Electric toothbrush

• US 6,453,498 B1
• Filed: 07/26/2000
• Issued: 09/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Addway Engineering Limited
• Original Assignee: Addway Engineering Limited
• Inventors: Wu, Ka Shing
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham, Gary K.
• Application Number:
  US09/625,532
• Time in Patent Office: 790 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 151/671, 15/222, 15/224, 15/28, 433/114, 433/103, 433/118, 433/122
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/40 orbiting, e.g. nutating

Abstract

An electric toothbrush has a housing incorporating a motor with a drive shaft rotatable about a longitudinal axis A. A shank extends beyond the housing and is integrally formed with a brush head at its remote end. The shank is pivotably supported intermediate its length in an end wall of the housing. An eccentric cam mounted to the shaft cooperates with a cup on a near end of the shank to form a mechanical coupling. When the shaft rotates both the near end and the brush head moves through a circular path.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush comprising:

a housing incorporating an electric motor having a drive shaft that rotates about a longitudinal axis of the housing;

a shank extending beyond one end of the housing generally in line with the longitudinal axis that supports a brush head at its remote end, the shank being pivotably supported intermediate its length adjacent the one end of the housing; and

a mechanical coupling between the drive shaft and a near end of the shank arranged to cause both the near end and the brush head to move through a circular path as the drive shaft rotates, the mechanical coupling further comprising an eccentric cam mounted to the drive shaft and a cup that fits over and engages sides of the cam on the drive shaft, the cup mounted on the near end of the shank, the eccentric cam having a peripheral continuous channel that extends axially with respect to the longitudinal axis and the cup has a finger that engages in the channel so that when the drive shaft rotates the cup is urged backwards and forwards along the longitudinal axis.

2. An electric toothbrush according to claim 1, in which the shank is held to pivot by sides of an aperture formed in a wall of said one end of the housing.

3. An electric toothbrush according to claim 2, including a resilient sealing member that fits around the shank and to the said wall.

4. An electric toothbrush according to claim 1, in which a relatively flexible section of the shank is provided in the shank at one side of its pivotable axis.