Claims
- 1. A toothbrush, comprising:
- a head;
- a straight neck aligned with the head;
- a plurality of bristles disposed on said head;
- an elongated handle having a longitudinal axis passing through said handle and aligned centrally along a length of said handle, said handle having a first side and a second side that is positioned opposite said first side, said first and second sides being aligned generally along said longitudinal axis;
- said handle having a top portion connected to the straight neck, wherein said top portion comprises a helical shape that begins on said first side of said handle and ends at a transition point on said second side of said handle, said straight neck being connected to said helical shape at said transition point; and
- wherein said straight neck crosses said longitudinal axis and is disposed at an angle with respect to said longitudinal axis.
- 2. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said handle has a bottom portion forming a base, and wherein a cup-shaped member is affixed to said base.
- 3. A toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein said cup-shaped member has a rim for contacting a support surface.
- 4. A toothbrush according to claim 33, wherein an upper region of the neck and the head are disposed within a right cylinder defined by the rim of the cup-shaped member.
- 5. A toothbrush according to claim 3, wherein the rim has a cross-section dimensioned to enhance stability of the toothbrush while the toothbrush is disposed in a substantially upright position relative to the support surface.
- 6. A toothbrush according to claim 5, wherein the cross-section of the rim is greater than a cross-sectional area of the base.
- 7. A toothbrush according to claim 6, wherein each of said base and said rim have a substantially circular cross-section and the base has a diameter that is less than a diameter of the rim.
- 8. A toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein said cup-shaped member is a suction cup.
- 9. A toothbrush according to claim 8, wherein said suction cup comprises an elastomeric material.
- 10. A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the angle is within the range of about 9 to 15 degrees.
- 11. A toothbrush according to claim 1, further comprising a non-slip surface disposed on the handle.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/089,000, filed Jun. 2, 1998 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/936,851, filed Sep. 24, 1997 (now abandoned), which is continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/713,907, filed Sep. 13, 1996 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/497,682, filed Jun. 30, 1995 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/322,836, filed Oct. 13, 1994 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/164,653, filed Dec. 9, 1993 (now abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/017,523, filed Feb. 16, 1993 (now abandoned).
US Referenced Citations (13)
Foreign Referenced Citations (4)
Number |
Date |
Country |
183428 |
Dec 1936 |
CHX |
190029 |
Jun 1937 |
CHX |
15598 |
May 1904 |
GBX |
84-01700 |
May 1984 |
WOX |
Continuations (7)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
089000 |
Jun 1998 |
|
Parent |
936851 |
Sep 1997 |
|
Parent |
713907 |
Sep 1996 |
|
Parent |
497682 |
Jun 1995 |
|
Parent |
322836 |
Oct 1994 |
|
Parent |
164653 |
Dec 1993 |
|
Parent |
017523 |
Feb 1993 |
|