Patent ID: 7334286
Filing Date: 2008-02-26
Classification: A46B

Abstract:
1. A toothbrush, comprising: an elongated body having an enlarged smoothly rounded bristle brush head portion and a handle portion the elongated body has a top side and a bottom side; the elongated body has a length along the longitudinal axis, a width along the top and bottom side extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a thickness extending perpendicular to the longitudinal axis between the top and bottom side of the body; the brush head portion including a group of bristles located only on the bottom side of the body; the bristles each having a length substantially the same as the width of the group of bristles on the bottom side; the body being integral and composed of a sufficiently pliable flexible material throughout its length; and the handle portion being pliable and flexible along its entire length and including the head portion, the intermediate portion, and the end portion each having substantially the same length; the intermediate portion is narrower than the width of the head portion and the end portion on the top and bottom side; the thickness of the elongated body at the head portion being tapered and increasing toward the intermediate portion, and at the intermediate and end portions being smoothly continuously tapered and smoothly continuously decreasing toward a narrowed tip of the end portion wherein the thickness of the elongated body is greatest at the intermediate portion; the intermediate portion including a digit engageable portion on the top side the elongated body for engagement by a digit of the user's hand, the digit engageable portion being spaced by a sufficient distance from the bristle brush head portion when flexed to avoid the digit entering the user's mouth during brushing; and the handle portion extending between the brush head portion and the distal end of the bulbous handle end portion, wherein the flexibility of the material requires a manually applied external force by the digit of the hand of the user holding the toothbrush to flex the handle portion substantially along its entire length to make the body sufficiently rigid to facilitate use of the toothbrush for teeth brushing purposes, wherein the material of the body is sufficiently flexible to enable the manually applied external force to flex the handle portion into a smoothly rounded shape.