Toothbrush sanitizer

• US 5,023,460 A
• Filed: 03/30/1990
• Issued: 06/11/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/1990
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rival Consumer Sales Corp.
• Original Assignee: Associated Mills Incorporated
• Inventors: Gentry, Jefferson L., Foster, Robert W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Berman, Jack I.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIET TUAN
• Application Number:
  US07/502,449
• Time in Patent Office: 438 Days
• Field of Search: 250/455.1, 250/454.1, 250/453.1, 250/504 R, 250/503.1, 422/24
• US Class Current: 250/455.11
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/10 Ultraviolet radiation

Abstract

A toothbrush sanitizer has a housing containing a centrally located elongated ultraviolet bulb surrounded by cavities for receiving standing toothbrushes. The cavities having one side open to receive ultraviolet light, have highly reflective surfaces to reflect light passing through said open side toward all sides of the toothbrushes, and have bottom contours which make the toothbrushes self-aligning. An electronic circuit lights the ultraviolet bulb with a short on, long off duty cycle. The initial on cycle is longer than the rest of the on cycles and occurs immediately after the cover is closed. A labyrinth seal permits passage of a cooling updraft of air while blocking an escape of ultraviolet light.

Claims

1. A toothbrush sanitizer comprising an irradiating source of ultraviolet light;

a housing having a plurality of areas for supporting toothbrushes in positions which expose substantially all of the parts of said toothbrushes which enter the mouth, including their bristles and handles, to an irradiation of light from said source;

said housing having internal contours which direct the light to completely surround said brush so that all sides of both said bristles and handles of said brush are irradiated by said light, said housing being closed by a cover to contain all ultraviolet light from said source, cover switch means for preventing said light from lighting except when said cover is in place to contain said light, said cover having a lip with a predetermined wall thickness, and a labyrinth seal at the lip of said cover, said seal comprising two upstanding concentric walls on said housing separated by a space which is wider than said predetermined wall thickness of said cover lip, means for holding said cover in an elevated position between said concentric walls, and openings in the bottom of said housing to provide an entrance for air in order to provide an updraft of cool air between said openings and said labyrinth seal.

2. The sanitizer of claim 1 and means for making at least part of said labyrinth seal a non-light reflecting surface.

3. The sanitizer of claim 1 and means for periodically causing said source to irradiate said ultraviolet light with a duty cycle of cyclically recurring short periods of light "on" time and long periods of light "off" time.

4. The sanitizer of claim 3 wherein a first of said short periods of light "on" time is longer after said cover is first closed over said housing than it is later during said cyclically recurring periods.

5. The sanitizer of claim 4 and control means for causing said cyclically recurring periods of said irradiation, said control means including a timer having a resistor-capacitor circuit for setting a duty cycle and a diode coupled across a part of a resistor forming said resistor-capacitor circuit whereby the circuit times a longer cycle period when a polarity of voltage in said circuit is in one direction and a shorter cycle period when said polarity is reversed.

6. The sanitizer of claim 5 further comprising circuit means for causing said resistor-capacitor circuit to charge from zero volts when said cover switch is first closed and thereafter to charge from a low voltage level, thus changing the timing of the duty cycle after said original charge of said RC circuit.

7. A toothbrush sanitizer comprising an irradiating source of ultraviolet light;

a housing having a plurality of areas for supporting toothbrushes in positions which expose substantially all of the parts of said toothbrushes which enter the mouth, including their bristles and handles, to an irradiation of light from said source;

said housing having internal contours which direct the light to completely surround said brush so that all sides of both said bristles and handles of said brush are irradiated by said light, control means for causing said irradiation including a timer having a resistor-capacitor circuit for setting a duty cycle and a diode coupled across a part of a resistor forming said resistor-capacitor circuit whereby the circuit times a longer cycle period when a polarity of voltage in said circuit is in one direction and a shorter cycle period when said polarity is reversed.

8. The sanitizer of claim 7 further comprising circuit means for causing said resistor-capacitor circuit to charge from zero volts when said cover switch is first closed and thereafter to charge from a low voltage level, thus changing the timing of the duty cycle after said original charge of said RC circuit.

9. A toothbrush sanitizer comprising an irradiating source of ultraviolet light;

an housing having a plurality of areas for supporting toothbrushes in positions which expose substantially all of the parts of said toothbrushes which enter the mouth, including their bristles and handles, to an irradiation of light from said source;

said housing having internal contours which direct the light to completely surround said brush so that all sides of both said bristles and handles of said brush are irradiated by said light, each of said areas for supporting toothbrushes having an arcuate contour with a reflective surface, said toothbrush handle being centrally located within said arcuate contours so that light is reflected from said surface and onto said handle when said source is irradiating light.

10. A sanitizer for elongated personal appliances objects, said sanitizer having a centrally located elongated source of ultraviolet light, a plurality of cavities each having an elongated open dimension facing and aligned with the elongation of said source of light whereby light may enter said cavities along the length of said elongated open dimension, a closed side of each of said cavities being shaped to direct light from said source onto an object standing in said cavity, said closed sides of said cavities having a highly light reflective surface, and means beneath said cavities for collecting drippings from said cavities.

11. The sanitizer of claim 10 wherein said means for collecting drippings is removable for easy clean-up.

12. The sanitizer of claim 10 wherein said highly reflective surface is plated with a mirror-like material.

13. The sanitizer of claim 10 and a cover with switch means for preventing light from said source from escaping said housing.

14. A sanitizer for elongated personal appliances objects, said sanitizer having a centrally located elongated source of ultraviolet light, a plurality of cavities each having an elongated open dimension facing and aligned with the elongation of said source of light whereby light may enter said cavities along the length of said elongated open dimension, a closed side of each of said cavities being shaped to direct light from said source onto an object standing in said cavity said closed sides of said cavities having a highly light reflective surface, means beneath said cavities for collecting drippings from said cavities, switch means for preventing light from said source from escaping said housing when said cover is removed, pilot light means associated with the exterior of said housing for indicating when said light source is active within said housing, and circuit means for lighting said light source with a duty cycle which is a short time on and a long time off, beginning with a longer than average on time after the cover is first replaced on said housing.

15. The sanitizer of claim 14 and a labyrinth seal at a perimeter of said cover for passing heat while preventing a passage of light.

16. The sanitizer of claim 14 and means comprising a ring which is transparent to ultraviolet light interposed between said source of ultraviolet light and toothbrushes in said cavities in order to keep said toothbrushes from touching said source of ultraviolet light without blocking a transmission of said light.

17. A sanitizer for elongated personal appliances objects, said sanitizer having a centrally located elongated source of ultraviolet light, a plurality of cavities each having an elongated open dimension facing and aligned with the elongation of said source of light whereby light may enter said cavities along the length of said elongated open dimension, a closed side of each of said cavities being shaped to direct light from said source onto an object standing in said cavity, said closed sides of said cavities having a highly light reflective surface, means beneath said cavities for collecting drippings from said cavities, and means comprising a ring which is transparent to ultraviolet light interposed between said source of ultraviolet light and said object in order to keep said object from touching said bulb without blocking said light.