Patent Application
20110296605
The present invention relates to an oral hygiene station for children and, in particular, to a station that can be used by children, either independently or when being trained by parents, to brush their teeth.
Although the background, objects and preferred embodiments of the invention will be hereinafter described with reference to an oral hygiene station for use by children to brush their teeth, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto but has wider application. For example, the oral hygiene station may be used for flossing of teeth by children and for other oral hygiene practices.
It is to be understood that the terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description only and should not be regarded as limiting. For instance, the terms “comprising” or “comprises” are to be understood as meaning “including”, unless otherwise stated. Also, the term “station” is to be understood as including any device, whether or not it is “station-like”, that can be used to carry out oral hygiene practices, such as a portable, hand held basin or sink with a closing lid.
Fostering a lifelong practice of proper oral hygiene in children is one of the more difficult tasks in raising infants of pre-school age. Many young children resist having to brush their teeth, so it is important to try to make brushing fun and rewarding, particularly when they are being trained to brush by their parents.
Many children like to imitate the actions of a parent, and this can apply to tooth brushing. However, it is not always convenient for a child to stand alongside a parent while brushing their teeth because they may not be able to reach the basin in the vanity or even see themselves in the mirror. Being able to do these things can give a child a heightened feeling of purpose and self esteem. On the other hand, their inability to do them may lead a child to take risks, like climbing onto handles of drawers of the vanity. Although some parents seat their child on the vanity so the child can reach the basin and see themselves in the mirror, this may be a rather dangerous practice as the child may fall down and injure themselves, or scald themselves if they turn on a hot water tap.
It has been found by the present inventor that these problems can be overcome by providing an oral hygiene station for children which is portable, hand held and in the form of a basin with a closing lid.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate the disadvantages and problems of the aforementioned prior art, or at least provide a useful alternative.
It has been found by the present inventor that these and other objects of the invention may be achieved in general by providing an oral hygiene station for children comprising a portable, hand held body, and means for releasably mounting the body to a vanity unit, the body including a basin and a lid hingedly connected thereto for opening and closing the basin, the basin having associated with it at least one toothbrush holder and a mouth wash cup holder, the lid having a mirror supported on its inside surface so that a child using the oral hygiene station can see themselves in the mirror when the lid is opened.
Preferably, the mounting means comprises one or more suction cups and, optionally, flexible extension straps connected to the or each suction cup.
In a preferred form, a handle is secured to the lid.
In another preferred form, a receiving cup for receiving and pooling liquid from the basin is removably secured to an outlet drain of the basin.
The drainage cup may be threadably secured to the outlet drain by screwable engagement of complementary threaded portions.
It is preferred that there is a drainage grille positioned over the outlet drain,
Preferably, the or each toothbrush holder comprises a slot adapted to receive therethrough the shaft of a toothbrush but not the head of the toothbrush.
There has been thus outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and put into practical effect, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.
There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter. As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which the disclosure is based, may be readily utilized as the basis for designing other devices and processes for carrying out the objects of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the broad outline of the invention described above be regarded as including such equivalent constructions in so far as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
The invention 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 accompanying drawings, in which:
With reference now to the above summarized drawings of
The oral hygiene station 10 for children has a portable, hand held body 12, and means 14 for releasably mounting the body to a vanity unit (not shown). The body includes a basin 16 and a lid 18 hingedly connected thereto for opening and closing the basin. The basin has associated with it three toothbrush holders 20 and a mouth wash cup holder 22. Each toothbrush holder is in the foam of a slot adapted to receive therethrough the shaft of a toothbrush (not shown) but not the head of the toothbrush. The lid has a mirror 24 supported on its inside surface so that a child using the oral hygiene station 10 can see themselves in the mirror when the lid is opened.
The mounting means 14 is in the form of a suction cup 26 and a flexible extension strap 28 connected to the suction cup. There are a pair of key hole mounts 30 at the rear of the lid 18 when it is open, which receive respective extension straps 28. Each mount 30 has a release tab 32 for releasing the station 10 from its mounted position. The station 10 is mounted to the top of the vanity unit via the suction cup(s) 26, and the flexible extension strap(s) 28 allow the station to hang over the side of the vanity unit with its rear facing the vanity cupboards.
A handle 34 is secured to the lid 18. The handle is in the form of a flexible strap that may be pressed down against the top of the lid to preserve space. The lid has a latch clip 36 to allow it to firmly close upon the basin 16.
A drainage cup 38 for receiving and pooling liquid from the basin is removably secured to an outlet drain 40 of the basin by a screw-on fit. The outlet drain is covered by a grille 42. The drainage cup is threadably secured to the outlet drain by screwable engagement of complementary threaded portions (not shown). The cup 38 can be stored inside the basin when not in use.
The basin 16 has feet 44 at its underside should they be needed to support the body upon a top surface of a vanity unit.
It will be apparent to persons skilled in the art that the oral hygiene station may be made of many suitable materials. For example, the oral hygiene station may be made of a thermoplastic material suitable for use in bathrooms, and may be moulded in several pieces and assembled together.
It will be readily apparent from the above that there are various advantages of the present invention.
One advantage is that, by using the oral hygiene station, a child may develop a sense of fun and enjoyment brushing their teeth. Furthermore, the child may treat the oral hygiene station as their own possession or “adult toy” and wish to brush their teeth regularly as proof that they are “grown up”
Still further advantages of the present invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art.
It will also be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in details of design and construction of the embodiments of the oral hygiene station for children, and in the steps of using the oral hygiene station described above, without departing from the scope or ambit of the present invention.
