Complex motion toothbrush

• US 6,892,413 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2003
• Issued: 05/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Brown, Patrick W., Gall, Douglas A., Blaustein, Lawrence A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/367,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20030126699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/222, 15/28
• US Class Current: 15/22.2
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/025 the bristles or the tufts being arranged in an angled position relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/04 Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3472 with combined movements of the brush body
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/349 with multiple brush bodies

Abstract

An electrically driven toothbrush has a rotatable shaft with a cam preferably at a remote end of the shaft, which fits into a slot in a bristle holder. The holder is mounted for rotation in a toothbrush head. When the shaft rotates cam describes a circle and drivingly engages the slot to cause the holder to vibrate in a first brushing motion. A second bristle holder is also driven by the shaft, for a second kind of brushing motion. The second bristle holder is driven through and engagement with a portion of the remote end and/or with one or more additional cams or cam portions included on the shaft.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush, comprising:

a handle at a first end of the toothbrush having a motor disposed therein;

a head at a second end of the toothbrush, the head having a longitudinal axis, the head having a first bristle holder with a plurality of bristle tufts and a second bristle holder with a plurality of bristle tufts, each of the bristle tufts of the first and second bristle holders having a base end connected to its respective bristle holder and an opposite free end; and

a rotatable shaft operatively connected to the motor and having a longitudinal axis and a cam, wherein the cam engages the second bristle holder to move the second bristle holder in a side-to-side direction with respect to the head, wherein the base ends of the tufts of the second bristle holder move in unison and in the same direction with the free ends thereof, and wherein the rotatable shaft engages the first bristle holder to oscillate the first bristle holder about an axis passing through the first bristle holder and generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

2. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the second bristle holder is moved in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

3. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the second bristle holder further comprises first and second cam followers that capture the cam of the rotatable shaft, wherein the first cam follower follows the cam during a first rotational half cycle of the rotatable shaft and the second cam follower follows the cam during a second half cycle of the rotatable shaft.

4. The electric toothbrush of claim 3, wherein the cam is an eccentric shaped component fixed to or part of the rotatable shaft.

5. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, further comprising a gap between the first bristle holder and the second bristle holder.

6. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the cam is a bend in the rotatable shaft.

7. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first bristle holder is driven by a remote-most end of the rotatable shaft.

8. The electric toothbrush of claim 7, wherein the first moving bristle holder has a slot therein that engages the remote-most end of the rotating shaft, wherein the remote-most end of the rotatable shaft is offset from a longitudinal axis of the rotatable shaft.

9. The electric toothbrush of claim 7, wherein the remote-most end is displaced from the cam.

10. The electric toothbrush of claim 9, wherein the head further comprises a shaft support disposed between the first bristle holder and the second bristle holder.

11. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the rotatable shaft passes under the second moving bristle holder and does not pass under the first bristle holder.

12. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first bristle holder oscillates or an axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

13. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder form at least one row of bristle tufts wherein the at least one row of bristle tufts move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

14. The electric toothbrush of claim 13, wherein the least one row of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder are oriented generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

15. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder form at least two rows of bristle tufts, and wherein the at least two rows of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder simultaneously move in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

16. The electric toothbrush of claim 15, wherein the at least two rows of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder simultaneously move in generally the same direction at generally the same time.

17. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first bristle holder is located at the distal end of the head.

18. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the second bristle holder further comprises first and second followers that depend from the second bristle holder and straddle the rotatable shaft, wherein the first and second followers guide the movement of the second bristle holder.

19. The electric toothbrush of claim 18, wherein the head further comprises slots, and wherein the second bristle holder is moveably mounted in the slots.

20. The electric toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the second bristle holder further has a top surface, and wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder form an acute angle with the top surface of the second bristle holder.

21. The electric toothbrush of claim 20, wherein the head further comprises first and second sides which run generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the head, and wherein the bristle tufts of the second bristle holder which form an acute angle with the top surface of the second bristle holder generally extend toward the first or second side.

22. The electric toothbrush of claim 20, wherein the first bristle holder further comprises a top surface, and wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bristle tufts of the first bristle holder form an acute angle with the top surface of the first bristle holder.

23. The electric toothbrush of claim 22, wherein the head further comprises first and second sides which run generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the head, and wherein the bristle tufts of the second bristle holder which form an acute angle with the top surface of the second bristle holder generally extend toward the first or second side.

24. An electric toothbrush, comprising:

a handle at a first end of the toothbrush having a motor disposed therein;

a head at a second end of the toothbrush, the head having longitudinal axis, the head having a first bristle holder with a plurality of bristle tufts and a second bristle holder with a plurality of bristle tufts, each of the bristle tufts of the first and second bristle holders having a base end connected to its respective bristle holder and an opposite free end; and

a rotatable shaft operatively connected to the motor and having a longitudinal axis and a cam, wherein the cam engages the second bristle holder to move the second bristle holder in a side-to-side direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head, wherein the base ends the tufts of the second bristle holder move in unison and in the same direction with the free ends thereof, and wherein a remote-most end of the rotatable shaft engages the first bristle holder to oscillate the first bristle holder about an axis passing through the first bristle holder and substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

25. The electric toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the second bristle holder further comprises first and second cam followers that capture the cam of the rotatable shaft, wherein the first cam follower follows the cam during a first rotational half cycle of the rotatable shaft and the second cam follower follows the cam during second half cycle of the rotatable shaft.

26. The electric toothbrush of claim 25, wherein the cam is an eccentric shaped component fixed to or part of the rotatable shaft.

27. The electric toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the cam is bend in the rotatable shaft.

28. The electric toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the head further comprises a shaft support disposed between the first bristle holder and the second bristle holder.

29. The electric toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the second bristle holder further comprises first and second followers that depend from the second bristle holder and straddle the rotatable shaft, wherein the first and second followers guide the movement of the second bristle holder.

30. The electric toothbrush of claim 29, wherein the head further comprises slots, and wherein the second bristle holder is moveably mounted in the slots.

31. The electric toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the second bristle holder further comprises a top surface, and wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder form an acute angle with the top surface of the second bristle holder.

32. The electric toothbrush of claim 31, wherein the head further comprises first and second sides which run generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the head, and wherein the bristle tufts of the second bristle holder which form an acute angle with the top surface of the second bristle holder generally extend toward the first or second side.

33. The electric toothbrush of claim 31, wherein the first bristle holder further comprises a top surface, and wherein at least a portion of the plurality of bristle tufts of the first bristle holder form an acute angle with the top surface of the first bristle holder.

34. The electric toothbrush of claim 33, wherein the head further comprises first and second sides which run generally parallel with the longitudinal axis of the head, and wherein the bristle tufts of the second bristle holder which form an acute angle with the top surface of the second bristle holder generally extend toward the first or second side.

35. The electric toothbrush of claim 31, wherein the first bristle holder is located at the distal end of the head.

36. The electric toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder form at least one row of bristle tufts.

37. The electric toothbrush of claim 36, wherein the at least one row of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder are oriented generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

38. The electric toothbrush of claim 24, wherein the plurality of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder form at least two rows of bristle tufts, and wherein the at least two rows of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder simultaneously move in a direction generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the head.

39. The electric toothbrush of claim 38, wherein the at least two rows of bristle tufts of the second bristle holder simultaneously move in generally the same direction at generally the same time.