JPS6340525B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of disposable brushes, including toothbrushes. Applicant's U.S. patent
No. 4,176,980 discloses a disposable toothbrush having a squeezable hollow handle in which the toothpaste inside is forced through an outlet disposed between the bristles. The aforementioned brushes are also disclosed in the present invention in that a squeezable hollow handle is incorporated into the design. In contrast to Applicants' previous designs, the new brush positions the toothpaste away from the attachment surface of the bristles relative to the brush head, but also positions the toothpaste away from the ends of the bristles. It has only one toothpaste outlet with a protruding ring surrounding the outlet. The arrangement of toothpaste was created by Norman Johe.
The cylindrical outlet in the toothbrush disclosed in the Australian Patent Specification to John Hobson is distinguishable. In the above-mentioned patent, toothpaste is placed only on the outer ends of the bristles. Another improvement in the present invention is the addition of a cap that is removably attached to the brush and encloses the bristles for repeated hygienic use of the brush if toothpaste remains on the handle. Using hair wrap
For example, the US patent granted to John Robert Freilling
3653778. However, the cap disclosed in the present invention includes an outwardly extending plug that removably seals and couples the toothpaste outlet of the brush head to prevent accidental ejection of toothpaste from the brush. .

One embodiment of the invention is A: a squeezable cylindrical handle having a dispensing end and an enclosing end and extending therebetween a container adapted to hold dentifrice material to be consumed; a shaft connecting the dispensing end of the handle to a brush head; a brush head connected to the shaft with bristles extending outwardly; and a shaft connecting the dispensing end of the handle to the brush head; a passageway extending toward the head and opening between the bristles, the handle, when squeezed, directs toothpaste material substantially adjacent the base of the bristles and away from the distal ends of the bristles; B. a cap member removably attached to the head and surrounding the bristles, the cap being removably attached to the head and surrounding the bristles; an extension plug attached to the cap that removably sealingly extends into the opening to limit the flow of toothpaste material from the opening when the cap is opened; terminating in a truncated cone-shaped distal end having a smaller diameter than the body of the plug, thereby forming a stop surface adjacent to the distal end and contactable against the head; When attached to the head, the stop surface and the distal end cooperate to seal the passageway; the cap has two long edges on its two long edges to removably secure the cap on the head. a free edge with an inwardly projecting protrusion lockingly engaging cooperating fastening means on the edge of the head, and the free edge of the cap receiving the shaft; C. a cap member having a notched portion for receiving and restricting movement on the shaft; C. a lid member adapted to close the enclosed end of the cylindrical handle; the handle has a circumferential rigid thick section integrally connected to a circumferential flexible thin section;
The portions extend from the dispensing end to a position immediately adjacent the enclosing end such that a thin circumferential portion of the handle is compressed against the rigid portion to dispense toothpaste material. It is characterized by being able to be extruded from the end.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved disposable toothbrush and toothpaste combination.

Another object of the invention is to have a handle that is hollow and squeezable and contains toothpaste and is sufficiently rigid for use after the toothpaste has been released, yet encloses the bristles and provides a toothpaste outlet. To provide a disposable toothbrush equipped with a cap for plugging the toothbrush.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable, toothpaste-containing toothbrush having a toothpaste outlet located generally adjacent the bristle attachment surface and remote from the distal ends of the bristles.

Related objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.

To promote an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings. Also, specific terminology will be used for this explanation. However, it should be understood that this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. It is not intended that any changes or modifications may be made in the illustrated apparatus that may occur to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains, or that the principles of the invention illustrated in the figures may be applied in other ways. be.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a toothbrush 10 and a brush head 1 removably attached to the brush.
A brush and cap combination 9 is shown consisting of a cap 11 surrounding bristles 15 cantilevered at 4. The head 14 is attached to the handle 12 via the shaft 13,
It can be a one-piece plastic part. The cap 11 can also be made of plastic, and when the cap is attached to the head 14 the hair 15
It has a pair of enlarged side walls 44, 45 (FIG. 4) that guide the cap into the interior of the cap. A plurality of inwardly projecting projections 33 are attached to the free edge of the side wall of the cap and are locked into slots 34 (FIG. 1) formed in the edge 35 of the head 14. In this way, the cap can be secured to the head. The end side wall of the body 16 of the cap 11 is provided with a radial notch 36 to receive the circular shaft 13 in a complementary manner to limit movement of the cap on the brush body.

The handle 12 is hollow and can be gripped, and the handle 12 is hollow and can be gripped.
5 to form a container 20 which holds the special material to be administered. A passageway 19 is in fluid communication with the container 20 and extends through the shaft 13 to an outlet 18 provided in the head 14. The bristles 15 are attached to the head 14 and surround the outlet 18. A circular ring 40 is attached to the head 14;
for positioning the toothpaste or other material (e.g. toothpaste, etc.) provided inside the container 20 at a location remote from the attachment location of the hairs 15 on the head and also at a sufficient distance from the ends of the hairs; It has a hole 41 aligned with the outlet 18. Thus, the toothpaste does not accumulate at the attachment point of the bristles on the head, and therefore, the toothpaste is easy to rinse after use, instead of hardening and drying out at the attachment point (root) of the bristles 15. Because there is no such thing,
The extrusion of the next toothpaste is always smooth, the life of the bristles can be improved, and it is always more comfortable for the user. Also, the passage 1 is closed by the protruding circular ring 40.
Since the hole 41, which is the opening position of the cap 11, is raised above the hair attachment position, the plug 1 of the cap 11
7 is easy to engage with the hole 41 of the circular ring 40, thus improving the sealing function when, for example, the toothpaste material is paste-like, effectively preventing the material from drying out, and making it more comfortable to use. It can maintain its gender.

Furthermore, the outlet holes 41 are sufficiently far away from the distal ends of the bristles to allow toothpaste to flow evenly over the length of the remaining portion of the bristles.

The construction of handle 12 is shown in FIG. The handle has a semi-circular thick side wall 23 integrally joined to a semi-circular thin side wall 22, which side walls extend over the length of the handle. The thin side wall 22 is made of a flexible material, and when squeezed, the thick side wall 2
3, the toothpaste can be forced through the passageway 19 and the hole 41. The side walls 23 are sufficiently rigid to prevent the thin walls from bending when squeezed. The toothbrush does not require any parts other than the side walls 22 and 23 to push out the toothpaste, has a minimal number of parts, is simple in construction, reduces manufacturing costs, and is therefore ideal as a disposable toothbrush for travel, etc. . In addition, the operation is easy, as it is a one-touch operation of simply compressing the thin side wall 22, and the amount of extrusion can be easily adjusted. When the inside of the handle is filled with toothpaste, the lid 21 is attached to the end of the handle 12 in a sealed manner. The lid 21 has a cylindrical body 25 with an inner end 26 open to the inside of the handle, and the toothpaste is contained in the lid 2.
1, thus maximizing the amount of toothpaste or other substance contained within the handle. The opposite end 27 of the lid 21 is closed to prevent toothpaste from escaping the brush except through the hole 41. Lid 21
has an edge portion 28 extending along its outer periphery forming a circumferential groove for receiving the end of the handle 12 in a slidable and sealable manner relative to the handle.
The lid 21 can be attached to the handle 12 by various methods including heat sealing.
can be combined with The cylindrical main body 25 has a side wall 23 (second
It fits inside the radial relief provided in Figure). The end 27 of the lid is made of a hard material to further strengthen the brush handle.

The toothbrush passes through the center of the lid 21 and through the passage 19.
It has a longitudinal axis 29 passing through the center. Additionally, the axis 29 is located at a constant radial distance from the thick sidewall 23 and at a constant radial distance from the thin sidewall if the thin sidewall is not compressed or moved toward the thick sidewall. (Figure 3). The side wall 23 extends half way around the circumference of the shaft 29 and provides a gripping area for brushing the teeth without compressing or moving the wall 22 in the direction of the wall 23. The channel 19 leads from the container via the surface 24 into the hole 41 through the channel.

The cap 11 has a plug 17 (FIG. 4) integrally attached to the cap with a tapered distal end 32 that removably extends into the bore 41 of the toothbrush head. A stop surface 31 is provided adjacent the distal end 32 and contacts an outwardly facing surface 42 of the ring 40. Plug 17 includes a body 30 integrally coupled with a tapered distal end 32 and a stop surface 31 between end 32 and body 3.
It is located between 0 and 0. Cap 11 is head 1
4, the stop surface 31 is attached to the distal end 32
It cooperates with the hole 41 to seal the hole 41 and restrict the flow of toothpaste from the hole.

Many variations of the invention are contemplated and shown herein. Although the illustration shows a toothbrush and toothpaste combination, similar materials can be provided inside the brush as disclosed for brushing or washing various objects. Although the present toothbrush is disclosed as having a ring 40 surrounding the outlet 18, this ring may be omitted so that the toothpaste is directly adjacent the attachment surface of the bristles 15 at the outlet 18.
It should be understood that the toothbrush can also be made to have an opening from 8.

Although the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, it is to be considered that the same is illustrative and not restrictive in nature. It is also to be understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention are claimed to be protected.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an exploded arrangement view of a toothbrush and cap embodying the present invention, FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the brush of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2. and FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the cap of FIG. 1, as seen in the direction of the arrow. 11...Cap, 12...Handle, 13...Shaft, 1
4... Head, 15... Hair, 17... Plug, 18... Outlet, 19... Passage, 20... Container, 21... Lid, 22...
Thin side wall, 23... Thick side wall, 25... Cylindrical body, 26
...Inner end, 27...Closed end, 29...Longitudinal axis, 31...Stop surface, 32...Distal end, 33...Protrusion, 34...Slot, 35...Edge, 36...Radial cut portion, 40...ring, 41...hole, 4
4, 45... Expanded side wall.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A squeezable cylindrical handle formed by extending therebetween a container having a dispensing end and an enclosing end and adapted to hold dentifrice material to be consumed; a shaft connecting the dispensing end of the handle to a brush head; a brush head connected to the shaft and having bristles extending outwardly; and a shaft connecting the dispensing end of the handle to the brush head; a passageway extending toward the head and opening between the bristles, the handle, when squeezed, directing toothpaste material to a position substantially adjacent to the base of the bristles and remote from the distal end of the bristles; B. a cap member removably attached to the head and surrounding the bristles, the cap being removably attached to the head and surrounding the bristles; an extending plug attached to the cap that removably sealingly extends into the opening to limit the flow of toothpaste material from the opening when the plug is generally cylindrical; terminating in a truncated cone-shaped distal end having a smaller diameter than the body of the cap, forming a stop surface adjacent to the distal end contactable to the head; The stop surface and the distal end cooperate to seal the passageway when attached to the head; the cap has two long edges on its two long edges to removably secure the cap on the head. a free edge with an inwardly projecting protrusion lockingly engaging a cooperating securing means on the edge of the head, the free edge of the cap receiving the shaft; C. a cap member having a notched portion for restricting movement on the shaft; C. a lid member adapted to close the enclosed end of the cylindrical handle; the hand has a circumferential rigid thick section integrally connected to a circumferential flexible thin section;
The portions extend from the dispensing end to a position immediately adjacent the enclosing end such that a thin circumferential portion of the handle is compressed against the rigid portion to dispense toothpaste material. A disposable toothbrush characterized by being able to be pushed out from the end. 2. A disposable toothbrush according to claim 1, further comprising a protruding ring attached to the base of the bristles of the head having holes aligned with the openings of the passages.