| JP3204639 | COMBING BRUSH FOR PET ANIMAL |
| JP10295710 | SURFACE COVERING PRODUCT |
| WO/2006/071676 | ORAL CARE IMPLEMENT |
| CLAIMS 1) A toothbrush (1), comprising a head (2) provided with a plurality (7) of bristles (15), a body (3) and an end handle (4), characterized in that said end handle (4) has a terminal part shaped like a fork, at the ends of which (25) it is possible to constrain easily a portion of dental floss (23) , and in that the toothbrush is provided with a purposely shaped container (9) designed to contain the toothbrush (1) entirely so as to guarantee its hygiene by using sanitizing/antiseptic liquids, such as, for example, chlorhexidine and/or peroxide. 2) The toothbrush (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that each strand of bristle (15) of the toothbrush has a body having a section of variable diameter in which the free-end area, which is to come into direct contact with the enamel of the teeth, has a soft surface and a larger diameter, whilst the remaining area, the bottom end of which is rigidly fixed in the head of the toothbrush, has a section of smaller diameter and is more flexible and elastic than the previous one . 3) The toothbrush (1) according to Claim 1 or Claim 2, characterized in that said body (3) of the toothbrush (1) is connected to said head (2) and to said handle (4) along axes forming particular angles ( , β) bestowing on said toothbrush (1) an ergonomic shape designed to enable optimal dynamic grip both by adults and by children. 4) The toothbrush (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that said sanitizing container (9) is provided with a hole with a plug (24) via which it is possible to introduce said antiseptic liquids for periodic sanitization after each use of the toothbrush (1). 5) The toothbrush (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said sanitizing container (9) is provided with at least one hinge or clip (13) designed for fast opening and closing. 6) The toothbrush (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said sanitizing container (9) presents an optimal seal in regard to the antiseptic liquid, when said container (9) is closed, via a particular conformation and modality of snap-fit closing (14), along the sealed joining profile (27) of the respective top edge (18) and bottom edge (19), when said top part (20) and bottom part (21) of said container (9) are coupled together. 7) The toothbrush (1) according to Claim 2, characterized in that said individual bristles (15) provided with stem having a section of variable diameter, present a surface with a hardness that varies along the length of the stem itself, with higher values of hardness up against the area of attachment of the bristle to the head (2) of the toothbrush (1) and lower values of hardness at the free end that comes into contact with the tooth during cleaning thereof; said free end being provided with a surface of contact with the tooth that is sufficiently soft as to prevent formation of scratches or abrasions on the enamel of the tooth. 8) The toothbrush (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the back of the head (2) of the toothbrush (1) is provided with a plurality of means (22) for cleaning the mucosae and/or the tongue, basically constituted by silicone plaques. 9) The toothbrush (1) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that present on the surface of the handle (4) of the toothbrush (1) is a silicone coatin-g for optimization of gripping of said toothbrush (1) during its use. 10) The toothbrush (1) according to any one of' the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a plurality of circumferential notches (26) arranged transversally with respect to the length of the toothbrush (1) to improve gripping during its use. 11) The toothbrush (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that each bristle (15) of the toothbrush has a flexible stem (17), at the free end of which a microsphere (16.1) is provided that is free to turn in a containment seat (16.2) of its own, which is purposely fixed to said free end of the stem (17); wherein said microsphere (16.1) is designed to come into contact with the surface of the tooth to be cleaned by means of rolling friction instead of sliding friction, thus preventing damage to the enamel of the tooth itself. 12) The toothbrush (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that to obtain that the sanitizing/antiseptic fluid can be injected also inside the toothbrush, the latter is hollow to contain the sanitizing fluid and is provided with a plurality of channels (18.) to enable formation of microflows that traverse the root of the bristles - which for said purpose have a hollow tubular stem (17) - as far as the microsphere (16.1) coming out of purposely provided interstitial spaces provided between the microsphere and its seat (16.2). 13) The toothbrush (1) according to Claim 1, characterized in that the head of the toothbrush (1) is provided with bristles the stems (17) of which are arranged to form an arc, i.e., with both of their own ends fixed to the head itself in order to reduce the abrasiveness of the bristles themselves. 14) The toothbrush (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said arched bristles are: shaped like a curved arc (17.1) and/or a flat arc (17.2) and/or a graph-shaped arc (17.3). 15) The toothbrush (1) according to the preceding claim, characterized in that said arched bristles are provided with a plurality of microcylinders (30), with said micro-cylinders (30) arranged along the bristles themselves (17.4, 17.5 and 17.6) which are free to turn about their own axis, which micro-cylinders (30) being designed to come into contact with the surface of the tooth to be cleaned by means of rolling friction· instead of sliding friction, thus preventing damage to the enamel of the tooth itself. |
SANITIZING CONTAINER THEREOF
*****
The present invention relates to a toothbrush provided with a sanitizing container for containing the entire toothbrush own and also provided with a floss- stretcher fork and bristles having a section of variable diameter.
The present toothbrush is of altogether new conception, in so far as in the known art there currently do not exist toothbrushes provided with floss-stretcher fork and bristles having a section of variable diameter, nor do there exist sanitizing containers for the entire toothbrush.
The basic purpose of the present invention is to overcome the disadvantages so far presented by current toothbrushes, which can be summed up basically as follows :
a) they are not provided with bristles devised in such a way as to have individually a conformation that is designed not to cause damage by abrasion to the tooth enamel;
b) they do not enable simultaneous use of dental floss, which necessary for optimal cleaning of the teeth and for massaging of the gums;
c) they are not provided with a suitable container for containing them entirely that, in addition to preventing bacterial contagion caused by the toothbrush, enables periodic sterilization thereof, keeping it also in hygienic conditions. A further purpose of the present invention, not less important than the preceding one is to provide a toothbrush that will have an ergonomic conformation both of its grip and of the profile of the bristles in order to enable optimal brushing of the surface of the teeth.
Said purposes are achieved by providing a toothbrush having an ergonomic conformation for easy and optimal use thereof, also provided with a case devised so as to enable optimal periodic sanitization of said toothbrush after use, wherein said toothbrush is substantially constituted by a head provided with a plurality of bristles, a body, and a handle, characterized in that said handle has the terminal part shaped like a fork, at the ends of which it is possible to constrain easily a portion of floss, and in that each " bristle of the toothbrush has a body having a section of variable diameter in which the free-end area, which is to come into direct contact with the enamel of the teeth, has a soft surface and is of larger diameter, whilst the remaining area, the bottom end of which is rigidly fixed in the head of the toothbrush, has a cross section of smaller diameter and is more flexible and elastic than the previous one, so that the toothbrush more suitable and effective in proper cleaning the teeth in such a way that they will not undergo any undesirable abrasion of the enamel.
Said case is basically constituted by a sanitizing container for the entire toothbrush, which is designed to contain in an antiseptic way said toothbrush entirely. The above purposes and the consequent advantages, as well as the characteristics of the invention according to the present disclosure, will emerge more clearly from the ensuing description of a preferred embodiment thereof, provided in what follows purely by way of non-limiting example, in particular with reference to the attached drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a rear view of the toothbrush 1 according to the present invention, from which there emerges the ergonomic conformation of said toothbrush 1, constituted by a head 2, provided with means for cleaning the mucosae 22, by a handle or tail or fork end 4, in which there may conveniently be constrained a portion of dental floss 23, and by a body 3 connected to said head 2 and to said handle 4 by a number of tapered sections 5 - 6;
Figure 2 is a side view of said toothbrush 1, illustrated in Figure 1, from which there emerges the ergonomic conformation of said toothbrush 1, together with the particular conformation of the ensemble of the bristles 15, which as a whole define a concave profile 8 constituted by a plurality 7 of bristles, characterized in that they present a variable cross section;
'- Figure 3 is a front view of a sanitizing container 9 for said toothbrush 1, from which there emerges the particular conformation thereof, said container being provided with a head 10, a body 11, and a tail 12, designed to contain the toothbrush 1 entirely and in hygienic conditions;
Figure 4 is a side view of said sanitizing container 9 .illustrated in Figure 3, from which it emerges that it is basically made up of · a top part 20 and a bottom part 21, which are coupled together in a sealed way along a joining profile 27, the seal possibly being guaranteed by at least one clip 13, said bottom part 21 being also provided with a hole with a plug 24 for charging/discharging the sanitizing liquids ;
Figure 5 shows an enlarged schematic cross- sectional view, from which there emerges the modality of snap-fit closing 14 of the container 9, upon coupling of said top part 20 and bottom part 21 of the container along their respective top edge 18 and bottom edge 19;
Figure 6 is an enlarged schematic view of a first embodiment of a single strand of bristle 15 described in the present invention, from which there emerges how it is characterized in that it is provided with a stem having a section of variable diameter, where the free-end stretch 16 has a section of larger diameter 16 and a soft surface in order not to be abrasive on the enamelled surface of the tooth, whereas the remaining part of the stem has a cross section of smaller diameter 17, which is elastic and flexible, designed to be rigidly implantable in the head of the toothbrush 1;
Figures 7A and 7B show a second embodiment of a single strand of bristle 15 according to the invention, in which the free-end stretch 16 of the bristle 15 is replaced by a microsphere 16.1, which is free to turn in a purposely provided seat 16.2, fixed to the end o-f the flexible stem 17. Since said sphere is able to turn on the surface of the tooth, it reduces further the possibility of damage to the enamel on account of rubbing, transforming the friction between the bristle and the tooth from sliding friction to rolling friction;
Figures 8A and 8B show a third embodiment of bristles 17 arranged to form an arc, i.e., with both of its own ends fixed to the head of the toothbrush in order to dampen the action of the bristles themselves so as to reduce the abrasiveness thereof: said figures show bristles arranged to form an arc of various shapes, namely, a curved arc 17.1, a flat arc 17.2 and a graph-shaped arc 17.3, the latter being designed to wedge better in the spaces between the teeth;
Figure 8C shows a further embodiment of said bristles illustrated in the preceding Figures 8A and 8B, where the very shapes of the bristles with a curved arc 17.1, a flat arc 17.2, and a graph-shaped arc 17.3, are also provided with a plurality of micro-cylinders 30, which are free to turn around the bristles arranged to form arcs of said various shapes, thus obtaining, new types of bristle with a curved arc 17.4, a flat arc 17.5, and a graph-shaped arc 17.6, respectively, which a re designed to come into contact with the surface of the tooth to be cleaned by means of rolling friction instead of sliding friction, thus preventing damage to the enamel of the tooth itself.
As highlighted in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 6 described previously merely by way of non-limiting example, the toothbrush 1 described in the present invention is basically constituted by a head 2 provided with a plurality 7 of bristles 15, constituting as a whole a particular concave profile 8, designed to bring simultaneously into contact with the enamelled surface of the tooth all the ends of the individual bristles 15 in such a way as to distribute uniformly and in an optimal way the pressure of the ends of said bristles 15 over the enamel of the tooth, in order not to scratch it or abrade it.
A basic characterization of the present toothbrush
1 is that inserted in its head 2 is a plurality 7 of individual bristles 15 having variable cross section; i.e., each individual strand of bristle 15 presents a ' cross section of variable diameter, with the free-end stretch having a cross section of larger diameter 16 and a softer surface, designed to come into contact with the enamel of the tooth, whilst the remaining part of the stem has a cross section of smaller diameter 17 that is more flexible and elastic, which in its bottom part is rigidly fixed to the head 2 of the toothbrush 1.
The toothbrush 1, as emerges from Figures 1 and 3, has a handle 4 terminating like a fork, at the ends 25 of which it is possible to constrain easily a portion of floss 23 to enable simultaneously easy cleaning of the gaps between the teeth and a useful massaging of the gums .
Another characterization of the present toothbrush, as emerges from Figures 1, 2 and 3, is the particular conformation of the body 3 connected to said head 2 and said handle 4 along axes forming particular angles a - β, thus bestowing on said toothbrush 1 an ergonomic shape designed to enable optimal dynamic gripping thereof both by adults and by children.
In the preferred embodiment that is described purely by way of non-limiting example, said angles a - β are comprised between 155° and 170° and have been studied in order to improve the ergonomics of the toothbrush in combination with the tapered sections 5- 6.
The container 9 is also characterized, as emerges from Figures 3, 4 and 5, by being designed to contain inside it the entire toothbrush 1 in order to guarantee its thorough hygiene by means of use of antiseptic liquids, such as, for example, chlorhexidine and peroxide.
The container 9 is also provided with a hole with a plug 24 to enable, in particular, introduction of said antiseptic liquids, when the toothbrush 1 is put back into its container 9.
The container 9 can also be further provided with at least one hinge or clip 13, which enables fast opening/closing thereof, the seal of which is already guaranteed owing to the particular shape and modality of snap-fit closing 14, when said top part 20 and bottom part 21 of the container are coupled together, along said sealed joining profile 27 of their respective top edge 18 and bottom edge 19, as may be appreciated from Figures 3 and 4.
The presence of a plurality of means 22 for cleaning the mucosae located at the back of the head 2 of the toothbrush 1, already present in the known art, are in this- case obtained with silicone plaques in order to complete in an optimal way the hygienic functionality of said toothbrush 1. The further presence of a silicone coating in particular on the handle 4 of the toothbrush 1 enables optimization of gripping thereof in use.
Purely by way of example, given hereinafter are the dimensions of a toothbrush 1 according to the invention, together with those of its container 9, purposely designed for ergonomics for the user, whether adult or child. The toothbrush has a head 2 with bristles 15 having a colour and flexibility that may vary according to the desired type and model. The bristles 15 have a concave profile 8 at their working edge, i.e., the free ends 16, with a height of the bristles that varies longitudinally from approximately 14 mm at the ends on the outer sides to approximately 33 mm at the top of the profile, to approximately 9 mm on average at the centre of said concave profile 8. The head 2 has a length of 38 mm. The head is provided with some means for cleaning the mucosae or plane coating inserts 22 made of silicone rubber for cleaning the internal mucosae: also these may have variable shapes, dimensions, and colour. The head 2 extends towards the body 3 with a substantially elliptical curvature for a distance of 36 mm; the thickness of the toothbrush 1 is 4 mm for another 55 mm of length; then the thickness increases to 5 mm and remains constant for another 28 mm; then it forms an angle of 170° towards the terminal fork. The fork 4 has a length of 51 mm for a total length of the toothbrush of 208 mm. The transverse diameters have values that vary from 15 mm at the head 2, to 13 mm at the tapered portion 5, and down to 7 mm at the start of the body 3, where it increases to 8 mm for another 18 mm of length; it then increases to 10 mm (central part of the body 3) for another 26 mm of length; then it drops again to 9 mm for another 11 mm; then to 7 for another 10 mm; it increases to 8 for another 4 mm; for another 26 mm there is a widening of the cross section from 10 to 13 mm, up to the internal apex of the fork 4; in the last 25 mm the two arms of the fork 4 have an external cross section of 28 mm with an internal cross section of 22 mm. Stretched at the apex of the two arms 25 is the nylon floss having a thickness of 0.15 mm. The total length of the toothbrush is approximately 208 mm.
The sanitizing container 9, in the preferred, though non-limiting, solution is made of plastic material, with a conformation similar to that of the toothbrush, in such a way as to contain it, leaving inside it a sufficient free space for the sanitizing liquid to be used.
The sanitizing container 9 has at the head 2 of the toothbrush 1 a length of approximately 46 mm with a cross section of 20 mm, and then has a length of 13 mm, with a cross section dropping to 12 mm, for another 23 mm of length; for another 18 mm the transverse diameter increases to 18 mm and remains constant for another 32 mm of length (central part) ; it then drops again to 16 mm for another 42 mm; then it tends gradually to increase for another 26 mm up to the terminal' part having a width of 36 mm in the final 18 mm. The total length of the sanitizing container 9 is approximately 210 mm.
The angle β of the neck, as may be appreciated in Figure 4 (at 160° with respect to the dead) is located between the length of 20 mm and part of the central body of 38 mm, with a height of 10 mm; for another 35 mm the body of the container 9 thins out to 9 mm, and then increases to 10 mm for the remaining part of the container (with an angle a. of 170°). Laterally or at the tail end and head end it is possible to insert closing clips 13 of dimensions 4x3 mm starting from the .top part of the container 9, said clips engaging the bottom part, which has an internal edge of 2 mm, mating with the top part to guarantee hermetic closing ' thereof. The central part of the container 9 can present a discontinuity to act as hinge between the two pieces. In a terminal lateral area (area corresponding to the fork 4) there is the plug 24 that closes the opening that enables entry of the sanitizing liquids. The plug 24 can be of a round, oval, quadrangular shape, or the like.
The shape of the bristles is peculiar in so far as they are narrower at their base (0.8 mm in diameter), which guarantees greater flexibility, and wider (1.2 mm) at the apex, in so far as the width of the tip of the bristle ' guarantees better smoothness and lower abrasiveness thereof on the enamel. All these features can be adapted to the requirements of shape and size of toothbrushes for adults and children according to the particular requirements.
A plurality of circumferential notches 26 present throughout the toothbrush enable a better gripping thereof and prevent slipping thereof in the user's hand during use.
With reference to Figures 7A and 7B, a second embodiment of the invention envisages that, as an alternative to the free-end stretch 16 with oversized diameter of the bristle 15, a microsphere 16.1 is provided, which is free to turn in a purposely provided seat 16.2 fixed at the end of the flexible stem 17.
In this second embodiment, it is the microsphere
16.1 that comes into in contact with the surface of the tooth to be cleaned and is free to turn within the seat
16.2 for containment of said sphere, rigidly connected to each bristle 17 of the toothbrush 1.
According to the invention, in this second embodiment it is possible to envisage that the sanitizing fluid can be injected also within the toothbrush, which for this purpose is made hollow to contain the sanitizing liquid and is provided, inside it, with connections and channels 18 that will enable microflows through the root of the bristles 17 implanted in the head of the toothbrush 1 and exit thereof, for example, through said interstitial spaces that are created between the microsphere 16.1 and its seat 16.2.
In a third embodiment of the invention, illustrated in Figures 8A, 8B and 8C in some variants, the head of the toothbrush 1 is provided with bristles 17 arranged to form an arc (Figure 8A, 8B, 8C) , i.e., with both of their own ends fixed to the head itself in order to dampen the abrasiveness of the bristles themselves .
The arched bristles can have various shapes, for example with a curved arc 17.1, a flat arc 17.2, and a graph-shaped arc 17.3, the latter enabling better wedging in the spaces between the teeth, and can be inserted in the head of the toothbrush according to the type of shape or in mixed arrangements in optimal positions for cleaning of the teeth.
The various types of bristles with a curved arc 17.1, a flat arc 17.2, and a graph-shaped arc 17.3, can also be provided with a plurality of micro-cylinders 30 arranged along the arched bristles, which are free to turn about their own axis, thus providing new types of bristle 17.4, 17.5 and 17.6, designed to come into contact with the surface of the tooth to be cleaned by means of rolling friction instead of sliding friction, thus preventing damage to the enamel of the tooth itself (Figure 8C) .
It is likewise evident that the embodiments of the invention described above merely by way of illustrative and non-limiting example may undergo numerous modifications, adaptations, integrations, variations, and substitutions of elements with other functionally equivalent ones, without thereby departing from the sphere of protection of the ensuing claims.