Brushing – scrubbing – and general cleaning – Machines – Brushing
Patent
1984-08-23
1986-10-28
Roberts, Edward L.
Brushing, scrubbing, and general cleaning
Machines
Brushing
A46B 1304
Patent
active
046190090
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
DESCRIPTION
The invention relates to a tooth cleaning apparatus with electric drive, with a drive--and grip part and with a brush part which carries interchangeable brushes moved by the drive and to which a fluid can be supplied through a fluid conduit opening in the region of the bristles. Many tooth cleaning apparatus in the form of electrically driven mechanically movable toothbrushes and fluid supply devices are known.
Under the name "Electric Toothbrush" there is on the one hand a brush system swinging about an axis with a back and forth movement of the brush like the normal hand toothbrush. On the other hand there is a cylindrical brush rotating about an axis with, and having bristles extending radially from, the brush carrier (U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,416, U.S. Pat. No. 3,829,922), which however does not generate any proper movement of the bristles on the teeth and gums. Further there is a rotating brush in which the bristles are arranged in a ring essentially parallel to the axis whereby the ends of the bristles end in a corresponding surface of rotation essentially normal to the axis and work with the front ends ( GB - OS No. 2,008,398 A). Details which are necessary to achieve a practical realization are not given by these publications. An older similarily working hand apparatus according to U.S. Pat. No. 2,252,251 with pressure drive has a driven rotating cleaning body of elastic material but is however, on account of the pressure drive and the lack of bristles not suitable for practical application. An apparatus with a flexible shaft according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,432 has a similar dry rotating rubber cleaning head with which especially inaccessible regions of the teeth and gums could not be reached. For dental handpieces there are attachments with rotating brushes and resilient bodies as for example according to U.S. Pat. No. 2,093,007, which, however, are not designed and suitable for daily toothcleaning by the users themselves.
On the other hand there are tooth cleaning apparatuses working with a relatively sharp, usually pulsed, water stream especially for the cleaning of spaces between the teeth and the massage of the gums.
Mechanically movable toothbrushes have also been combined with cleaning apparatuses working with a water stream either with two separate hand apparatus or with one hand apparatus on which the toothbrush or mouth-rinsing nozzle can be attached, whereby corresponding precautions for safe operation are to be taken (U.S. Pat. No. 4,141,352, DE-AS No. 21 09 005, DE-AS No. 21 09 006, GB- OS No. 2 071 498 A). These apparatuses are very expensive in construction and above all are impracticable in operation because for toothcleaning a change of the apparatus or change of the attachment is required.
With back and forth moving or swinging toothbrushes a fluid supply has been incorporated in the hand apparatus or the brushhead (U.S. Pat. No. 3,273,189, DE-OS No. 31 19 338 Al). These systems have found no acceptance in practice presumably because the back and forth moving toothbrush has not achieved the desired good cleaning effect and because the fluid supply was unfavorable. For rotating dental handpiece in particular an angle piece fluid supply from outside to the inclined working surface of the workpiece is known from AT-PS No. 23 99 58. Such a handpiece equipped with bevel-gear drive and ball bearings is too expensive and too heavy for daily self-toothcleaning. Also suitable drive possibilities are lacking in the household and the tools are unsuitable for self-toothcleaning.
An apparatus for feeding and massaging the gums is disclosed in DE-OS No. 29 01 136 in accordance with which a massage tool of rubber is oscillated by a wobble disc and fluid is led from the handle part through a central conduit in the rotary drive to the outer region of the massage tool. The fluid conduit serves in this design in the entire region of the cleaning part as a bearing for the drive shaft whereby the two couplings (fluid and drive coupling) are provided directly next to one another in the region
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Adams Bruce L.
Burns Robert E.
Durr-Dental GmbH & Co. KG
Lobato Emmanuel J.
Roberts Edward L.
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