POWERED TOOTHBRUSH WITH FLEXIBLE HEAD
First Claim
1. A head for a powered toothbrush, said head comprising:
- a neck having a first end adapted to detachably engage a handle of the powered toothbrush;
a body extending outwardly from a second end of the neck, said body comprising;
a first and a second head member that are movable relative to each other;
wherein force from the first head member causes movement in the second head member and movement in the second head member causes movement in the first head member.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A toothbrush having a head with at least two movable members. The members flex inwardly and outwardly away from each other in a direction that is substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the brush handle. Force is transferred from one movable member to another to aid in this relative movement. Bristles extending from both movable members are brought into contact with the surface of teeth so that the tips are disposed at right angles thereto. In a first embodiment, two movable members are connected by an oscillating rod that flexes the members away from each other. In a second embodiment, a center section on the head nests within a perimeter section and a rotatable cam extends between the sections and flexes them inwardly and outwardly away from each other.
40 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A head for a powered toothbrush, said head comprising:
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a neck having a first end adapted to detachably engage a handle of the powered toothbrush; a body extending outwardly from a second end of the neck, said body comprising; a first and a second head member that are movable relative to each other;
wherein force from the first head member causes movement in the second head member and movement in the second head member causes movement in the first head member. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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5. A powered toothbrush comprising:
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a handle; a head extending outwardly from the handle and comprising a first and a second head member that are movable relative to each other; and
wherein force from the first head member causes movement in the second head member and movement in the second head member causes movement in the first head member. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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23. A method of cleaning teeth comprising the steps of:
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activating a powered toothbrush to cause relative movement between at least two movable members on the head of the toothbrush, wherein the relative movement between the movable members is in a direction substantially at right angles to a longitudinal axis of a handle of the brush; and
a plurality of bristles extending outwardly from the movable members are thereby caused to move in the direction substantially at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the brush handle,positioning the brush so that the tips of the bristles move into and out of contact with the surface of the teeth as the movable members are moved; manipulating the brush until all particulate material is swept from the surface of the teeth by the bristles.
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Specification