GB2210778A

GB2210778A - Toothbrushes

Info

Publication number: GB2210778A
Application number: GB8807351A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Shuji Sakuma; Hiroshi Yoshida
Original assignee: Sangi Co Ltd
Current assignee: Sangi Co Ltd
Priority date: 1987-10-15
Filing date: 1988-03-28
Publication date: 1989-06-21
Also published as: DE3811382A1; FR2621793A1; DE3811382C2; GB8807351D0; IT1217238B; AU601327B1; IT8820380A0; JPH01101917A

Description

2210778

TITLE OF THE INVENTION TOOTHBRUSHES

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION.

This invention relates to toothbrushes and toothbrush heads having a dental hygiene filler.

In general, toothbrushes are available in a number of basic constructions. In one, the toothbrush comprises an integrated bristle portion and grip portion. In another. the toothbrush includes a grip portion, a rod fixedly secured to the grip portion, and a bristle portion having a central bore into which the rod is snugly inserted.

Whenever toothbrushes of this kind are used, a toothpaste usually is applied to the brush part formed by the bristles. For this reason, the user can be caused considerable inconvenience if the toothpaste is not immediately at hand, such as by being left behind when the user departs on a journey. To avoid such an inconvenience. disposable, easy-to-carry toothbrushes are available that have a required mass of tooth powder or paste, filling the spaces among the bristles. This expedient is uneconomical, however, since the tooth powder or paste lasts only one day, meaning that the toothbrush must be changed daily.

Further, toothbrushes lose their ability to keep teeth clean when the brush bristles lose their resilience.

I- at which time it is required that the toothbrush be replaced by a new one. If one's teeth are brushed twice daily, such as in the morning and evening, as is generally the case, it is usually required to replace the toothbrush in a little less than one month period of use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush having a tooth-cleansing dental hygienic filler that enables the toothbrush to be used, without necessarily an application of a toothpaste each time, until the brush bristles lose their resilience, thereby making it unnecessary to discard the brush daily.

Also specifically, the inventor has devised the toothbrush, the subject of this invention, taking into account the fact that a toothbrush ordinarily is replaced periodically after a relatively short period of time of e.g. one month, as mentioned above. The inventor has discovered that by providing a toothbrush with a filler of a material that is beneficial for dental hygiene, the teeth can be supplied with the filler until the brush bristles lose their resilience, it therefore becomes unnecessary to apply toothpaste to the brush with each use yet allows the same toothbrush to be used for normal period of time.

3 According to the present invention, the foregoing object is attained by providing a toothbrush comprising a bristle portion having a plurality of cavities in which the bristles are implanted and a dental hygienic filler accomodated in those cavities at the respective base portions thereof.

By this aspect ot the invention, the filler enters the mouth through or along the brush bristles while dissolving and working to cleanse both the teeth and the interior of the mouth.

In another aspect ot the invention, there is provided a toothbrush of the type having a grip portion, a rod fixedly secured to the grip portion, and a bristle portion having bristles implanted therein and a central bore into which the rod is inserted. In accordance with this feature of the invention, the central bore is extended to the lower portions of the bristles to form bore extension, and the bore extension is filled with dental hygienic filler.

In this aspect of the invention,'the filler enters the mouth from between the bristles but also from a pool formed in the bristle holding section.

The filler used in the toothbrush of the invention can be a powder, sheet, paste or liquid consisting of one or a mixture of the following materials: an ordinary dentifrice substance, an abrasive such as calcium carbonate or sodium phosphate, hydroxyapatite, 4 a germicidal agent, a medicine, a breath freshener, fluorine and a scale examining agent.

By the time all the filler has been expended by dissolution, the bristles of the toothbrush will also have lost their resilience. Thus, consumption of the filler lets the user know that it is time to replace the toothbrush or thereplaceable toothbrush head portion only. It is also possible to provide toothbrushes incorporating different types of filler composition. This will allow the user to select a toothbrush with a filler composition best suited to the oral condition of the individuals mouth whenever the toothbrush is replaced.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a first embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the toothbrush of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a side view illustrating a second embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view showing the toothbrush of Fig. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A first embodiment of a toothbrush according to the invention will now be described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2.

A toothbrush 1 includes a bristle portion 2 having a head 3 provided with a plurality of spaced cavities 4. The cavities 4 have a depth greater than that of the cavities in a conventional toothbrush. The bottom of each cavity 4 is filled with a dental hygienic filler material 5 in which brush bristles 6 are implanted in accordance with the usual method. The bristle portion 2 is formed to include pools 7, 71, as well as a central bore 8 into which a rod secured to a grip portion, neither of which are shown, is inserted. Naturally, if the grip portion and bristle portion 2 are formed integrally, the central bore 8 will be unnecessary.

It is preferred, though not essential, that a filler 9 in the form of a sheet or paste be adhered to the head 3 between the grooves 4.

When used the toothbrush 1 is inserted into the mouth and is brushed across the teeth in the usual manner. At such time saliva or tap water comes in 6 contact with the filler 5 via the,bristles 6, causing the filler 5 to dissolve and enter the interior of the mouth along the bristles 6. The dissolved filler also attaches itself to the teeth, thereby performing a cleansing and polishing function to remove dental plaque, prevent pyorrhea and kill oral bacteria. The filler 9 affixed to the head 3 comes into direct contact with saliva and the portion of the filler dissolved enters the interior of the mouth to perform the same functions described above.

Figs. 3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of a toothbrush according to the invention, in which portions similar to those shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are designated by like reference characters. Here the central bore 8 which receives the rod fixed to the grip portion (not shown) extends to the lower portions of the brush bristles 6 to provide a bore extension 10 communicating with the pool 7. It is preferred that the bore extension 10 communicate with the cavities 4 situated along the center of the head 3 in the longitudinal direction thereof. The bore extension 10 is filled with a filler 11. Though the fillers 5, 9 are not essential in this embodiment, they are retained as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The filler 11 is dissolved by coming into contact with tap water or saliva received from the pool 7, and the dissolved filler enters the interior of the mouth via the pool 7 7, thereby removing plaque from the teeth, preventing pyorrhea and killing oral bacteria, just as the fillers 5, 9 described above in connection with the first embodiment.

Though the cavities 4 in the above-described embodiments are bottomed, an arrangement can be adopted in which the grooves pass through the head 3 of the toothbrush. In such case the filler 5 would dissolve enter the interior of the mouth directly from the openings in the cavities 4 and well as along the bristles 6. It is also possible to affix the sheetor paste- like filler 9 to the side of the head 3 opposite the bristles 6. The head 3 can be made of a transparent material to make the fillers 5, 9 and 11 visible from the outside.

As many apparently widely different embodiments of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments thereof except as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

8 CLAIMS

1. A toothbrush head having a plurality of cavities in the head, bristles implanted in the cavities and a dental hygiene material in at least one of the cavities.

2. A toothbrush head according to claim 1 in which the cavities are arranged in a plurality of groups and a further dental hygiene material is present on the head between adjacent groups of the cavities.

3._ A toothbrush comprising a toothbrush head according to claim 1 or claim 2 and a handle.

4. A toothbrush according to claim 3 in which the head and the handle are formed integrally.

5. A toothbrush according to claim 3 in which the head is formed with a bore and the handle is provided with a rod for reception in the bore.

6. A toothbrush according to any of claims 3 to 5 in which the dental hygiene material is accomodated in the bottom of at least one of the cavities.

7. A toothbrush according to claim 5 in which the dental hygiene material is present in an extension of the bore, which extension intersects at least one of the cavities.

9 8. A toothbrush head substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings.

9. A toothbrush head substantially as described herein with reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

Pub',is,e:! 1988 at The PWen' off. n. Lzn v be obtained frc=. 7he Pa%en, ZC_ Sta.e House 66 71. HIC', HZ;'=r, don WC1R 41P Purher cp,.es mk Sales Branch. S MLry Cray. Orpingtor. Kent BM 3RD. Printed by Multiplex techniques ltd, St Mary Cray. Kent. Con. 1.87.