US2668308A - Nonslip handle for tooth or denture brushes - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 9, 1954 s. H. GROSSMAN 2,668,308

NONSLIP HANDLE FOR TOOTH OR DENTURE BRUSHES Filed April 3.. 1950 INVENTOR. SAMUEL H. GROSSMAN Patentecl Feb. 9, 1954 BRUSHES Samuel: H G'rossman, Gakland, cam-z, assignor' to Pauline Grossman, Oakland, Calif.

Application Aprilt, 1950, Seri'afNo. 153,515

This invention relates to brushes used for cleaning teeth or dentures and has particular reference to the handle structuresthereof.

An object oft-he invention is to provide in an article of the class described a handle member, possessing the usual highly polished surface finish; which is provided with improved means for inhibiting excessive slippage of the users wet or soapy fingers along the handle during manipulations of the brush, which may cause loss'of con- J trol of the latter and possible droppage and breakage thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an article of the type referred to which is equipped with. a brush element at each end of the handle member thereof, anovel construction of the handle member at apoint intermediate the respective brush elements whichin normal use of either brush will maintain. the other brush. away from annoying and possible irritating. engagement with portions of the users fingers or hand.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved combination tooth and denture brush which may be produced equally as economically as other comparabl article of this type.

Theinvention possesses other objects. and features of advantage, some of which, with the foregoing, will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of the specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawing and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in th claim.

Referring to the drawing: 2

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a combined tooth and denture brush showing included therein an improved handle member constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention. L

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the brush shown in Figure 1. V

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a brush of the character referred to showing a modified form of handle member included therein.

Figure 4 is a side elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 3.

In conventional toothbrushes and in particular those special varieties provided with brush elements at opposite ends of the handle member and used interchangeably for regular brushing of teeth, for reaching comparatively inaccessible recesses of bridgework or for facilitatingthe cleaning of dentures, the usually highly polished handle element is very difficult to grip securely 12 Claim: (Cl. 15-406) particularly if the users fingers are wet OFSOQZHY with the result that the handle may sometimes slip from the fingers, the user may lose control of thebrush and the latter may fall to the-hard washbasin or floor and possibly become broken. Inthose types of special-purpose brushes having the conventional large group of'bris tles at one end of the handle member and a comparatively smaller tuft or group-of bristlesat the opposite end, the latter are usually so positionedthat they may press or rubagainst the sides of the user's hand or fingers and since the liar'rd may-be wet and the skin thereof unusually tender; annoying and sometimes persistently painful chatting,

' abrasion or actualpuncturing of the areas con tacted by the bristles may result.

Ihave provided" an improved toothbrush where i'nprovision ismade for positively limitingmnve" ment of'a user's hand or fingers along the handle member thereof after a; proper grip thereon has been secured soas" to obviate theaforementioned objectionable features inherent in presently available articlesof this general character. In the'form of the" invention shown in Figure r an elongated handle of preferably" synthetic resinoid 1 material is provided having" at one end'a: laterally broadened head? portion 6; in which the group of filamentary bristles 1- comprising the toothbrush of conventional size and'forn'r are secured i'rr-a well known manner. From an end of the head portion 6 extends a preferably integral stem or grip portion 8, for engagement by the hand or fingers of the user, provided at its distal extremity with an integral and preferably angularly disposed stem 9 formed with a laterally enlarged or bulbous tip H in which an auxiliary brush comprising a smaller group of bristles I2 is suitably secured extending preferably correspond ingly with and from the same side of the device as the principal group of bristles I. At a point on the grip portion 8 intermediate the ends thereof, stop means is provided which is engageable by the side of the user's hand or fingers to definitely position the latter relative to the principal group of bristles and limit movement or slippage of the hand along the handle member and which comprises essentially a pronounced shoulder extending from at least one side or surface of the grip portion 8 at an angle approaching perpendicularity with respect to the grip portion surface so as to minimize any tendency to spread the grip of the user's hand or fingers laterally of the grip portion under a force resulting from movement or pressure tending to move the hand --.or fingers longitudinally of the grip portion. Such structure may take one of several desirable forms and as here shown comprises wing members l3 preferably formed as integral parts of the grip portion 8 extending laterally from preferably the narrow sides of the latter and projecting therefrom sufficiently to effectively stop the hand or fingers as aforesaid, the principal requirement being, as, previously mentioned, that the mean plane of the shoulder surface l4 intersect the adjacent longitudinal surface of the grip portion 8 at about right angles so that there will be no tendency for the hand or fingers to slip over and beyond the wing members. Another important constructional requirement is that the shoulder surfaces 14 be spaced along the handle away from the bristles l2 sufficiently so that when the grip portion 8 is held in the normal grasp of the users hand or fingers, the bristle group l2 will be held away from possible engagement with immediately adjacent portions of the said hand or fingers.

In Figures 3 and 4 is shown a modified form of device comprising the functional equivalent of the structure above described. As here illustrated, the head portion 6, the main bristle group 1 and the stem or grip portion 8 are substantially the same as in the structure of Figures 1 and 2. The stem 8, however, at the end thereof remote from the head portion 6 is provided with a laterally directed bend [6 to form a shoulder surface I! whose mean plane intersects the adjacent longitudinal surface of the stem 8 at about right angles, an opposite and continuing bend it being also provided which extends into a com-.- paratively slender arm l9 lying in approximate parallel relation with the stem or grip portion 8 and provided at its distal end with the bulbous tip I I in which the auxiliary brush bristles I2 are secured.- As in the case of the structure shown in Figures land 2 the brush bristles l2 possess at least the same spaced relationship with the shoulder H as the bristles bear toward the shoulder surfaces I4. It will be thus seen that when the users hand or fingers are gripping the stem or grip portion 8 the former may slide along the latter only until the side of the hand or a finger engages and is stopped by the shoulder I! thus limiting further movement of the hand relative to the handle member.-

The above described improvements of my invention will obviously enhance the ability of the user to maintain a secure grip on the toothbrush in order that full control of the latter in the tooth brushing operations may be had regardless of whether or not the grip member may be wet, soapy and slippery and to insure that the hands or fingers do'not come into uncomfortable engagement with the auxiliary brush member.

I claim:

A toothbrush comprising an elongated relatively flat stem having an upper and lower surface and provided with an integral end portion angularly related to the general plane of said stem, whereby the lower surfaces of said stem and end portion define an obtuse angle therebetween, 'said stem having a greater length than said end portion, a first group of bristles secured to the distal end of said end portion on the lower surface thereof, a second group of bristles secured to the distal end of said stem on the lower surface thereof, and integral portions of said stem extending transversely of the longitudinal axis of said stem from the opposed sides thereof to provide a pair of opposed shoulders disposed substantially normal to said axis, said shoulders being disposed adjacent said angular related end portion, and diverging portions of said stem interconnecting the outermost portions of said shoulders and said end portion.

SAMUEL H. GROSSMAN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Kisky July 22, 1952

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