Surgery: kinesitherapy – Kinesitherapy – Device with applicator having specific movement
Patent
1995-11-22
1998-02-17
Lucchesi, Nicholas D.
Surgery: kinesitherapy
Kinesitherapy
Device with applicator having specific movement
132322, A61H 1300
Patent
active
057186677
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a portable oral hygiene instrument such as an electric interdental brush, an electric toothbrush or an electric gum massager.
BACKGROUND ART
Various electric toothbrushes and electric interdental cleaning brushes which have an interdental cleaning brush or a toothbrush removably attached to one end of a substantially cylindrical holder member and an electric motor and a battery for powering the same mounted inside the holder member and have the other end of the holder member watertightly sealed by a cap member and have an eccentric weight fixed to the rotary shaft of the electric motor and vibrate the interdental cleaning brush by way of the holder member with vibration generated by rotation of the eccentric weight have been proposed.
Because electric toothbrushes and electric interdental cleaning brushes are usually used in bathrooms and the like they are required to be watertight, and in their construction, for example as shown in FIG. 28, a female thread portion 103 of a cap member 102 is screwed onto a male thread portion 101 of a holder member 100, a seal ring 104 is fitted around the base of the male thread portion 101, and by the cap member 102 being screwed onto the holder member 100 the seal ring 104 is pressed upon by the end of the cap member 102 and the gap between the holder member 100 and the cap member 102 is sealed; to supply electricity to an electric motor, the positive pole of a battery 105 is directly connected to one of the terminals of the electric motor and the other terminal of the electric motor is extended by way of a bandlike wiring plate 106 or the like to the vicinity of an opening in the holder member 100, the negative pole of the battery 105 is connected to a spring terminal 107 mounted in the cap member 102, a bandlike connecting plate 108 connected to the spring terminal 107 is mounted between the wiring plate 106 and the circumferential wall of the holder member 100 and electrically connects the spring terminal 107 to the wiring plate 106, a switch is interposed in this supply circuit and the motor is operated by operating the switch.
However, with the kind of electric toothbrush or electric interdental cleaning brush described above, because even when the cap member has become somewhat loose the supply circuit is closed and if the switch is operated the electric motor will operate, there has been the problem that the instrument is sometimes used without it being noticed that the cap member is loose and water or the like gets inside the holder member and corrodes the electric motor and the battery and the wiring, etc.
Also, after the switch is turned OFF without it being noticed that the cap member is loose, the whole device is sometimes washed in order to clean it or is just left with toothbrushing water still on it. At such times, as well as water getting in and corroding the wiring plate and the electric motor and the battery, eventually causing the instrument to break down, the problem has occurred that hardening of the toothbrushing water causes the thread portion of the cap member to get stuck, whereupon the cap member cannot be opened and closed.
Also, in the electric interdental cleaning brush described above, because a spring terminal is mounted on the cap member side and for example a disclike fixing member having a claw portion on its upper surface is provided and with a base portion of the spring terminal held by the claw portion of the fixing member the spring terminal and the fixing member are fitted and fixed to the inner bottom portion of the cap member together, the number of parts increases and installation of the spring terminal in the cap member is extremely complicated.
In order to removably attach an oral hygiene tool such as a toothbrush or an interdental cleaning brush to the holder member the oral hygiene tool is usually provided with a shaft portion and a fitting hole is formed in one end of this shaft portion and the oral hygiene tool is removably attached to the holder member by this fitting hole bei
REFERENCES:
patent: 3466689 (1969-09-01), Aurelio et al.
patent: 3588936 (1971-06-01), Duve
patent: 3967617 (1976-07-01), Krolik
patent: 4991249 (1991-02-01), Suroff
Kita Seiji
Matsui Tsuguo
Sugimoto Tomohisa
Lucchesi Nicholas D.
Sunstar Kabushikigaisha
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