Toothbrush

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11234802-B2
Application number	US-201816483324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 2, 2018
Priority date	Feb 3, 2017
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

A toothbrush includes a head with a new design and a handle that operates to move the head. The toothbrush head has multiple types of purpose-designed bristle-bundles precisely mapped to target specifically all dental-gingival surfaces and anatomically niches, including various dead-corner niches/surfaces that are usually not accessible by currently existing toothbrushes. Each cluster of bristle-bundles contains bristles of different sizes, diameters, hardness, lengths, angulations and colors. The head is designed to be inclined to accommodate both lingual and palatal surfaces. This toothbrush head also functions uniquely by coupling over dental arches and rotating so that the brush does not need to be lifted during movement from one end to the other. Further, moving the handle with respect to the brush head causes the width of the brush head to change to accommodate the different widths of the teeth along the dental arch.

First claim

What we claimed is:

1. A toothbrush comprising:
a longitudinal handle with an axis,
a brush head with a plurality of bristles, and
a coupling mechanism that fastens the brush head to the handle such that the bristles are generally perpendicular to the axis of the handle and the brush head can rotate with respect to the handle about an axis generally perpendicular to the handle axis,
wherein the brush head is in two pivotally connected portions, each with bristle bundles that extend from inclined surfaces thereof, said portions being arranged to have a gap there between that fits over the teeth of a user along the user's dental arch with one portion engaging a buccal side of the teeth and the other engaging the lingual side; and
wherein the coupling mechanism includes a spring biasing the two brush head portions away from each other and cam surfaces for urging the two brush head portions to pivot so as to urge at least one of the two brush head portions to pivot toward the other brush head portion against the bias of the spring so as to cause the gap between the brush head portions to vary with the angle that the handle makes with the brush head.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the coupling mechanism includes:
a pivot point about which the two brush head portions can pivot toward or away from each other;
a cam surface on an interior surface of the handle adjacent at least one of the brush head portions; and
a cam surface on an exterior surface of said one of the brush head portions; and
wherein the biasing of the spring causes the two brush head portions to form the gap there between, the movement of the handle with respect to the brush head portion causes the handle's cam surface to engage the cam surface on the one brush head portion so as to urge it to pivot toward the other brush head portion against the bias of the spring, and to reduce the gap between the brush head portions.

3. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the coupling mechanism includes:
a cam pivotally connected to the handle;
an axle from which the brush head portions are suspended, one of the brush head portions being pivotally connected to the axle so it can pivot toward or away from the other;
a disk with a slot that rotatably and slidingly captures the axle of the brush head portions; and
wherein the spring is at the distal end of the handle and is arranged to bias the disk toward the cam, the cam in the handle can be rotated so its outer surface pushes against the disk to move it against the bias of the spring, and linear movement of the disk causes the attached one brush head portion to pivot toward the other and close the gap between them, whereby the pivotal axle allows the brush head portions to rotate as they move along the dental arch, and the sliding of the disk causes the gap between the brush head portion to vary as needed to accommodate the different widths of the teeth along the arch.

4. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the coupling mechanism includes:
an axle rotatably located in the handle, the brush head portions being suspended from the axle,
a pivot point on the axle about which the two brush head portions can pivot toward or away from each other;
a first cam surface on an interior surface of the handle adjacent one of the brush head portions and a second cam surface on an interior surface of the handle adjacent the other brush head portion;
a cam surface on an exterior surface of said one brush head portion; and
a cam surface on an exterior surface of the other brush head portion;
wherein the biasing of the spring causes the two brush head portions to form the gap there between, movement of the handle with respect to the brush head causes the handle's first cam surface to engage the cam surface on the one brush head portion and the handle's second cam surface to engage the cam surface on the other brush head portion so as to urge the two brush head portions to pivot toward each other against the bias of the spring and to reduce the gap between them.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the plurality of bristles are in separate bundles of uniform bristles, but wherein there are different types of bundles that have bristles that differ from bristles in other bundles by at least one of diameter, hardness, length, angulation and number; and
wherein at least one bundle has long soft bristles directed to the distal surface of the last molar when the brush is in position over that molar.

6. The toothbrush of claim 5 , wherein each brush head portion has bundles with first short hard bristles directed from the head portion to the highest point on the occlusal surface of the teeth, second short hard bristles that are longer than the first short hard bristles and are directed from the head portion to the edge of the occlusal surface of the teeth, third short hard bristles that are longer than the second short hard bristles and are angled from the head portion to the depression in the occlusal surface of the teeth, medium length hard bristles that are longer than the third short hard bristles and are directed from the head portion to the buccal/lingual surfaces of the teeth, long soft bristles that are longer than the medium length hard bristles and more numerous in the bundle, and which are directed to the gingival sulcus, and longest soft bristles that are longer than the long soft bristles, some of which are directed to the gums and some of which are directed to the distal surface of the last molar when in position over that molar.

7. The toothbrush of claim 6 wherein the hard bundles have 20 bristles and the soft bundles have 30 bristles.

8. The toothbrush of claim 1 further including an ultrasonic vibrator in the handle which causes the brush head to vibrate.

9. The toothbrush of claim 8 wherein the vibrator causes the bristles to vibrate at up to about 3,000 vibrations per second and the total number of bristles is up to about 1,000.

10. The toothbrush of claim 1 wherein the rotation of the brush head with respect to the handle is such that the brush head can be moved along the user's dental arch from one end to the other without having to lift the brush off of the user's teeth.

11. A toothbrush comprising:
a longitudinal handle with an axis,
a brush head with a plurality of bristles, and
a coupling mechanism that fastens the brush head to the handle such that the bristles are generally perpendicular to the axis of the handle and the brush head can rotate and tilt with respect to the handle about an axis generally perpendicular to the handle axis,
wherein the brush head is formed by a flexible material and includes first and second bristle support portions, each with bristle bundles that extend from inclined surfaces thereof, and a central bristle support portion with a central bristle bundle that extends from a base surface thereof, disposed between the first and second bristle support portions,
wherein the first and second bristle support portions movably connects to the central bristle support portion at first and second hinges, such that when the toothbrush moves along a dental arch of a user, the first bristle support portion moves along the first hinge to engage a buccal side of the teeth and adjacent gums, the second bristle support portion moves along the second hinge to engage a lingual side of the teeth and adjacent gums, and the central bristle support portion moves along and engage a biting surface of the teeth; and
wherein the coupling mechanism includes a spring biasing the two brush head portions away from each other and cam surfaces for urging the two brush head portions to pivot so as to urge at least one of the two brush head portions to pivot toward the other br

Assignees

• Univ Hong Kong

Inventors

• Ng Tze Chuen
• Jin Lijian

Classifications

• A46B2200/1066

  Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures (A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04) · CPC title

• A46B9/06

  Arrangement of mixed bristles or tufts of bristles, e.g. wire, fibre, rubber · CPC title

• A46B9/045

  specially adapted for cleaning a plurality of tooth surfaces simultaneously · CPC title

• A46B7/06 Primary

  movably during use {, i.e. the normal brushing action causing movement (driven brush bodies A46B13/00)} · CPC title

• A61C17/20 Primary

  using ultrasonic waves · CPC title