Toothbrush with moving bristle

• US 7,124,462 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Jen-Feng Lee
• Original Assignee: Jen-Feng Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Jen-Feng
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich, Mark
• Application Number:
  US10/711,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20060037157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 796 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/222, 15/28, 151/671, 152/27
• US Class Current: 15/28
• 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 5/04 shaped as gloves or finger-stalls or other special holding ways, e.g. by the tongue
• 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 17/34 driven by electric motor

Abstract

A toothbrush for the use of fingers to brush the teeth of infants or young children. While fingers work better than the traditional stick-type toothbrush in maneuvering around inside the mouth, the lack of vibrating/rotating in the bristle portion greatly diminished the flexibility of human fingers. Present invention provides the small-scale motion needed to rotate or otherwise move the bristle piece connected, by a flexible yet rigid cord, to a driving member, so that the brushing youngsters teeth are made more effective, resulting in better oral hygiene for infants and young children.

Claims

1. A toothbrush with moving bristle, comprising:

a. a capping piece to be place on a person'"'"'s finger having some bristle around a hole in the tip portion of said capping piece;

b. a bristle piece rotatably located through the hole in the tip portion of said capping piece;

c. a flexible but rigid cord connecting the back end of said bristle piece and placed inside a tube-like space built along the side of said capping piece; and

d. a driving means providing rotating motion to said cord.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein said bristle piece is driven by said cord by the use of a pair of bevel gears.

3. The tooth brush of claim 1, wherein said bristle piece further having a receptacle piece at its back end, and is driven to move in a non-circular fashion, by a cam piece connected to said cord.

4. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein said driving means consist of an electrical motor coupled with gear reduction means to reduce said cord'"'"'s rotational speed but increase its rotational torque.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein said driving means consist of a rack-and-pinion type shaft that can be powered by a person'"'"'s fingers and palm to drive and rotate said cord.