US20100293733A1

US20100293733A1 - Toothbrush

Info

Publication number: US20100293733A1
Application number: US12/454,551
Authority: US
Inventors: Scott T. Hebebrand
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2009-05-20
Filing date: 2009-05-20
Publication date: 2010-11-25

Abstract

A toothbrush having a handle with a brush at one end has an open-ended slot in the handle adapted to receive a collapsible tube of toothpaste and force the toothpaste by wedging action from a closed end of the tube toward a dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot. The slot has a configuration that is adapted to partially define the handle with a stiff resiliently-hinged handle portion and an opposing relatively rigid handle portion wherein the hinged handle portion is operable to swing outward and inward of the handle and by squeezing action on these handle portions vary as well as maintain the width of the slot and thereby control and assist in forcing the toothpaste by wedging action to a desired degree toward the dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to toothbrushes and more particularly to those having one or more added features.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Apart from the intended use of a toothbrush, there have been various proposals directed to adding features to the toothbrush in support of its intend purpose. For example, it has been proposed to adapt the toothbrush in a way that facilitates its storage as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0178406 A1. Wherein the handle of the toothbrush is provided with an open-ended elongated slot allowing the toothbrush to be stored upright in a suspended manner on the lip of a toothbrush holder/glass.
On the other hand, it has been proposed to similarly add an open-ended elongated slot in the handle of a toothbrush but for the purpose of extracting the toothpaste from a collapsible tube of toothpaste as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,088. Wherein the sealed end of a collapsible tube of toothpaste is inserted in the slot and then wrapped about the handle to force the toothpaste toward the dispensing end for the purpose of eventually fully compacting the tube and extracting all of the toothpaste available.
In contrast with an open-end elongated slot in the handle of a toothbrush for either of the above purposes, it has been proposed to add an elongated slot in the handle of a toothbrush which is closed at both ends as disclosed in U.K. Patent Application GB 2 250 184 A. Wherein the slot receives the sealed end of a collapsible tube of toothpaste and the tube is then pulled from the sealed end through the slot thereby squeezing the tube and forcing the toothpaste toward its dispensing end and eventually fully collapsing the tube in order to ultimately utilize as much toothpaste as is available. And in this example as well as that of wrapping the tube about the handle of the toothbrush to aid in extracting the toothpaste, it will be appreciated that this is in lieu of squeezing or coiling a collapsible tube of toothpaste by hand in order to eventually extract as much toothpaste as possible from its container.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The present invention also utilizes an open-ended elongated slot in the handle of a toothbrush to aid in extracting toothpaste from a collapsible tube but in a significantly different and more advantageous manner. Wherein the slot is configured to partially define the handle with a stiff resiliently-hinged handle portion and an opposing stiff relatively rigid handle portion. And wherein the hinged handle portion is normally conditioned to cooperate with the rigid handle portion in establishing the slot with a nominal width determined to accept the sealed end of a commercially available tube of toothpaste and also a fully collapsed portion of the tube located intermediate its length. And wherein the hinged portion is adapted to swing inward and outward of the handle under control of squeezing and releasing action on the stiff handle portions to vary the width of the slot and thereby facilitate entry of a partially collapsed portion of the tube into the slot. With this being in addition to allowing entry of the sealed end and side entry of a fully collapsed portion of the tube and also providing control and assistance in forcing the toothpaste to a desired degree toward the dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot following entry.
Several embodiments of the invention are disclosed with each possessing the same basic advantages as well as providing one or more further advantages. These embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings and together with other aspects of the invention are described in detail in the accompanying description.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of a toothbrush according to the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a side view taken along the lines 2-2 in FIG. 1 when looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 3 is a backside view taken alone the lines 3-3 in FIG. 2 when looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the lines 4-4 in FIG. 3 when looking in the direction of the arrows and shows the insertion of a partially used collapsible tube of toothpaste in the slot provided in the toothbrush,

FIG. 5 is a view like FIG. 4 showing another embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 6 is a partial view taken along the lines 6-6 in FIG. 5 when looking in the direction of the arrows,

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the toothbrush showing another embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 8 is a view like FIG. 7 showing another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, there is shown a toothbrush 10 comprising a handle 12 and a brush 14 and for firm gripping is provided with spaced textured areas 15 and 16 on the front side and a single textured area 18 on the backside. Wherein the toothbrush 10 following conventional practice is made of a suitable thermal setting plastic in a plastic injection molding machine. With the brush 14 inserted in a mold cavity defining the handle 12 and the thermal setting plastic then injected into the mold cavity to form the handle with the brush firmly retained in place.
In accordance with the present invention, an open-ended elongated slot 20 is provided in the side of the handle 12 enabling the toothbrush to aid in extracting as much toothpaste as possible from a commercially available collapsible tube of toothpaste. The slot 20 extends about one-half the length of the toothbrush from an open end 22 located near the butt end 24 of the handle to a closed rounded end 26 that is located at an intermediate point between the butt end of the handle and the brush. The slot 20 has a length substantially greater than the width of a commercially available tube of toothpaste and divides the handle into two stiff handle portions 28 and 30 and at its closed end 26 angles outward a substantial distance toward the front side of the toothbrush to form a relatively thin portion 32 compared with the width of the handle portions 28 and 30 as viewed in FIG. 2.
Whereby the thin portion 32 at the closed end 26 of the slot directly integrally joins the handle portion 28 at the front side of the toothbrush with the unslotted portion 34 of the handle 12 and provides an integral and significantly resilient portion in the handle between this handle portion and the remainder of the handle. Thereby providing for the stiff front handle portion 28 to be swung by forced action both inward and outward of the handle and about the closed end 26 of the slot 20 from its normal or as-molded condition shown in FIG. 2 while the stiff and resultantly relatively rigid rear handle portion 30 remains in its normal as-molded condition shown in FIG. 2 and upon relief of the swinging or pivoting force is returned by the resilient portion 32 to its normal as-molded condition. Such operation being described in more detail later along with the provision of a recessed surface 36 that forms a slight depression in the outer side of the handle side portion 28 which can be felt by hand by a user in controlling the swinging movement of the resiliently hinged handle portion 28 and thereby in controlling the degree to which the remaining toothpaste is forced toward the dispensing end of the tube as also described in more detail later.
The width of the slot 20 along its length between its open end 22 and closed end 26 in the normal or as-molded condition of the resiliently-hinged front handle portion 28 is constant as shown in FIG. 2 and is determined to closely receive the sealed end 38 of a commercially available collapsible tube 40 of toothpaste as shown in FIG. 4. Wherein the tube of toothpaste is normally closed at its dispensing end when not in use by a cap 42 that may for example be a screw type as shown or of some other suitable type such as a flip type cap that remains attached to the tube.
In the dispensing of the toothpaste onto a toothbrush, the tube in normal practice is squeezed byhand and this,may occur at any location along the length thereof depending on the user and as a result it may be concentrated at the dispensing end that is preferable for subsequent use. Or it may be concentrated at a remote location or concentrated as shown in FIG. 4 at spaced locations along the length thereof And as a result, further hand squeezing of the tube along its length is normally necessary to force the remaining toothpaste at such remote location to the dispensing end and then force the toothpaste out of the tube and either deposited directly onto the brush in a desired amount or the desired amount may be dispensed from the tube and later deposited on the brush.
The present invention operates in lieu of hand squeezing the tube of toothpaste to concentrate the available toothpaste at the dispensing end whether the cap is in place or not. And this can be accomplished at any time thereby enabling full use of the toothpaste available without having to hand squeeze and/or coil the tube from its sealed end toward its dispensing end as is commonly done to force the remaining toothpaste to the dispensing end of the tube.
For example, the sealed end 38 of the tube can be inserted directly into the slot 20 while the toothbrush is held in one hand where after the tube is then pulled by the other hand from the sealed end through the slot while the user squeezes on the handle 12 including the resiliently-hinged front handle portion 28 to maintain the normal slot width and thus force the remaining toothpaste in the tube with wedging action toward the dispensing end. Or the tube can be inserted sideways into the slot 20 through its open end 22 at some point along the tube where it is either fully collapsed or partially collapsed. With the latter facilitated by the open end 22 of the slot being defined by smooth convex surfaces on the opposing handle portions 28 and 30 as shown in FIG. 2 and readily permitted by the ability of the resiliently-hinged handle portion 28 to be forcibly swung outwardly of the handle by the partially collapsed tube to permit such side entry and wherein the hinged handle portion 28 can then be forced by squeezing on the handle at the handle portions 28 and 30 to swing inward toward its normal condition and with the availability of using the feel into depression 36 the hinged handle portion to help determine the amount of tube collapse or compression desired. Which will provide full tube collapse when the resiliently-hinged handle portion 28 is returned to and can be maintained in its normal condition by hand squeezing action to thereby establish and maintain the normal slot width in providing for maximum use of the remaining toothpaste as the tube is pulled through the slot.
It will also be understood that the above-described forced movement of the toothpaste toward the dispensing end of the tube 40 by the action of the slot 20 can be accomplished with the cap 42 either on or off For example, when the cap is left on, the toothpaste is readily available at the dispensing end of the tube and after removal from the slot and removal of the cap, the toothpaste can by hand squeezing the tube be readily deposited in a desired amount directly onto the brush 14 or subsequently. Or with the cap off and while the tube remains in the slot, the toothpaste can be readily dispensed from the tube in a desired amount by action of the slot including the hand pressure applied to the hinged handle portion 28 and following removal of the tube from the slot then be deposited on the brush. And either case, it will be understood that the resiliently-hinged handle portion 28 can be closely controlled by the user by squeezing on the handle at the handle portions 28 and 30 to whatever degree is desired to control the width of the slot and thus in determining the desired redistribution of the remaining toothpaste in the tube as well as the amount of toothpaste dispensed when the cap is off.
Such forced redistribution of the remaining toothpaste by the slot 20 is facilitated by the opposing sides 44 of the slot 20 having a convex shape as shown in FIG. 4 that operate on the tube in the same manner irrespective of which direction the tube is pulled through the slot from the sealed end. The slot 20 may also have opposing sides 46 as shown in FIG. 5 that have a more gradual or smoother (larger radius) convex shape and cooperate to form a continuously converging or funnel shaped throat providing for more gradual squeezing of the tube. And in this case the tube is pulled in the direction feeding into the funnel shaped throat with the direction indicated to the user by a directional arrow 48 provided on each side of the handle as shown on one side in FIG. 6 and wherein it will be understood that a like directional arrow pointing in the same direction is located on the opposite side.
It will also be appreciated that the collapsed portion of the tube that extends beyond the slot 20 following its pulling through the slot and when of sufficient length can then, if desired, be coiled about the handle and left in that configuration since it can be readily removed in such coiled configuration from the slot though the open slot end 22. And it will also be appreciated that the brush-containing end of the toothbrush can be a detachable and replaceable part that can be of the same design as shown or a different design and is made separate from the handle portion and then joined with the latter with a suitable fastening joint.
Referring now to FIG. 7, there is shown another embodiment of the toothbrush according to the present invention wherein the toothbrush and its attendant features are identified with the same references numbers used previously but with the suffix “A” added. In this embodiment, the open end 22A of the slot 20A in the toothbrush 10A is now located in the front side of the toothbrush at an intermediate location along the length of the handle 12A and the closed end 26A of the slot is located near the butt end 24A of the handle and angles outward toward the front side of the toothbrush to thus form the resilient hinge portion 32A between the front handle portion 28A and the rigid rear handle portion 30A instead of directly joining the front handle portion with the un-slotted portion 34A of the handle like in the FIG. 1-6 embodiments. And like in the previous embodiments, the resiliently-hinged front handle portion 28A is provided with the concave surface 36A on its outer side that is located midway along its length to provide for hand feel by the user in controlling the degree of hinged movement allowed, if any, of the hinged side portion. And it will also be understood that the embodiment in FIG. 7 with the relocation of the resilient hinge portion 32A provides for the same operation on a tube of toothpaste in maximizing the use of the available toothpaste as the embodiments in FIGS. 1-6. And wherein side entry of the tube into the slot is now provided for at an intermediate location along the length of and in the front side of the handle rather than at the backside as provided in the FIG. 1-6 embodiments.
Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown another embodiment of the toothbrush according to the present invention wherein the toothbrush with its attendant features are identified with the same reference numbers used previously but with the suffix “B” added. In this embodiment, the open end 22B of the slot 20B in the toothbrush 10B is now located in the butt end 24B of the handle and the closed end 26B like the embodiments in FIGS. 1-6 is located at an intermediate location along the length of the handle and angles outward in the direction of the front side of the toothbrush to again form the resilient hinge portion 32B between the front handle portion 28B and the un-slotted portion 34B of the handle. And like in the FIG. 1-6 embodiments, the thus resiliently-hinged handle portion 28B is provided with the concave surface 36B on its outer side that is located midway along its length to provide for hand feel by the user in helping to control the degree of hinged movement allowed, if any, of the hinged handle portion.
And it will also be understood that the embodiment in FIG. 8 with the above-described features provides for the same operation on a tube of toothpaste in maximizing the use of any remaining toothpaste following usage as the embodiments in FIGS. 1-6. And wherein side entry of the tube of toothpaste into the slot 20B is now provided for in a straight forward manner at the butt end 24B of the handle by allowing straight or inline entry of the tube of toothpaste as compared with angled side entry of the tube of toothpaste at either the front side or the backside of the handle as provided in the previous embodiments.
It will also be appreciated that having disclosed several exemplary embodiments of the invention, persons skilled in the art may arrive at various versions or modified forms of the invention constituting other embodiments and as adapted for example to where the brush end is a detachable/replaceable part of the toothbrush. And therefore it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A toothbrush comprising a handle with a brush at one end, said handle having an open-ended elongated slot extending lengthwise of the handle adapted to receive a collapsible tube of toothpaste and force the toothpaste by wedging action from a sealed end of the tube toward a dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot, and said slot having a configuration adapted to partially define the handle with a stiff resiliently-hinged handle portion and an opposing relatively rigid handle portion wherein the hinged handle portion is normally conditioned to cooperate with the rigid handle portion in establishing the slot with a nominal width determined to accept the sealed end of a commercially available tube of toothpaste and also a fully collapsed portion of the tube and is adapted to swing inward and outward of the handle by hinging action under control of squeezing and releasing action on the handle at said handle portions to vary the width of the slot and thereby facilitate entry of a partially collapsed portion of the tube into the slot in addition to allowing entry of the sealed end and side entry of a fully collapsed portion of the tube and also providing control and assistance in forcing the toothpaste to a desired degree toward the dispensing end of the tube as the tube is pulled through the slot.

2. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has opposing convex sides adapted to define the slot width.

3. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has an open end located in a backside of the handle and a closed end angling and extending a substantial distance toward a front side of the toothbrush so as to define a resilient portion integrally joining the hinged handle portion with the handle adapted to provide for the hinging action of the hinged portion.

4. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has an open end located in a front side of the handle and a closed end angling and extending a substantial distance toward a backside of the toothbrush so as to define a resilient portion joining the hinged handle portion with the handle adapted to provide for the hinging action of the hinged handle portion.

5. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has an open end located in a butt end of the handle and a closed end angling and extending a substantial distance toward one side of the handle to define a resilient hinge portion integrally joining the hinged handle portion to the handle adapted to provide for the hinging action of the hinged portion.

6. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said hinged portion has an outer side with a concave surface.

7. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handle portions have opposing sides with converging convex surfaces adapted to define an effective slot width at a location intermediate the ends of the convex surfaces.

8. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said handle portions have opposing sides with converging convex surfaces adapted to define an effective slot width at one end of the convex surfaces, and an arrow on an outer side of the handle portions pointing in the direction of said one end of the convex surfaces.

9. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has a closed end with a configuration adapted to form a resilient hinge portion in the handle providing for the hinging action of the hinged handle portion.

10. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein said slot has an open end defined by a convex surface on the hinged handle portion and an opposing convex surface on the rigid handle portion.

11. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein a flexible portion of the handle joins the hinged handle portion to the handle independent of the rigid handle portion and is adapted to provide for the hinging action of the hinged handle portion.

12. A toothbrush as set forth in claim 1 wherein a flexible portion of the handle joins the hinged handle portion to the rigid handle portion and is adapted to provide for the hinging action of the hinged handle portion.