Toothbrush comprising magnetic elements

• US 6,895,630 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2003
• Issued: 05/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Grital Anstalt
• Original Assignee: Grital Anstalt
• Inventors: Tini, Paolo Giuseppe
• Primary Examiner(s): Warden, Sr., Robert J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUIDOTTI, LAURA COLE
• Application Number:
  US10/369,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20030172482A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 151/671, 151/05, 152/46, 601/15, 600/9, 600/15
• US Class Current: 15/167.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0002 Arrangements for enhancing monitoring or controlling the brushing process
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0026 with a magnetic means
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1066 Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04

Abstract

A toothbrush has, on the brush head (1), a negative end magnetic pole (5), lateral magnetic poles (6a,b) of opposite polarities and upper magnetic poles (7a-c) which have alternately opposite polarities, that of the foremost magnetic pole (7a) differing from that of the end magnetic pole (5). The field strength at the surface of the toothbrush is between 600 and 1500 Gauss in the vicinity of a magnetic pole. The magnetic poles (5, 6a,b, 7a-c) are produced by magnetic plates (4a-f) integrally cast close to the surface. Instead of being let directly into the brush head, the magnetic plates can also be let into an attachment which can be pushed onto a conventional toothbrush.

Claims

1. Toothbrush comprising:

a handle;

a brush head connecting to said handle, carrying bristles on its underside; and

magnetic elements for generating a magnetic field in the vicinity of the brush head, including at least one end magnetic pole arranged at a front distal end of the brush head opposite a handle distal end, and at least one pair of lateral magnetic poles arranged at both sides of the brush head.

2. Toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the at least one end magnetic pole is a negative pole.

3. Toothbrush according to claim 1, comprising:

the at least one pair of lateral magnetic poles which are opposite one another have opposite polarities.

4. Toothbrush according to claim 1, comprising:

at least one foremost upper magnetic pole arranged at a top of the brush head.

5. Toothbrush according to claim 4, comprising:

at least one further upper magnetic pole arranged at the top of the brush head or of a rear portion of the brush head said further upper magnetic pole being displaced from the at least one end magnetic pole towards the handle.

6. Toothbrush according to claim 5, wherein the polarity of the at least one further upper magnetic pole is opposite to that of at least one adjacent upper magnetic pole, wherein the upper magnetic poles form a sequence of at least two poles of alternate opposite polarities.

7. Toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the end and lateral magnetic poles comprise:

permanent magnets having opposite sides which carry a positive pole and a negative pole, respectively.

8. Toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein the brush head and the handle comprise of plastic and the magnetic elements are completely surrounded thereby.

9. Toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein said permanent magnets comprise flat magnetic plates.

10. Toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein the magnetic elements are embedded in the brush head and the handle.

11. Toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the field strength at the surface of the toothbrush in the vicinity of the end and lateral magnetic poles is between 600 Gauss and 1500 Gauss.

12. Toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the brush head is fastened to the handle in such a way that it can execute an oscillating rotational movement.

13. Toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 12, comprising:

an attachment including said front and lateral side magnetic elements and configured to be connected to said brush head.

14. Toothbrush according to claim 13, wherein said magnetic elements for generating a magnetic field in a vicinity of the brush head are mounted on a brush head.