Dental brush unit comprising gear connections

• US 6,581,234 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2001
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cheng-Chieh Chiang, Jin Po Lee
• Original Assignee: Cheng-Chieh Chiang, Jin Po Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Jin Po, Chiang, Cheng-Chieh
• Primary Examiner(s): Till, Terrence R.
• Application Number:
  US09/824,854
• Publication Number:
  US 20020138927A1
• Time in Patent Office: 813 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/28, 15/29
• US Class Current: 15/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/22 with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like brush bodies, e.g. arrangements of the bristles A46B
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder

Abstract

The present invention relates to replaceable dental brush units useful in an electric toothbrush. In particular, the invention provides for a replaceable dental brush unit useful in an electric toothbrush that uses gear links for connecting and driving motions of bristle head by motors.

Claims

1. A replaceable dental, brush unit useful in an electric toothbrush, which replaceable dental brush unit comprises:

a) a main body suitable for housing, from top to bottom, a gear unit connected to a bristle unit, a three-way exchange head, a moving rod and a base unit, said main body having a top opening transverse to the longitudinal axis of said main body for receiving said bristle unit and a bottom opening along the longitudinal axis of said main body for receiving said base unit, the wall opposing said top opening having a first protruding for receiving said gear unit;

b) said bristle unit having a smaller plate and a larger plate, said smaller plate having a recess therein for connecting said bristle unit to said gear unit via a second protruding of said gear unit, said larger plate having attached bristles suitable for dental cleaning;

c) said gear unit having a base plate, gear grooves attached to said base plate, a recess in said base plate at the side opposite to said gear grooves for securing said gear unit into said first protruding of main body, and a second protruding on said base plate at the side having attached gear grooves, said second protruding surrounded by and projecting beyond said gear grooves for securing said gear unit into said bristle unit;

d) said three-way exchange head having a top portion and a bottom portion, said top portion having gear grooves that movably connected to said grooves of said gear unit, wherein the thickness of grooves of said three-way exchange head is less than or equal to the thickness of grooves of said gear unit, and said bottom portion having a recess for receiving and securing a third protruding of said moving rod;

e) said moving rod having said top third protruding that fits into said bottom recess of said three-way exchange head, a middle opening for receiving and securing said moving rod to a corresponding linking element of an electric toothbrush, and a bottom portion having a recess for receiving a shaft connected to a motor unit of said electric toothbrush; and

f) said base unit to secure said three-way exchange head and moving rod within said main body by providing an upward pressure, said base unit having a hollow space along the longitudinal axis of said main body allowing said shaft to pass by and connect to said moving rod,

wherein, in operation, the linkages among said three-way exchange head, moving rod, base unit and shaft ensure that these units move as a single unit, said motor unit actuates said single unit, via said shift, to have an oscillating movement in a substantially singular plane that is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said main body, and said planar oscillating movement actuating said gear unit, via said gear connections between said three-way exchange head and said gear unit, to have a rotary movement, and said rotary movement, in turn, actuating said bristle unit to have a rotary movement.

2. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the top and/or the bottom openings are in a circular shape.

3. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the first protruding of the main body is made as an integral part of the main body.

4. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the angle between the direction of the top opening and the longitudinal axis of the main body is about 90 degrees.

5. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the angle between the bottom opening and the longitudinal axis of the main body is about 0 or 180 degrees.

6. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the wall opposing the top opening is a curved surface.

7. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the angle between the wall opposing the top opening and the plane containing the top opening is about 0 or 180 degrees.

8. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises a barrier underneath its top surface to help secure the gear unit within the main body and keep the gear unit from falling out of the top opening.

9. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the main body further comprises an opening between the top and bottom openings for releasing fluid from the main body.

10. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the bristles occupy entire or partial surface of the larger plate of the bristle unit.

11. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the bristles are distributed evenly or unevenly on the surface of the larger plate of the bristle unit.

12. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the width of the top opening of the main body, the gear unit and the smaller plate of the bristle unit, all in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the main body is such that after the bristle unit is connected to the gear unit and the gear unit is secured in the top opening of the main body, there is a small distance or space between the edge of the top opening and the larger plate.

13. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 12, wherein the small distance ranges from about 0.05 mm to about 0.15 mm.

14. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the grooves of the gear unit is slightly larger than the thickness of the grooves of the three-way exchange head.

15. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein in operation, the linkages among the three-way exchange head, moving rod, base unit and shaft ensure that these units move as a single unit, said motor unit actuates said single unit, via said shift, to have an oscillating movement in a singular plane that is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said main body.

16. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 15, wherein in operation, the single unit of the three-way exchange head, moving rod, base unit and shaft moves in a singular plane that coincides with the longitudinal axis of the main body.

17. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 1, wherein the main body, the gear unit, the bristle unit, the three-way exchange head, the moving rod and the base unit are made of a plastic material.

18. The replaceable dental brush unit of claim 17, wherein the plastic material is nylon or an acetal resin.

19. A replaceable dental brush unit useful in an electric toothbrush, which replaceable dental brush unit consists essentially of:

a) a main body suitable for housing, form top to bottom, a gear unit connected to a bristle unit, a three-way exchange head, a moving rod and a base unit, said main body having a top opening transverse to the longitudinal axis of said main body for receiving said bristle unit and a bottom opening along the longitudinal axis of said main body for receiving said base unit, the wall opposing said top opening having a first protruding for receiving said gear unit;

b) said bristle unit having a smaller plate and a larger plate, said smaller plate having a recess therein for connecting said bristle unit to said gear unit via a second protruding of said gear unit, said larger plate having attached bristles suitable for dental cleaning;

c) said gear unit having a base plate, gear grooves attached to said base plate, a recess in said base plate at the side opposite to said gear grooves for securing said gear unit into said first protruding of main body, and a second protruding on said base plate at the side having attached gear grooves, said second protruding surrounded by and projecting beyond said gear grooves for securing said gear unit into said bristle unit;

d) said three-way exchange head having a top portion and a bottom portion, said top portion having gear grooves that movably connected to said grooves of said gear unit, wherein the thickness of grooves of said three-way exchange head is less than or equal to the thickness of grooves of said gear unit, and said bottom portion having a recess for receiving and securing a third protruding of said moving rod;

e) said moving rod having said top third protruding that fits into said bottom recess of said three-way exchange head, a middle opening for receiving and securing said moving rod to a corresponding linking element of an electric toothbrush, and a bottom portion having a recess for receiving a shaft connected to a motor unit of said electric toothbrush; and

f) said base unit to secure said three-way exchange head and moving rod within said main body by providing an upward pressure, said base unit having a hollow space along the longitudinal axis of said main body allowing said shaft to pass by and connect to said moving rod,

wherein, in operation, the linkages among said three-way exchange head, moving rod, base unit and shaft ensure that these units move as a single unit, said motor unit actuates said single unit, via said shift, to have an oscillating movement in a substantially singular plane that is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said main body, and said planar oscillating movement actuating said gear unit, via said gear connections between said three-way exchange head and said gear unit, to have a rotary movement, and said rotary movement, in turn, actuating said bristle unit to have a rotary movement.

20. A replaceable dental brush unit useful in an electric toothbrush, which replaceable dental brush unit consists of:

a) a main body suitable for housing, form top to bottom, a gear unit connected to a bristle unit, a three-way exchange head, a moving rod and a base unit, said main body having a top opening transverse to the longitudinal axis of said main body for receiving said bristle unit and a bottom opening along the longitudinal axis of said main body for receiving said base unit, the wall opposing said top opening having a first protruding for receiving said gear unit;

b) said bristle unit having a smaller plate and a larger plate, said smaller plate having a recess therein for connecting said bristle unit to said gear unit via a second protruding of said gear unit, said larger plate having attached bristles suitable for dental cleaning;

c) said gear unit having a base plate, gear grooves attached to said base plate, a recess in said base plate at the side opposite to said gear grooves for securing said gear unit into said first protruding of main body, and a second protruding on said base plate at the side having attached gear grooves, said second protruding surrounded by and projecting beyond said gear grooves for securing said gear unit into said bristle unit;

d) said three-way exchange head having a top portion and a bottom portion, said top portion having gear grooves that movably connected to said grooves of said gear unit, wherein the thickness of grooves of said three-way exchange head is less than or equal to the thickness of grooves of said gear unit, and said bottom portion having a recess for receiving and securing a third protruding of said moving rod;

e) said moving rod having said top third protruding that fits into said bottom recess of said three-way exchange head, a middle opening for receiving and securing said moving rod to a corresponding linking element of an electric toothbrush, and a bottom portion having a recess for receiving a shaft connected to a motor unit of said electric toothbrush; and

f) said base unit to secure said three-way exchange head and moving rod within said main body by providing an upward pressure, said base unit having a hollow space along the longitudinal axis of said main body allowing said shaft to pass by and connect to said moving rod,

wherein, in operation, the linkages among said three-way exchange head, moving rod, base unit and shaft ensure that these units move as a single unit, said motor unit actuates said single unit, via said shift, to have an oscillating movement in a substantially singular plane that is parallel to said longitudinal axis of said main body, and said planar oscillating movement actuating said gear unit, via said gear connections between said three-way exchange head and said gear unit, to have a rotary movement, and said rotary movement, in turn, actuating said bristle unit to have a rotary movement.