Electrically operated tooth-cleaning device

• US 6,253,404 B1
• Filed: 04/21/1998
• Issued: 07/03/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Boland, Bernhard, Stolper, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Thornton, Krisanne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Snider, Theresa T.
• Application Number:
  US09/063,561
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/23, 15/24, 15/28, 15/29, 151/671, 433/125, 433/216, 132/322, 132/308, 132/311
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 11/0006 specially adapted to feed the bristle upper surface
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/108 Inter-dental toothbrush, i.e. for cleaning interdental spaces specifically
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/005 where the brushing material is not made of bristles, e.g. sponge, rubber or paper
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/045 specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/26 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/28 with rinsing means

Abstract

An electrically operated tooth-cleaning device being provided with a handle part having an electric drive motor. A hanle part can be connected with an attachment provided with a cleansing tool, with the cleaning tool being capable of being caused to rotate by the drive motor. A first cleaning tool of a first attachment is capable of being connected directly with the drive motor, and cleaning tool of a second attachment can be couple trough a transmission with the drive motor.

Claims

1. Tooth-cleaning device comprising:

a handle part provided with drive motor;

a first attachment including a first cleaning tool which connects directly to the handle part and is caused by the drive motor to perform rotary motion during use;

a second attachment including a second cleaning tool; and

a transmission associated with either the second attachment or the handle part and which serves to connect the second cleaning tool to the handle part and which is caused by the drive motor to perform rotary motion during use.

2. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is associated with the second attachment.

3. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the transmission comprises a pinion that is coupled with the drive motor during use, and a crown gear meshing with the pinion, said second cleaning tool coupling with said crown gear.

4. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 2, wherein the second cleaning tool is made of plastic or metal.

5. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 1 wherein the transmission is associated with the handle part.

6. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 5, wherein the handle part comprises a clutch and gears nonrotatably connecting the clutch with the drive motor, said clutch operable by the second attachment.

7. The tooth-cleaning devices according to claim 6, wherein the clutch is connected nonrotatably with second cleaning tool when actuated.

8. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the transmission is designed as a step-down transmission.

9. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the first cleaning tool is capable of cleaning spaces between the teeth that are smaller than approximately 1.5 mm.

10. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the second cleaning tool is provided for cleaning spaces between the teeth that are larger than approximately 1.5 mm.

11. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 10, wherein the second cleaning tool comprises a shaft and bristles arranged in a common plane and projecting from said shaft.

12. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 11, wherein the free ends of the bristles lie along a curve that is convex relative to said shaft.

13. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 10, wherein the second cleaning tool has strips that are arranged approximately in the shape of a star around an axis, and whose edges are aligned approximately parallel to one another.

14. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 13, wherein the edges of strips have a pattern that curves toward the axis.

15. The tooth-cleaning device according to claim 10, wherein the second cleaning tool is made of plastic.

16. A tooth-cleaning attachment for coupling to a handdle part provided with drive motor, said attachment comprising:

a tooth-cleaning tool which during operation is caused to rotate by said drive motor; and

a transmission for coupling rotation generated by said drive motor to said cleaning tool, said transmission including a crown gear and a pinion that meshes with said crown gear, wherein the tooth-cleaning tool includes a shaft having a longitudinal axis and bristles projecting from said shaft, wherein said bristles are essentially arranged in at most two planes so that there are no bristles projecting from said shaft that are not arranged in any of the at most two planes and wherein the longitudinal axis of the shaft lies in each of the at most two planes.

17. The tooth-cleaning attachment according to claim 16 wherein bristles arranged essentially in only one common plane.

18. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the transmission and tooth-cleaning tool are made of a plastic.

22. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the bristles are located essentially in two planes that enclose an angle between them that is greater than 0°

.

23. The attachment according to claim 22, wherein the bristles are arranged in at least two rows along said shaft.

24. The attachment according to claim 23, wherein the bristles are fastened in rows pairwise, essentially diametrically opposite one another on said shaft.

25. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the shaft and bristles are made of a flexible material.

26. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the shaft and bristles are connected integrally with one another.

27. The attachment according to claim 24, wherein the bristles in each row are aligned essentially parallel to one another in a resting position.

28. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the bristles have a resting position in which the bristles are aligned essentially parallel to one another, and wherein the bristles can be deflected from the resting position under the influence of force, with the bristles returning in a spring-elastic manner to the resting position when not exposed to the action of force.

29. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the shaft is made of a thermoplastic elastomer.

30. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the shaft is designed to be rotationally symmetrical.

31. The attachment according to claim 17, wherein the shaft is uncoated.

32. The attachment according to claim 17, wherein the shaft is coated.

33. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the shaft has a recess at one end for mounting on a rotating drive.

34. The attachment according to claim 17, wherein the shaft has a tip that is free of bristles.

35. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the tooth cleaning tool is designed to be essentially rotationally symmetric with an angle of symmetry of 60°

, 72°

, 90°

, 120°

, or 180°

.

36. The attachment according to claim 33, wherein the shaft has a shaped outer surface in the vicinity of the recess.

37. The attachment according to claim 36, wherein the outer surface has a groove-shaped recess.

38. The attachment according to claim 17, wherein adjacent bristles in the one common plane have different lengths.

39. The attachment according to claim 17, wherein the length of bristles in the one common plane decreases continuously from a first maximum value to a minimum value and rises again from the minimum value to a second maximum value.

40. The attachment according to claim 39, wherein the first and second maximum values are essentially the same.

41. The attachment according to claim 17, wherein the free ends of bristles are rounded.

42. The attachment according to claim 17, wherein the diameter of bristles decreases starting at shaft and extending toward the free end.

43. The attachment according to claim 16, wherein the shaft is flexible, and wherein the shaft undergoes torsion during the process of cleaning the interdental spaces.

44. The attachment according to claim 43, wherein the torsion on shaft is at least partially irreversible.

71. The attachment according to claim 24, wherein the bristles in each row are aligned at right angles to shaft.

19. A tooth-cleaning attachment for coupling to a handle part provided with a drive motor, said attachment comprising:

a tooth-cleaning tool which during operation is caused to rotate by said drive motor;

a storage compartment that has at least one opening to the outer surface of the tooth-cleaning tool; and

a housing which holds the tooth-cleaning tool and the storage compartment and which has at one end a coupling portion for coupling the tooth-cleaning attachment to the handle part and enabling the drive motor to rotate the tooth-cleaning tool.

20. The attachment according to claim 19, wherein toothpaste or the like is contained in the storage compartment.

21. The attachment according to claim 19, further comprising a transmission.

45. A tooth cleaning tool for attachment to a hand held unit including a motor driven output shaft, said tool comprising:

an elongated shaft having an axis;

a coupling member at one end of said elongated shaft which during use couples to the output shaft of the hand held unit; and

a plurality of bristles attached to said elongated shaft, there being at least two intersecting imaginary planes whose intersection is substantially coincident with the axis of the elongated shaft and wherein said plurality of bristles lie substantially in at least one of said intersecting planes, wherein the end of said elongated shaft that is remote from the end having the coupling member is free of bristles over a substantial distance.

46. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein all of said plurality of bristles lie substantially in one of said intersecting planes.

47. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein said plurality of bristles constitutes all bristles attached to the elongated shaft.

48. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 46 wherein said plurality of bristles are distributed among two rows, a first row attached to a first side of said elongated shaft and a second row attached to a side of said elongated shaft that is opposite from the first side.

49. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 48 wherein the free ends of the bristles in each of the two rows lie along a corresponding smooth curve.

50. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 49 wherein said each of said corresponding smooth curves is convex relative to the elongated shaft.

51. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein said plurality of bristles are distributed in both of said two planes.

52. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 51 wherein said plurality of bristles are distributed among four different rows of bristles.

53. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 52 wherein each of said four rows of bristles contains an equal number of bristles.

54. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 53 wherein said plurality of bristles constitutes all bristles attached to the elongated shaft.

55. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 52 wherein said two planes are substantially perpendicular to each other.

56. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 52 wherein the free ends of the bristles in each of the four rows lie along a corresponding smooth curve.

57. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 56 wherein said each of said corresponding smooth curves is convex relative to the elongated shaft.

58. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein said elongated shaft and said plurality of bristles are integrally formed as a single unit.

59. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein said elongated shaft is flexible.

60. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 59 wherein said elongated shaft and said plurality of bristles are injection molded as a single piece.

61. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 60 wherein said elongated shaft and said plurality of bristles are both made of plastic.

62. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein the elongated shaft has a diameter of about 1 mm.

63. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 48 wherein the bristles within each of said rows are spaced approximately equally apart from each other.

64. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 48 wherein said plurality of bristles are all mounted on said elongated shaft along a region that is about 1 cm in length.

65. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein each of the bristles of said plurality of bristles has a diameter of about 0.1 mm.

66. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 65 wherein the diameter of each of the bristles of said plurality of bristles decreases from the elongated shaft toward the free end of the bristle.

67. The tooth cleaning tool of claim 45 wherein each of the bristles of said plurality of bristles has a rounded tip.

68. An adapter for attachment to a hand held unit including a motor driven output shaft, said adapter comprising:

a input member which during use couples to the motor driven output shaft of the hand held unit and is rotatable about a first axis;

a rotatable output member to which a tooth cleaning tool is attached during use and which is rotatable about a second axis; and

a transmission which transfers rotational movement of the input member about the first axis to the output member so that the output member has a rotational speed about the second axis that is different from the rotational speed of the input member.

69. The adapter of claim 68 wherein said transmission generates a lower rotational speed of the output member as compared to the input member.

70. The adapter of claim 69 wherein the transmission comprises a crown gear on an output side of the transmission and a pinion gear on an input side of the transmission, wherein said pinion gear meshes with the crown gear.