Coating implements with material supply – Including means to apply material-moving force – Piston-provided reservoir
Reexamination Certificate
2002-09-04
2004-02-03
Nguyen, Tuan N. (Department: 3751)
Coating implements with material supply
Including means to apply material-moving force
Piston-provided reservoir
C401S179000, C401S270000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06685375
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices comprising bristles for scrubbing teeth using toothpaste. The toothpaste is stored within the device and can be applied to said bristles by an internal mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The daily hygiene routine for teeth is to apply toothpaste to the surface of bristles on the head of a toothbrush and to move the brush in a back and forth motion to remove plaque and debris from the surface of the teeth. Commonly the toothpaste is stored in a tube separate from the toothbrush and is applied externally by squeezing the toothpaste onto the bristles attached to a plastic handle. This arrangement requires the storage of a toothpaste tube as well as a toothbrush. Also the tube itself poses various problems. Tubes often leak toothpaste that can be messy. In addition, the excess part of the tube can be cumbersome as it becomes empty. There are alternate designs that use pumps. These designs can also be messy and use an excess of packaging material that increases cost and waste.
The awkwardness of carrying both a tube and a brush can be very inconvenient during transportation. It is a common recommendation of the dental profession to brush one's teeth after every meal. Since most people eat at least one meal a day away from the home, it would be very desirable to have a compact and clean device that the user could transport to brush their teeth. It would also be desirable in such a device to apply the toothpaste as easily as possible.
The devices that exist in the prior art for combining toothpaste storage with brushing devices consist of various deficiencies that do not exist in the present invention. All of them use different mechanisms for the dispensing of toothpaste that are not as efficient as the present invention. They require more parts and will not be as effective. The outlet design of the present invention is unique and greatly reduces the risk of clogging. In addition the detachable toothbrush design of the present invention departs from the prior art and is an improvement in ease and reliability.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,101 to Ambrose V. Handel is a device for storing toothpaste and applying the toothpaste to the bristles of an included brush. This design is different from and less efficient then the present invention. The brush head is mounted to the device by a screw-in mechanism. This is a great deal more cumbersome then the snap design of the replaceable toothpaste-dispensing toothbrush. There is also the risk of the threads becoming stripped, rendering the device ineffective. The toothpaste is excreted through a hole in the brush base. This design is shared with all of the inventions in the prior art and has some important inherent flaws. Toothpaste becomes hard when it dries. This drying will occur when the paste is exposed to air and causes a blockage in flow. The present invention includes a novel design feature that encloses the unused toothpaste so that it will not harden due to exposure to the air. The device uses a replaceable cartridge design similar to the present invention but the mechanism for dispensing the toothpaste is significantly different. The Handel '101 design uses a sliding applicator that includes a knife that cuts through the casing of the cartridge while the toothpaste is forced out by the applicator. This design is problematic since the toothpaste is exposed to the device and can create build up of toothpaste on the inner components. Also the device will become difficult to use as the knife dulls.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,341 to Kyu Ho Kwak discloses a combination mechanism, but like the Handel '101 design the Kwak '341 design includes a dispensing mechanism that is different then the present invention. The mechanism of Kwak '341 is a sliding applicator that is curved to apply force to a tube inserted within the device thus squeezing toothpaste from the tube. The tube comprises a spout that feeds the toothpaste into a pipe that in turn excretes the toothpaste onto the bristles of a brush head. This device will require greater force then the present invention and can become caught easily if the tube develops wrinkles. Another drawback is that the Kwak '341 design does not disclose a replaceable head for the brush portion. This is a serious drawback since the use of a single brush should be ended when the bristles become soft and frayed. Without a removable design the entire device would have to be replaced every time the bristles wear out.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,950,095 to Pierre E. Picard uses a dispenser applicator that applies pressure to the cartridge by a disc that rotates a threaded rod that in turn forces a disc into the cartridge. This system for dispensing requires several more parts then the present invention and a more complicated combination that can easily be jammed and broken. In addition this will be more costly to produce. The mounting of the brush head varies greatly from the present invention. It slides into a groove where the head enters an internal chamber and the paste exits a hole adjacent to the brushes. The head is then slid back out for brushing. There are several drawbacks to this design the Paste will clog up the chamber where the brush is inserted and the groove will wear due to frictional use.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,663 to John Micaletti et al. is a design for a unit that has two major differences from the present invention. The brush face is detachable on the Micaletti '663 patent as opposed to the brush head. The problem with this design is that it incorporates a permanent passageway between the cartridge and the brush face that can become clogged over time. In addition this would become unsanitary after repeated use since a permanent fixture would be in constant contact with the users mouth. The loading system differs from the present invention. The cartridge in the Micaletti '663 patent is side loaded into a separate column whereas the present invention uses a rear loading design and a single column that would be less expensive to produce.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,152 to Peter Martin Ward describes a spring-loaded mechanism for a replaceable brush head. The latching design is distinct from that of the present invention since it uses a lateral spring to activate a lock down released by the press of a button. The lock down binds the brush head to the main body. The present invention however use a circular spring that is attached to the replaceable head and that is activated by squeezing two buttons to alter the angle of two hooks. Squeezed thusly these hooks will engage a ridge on the end of the main body.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 375,407 to Harold J. Smith discloses a unit that has a brush head mounted by a screw mechanism like the one described in Handel '101. In addition the dispensing mechanism relies on a soft side incorporated in the housing that would be squeezed to force the toothpaste from the inserted tube. This would not eliminate the problems faced with the common tube because the tube could not be squeezed thoroughly and the user will be required to use greater force as the tube becomes less full. In addition this soft-sided material will harden and crack.
Therefore a need exists for a novel and enhanced method for combining a toothbrush and a toothpaste storage device so that the toothpaste can be dispensed directly from the storage device to the toothbrush head. This device should be reusable and durable. It should also be easy to keep clean. In this respect, the replaceable toothpaste dispensing toothbrush according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of combining tooth brushes with toothpaste storage and dispensing devices.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of mobile dental hygiene devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an im
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