Electrically operable toothbrush

• US 6,581,233 B1
• Filed: 03/02/2000
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Perfect Steam Appliances Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Perfect Steam Appliances Ltd.
• Inventors: Cheng, Rocky
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US09/517,440
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/222, 15/28
• US Class Current: 15/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/224 Electrical recharging arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2204/002 using batteries

Abstract

An electrically operable toothbrush, in particular an electrically operable toothbrush which includes an oscillatingly rotatable brush head, with the brush head being connected with a drive shaft, so as to be supported for rotation about its longitudinal axis. An electric motor is arranged in a handgrip of the toothbrush and a gearing having the input thereof connected with the electric motor and the output thereof with the drive shaft.

Claims

1. An electrically operable toothbrush including a brush head (18) which is connected with a drive shaft (12, 15), said brush head being supported so as to be rotatable about a longitudinal axis thereof;

an electric motor (9) being arranged in a handgrip (1); and

a gearing (11) which is coupled at an input with the electric motor (9) and at an output with the drive shaft (12, 15);

wherein the gearing (11) includes a first eccentric wheel (33) located on a gear drive shaft (31) which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the drive shaft (12, 15), a second eccentric wheel (34) being located on the shaft (31) and a drive wheel (32) which is coupled with said first and second eccentric wheels (33, 34), the first eccentric wheel (33) being arranged in a circular recess (39) in a retainer (41) for the drive shaft (12, 15) so as to facilitate movement of the drive shaft (12, 15) upwardly and downwardly, and said second eccentric wheel (34) being arranged in an oval recess (40) in the retainer (41) so as to stabilize the lifting movement of the drive shaft (12, 15).

2. An electrically operable toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said first and second eccentric wheels (33, 34) are fastened on the drive shaft 31 so that the eccentricities of said wheels are exactly oppositely directed, and wherein the eccentricity of the first eccentric wheel (33) is greater than the eccentricity of the second eccentric wheel (34).

3. An electrically operable toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the eccentric wheels (33, 34), said gear drive wheel (32) and said shaft retainer (41) are each constituted of polyformaldehyde.

4. An electrically operable toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the drive shaft (12, 15) is guided by at least one ball bearing (42).

5. An electrically operable toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the retainer (41) is integrally formed with the drive shaft (12, 15).

6. An electrically operable toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the longitudinal axis of the brush head (18) is oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the drive shaft (12, 15).

7. An electrically operable toothbrush according to claim 6, wherein a reversing arrangement for converting the lifting movement of the drive shaft (12, 15) into the rotational movement of the brush head (18) is located intermediate the drive shaft (12, 15) and the brush head (18), and the reversing arrangement including eccentric disk (23) which is retained on a central main shaft (24) which carries the brush head as a rotational axis.

8. An electrically operable toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein there is provided an arrangement (19, 20) for guiding and limiting the rotational movement of the brush head (18).