Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – Brushing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-30
2001-05-15
Warden, Sr., Robert J. (Department: 1744)
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
Brushing
C015S167100, C015SDIG005
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230354
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electric toothbrush comprising a body forming a handle and containing therein drive means, an arm whose first end is connected to said body and a head which extends in prolongation of said arm from the side of its second end and which is provided with a brush adapted to be driven in rotation about an axis X—X′ by a movement transmission device coupled to a motor shaft driven by the drive means, said brush comprising a circular plate whose external surface is provided with holes in which are inserted clumps of bristles parallel to each other and mounted perpendicular to the external surface.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
For dental hygiene, brushing the teeth is fundamental and it is indispensable for an individual to clean his teeth by carrying out energetic brushing of all the surfaces of the teeth in the jaw.
Generally speaking, in electrical toothbrushes of known type, the brushes are provided with clumps of bristles whose operative ends coming into contact with the teeth are located in a same plane. Thus, during brushing the teeth from the rear of the jaw which have a relief in the form of a depression at their summit, the clumps of bristles of the brush do not totally match the shape of the teeth and hence do not perform optical brushing of the recess. Moreover, during brushing the inter-dental spaces with clumps of bristles located at the periphery of the circular plate, said clumps of bristles slide over said inter-dental spaces and do not effectively dislodge food particles that are caught and held strongly in said spaces.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is to overcome the mentioned drawbacks by providing a new brush for an electric toothbrush whose clumps of bristles have optimum efficiency without increasing the complexity of production of such a brush.
According to the invention, the circular plate comprises a central zone having a first predetermined number of clumps of bristles whose free ends are located in a same plane P
1
, a peripheral region comprising a second predetermined number of clumps of bristles whose free ends are located alternately either in plane P
1
, or in a plane P
2
located below the plane P
1
as well as an intermediate region comprising a third predetermined number of clumps of bristles whose free ends are located in the plane P
2
.
Thanks to this particular implantation of the clumps of bristles of the brush as well as the difference in level between the different free ends of the clumps of bristles, the brushing of the teeth is substantially improved. Thus, the brush according to the invention comprises clumps of bristles in the central region whose ends are higher than the free ends of the clumps of bristles in the intermediate region and, because of this, for teeth having a contour in the form of a recess at their summit, the free ends of the clumps of bristles match perfectly said contours thereby permitting good brushing of all the surfaces of the teeth. Moreover, the alternation according to two planes of the free ends of the clumps of bristles implanted in the peripheral region of the circular plate, gives rise to a whipping motion of the clumps of bristles in the dental interstices. This whipping movement is due to a variation of the density of the clumps of bristles at these locations and thus facilitates effective brushing of the dental interstices which are often difficult to clean.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5467495 (1995-11-01), Boland et al.
patent: 5652990 (1997-08-01), Driesen et al.
patent: 5953783 (1999-09-01), Hahn
patent: 6021538 (2000-02-01), Kressner et al.
patent: 2587183 (1987-03-01), None
Moulinex (S.A.)
Olsen Kaj K.
Warden, Sr. Robert J.
Young & Thompson
LandOfFree
Electric toothbrush does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Electric toothbrush, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Electric toothbrush will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2526400