US3002798A - Toothbrush holder and paste dispenser - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 3, 1961 c. CORLEY 3,002798 TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER AND PASTE DISPENSER Filed Oct. 50, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 671/701? 60/767.

Oct. 3, 1961 c. CORLEY 3,002,798

TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER AND PASTE DISPENSER Filed 001;. 30, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a 100-; Ill, 102

IIIII 7 IIIIIIIIIII/ I i 1 1/12 I 5 I 116 1 116 y j I I I ////////I//I///I//// INVENTOR. (7070/2 60/ 'feg/ States This invention relates to toothbrush holders and more particularly to a device for storing both the toothbrush and the dentifrice, and which automatically dispenses a portion of the dentifrice on the face of the brush as it is withdrawn.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a toothbrush holder which also holds and dispenses the dentifrice in such manner as to deposit a measured amount on the brush as it is being withdrawn, resulting in great economy of motion in readying the brush for use, and in the Saving of time by eliminating the need to look for the brush and the dentifrice.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined toothbrush holder and dentifrice dispensing device which stores both the brush and the dentifrice in a completely sanitary manner protected from dust, insects and germs.

A further object of the invention is to provide acombined toothbrush holder and dentifrice dispenser which is decorative in appearance and adapted to be supported in a fixed location convenient for use and thereby oifering inducement for more frequent use.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in the holder means for storing a large amount of dentifrice to avoid the need for frequent replenishment or replacement.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a toothbrush holding and dentifrice dispensing device which is adapted to hold a plurality of brushes fed from a single or plurality of dentifrice dispensers so that all of the brushes used by a family may be stored ready for use in one convenient location.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a toothbrush holder which automatically deposits 2. measured amount of dentifrice on the brush as it is withdrawn, thereby eliminating waste of dentifrice common in use of commercially available toothpaste tubes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device for storing both a toothbrush and a dentfrice which may be in paste, solid or liquid form, and Which is adapted to deposit a portion of the dentifrice on the brush as it is withdrawn from the device.

The novel features that are considered characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings, where like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the several figures and in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view taken vertically from front to rear through a preferred embodiment of the invention with a toothbrush shown in elevation mounted in the holder portion;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the dentifrice container which fits within the cabinet;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to HG. 1, but showing.

a modified toothbrush holder and dentifrice dispenser;

FIG. 6 is asectionalvie w taken online 6-6 of FIG. 5; FIG. "7 isia sectional viewsirnilar to FIG. 6, but showing another preferred embodiment;

FIG. is a sectional view taken on line 8-8 of 7;

assent l' atenteei Get. 3, 1961 FIG. 9 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a dispenser for holding a plurality of toothbrushes wherein the dentifrice is provided in a pressure propellant tank, and

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view in perspective of a toothbrush actuated valve control system for use with tanks, as shown in FIG. 9.

Referring now to the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention as comprising a receptacle or cabinet 10 which houses a dentifrice container 12 and a toothbrush holder 14. Cabinet 10 comprises a rear wall 16 adapted to be supported in any suitable manner from a bathroom wall or other convenient surface, as by suction cups 1%. The cabinet has a bottom wall 20 which is provided with an opening 22 through which a toothbrush T is insertable into the holder 14. The front of receptacle It; is open to removably receive the container 12 and holder 14, and is closed by a door 24. The cabinet 10 is preferably constructed of colored plastic for eye appeal.

The dentifrice container 12 is of rectangular shape in vertical section and nearly large enough to fill approxi mately half the space within receptacle 10. Container 12 may be formed of pressboard, plastic, metal or other suitable material, and is considerably larger than the commercially available tubes of toothpaste. Thus, the time for refill or replacement of the container 12 is considerably extended and the expense of a large number of tubes and their sale cost is lessened. The container 12 may be filled with a dentifrice in paste, liquid or powder form.

The container 12, as best shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, comprises a rectangular member snugly fitting the cabinet 10 and enclosing a dentifrice chamber 2 5 in the upper portion thereof. The chamber 26 is defined by the upper portions of the front Wall 28, back Wall 30 and side walls 32 and the top 34 of the container 12, with a tapered bottom wall 36 spaced above the lower end of the con tainer and sloping from the back wall 30 to the front wall 28 and lower side walls 38 sloping inwardly from the side walls 32 to the lateral edges of the bottom wall 36.

The front wall 28 is provided with dentifrice discharge orifices 40 immediately above the bottom wall 36 and the sloping bottom and lower side walls 36 and 38 serve to funnel the dentifrice by gravity to the orifices 40. The upper edges of the bottom and lower side walls are beveled or skived to provide smooth continuous surfaces with the back and side walls 30 and 32 and the interior of the chamber 12 may be coated or treated with wax, thermoplastic or the like'both to moistureproof the chamber and to smooth the surfaces for facilitating flow of the dentifrice to the orifices 40. The top 34 is provided with a vent 42.

The toothbrush holder 14 may be provided as a part of the container 12, as shown, or as an independent unit. Basically, the holder 1-4 comprises a body 44 of sanitary resilient or elastic, liquid impervious, chemically inert material such as sponge rubber. Preferably, this body 44 is enclosed within a receptacle 46 which conveniently may be attached to the front Wall 28 of the container 12. However, it is obvious that this body 44 could, if desired, be in a permanent receptacle integral with the cabinet door 24. The receptacle 46 is seated on the bottom cabinet wall 20 in front of the lower portion of the container 12 and is secured in position by a flange 25 on the door 24. Thus, the upper front portion of the cabinet 10 is vacant and conveniently may constitute a drying and storage chamber 27 and the door 24 or walls of the cabinet 10 may be provided with vent openings 29 to facilitate drying. Preferably, a disinfectant unit 31 is mounted i on the front wall 28 of the container 12 and is in communication with the chamber 27 by apertures 33. Until used, all openings of the container 12 may be covered by removable stickers. The holder 14 is slightly compressed when the door 24 is closed so as to firmly hold the container 12 in proper position.

The holder body 44 preferably is molded with a central passageway 48 of oval cross section and extending vertically therethrough to accommodate the brush head and handle portion H of a toothbrush T. A slit 50 extends vertically through the body 44 from its front face 52 to the passageway 48. The front portions of the sides of the body 44 have insets 54 which with the slit 50 define a pair of flexible lips 56 which give upon insertion of a toothbrush to spread the slit 50 sufficiently to accommodate the brush or bristle B of a toothbrush T. The upper and lower edges 58 of the lips 56 at the slit 50 are beveled to facilitate entry of the brush portion B into the slit A cavity 60 is formed in the front face of the lips 56 to receive and measure the correct amount of dentifrice each time the device is used.

The receptacle 46 is longer than the body 44 to accommodate vertical sliding movement of the latter. The sidewalls of the receptacle have insets 62 coinciding with the body insets 54 to define with the back receptacle wall 64 a slideway for the main portion of the body. The receptacle insets 62 are not as deep as the body insets 54 so as to provide space for expansion or spreading of the lips 56 upon insertion of a brush B. The top and bottom receptacle walls 66 are provided with keyholelike openings 68 for passage of a toothbrush. The receptacle preferably is provided at the front with lateral flanges 70 which may be attached to the front wall 28 of the container 12.

In FIG. 1, a toothbrush T is shown in phantom lines in drying or storage position and in solid lines in loading position where the brush B receives the dentifrice from the cavity 60 as it is pulled down from the cabinet in, the brush or bristle portion B being between the lips 56 and the brush head or handle H is in the passageway 48. Next, the toothbrush T with dentifrice on the brush B, together with the holder body 44 will move down until the body is stopped by the bottom wall, while the toothbrush T proceeds on its way downwardly from the cabinet When the body 44 is in its lower position, the upper part of the lips 56 above the cavity 60 cover the discharge orifices 40 so that no dentifrice will emerge while the brush is removed.

When the brush is returned to the cabinet 10, it is pushed upwardly quickly in one movement through the body 44, lifting the body until it is stopped by the flange 25, until the brush B is inserted in the drying chamber 27, as illustrated in phantom lines in FIG. 1. This completes the cycle of operation. The cavity so is now in loading position, with lips 56 closed, to receive the next supply of dentifrice which will be picked up by the brush on its next descent. When the dentifrice chamber 26 is empty, the container 12 is thrown away and replaced with a new one. A preferred form would contain a six months supply.

The toothbrush T will be held in the storage position shown for any desired time by the contraction of the resilient material forming the body 44. This contraction takes effect not only in the walls of passageway 48 but also in those of the slit 50, and particularly in the lips 56. Any dentifrice tending to deposit on the sides of the brush head during downward movement is removed and retained in the body 44- by the wiping action of lips 56. Thus, in one movement, a conveniently located brush is ready to apply to the teeth with a measured amount of dentifrice on the face only of the brush B. After brushing of the teeth is completed, the brush is reinserted into the holder and stored until needed for the next application. Each time this cycle is repeated, a uniform amount of dentifrice is applied to the brush by the single withdrawal movement until the chamber 26 has been emptied of its contents.

It is obvious from the foregoing description that a most important advantage of the invention is the great saving in time and effort to the user. This should result in the brush being used more often. Assuming the brush is normally stored in a medicine cabinet and assuming it requires 5 turns of the cap to take it offand 5 to put it on, there are 18 separate and distinct motions of hands and arms, each of which must be actuated by the brain. Although this actually does not take much time, it is a chore easily neglected. With the present invention located conveniently on the wall by the lavatory, there is one downward pull on the brush handle and that is all. The brush is ready for immediate use.

A modified form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 58, this form being adapted for use with a dentifrice in cake form. This form has the advantage that the dentifrice is still cheaper to manufacture. According to this modification, a cabinet 75 of plastic, with the front part or at least the door 76 being transparent to enable a user to see the interior, is provided with a seat 78 for a cake of dentifrice 86 of special shape, as shown, to match substantially the face of the brush B of a toothbrush T. A sponge rubber holder '82 has a passageway 84 for the brush head or handle H and is provided with a slit 86 for passage of the brush or bristle portion B similar to the body 44 hereinbefore described. This holder 82 is mounted on a carrier 88, made of metal or plastic, which is supported by a swivel 90 on the door 76 to enable the brush to follow the surface of the cake of dentifrice as it diminishes with use.

The door has an opening 92 for passing the brush and has a stop 94- 'for limiting movement of the carrier 83 to permit the brush to be forced therethrough to position the brush as shown in FIG. 5. The carrier has an opening 96 in its lower wall approximating the shape of the brush handle and the brush, and large enough to permit passage of. any size brush. The passageway 34 through the holder is small enough to maintain a grip on the brush handle, the lips 98 formed by the slit as have beveled edges g9 at the front to permit easy passage of the brush bristles. It must be borne in mind that these sponge or foam rubber holders in all cases are soft and resilient.

To use this brush holder and dispenser, it is merely necessary to wiggle or swing the handle H from side to side a couple of times and then pull it out. The form of the cake of dentifrice is shown in FIGS. 5 and. 6 with the front and back edges being circumferences of circles with centers approximately at the hole 92. The left and right edges are radii from the same point. The cake thus presents a surface which the brush will follow when the handle is moved as required. The holder cannot be pushed inwardly any farther than is shown in FIG. 5, but it can be moved outwardly. The cake is so formed on the bottom that the brush will contact it even when it is almost used up.

The door 76 may be hinged on one side and retained by a latch or catch on the other side, or it can be snapped on. It should be constructed of clear plastic so that a user will not only see what he is doing but also can tell when a new cake is required. The size of the cabinet is determined by the size of the cake of dentifrice. A preferred size would be one to last approximately six months. Attachments for mounting the cabinet on a wall or base are not shown but any suitable arrangement may be employed.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show a form very similar to'FIGS. 5 and 6 except that instead of turning or twisting the brush, it is moved from side to side through a transverse slot on a cake'which is rectangular in shape except for the top and bottom surface which will have such a shape that it will conform to the shape offthe brush. It should be produced intwo formsfor concave and convex brushes.

According to this modification, a cabinet 100 has a door 102 and houses a seat 104 for a dentifrice cake 106. The door 102 has a transverse slot 108 for passage of the brush handle H with a notch 110 opening into the slot for passage of the brush B. A rubber holder 112 is mounted on the door and has a transverse slot 114 registered with the door slot 108 and a slit 116 registered with the notch 110, with bevels 118 on each side of the slit.

The embodiment of FIGS. 9 and includes a support 130 carrying a tank 132, often referred to as a bomb of a compressed fluid medium and dentifrice. A plurality of holders 134, similar to the holders 14, are disposed thereabout so that a familys toothbrushes may be stored within a single unit. At least one nozzle 136 extends from the tank through which the dentifrice will be dispensed. A plurality of nozzles may be provided-one projecting into each holder for each brush-or a single nozzle may be used with interconnecting tubes leading to each holder 134. Each nozzle has a valve therein (not shown) with a valve release 138, FIG. 10, for actuating the valve to dispense dentifrice. A generally Z shaped lever 140 is rotatably mounted at each nozzle and has one end 142 projecting into the path of the brush B and another end 144 engageable with the valve release 138. Thus, upon downward movement of the toothbrush, the brush B will turn lever 140 in a direction to actuate the valve to dispense dentifrice onto the brush. Upon upward movement of the brush B, the lever 140 will merely turn freely. Any suitable means may be used to urge the lever into its normal position, such as springs; or constructing lever end 142 heavier than end 144.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except insofar as is necessitated by the prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A toothbrush holder and dentifrice dispenser comprising a container, means in said container adjacent one Wall thereof for supporting a dentifrice cake, the cpposite container wall having an opening through which a toothbrush may be inserted, a resilient member, a swivel connection in said container and swivelly supporting said member in alignment with and between said opening and said cake supporting means, said member having a slit through which a toothbrush is passed to gain access to the dentifrice, the abutting walls of the member forming the slit being urged together by the resiliency of the member, whereby upon insertion of a toothbrush into the slit the opposing walls thereof engage the toothbrush head and bristles to support the toothbrush and the swivel connection permits movement of the toothbrush across the full width of a dentifrice cake in the supporting means and maintains substantially the same relative position to the dentifrice cake as it diminishes with use.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said cake supporting means has an arcuate shape to conform to the permissible movement of a toothbrush in said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 99,095 Lishawa Ian. 25, 1870 116,140 Beardsley June 20, 1371 340,783 Hartshorn Apr. 27, 1886 928,542 Ryan July 20, 1909 1,375,954 Doyle Apr. 26, 1921 1,562,867 Bush NOV. 24, 1925 2,121,047 Pope et a1. June 21, 1938 2,601,244 Boulicault June 24, 1952 2,633,271 Bryant Mar. 31, 1353 2,726,016 Anderson, Ir. Dec. 6, 1955 2,783,489 Bogoslowsky Mar. 5, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 338,377 Italy Mar. 31, 1936 764,123 Great Britain Dec. 19. 1956

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