ULTRASONIC TOOTHBRUSH APPLICATOR

• US 3,840,932 A
• Filed: 12/26/1972
• Issued: 10/15/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/1972
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Lewis Balamuth, Michael R. Rutten, Robert Meyer
• Original Assignee: Lewis Balamuth, Michael R. Rutten, Robert Meyer
• Inventors: Balamuth, Lewis, Rutten, Michael R., Meyer, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Feldman, Peter
• Application Number:
  US05/318,430
• Time in Patent Office: 658 Days
• Field of Search: 15/167R,22R,192,193,195 300/21 128/62A
• US Class Current: 15/167.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor

Abstract

An applicator in the form and/or a configuration adapted to be ultrasonically vibrated to transmit mechanical vibrations from one end thereof to bristle elements positioned at approximately the other end thereof for use in the oral cavity.

Claims

1. A toothbrush adapted to be mounted on an automatic toothbrush power handle having as a power source a source of vibratory energy in the ultrasonic range, the said toothbrush comprising:

A. an elongated plastic brush portion adapted at one end to be removably mounted on the power handle and of a length greater than one wave length of a longitudinal elastic wave in the plastic brush portion medium at the operating ultrasonic frequency of said toothbrush;

B. a plastic brush head formed integrally with the elongated brush portion at the opposite end thereof, said brush head being provided with a series of apertures for respectively receiving an end of each bristle cluster; and

C. a plurality of bristle clusters each including a plurality of bristle elements, disposed on the brush head within said apertures, said plastic brush head constituting a loaded longitudinal wave transmission line, wherein the bristle clusters coincide with the loaded parts of said loaded transmission line, and where such loaded locations are essentially at loops of longitudinal vibration.

2. A toothbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein the loaded transmission line cross-section between bristle clusters, measured along the longitudinal axis of said brush head is Ao, and the equivalent cross-section, taking account of the bristle clusters in an adjacent loaded section of said line, is A1, larger than Ao, and the lengths of each section are selected equal to each other and each length, 11, is selected so as to satisfy the equation:

tan (2 pi 1o/ Tau ) Square Root Ao/A1 Alpha where Tau is the wave length of a longitudinal elastic wave in the toothbrush plastic medium at the said operating ultrasonic frequency of said toothbrush.

3. A toothbrush as defined in claim 1, and furhter including means for transmitting the vibratory energy from said brush head to said bristle clusters within said apertures by substantially conforming the respective wall of the apertures to the surface configuration of the bristle elements comprising each cluster to form an adhesion therebetween.

4. A toothbrush aS defined in claim 1, further comprising means for acoustically insulating the brush head of said toothbrush, wherein the vibratory motion remains isolated therein and is not transmitted to the oral cavity.

5. A toothbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for conforming the wall of the apertures to the surface of the bristle elements is obtained by flowing the plastic of the brush head into surrounding relation to the bristle elements.

6. A toothbrush as defined in claim 1, wherein said means for removably coupling said elongated brush portion to the power handle includes securing means including a threadably engageable portion adapted to mate with a complementary threadably engageable portion of the power handle.

7. A toothbrush as defined in claim 1, and further including means for mechanically securing said bristle clusters to said brush head.

8. A toothbrush adapted to be mounted on an automatic toothbrush power handle having as a power source a source of vibratory energy in the ultrasonic range, the said toothbrush comprising:

A. an elongated plastic brush portion adapted at one end to be removeably mounted on the power handle;

B. a plastic brush head formed integrally with the elongated brush portion at the opposite end thereof, said brush head being provided with a series of apertures for respectively receiving an end of each bristle cluster;

C. a plurality of bristle clusters each including a plurality of bristle elements, disposed on the brush head within said apertures;

D. means for mechanically securing said bristle clusters to said brush head, and E. means for transmitting the vibratory energy from said brush head to said bristle clusters within said apertures by substantially conforming the respective wall of the apertures to the surface configuration of the bristle elements comprising each cluster to form an adhesion therebetween.

9. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein the bristle clusters are all of the same length.

10. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein the bristle clusters are arranged in rows on the brush head.

11. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein the means for mechanically securing each said bristle cluster includes a staple.

12. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein said elongated plastic brush portion has a length greater than one wave length of a longitudinal elastic wave in the plastic brush medium at the operating ultrasonic frequency of said toothbrush.

13. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein said plastic brush head constitutes a loaded longitudinal waver transmission line, whereby the bristle clusters coincide with the loaded parts of said loaded transmission line, and where such loaded locations are essentially at loops of longitudinal vibration.

14. A toothbrush as defined in claim 13, wherein the loaded transmission line cross section between bristle clusters, measured along the longitudinal axis of said brush head is Ao, and the equivalent cross-section, taking account of the bristle clusters in an adjacent loaded section of said line, is A1, larger than Ao, and the lengths of each section are selected equal to each other and each length, 1o, is selected so as to satisfy the equation:

tan ( 2 pi 1o / Tau ) Square Root Ao/A1 Alpha where Tau is the wave length of a longitudinal elastic wave in the toothbrush plastic medium at the said operating ultrasonic frequency of said toothbrush.

15. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein said bristles are crimped.

16. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein each said bristle cluster is mounted at substantially a loop of longitudinal motion along the axis of said brush head.

17. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein the means for conforming the wall of the apertures to the surface of the bristle elements is obtained by flowing the plastic of the brush head into surrounding relation to the briStle elements.

18. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein said bristle clusters are of a plastic material.

19. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, further comprising means for acoustically insulating the brush head of said toothbrush, wherein the vibratory motion remains isolated therein and is not transmitted to the oral cavity.

20. A toothbrush as defined in claim 19, wherein said means for acoustically insulating the brush head of said toothbrush comprises a layer of vibration absorbent material which substantially covers the entire brush head.

21. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein said bristle clusters are disposed with respect to the direction of vibration in said brush head so that flexural vibrations are induced in said bristle clusters.

22. A toothbrush as defined in claim 21, wherein said bristle clusters are disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the direction of vibration.

23. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein said bristle clusters are comprised of a plurality of bristle elements.

24. A readily replaceable brush as in claim 23, wherein the bristle elements of the bristle cluster are of various lengths.

25. A toothbrush as defined in claim 23, wherein at the frequency of vibration the bristle elements are of a length and diameter to vibrate at a level sufficient to cavitate a fluid film on the tooth surfaces.

26. A toothbrush as defined in claim 23, a. wherein said bristle elements extending from said brush head are of a length in the range of from substantially 0.30 inch to 0.60 inch;

and b. wherein said bristle elements are of a diameter in the range of substantially from 0.004 inch to 0.020 inch.

27. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein said means for removeably coupling said elongated brush portion to the power handle includes securing means including a threadably engageable portion adapted to mate with a complementary threadably engageable portion of the power handle.

28. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, wherein the free end of the bristle elements are each rounded.

29. A toothbrush as defined in claim 8, a. wherein said bristle elements are of a diameter in the range of 0.004 inch to 0.020 inch, b. wherein a bristle cluster includes approximately eighty ends, at the nominal bristle element diameter of 0.008, and c. wherein each aperture is approximately 0.093 inch diameter and a depth of approximately 0.120 inch.

30. A toothbrush adapted to be mounted on an automatic toothbrush power handle having as a power source a source of vibratory energy in the ultrasonic range, the said toothbrush comprising:

A. an elongated plastic brush portion adapted at one end to be removeably mounted on the power handle and capable of supporting ultrasonic vibrations and adapted to be vibrated at said frequencies;

B. a plastic brush head formed integrally with the elongated brush portion at the opposite end thereof and capable of supporting ultrasonic vibrations, said brush head being provided with a series of apertures for respectively receiving an end of each bristle cluster;

C. a plurality of bristle clusters each comprised of plastic bristle elements and disposed on the brush head within said apertures;

D. means including a staple for mechanically securing said bristle clusters to said brush head; and

E. means for transmitting the vibratory energy from said brush head to said bristle clusters within said apertures, wherein the means for transmitting the vibratory energy waves from said brush head to said bristle clusters includes substantially conforming the respective wall of the apertures to the surface configuration of the bristle elements to form an adhesion therebetween, F. said means for mounting said elongated brush portion to the power handle including securing means having a threadably engageable portion adapted to mate with a complementary threadably engageable pOrtion of the power handle.

31. A toothbrush as defined in claim 30, further comprising means for acoustically insulating the brush head of said toothbrush whereby the vibratory motion remains isolated therein and is not transmitted to the oral cavity.

32. A toothbrush as defined in claim 31, wherein said means for acoustically insulating the brush head of said toothbrush comprises a layer of vibration absorbent material which substantially covers the entire brush head.

33. A toothbrush as defined in claim 31, wherein at the frequency of vibration the bristle elements are of a length and diameter calculated to vibrate at a level sufficient to cavitate a fluid film on the tooth surfaces.

34. A toothbrush as defined in claim 31, a. wherein said bristle elements extending from said base are of a length in the range of from substantially 0.30 inch to 0.60 inch;

and b. wherein said bristle elements are of a diameter in the range of substantially from 0.004 inch to 0.020 inch.