Coating implements with material supply – Material-carrying tool movable away from supply means
Patent
1985-11-26
1987-09-15
Bratlie, Steven A.
Coating implements with material supply
Material-carrying tool movable away from supply means
132 84B, 401175, 401277, A46B 1102
Patent
active
046936220
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a toothbrush and toothpaste dispenser combined as a unit and in which the dispenser is arranged to deliver toothpaste to the toothbrush, and more particularly, to a portable and self-contained tooth cleaning unit designed to be readily carried in the pocket of a user.
Toothpaste dispensers fitted with toothbrushes are well-known. Typical examples of such devices are described in GB-A-2067396, U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,648 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,552. In each of these prior devices, the toothpaste dispenser or container constitutes the handle and the toothbrush projects from one end of the container. A passageway extends along the shaft of the toothbrush to deliver paste, dispensed from the container, to the toothbrush head at the back of the bristles. The toothpaste is dispensed by advancing a piston or nut, disposed within the container, along a leadscrew in response to manually turning a knob connected to the leadscrew at the end of the container remote from the toothbrush. A valve may be provided for controlling the flow of toothpaste to the brush and the latter may be arranged to be replaceable.
The known devices are merely directed to providing a supply of toothpaste in combination with a toothbrush and are not concerned with a self-contained tooth cleaning system which may be readily carried in a user's pocket so that the user may conveniently clean his or her teeth at any desired time. They are not foldable, collapsable or otherwise designed to be compact so that they can be conveniently carried.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Hence, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combined toothbrush and toothpaste dispenser which can be collapsed into a compact unit so that it can be conveniently carried and enables a user to clean his or her teeth when desired, for example, at work or whilst travelling, and when customary tooth cleaning items are not available or not conveniently usable.
To this end, the invention consists in a combined toothbrush and toothpaste dispenser comprising a body casing, also serving as a handle, a toothbrush member disposed at the proximal end of the casing and comprising an arm slidably mounted in the casing and having a brush head at its distal end, said arm being slidable between a retracted position, in which the brush head is disposed adjacent the casing and an extended position, a toothpaste container housed within the casing and having a discharge nozzle at the proximal end of the casing arranged to deliver toothpaste onto the brush when the arm is in its retracted position, and actuating means operable to discharge toothpaste from its container via the nozzle.
Preferably, the toothbrush head is adjustably mounted at the distal end of the arm so that the head can be set in a desired cranked position with respect to the arm, between a position in which the head is aligned with the arm and a position in which the head is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the arm. For example, the head may be attached to the arm by means of an articulated connection similarly to that used in the toothbrush described in my prior specification No. EP-A-0023407. The head is preferably set in the position in which it is perpendicular to the arm when the arm is retracted and the unit is not being used, whereupon the free ends of the brush bristles lie adjacent or abut the proximal end of the casing adjacent the discharge nozzle. Hence, when the unit is to be used, operation of the dispenser's actuating means, before extending the toothbrush arm to a desired position, delivers toothpaste to the free ends of the bristles, where it is required, preparatory to cleaning the teeth.
Conveniently, the toothpaste container is slideably fitted within the body casing through the distal end of the casing so as to be readily replaceable when empty. The container may have means disposed within the container for discharging the toothpaste from the nozzle in response to manual operation of an actuating member disposed at or
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