Electric toothbrush

• US 7,469,440 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2003
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Junk, Christian, Boland, Bernhard
• Primary Examiner(s): Wilson; Lee D
• Application Number:
  US10/537,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20060021165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,978 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/222, 15/29, 15/23, 15/224.28
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/36 with rinsing means

Abstract

An electric toothbrush including a pressure fluid device for applying fluid under pressure to teeth to be cleaned or to a bristle set. The pressure fluid device includes a pressure fluid supply in the interior of a movable drive translator. A brush part with a carrier tube is movably mounted with a drive translator therein adapted to be coupled to a drive element in a handle part. A movably mounted bristle carrier mounts a set of bristles and is adapted to be driven in an oscillatory manner by the drive translator. A motor in the handle part drives a drive element adapted to be coupled to a drive element in the brush part and with a pressure fluid conveying device driven by the motor. A pressure fluid channel, which directs the pressure fluid to the toothbrush head, is integrated into the drive translator.

Claims

1. A brush part for an electric toothbrush, the brush part comprising

a carrier tube;

a drive translator movably mounted within the carrier tube and couplable to a drive in an electric toothbrush handle part; and

a bristle carrier movably mounted to the carrier tube and carrying a set of bristles, the bristle carrier drivable in an oscillatory manner by the drive translator;

wherein the drive translator defines an interior fluid supply channel forming part of a fluid path providing fluid communication to the bristle set.

2. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the drive translator is constructed as a hollow shaft mounted in the carrier tube for rotation about a longitudinal axis of the drive translator, and having at an end thereof a coupling member configured to couple the drive translator to a drive element of the handle part, said coupling member comprising a fluid coupling through which the fluid channel of the drive translator is connectible with a fluid channel in the interior of the drive element of the handle part.

3. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the fluid supply channel of the drive translator provides fluid communication to a pressure fluid outlet orifice defined in the movable bristle carrier, said orifice communicating with a pressure fluid supply channel defined in a bearing pin of the bristle carrier.

4. The brush part according to claim 3 wherein the pressure fluid outlet orifice defined in the movable bristle carrier is located in the bristle set.

5. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the carrier tube defines a pressure fluid supply channel connecting fluid supply channel of the drive translator with a pressure fluid channel defined in the bristle carrier.

6. The brush part according to claim 5 wherein the pressure fluid channel defined in the bristle carrier has first and second ends, the first end terminating in a bearing section for carrying the drive translator and the second end terminating in a bearing section for carrying the bristle carrier.

7. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the path providing fluid communication to the bristle carrier is free of flexible tubes and is formed exclusively in components of the brush part that serve other functions in addition to providing hydraulic communication.

8. The brush part according to claim 1 further comprising a pivot pin defining a hollow core and rotatably mounting the bristle carrier on the carrier tube.

9. A handle part of an electric toothbrush configured to drive a removable brush part, the handle part comprising:

a handle part housing;

a motor having a motor shaft and disposed within the handle part housing;

a drive element operably connected to the motor shaft through a gear step and positioned to drive an associated removable brush part; and

pump driven by the motor shaft and defining a fluid outlet;

wherein both the pump and the gear step are driven by a driver connected to the motor drive shaft, the pump being disposed between the motor and the gear step; and

wherein the drive element defines a pressure fluid channel in fluid communication with the pump.

10. The handle part according to claim 9, comprising

a first eccentric clement connected to the motor shaft, wherein the pump is seated On the eccentric element;

and

a second eccentric element located on the pump for driving the gear step.

11. The handle part according to claim 9 wherein the pump is an air pump.

12. The handle part according to claim 9, comprising

a flexible tube connecting the drive element to the fluid outlet of the pump;

and

a connecting rod that drives the drive element, wherein the connecting rod is in fluid communication with the flexible tube.

13. The handle part according to claim 9 wherein the pump comprises a pump casing separate from the handle part housing.

14. The handle part according to claim 9 wherein the handle part housing comprises a connector for the releasable fastening of a carrier tube of the brush part, said connector being free from a drive coupling and free from a pressure fluid coupling.

15. The handle part of claim 9 wherein the motor drives the drive element in an oscillatory manner.

16. The handle part of claim 9 wherein the gear step comprises a four-bar linkage.

17. The handle part of claim 9 wherein the pressure fluid channel is defined in a rotatably mounted hollow shaft.

18. A replacement brush head for an electric toothbrush handle, the brush head comprising

a carrier tube;

a drive translator movable within the carrier tube and having a first end operably couplable to a drive of an electric toothbrush handle;

a bristle carrier movably mounted on the carrier tube and carrying a set of bristles, the bristle carrier operably connected to, and drivable in oscillatory manner by, the drive translator;

wherein the drive translator defines a passage therein, the passage forming a part of a fluid supply channel providing fluid communication between the first end of the drive translator and the bristle carrier, such that fluid pumped into the drive translator from the electric toothbrush handle is delivered to the bristle carrier.