Electrically driven toothbrush

• US 5,706,542 A
• Filed: 05/31/1996
• Issued: 01/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Eiji Okada
• Original Assignee: Eiji Okada
• Inventors: Okada, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOHOO, TONY GLEN
• Application Number:
  US08/655,979
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 15/22.1, 15/22.3, 15/21.2, 15/23, 15/28, 200/502, 200/542, 200/544, 200/537, 200/560, 200/573
• 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 17/3481 Vibrating brush body, e.g. by using eccentric weights
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2204/002 using batteries

Abstract

An electrically driven toothbrush that includes a switch lever engaged with a hole for switching a motor on and off, the hole being defined through an end wall of a dry cell cap. The switch lever includes a manipulation control portion, a revolving shaft portion, a spherical operating portion, and a lever portion, all formed integrally by a flexible member. The toothbrush includes an electric circuit-connecting terminal structure for joining the motor and dry cell in communication with one another, which terminal structure is formed by first and second terminal members. The first and second terminal members each includes a platelike L-shaped main body, and the platelike main body of the second terminal member is resilient so as to return to a predetermined L-shape when no external forces are exerted thereon.

Claims

1. In an electrically driven toothbrush including a handle portion, an electrically operated motor accommodated in said handle portion, said motor having a shaft, a toothbrushing portion engaged with one end of said handle portion, a dry cell cap having a dry cell disposed therein so as to be engaged with the other end of said handle portion, said dry cell being selectively electrically connected to said motor, and an eccentric weight for producing vibration when said motor is actuated being mounted on said shaft of said motor, thereby bringing said toothbrushing portion into vibration which is utilized to clean the teeth, the improvement comprising:

a switch lever received in a hole for switching said motor on and off, said hole being defined through an end wall of said dry cell cap, said switch lever includes a manipulation control portion positioned outside said dry cell cap when said switch lever is mounted on said dry cell cap, a revolving shaft portion fixedly attached to said manipulation control portion and sealingly but rotatably fitted in said hole, an operating portion positioned inside said dry cell cap, and a lever portion joined between said operating portion and said revolving shaft portion, said manipulation control, revolving shaft, operating, and lever portions of said switch lever are an integrally formed member, and said operating portion being ball-shaped and being joined to said lever portion.

2. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said lever portion is L-shaped.

3. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said switch lever is a flexible one-piece member.

4. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said revolving shaft portion is joined at a second end of said lever portion.

5. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said operating portion selectively completes an electrical circuit between said motor and said dry cell for actuating and deactuating said motor, and said lever portion is adapted to transmit a rotational motion of said revolving shaft portion to selectively position said operating portion.

6. In an electrically driven toothbrush including a handle portion, an electrically operated motor accommodated in said handle portion, said motor having a shaft, a toothbrushing portion engaged with one end of said handle portion, a dry cell cap having a dry cell disposed therein so as to be engaged with the other end of said handle portion, said dry cell being selectively electrically connected to said motor, and an eccentric weight for producing vibration when said motor is actuated being mounted on said shaft of said motor, thereby bringing said toothbrushing portion into vibration which is utilized to clean teeth, the improvement comprising:

a switch lever received in a hole for switching said motor on and off, said hole being defined through an end wall of said dry cell cap, said switch lever includes a manipulation control portion positioned outside said dry cell cap when said switch lever is mounted on said dry cell cap, a revolving shaft portion fixedly attached to said manipulation control portion and sealingly but rotatably fitted in said hole, an operating portion positioned inside said dry cell cap, and a lever portion joined between said operating portion and said revolving shaft portion, said manipulation control, revolving shaft, operating, and lever portions of said switch lever are an integrally formed member, said handle portion has square corners therein, said dry cell cap has a handgrip part, and further including a positioning protrusion defined at each said corner of said handle portion at a predetermined distance from an end surface of said handle portion for fixing said dry cell cap in position, an engagement protrusion formed on an outer surface of said dry cell cap for engaging said positioning protrusions of said handle portion, and a stepped outer periphery defined on said handgrip part of said dry cell cap for permitting releasing engagement between said handle portion and said dry cell cap when said dry cell is to be replaced.

7. In an electrically driven toothbrush including a handle portion, an electrically operated motor accommodated in said handle portion, said motor having a shaft, a toothbrushing portion engaged with one end of said handle portion, a dry cell cap having a dry cell disposed therein so as to be engaged with the other end of said handle portion, and an eccentric weight for producing vibration when said motor is actuated being mounted on said shaft of said motor, thereby bringing said toothbrushing portion into vibration which is utilized to clean the teeth, the improvement comprising:

a switch lever engaged with a hole for switching said motor on and off, said hole being defined through an end wall of said dry cell cap; and

an electric circuit-connecting terminal means for joining said motor and said dry cell in communication with one another in order to actuate said motor, said electric circuit-connecting terminal means being formed by a first terminal member whose one end contacts said motor while the other end of said first terminal member extends toward said dry cell, and a second terminal member whose one end contacts the other end of said first terminal member while the other end of said second terminal member communicates with said switch lever and extends over said dry cell;

said first terminal member including a platelike main body of an electrically conductive metallic member formed into a L-shaped configuration having shorter and longer legs, a first cut and raised tab portion formed on said shorter leg of said platelike main body, a second cut and raised tab portion formed on the longer leg of said platelike main body and adjacent to a location where the longer and shorter legs of said platelike main body are joined together, a bent portion formed adjacent to said second cut and raised tab portion, and a curved portion formed at an end portion of the longer leg of said platelike main body;

said second terminal including a platelike primary body of an electrically conductive metallic member bent into a L-shaped configuration, a contact portion formed at one end portion of said platelike primary body for contacting said curved portion of said first terminal member, a cut and raised tab portion formed substantially midway along said platelike primary body, a bent portion formed by the other end portion of said platelike primary body being slightly decreased in width dimension and further being bent into a L-shape in cross-section, and a swinging end portion bent and formed at an end portion of said bent portion so as to be directed downward, and wherein said platelike primary body of said second terminal is resilient so as to return to a predetermined L-shaped configuration when no external forces are exerted on said platelike primary body of said second terminal.

8. A toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein said handle portion defines square corners therein, said dry cell cap has a handgrip part, and further including a positioning protrusion defined at each said square corner of said handle portion at a predetermined distance from an end surface of said handle portion for fixing said dry cell cap in position, an engagement protrusion formed on an outer surface of said dry cell cap for engaging said position protrusions of said handle portion, and a stepped outer periphery defined on said handgrip part of said dry cell cap for permitting releasing engagement between said handle portion and said dry cell cap when said dry cell is to be replaced.

9. A toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein said platelike primary body of said second terminal has a dry cell-pressing portion provided between said cut and raised tab portion and said bent portion, said dry cell-pressing portion being arcuate in shape and protruding toward said dry cell so as to press and retain said dry cell when said dry cell is placed into said cap.

10. An electrically driven toothbrush according to claim 9, wherein said motor has a motor terminal for receiving electricity to actuate said motor and a motor cap convex portion at an end of said motor, wherein said electric circuit-connecting terminal includes said first terminal, said second terminal, and a taper-shaped coiled terminal, and wherein said coiled terminal has one end portion held in engagement with a hole that is formed at said motor terminal of said motor, and said coiled terminal includes a resilient member looped around said motor cap convex portion of said motor.