Electrically-driven brush

• US 5,070,567 A
• Filed: 02/19/1991
• Issued: 12/10/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Dentaline Limited
• Original Assignee: Neta Holland
• Inventors: Holland, Neta
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS JR, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US07/657,382
• Time in Patent Office: 294 Days
• Field of Search: 15/28, 15/29, 15/49.1, 15/50.1, 15/23, 51/170 T, 51/177, 74/63
• US Class Current: 15/28
• 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 7/08 as a rotating disc
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/26 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/1836 Rotary to rotary

Abstract

A toothbrush includes a brush head having a first group of bristle holders arranged along a substantially straight line and a second group of bristle holders arranged in a circle, all the bristle holders being rotatable about their respective axes.

Claims

1. A brush comprising:

a handle at one end and a brush head at the opposite end;

said brush head including first and second groups of bristle holders;

the bristle holders of said first group being disposed in at least one substantially straight line and each being rotatable about its respective axis;

the bristle holders of said second group being disposed in a circle and each being rotatable about its respective axis;

and an electric motor in the handle, a transmission means within the had and connected to said motor and to said bristle holders for rotating all the bristle holders about their respective rotary axes.

2. The brush according to claim 1, wherein said bristle holders of the second group are disposed in a circular array on a rotatable body also rotated about an axis centrally of the rotary axes of said second group of bristle holders.

3. The brush according to claim 2, wherein said rotatable body is formed with a circular array of sockets each rotatably receiving one of said bristle holders of the second group.

4. The brush according to claim 3, wherein said transmission means includes a gear carried by each of said bristle holders of the second group, and a fixed gear fixed with respect to said brush head centrally of the rotatable body and meshing with said gears of the bristle holders of the second group.

5. The brush according to claim 4, wherein fixed gear is fixed to a cover plate removably attached to said brush head.

6. The brush according to claim 5, wherein said cover plate is formed with a circular rib circumscribing said fixed gear and aligned with said bristle holders of the second group.

7. The brush according to claim 1, wherein said transmission includes a rotary lead screw coupled to said bristle holders of the first group to rotate them during the rotation of the lead screw.

8. The brush according to claim 7, wherein the bristle holders of said first group are disposed in two lines on opposite sides of said lead screw.

9. The brush according to claim 8, wherein each of said bristle holders of the first group is formed with threads meshing with the threads of said lead screw, said lead screw having alternating left-hand and right-hand threads to alternate the directions of rotation of adjacent bristle holders of the first group.

10. The brush according to claim 1, wherein said bristle holders of the first group are located in two substantially straight parallel lines, and the bristle holders of the second group are located in a rotatable body at one end of said two lines, said transmission means including a lead screw rotating the two lines of bristle holders of the first group, one of the latter bristle holders being coupled to said rotatable body to rotate it and the bristle holders of the second group about their respective rotary axes.

11. A toothbrush comprising:

a handle at one end and a brush head fixed to the handle at the opposite end of the toothbrush;

said brush head including a group of bristle holders disposed in a circle and each being rotatable about its respective axis;

an electric motor disposed within the handle;

and transmission means extending form said motor in the handle to said bristle holders in the brush head for rotating all said bristle holders about their respective rotary axes.

12. The toothbrush according to claim 11, wherein said bristle holders are disposed in a circular array on a rotatable body also rotated about an axis centrally of the rotary axes of said bristle holders.

13. The toothbrush according to claim 12, wherein said rotatable body is formed with a circular array of sockets each rotatably receiving one of said bristle holders.

14. The toothbrush according to claim 13, wherein said transmission means includes a gear carried by each of said bristle holders, and a fixed gear fixed with respect to said brush head centrally of the rotatable body and meshing with said gears of the bristle holders.

15. The toothbrush according to claim 14, wherein said fixed gear is fixed to a cover plate removably attached to said brush head.

16. The toothbrush according to claim 15 wherein said cover plate is formed with a circular rib circumscribing said fixed gear and aligned with said bristle holders for spacing the inner face of the cover plate from said bristle holders.

17. A brush comprising:

a handle at one end and a brush head at the opposite end;

said brush head including a group of bristle holders disposed in two substantially straight lines with each bristle holder being rotatable about its respective axis;

an electric motor in the handle;

and transmission means within the brush head and connected to said motor and to said bristle holders for rotating all said bristle holders about their respective rotary axes;

said transmission means including a rotary lead screw coupled to said bristle holders to rotate them during the rotation of the lead screw;

said bristle holders of the two lines being formed with threads meshing with the threads of said lead screw;

said lead screw having alternating left-hand and right-hand threads to alternate the directions of rotations of adjacent bristle holders.

18. The brush according to claim 17, wherein said bristle holders include two lines of bristle holders on opposite sides of said lead screw.

19. The brush according to claim 17, wherein said brush head includes a second group of bristle holders disposed in a circle and each being rotatable about its respective axis;

one of the bristle holders of said first-mentioned group being coupled to said rotatable body to rotate it and the bristle holders of the second group about their respective rotary axes.