Electrically powered toothbrush
First Claim
1. A device for cleaning teeth comprising:
- a brush head;
at least one tuft holding assembly mounted in the head for rotation about its central axis;
means for automatically rotating the assembly in both an intermittent and a unidirectional manner about the central axis; and
,means for reciprocating the holding assembly with respect to the brush head along the central axis simultaneously with the rotation.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A portable electrically powered toothbrush which includes a brush head having at least one tuft holding assembly mounted for rotation about its central axis. Pulsating direct current is supplied through control circuitry to a DC motor in the brush handles by a pair of rechargeable batteries also mounted in the handle. Power from the motor is transmitted through a reduction gear and belt drive assembly to the tuft holding assembly, resulting in a unidirectional intermittent rotation of the assembly about its axis and a simultaneous reciprocation of the assembly along that axis. Alternately, continuous power may be supplied to the motor, resulting in a unidirectional continuous rotation and reciprocation of the tuft holding assembly.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. A device for cleaning teeth comprising:
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a brush head; at least one tuft holding assembly mounted in the head for rotation about its central axis; means for automatically rotating the assembly in both an intermittent and a unidirectional manner about the central axis; and
,means for reciprocating the holding assembly with respect to the brush head along the central axis simultaneously with the rotation. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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14. A device for cleaning teeth comprising:
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a brush head; a plurality of tuft holding assemblies each mounted in the head for rotation about its central axis; a plurality of gears each connected to one of the holding assemblies and also connected to one of the other gears; means for rotating each holding assembly in an intermittent, unidirectional manner including an electric motor and electronic control means for supplying a pulsating electric current to the motor, and means for reciprocating each assembly along its central axis simultaneously with the rotation.
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19. A device for cleaning teeth comprising:
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a brush head; a plurality of tuft holding assemblies each mounted in the head for rotation about its central axis; a plurality of gears each connected to one of the holding assemblies and also connected to one of the other gears; means for rotating each holding assembly in an intermittent, unidirectional manner including an electric motor and electronic control means for supplying a pulsating electric current to the motor; and
,means for reciprocating each assembly along its central axis simultaneously with the rotation including a face cam connected to the holding assembly, a cam follower connected to the brush head, and means for biasing the cam and cam follower into engagement.
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Specification