Patent Application
20240260736
Not applicable.
A portion of this disclosure contains material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure in exactly the form it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 C.F.R 1.71(d).
The present inventive concept relates to a toothbrush head assembly which attaches to and detaches from a hole-punch through a flat device for existing gear. More particularly, but not exclusively, this inventive concept relates to a toothbrush head assembly with bristles, which can attach to and detach from any existing handle or other object having a hole-punch formed therethrough.
Toothbrushes are clearly known to be vital devices for healthcare. The length and size of a common toothbrush is approximately 6 to 7 inches in length, which requires a kit of greater length and weight to store the toothbrush when traveling. Further, backpackers and long duration hikers must take into consideration the extra weight in carrying such vital toothbrushes when traveling by foot. In addition, the handles on toothbrushes modified for hiking are generally formed of an insufficient length to keep unclean hands away from one's mouth when on a trail all day. These brushes also provide insufficient leverage to correctly clean, or have a handle that can be unnecessarily burdensome.
U.S. Patent Publication No.: 2006/0236483 A1 by Koi discloses a toothbrush head 200 which can be engaged onto and disengaged from its own elongated handle 100. The brush head 200 is partially or fully enclosed in an elastic casing 203, and the head 110 of the handle 100 is inserted into the casing through an opening on a wall of the brush head. The brush head 200 of the toothbrush by Koi can only be placed on the handle 100 it was designed to work with, and the handle 100 by Koi therefore must travel together with the toothbrush head 200 in order to use the toothbrush.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,453 by Huang discloses a toothbrush with a detachable bristle head 2 capable of changing orientation relative to its corresponding handle 3. In Huang the head 2 must be inserted into an axial hole 31 formed at the tip of the handle 3. The head 2 and the handle 3 are both required in order to form the toothbrush. In other words, the head 2 cannot be used as a toothbrush without first being inserted into the axial hole 31 of the handle 3.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,135 by Su discloses a toothbrush with a bristle-carrying brush head 1 which is removable and rotatable with respect to its corresponding handle 2. A lever 4 is used to rotate the head 1. The head 1 and the corresponding handle 2 are both required to be attached in order to form the toothbrush. In other words, the head 1 cannot be used as a toothbrush without first being attached to the handle 2.
Accordingly, there is a need for a toothbrush which requires minimal storage space for efficient storage and transportation thereof.
There is also a need for a toothbrush that can be easily and quickly attached to and removed from already existing camping gear, such as a long-handled camping spoon or spork with a carabiner hole extending therethrough.
There is also a need for a toothbrush that has little weight to contribute towards load when long distance backpacking and hiking.
There is also a need for a toothbrush that does not require cleaning of a handle and does not cause insufficient leverage for proper cleaning.
There is also a need for a toothbrush that will provide a sufficient distance from its head to a user's soiled hands while backpacking and long-distance hiking.
There is also a need for a toothbrush that can attach to any type of flat handle means 200 having a hole 200a formed therethrough.
There is also a need for a toothbrush that does not require the manufacturing of a handle.
The present general inventive concept provides a toothbrush head assembly which attaches to and detaches from a hole-punch through a flat device for existing gear. More particularly, but not exclusively, this inventive concept relates to a toothbrush head assembly with bristles, which can attach to and detach from any existing handle or other object having a hole-punch formed therethrough.
Additional features and utilities of the present general inventive concept will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the general inventive concept.
The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may be achieved by providing a toothbrush head assembly, comprising: a body including: a first end having a first diameter and a plurality of bristles extending from one side thereof; a second end having a smaller diameter than the first end; and a fitting groove formed between the first end and the second end and having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the second end; and a gasket slidable over the second end to fit tightly over the fitting groove and having outer ribs which extend outward from a center of the gasket such that the second end will extend through a hole in a handle while the gasket is configured to flexibly fit into the hole such that the outer ribs extend around the hole to secure the toothbrush head assembly to the handle.
In an exemplary embodiment, the diameter of the second end is configured to fit through the hole formed in the handle and the gasket is configured to have a diameter to be press fit into the hole while the ribs extend around and past the edge of the hole to secure the toothbrush head assembly to the handle.
In another exemplary embodiment, the handle is an elongated spoon or spork designed for backpacking and camping.
In another exemplary embodiment, the body is formed of one of metal, wood or hard plastic material.
In another exemplary embodiment, the gasket is formed of one of a stiff rubber, plastic or cork material.
The foregoing and/or other features and utilities of the present general inventive concept may also be achieved by providing a toothbrush head assembly, comprising: a bristle plate having a first diameter and a plurality of bristles extending from one side thereof; a holding plate having a smaller diameter than the bristle plate; and a neck portion connecting the bristle plate and the holding plate and having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the holding plate; and a gasket configured to be press fit over the neck portion such that while the holding plate extends through a hole formed in a handle the gasket becomes press fit into the hole to secure the toothbrush head assembly to the handle.
In an exemplary embodiment, the diameter of the holding plate is configured to fit through the hole formed in the handle and the gasket is configured to have outer ribs which extend outward from a center thereof to surround the edge of the hole to secure the toothbrush head assembly to the handle.
In another exemplary embodiment, the handle is an elongated spoon or spork designed for backpacking and camping.
In another exemplary embodiment, the bristle plate, holding plate and neck are formed of one of metal, wood or a hard plastic material.
In another exemplary embodiment, the gasket is formed of one of a stiff rubber, plastic or cork material.
These and/or other features and utilities of the present inventive concept will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
The drawings illustrate a few example embodiments of the present inventive concept, and are not to be considered limiting in its scope, as the overall inventive concept may admit to other equally effective embodiments. The elements and features shown in the drawings are to scale and attempt to clearly illustrate the principles of exemplary embodiments of the present inventive concept. In the drawings, reference numerals designate like or corresponding, but not necessarily identical, elements throughout the several views.
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present general inventive concept, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present general inventive concept while referring to the figures. Also, while describing the present general inventive concept, detailed descriptions about related well-known functions or configurations that may diminish the clarity of the points of the present general inventive concept are omitted.
It will be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” are used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. Thus, a first element could be termed a second element, and similarly, a second element may be termed a first element without departing from the teachings of this disclosure.
Expressions such as “at least one,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list.
All terms including descriptive or technical terms which are used herein should be construed as having meanings that are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art. However, the terms may have different meanings according to an intention of one of ordinary skill in the art, case precedents, or the appearance of new technologies. Also, some terms may be arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning of the selected terms will be described in detail in the detailed description herein. Thus, the terms used herein have to be defined based on the meaning of the terms together with the descriptions provided throughout the specification.
Hereinafter, one or more exemplary embodiments of the present general inventive concept will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
Example embodiments of the present general inventive concept are directed to a toothbrush head assembly which attaches to and detaches from a hole punched through a flat device for existing gear. More particularly, but not exclusively, this inventive concept relates to a toothbrush head assembly with bristles, which can attach to and detach from any existing handle or other object having a hole formed therethrough.
Referring to
Referring to
When use of the toothbrush head assembly 100 is completed, the toothbrush head assembly 100 can be conveniently removed from the spoon 200 without being damaged by pulling the bristle plate 100a1 away from the spoon 200, which will cause the gasket 100c to begin sliding out of the hole 200a and one of the ribs 100c1 to flex enough to slide past the hole 200a in the spoon 200. Once the toothbrush head assembly 100 is separate from the spoon 200 or any other elongated handle with a hole 200a formed therethrough cleaning of the toothbrush head assembly 100 can be performed easily by spraying it with water or soaking the toothbrush head assembly 100 in water or other toothbrush approved cleaning means. Once cleaned the toothbrush head assembly 100 can be easily stored in a minimal storage space and will use very little weight to carry while being stored.
Although a few embodiments of the present general inventive concept have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the general inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the appended claims and their equivalents.
