Rotary tooth cleaning device

• US 6,343,396 B1
• Filed: 01/13/2000
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Eran Front, Simovitz, Marius, Zeev Sade
• Original Assignee: Eran Front, Simovitz, Marius, Zeev Sade
• Inventors: Sade, Zeev, Front, Eran, Simovitz, Marius
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US09/482,067
• Time in Patent Office: 754 Days
• Field of Search: 15/27, 15/28, 151/672
• US Class Current: 15/27
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1066 Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 7/08 as a rotating disc
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/045 specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously

Abstract

A tooth cleaning device having (a) a tooth cleaning head, including: (i) a housing with sides that straddle the tooth along both long faces and defining a longitudinal axis extending between the sides thereof and along the long faces; (ii) gears affixed along respective inner surfaces of the sides of the housing; (iii) tooth cleaning elements affixed along the inner side of the gears and being operatively spaced apart from one another, along the longitudinal axis of the tooth cleaning head, to form a gap therebetween; and (iv) a drive mechanism including: a drive shaft affixed to the inner surfaces of the sides of the housing and spanning the housing, a drive wheel connected to the drive shaft, and transfer gears affixed near ends of the drive shaft and aligned with the gears; and (b) a handle connected to the tooth cleaning head, wherein as the tooth cleaning device travels along a row of teeth, the drive wheel rotates along the biting surface of the teeth, thereby rotating the drive shaft and the transfer gears, the transfer gears in turn providing rotating motion to the gears affixed along the inner surfaces of the sides of the housing and the tooth cleaning elements, such that the long faces of the tooth are cleaned simultaneously by rotary cleaning motion.

Claims

1. A tooth cleaning device comprising

(a) a tooth cleaning head, including:

(i) a housing with sides that straddle the tooth along both long faces and defining a longitudinal axis extending between the sides thereof;

(ii) gears affixed along respective inner surfaces of the sides of said housing;

(iii) tooth cleaning elements affixed along the inner side of said gears, said tooth cleaning elements being operatively spaced apart from one another, along the longitudinal axis of said tooth cleaning head, to form a gap therebetween; and

(iv) a drive mechanism comprising;

A. a drive shaft affixed to said inner surfaces of the sides of said housing and spanning said housing;

B. a drive wheel connected to said drive shaft;

C. transfer gears affixed near ends of said drive shaft and aligned with said gears; and

(b) a handle connected to said tooth cleaning head,

wherein as said tooth cleaning device travels along a row of teeth, said drive wheel rotates along the biting surface of the teeth, thereby rotating said drive shaft and said transfer gears, said transfer gears in turn providing rotating motion to said gears affixed along the inner surfaces of the sides of said housing and said tooth cleaning elements, such that said long faces of the tooth are cleaned simultaneously by rotary cleaning motion.

2. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, wherein each of said tooth cleaning elements has a brush.

3. The tooth cleaning device of claim 2, wherein said brush comprises bristles oriented towards the sulcus.

4. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, wherein each of said tooth cleaning elements comprises a cluster of two or more brushes.

5. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, wherein the gear ratio between said transfer gears and said gears affixed along the inner surfaces of the sides of said housing ranges from about one to one to about twenty to one.

6. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, wherein said drive wheel comprises tooth cleaning means on an outer surface of said drive wheel, said tooth cleaning means contacting the biting surface of the tooth.

7. The tooth cleaning device of claim 6 wherein said tooth cleaning means includes at least one brush to clean the biting surface of the tooth.

8. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, wherein said drive wheel is adapted to grip the biting surface of the tooth.

9. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, wherein said drive wheel has a soft outer surface, thereby providing improved contact between said drive wheel and the biting surface of the tooth.

10. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, further comprising means for adjusting said gap between said tooth cleaning elements.

11. The tooth cleaning device of claim 10, wherein said means for adjusting comprise a spring positioned between said inner surfaces of the sides of said housing and the respective gears mounting said tooth cleaning elements.

12. The tooth cleaning device of claim 10, wherein said means for adjusting are provided by pressure exerted by said sides of said housing.

13. The tooth cleaning device of claim 1, wherein said handle is connected to said tooth cleaning head by means of a swivel arrangement.

14. The tooth cleaning device of claim 13, whereby said swivel arrangement is limited to a range of desired angles with respect to said handle.