Patent Application
20240238074
The present invention relates to a toothbrush.
Toothbrushes are generally equipped with a brush portion at one end of a gripping member that is gripped by a user. The brush portion is inserted into an oral cavity, and stains are removed by vibration applied by the user with the brush portion in contact with each tooth from front or back of the tooth.
For the purpose of automating tooth brushing, facilitating tooth brushing for the elderly, etc., there is a need for a toothbrush that enables users to easily brush multiple teeth comprising a dentition, instead of brushing each tooth individually. The patent document 1 discloses a tooth brushing apparatus in which a user bites a pair of front teeth holding members with the upper and lower front teeth to hold the apparatus, and a unit for tooth brushing action can be driven to perform tooth brushing action in the movable space between the pair of front tooth holding members.
The unit 16 described in the patent document 1 was designed based on the average dental arch shape so that it can be applied to many users. In reality, shapes of dentitions, namely dental arches are said to be classified into square, round square, round, and round V-shape according to Thomson's classification, and there are individual differences. Therefore, for some users, the brush portion cannot sufficiently contact a wide area of the dentition when the unit 16 is moved laterally. Also, the shapes of an upper dentition and a lower dentition are different.
The present invention was made in view of the above problem, and is intended to make it adaptable to a variety of dental arches in a toothbrush for performing tooth brushing action by providing a lateral motion in a plane in which a dentition exists. Here, the expression “a plane in which a dentition exists” means a plane passing through or near a position of any of the plurality of teeth comprising a dentition.
In the present Specification, a “toothbrush” has a brush member and a brush supporting member that supports the brush member. As an example, the unit for tooth brushing action 16 described in the patent document 1 corresponds to a toothbrush in the present Specification.
In the patent document 1, the unit for tooth brushing action 16, i.e., the toothbrush, is driven by being connected to the power transmission shaft 22 of the drive unit 12. In the present Specification, in addition to being driven in a similar manner, it is assumed that a motion if given by a user gripping the brush supporting member of the toothbrush or a gripping member connected to the brush supporting member.
To achieve the objective, the first aspect of the invention is a toothbrush comprising a first brush member for brushing a buccal or lingual side of a first dentition in an oral cavity, a first guide for guiding movement of the first brush member extending in a dentition direction on a buccal side of the first dentition, a guide connector for connecting the first guide directly or indirectly to a drive source, and a first brush frame connected to the first guide for fixing the first brush member, wherein the first guide has a first region and a second region having a lower rigidity than the first region.
The second aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of the first aspect, wherein the guide connector has a movable portion that can rotate the first guide in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a direction in which the first guide extends.
The third aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of the second aspect, wherein the movable portion is an axis of rotation in the perpendicular or substantially perpendicular direction.
The fourth aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of the first or the second aspect, wherein the first brush frame extends in the dentition direction on the buccal side of the first dentition.
The fifth aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of the first aspect, wherein the first region has a bent structure that bends toward the first dentition.
The sixth aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of any one of the first to the fifth aspects, further comprising a second guide connected to the first region of the first guide and extending in the lingual side of the first dentition, wherein the first brush frame is connected to the first guide via the second guide.
The seventh aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of the sixth aspect, further comprising an extension guide connected to the first guide, wherein the extension guide has a region extending perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a dentition direction.
The eighth aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of any one of the first to the fifth aspects, further comprising a second brush frame connected to the first guide or the first brush frame for fixing a second brush member, wherein the second brush frame extends in the dentition direction on the buccal side of the first dentition.
The nineth aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of any one of the first to the fifth aspects, a second brush member for brushing a buccal or lingual side of the first dentition or a second dentition different from the first dentition, a second guide extending in a dentition direction on the buccal or lingual side of the second dentition for guiding movement of the second brush member, connected to the guide connector, and a second brush frame connected to the second guide for fixing the second brush member.
The tenth aspect of the invention is the toothbrush of any one of the first to the nineth aspects, wherein the first brush frame is removable from the first guide.
According to an aspect of the invention, in a toothbrush for performing a tooth brushing action by providing lateral movement in the plane in which the dentition exists, a guide for guiding the movement of the brush member, which extends in the dentition direction on the buccal side of said dentition, can be deformable when inserted into the oral cavity and can be further deformed according to the movement given, thereby adapting to various dental arches and easily brushing multiple teeth comprising a dental arch.
The following is a detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings.
In the illustrated example, an attachment 230 for attachment to a drive unit is connected to the guide connector 222, and the guide 221 is indirectly connected to the drive unit via the attachment 230 by the guide connector 222. When the user grips the toothbrush 200 and gives a motion to it, the user may connect a gripping member to the attachment 230 instead of the drive unit or connect a gripping member to the guide connector 222 instead of the attachment 230 and grip the gripping member. It is added that each member referred to herein is not necessarily limited to being formed as a separate component, but it is also intended that a plurality of members be formed as an integral unit, as the attachment 230 may be integrally formed with the guide connector 222.
Preferably, the guide connector 222 is rotatable in the direction along the dentition, as shown in
In detail, the toothbrush 200 shown in
As illustrated in the figures, when brushing the left and right teeth in the oral cavity simultaneously, the toothbrush 200 can comprise, in addition to the first guide 221 extending in the buccal side of the dentition in the dentition direction in the oral cavity, a second guide extending in the opposite direction to the first guide in the buccal side of the dentition in the oral cavity. In this situation, viewed from a direction perpendicular to the dentition direction, the axis of rotation 222A of the guide connector 222 is located between the first guide 221 and the second guide along the dentition direction. In other words, it is preferable for the axis of rotation 222A to be located between the first guide 221 and the second guide along a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the axis of rotation 222A. A reference number is not given to the second guide for simplicity.
In order to make the elastic modulus of the second region 221B lower than that of the first region 221A, it is preferable for the guide 221 to be integrally molded so that the thickness of the first region 221A is thinner than that of the second region 221B. It is also possible to use different materials for the first region 221A and the second region 221B. An example of a material is a plastic material such as POM.
The guide 221 extends in the buccal side of the dentition in the oral cavity in the dentition direction. It may have a structure bent toward the dentition in the first region 221A, as shown in
In the description of
The brush frame 223 may be a removable component from the guide 221. In this way, the toothbrush 200 can continue to be used by replacing the brush member 210 fixed to the brush frame 223 with a new one when the brush member 210 becomes worn through use. The brush frame 223 may be integrally formed with the guide 221, and the guide 221 and brush frame 223 may be a removable component from the guide connector 222. It is added herein that a plurality of members being “connected” includes cases where those members are integrally formed. It is preferable for the brush frame 223 to have a region extending in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a direction of a dentition so that the brush member 210 fixed to a portion thereof contacts an upper dentition or a lower dentition when the toothbrush 200 is inserted into an oral cavity.
By independently connecting the first guide 221 for one dentition and the second guide 521 for the other dentition to the brush connector 222, it is possible to cause deformations in response to the difference between dental arches of an upper dentition and a lower dentition. By positioning the first brush member 210 and the second brush member 510 at different positions along a dentition direction, the space in an oral cavity can be effectively used to improve the user's experience.
Although the first guide 221 and the second guide 521 were described as guides for brushing different dentitions, even if they are used for brushing the same dentition, the same point can be made by positioning the first brush member 210 and the second brush member 510 at different positions along the dentition direction, thereby effectively using the space in the oral cavity to improve the user's experience.
The second brush frame 623 is the same as the first brush frame 223 in that it extends in a buccal side of a dentition in an oral cavity in a dentition direction, but the second brush member 610 is positioned at a different location along the dentition direction than the first brush member 210. By providing the second brush frame 623 in this manner, it is possible to brush multiple teeth comprising the dentition at the same time.
In the example of
Although a further guide can be interposed between the second brush frame 623 and the guide 221 or the first brush frame 223, it is preferable to connect the second brush frame 623 directly to the guide 221 or the first brush frame 223 due to space constraints in the oral cavity.
As shown in
The extension guide 724 is subjected to force from the dentition on the buccal side of the dentition, thereby pressing the brush 710, which is positioned in the lingual side of the dentition, against the dentition. In this process, the second region 721-1B of the first guide 721-1 and the second region 721-2B of the second guide 721-2 deform and the toothbrush 700 adapts to the dental arch. The first guide 721-1 and the second guide 721-2 can then further deform in response to a lateral movement of the guide connector 222 to maintain the adaptation to the dental arch. It is preferable for the extension guide 724 to have a region extending in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the dentition direction so that a portion thereof contacts the maxillary or mandibular dentition when the toothbrush 700 is inserted into the oral cavity.
In
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-053478 | Mar 2021 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2022/014815 | 3/28/2022 | WO |
