Electric toothbrush

• US 5,020,179 A
• Filed: 01/05/1990
• Issued: 06/04/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/1989
• 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): Roberts, Edward L.
• Application Number:
  US07/461,290
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 15/22 R, 15/22 C, 15/28, 15/29
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• 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 7/042 Clip or snap connection for bristle carriers
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 7/08 as a rotating disc
• 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 comprises a manually guided handle and a brush member having a brush head with a plurality of separately rotating bristle holders which are connected in the brush head to gearing driving them. The bristle holders are mounted in an insert which is insertable into the brush head in a releasable manner so as to be easily exchangeable by the user. Each of the bristle holders has a coupling element in the form of a cam which is insertable, by way of a plug-in connection, in a respective groove in a connecting rod which is connected to a drive means in the handle.

Claims

1. A brush member for an electric toothbrush which is connectable at its lower end to a handle of the electric toothbrush, said brush member comprising:

an exchangeable insert comprising a plurality of axially rotatable bristle holders, each of said bristle holders comprising tufts of bristles extending from an upper portion of the bristle holders and an eccentric cam extending from a bottom portion of the bristle holders;

a brush head at an upper end of the brush member, said brush head comprising means for removably receiving the exchangeable insert; and

driving means for axially rotating said bristle holders, said driving means located within the brush head and comprising a plurality of substantially transverse grooves in a reciprocating connecting rod, said transverse grooves for engaging the eccentric cams of each of the bristle holders of an exchangeable insert received in the receiving means.

2. The brush member according to claim 1, wherein the receiving means comprises an opening in one side of the brush head.

3. The brush member according to claim 2, wherein the exchangeable insert further comprises means for releasably fixing the exchangeable insert within said opening.

4. The brush member according to claim 3, wherein said means for releasable fixing comprises a manually releasable snap connection.

5. The brush member according to claim 4, wherein the manually releasable snap connection comprises a catch located on a side of the exchangeable insert for engagement with a wall of the brush head.