Electric toothbrush

• US 6,932,216 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2001
• Issued: 08/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Church & Dwight Company Incorporated
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Gall, Douglas A., Spirk, John W., Blaustein, Lawrence A., Nottingham, John R., Osher, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Randall E.
• Application Number:
  US09/861,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20010022277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,555 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/28, 15/222, 15D/IG.10, 200/1.B, 200/43.16, 200/43.18, 200/318, 200/318.1, 200/318.2, 206/320, 206/362.2, 206/470
• US Class Current: 206/362.2
• 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 17/221 Control arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/26 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/349 with multiple brush bodies
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 19/02 Protective casings, e.g. boxes for instruments; Bags A61C5/44 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 2204/002 using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 65/02 by heating, with or without pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 66/54 Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-shells, to form hollow articles, e.g. for making balls, containers; Joining several hollow-preforms, e.g. half-cylinders, to form tubular articles
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/425 Toothbrush

Abstract

An electric toothbrush comprises a body portion and a head including a motor, a moving portion, a handle, and a gear arrangement between the moving portion and the motor. The moving portion rotates, oscillates and/or reciprocates about an axis normal to a longitudinal axis of the head. The moving portion can include stiff bristles and massaging tips and the static portion can include soft bristles and massaging tips. The body portion houses the motor. A switch is operatively connected to the motor to provide momentary or continuous operation of the toothbrush. In one embodiment the gear arrangement includes a shaft, a worm gear and a pair of step gears. In another embodiment the gear arrangement includes a plurality of gears and at least one swivel arm for drive the moving portion in a rotating, oscillating or reciprocating manner.

Claims

1. An electric toothbrush comprising:

packaging for containing the toothbrush;

a body having a first end and a hollow portion;

a head located at the first end;

a moving portion movably mounted at the head;

a motor, located within the hollow portion, the motor being operative to generate motion for driving the moving portion;

a gear arrangement interconnecting the motor and the moving portion, the gear arrangement being operative to drive the moving portion by transferring the motion generated by the motor to the moving portion; and

,

a switch operably connected to the motor, wherein the switch is actuated in a first manner to provide momentary operation of the tooth brush when the toothbrush is within the packaging, and is actuated in a second manner to provide continuous operation of the toothbrush when the toothbrush is out of the packaging.

2. The electric toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the head is further characterized by having a traditional brush head shape including dimensions of 0.75 inches to 1.75 inches in length and 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches in thickness.

3. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein when the switch is actuated in the first manner, the switch is depressed.

4. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein when the switch is actuated in the second manner, the switch is slid from a first stable position to a second stable position.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the gear arrangement comprises:

a worm gear driven by the motor;

a first step gear driven by the worm gear;

a second step gear driven by the first step gear; and

,

a shaft driven by the second step gear and operatively connected to the moving portion.

6. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the gear arrangement comprises:

a first gear driven by the motor;

a second gear driven by the first gear;

a first swing arm pivotably connected, at a first end of the swing arm, to the second gear, at a point on the second gear offset from an axis of rotation of the second gear;

a guided shaft pivotably connected at a first shaft end, to the first swing arm, at a second end of the first swing arm, whereby, when the motor drives the first gear, the shaft is moved in a reciprocating manner.

7. The toothbrush of claim 6 wherein the moving portion is driven in a reciprocating manner by the reciprocating shaft.

8. The toothbrush of claim 6 wherein the gear arrangement further comprises:

a second swing arm pivotably connected at a first end of the second swing arm to a second shaft end of the guided shaft, and pivotably connected to the moving portion at a point offset from an axis of rotation of the moving portion, whereby, when the guided shaft moves in a reciprocating manner the moving portion oscillates about the axis of rotation.

9. An electric toothbrush comprising:

packaging for containing the toothbrush;

a body having a first end and a hollow portion;

a head located at the first end;

a moving portion movably mounted at the head;

a motor, located within the hollow portion, the motor being operative to generate motion for driving the moving portion;

a gear arrangement interconnecting the motor and the moving portion, the gear arrangement being operative to drive the moving portion by transferring the motion generated by the motor to the moving portion; and

,

a switch operably connected to the motor, wherein the switch is actuated in a manner to provide momentary operation of the tooth brush when the toothbrush is within the packaging.

10. The electric toothbrush of claim 9 wherein the head is further characterized by having a traditional brush head shape including dimensions of 0.75 inches to 1.75 inches in length and 0.25 inches to 0.5 inches in thickness.

11. The toothbrush of claim 9 wherein when the switch is actuated, the switch is depressed.

12. The toothbrush of claim 9 wherein the gear arrangement comprises:

a worm gear driven by the motor;

a first step gear driven by the worm gear;

a second step gear driven by the first step gear; and

,

a shaft driven by the second step gear and operatively connected to the moving portion.

13. The toothbrush of claim 9 wherein the gear arrangement comprises:

a first gear driven by the motor;

a second gear driven by the first gear;

a first swing arm pivotably connected, at a first end of the first swing arm, to the second gear, at a point on the second gear offset from an axis of rotation of the second gear;

a guided shaft pivotably connected at a first shaft end, to the first swing arm, at a second end of the first swing arm, whereby, when the motor drives the first gear, the shaft is moved in a reciprocating manner.

14. The toothbrush of claim 13 wherein the moving portion is driven in a reciprocating manner by the reciprocating shaft.

15. The toothbrush of claim 13 wherein the gear arrangement further comprises:

a second swing arm pivotably connected at a first second swing arm end to a second shaft end of the guided shaft, and pivotably connected to the moving portion at a point offset from an axis of rotation of the moving portion, whereby, when the guided shaft moves in a reciprocating manner the moving portion oscillates about the axis of rotation.

16. An electric tootbrush, comprising:

packaging for containing the toothbrush;

a body having a first end and a hollow portion;

a head located at the first end;

a moving portion movably mounted at the head;

a motor located within the hollow portion, the motor being operative to generate motion for driving the moving portion;

a shaft operatively connected to said motor at a first end and to the moving portion at a second end; and

a switch operably connected to the motor, wherein the switch is actuated in a manner to provide momentary operation of the toothbrush when the toothbrush is within the packaging.

17. The electric toothbrush of claim 16, further comprising a gear connected to said shaft at said first end.

18. The electric toothbrush of claim 16, comprising a battery in electrical communication with said switch.