Patent Application
20210298883
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The disclosure relates to toothbrush devices and more particularly pertains to a new toothbrush device for brushing teeth.
The prior art relates to toothbrush devices including a toothbrush with a resiliently flexible handle. The prior art discloses a powered toothbrush that includes a worm gear and a shaft with a flexible joint for rotating a brush. The prior art discloses a powered tooth brush that has a brush with a plurality of groups of bristles each being slanted toward each other to facilitate the bristles to pass between teeth. The prior art also discloses a powered tooth brush that includes a removable brushing head. The prior art further discloses a tooth brush that has a pair of sockets for insertably receiving brushing heads.
An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a handle that is gripped for brushing teeth. A rotation unit is movably positioned within the handle and the rotation unit includes a drive shaft that extends outwardly through the handle. The rotation unit alternately rotates the drive shaft in a first direction and a second direction when the rotation unit is turned on. A plurality of brushing heads is provided and a respective one of the brushing heads is removably attachable to the handle to place the respective brushing head in mechanical communication with the drive shaft of the rotation. Each of the brushing heads includes a brush that has a conical shape to penetrate spaces between teeth.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure.
The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to
As best illustrated in
The rotation unit 20 comprises a motor 24 that is positioned within the handle 12. The motor 24 has an output shaft 26 and the motor 24 rotates the output shaft 26 in a first direction when the motor 24 is turned on. The motor 24 may comprise an electric motor or the like. A cam 28 is rotatably coupled to the output shaft 26 such that the cam 28 is rotated when the motor 24 is turned on. The cam 28 has a lobe 30 extending upwardly therefrom and the lobe 30 is rotated about an axis extending through the output shaft 26 when the motor 24 is turned on.
The rotation unit 20 includes a lifter 32 which has a lower portion 34 that is offset with respect to an upper portion 36. The lower portion 34 has a lower end 38 and the upper portion 36 has an upper end 40. The lower end 38 is rounded and the lower end 38 rests on the cam 28. Moreover, the lower end 38 alternately rides upwardly and downwardly on the lobe 30 when the cam 28 is rotated. In this way the upper portion 36 travels upwardly and downwardly along a vertical axis when the cam 28 is rotated. The upper portion 36 extends upwardly through the top end 16 of the handle 12 such that the upper end 40 is exposed. Additionally, the upper portion 36 defines the drive shaft 22 of the rotation unit 20.
The rotation unit 20 includes a power button 42 that is movably coupled to the outer wall 18 of the handle 12 to be manipulated by a user. The power button 42 is electrically coupled to the motor 24 for tuning the motor 24 on and off. A power supply 44 is positioned within the handle 12 and the power supply 44 is electrically coupled to the power button 42. The power supply 44 comprises at least one rechargeable battery 46 that is positioned within the handle 12. The at least one rechargeable battery 46 is electrically coupled to the motor 24. The power supply 44 includes a charge port 48 that is recessed into the bottom end 14 of the handle 12 for receiving a charge cord. The charge port 48 is electrically coupled to the at least one rechargeable battery 46 for charging the at least one rechargeable battery 46.
A plurality of brushing heads 50 is provided and a respective one of the brushing heads 50 is removably attachable to the handle 12. In this way the respective brushing head 50 is in mechanical communication with the drive shaft 22 of the output unit. Each of the brushing heads 50 includes a brush 52 that has a conical shape to penetrate spaces between teeth.
Each of the brushing heads 50 comprises a stem 54 that has a lower end 56 and an upper end 58. The lower end 56 of the stem 54 is open, the stem 54 is hollow and the stem 54 flares outwardly adjacent to the lower end 56 of the stem 54. The lower end 38 of the stem 54 rests on the top end 16 of the handle 12 when the stem 54 is installed on the handle 12. Each of the brushing heads 50 includes a socket 60 that is rotatably positioned in the lower end 38 of the stem 54. The socket 60 engages the upper end 40 of the upper portion 36 of the lifter 32 when the stem 54 is positioned on the handle 12 for releasably retaining the stem 54 on the handle 12.
Each of the brushing heads 50 includes a rail gear 62 that has a bottom end 64, a top end 66 and a first surface 68 extending therebetween. The rail gear 62 is elongated between the top end 66 and the bottom end 64, and the first surface 68 has a plurality of teeth 70 being integrated therein. The plurality of teeth 70 extends from the top end 66 of the rail gear 62 toward the bottom end 64 of the rail gear 62. Additionally, the bottom end 64 of the rail gear 62 is coupled to the socket 60 having the rail gear 62 being vertically oriented in the stem 54.
The brush 52 has a brushing shaft 72 and a plurality of bristles 74 that is each coupled to and extends laterally away from the brushing shaft 72. The brushing shaft 72 extends through the stem 54 and the brushing shaft 72 has a first end 76 is positioned within the stem 54 and a second end 78 that is positioned outside of the stem 54. Additionally, the brushing shaft 72 extends along a line that is oriented perpendicular to the rail gear 62 and the brushing shaft 72 is positioned adjacent to the upper end 58 of the stem 54.
The plurality of bristles 74 extends between the second end 78 of the brushing shaft 72 and the stem 54, and the bristles 74 are distributed around a full circumference of the brushing shaft 72. Moreover, the plurality of bristles 74 decreases in length between the stem 54 and the second end 78 of the brushing shaft 72 thereby defining the conical shape of the brush 52. The bristles 74 may comprise a resiliently bendable material, including but not being limited to, rubber, silicone or plastic and the bristles 74 associated with each of the brushing heads 50 may have a stiffness ranging between soft and hard.
Each of the brushing heads 50 includes a gear 80 that is coupled to the first end 76 of the brushing shaft 72. The gear 80 engages the rail gear 62 and the rail gear 62 is urged upwardly and downwardly when the cam 28 is rotated. In this way the gear 80 is alternately rotated in a primary direction and a secondary direction when the rail gear 62 is urged upwardly and downwardly. This alternating rotation action facilitates the plurality of bristles 74 to brush the teeth.
In use, the chosen brushing head 50 is attached to the handle 12 and the power button 42 is depressed to turn on the rotation unit 20. Thus, the brush 52 on the brushing head 50 is continuously rotated back and forth for brushing teeth. Additionally, the conical shape of the brush 52 facilitates the brush 52 to reach into the spaces between teeth. The narrow end of the brush 52 can be inserted between teeth for cleaning between teeth in the convention of dental floss.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.
