Toothbrush oscillating head

• US 6,536,066 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2001
• Issued: 03/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ranir LLC (Perrigo Company PLC)
• Original Assignee: Pulse Innovation Inc
• Inventors: Dickie, Robert G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Till, Terrence R.
• Application Number:
  US09/911,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20030019057A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/28, 15/29
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor

Abstract

Discloses a bristle head oscillation mechanism for an electrically driven toothbrush. A toothbrush bristle head is rotatably disposed at an end of an elongate housing. A drive shaft is rotatably disposed in the elongate housing and has an offset end coupled to one end of a pivot arm. The other end of the pivot arm is coupled to the toothbrush bristle head. Rotation of the drive shaft pivots the pivot arm to effect oscillation of the bristle head with respect to the elongate housing.

Claims

1. A bristle head oscillation mechanism for an electrically driven toothbrush comprising:

(i) an elongate housing having a drive shaft rotatably mounted therein;

(ii) a bristle head rotatably disposed at an end of said elongate housing and

(iii) a pivot arm pivotable about a pivot axis depending from said housing, one end of said pivot arm forming a drive slot coupled to an off set end of said drive shaft thereby coupling said pivot arm to said drive shaft and a coupling on an opposing end of said pivot arm adapted to engage said bristle head, said coupling including a drive pin and a mating drive slot, wherein said pivot arm has a first length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said bristle head and said pivot axis and a second length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said drive shaft and said pivot axis such that the first length is greater than the second length

whereby rotation of said drive shaft pivots said pivot arm to effect oscillation of said bristle head in relation to said elongate housing.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said oscillation of said bristle head is not less than forty degrees of rotation.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further including mounting means extending from an end of said elongate housing opposed to said bristle head, the mounting means adapted to releasably couple to a powered handle of an electrically driven toothbrush whereby said elongate housing becomes mechanically interconnected with said powered handle and said drive shaft is adapted to be driven in rotation thereby.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said bristle head is disposed to provide an axis of rotation that is substantially orthogonal to the longer dimension of said elongate housing.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said drive pin of said coupling extends from said pivot arm and said mating drive slot is formed in said bristle head.

6. A bristle head oscillation mechanism for an electrically driven toothbrush comprising:

(i) an elongate housing having a drive shaft rotatably mounted therein;

(ii) a bristle head rotatably disposed at an end of said elongate housing and

(iii) a pivot arm pivotable about a pivot axis depending from said housing, one end of said pivot arm forming a drive slot coupled to an off set end of said drive shaft thereby coupling said pivot.arm to said drive shaft and a drive pin extending from an opposing end of said pivot arm to engage a mating drive slot formed in said bristle head to couple said pivot arm to said bristle head, wherein said pivot arm has a first length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said bristle head and said pivot axis and a second length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said drive shaft and said pivot axis such that the first length is greater than the second length

whereby rotation of said drive shaft pivots said pivot arm to effect oscillation of said bristle head in relation to said elongate housing.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein said oscillation of said bristle head is not less than forty degrees of rotation.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further including mounting means extending from an end of said elongate housing opposed to said bristle head, the mounting means adapted to releasably couple to a powered handle of an electrically driven toothbrush whereby said elongate housing becomes mechanically interconnected with said powered handle and said drive shaft is adapted to be driven in rotation thereby.

9. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein-said bristle head is disposed to provide an axis of rotation that is substantially orthogonal to the longer dimension of said elongate housing.

10. A bristle head oscillation mechanism for an electrically driven toothbrush comprising:

(i) an elongate housing having a drive shaft rotatably mounted therein;

(ii) a bristle head rotatably disposed about a bristle head axis at an end of said elongate housing and

(iii) a pivot arm pivotable about a pivot axis depending from said housing, one end of said pivot arm forming a drive slot coupled to an off set end of said drive shaft thereby coupling said pivot arm to said drive shaft and a coupling on an opposing end of said pivot arm adapted to engage said bristle head between said bristle head axis and said pivot axis, said coupling including a drive pin slideably engaging a mating drive slot,

whereby rotation of said drive shaft pivots said pivot arm to effect oscillation of said bristle head in relation to said elongate housing.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said pivot arm has a first length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said bristle head and said pivot axis and a second length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said drive shaft and said pivot axis such that the first length is greater than the second length.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11 wherein said oscillation of said bristle head is not less than forty degrees of rotation.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein said bristle head is disposed to provide an axis of rotation that is substantially orthogonal to the longer dimension of said elongate housing.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 10 wherein said oscillation of said bristle head is not less than forty degrees of rotation.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 further including mounting means extending from an end of said elongate housing opposed to said bristle head, the mounting means adapted to releasably couple to a powered handle of an electrically driven toothbrush whereby said elongate housing becomes mechanically interconnected with said powered handle and said drive shaft is adapted to be driven in rotation thereby.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said bristle head is disposed to provide an axis of rotation that is substantially orthogonal to the longer dimension of said elongate housing.

17. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein said drive pin of said coupling extends from said pivot arm and said mating drive slot is formed in said bristle head.

18. A bristle head oscillation mechanism for an electrically driven toothbrush comprising:

(i) an elongate housing having a drive shaft rotatably mounted therein;

(ii) a bristle head rotatably disposed about a bristle head axis at an end of said elongate housing and

(iii) a pivot arm pivotable about a pivot axis depending from said housing, one end of said pivot arm forming a drive slot coupled to an off set end of said drive shaft thereby coupling said pivot arm to said drive shaft and a drive pin extending from an opposing end of said pivot arm to slideably engage a mating drive slot formed in said bristle head between said bristle head axis and said pivot axis at a selected distance from said bristle head axis to couple said pivot arm to said bristle head,

whereby rotation of said drive shaft pivots said pivot arm to effect oscillation of said bristle head in relation to said elongate housing facilitating an optimal torque to be applied to said bristle head.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18 wherein said pivot arm has a first length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said bristle head and said pivot axis and a second length characterising the distance between the pivot arm coupling to said drive shaft and said pivot axis such that the first length is greater than the second length.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein said oscillation of said bristle head is not less than forty degrees of rotation.

21. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein said bristle head is disposed to provide an axis of rotation that is substantially orthogonal to the longer dimension of said elongate housing.

22. The apparatus as chimed in claim 18 wherein said oscillation of said bristle head is not less than forty degrees of rotation.

23. The apparatus of claim 18 further including mounting means extending from an end of said elongate housing opposed to said bristle head, the mounting means adapted to releasably couple to a powered handle of an electrically driven toothbrush whereby said elongate housing becomes mechanically interconnected with said powered handle and said drive shaft is adapted to be driven in rotation thereby.

24. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein said bristle head is disposed to provide an axis of rotation that is substantially orthogonal to the longer dimension of said elongate housing.