US2517029A - Telescopic toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

INVEN TOR.

Sn wfi a G S RIDNER, 5R

TELESCOPIC TOOTHBRUSH' Aug. 1, 1950 Patented Aug. 1, 195 0 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELESCOPIC TOOTHBRUSH George S. Ridner, Sr., Newark, N. J.

Application August 15, 1946, Serial No. 690,752

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to tooth brushes of the collapsible type.

An important object of my invention is to provide a tooth brush comprising a hollow handle and a brush head adapted to be telescoped within the handle when the tooth brush is not in service but which is slidable outwardly to extended position through an open end of the handle when the brush is to be used for brushing the teeth.

Another object ofmy invention-is to provide a tooth brush of the above character including means which, when the brush is telescoped to inoperative position, engage the rows of bristles and press them laterally together so that during drying of the bristles they will restore themselves to generally the same erect position as when new, thus preserving the life of the tooth brush.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a tooth brush of the above character in which the brush head as it is drawn outwardly from the handle forms a tight frictional lock therewith so as to maintain the tooth brush against collapse during its period of use.

As an additional object, my invention provides a tooth brush which is adapted to be quickly and conveniently extended and collapsed and which in the latter condition occupies a very small space so as to be readily carried about upon the person or in a toilet kit or a ladys handbag.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention, reference being had to the annexed drawing in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a telescopic tooth brush in extended position:

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the tooth brush fully collapsed;

Figure 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the brush taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Figure 4 is an exploded view of the handle; and

Figure 5 is a plan View in part sectional of one end of the tooth brush with the brush head in extended position.

The collapsible tooth brush shown in the drawing comprises a hollow handle I and a brush head 2 slidably associated with the handle so as to be telescoped into and out of the handle through an open end thereof.

The handle, as best shown in Fig. 4, is made in two sections, namely a trough-shaped shell 3 having its side walls 3a longitudinally recessed, as indicated at 4 to provide a trackway for the brush head, and a cover 5 adapted to overlie and close the open side of the shell.

The brush head is of generally rectangular when the brush head is drawn outwardly of the handle the block makes a wedge fit within its trackway as the brush head reaches its fully ex- 5 tended position, as indicated in Fig. 5.

The cover 5 rests upon the upper edges of the two side walls 3a of the shell 3 and has a pair of downwardly projecting ribs 8 which rest against the inner faces of the walls 3a of the shell 3 and are cemented thereto so as to hold the shell and cover together in unitary assembly. One end of the cover-that is, the end overlying the tapered trackway section ta of the shell-has a longitudinal slot 9 into which the bristles 5 of the brush head are adapted to slide when the brush is collapsed. The width of this slot corresponds to approximately the width of the area on the head occupied by the bristles so that as the brush head is slid into the handle the sides of the slot exert lateral pressure upon the longitudinal outer rows of bristles whereby the bristles are forced together and urged to upright position. Thus, following use of the tooth brush while the bristles are still wet, the slot 9 serves to restore the bristles to their original erect position which, after drying out, the bristles will tend to maintain and thereby prolong the eiiective life of the brush.

The end of the shell 3 nearest the brush head is externally reinforced by a metal band .H] to avoid spreading of the sides 3a as the block 1 wedges against the converged portion 4a of the grooves 4, while the opposite end of the shell is closed by a down-turned section 5a of the cover 5 which is cemented to the end of the shell. A drain opening I l is formed in the downturned section to for the escape of any soap or water that may become entrapped within the handle.

The tooth brush is preferably made of plastic although it may be made of metal, or partly plastic and partly metal.

It will be apparent that when the brush is telescoped into the handle the tooth brush occupies a small space and may be conveniently carried in a pocket or compactly stowed away in a toilet kit, or ladys hand bag. In order to prevent the bristles from becoming soiled or from wetting the inside of the pocket, kit, or handbag, the tooth brush will preferably be placed in a waterproof receptacle, such as a plastic container, but since such container forms no part of the present invention it is not described herein.

It is within the purview of my invention to make the handle of unitary one-piece construction, if found desirable, instead of utilizing the shell and cover construction as described above.

Obviously various changes in the form, construction, arrangement and combination of the several parts of my new telescopic tooth brush may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the nature and principle of my invention. as defined by the following claim.

I claim:

A collapsible tooth brush comprising an elongated hollow handle open at one end, a brush head its side walls cut away so that they together define a generally T-shaped recess for slidably receiving the brush head, said side walls being con- ,Vergingly inclined towards the open end of the handle and located adjacent thereto, and one end of the brush head terminating in a block of T- shaped cross-section adapted to travel within the recess and to bind within the convergingly inclined portions of the side walls, a cover closing the open longitudinal side of the shell and having REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,407,214 Osborn Feb. 21, 1922 1,468,431 Wodonos Sept. 18, 1923 1,731,500 Nielsen Oct. 15, 1929 1,7 97,946 Eichel Mar. 24, ,1931 1,826,234 Acheson ;O.ct. 6, 1931 1,947,720 Laub Feb. 20, 1934 2,060,869 Hopkins Nov, 17, 1936 2,083,728 Mayer June 15, 1937 2,093,007 Chott -0 Sept. .14, 1937 2,116,406 Nancarrow May 3, 1938 2,154,846 Heyman et al Apr. 18, 1939 2,160,618 Kreutzig May .30, 1939 2,253,210 ,Psiharis 1 Aug. 19,1941

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 221,092 Great Britain Sept. 4,1924

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