Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Implements – Brush or broom
Patent
1995-11-14
2000-01-04
Hook, James F.
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Implements
Brush or broom
15190, 15195, 15199, 15205, A46B 904
Patent
active
06009589&
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention relates to a toothbrush having a brush section comprising a bristle carrier and bristles fixedly secured thereto, with the brush section being provided with components made of a material with oligodynamic action.
A brush section of this type is known in the art from DE 31 05 544 A1. Prior to fitting the bristles, the bristle carrier of this brush section is plated with an adherent silver coating using an electroplating process. Silver-coating the bristle carrier is intended to prevent the adhesion of contaminants and, above all, the formation of bacteria. It is a disadvantage in this process that coating the bristle carrier surface with silver does not produce the desired germicidal effect particularly in that portion of the bristles that is received within the bristle carrier. By reason of the capillary action, this portion is exposed to humidity practically all the time, so that it can dry up very poorly only. In addition, silver-coating the complete bristle carrier is a costly and laborious procedure.
Other techniques aimed at avoiding the formation of, or reducing an already existing, bacterial flora on the brush section, in particular between the individual bristles, include, for example, an exposure of the brush to ultraviolet radiation. While this method requires an extra effort from its user, it is time-consuming and also incurs added cost for the radiation apparatus.
Further, from EP 0 357 852 a toothbrush is known in which the area in which the bristles are mounted is configured such as to enable an ionic current to flow in this particular area. The source of the ionic current is a battery accommodated in the toothbrush.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve upon the known toothbrush such as to obtain a toothbrush which is essentially free from bacteria/germs and is maintained in this condition during use, without necessitating added manufacturing expense.
This object is accomplished in that separate means are provided for fixedly securing the bristles in their proper location in the bristle carrier, and that said separate means are made of the material with oligodynamic action.
Oligodynamic action is generally understood to be the action of very small quantities of metal ions, especially a growth-inhibiting or destructive action of heavy metal traces on microorganisms, with the oligodynamic action of the metals diminishing in the following order: Cadmium--silver--brass--copper--mercury. Cadmium has the highest, mercury the lowest oligodynamic action. This oligodynamic action has been utilized in particular for the disinfection and preservation of liquids, particularly for the disinfection of drinking, pool and service water. Especially suitable for this purpose are silver and its compounds. The silver ions which go into solution relatively sparingly on contact with water attach themselves to the negative charge carriers of the bacterium cells as positive ions. This attachment is followed by irreversible damage to the bacterium cells, that is, a bactericidal action results. The reason for this is the fouling of certain enzymes by the metal ions, which interferes with the metabolism of the bacteria, ultimately killing the bacterium cells. Of equal importance is the fungicidal action of silver, killing, for example, mold fungi. Such reactions set in from a silver concentration of as low as about 5 micrograms per liter of water, which is far below the tolerance limit for the human organism. Below this limit, a bacteriostatic and/or fungistatic condition prevails, that is, any further bacterial and/or fungal growth is inhibited. By reason of the use of a material with oligodynamic action as a separate means for positioning the bristles in their proper location relative to the bristle carrier, the formation of bacteria is avoided especially in this poorly drying and thus problematic area. Due to chemical diffusion, an essentially germ-free zone is also obtained in a bristle portion above the bristle carrier. By this means, a germ-free toothbrush is provided witho
REFERENCES:
patent: 423506 (1890-03-01), Young
patent: 2130244 (1938-09-01), Nishio
patent: 2289313 (1942-07-01), Cave
patent: 2303470 (1942-12-01), Jobst
patent: 3857134 (1974-12-01), Wells
International Search Report mailed Nov. 4, 1994.
Japanese Abstract, JP910228394, dated Feb. 2, 1993.
Driesen Georges
Hilfinger Peter
Braun Aktiengesellschaft
Hook James F.
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