Electric toothbrush

• US 4,974,278 A
• Filed: 02/06/1989
• Issued: 12/04/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bausch & Lomb Oral Care Division, Inc. (Conair Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gimelli & Company AG
• Inventors: Hommann, Edgar
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS JR, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US07/306,200
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 15/22 R, 74/23
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3418 Rotation around the axis of the toothbrush handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3445 Translation along the axis of the toothbrush handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3472 with combined movements of the brush body
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1804 Rotary to reciprocating and alternating rotary

Abstract

An electric toothbrush has a gear driven by a motor. On the face of the gear is an eccentric pin upon which a sliding member is located. The eccentric pin engages with a socket in a lever which is securely connected to a brush rod. The lever is moved up and down and simultaneously oscillates due to the rotational movement of the eccentric pin so that the brush rod executes a corresponding movement.

Claims

1. Electric toothbrush comprising:

a tooth brush casing;

a brush rod mounted in the toothbrush casing so as to be rotatably and longitudinally movable;

a lever fixed to said brush rod, wherein said lever has a socket portion which is provided with a socket having a center axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod;

an eccentric cam which communicates with said socket, wherein said eccentric cam has a rotational axis which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod; and

means for rotating said eccentric cam to cause an oscillatory movement of the lever and the brush rod about the longitudinal axis of the brush rod and a longitudinal movement of the lever and the brush rod along the longitudinal axis of the brush rod.

2. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 1 wherein said socket has a substantially rectangular shape, said electric toothbrush further comprising a substantially rectangular sliding member disposed within said socket and rotatably connected to said eccentric cam, wherein sides of said sliding member which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod are bow-shaped.

3. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 2, wherein said socket portion of said lever is laterally displaced from the longitudinal axis of the brush rod.

4. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 3, wherein said eccentric cam engages the sliding member from a side of the sliding member nearer the brush rod.

5. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 1 wherein said socket has a substantially rectangular shape, said electric toothbrush further comprising a substantially rectangular sliding member disposed within said socket and rotatably connected to said eccentric cam, wherein sides of said socket which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod are bow-shaped.

6. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 5, wherein said socket portion of said lever is laterally displaced from the longitudinal axis of the brush rod.

7. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 6, wherein said eccentric cam engages the sliding member from a side of the sliding member nearer the brush rod.

8. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 1 wherein said socket has a substantially rectangular shape, said electric toothbrush further comprising a substantially rectangular sliding member disposed within said socket and rotatably connected to said eccentric cam, wherein sides of said socket which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod and sides of said sliding member which are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod are bow-shaped.

9. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 8, wherein said socket portion of said lever is laterally displaced from the longitudinal axis of the brush rod.

10. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 9, wherein said eccentric cam engages the sliding member from a side of the sliding member nearer the brush rod.

11. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein said means for rotating said eccentric cam comprises:

a motor having a rotatable motor shaft;

a pinion gear disposed at the distal end of the rotatable motor shaft; and

rotatable gear means mechanically engaged with said pinion gear, wherein said eccentric cam is fixed to said rotatable gear means.

12. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 11, wherein the rotational axis of the rotatable motor shaft is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod, and wherein the rotational axis of the rotatable gear means is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod.

13. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, wherein the toothbrush casing comprises a front section and a handle section, and wherein said front section is rotatable and tiltable with respect to the handle portion.

14. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 13, wherein said means for rotating said eccentric cam comprises:

a motor having a rotatable motor shaft;

a pinion gear disposed at the distal end of the rotatable motor shaft; and

rotatable gear means mechanically engaged with said pinion gear, wherein said eccentric cam is fixed to said rotatable gear means.

15. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 14, wherein the rotational axis of the rotatable motor shaft is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod, and wherein the rotational axis of the rotatable gear means is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the brush rod.

16. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 15, wherein the front section comprises a ball head positioned in a ball cup provided on the handle portion, wherein the brush rod, the lever, the eccentric cam and the rotatable gear means are disposed within the front section, wherein the motor is disposed within the handle section, and wherein the center of the ball head lies at the point of intersection of the rotational axis of the rotatable motor shaft and the rotational axis of the rotatable gear means.

17. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 13, wherein said rotatable gear means comprises a gear rotatably mounted on an axle, wherein said axle is supported at the ends thereof by support means, and wherein said support means is in contact with a collar disposed on an end of the handle portion adjacent the front portion.

18. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 17, wherein one half of an end of the front section adjacent the handle section is in contact with said collar, and wherein the other half of the end of the front section is inclined away from the collar.

19. Electric toothbrush as claimed in claim 17, wherein at least one end of said axle protrudes out of the ball head, and wherein said support means comprises at least one bow-shaped groove in the handle section.