US1405279A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

W. M. CASSEDY.

TOOTHBRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1920.

1,405,279, v Patented Jan. 31, 1922 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM M. CASSEDY, OF CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY.

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Specification of Letters Yatent. Patented J an. 31, 1922.

Application filed December 4, 1920. Serial No. 428,351.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. CAssnDY, a citizen of the United States, residing-at Cape May, in the county of Cape May and State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Toothbrushes, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device to be a substituted for the ordinary tooth brush, the

general object of the invention being to provide a device of this nature, so constructed that it can beused to gently massage the gums and other portions of the mouth by a combined pressure and suction action, thus restoring diseased gums to a healthy condition, keeping healthy gums in normal condition and removing particles of food and' other foreign matter from between the teeth and polishing theteeth. The device is also constructed to retain the medicine, cleansing material or the like at its point of contact with the gums and teeth so that but-a small quantity of the medicine or other material need be used and that all parts of the gums and teeth will be subjected to the action. of the medicine or-other material.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing a 'too severe vacuum from being created which might injure thegums.

A still further object of the invention is to so form the parts that the cleaning parts will conform themselves to the parts of the mouth and teeth with which they are engaging so as t thoroughly clean and massage the parts with which they are contacting.

A still further object of the invention is to so form the parts of the device that there is nothing to bruise or otherwise injure the gums and to round all corners and edges to prevent the accumulation of foreign'matter.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described,'illustrated in the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the appended claims;

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote likeor corresponding parts throughout the several views,- and in which Figure 1 is anelevation of the invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view.

.from which tooth brushes are usually formed- In carryin out. my inventionl secure ablock 3, pre erably of spongy rubber, to the head 2 and to this block I secure a strip 4, of harder material than that from whichblock 3 is made. This strip is formed with or has secured thereto theprojections 5 which are of slightly tapered form, as shown in the drawings. Said projections are spaced apart as shown and have cupshapeddepressions 6 formed in' their outer ends, the edges around the depressions being rounded.Notches 7 are formed in said edges for preventinga too severe vacuum action by the depressions.

It will be seen that theblock 3 will act as a cushion and will permit the tapered projections to adjust themselves to fit that part of the mouth with which they are in contact, thus permitting the edges around the cups to enter the spaces between the teeth to thori oughly clean the teeth and,to engage the gums to produce a vacuum so that when the brush is moved a massaging action will be set up thus improving the circulation of blood to the gums. Thenotches 7 will prevent the vacuum action being too strong, thus preventing injury. to the ums or the pulling of the gums away from t e teeth.

After the different portions of the brush are assembled they are vulcanized so asto make a unitary structure.

My brush can be made smaller than the ordinary bristle brush and is compact. All the exposed surfaces are smoothed and the projections are rounded so that the brush is easily cleaned and there are no rough surfaces or the like to hold germs and 'foreign matter. The depressions in the projections will hold the powder, paste or medicine being used and they will evenly distibute it upon the teethand gums. Thus only a small quantity of the paste or medicine need be used as'it is not wasted as in the ordinary brushes These cups will also force the medicine or paste into the spaces between the same time gently massaging the. parts so as to increase the circulation, thus keeping the mouth in healthy condition and greatly benefitting diseased mouths.

Thenotches 7 also facilitate the deposition of the cleaning material used as they insure the passage of said material or fluid from the depressions. Attention is called to the factthat the depressions hold the cleaning material orfluid 7 just at the point where it is needed.

If itis desired to form a vacuum the brush is pressed hard enough a .ainst the teeth and gums to close the notches is not desired the brush' is pressed lightly against the teeth and gums so as to not close said notches. When the brush is pressed upon an oval or an irregular shaped surface, such asa' tooth, the walls of the depression in each rojection are drawn together, rather than be forced apart. When the brush is pressed against the teeth the projections will sink into thesoft cushion 3 and they will be drawn together, rather than be forced apart, the projections assuming the position shown in Figure 5.

In cleaning tarter from the teeth a powder' containing abrasive material is used and with my brush this powder is held in the;

depressions and passes over the walls of the depressions at the surface of the teeth just i the walls of the recesses having notches ,My device is especially useful in treating but if the vacuumdiseased gums as the massaging action pro the same time increase the circulation of" blood to the gums so that the gums are soon restored to a healthy condition. Healthy gums are also kept in normal condition by this massaging action and particles of food .and other foreign matter on the teeth and gums and between the teeth are quickly removed by my device.

I'desire it to be understood that I may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A device of the class described com.-

prising a carrying member, a cushion Ofresil1ent material thereon, a.plurality' of projections on the cushion spaced apart and each formed of slightly resilient material with a shallow recess in its end forming a vacuum 011p.

her connected therewith, a plurality of projections formed of flexible material connected with t e cushion, said projections being' of solid construction with shallow reces'ses in their ends and taperingoutwardly,

therein. v a

testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

j WILLIAM M. oAssEnr.

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