Toothbrush

• US 5,412,827 A
• Filed: 07/27/1994
• Issued: 05/09/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: US Philips Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Schneider, Norbert, Krammer, Erich, Muller, Ingo
• Primary Examiner(s): ROBERTS JR, EDWARD
• Application Number:
  US08/280,915
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• Field of Search: 15/22.1, 15/22.1, 15/22.4, 15/167.1, 15/167.2, 15/172
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/22 with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like brush bodies, e.g. arrangements of the bristles A46B

Abstract

A toothbrush is provided having two housing sections (1, 2) which are pivotable relative to one another, of which a first housing section (1) serves as a handle and accommodates a drive unit (4) for driving a drive shaft (5), and of which a second housing section (2) carries a brush-head (3), which is drivable by the drive shaft, which second housing section (2) is pivotable relative to the drive shaft (5) about a pivot (6). To warn the user against an excessive brushing pressure the toothbrush has a spring device with at least one spring (14) which acts between the second housing section (2) and the drive shaft (5), the second housing section (2) being pivotable relative to the first housing section (1) about the pivot (6) against a pressure exerted by the spring (14) during use of the toothbrush, which spring snaps when a given pressure threshold is exceeded and which pivot is disposed in the second housing section and also forms at least a part of a mechanical coupling between the drive shaft and the second housing section.

Claims

1. A toothbrush having two housing sections (1, 2) which are pivotable relative to one another, of which a first housing section (1) serves as a handle and accommodates a drive unit (4) for driving a drive shaft (5), and of which a second housing section (2) carries a brush-head (3), which is drivable by the drive shaft, which second housing section (2) is pivotable relative to the drive shaft (5) about a pivot (6), characterized in that the toothbrush comprises a spring device having at least one spring (14) which acts between the second housing section (2) and the drive shaft (5), the second housing section (2) being pivotable relative to the first housing section (1) about the pivot (6) against a pressure exerted by the spring (14) during use of the toothbrush, which spring snaps when a given pressure threshold is exceeded and which pivot is disposed in the second housing section and also forms at least a part of a mechanical coupling between the drive shaft and the second housing section.

2. A toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the second housing section (2) is provided with a coupling member (8) as a part of said mechanical coupling, which coupling member (8) is pivotable about the pivot (6), and the second housing section is detachably coupled to the drive shaft (5) by means of the coupling member.

3. A toothbrush as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that there is provided a second spring (16) having one end fixedly connected to the coupling member (8) and having another end which snaps past a projection (18) of the second housing section (2) when the pressure threshold is reached.

4. A toothbrush as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the second housing section (2) resumes its original position when the pressure decreases after the threshold has been exceeded.

5. A toothbrush as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the spring device comprises a plate (12) arranged in the second housing section (2), which plate has an opening (13) through which the drive shaft (5) extends and which plate has resilient arms (14), which are in resilient engagement with the drive shaft, and a stop (15), against which the drive shaft abuts after snapping.

6. A toothbrush as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the plate (12) is detachably mounted in the second housing section (2).

7. A toothbrush as claimed in claim 5 characterized in that there is provided a second spring (16) having one end fixedly connected to the coupling member (8) and having another end which snaps past a projection (18) of the second housing section (2) when the pressure threshold is reached.