Motor driven toothbrush, in particular an electric toothbrush
First Claim
1. A motor-driven toothbrush, in particular an electric toothbrush, comprising:
- an elongate housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) which has a cavity (6) on the inside,a brush head (5) mounted to the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) in a rotatable manner,said brush head having a bristle carrier (10) with projecting bristles (11), wherein the bristle ends form a brushing surface (12), and wherein the axis of rotation (B) of the brush head (5) is arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis (A) of the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c),a transmission device (7) in the cavity of the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) for coupling to a drive whereby the brush head (5) can be driven in a rotatable manner,wherein the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) has a flexing zone (29, 29a, 29b, 29c) subdividing the housing into two housing parts (3, 3a, 3b, 3c;
4, 4a, 4b, 4c) which can be deflected elastically relative to one another such that with forces acting in the direction of the brushing surface (12), the brush head (5) can be forced back or pivoted elastically in a plane defined by the axis of rotation (B) of the brush head and the longitudinal axis (A) of the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c),wherein further the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) is attachable to a separate handle part which is provided with the drive for coupling to the said transmission device (7), and,wherein the transmission device (7) includes structure for maintaining a drive connection to the brush head (5) even when the housing parts (3, 3a, 3b, 3c;
4, 4a, 4b, 4c) are deflected relative to one another.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A motor-driven toothbrush including a brush head disposed at an angle to the brush handle wherein the brush head partakes of rotary or arcuate motion, wherein the handle includes a flexible or articulated section permitting the brush head and an end portion of the handle to deflect with respect to the remainder of the handle as the brush head engages the teeth. The elastic section may be a flexible portion or may be a bellows-like member. The drive for the brush head extends through the elastic section and to the brush head. The flexible section permits the brush head to tilt angularly through an angle either greater or less than 90 degrees with respect to the axis of the brush handle. The brush head is attachable to a separate handle having a drive device.
89 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A motor-driven toothbrush, in particular an electric toothbrush, comprising:
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an elongate housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) which has a cavity (6) on the inside, a brush head (5) mounted to the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) in a rotatable manner, said brush head having a bristle carrier (10) with projecting bristles (11), wherein the bristle ends form a brushing surface (12), and wherein the axis of rotation (B) of the brush head (5) is arranged at an angle to the longitudinal axis (A) of the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c), a transmission device (7) in the cavity of the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) for coupling to a drive whereby the brush head (5) can be driven in a rotatable manner, wherein the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) has a flexing zone (29, 29a, 29b, 29c) subdividing the housing into two housing parts (3, 3a, 3b, 3c;
4, 4a, 4b, 4c) which can be deflected elastically relative to one another such that with forces acting in the direction of the brushing surface (12), the brush head (5) can be forced back or pivoted elastically in a plane defined by the axis of rotation (B) of the brush head and the longitudinal axis (A) of the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c),wherein further the housing (2, 2a, 2b, 2c) is attachable to a separate handle part which is provided with the drive for coupling to the said transmission device (7), and, wherein the transmission device (7) includes structure for maintaining a drive connection to the brush head (5) even when the housing parts (3, 3a, 3b, 3c;
4, 4a, 4b, 4c) are deflected relative to one another. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification