US2018158A - Fountain toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 22, 1935. R. J. vloLE'rTE FOUNTAIN TOOTHBRUSH Filed April 2o, A195s Patented' ou. z2, 193s UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE FOUNTAIN TOOTHBRUSH Richard J. Violette, Virginia, Minn. Application April 20, 1933, Serial No. 666,997

4 Claims.

This invention relates to fountain toothbrushes, the principal object being to provide a more practical and eillcient brush of this type than heretofore known.

Another object is to provide a fountain brush of this character having a novel form Vof discharge nozzle in the midst of the bristles of the brush.

A further object is to provide such a brush requiring a specic vform of container tube for same; the tube having means whereby to prevent any possible leaking or daubing of the handle portion of the brush, and one especially simple of manipulation.

A still further object is to provide a novel form of jack or thrust mechanism for the extrusion press of such a brush.

Otherobjects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description thereof. v.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one of the complete brushes with a dentifrice tube therein.`

Figure 2 is a transverse-section on the line 2 2, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the bristle end of the brush showing the position of the nozzle therewithin and the bristles removed.

I represents the handle of the brush which is preferably 'circular externally, though may be of any other desired shape if preferred. This handle portion is provided with two separate chambers; the major one for the convenient reception of the dentifrice tube 3, and the minor one, indicated at 4, for the reception of the telescopic jack or thrust mechanism, the component parts of which are indicated at 5, 6, 1, 8, and 9, which will be more fully described later. This handle portion I is provided with a closure plug I0, screw-threadedly mounted therewithin, and rotatably carries axially thereof, the jack operated cap II.

Into the opposite end of the handle I is screwthreadedly mounted the arcuately shaped -brush shank I2, it being so constructed as to receive the discharge end of the dentifrice tube and form a ush, tapered, continuation of the round handle. This brush shank is hollow and so formed as to discharge centrally of and into the group of bristles I3 of the toothbrush. For such discharge I have shown illustrated as at II a soft rubber nipple or nowle, the same being provided with a simple, central, slit I5 in the face thereof so as to freely discharge the dentifrice when under pressure, but which will automatically close by its inherent resiliency, thus insuring against remaining open and fouling within the brush 5 when not desired; and which tip or nozzle may be secured within the brush in any desired manner.

The dentifrice tube is illustrated at 3, and is of suitable rigid material to withstand ordinary l0 abuse in handling, and designed to snugly fit within the elliptically shaped bore of the handle. This bore or barrel is provided especially for the purpose of preventing turning of the tube when inserted within the handle.

The forward end of the dentifrice tube is provided with an annular inclined shoulder as at I6 so as to snugly lt the lesser inclined shoulder I'I of the socket end of the brush shank I2 to in-A sure against leakage of the dentifrice, and which 20 shoulder is further continued at a lesser angle forming a tapered neck 21 on thetube. This neck is internally screw-threaded for any suitable form of cap or plug not shown, but which tapered neck is desired to t snugly within the soft rubber fillet l5 or washer I8 installed within the socket end of the brush shank, so that when the dentifrice tube is thus installed within the handle of the toothbrush it is positively insured against leakage about such connection.

Now the rear end of the tube 3 is equipped with a concaved metal or other semi-rigid follower I9, it being so shaped as to receive the beveled face- 20 of the plunger 2|, and about its innermost inclned edge is provided with a suitable yieldable Q washer 22 or packing ring which tends to slightly expand when pressure is applied thereto by the thrust of the dentifrice thereagainst, and =also insured against leakage thereabouts when the extrusion press is forced forward.

This piston or extruder 2| is, of course, elliptical in shape to register properly with the compression ring or follower I9, and upon the opposite extremities of its larger diameter is slightly inclined sol as to engage a beveled or chamfered 5 recess'23 upon the similarly opposite ends of the rearmost extremity of the tube chamber; this being for the purpose of insuring at the return stroke of the plunger that it register uniformly within the elliptically shaped end of the chamber. i

The extruding mechanism or telescopic jack, as previously described, comprises the internally screw-threaded members 5, 6, I and 8, with the centermost plunger stem 9 having an enlarged Il head 24 screw-threadedly mounted within the member l, and. the other member i of the jack has a solid head carrying axially thereof the bolt 25' of the cap I I so that when the cap is turned as by the thumb and nger of the operator the other member of the Jack will also be turned, thus causing any or all ofthe cooperating members to similarly turn one within the other, and their frlctional engagement may permit lt .being optional as to which one does the turning, so long as the plunger stem is prevented from turning. The plug I is provided with slightly enlarged oblique faces upon either side thereof to reduce the frictional engagement of the cap and the head of the outer jack member 5, which is obvious, and it is clear from the above description that the turning of the ca'p II will force the plunger 2l into the concaved seat of thefollower I9' oi the ldentifrice tube. Also that when the cap II is turned in the opposite direction it will cause the jack to retract to its fully retracted position within the chamber, and withl the plunger 2i drawn fully back free from the end of the tube. Assuming the tube to have been emptied by the use of the device, if the handle portion I is unscrewed from the shank I2 of the brush, the neck of the tube is conveniently available for extraction and another tube vinstalled Within the handle, when the device may be again assembled and ready 'to function as before.

It is further obvious that by unscrewing of the bolt 25 the cap II may be removed. when the plug III is accessible as by a suitable wrench, and when the latter is removed, the Jack or ex- .truding mechanism may also be conveniently taken out for repair or renewal as desired.

A removable cap or cover is illustrated at 28 which may be slipped over the brush end of the i device and be frictionally held thereupon-by engagement with the brush carrying shank; the cap or cover being perforated to allow circulation of air through the bristles, for obvious reasons.

, doradas Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters. Patent, is:

i. A fountain tooth-brush comprising in combination a hollowhandle portion the interior of which is divided into two communicating chaml bers, a dentritricetube removably carried in the maior one of said chambers, and a dentifrice extrusion press carried within the minor one of said chambers and cooperatively engageable with .the tube. 10

2. In a fountain tooth-brush having a hollow handle. a removable dentifrice tube carried within 'said handle, an impervious reciprocable follower forming the bottom of said tube and providing means for discharging the contents l5 thereof, an extrusion press having a bevelededged plunger carried by said handle and engageable against said follower for forcing the contents therefrom, and means for preventing rotation of the follower within the tube.

3.' A fountain tooth-brush of the character described comprising a hollow cylindrical handle carrying a selectively reciprocable extrusion press therein having avconvex plunger, and a dentifrice tube for insertion within the handle characterized by carrying, independently of the handle, a reclprocable concavo-convex disc for engagement by the press plunger when in the handle for discharging the contents thereof to the brush. f

. 4. A fountain tooth-brush including a hollow handle having a pair of axially aligned compartments, one of which is non-circularly shaped, a dentifrice tube having an impervious reciprocable bottom within the non-circular compartl ment, a collapsible extrusion press within the circular-compartment having a plunger extendiblewithin the non-circular compartment forl engagement with said bottom for forcing the contents from the tube.

RICHARD J. VIOLETTE.

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