Background to the invention Bacterial contamination of teeth and gums is a well known health hazard and brushing of such teeth can result in a vast bacterial input into a human's body.

What is less well appreciated is that toothbrushes themselves are excellent media forthe cultivation of bacteria particularly when inappropriately stored and, as is common practice, when they are used for longer than the periods recommended by oral hygienists.

For this reason, whenever a person brushes their teeth, they are introducing contamination into their mouths from bacteria which have grown on the toothbrush bristles subsequent to the preceding use. Such bacteria can be a major cause of recurring infections, colds and gum diseases such as gingivitis and plaque and in some cases can be responsible for even more serious ailments.

In addition where toothbrushes are not stored completely separately from one another there is a very real possibility of cross contamination of bacteria between different toothbrushes.

A further problem arises where bathrooms and/or ensuites have a toilet in the same room where teeth are cleaned and it has been known for toothbrushes to become contaminated with faecal matter which represents an extreme health hazard.

Means for disinfecting implements such as those used by dentists exist however these are in general not suited for domestic toothbrush cleaning use and are by their nature very expensive devices.

As an alternative some people place toothbrushes in glasses of disinfectant when not in use. This however is a space consuming exercise especially when several people wish to store their toothbrushes in this manner in the same area.

Additionally the disinfectant in the glass is left exposed to any airborne or other contaminants which may enter the glass, or other vessel being used for this purpose, and there is no means of monitoring the efficacy of the disinfectant used at any time.

Outline of the invention

It is an object of the invention to provide a means for disinfecting domestic toothbrushes and maintaining their bristles substantially bacteria free when not in use for tooth cleaning in a manner which substantially overcomes the above problems.

The invention in one aspect is a toothbrush storage device for at least one toothbrush which device includes a framework adapted to receive a disposable cartridge, having at least one chamber and containing an anti bacterial disinfectant, into any chamber of which cartridge at least the head of a toothbrush can be inserted through an aperture in an upper face thereof which opens when the toothbrush is inserted and generally closes when the toothbrush is removed.

It is preferred that the upper face be manufactured from an elastomeric material which covers the aperture and connects to an upper periphery of the chamber.

It is preferred that the upper face is partially excised such that pressure of a toothbrush on the partially excised portion can cause perforation of the seal and permit entry of the toothbrush head into the chamber. It is further preferred that removal of the toothbrush permits the upper face to effectively reclose.

While the partially excised portion need only have a shape sufficient to provide an aperture for a toothbrush it is preferred that the partially excised portions take

the form of diagonal lines extending from corners of the upper face of a generally rectangular chamber periphery, the arrangement being such that a toothbrush head can perforate the upper face through these diagonals.

It is further preferred that the storage device hold a cartridge which has a plurality of chambers to store several toothbrushes at any given time. It is also preferred that this cartridge be adapted to slideably engage with the framework of the storage device and to enter it from one side thereof. It is further preferred that the framework be attachable to a surface such as a wall.

While it is preferred that the storage device be attachable to a wall, such as that of a bathroom, it is envisaged that a free standing model could also be provided.

It is further envisaged that the dimensions of the storage device be similar to those of a standard wall mounted toothbrush holder and that the cost of purchasing the device of the invention also be similar.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood we will describe by way of non limiting example a specific embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawing Figures Fig. 1 Is a diagrammatic representation of the frame of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of the frame of Figure 1 and a disinfectant cartridge prior to engagement with one another; Fig. 3 is a top view of a cartridge showing the separate chambers; Description of an Embodiment of the Invention In one embodiment of the invention the toothbrush holder 10 has an elongate clear plastic body 20 or framework which has a backing plate 21 adapted to attach to a wall by means of tabs 22, although some other means such as adhesive strips may be used, having an aperture 23 through which screws or the like can be tapped into the wall.

The framework 20 as shown is provided with four chambers 27 designed to cooperate with each chamber 31 of a four chamber cartridge 30 which can enter apertures 25 in side and intermediate members 24 of framework 20.

By this means the cartridge can removably enter the framework, the upper face 29 of which has an aperture 26 in each of its chambers through which a tooth brush head can pass and which corresponds to a potential opening in the upper surface 32 of each cartridge chamber. The framework then acts not only to support the disinfectant cartridge but also supports the toothbrush handle when the toothbrush head is in the disinfectant.

Each chamber of the removable cartridge holds disinfectant and is provided with an upper face having partially excised diagonal lines 40 which form grooves in the upper surface of the chamber, as shown in Figure 3, through which an aperture can be formed when a toothbrush head is pressed thereon which enables a toothbrush head to be passed into the disinfectant.

When the toothbrush is removed it pulls elements 41 upwards to generally effect a seal over the disinfectant when the toothbrush is not in situ. This is generally sufficient to keep ambient matter from contaminating the disinfectant however we have found that when lines 40 are perforated by the pressure of a toothbrush slight stretching occurs along sides 42 of elements 41. This permits adjacent edges 42 to slightly overly one another and create effective closure of any aperture in the upper face of a chamber of disinfectant.

By this means the bristles of each toothbrush are cleaned in an antibacterial fluid when not in use and are kept separate from adjacent toothbrushes.

The precise form of cleaner in the cartridge is not an essential feature of the invention however the disinfectant fluid is preferred to facilitate the removal of particulate matter from bristles or from the brush head and the immediately adjacent part of the toothbrush handle. It is envisaged however that the disinfectant used will have a colour which indicates the level of efficacy of the disinfectant. For example in a preferred embodiment of the invention the

disinfectant is initially a blue colour which changes with use to either colourless or another colour.

The invention can also have any number of chambers ranging from a single chamber to as many as may be desired. We have found however that for the average family a four chamber unit will suffice.

Whilst we have described herein a specific embodiment of the invention it is to be understood that variations, including variations in size and manufacturing materials and such like, and modifications in this can be made without departing from the scope thereof.