Toothbrush with water jet

• US 6,047,429 A
• Filed: 10/09/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Addway Engineering Limited
• Original Assignee: Addway Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Wu, Ka Shing
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US09/169,321
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 15/24, 15/29
• US Class Current: 15/29
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/02 Rinsing or air-blowing devices, e.g. using fluid jets or comprising liquid medication combined with receptacles for spittle A61C17/14; combined with power-driven cleaning or polishing devices A61C17/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/36 with rinsing means

Abstract

An electric toothbrush includes a drive shaft that is reciprocated by a motor in a brush handle (not shown). The reciprocating movement is directly transferred to a piston that serves to pump water from a reservoir via a water passage to a water jet nozzle in the midst of brushes.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush with a water jet, the toothbrush comprising a handle, a shank, and a toothbrush head that incorporates the water jet, in which a motor is mounted in the handle and the toothbrush includes a reciprocating drive shaft extending along the shank to drive brushes in the brush head, including a water passage extending along the shank to connect a water supply to the water jet, and a pump in the shank for pumping water along the passage that is mechanically connected directly to the drive shaft.

2. An electric toothbrush according to claim 1, in which the pump comprises a piston that fits around the drive shaft.

3. An electric toothbrush according to claim 2, in which the piston fits in a cylinder that has a water inlet port that is cyclically exposed and closed off in use as the piston is reciprocated by the shaft.

4. An electric toothbrush according to claim 1 including an ON-OFF control knob mounted adjacent an end of the shank to open and close a valve connected between the water supply and the water passage.