Cleaning section for an electric oral hygiene device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9364303-B2
Application number	US-201213541797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 5, 2012
Priority date	Jul 6, 2011
Publication date	Jun 14, 2016
Grant date	Jun 14, 2016

Abstract

A cleaning section for an electric oral hygiene device is disclosed. The cleaning section includes at least a first carrier mounted for driven rotation or oscillating rotation around a rotation axis; and at least a plurality of first cleaning elements mounted on the first carrier with their bases arranged on the vertices of a first star-shaped polygon around the rotation axis. All of the first cleaning elements are inclined in a circumferential direction such that the free end of each of the first cleaning elements is farther away in the circumferential direction than the base of the respective first cleaning element; and wherein at least one cleaning element property alternates between adjacent first cleaning elements or between clusters of first cleaning elements.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A cleaning section for an electric oral hygiene device, comprising:
at least a first carrier mounted for driven rotation or oscillating rotation around a rotation axis; and
at least a plurality of first cleaning elements mounted on a mounting surface of the first carrier with their bases arranged on vertices of a first star-shaped polygon around the rotation axis;
wherein all of the first cleaning elements are circumferentially inclined in the same circumferential direction with respect to the rotation axis such that a free end of each of the first cleaning elements is farther away in the circumferential direction than the base of the respective first cleaning element;
wherein the first cleaning elements form an outermost ring of a plurality of rings of cleaning elements;
wherein at least one first cleaning element has a first height measured between the mounting surface of the first carrier and the free end of the first cleaning element in direction of the rotation axis and at least one first cleaning element has a second height, wherein the distance between the two height values lies in a range of between about 0.1 mm and about 3.0 mm;
wherein the shape of the cross-sections of the first cleaning elements alternate between an elongate shape such as an essentially rectangular shape and a more compact shape such as an essentially square shape or an essentially trapezoidal shape;
wherein at least one cleaning element property of a length of the cleaning element and an area of a cross section of the cleaning element discretely alternates between adjacent first cleaning elements or adjacent clusters of first cleaning elements; and
wherein circumferential inclination angles of at least the first cleaning elements lie in a range of between about 10 degrees to about 16 degrees;
wherein the first cleaning elements have an additional penetration amplitude in a relative range of between about 1.5% and 3.9% of the length of the cleaning element.

2. The cleaning section according to claim 1 , wherein a plurality of second cleaning elements is mounted on the first carrier with their bases arranged on vertices of a second star-shaped polygon around the rotation axis, wherein the bases lie on a mounting surface and the whole interior of the second star-shaped polygon is visible from a point where the rotation axis crosses the mounting surface, the second star-shaped polygon being disposed inside of the first star-shaped polygon, wherein all of the second cleaning elements are circumferentially inclined in a circumferential direction that is opposite to the circumferential direction in which all the first cleaning elements are inclined.

3. The cleaning section according to claim 1 , wherein a location and/or the cross-sectional shapes of the cleaning elements mounted on the first carrier is chosen such that a ratio between an area filled by cleaning elements and an area not filled with cleaning elements varies by about 25% or less.

4. The cleaning section according to claim 1 , wherein at least one cleaning element is mounted in a mounting hole provided in the first carrier, which mounting hole has at least two opposite side walls that diverge over at least a length portion proximal to a mounting surface of the first carrier, wherein the angular difference in the wall inclinations lies in a range of between about 0.1 degree and about 10 degrees.

5. The cleaning section according to claim 1 , wherein the bases of the first cleaning elements lie on a differentiable, not self-intersecting, convex and closed curve around the rotation axis such as the edge of a circle, an ellipse, or an oval, wherein the bases of the first cleaning elements lie within a radial band around the rotation axis, which radial band has a radial width that is 25% or less than the radial distance between the respective band centre and the point where the rotation axis intersects the mounting surface.

Assignees

• Driesen Georges
• Trebitz Bernd
• Thurnay Eva Susanne Dominique
• Schmelcher Heidrun
• Haas Martin
• Fritsch Thomas
• Braun Gmbh

Inventors

• Driesen Georges
• Trebitz Bernd
• Thurnay Eva Susanne Dominique
• Schmelcher Heidrun
• Haas Martin
• Fritsch Thomas

Classifications

• A46B9/028

  Bristle profile, the end of the bristle defining a surface other than a single plane or deviating from a simple geometric form, e.g. cylinder, sphere or cone · CPC title

• A61C17/3436 Primary

  Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder · CPC title

• A61C17/22

  with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like (brush bodies, e.g. arrangements of the bristles A46B) · CPC title

• A46B9/025

  the bristles or the tufts being arranged in an angled position relative to each other · CPC title

• A46B2200/1066

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