Electro-motion toothbrush

• US 7,082,638 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2001
• Issued: 08/01/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyung-Yong Koh
• Original Assignee: Kyung-Yong Koh
• Inventors: Koh, Kyung-Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Corcoran, Gladys J. P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): KARLS, SHAY LYNN
• Application Number:
  US10/450,520
• Publication Number:
  US 20040128777A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,693 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 151/672, 15/222, 601/129
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1066 Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/045 specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/228 Self-contained intraoral toothbrush, e.g. mouth-guard toothbrush without handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor

Abstract

The present invention relates to an electromotive toothbrush and more particularly, to an electromotive toothbrush, comprising upper and lower tooth covers surrounding and covering upper and lower teeth, respectively, and having bristles formed at a surface contacting the teeth; a first driving rod combined with a surface of the upper and lower tooth covers where there are no bristles; a second driving rod combined with a left side of a surface of the upper and lower tooth covers where there are bristles; a third driving rod combined with a left side of a surface of the upper and lower tooth covers where there are bristles; a plurality of sensors independently sensing positions of the first, second, and third driving rods; reciprocation means driving the first driving rod and the second and third driving rods in opposite directions to move the upper and lower tooth covers in opposite directions and thereby clean the teeth, the reciprocation means driven by power supplied from a motor, in response to position information sensed by the plurality of sensors.

Claims

1. An electro-motion toothbrush comprising:

an upper tooth cover surrounding and covering the upper teeth having a first inner and a first outer surface, the first inner surface has bristles formed at a surface contacting the teeth;

a lower tooth cover surrounding and covering the lower teeth having a second inner and a second outer surface, the second inner surface has bristles formed at a surface contacting the teeth;

a first driving rod combined with the first and second outer surfaces of the upper and lower tooth covers;

a second driving rod combined with a left side of the first and second outer surfaces of the upper and lower tooth covers;

a third driving rod combined with a right side of the first and second outer surfaces of the upper and lower tooth covers;

a plurality of sensors, independently sensing positions of the first, second, and third driving rods;

reciprocating means driving the first driving rod and the second and third driving rods in opposite directions to move the upper and lower tooth covers in opposite directions and thereby clean the teeth, the reciprocating means driven by power supplied from a motor, in response to position information sensed by the plurality of sensors.

2. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower tooth covers includes a joint plate combined with the first driving rod, the second driving rod, and the third driving rod.

3. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the upper and lower tooth covers include a plurality of bristle plates adhesively combined together, each of the plates implanted with bristles.

4. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein concave regions of the top and the bottom tooth covers include projection regions for making the bristles contact with molars of the teeth.

5. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the motor and the reciprocation means are provided inside a handle, and the reciprocation means comprises:

a first reciprocation means disposed on the axis of rotation of the motor and reciprocating the first driving rod up and down when, the motor rotates; and

a second reciprocation means disposed on the axis of rotation of the motor and reciprocating the second and the third driving rods up and down in the opposite direction to the first driving rod when the motor rotates.

6. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 5, wherein the rotation axis of the motor comprises:

a first eccentric unit, bent in one direction and rotated eccentrically, providing an eccentric force to the first reciprocation means; and

a second eccentric unit, bent in the other direction and rotated eccentrically, providing an eccentric force to the second reciprocation means.

7. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 6, wherein the first reciprocation means comprises:

a first reciprocation ring, including a long hole extending in one direction into which the first eccentric unit fits; and

a first extension rod extending from the first reciprocation ring, supported by the inside of the handle, and combined with the first driving rod,

and wherein the second reciprocation means comprises;

a second reciprocation ring including a long hole extending in one direction into which the second eccentric unit fits; and

a second extension rod extending from the second reciprocation ring, supported by the inside of the handle, and combined with the second and the third driving rod.

8. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein the first and second reciprocation rings are provided inside the handle, and first and second guide grooves are provided at both ends of the first and second reciprocation rings for guiding up/down movement of the first and the second reciprocation rings.

9. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 7, wherein the first and second reciprocation rings are provided inside the handle, and the first reciprocation means includes a first piston extendable in both directions according to direction of reciprocation, both ends of the first piston supported by the inside of the handle, and the first eccentric unit being fitted on the side of the first piston;

and

wherein the second reciprocation means includes a second piston extendable in both directions according to direction of reciprocation, both ends of the second piston are supported by the inside of the handle, and the second eccentric unit being fitted on the side of the second piston.

10. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 6, wherein the motor is a static rotation motor.

11. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the first driving rod includes:

a plurality of first upper branch rods combined with an inside surface of the tooth cover; and

a plurality of first lower branch rods combined with an inside surface of the lower tooth cover.

12. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 1 or 8, wherein the second driving rod includes a second upper branch rod combined with a left outside of the upper tooth cover, and a second lower branch rod combined with a left outside of the lower tooth cover, and

wherein the third driving rod includes a third upper branch rod combined with a right outside of the upper tooth cover, and a third lower branch rod combined with a right outside of the lower tooth cover.

13. The electro-motion toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a middle portion of each of the first, second, and third driving rods is divided into a plurality of sections and are combined with the upper and lower tooth covers.