US3120019A - Toothbrush clamp and cover - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 4, 1964 w. E. scoTT TOOTHBRUSH CLAMP AND CQVER Filed July 28, 1960 T m WC .W E e D A w United States Patent Ofiice Patented Feb. 4, 1964 3,129,019 TGQTHBRUSH CLAMP AND CGVER Wade E. Scott, Box 323, Cordele, Ga. Filed July 23, 19:99, Ser. No. 46,0lltl 1 Claim. (til. 15-184) The present invention generally relates to an attachment for toothbrushes and the like and more particularly to a toothbrush clamp for clamping engagement with the bristles of a toothbrush in order to prevent the spreading and flattening of the toothbrush bristles thereby increasing the useful life of the toothbrush.

It is well known that the bristles of a toothbrush become deformed laterally or" the head of the toothbrush and are otherwise flattened or mashed down thus rendering the toothbrush ineffective for brushing purposes. Normally, toothbrushes are stored in an unprotected manner and are carried in various kits or the like in an unprotected manner thus further increasing the tendency of the bristles to be distorted. Therefore, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide a clamp engageable with the toothbrush head and more particularly the bristles carried by the head for urging the bristles to a straight condition generally perpendicular to the toothbrush head thereby prolonging the useful life of the toothbrush.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush clamp which is simple in construction, easy to assemble and disassemble in relation to a toothbrush and generally inexpensive to manufacture.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush clamp in which the brush can be inserted and removed by either lifting or sliding movements.

The foregoing and other objectives, advantages, and features of construction will become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the appended drawings.

PTGURE 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush with the toothbrush clamp of the present invention mounted thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view similar to FIGURE 1 but with the toothbrush clamp in open condition and with portions thereof broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the toothbrush clamp of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a side elevational view of the toothbrush clamp.

Referring now specifically to the drawings, the numeral 19 generally designates the attachment of the present invention for mounting on a conventional toothbrush generally designated by numeral 12 which includes an elongated handle 14, a toothbrush head 16 and a plurality of bristles or tufts of bristles 1%. The toothbrush is of conventional construction and the handle and head may take any particular configuration. The present invention receives the head 16 and engages the bristles 13 for retaining them in a straight condition.

The attachment or toothbrush clamp It includes a base 24? of generally rectangular configuration and having a longitudinal recess 22 therein receiving the toothbrush head 16. One end of the base 243 is provided with an upstanding abutment 24 forming the end wall of the recess 22 and limiting the insertion of the toothbrush into the toothbrush clamp in.

Pivotally attached to the base Zil adjacent each side edge thereof are pivotal closure or clamp members 26 and 28. Each pivotal clamp member 26 and 28 is provided with a pair of L-shaped pins 39 formed thereon pivotally received in upstanding lugs 32 on the base 20 thus hingedly attaching the pivotal members 26 and 28 to the base 26.

Each pivotal member 26 and 28 is substantially l..-

shaped and includes a vertical portion 34 to which the hinge pins 30 are attached and a horizontal portion 36 overlying the bristles 18 and including a latch element 38 thereon for association with a similar latch element 38 on the opposite closure member thus detachably securing the closure members in position.

One end of each closure member 26 and 28 is provided with an end wall ill having openings 42 therein. The other end wall is omitted or open with the abutment 24 forming a closure for the opposite end of the clamp.

In operation, the closure members 26 and 28 are opened and the brush head is either moved downwardly in a vertical direction into recess 22 or slid into recess 22 in a horizontal direction. The closure members 26 and 28 are then moved to a closed position and latched by engagement of latches 38, the inner surfaces of the closure members then engaging the bristles to retain them in their straight condition or return them to a straight condition from a bent or curved position. To remove the brush, the procedure is reversed, the latches 38 are unlocked, the closure members 26 and 28 are opened, and the brush head is either lifted out vertically or slid out in a horizontal direction.

The entire device may be constructed of suitable material such as plastic or the like. The side members or closure members are mounted on the base by hinges and there are actually only three pieces of material forming the present invention. The holes in the end wall allow ventilation and the side members generally taper inwardly towards the center of the area receiving the bristles in order to more effectively hold the bristles of the brush in a proper upright position. The bottom surface of the sides act as a clamp on the head of the brush so that it will be properly positioned in place and the friction catch Will hold the sides together. The apertures 42 will provide for circulation of air through the interior of the compartment formed by the side members or closure members 26 and 28 and the end member 24 for drying the toothbrush bristles. With this construction, the end abutment or member 24 will engage the outer end portion of the bristles while the vertical portions 34 will engage the sides of the bristles and the end walls 46 engage the rear walls of the bristles thus retaining the bristles in the desired position.

While this invention has been described in a specific form and as operating in a specific manner for the purpose of illustration, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, since various modifications will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of this invention, the scope of which is set forth in the annexed claim.

I claim:

The combination with a standard toothbrush having a head provided with bristles and an elongated handle extending rearwardly from one end thereof, of means enclosing the head and bristles portion of the toothbrush comprising, a wide base member having a body with a front end, a rear end and sides connecting the front and rear ends, a recess in the body of the base member extending from the rear end toward the front end and terminating at a distance from the front end to receive therein the toothbrush head, said recess being closed at the bottom and open at the rear end whereby the toothbrush handle projects rearwardly from said base member, a wall upstanding from the base member at the front end of the recess and arranged to close the front of the bristles portion of the toothbnush, a clamp member arranged along each side of the recess of said base member and extending rearwardly from said upstanding wall, each said clamp member having a vertical side wall portion, a horizontal top wall portion arranged to overlie the toothbrush bristles, a rear wall portion, and an open front end portion arranged for cooperative engagement with the upstanding wall of said base member to close the front end portion of said clamp member, and means pivotally connecting each clamp member with the base member whereby said clamp members are movable from a position in which the toothbrush bristles are enclosed at both ends, at both sides and at the top toward an open position in which the bristles and head of the toothbrush are completely exposed, said clamp members being of lesser Width than said Wide base member When closed over said bristles and extending to a greater Width than said base when open, and the too hbrush is removable as a unit by lifting or sliding the same from the wide base member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 561,995 Jones June 16, 1896 1,041,315 Marx Oct. 15, 1912 1,266,382 Bailey May 14, 1918 1,470,129 Tiehenor Oct. 9, 1923 1,653,540 Bigoney Dec. 20, 1927 2,507,342 Licari May 9, 1950 2,600,345 Venditti June 10, 1952 2,608,293 Carlson Aug. 26, 1952 2,947,412 Tupper Aug. 2, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 279,018 Great Britain Feb. 8, 1927

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