Brush section for an electric toothbrush

• US 8,032,964 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2008
• Issued: 10/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Gillette Company LLC (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Blain, Christopher Charles, Braun, Phillip Maurice, Farrell, Mark Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Spisich; Mark
• Application Number:
  US12/012,068
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,349 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/222, 15/224, 15/23, 15/28
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3409 characterized by the movement of the brush body
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3418 Rotation around 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 brush section for use with an electric toothbrush includes a relatively large brush head portion having a generally rectangular shape, although oblong, elliptical and other such shapes having a length to width aspect ration greater than 1 may be employed. The brush head portion is secured to a shaft portion of the brush section that may be configured to couple to a handle section. The handle section may include an electric drive including drive shaft, and the drive shaft may couple to the brush head via a coupling member positioned within the shaft portion. The electric drive may impart a rotary, oscillating rotary-oscillating or other suitable drive motion to the drive shaft that is, in turn, imparted upon the brush head by virtue of the coupling member.

Claims

1. A cleaning section for an electrical toothbrush with a handle section having a motor and a drive shaft, the cleaning section comprising:

a single movable bristle holder structured to receive a drive motion from the motor via a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft having a longitudinal axis, the drive shaft being structured to oscillate around its longitudinal axis thereby imparting rotation or oscillation to the single movable bristle holder; and

a head including a first plurality of cleaning bristles arranged in a static bristle field which in use is static relative to the handle section and a second plurality of cleaning bristles arranged in a plurality of rows generally transverse to the longitudinal axis, wherein the second plurality of cleaning bristles are all supported within the single movable bristle holder to have at least one freedom of motion relative to the first plurality of cleaning bristles,

wherein the single movable bristle holder is movable with respect to the head and the static bristle field such that a cleaning motion of the second plurality of cleaning bristles includes a back and forth oscillating movement of the second plurality of cleaning bristles about the longitudinal axis and relative to the first plurality of cleaning bristles, and wherein the back and forth oscillating movement of the second plurality of cleaning bristles is caused by the oscillating movement of the drive shaft.

2. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of cleaning bristles are arranged in rows generally transverse to the longitudinal axis.

3. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the second plurality of cleaning bristles are arranged in rows generally transverse to a first axis of the head, the rows of the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles being interleaved.

4. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the second plurality of cleaning bristles are arranged in rows generally transverse to the longitudinal axis, the rows being alternate rows of the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the second plurality of cleaning bristles such that at least some of the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles are disposed between the rows of the first plurality of cleaning bristles, and at least some of the rows of the first plurality of cleaning bristles are disposed between the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles.

5. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the second plurality of cleaning bristles are arranged in rows generally transverse to the longitudinal axis, wherein every second row is a row of the first plurality of cleaning bristles.

6. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the cleaning motion comprises a reciprocating oscillation.

7. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the cleaning motion comprises an rotational and translational motion of the second plurality of cleaning bristles.

8. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the cleaning motion comprises oscillation of the second plurality of cleaning bristles about the longitudinal axis at a full oscillation angle of from approximately 40 degrees to approximately 60 degrees.

9. The cleaning section of claim 8, wherein the full oscillation angle is about 44 degrees.

10. The cleaning section of claim 8, wherein the full oscillation angle is about 55 degrees.

11. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the cleaning motion comprises an oscillation of the second plurality of cleaning bristles at a frequency of from about 80 Hz to about 120 Hz.

12. The cleaning section of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of cleaning bristles have a first bristle height and the second plurality of cleaning bristles have a second bristle height, different from the first bristle height.

13. An electric toothbrush comprising:

a handle section including a motor, the handle section being coupled with a cleaning section, the cleaning section comprising a single movable bristle holder structured to receive a drive motion from the motor via a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft having a longitudinal axis, the drive shaft being structured to oscillate around its longitudinal axis; and

a head including a first plurality of cleaning bristles arranged in a static bristle field which in use is static relative to the handle section and a second plurality of cleaning bristles supported within the single movable bristle holder to have at least one freedom of motion relative to the first plurality of cleaning bristles, wherein the single movable bristle holder is movable with respect to the head and the static bristle field such that a cleaning motion of the second plurality of cleaning bristles includes an oscillating movement of the second plurality of cleaning bristles about the longitudinal axis relative to the first plurality of cleaning bristles, and wherein the oscillating movement of the second plurality of cleaning bristles is caused by the oscillating movement of the drive shaft;

wherein the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the second plurality of cleaning bristles are arranged in rows that alternate such that at least some of the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles are disposed between the rows of the first plurality of cleaning bristles, and at least some of the rows of the first plurality of cleaning bristles are disposed between the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles; and

wherein the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles are mounted to the single movable bristle holder.

14. A cleaning section for an electrical toothbrush with a handle section having a motor and a drive shaft, the cleaning section comprising:

a single movable bristle holder structured to receive a drive motion from the motor via a drive mechanism comprising a drive shaft having a longitudinal axis, the drive shaft being structured to oscillate around its longitudinal axis thereby imparting rotation or oscillation to the single movable bristle holder; and

a head including a first plurality of cleaning bristles arranged in a static bristle field which in use is static relative to the handle section and a second plurality of cleaning bristles supported within the single movable bristle holder to have at least one freedom of motion relative to the first plurality of cleaning bristles,

wherein the single movable bristle holder is movable with respect to the head and the static bristle field such that a cleaning motion of the second plurality of cleaning bristles includes an oscillating movement of the second plurality of cleaning bristles about the longitudinal axis relative to the first plurality of cleaning bristles, and wherein the oscillating movement of the second plurality of cleaning bristles is caused by the oscillating movement of the drive shaft;

wherein the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the second plurality of cleaning bristles are arranged in rows generally transverse to a first axis of the head, the rows of the first plurality of cleaning bristles and the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles being interleaved; and

wherein the rows of the second plurality of cleaning bristles are mounted to the single movable bristle holder.