TOOTH BRUSHING SYSTEM

• US 20090276972A1
• Filed: 05/06/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Orius Innovations, LLC
• Original Assignee: Orius Innovations, LLC
• Inventors: DUGAN, David M.
• Application Number:
  US12/436,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20090276972A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 15/167.200
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1066 Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 7/00 Bristle carriers arranged in the brush body
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/045 specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/228 Self-contained intraoral toothbrush, e.g. mouth-guard toothbrush without handle
• 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 tooth brushing system adapted to simultaneously clean a set of maxilla teeth or a set of mandible teeth. The system comprises a vibration inducer, a controller for the vibration inducer, a power source and a handle adapted to enclose the vibration inducer, the controller for the vibration inducer and the power source. The system further comprises a plurality of brushes adapted to simultaneously contact the set of maxilla teeth or the set of mandible teeth, a vibration isolation plate integral with the handle and a vibration transfer plate connected to the vibration inducer and the plurality of brushes and releasably connected to the vibration isolation plate, wherein the handle is adapted to be effectively held within a hand of a user and the vibration isolation plate is adapted to isolate vibration from the set of maxilla teeth or the set of mandible teeth not contacted by the plurality of brushes.

Claims

1. A tooth brushing system adapted to simultaneously clean a set of maxilla teeth or a set of mandible teeth, said system comprising:

a vibration inducer;

a controller for said vibration inducer;

a power source;

a handle adapted to enclose said vibration inducer, said controller for said vibration inducer and said power source;

a plurality of brushes adapted to simultaneously contact said set of maxilla teeth or said set of mandible teeth;

a vibration isolation plate integral with said handle; and

,

a vibration transfer plate connected to said vibration inducer and said plurality of brushes and releasably connected to said vibration isolation plate, wherein said handle is adapted to be effectively held within a hand of a user and said vibration isolation plate is adapted to isolate vibration from said set of maxilla teeth or said set of mandible teeth not contacted by said plurality of brushes.

2. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration inducer is vibrationally isolated from said handle.

3. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration inducer comprises a motor arranged to rotate an asymmetric mass.

4. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration inducer comprises an ultrasonic transducer.

5. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said controller for said vibration inducer comprises an on/off switch.

6. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said power source comprises at least one primary battery or at least one secondary battery.

7. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said handle comprises a generally T-shape.

8. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said plurality of brushes comprises a U-shaped set of bristles, said U-shaped set of bristles comprising a generally U-shaped cross-section, a generally V-shaped cross-section or a combination thereof.

9. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration transfer plate is connected to said vibration isolation plate via at least one vibration damping means.

10. The tooth brushing system of claim 9 wherein said at least one vibration damping means is selected from the group consisting of:

a spring, a bumper, a post and combinations thereof.

11. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration transfer plate further comprises at least one bite stop.

12. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration transfer plate further comprises a plurality of mounting features arranged to releasably secure said plurality of brushes in a plurality of locations.

13. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration isolation plate comprises a plurality of posts, said plurality of posts arranged to releasably engage said vibration transfer plate.

14. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration transfer plate further comprises at least one rail adapted to receive said plurality of brushes and wherein a position of each of said plurality of brushes is modified by one or more of the following steps:

moving each of said plurality of brushes along a length of said at least one rail;

rotating each of said plurality of brushes about said at least one rail;

moving each of said plurality of brushes about laterally relative to said at least one rail;

bending at least a portion of said at least one rail upwardly or downwardly; and

, bending at least a portion of said at least one rail laterally.

15. The tooth brushing system of claim 14 wherein said position of each of said plurality of brushes is modified automatically in response to contact between said plurality of brushes and said set of teeth to be cleaned.

16. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 wherein said vibration isolation plate is releasably securable to said handle and said vibration isolation plate secured to said handle form an integral assembly.

17. The tooth brushing system of claim 1 further comprising:

means for adjusting a length of said plurality of brushes;

at least one of said plurality of brushes is secured to said vibration isolation plate via a vibration damping connector; and

,

an integral assembly comprising said vibration inducer, said controller for said vibration inducer, said power supply, at least two of said plurality of brushes and said vibration transfer plate, wherein said integral assembly is disposed within said handle and said means for adjusting a length of said plurality of brushes is adapted to modify a position of said integral assembly within said handle thereby modifying a distance between said at least one of said plurality of brushes secured to said vibration isolation plate and said at least two of said plurality of brushes of said integral assembly.