane and as said drive pin moves in the X-axis direction component, said drive pin slides within said linear slot imparting no X-axis direction motion to said drive rod, and as said drive pin moves in the Y-axis direction component, said drive pin contacts a side wall of said linear slot causing said drive rod to pivot about said pivot pin causing said drive rod to pivot about said pivot pin such that said stem also moves, pivoting about said pivot pin in a side-to-side motion in a plane normal to the axis of said pivot pin, imparting a planar two-dimensional sweeping motion to said stem and said head.

16. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 15, wherein said stem is operatively moved by said motor such that said stem pivots with respect to the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical handle by a predefined angle Θ

within a plane generally normal to the plurality of tufts of bristles to impart a measured up and down sweeping motion to the head relative to the teeth and gums being brushed.

17. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 16, wherein said stem is rotatable within said handle and may be selectively positioned in three different positions, wherein in a first position the bristles of the head are at about a zero degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle, in a second position the bristles of the head are at about a positive forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle, and in a third position the bristles of the head are at about a negative forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle.

18. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 16, wherein said stem is rotatable within said handle and may be selectively positioned in two different positions, wherein in a first position the bristles of the head are at about a positive forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle, and in a second position the bristles of the head are at about a negative forty-five degree angle relative to a centerline of said handle.

19. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 16 wherein, said angle Θ

is up to about 10 degrees.

20. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 19, wherein the head is bendable and will remain in a bent position during normal brushing of teeth.