Replaceable head electric toothbrush and connection structure therefor

• US 6,836,917 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2001
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Church & Dwight Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Chan, John G., Chan, K. S., Wang, Ping, Gall, Douglas A., Blaustein, Lawrence A., Osher, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Graham, Gary K.
• Application Number:
  US09/850,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20020162180A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 15/23, 15/28, 15/221, 15/24, 15/29, 15/222, 403/380, 403/313, 403/314, 403/326, 403/374, 403/377
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor

Abstract

An electric toothbrush comprising an elongated body portion and a head including a static portion and a moving portion, a handle, and an angled shaft between the head and the handle. The portion of the toothbrush containing the head is detachably connected to the portion of the toothbrush containing the handle. A shaft within the head is selectively connectable to a mating shaft within the handle by a cooperating notch and peg assembly biased into a locking position by a spring member disposed to bias the head shaft into the desired position.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush comprising:

an elongated body including a handle housing a motor, and a head having moving bristles, wherein the head is detachably connected to the handle and wherein the moving bristles are operatively connected to the motor; and

,

a shaft assembly for the operatively connecting of the bristles and motor comprising first and second shafts respectively associated with the motor and bristles, wherein the first shaft includes a notch at an end portion and the second shaft includes a tab sized for reception in the notch, and wherein the second shaft is biased for selective angular movement towards the first shaft by a spring member for locking engagement between the tab and the notch upon operative attachment of the head to the handle.

2. The toothbrush as defined in claim 1 wherein the second shaft includes a shaft extension depending from an end portion of the second shaft, the shaft extension including the tab.

3. The toothbrush as defined in claim 2 wherein the notch is disposed in the first shaft and the tab is disposed in the extension for the locking engagement upon selective alignment of the head and the handle in a predetermined attached position.

4. The toothbrush as defined in claim 3 wherein the handle includes a guide slot at an end portion of the handle for receiving a mating projection from the head whereby the cooperative reception between the mating projection and the slot aligns the head and the handle in the predetermined attached position.

5. The toothbrush as defined in claim 1 wherein the head includes an inner wall forming an aperture loosely spaced about the second shaft for accommodating the selective angular movement, the wall being disposed intermediate the tab and the spring.

6. The toothbrush as defined in claim 1 wherein the head includes a swivel arm depending from the second shaft, the selective angular movement of the second shaft comprising a pivot of the second shaft from the swivel arm.

7. The toothbrush as defined in claim 1 wherein the spring member comprises a flat spring.

8. The toothbrush as defined in claim 1 wherein the spring member comprises rib springs.

9. The toothbrush as defined in claim 8 wherein the second shaft includes a bushing sized for deflection of the rib springs.

10. The toothbrush as defined in claim 1 wherein the toothbrush comprises a kit assembly including a plurality of heads and a battery for the motor.

11. An electric toothbrush with a replaceable head, wherein bristle movement in the head is effected by a reciprocating head shaft powered by a motor in a handle attached to the replaceable head, the toothbrush comprising:

mating head and handle portions including a cooperating pin and guide slot for defining a fully attached disposition of the head on the handle by a press-and-twist operator action; and

,

the head shaft disposed for locking engagement with a handle shaft operatively associated with the motor for communicating a desired reciprocating movement to the head shaft, wherein the head shaft is biased into the locking engagement by a spring member buttressed by a wall of the replaceable head when the head is in the fully attached disposition to engage the head shaft and urge the head shaft into a desired position relative to the handle shaft.

12. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 11 wherein the head and handle shafts include a cooperating notch and tab assembly defining the locking engagement in the fully attached disposition.

13. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 12 wherein the notch and tab assembly is configured to avoid the locking engagement at a relative rotational position between the head and handle other than the fully attached disposition.

14. The toothbrush as claimed in claim 12 wherein the head shaft is biased by the spring member for angular movement into and out of the locking engagement in accordance with a relative rotational disposition of the head and the handle effected by the press-and-twist operator action.

15. The toothbrush as defined in claim 12 wherein the second shaft includes a bushing sized for deflection of the rib springs.

16. The toothbrush as defined in claim 11 wherein the spring member comprises a flat spring.

17. The toothbrush as defined in claim 11 wherein the spring member comprises rib springs.

18. The toothbrush as defined in claim 11 wherein the toothbrush comprises a kit assembly including a plurality of heads and a battery for the motor.

19. A replaceable head for reception onto an electric toothbrush handle, the toothbrush handle including a motor and motor shaft, the head comprising moving bristles and a drive shaft for communicating movement from the motor to the moving bristles;

by an engagement between the motor shaft and the drive shaft and wherein the drive shaft is biased into a selected locking engagement of the motor shaft by a spring member that is buttressed against a side wall of a housing comprising the head and which is disposed to contact and urge the drive shaft into the locking engagement.

20. The head as defined in claim 19 wherein the spring member comprises a flat spring.

21. The head as defined in claim 19 wherein the spring member comprises rib springs.

22. The head as defined in claim 21 wherein the rib springs are integrally molded with and depend from a side wall of the head.