Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Implements – Brush or broom
Patent
1999-12-03
2000-11-14
Graham, Gary K.
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Implements
Brush or broom
151671, 151765, A46B 704
Patent
active
061451533
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a dental care or oral hygiene device with a handle, a head and a care part insertable in locking manner in a depression of the head and which by means of a resilient pressure piece on the back of the head acting by pressure action on the back of the care part can be ejected.
Dental care devices of the aforementioned type are particularly used as toothbrushes, so that hereinafter reference will only be made to the latter. However, they also cover devices which are exclusively used for massaging the gums or for caring for the interdental gaps.
Toothbrushes are required much more frequently than other types of brushes. The reason is the frequent use necessary for correct oral hygiene (up to three times daily) and the rapid wear resulting from this. In addition, Even in the case of relatively limited wear which would be acceptable with other brushes, a toothbrush has to be replaced, so as to always ensure an optimum effectiveness.
Due to the high toothbrush consumption, approximately 150 million per annum in Germany, there is an increasing problem of disposal and protecting resources, because the material fraction rendered unusable due to wear is extremely small compared with the total material and the total material to be disposed of, even in the case of a 100% recycling, cannot be processed to the same product, because the recycled material no longer fulfills the high quality requirements, which are vital e.g. for the bristle material of a toothbrush. Even if the known brushes with a replaceable brush part would fundamentally make it possible to only replace the brush part after wear, this problem has not hitherto been in the foreground and also in the case of standard brushes, such as cleaning brushes, body brushes, cosmetic brushes, etc. it is relatively unimportant, because the use period is much longer and the material ratio of unusable and still usable material is not in the same disproportion as with toothbrushes.
Finally, in connection with toothbrushes account must be taken of the special feature that they must be correctly usable by humans of all age classes and all education levels, so that the replacement of the brush part must be possible in a very simple manner and with limited force expenditure, whilst at the same time adequately securely joining the parts.
At present there are essentially two systems on the market. In the case of so-called replacement head brushes (EP 0 199 849 B1, DE 94 20 405 U1) the entire head with the bristles is detachably fixed to the handle. The locking fixing means are located on the handle substantially transversely to its longitudinal axis and on a shoulder of the head and are brought into engagement by the assembly of the head and handle in the longitudinal axial direction. Conversely the two parts can be detached by pulling apart in the longitudinal axial direction. These replacement head brushes are satisfactory from the use and hygienic standpoints. However, the plastics fraction of the head, which becomes waste when the bristles become worn, is still considerable. The further disadvantage arises that the fixing means are located in the transition area between head and handle, i.e. in an area where the greatest bending forces act during use. However, it is precisely in this area that the toothbrush is weakened by the constructional measures for the fixing means. This is particularly serious because, for use reasons, between the handle and the head it is desirable to have a slender and optionally resilient neck, which cannot be implemented with such replacement head brushes. Therefore replacement head brushes have already been proposed, in which the head is locked with the slender neck on the thicker handle. Thus, although the use advantage is substantially maintained, this is achieved at the cost of a larger amount of plastics waste. In addition, the risk also arises with all replacement head brushes, that in the case of incorrect locking or a failure of the locking system during use, serious injury can occur
REFERENCES:
patent: 1396630 (1921-11-01), Higbee
patent: 1717125 (1929-06-01), Spitz
patent: 1908510 (1933-05-01), Dodson
patent: 3008165 (1961-11-01), Scholl
patent: 3167799 (1965-02-01), McKinley
patent: 4543679 (1985-10-01), Rosofsky
patent: 5555590 (1996-09-01), Blum et al.
Coronet-Werke GmbH
Graham Gary K.
Vincent Paul
LandOfFree
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