US2879533A - Disposable, one-use toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

March 31, 1959 C. D. WARD DISPOSABLE, ONE-USE TOOTHBRUSH Filed March 29, 1955 INVENTOR. CHARLES D- WARD AIM.

ATTOKNEY.

2,879,533 DISPOSABLE, ONE-USE TOOTHBRUSH Charles D. Ward, Indianapolis, Ind. Application March 29, 1955, Serial No. 497,650 1 Claim. o1. 15-167) This invention relates ticularly, to. a disposable be used only once.

The unsanitary practice of brushing ones teeth more than once. .with the same toothbrush has occasioned the need in the art for a toothbrush which is adapted for a single use. In order eltectivelyto accomplish this single-use adaptability, toothbrushes have heretofore been proposed which either were not capable of being so economically produced that their cost would not be prohibitive or were not capable of efiiciently cleaning the teeth. Furthermore, one-use toothbrushes heretofore proposed have not been readily disposable so as to obviate the unsanitary as well as unsightly practice of discarding the used toothbrush in a waste-basket or other receptacle in the washroom.

Accordingly, one of the objects of my invention is to provide a disposable, one-use toothbrush which can be so economically produced that limiting its use to a single brushing would not render the expense prohibitive to the general public.

Another object of my invention is to provide a readily disposable toothbrush head which is highly efiicient in cleaning the teeth.

Another object of my invention is to provide a disposable toothbrush which may be discarded into a toilet and after becoming sufiiciently saturated with water, will become substantially disintegrated so as not to clog the toilet when flushed.

A further object of my invention is to provide a disposable, one-use toothbrush which is sanitary and dependable in use.

Further objects will become tion proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the forms illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that change may be made in the specific constructions illustrated and described, so long as the scope of the appended claim is not violated.

Fig. 1 is a top view of my improved disposable toothbrush showing one form of brush head;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing another form of brush head;

Fig. 3 is likewise a similar view showing still another form of brush head;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the toothbrush shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is an end view thereof;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a partially folded length of the strip material which forms a part of the head of the toothbrush, this view clearly illustrating the manner in which the bristles are embedded in the strip.

Referring to the drawing, handle member 10 is formed to a toothbrush, and more partoothbrush which is intended to apparent as the descripthe toothbrush handle;

.of cardboard, fabric or other material which is sutficiently rigid for use as a toothbrush handle, but which becomes v substantially disintegrated after being wetted and sufliciently saturated with water. The characteristics of this material are such that it will maintain its rigidity for a length of time sufficient to adequately brush ones teeth, and after being discarded into a toilet, will soon absorb a sufficient amount of water to render it soft and disintegrated. can be flushed the toilet.

Handle member 10 is rigidified by a longitudinal crease or depression 11 which is pressed into the handle member, and by bowing the sides 12, 13 of the handlemember in the region to be gripped by the users hand. The head end of handle member 10 is provided with spaced upstanding sides 14 and 15, respectively, which together with the interconnecting bottom portion 16, form a generally U-shaped configuration.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 5, it is apparent that a brush head 17 is disposed within the confines of the U-shaped configuration. The head '17 is partially formed by a continuous strip water-absorbent material which becomes substantially disintegrated after being wetted and sufliciently saturated with water. This strip material can be paper, thin cardboard, or the like. A plurality of filamentary, waterresistant bristles 19 are embedded at spaced intervals in the strip and project outwardly therefrom in the plane of the strip. The bristles 19 can be formed of any suitable material, such as nylon, or they may be natural bristles.

To form the head 17, a continuous strip of the desired length of strip material 18 with bristles 19 embedded therein is folded back and forth in the manner indicated in Fig. 7, and finally to the shape shown in Fig. 1 where the strip material takes the form of a plurality of side-byside laminations 20. Prior to folding the strip 18, it may be provided on each flat side with a coating of a water-soluble cement so that after folding to the shape of Fig. 1, the cement will dry and rigidly hold the laminations 20 securely together. This watersoluble cement will serve to hold the laminations together during use of the toothbrush, but will dissolve thereafter if kept in contact with water for a suificient length of time.

A layer of the same kind of water-soluble cement may be applied to either the formed head or the inner surfaces of the U-shaped configuration of handle 10, or both, and the parts assembled in the relationship shown in Fig. 1 in which the cement dries.

Another form of head 21 is shown in Fig. 2. This head 21 is formed by cutting off a plurality of laminations 20' from a continuous strip 18 having bristles 19 embedded therein, and cementing them together in side by-side relation by means of a water-soluble cement such as that previously described.

A third form of brush head 22 is shown in Fig. 3 wherein the side-by-side laminations 20" are formed by Winding continuous strip 18 into a generally ovoid coil. Of course, a coating of water-soluble cement may be applied to each fiat side of the continuous strip 18 be fore winding it to the shape shown in Fig. 3 to form a rigid head when the cement dries.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that strip material 18 with embedded bristles 19 lends itself readily to mass production and is therefore very economical to manufacture since it can be formed continuously in an indefinite length. Simultaneously with or subsequent to production of strip material 18 with embedded bristles 19, pieces of the desired length can be cut off and formed into brush heads of any of the disclosed forms.

Bristles 19 may be coated with a dentifrice before or In this manner, the discarded material 18 (Fig. 7) of a suitable 3 during, but preferably after formation of the brush head 17, 21 or 22, respectively. In this way the toothbrush can be marketed as a sterilized, self-contained unit sealed in a suitable container and ready for use Without adjunct.

In use, the bristles 19 are dampened with water to moisten the dentifrice, and the teeth are brushed. Any water or moisture which comes into contact with the toothbrush during brushing will not have a deleterious effect since the disintegrable materials and water-soluble cement of which the toothbrush is formed require a suflicient period of time to disintegrate and dissolve, respectively. After brushing, the toothbrush may be discarded into a toilet. There the parts will become wetted, and after a sufficient length of time the water-soluble cement will dissolve and the remainder of the materials of which the toothbrush is formed, except for the bristles 19, will substantially disintegrate. The effect will be to loosen the bristles 19 from their respective head and leave a soggy mass which can be flushed down the drain without danger of clogging.

I claim as my invention:

A disposable toothbrush comprising a handle formed of a material adapted substantially to disintegrate upon being wetted and sufficiently saturated with water, a brush head secured to said handle and comprising a plurality of side-by-side laminations of strip material, said strip material being adapted substantially to disintegrate upon being Wetted and sufficiently saturated with water,

a plurality of bristles embedded in said strip material and projecting outwardly therefrom in the plane of the strip material, said bristles being adapted to become loosened from said strip material when the toothbrush becomes sufliciently saturated and thereby substantially disintegrated, wherein said handle has a generally U- shaped head-receiving portion including two sides and an interconnecting bottom, and a shank portion formed with a longitudinally-extending stiffener crease, said brush head being secured within the confines of said U-shaped portion by means of a water-soluble cement.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,259,571 Wiens Mar. 19, 1918 1,549,473 Fairbanks Aug. 11, 1925 1,611,640 Janus Dec. 21, 1926 1,739,324 Neissl Dec. 10, 1929 2,038,958 Reach Apr. 28, 1936 2,092,438 Wilt Sept. 7, 1937 2,171,591 Minich Sept. 5, 1939 2,265,102 Cressler Dec. 2, 1941 2,386,085 Babel Oct. 2, 1945 2,483,503 Pollack Oct. 4, 1949 2,548,255 Cressler Apr. 10, 1951- 2,710,982 Gillem June 21, 1955 2,755,497 Greacen July 24, 1956

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