Powered toothbrush

• US 8,020,238 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2008
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
• Original Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
• Inventors: Eliav, Eyal, Ahn, Kyoungeun, Gatzemeyer, John J.
• Primary Examiner(s): CHIN, RANDALL E
• Application Number:
  US12/194,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20090049626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,127 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/222, 15/28
• 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 17/3445 Translation along the axis of the toothbrush handle
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3454 Translation along the axis perpendicular of the axis of toothbrush handle and in the plane defined by the bristle holder
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/349 with multiple brush bodies

Abstract

A powered toothbrush refill head combines a typical round oscillating or primary tuft block which oscillates in a rotational manner with a secondary tuft block. The secondary tuft block may be oscillated in a rotational manner or may oscillate linearly back and forth in the same direction as the handle of the toothbrush. The secondary tuft block could be in the form of a pair of side by side plates mounted on the head adjacent to the round oscillating block. The invention could also be practice where the secondary tuft block is in the form of a plurality of sets of rows of bristles mounted for back and forth movement in a direction perpendicular to the handle.

Claims

1. A powered toothbrush comprising:

a handle;

a head mounted to said handle;

a primary tuft block mounted in said head, said primary tuft block having bristles extending outwardly from an exposed face of said head;

a shaft mounted in said head, said primary tuft block being rotationally mounted on said shaft;

a secondary tuft block mounted in said head at a location displaced from said primary tuft block;

wherein said primary tuft block has a generally circular cross-section, and said secondary tuft block having a plurality of horizontally disposed bars located generally perpendicular to said handle, each of said bars having bristles extending outwardly therefrom, each of said bars being disposed within a horizontally elongated slot formed in said exposed face of said head and having a length that is less than a length of said horizontally elongated slot, such that each of said bars is movable within said horizontally elongated slot from one side of said horizontally elongated slot to an opposing side of said horizontally elongated slot;

a drive shaft connected to said primary tuft block to oscillate said primary tuft block back and forth in a rotational manner; and

said drive shaft creating a cam action that moves said bars horizontally within said horizontally elongated slots in a reciprocating manner in a linear direction perpendicular to said handle while said primary tuft block is oscillated and wherein adjacent bars move in opposite directions.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said bars are coplanar.

3. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said plurality of bars comprises at least two sets of bars, each of said sets of bars having at least two bars in said set, and said bars of said at least two sets being mounted in an alternating manner with a bar of each set disposed adjacent to a bar of the other set.

4. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said plurality of bars comprises two sets of side by side bars, each of said sets having two bars, and said sets of bars being mounted in an alternating manner whereby a bar of each of said sets is disposed adjacent to a bar of the other of said sets.

5. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said plurality of bars comprises at least two sets of bars, each of said sets of bars having at least two adjacent bars in said set, and each of said sets of adjacent bars being mounted to move in a direction opposite to the movement of its adjacent set of bars.

6. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said plurality of bars comprises two sets of side by side parallel bars, each of said sets having two adjacent bars, and each of said sets of adjacent bars being mounted to move in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the other of said sets of adjacent bars.

7. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said drive shaft comprises a crank end mounted to said primary tuft block.

8. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said bristles on said bars are of ramped height arranged in rows parallel to each other.

9. The toothbrush of claim 8 wherein a direction of inclination of each row of bristles is opposite to its adjacent row.

10. The toothbrush of claim 8 including stimulator bristles on said head positioned peripherally outwardly of and at least partially around said secondary tuft block.

11. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said bristles on said bars are all of the same height.

12. The toothbrush of claim 11 including stimulator bristles on said head positioned peripherally outwardly of and at least partially around said secondary tuft block.

13. The toothbrush of claim 2 wherein said bars are located between said primary tuft block and said handle, and further wherein said bristles on at least one of said primary tuft block and said secondary tuft block include bristles of different configuration and material than other bristles on said at least one of said primary tuft block and said secondary tuft block.

14. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein said cam action moves the exposed bristles of said bars in the linear direction perpendicular to said handle, and wherein the exposed bristles of said bars maintain an orientation that is substantially perpendicular to said exposed face of said head during said cam action.