Electric toothbrushes

• US 4,989,287 A
• Filed: 08/18/1989
• Issued: 02/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Bausch & Lomb Oral Care Division, Inc. (Conair Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gimelli & Company AG
• Inventors: Scherer, Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Coe, Philip R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Graham, Gary K.
• Application Number:
  US07/395,533
• Time in Patent Office: 536 Days
• Field of Search: 15/22 A, 15/22 R, 15/23, 15/28, 15/167 R, 15/29, 433/118, 433/122, 433/131, 433/134, 433/115, 74/50, 74/55, 74/99 R, 74/104, 74/107, 74/88, 74/89, 74/20
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/349 with multiple brush bodies

Abstract

An electric toothbrush has a reciprocating connecting rod in a brush member. The brush member is constructed as a brush head at its front end and has there two rows of rotatable bristle holders which each engage with a cam in a transversely running groove in the connecting rod. Rectilinear movement of the connecting rod leads to an alternating rotating movement of the bristle holders.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush comprising:

a handle;

a brush member connected to the handle and including a brush head having a plurality of cylindrical and axially rotatable bristle holders, wherein each bristle holder comprises a cam eccentrically extending from a bottom portion of the bristle holder;

a connecting rod extending along the brush member for oscillating said bristle holders, said connecting rod having a plurality of substantially transverse grooves engaged with the cams of the bristle holders; and

driving means located within the handle and connected to the connecting rod for moving the connecting rod in a reciprocating manner along a longitudinal direction of the brush member,

wherein the brush member is connected to the handle such that the brush member is rotatable about its longitudinal axis, and the connecting rod is fixed within the brush member such that the connecting rod is not axially rotatable independent of the brush member, said driving means producing an oscillatory rotation of the connecting rod about its longitudinal axis, in addition to moving the connecting rod in a reciprocating manner along the longitudinal direction of the brush member.

2. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the brush head includes a first row of bristle holders and a second row of bristle holders adjacent to said first row, such that each bristle holder in the first row transversely opposes a bristle holder in the second row.

3. The electric toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein the cam of each bristle holder in the first row transversely opposes the cam of a bristle holder in the second row, and the cam of each bristle holder is oriented towards the cam of an opposing bristle holder.

4. The electric toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein each of said grooves in said connecting rod engages the cam of one bristle holder from each of the first and second rows.

5. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the brush member is detachably connected to the handle, and the connecting rod is detachably connected to a toothbrush shaft of the driving means with a snap connection.

6. The electric toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the driving means comprises:

a bevel wheel axially rotatable around a pivot pin, said pivot pin located within the handle transversely to a longitudinal direction of the connecting rod;

a motor having a rotatable bevel pinion cooperating with the bevel wheel for rotating the bevel wheel about the pivot pin;

an eccentric peg extending from the bevel wheel in a direction parallel to the pivot pin;

a toothbrush shaft connected to the connecting rod and oriented in a longitudinal direction of the connecting rod; and

motion translating means for translating an axial rotation of the bevel wheel to a reciprocating movement of the toothbrush shaft along a longitudinal direction of the brush member, said motion translating means connected to the toothbrush shaft and rotatably engaging the eccentric peg of the bevel wheel.

7. The electric toothbrush according to claim 6, wherein the motion translating means includes a rocker firmly attached to the toothbrush shaft and extending to the eccentric peg of the bevel wheel, said rocker having a rectangular recess in the vicinity of the eccentric peg of the bevel wheel, and a sliding block located within said recess and having a bore which rotatably engages the eccentric peg, whereby a longitudinal movement of the sliding block causes a corresponding longitudinal movement of the rocker.

8. The electric toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein the sliding block has two opposed lateral faces each parallel to a longitudinal axis of the toothbrush shaft, said two opposed lateral faces each being arc-shaped and contacting an inner portion of the recess of the rocker, whereby a transverse movement of the sliding block causes a rotation of the rocker about a longitudinal axis of the toothbrush shaft.

9. The electric toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein a portion of the rocker containing the recess is located at a radial distance from the toothbrush shaft.

10. An electric toothbrush comprising:

a handle;

a brush member connected to the handle and including a brush head having a plurality of cylindrical and axially rotatable bristle holders, wherein each bristle holder comprises a cam eccentrically extending from a bottom portion of the bristle holder;

a connecting rod extending along the brush member for oscillating said bristle holders, said connecting rod having a plurality of substantially transverse grooves engaged with the cams of the bristle holders; and

driving means located within the handle and connected to the connecting rod for moving the connecting rod in a reciprocating manner along a longitudinal direction of the brush member,

wherein the brush member is connected to the handle such that the brush member is not rotatable about its longitudinal axis, and the connecting rod is axially rotatable independent of the brush member, said driving means producing a reciprocal rotation of the connecting rod about its longitudinal axis in addition to moving the connecting rod in a reciprocating manner along the longitudinal direction of the brush member, whereby the connecting rod moves the bristle holders along their axis of rotation in addition to oscillating the bristle holders.

11. The electric toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the brush head includes a first row of bristle holders and a second row of bristle holders adjacent to said first row, such that each bristle holder in the first row transversely opposes a bristle holder in the second row.

12. The electric toothbrush according to claim 11, wherein the cam of each bristle holder in the first row transversely opposes the cam of a bristle holder in the second row, and the cam of each bristle holder is oriented towards the cam of an opposing bristle holder.

13. The electric toothbrush according to claim 11, wherein each of said grooves in said connecting rod engages the cam of one bristle holder from each of the first and second rows.

14. The electric toothbrush according to claim 10, wherein the driving means comprises:

a bevel wheel axially rotatable around a pivot pin, said pivot pin located within the handle transversely to a longitudinal direction of the connecting rod;

a motor having a rotatable pinion cooperating with the bevel wheel for rotating the bevel wheel about the pivot pin;

an eccentric peg extending from the bevel wheel in a direction parallel to the pivot pin;

a toothbrush shaft connected to the connecting rod and oriented in a longitudinal direction of the connecting rod; and

motion translating means for translating an axial rotation of the bevel wheel to a reciprocating movement of the toothbrush shaft along a longitudinal direction of the brush member, said motion translating means connected to the toothbrush shaft and rotatably engaging the eccentric peg of the bevel wheel.

15. The electric toothbrush according to claim 14, wherein the motion translating means includes a rocker firmly attached to the toothbrush shaft and extending to the eccentric peg of the bevel wheel, said rocker having a rectangular recess in the vicinity of the eccentric peg of the bevel wheel, and a sliding block located within said recess and having a bore which rotatably engages the eccentric peg, whereby a longitudinal movement of the sliding block causes a corresponding longitudinal movement of the rocker.

16. The electric toothbrush according to claim 15, wherein the sliding block has two opposed lateral faces each parallel to a longitudinal axis of the toothbrush shaft, said two opposed lateral faces each being arc-shaped and contacting an inner portion of the recess of the rocker, whereby a transverse movement of the sliding block causes a rotation of the rocker about a longitudinal axis of the toothbrush shaft.

17. The electric toothbrush according to claim 16, wherein a portion of the rocker containing the recess is located at a radial distance from the toothbrush shaft.