Brush part for electric toothbrush

• US 7,788,756 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2001
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Glaxosmithkline Consumer Healthcare GmbH & Company KG (GlaxoSmithKline PLC)
• Original Assignee: Glaxosmithkline Consumer Healthcare GmbH & Company KG (GlaxoSmithKline PLC)
• Inventors: Kraemer, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, RANDALL E
• Application Number:
  US10/433,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20060248667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,200 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/28, 151/80, 15D/IG.5, 15/222, D41/04
• US Class Current: 15/28
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/025 the bristles or the tufts being arranged in an angled position relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/028 Bristle profile, the end of the bristle defining a surface other than a single plane or deviating from a simple geometric form, e.g. cylinder, sphere or cone
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 15/05 Varied length bristle

Abstract

A brush part for an electric toothbrush in which tufts of bristles are arranged in polygons, and in which the tufts of bristles lean, either around the polygons or inwardly and outwardly, so that the tuft alignments converge and preferably cross.

Claims

1. A brush part for an electric toothbrush which includes a bristle holder mounted for rotary motion about a rotation axis, a plurality of first tufts projecting from a surface of the bristle holder and having their bases arranged in a polygon around the rotation axis and leaning outwardly away from the rotation axis at an acute angle so that their distal end is further out from the rotation axis than their base, and a plurality of second tufts projecting from a surface of the bristle holder and which have their bases further radially out from the rotation axis than the bases of the first tufts and having their bases arranged in a polygon around the rotation axis,

wherein the second tufts either:

are aligned parallel to the rotation axis, or;

lean inwardly at an acute angle relative to the rotation axis toward the rotation axis so that their distal ends are at less distance radially from the rotation axis than their base, or;

lean outwardly at an acute angle relative to the rotation axis and away from the rotation axis so that their distal end is further out from the rotation axis than their base, but at a lesser angle of lean relative to the rotation axis than the first tufts,

and wherein the distal ends of the first tufts are at a further radial distance from the rotation axis than the distal ends of the second tufts.

2. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the respective bases of the first and second tufts are circumferentially adjacent to each other on a circle centered on the rotation axis.

3. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the polygon of bases of the second tufts lies outside and is concentric with the polygon of bases of the first tufts.

4. The brush part according to claim 3 wherein a first tuft is radially adjacent to a gap between two circumferentially adjacent second tufts, and the first tuft leans outwardly between circumferentially adjacent pairs of second tufts.

5. The brush part according to claim 4 wherein there are the same numbers of respectively first and second tufts in the respective inner polygon of first tufts and the outer polygon of second tufts.

6. The brush part of claim 1 wherein outwardly leaning first tufts and outwardly leaning second tufts lean respectively outwardly along radii centered at the rotation axis.

7. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the angle axis at which the outwardly leaning first tufts lean is between 2.5 to 35°

.

8. The brush part according to claim 7 wherein the angle at which the outwardly leaning first tufts lean is between 5 to 10°

.

9. The brush part according to claim 8 wherein the angle at which the outwardly leaning first tufts lean is between 8 to 10°

.

10. The brush part according to claim 1 wherein the angle at which the outwardly leaning first tufts lean is between 2.5 to 35°

, and the second tufts lean inwardly at an acute angle of between 2.5 to 35°

relative to the rotation axis relative to the rotation axis toward the rotation axis so that their distal ends are at less distance radially from the rotation axis than their base.

11. The brush part of claim 1 wherein outwardly leaning first tufts lean outwardly along radii centered at the rotation axis, and inwardly leaning second tufts lean inwardly along radii centered at the rotation axis.

12. An electric toothbrush provided with the brush part according to claim 1.