Dental device attachable to an electric toothbrush drive

• US 5,461,744 A
• Filed: 11/18/1994
• Issued: 10/31/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Rowenta-Werke GmbH
• Original Assignee: Rowenta-Werke GmbH
• Inventors: Merbach, Lothar
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Jr., Edward L.
• Application Number:
  US08/338,621
• Time in Patent Office: 347 Days
• Field of Search: 15/22.1, 15/22.2, 15/22.4, 15/28, 15/29, 74/89, 74/99 R, 433/131, 433/216, 433/125
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/26 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/40 orbiting, e.g. nutating
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/18888 Reciprocating to or from oscillating

Abstract

A dental device for an electric toothbrush drive having a drive shaft, the dental device including a housing, a motion converter arranged in the housing and including a rocker arm, a rotary oscillation plate having an eccentrically arranged plug-in opening, and a plug-in axle for operatively connecting the rotary oscillation plate to the rocker arm via the plug-in opening. A guide is provided for releasably and operatively connecting one end of the rocker arm to the drive shaft of the toothbrush drive, and a bearing is provided for rotatably supporting the rotary oscillating plate at the housing. The motion converter converts the movement of the drive shaft into rotational ocillatory movement of the rotary oscillation plate about the plug-in axle.

Claims

1. A dental device for an electric toothbrush drive having a drive shaft which undergoes movement having axial and radial components, comprising:

a housing;

motion converter means arranged in the housing and including a rocker arm, a rotary oscillation plate having an eccentrically arranged plug-in opening, and a plug-in axle for operatively connecting the rotary oscillation plate to the rocker arm via the plug-in opening;

guide means for releasably and operatively connecting one end of the rocker arm to the drive shaft of the toothbrush drive; and

bearing means for rotatably supporting the rotary oscillating plate at the housing, the motion converter means converting the movement of the drive shaft into rotational oscillatory movement of the rotary oscillation plate about the plug-in axle.

2. A dental device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plug-in axle is arranged at a right angle to the rocker arm.

3. A dental device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bearing means is arranged at an end of the housing remote of the toothbrush drive shaft and is constructed as a two-part rotating bearing having a first part formed as a cap, and further comprising means for detachably connecting the cap to the housing.

4. A dental device as defined in claim 1, and further comprising a dental treatment tool detachably connected with the rotary oscillation plate.