Brush head for an electric toothbrush

• US 9,332,828 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2015
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ranir LLC (Perrigo Company PLC)
• Original Assignee: Brushpoint Innovations Incorporated (Perrigo Company PLC)
• Inventors: Dickie, Robert G., Nabavi, Shahram
• Primary Examiner(s): JENNINGS, MICHAEL DEANGILO
• Application Number:
  US14/809,643
• Publication Number:
  US 20150335411A1
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• Field of Search: 15/221, 15/28, 151/05, 151/671, 151/80
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 7/08 as a rotating disc
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/04 Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/222 Brush body details, e.g. the shape thereof or connection to handle

Abstract

A brush head for an electric toothbrush having a support structure rotatably oscillated by a motor in the handle of the toothbrush. A plurality of bristle tufts are mounted on the support structure in three ring-like series concentrically about a center point of the support structure. The bristle tufts are arranged in a unique arrangement whereby no more than two of the bristle tufts in the intermediate series and innermost series lie on a diameter line passing through the center point. The outermost and intermediate series of bristle tufts may be arranged in oval-shaped rings and the bristle tufts of the inner series may have a circular arrangement. All of the tufts preferably have the same height and diameter.

Claims

1. A brush head of a power-driven toothbrush comprising:

a support structure;

a plurality of bristle tufts attached to the support structure and extending upwardly therefrom, said plurality of bristle tufts including;

a first series of bristle tufts forming an outer ring of bristle tufts having major and minor axes;

a second series of bristle tufts forming an intermediate ring of bristle tufts;

a third series of bristle tufts forming an inner ring of bristle tufts;

wherein said first, second and third series of bristle tufts are located generally concentrically with respect to each other and about a center point of the support structure;

wherein the second and third series of bristle tufts have equal numbers of bristle tufts with the second and third series of bristles tufts each including only six bristle tufts;

wherein each of the bristle tufts of the third series is located between a pair of bristle tufts of the second series; and

wherein two of the bristle tufts of the third series of bristle tufts lie on the major axis and none of the remaining four bristle tufts lie on the minor axis.

2. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein all of the bristle tufts have the same length and diameter.

3. The brush head as defined in claim 1 including a center bristle tuft located on the center point of the brush head.

4. The brush head as defined in claim 3 wherein the center bristle tuft has the same length and diameter as the bristle tufts of the first, second and third series of bristle tufts.

5. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein a diameter line passing through the center point of the brush head never passes through bristle tufts of the outer rings of bristle tufts.

6. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein a center bristle is located on the center point of the brush head;

and wherein the inner ring of bristle tufts has a circular configuration concentric about the center point of the brush head.

7. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein all of the bristle tufts are similar to each other having the same height and diameter.

8. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein no bristle tufts of the intermediate ring of bristle tufts lies on a diameter line passing through the center point of the brush head and a bristle tuft of the inner ring of bristle tufts.

9. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein the first series of bristle tufts has sixteen bristle tufts.

10. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein a center bristle is located on the center point of the support structure;

and wherein the third series of bristle tufts has a circular configuration concentric about the center point of the support structure.

11. The brush head as defined in claim 1 wherein a diameter line passing through the center point of the support structure passes through bristle tufts of only one of the second and third series of bristle tufts.