Brush head for toothbrush

• US 20090106923A1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Gillette Company LLC (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Fritsch, Thomas, DePuydt, Joseph A., Boland, Bernhard, Stolper, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,832,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/167.100
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 15/047 power-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/22 with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like brush bodies, e.g. arrangements of the bristles A46B
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/26 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/32 reciprocating or oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3427 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the axis of toothbrush handle and in the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3472 with combined movements of the brush body
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/349 with multiple brush bodies

Abstract

A head for a toothbrush including a neck and, first and second sets of one or more bristles each. The first and second sets are indirectly supported by the neck and movable relative to each other such that at least one component of this relative movement causes the bristle(s) of the first set to be raised and/or lowered relative to the bristle(s) in the second set. The first and second sets of bristles both are movable relative to the neck.

Claims

1. A head for an electric toothbrush, comprising:

a first bristle support which is rotatable in an oscillating manner about an axis;

a plurality of first bristles extending from a surface of the first bristle support, all of the first bristles extending from the first bristle support extending in a perpendicular direction from the surface of the first bristle support;

a second bristle support pivotally mounted on said first bristle support; and

a plurality of second bristles extending from a surface of the second bristle support at an acute angle to the surface, wherein at least some of the second bristles are angled away from at least some of the first bristles in the direction of oscillation of the first bristles.

2. The head of claim 1, wherein the bristles on opposite sides of the second bristle support are angled in the same direction.

3. The head of claim 2, wherein the bristles on opposite sides of the second bristle support are angled in opposite directions.

4. A toothbrush head, comprising:

a first bristle holder, the first bristle holder having a first bristle face supporting a first bristle field;

a second bristle holder having a second bristle face supporting a second bristle field, wherein the first bristle field is disposed at least in part within the second bristle field and is movable between a first position and a second position; and

wherein the first bristle field comprises a plurality of first bristle tufts which form an angle with the first bristle face of the first bristle holder.

5. The toothbrush head of claim 4, wherein:

at least a portion of the first bristle face and the second bristle face are coplanar in the first position and at least a portion of the first bristle face and the second bristle face are non-coplanar in the second position.

6. The toothbrush head of claim 4, wherein:

the second bristle field comprises a plurality of second bristle tufts which are substantially perpendicular to the second bristle face of the second bristle holder.

7. The toothbrush head of claim 6, wherein:

the first bristle tufts form an acute angle with the first bristle face of the first bristle holder.

8. The toothbrush head of claim 6, wherein:

at least some of the first bristle tufts are tilted away from the perpendicular to the first bristle face at an angle of about 1 to 20 degrees.

9. The toothbrush head of claim 5, wherein:

the first bristle holder is pivotally attached to the second bristle holder.

10. The toothbrush head of claim 9, wherein:

the first bristle tufts at opposite ends of the first bristle holder are tilted in the same direction.

11. The toothbrush head of claim 9, wherein:

the first bristle tufts at opposite ends of the first bristle holder are tilted in opposite directions.

12. The toothbrush head of claim 9, wherein:

the first bristle holder has a central section which is pivotally connected to the second bristle holder, a first section and a second section at opposite ends of the first bristle holder, and wherein the first bristle tufts on the central section are substantially perpendicular to the first bristle face and the first bristle tufts on the first and second sections are tilted at an angle relative to the first bristle face.

13. The toothbrush head of claim 12, wherein:

the first bristle tufts form an acute angle with the first bristle face of the first bristle holder.

14. The toothbrush head of claim 12, wherein:

the first bristle tufts on the first and second sections of the first bristle holder are tilted in the same direction.

15. The toothbrush head of claim 12, wherein:

the first bristle tufts on the first and second sections of the first bristle holder are tilted in opposite directions.

16. The toothbrush head of claim 4, further comprising a shaft operatively connected to the second bristle holder.

17. The toothbrush head of claim 9, wherein the second bristle holder is mounted for oscillation on the toothbrush head.