GB2169499A

GB2169499A - Double-headed toothbrush

Info

Publication number: GB2169499A
Application number: GB08600060A
Authority: GB
Inventors: David Beiny
Original assignee: FRISCHMANN WILEM
Current assignee: FRISCHMANN WILEM
Priority date: 1985-01-11
Filing date: 1986-01-03
Publication date: 1986-07-16
Also published as: GB8500689D0; GB2169499B; GB8600060D0

Abstract

A twin-headed toothbrush wherein a pair of opposed brush heads (13) preferably inclined at an angle of about 90 DEG relative to one another, are mounted on respective elongate shanks (11) of a handle member with a gap between them. The shanks are connected together at a position (10) spaced from the brush heads and the heads can be pushed towards one another against a resilient bias to vary the pressure during brushing. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Double-headed toothbrush Thin inention relates to toothbrushes and in particularto a form oftoothbrush designed to enable both the front and back of the teeth to be cleaned effectively in a single brushing operation.

Incorrect brushing ofteeth, and in particular holding the brush at the wrong angle or brushing on only one side, is wideiy considered to be a major cause of tooth decay and gum disease.

Double headed toothbrushes are disclosed for example in GB Patent Specification 247005 wherein the bristles of two heads, which are positioned close to one another at one end of a toothbrush handle essentially comprising a single shaft, meet at an oblique angle and their ends are cuttoform a pair of brushing planes with an angle of about 20 between them. GB Patents 426079 and 1552938 also disclose toothbrushes ofthe type wherein two mutually opposed brush heads are mounted at one end of a single shaft. In such toothbrushes, the heads tend to be pushed apart against a resilient bias during brushing, butthe pressure on the teeth will depend on the size and shape of the teeth and on the part being brushed, and cannot be independently varied by the user.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a twin-headed toothbrush wherein the user can vary the brushing pressure independently of the size and shapeoftheteeth being brushed.

According to the invention, there is provided a toothbrush having two brushing heads mounted on respective elongate shanks of a handle member in such mannerthatthey may be resiliently moved towards one another against a resilient bias to facilitate engagement with the front and back of the teeth respectively in a single brushing operation, the shanks being connected to one another at a position spaced from the heads and a gap being provided between the two heads in an equilibrium position of the brush whereby the heads may be pushed towards one another and towards the teeth with a variable pressure during cleaning.

The handle member may consist of a bifurcated member, the brushing heads being attached to the free ends ofthe arms of said member and said arms being capable of being resiliently moved towards and away from each other.

In orderto facilitate the insertion ofthe bristles into the brushing heads, the handle member will usually beformedfromtwo or more parts which are assembied after the bristles have been inserted in the appropriate parts.

Thus, when said handle member consists of a bifurcated member, various forms of construction are possible in order to facilitate insertion of the bristles.

According to oneform, the handle member is formed fmmtwo parts each comprising a lower straight part and an upperbowed part, said lower parts being connected togetherafterthe bristles have been applied to the upper ends of the bowed parts.

According to another form, the handle member is formed from a straight handle portion and two bowed arms which are connected to said straight handle portion afterthe bristles have been applied to the upper ends of said bowed arms. According to yet another form, the bristles are carried by shortsupport- ing members which are connected to the upper ends of the arms of the bifurcated handle member.

According to anotherembodiment ofthe invention, the handle member comprises two intersecting members that are pivotted together in the manner of scissors, the necessary resilient mounting ofthe brushing heads being secured by the location of a resilient strip between the lower portions of said members.

According to a preferred feature ofthe invention, the free end portions ofthe arms ofthe handle memberareformedso asto presentthebristle- supporting surfaces at an angle to each other so as to form brushing surfaces similarly disposed at an angle to each other. Said angle may conveniently be 800 to 100 , preferably approximately 90".

The handle member may be made by injection moulding of a plastics material ofsuitable resilience.

Preferred embodiments ofthe invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawingswherein; Figure lisa front elevation of a brush in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 is a plan view ofthe embodiment shown in Figures; Figure 3 is an exploded front elevation of a second embodiment; Figure 3a illustrates a modification of the embodimenu shown in Figure 3; Figure 4 is a front elevation of a third embodiment; Figure 5 is a front elevation of a fourth embodiment; and Figure 6 is a front elevation of a fifth embodiment.

Referring firstto Figures 1 and 2, the brush comprises a pair of arms 11 joined attheirends 10, preferably by adhesive bonding, and made of a material such that the arms 11 thereof may be resiliently moved towards and away from each other.

At their upper ends, the arms 11 are twisted to presenttwofaces 12 inclined relativeto one another.

The faces 12 suppo rtthe bristles 13so that the brushing surfaces are similarly inclined at an angle of about 90".

The provision ofthe two resiliently mounted brushing members enables both the front and back of the teeth and gums to be brushed effectively in a single operation.

The member 10 may conveniently be made of plastics material ofsuitable resilience.

In orderto facilitate the insertion ofthe bristles into the arms ofthe handle member, the bristles are inserted into the heads 12 beforethe arms 11 are bonded together.

As shown in Figure 3, a bifurcated handle member is formed from two members 14 and 15, each having a straight portion 16 and a bowed portion 17. One of the portions 16 is formed with studs 18 adapted to engage recesses 19 in the other portion l6toconnectthe members 14 and 15together. Before such assembly, the bristles 20 are applied to the upper ends ofthe bowed portions 17 to form the brushing heads. As shown in Figure 3a, the members 14and 15 may alternatively be connected bythe engagement of a rib 21 on one ofthe portions 16 with a corresponding groove 22 in the other portions. Yetagain,the members 14 and 15 may be secured together by a suitable adhesive.One of said portions 16 extends beyond the other end and is suitably shaped at its end to form a hookmember23. The members 14 and 15 are conveniently made of a plastics material of suitable resilience.

As shown in Figure 4,the bifurcated handle member is formed from a straight handle portion 24 and two bowed arms 25 which are attached to the portion 24 by the engagement of pins 26 atthe lower ends ofthe arms25 with sockets 27 in the upper end ofthe portion 24 afterthe bristles 28 have been inserted in the upper ends of the arms 25 to constitute the brushing heads.

The portion 24may beformed at its lower end as a hook 29. The handle member in conveniently made of a plastics material of suitable resilience.

In the embodiments shown in Figure 5,the bristles 30 are applied to short supporting members 31 which are connected to the upper ends ofthe arms 32 of a bifurcated handlemember33 bytheengagementof pins 34on the lowerendsofsaid members 31 with sockets 35 in the upper ends of said arms 32. The handle member maybeformed at its lower end asa hook 36 and is conveniently made of plastics material ofsuitable resilience.

Itwill be understood thatthe pins 26 and 34 and the corresponding sockets 27 and 35 may be of any desired cross-section such as round, square, diamond shaped ortriangular.

As shown in Figure 6, the handle membercomprises two intersecting members 37 that are pivotted together at 38 in the manner of scissors, the necessary resilient mounting ofthe brushing heads 39 being secured bythe location of a leaf spring 40 between the lower portions 41 of the members 37.

The 45" angle at which the brush heads are orientated relative to the teeth in the described embodiment is considered by dentists to be the optimum angle for brushing the teeth, and in particu larforcleaningthegingival pocketwhere the tooth surface meets the surrounding gums.

In use, the brush is positionedwith the heads on each side of a row of teeth. By squeezing the two arms together, the desired pressure can be applied while carrying outaconventional brushing action simultaneously on both sides ofthe teeth. This ensures that both sides are correctly brushed.

Claims

1. Atoothbrush comprising a handleformedwith a pair of elongate shanks, one end of each of said shanks being provided with a brush head and said shanks being connected together with their brush heads facing generally inwardly and being spaced from one another in an equilibrium position of the brush and movablefowards one another against a resilient bias, the connection between said shanks being spaced from the heads by a distance such that by pressing said shanks together against said resilient bias said heads may be pushed towards one another and towards theteeth with a variable pressure during brushing.

2. Atoothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the handle is formed from at least two parts which are assembled together after bristles have been inserted in respective parts to form the brush heads.

3. Atoothbrush according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shanks are made ofresilientmaterial and arejoinedtogetherattheirrespectiveends remote from the brush heads.

4. Atoothbrush according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shanks are made of a resilient material and Joined attheir respective ends remote from the brush heads to a straight handle member.

5. Atoothbrush according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the shanks are inthe form of intersecting members pivotted together in the manner of scissors to form the handle, said resilient bias being provided by a spring urging said shanks into said equilibrium position.

6. Atoothbrush according to claim 5, wherein said spring is a leaf spring between said shanks.

7. Atoothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a bifurcated memberformed integrally of resilient material, said shanks extending from a straight handle portion and the brush heads being attached to the shanks.

8. Atoothbrush according to any preceding claim, wherein said brush heads have bristles extending transversely relative to one another.

9. Atoothbrush according to claim 8, wherein the bristles of the two brush headsform brushing surfaces disposed atan angle of 80"to 100" relative to one another.

10. A double-headed toothbrush substantially as herein described with reference to Figures 1 and 2 or any one of Figures 3to 6 ofthe accompanying drawings.