US20100071144A1

Movatterモバイル変換

Info

Publication number: US20100071144A1
Application number: US12/238,222
Authority: US
Inventors: Puneet Nanda
Original assignee: Dr Fresh LLC
Current assignee: Dr Fresh LLC
Priority date: 2008-09-25
Filing date: 2008-09-25
Publication date: 2010-03-25

Abstract

A toothbrush with a folding two-piece handle, the pivot designed to rotate the brush of the handle in relationship to rest of the handle, the pivot also designed to slide into a slot to lock the handle into the open upright position. The handle having a secondary slot and corresponding protrusion to further secure the handle in place.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present inventions relate to dental hygiene and, more particularly, to toothbrushes.

2. Description of the Related Art

To ensure proper oral care, dentists recommend that we brush our teeth more than once a day for at least two to three minutes each time. Despite this recommendation, the average adult person does not brush his or her teeth sufficiently. This problem is worse with children, who have notoriously short attention spans and often view brushing their teeth as a chore.

Additionally there are times, such as when travelling or on vacation, where some people find brushing their teeth to be even more difficult. This difficulty can arise because of the inconvenience of having to carry a normal, full sized toothbrush or the fear of getting the toothbrush dirty as it is placed together with other toiletry articles in a bag or suitcase. Accordingly, there is a general need for a device that encourages people, especially children, to brush their teeth more often and for longer periods of time whether at home or while traveling.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A folding toothbrush having an open position and a closed position, the toothbrush can comprise a two-piece handle, a pivot or a pair of pivots, and a first slot or a pair of first slots. The second piece of the two-piece handle can be configured to be received by the first piece in the closed position. The pivot or pivots can be in a corresponding first slot or slots and can be configured to both rotate and slide within the first slot. The second piece can comprise a head and at least one bristle. The toothbrush can further comprise a second slot and a protrusion that can be configured to substantially conform within the second slot when in the open position.

In other embodiments the toothbrush can comprise a first slot with a rotating section and a locking section. The toothbrush can also comprise a third slot where at least one side of the protrusion be can configured to substantially conform within the third slot when in the closed position.

According to other embodiments, a folding toothbrush having an open position and a closed position can comprise a two-piece handle, where the second piece can be configured to be received by the first piece in the closed position, and the second piece can comprise a head and at least one bristle. The toothbrush can further comprise a pair of semicircular pivots and a pair of first slots corresponding to the pair of semicircular pivots. Each pivot can be in the corresponding first slot and can be configured to both rotate and slide within the first slot. In addition, each of the pair of first slots can have a semicircular region and an elongated region. The toothbrush can further comprise a pair of protrusions, and a pair of second slots corresponding to the pair of protrusions. Each protrusion can be configured to substantially conform within the corresponding second slot when in the open position. The toothbrush can further comprise a pair of third slots that can also correspond to the pair of protrusions. Each protrusion can be configured to fit within the corresponding third slot when in the closed position.

Another embodiment comprises a method of operating a folding toothbrush. The method can comprise providing the folding toothbrush, and opening the folding toothbrush from a closed position. The step of opening the folding toothbrush can comprise rotating a second section of the toothbrush in relation to a first section at a pivot, sliding the second section in relation to the first section, wherein the pivot can slide into a first securing slot and sliding a protrusion into a second securing slot. The method can further comprise using the toothbrush to brush at least one tooth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention are described with reference to drawings of certain preferred embodiments which are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a folding toothbrush according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1 showing the toothbrush in the closed position.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a part of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the part of the toothbrush ofFIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of an additional part of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1 showing the change from the closed position to the open position.

FIG. 7A shows a detail view of part of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1 in the closed position.

FIG. 7B shows a detail view of one position of part of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1 as the toothbrush moves from the closed position to the open position.

FIG. 7C shows a detail view of another position of part of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1 as the toothbrush moves from the closed position to the open position.

FIG. 7D shows a detail view of part of the toothbrush ofFIG. 1 in the open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a folding toothbrush. Thetoothbrush2 can comprise a two-piece handle10, apivot16 and aslot26. The two-piece handle can comprise afirst piece12, and asecond piece14. Thesecond piece14 of the handle can comprise abrush18. Thebrush18 can comprise ahead20 andbristles22.

As shown, thetoothbrush2 can have a pocket knife like design with an open position (FIG. 1) and a closed position (FIG. 2). In the open position, thesecond piece14 of the handle can be in an extended position such that thehead20 of thesecond piece14 can be extended to a position away from thefirst piece12 of the handle. In the closed position, thesecond piece14 of the handle can be in an unextended position such that thehead20 of thesecond piece14 can be in close proximity to thefirst piece12. This can be similar to the relationship between the handle of a pocket knife and a blade or other tool when the pocket knife is in an open or closed position. The opening and closing of thetoothbrush2 is described in more detail below.

A folding toothbrush, as illustrated, can be useful for travel or vacations. Additionally, the folding toothbrush shown can be compact to facilitate use of carrying without sacrificing easy of use or usability. A folding toothbrush can protect the head and bristles from contacting other items, thus maintaining cleanliness and sanitation.

Thetoothbrush2 can further comprise areceiving area24. Thereceiving area24 can be shaped so as to receive the brush18 (FIG. 2). In other embodiments, thesecond piece14 of the handle can be substantially received within thefirst piece12 at receivingarea24, while in other embodiments thesecond piece14, including thebrush18, can be only partially or minimally received within thefirst piece12. In still other embodiments thesecond piece14 is not received within thefirst piece12 at all. Preferably thesecond piece14 is not completely received into thefirst piece12 at receivingportion24 so that a user can more easily manipulate thetoothbrush2 between the open and closed positions, as inFIG. 2.

The receivingarea24 can comprise, for example, a recess, hole or cavity in thefirst piece12 of the handle. The receivingarea24 can be contoured to closely reflect the shape of thesecond piece14 of the handle or the portions ofsecond piece14 that are received into the receivingarea24. The receivingarea24 can also be shaped in a way independent of the shape of thesecond piece14 while still accepting thesecond piece14 or the portions ofsecond piece14 that are to be received therein according to the particular design used.

Returning to thetoothbrush2 illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2, to move thetoothbrush2 between the open and closed positions, thetoothbrush2 can rotate aroundpivot16. Thepivot16 can be within aslot26. In one embodiment, thepivot16 can be a protrusion on thesecond piece14 and theslot26 can comprise a part of thefirst piece12 of the handle. In other embodiments, thesecond piece14 can further comprise thepivot16 and thehandle12 can further comprise theslot26.

Turning now toFIGS. 3 and 4, thesecond piece14 of the handle will be discussed. As illustrated, thesecond piece14 of the handle comprises abrush18, apivot16, a raisedportion34, and aprotrusion28. Thebrush18 can further comprise ahead20 and abristle22. As depicted in the figures, both sides of thesecond piece14 of the handle are mirror images of one another. According to some embodiments, thepivot16 can be on only one side of thesecond piece14. According to some further embodiments, theprotrusion28 can be on only one side of thesecond piece14.

As shown, theprotrusion28 is in the shape of a rectangle that protrudes from the side of thesecond piece14. According to other embodiments, theprotrusion28 can be in the form of a shape other than a rectangle.

Thepivot16 is shown on the raisedportion34. The raisedportion34 is optional and can provide extra space or a gap between thefirst piece12 and thesecond piece14 to reduce the friction when moving from the closed position to the open position or vice versa. The raisedportion34 can be a circular protrusion on the side of thesecond piece14 of the handle. When thetoothbrush2 is assembled, the raisedportion34 can contact thefirst piece12 so that a gap can form between the first12 and second14 pieces, at least around the areas surrounding the raisedportion34.

Thepivot16 can reside on the raisedportion34. Thepivot16 can be in the shape of a semicircle that is protruded from the side of thesecond piece14. According to some embodiments, thepivot16 can be mostly or substantially semicircular. According to some embodiments thepivot16 can be a shape that is slightly more or less of a circle than semicircular.

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of thefirst piece12 of the handle. In the illustrated embodiment, thefirst piece12 comprises afirst slot26, asecond slot30, athird slot32 and a receivingarea24. Thefirst slot26 can comprise arotating section34 andlocking section36. The rotatingsection34 can be generally circular as depicted. The lockingsection36 can be generally a trapezoid, rectangle or parallelogram in shape. The rotatingsection34 andlocking section36 can also be other shapes.

The shape of thefirst slot26 can also be understood with reference to the following description. Thefirst slot26 can be shaped like a lowercase letter “b” which, as depicted inFIG. 5, has been laid on its back. The shape of thefirst slot26 can be described further as follows. Divide a circle into four quadrants using a Cartesian coordinate system with x and y axes. Slightly shift the x-axis in the +y direction so that the circle is slightly off center of the center point (0,0) of the system, along the y-axis. Protrude the portion of the circle in the −x,−y or third quadrant along the x-axis, in the −x direction, thus effectively shifting this portion of the circle to the side of the rest of the circle with two parallel lines of equal length connecting the portion with the remaining circle. One line is along the x-axis and both lines are perpendicular to the y-axis. In other embodiments the protruded portion can end in a straight line instead of an arc of a circle. In still other embodiments the portion represented here by the protruded portion can take on other shapes not confined to shapes related to circles.

Thefirst slot26 can optionally comprise a connectingsection38. The connectingsection38 can be used to facilitate assembling thetoothbrush2. Thesecond piece14 and thefirst piece12 can be connected by placing thepivot16 within the connectingsection38 and forcing thepivot16 downward toward the rotatingsection34 until the pivot has entered the rotatingsection34. The depth of the connectingsection38 can be less than the depth of therotating section34 to prevent thetoothbrush2 from becoming disassembled. The depth of the connectingsection38 can also be less than the depth of both other sections. The other sections, i.e. the rotatingsection34 and thelocking section36 can be the same depth.

Now turning to thesecond slot30, thesecond slot30 can be designed so that theprotrusion28 fits snuggly into thesecond slot30. This can provide stability to thetoothbrush2 when in the open position. One or more sides of theprotrusion28 can be configured to substantially conform to the shape of thesecond slot30. For example, three sides of theprotrusion28 can substantially conform to the shape of thesecond slot30. The bottoms of theprotrusion28 andsecond slot30 can also be configured to substantially conform to each other.

Thethird slot32 is optional and is designed so that theprotrusion28 will fit within thethird slot32. Thethird slot32 can be configured such that theprotrusion28 substantially conforms within thethird slot32 similar to thesecond slot30.

Opening thetoothbrush2 from the closed position (FIG. 2) to the open position (FIG. 1) will now be described with reference toFIG. 6. A user can take thetoothbrush2 and while securing thefirst piece12 of the handle in one hand, use the other hand to grip thesecond piece14 and separate thehandle10 by pulling thesecond piece14 away from thefirst piece12. This should allow thesecond piece14 to rotate in relation to thefirst piece12.FIG. 6 demonstrates the relative positions of the first12 and second14 pieces of the handle as thetoothbrush2 moves from the closed position “A” to the open position “D”. Initially thesecond piece14 rotates at thepivot16 from the “A” position, through the “B” position until thesecond piece14 reaches the end of its rotation at the “C” position. Thesecond piece14 then translates towards thefirst piece12 to reach the final open position represented by the letter “D”.

FIGS. 7A-D show detail views of thepivot16,protrusion28 and first26, second30 and third32 slots as the toothbrush moves from the closed position to the open position. In the closed position, as shown inFIG. 7A, theprotrusion28 is within thethird slot32 and thepivot16 is within thefirst slot26, in therotating section34. The pivot is semicircular with the arc facing the top region of therotating section34, as viewed inFIG. 7A. Thesecond piece14 can be rotated in relation to thefirst piece12.FIG. 7B demonstrates one position of the

pieces

12,14 as thesecond piece14 is rotated. In this position, as shown, theprotrusion28 is not within either of second30 or third32 slots, thepivot16 is still within the rotatingsection34 of thefirst slot26 and now the arc of thepivot16 is substantially facing the right side of therotating section34.

FIG. 7C shows the end of the rotation. At the end of the rotation, as shown, theprotrusion28 is still not within either of second30 or third32 slots, thepivot16 is within the rotatingsection34 of thefirst slot26 and now the arc of the pivot is substantially facing the bottom of therotating section34. From this position the first12 and second14 pieces of the handle are then translated towards one another in the horizontal direction, as viewed inFIG. 7C. Thepivot16 then slides from the rotatingsection34 to thelocking section36. Theprotrusion28 also slides into thesecond slot30.FIG. 7D shows the final position where thetoothbrush2 is in the open position. Here, theprotrusion28 andpivot16 are secured within thesecond slot30 andlocking section36, respectively, so that thesecond piece14 is securely in position with respect to thefirst piece12. By being thus secured, the user can be able to brush his or her teeth without the first12 and second14 pieces becoming disengaged prematurely.

After use, or when the user desires, thetoothbrush2 can be closed following the same steps as outlined above in the opposite direction and in reverse order. In other embodiments the positions and relations as explained above can be slightly different. For example, in other embodiments thepivot16 can begin to enter thelocking section36 before finishing the step of rotating. In addition, according to certain embodiments thepivot16 can rotate about between 165° and 195° within thefirst slot26. In some embodiments thepivot16 can rotate about 180° within thefirst slot26.

Thetoothbrush2 has many benefits. In particular, thetoothbrush2 is compact and easy to store. Thetoothbrush2 is also especially useful for traveling. In addition, the receivingarea14 can protect thehead20 and bristles22 from contact with other potentially unsanitary sources. For example, if thetoothbrush2 were placed in a closed position into a suitcase or toiletry bag, thebristles22 and at least part of thehead20 could be protected from contacting over items that may be in the suitcase or bag. This can have the affect of preserving the cleanliness of the toothbrush. Also, thetoothbrush2 as described can be very secure in the open position. This can facilitate using thetoothbrush2 to brush the user's teeth as the user may not be required to maintain thetoothbrush2 in the open position by the force of the user's hand.

Another embodiment comprises a method of operating afolding toothbrush2. The method can comprise providing thefolding toothbrush2, and opening thefolding toothbrush2 from a closed position. The step of opening thefolding toothbrush2 can comprise rotating asecond section14 of the toothbrush in relation to afirst section12 at apivot16, sliding thesecond section14 in relation to thefirst section12, wherein thepivot16 can slide into afirst securing slot36 and sliding aprotrusion28 into asecond securing slot30. The method can further comprise using thetoothbrush2 to brush at least one tooth.

The method can still further comprise sliding the pivot16 a distance equal to the length of thepivot16. The step of rotating can further comprise rotating thesecond section14 between about 165° and 195°.

Although certain embodiments, features, and examples have been described herein, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many aspects of the methods and devices shown and described in the present disclosure may be differently combined and/or modified to form still further embodiments. For example, any one component shown and described above can be used alone or with other components without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Additionally, it will be recognized that the methods described herein may be practiced in different sequences, and/or with additional devices as desired. Such alternative embodiments and/or uses of the methods and devices described above and obvious modifications and equivalents thereof are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present invention should not be limited by the particular embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A folding toothbrush having an open position and a closed position, the toothbrush comprising:

a two-piece handle, the second piece configured to be received by the first piece in the closed position, the second piece comprising a head and at least one bristle;

a pair of pivots;

a pair of first slots, each pivot being in a corresponding first slot and configured to both rotate and slide within the first slot;

a second slot; and

a protrusion configured to substantially conform within the second slot when in the open position.

2. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein each of the pair of first slots comprise a rotating section and a locking section.

3. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein each of the pair of pivots is configured to be in the rotating section of the corresponding first slot in the open position and in the locking section of the corresponding first slot in the closed position.

4. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, further comprising a third slot, at least one side of the protrusion configured to substantially conform within the third slot when in the closed position.

5. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein the pivot is configured to substantially conform within the locking section when in the open position.

6. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein the rotating section being generally circular.

7. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein the locking section being generally a trapezoid, rectangle or parallelogram in shape.

8. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein the pivot can rotate about between 165° and 195° within the first slot.

9. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein the pivot can rotate about 180° within the first slot.

10. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein three sides of the protrusion substantially conform within the second slot.

11. The folding toothbrush ofclaim 1, wherein each of the pair of first slots further comprise a connecting section, wherein the depth of the connecting section is less than the depth of the other sections.

12. A folding toothbrush having an open position and a closed position, the toothbrush comprising:

a pair of semicircular pivots;

a pair of first slots corresponding to the pair of semi-circular pivots, each pivot being in the corresponding first slot and configured to both rotate and slide within the first slot, each of the pair of first slots having a semi-circular region and an elongated region;

a pair of protrusions;

a pair of second slots corresponding to the pair of protrusions and each protrusion configured to substantially conform within the corresponding second slot when in the open position; and

a pair of third slots also corresponding to the pair of protrusions and each protrusion configured to fit within the corresponding third slot when in the closed position.

13. A method of operating a folding toothbrush comprising:

providing the folding toothbrush;

opening the folding toothbrush from a closed position, comprising:

rotating a second section of the toothbrush in relation to a first section at a pivot;

sliding the second section in relation to the first section, wherein the pivot slides into a first securing slot; and

sliding a protrusion into a second securing slot; and

using the toothbrush to brush at least one tooth.

14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the step of rotating further comprises rotating the second section between about 165° and 195°.

15. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the step of sliding the second section further comprises sliding the pivot a distance equal to the length of the pivot.