Abstract:
A unique ornamental and utilitarian toothbrush includes a bristle-carrying head part and a handle. The handle includes transparent or translucent portions and is further provided with a closed cavity extending in the longitudinal direction of the toothbrush. An article is received within the cavity and is visible through the transparent or translucent handle portion. The handle cavity has a closure and the toothbrush is formed from plastic materials. The enclosed article may be decorative, of plural or single parts, and may include a liquid in the cavity.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a Divisional of Application No. 10/052,559 filed Jan. 23, 2002, which is a Continuation of PCT/CH00/00290 filed May 23, 2000, which claims priority from German Patent Application No. DE 29912420.7 filed Jul. 15, 1999. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND  
       [0002]     The invention relates to an ornamental and utilitarian toothbrush having a handle that may be transparent and accommodates a loose, aesthetic elongated article.  
         [0003]     Toothbrushes are available on the market in a wide range of different configurations. The aesthetic effect of a toothbrush often plays a significant role in the task of selecting the same. In particular, in the case of children&#39;s toothbrushes, design and color are of considerable importance and a humorous appearance increases the enjoyment of teeth cleaning. The intention here is for it to be possible for toothbrushes to be mass-produced as cost-effectively as possible.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     An object of the invention is to provide a toothbrush that has attractive design possibilities and can nevertheless be produced cost-effectively.  
         [0005]     This object can be achieved according to the invention by a toothbrush having a bristle-carrying front head part and an elongated handle. The handle is provided with a closed inner cavity, at least the part enclosing the cavity including a partially transparent material. A loose, elongated article having an aesthetic effect is accommodated in the closed cavity.  
         [0006]     This renders the toothbrush attractive to a child to encourage the child to practice dental hygiene, and also to provide a toothbrush that may have utilitarian aspects as well as an ornamental appearance. These include providing a unique handle for the toothbrush in contrast to the ordinary handle provided for grasping the toothbrush.  
         [0007]     In preferred embodiments, a transparent handle for the toothbrush with a cavity therein receives aesthetic, ornamental, or utilitarian materials. The materials may comprise discrete elements of diverse shapes and colors. Further, such materials, or other materials, may be placed within an ampoule placed into and removable from the toothbrush handle cavity.  
         [0008]     Further, the materials may include a plurality of loose articles, or the handle may have liquid or powder therein with loose articles admixed therewith or floating therein. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0009]     The invention is explained in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the drawings, in which:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a side view of a toothbrush;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  shows a plan view of the toothbrush according to  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a bottom view of the toothbrush according to  FIG. 1 , a closure part for closing a handle cavity being illustrated separately from the rest of the toothbrush part;  
         [0013]     FIGS.  4  to  10  show different exemplary embodiments of means which can be inserted into the handle cavity in order to achieve an aesthetic effect;  
         [0014]      FIG. 11   a  shows a plan view of a second embodiment of a closure part for closing the handle cavity, with an integrated positioning element;  
         [0015]      FIG. 11   b  shows a front view of the closure part according to  FIG. 11   a;    
         [0016]      FIG. 11   c  shows a side view of the closure part according to  FIG. 11   a;    
         [0017]      FIG. 12   a  shows a plan view of another positioning element that can be connected to a closure part;  
         [0018]      FIG. 12   b  shows a front view of the positioning element according to  FIG. 12   a;    
         [0019]      FIG. 12   c  shows a side view of the positioning element according to  FIG. 12   a;    
         [0020]      FIG. 13   a  shows a plan view of a further positioning element that can be connected to a closure part;  
         [0021]      FIG. 13   b  shows a front view of the positioning element according to  FIG. 13   a;    
         [0022]      FIG. 13   c  shows a side view of the positioning element according to  FIG. 13   a;    
         [0023]      FIG. 14   a  shows a plan view of a third embodiment of a closure part for closing the handle cavity, with an integrated positioning element;  
         [0024]      FIG. 14   b  shows a front view of the closure part according to  FIG. 14   a;    
         [0025]      FIG. 14   c  shows a side view of the closure part according to  FIG. 14   a;    
         [0026]      FIG. 15  shows, on an enlarged scale and in partial section, the toothbrush according to FIGS.  1  to  3 , a fourth embodiment of a closure part for closing a handle cavity being illustrated separately from the rest of the toothbrush part;  
         [0027]      FIG. 15   a  shows a longitudinal section of the closure part according to  FIG. 15 ;  
         [0028]      FIG. 15   b  shows a securing part, as seen in arrow direction A, for an ampoule accommodated in the handle cavity of the toothbrush according to  FIG. 15 ;  
         [0029]      FIG. 16   a  shows, on an enlarged scale and in a side view, a further exemplary embodiment of a closure part; and  
         [0030]      FIG. 16   b  shows a longitudinal section of the closure part according to  FIG. 16 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS  
       [0031]     FIGS.  1  to  3  illustrate a manual toothbrush  1  that has a front bristle-carrying head part  2  and a rear handle  3 . The bristles or clusters of bristles (not illustrated in the drawing) are anchored in a manner known per se in the depressions  4  provided for this purpose in the head part  2 . The longitudinal axis of the toothbrush  1  is designated L in FIGS.  1  to  3 . The handle  3 , over at least part of its length, is provided with an essentially cylindrical cutout  5  that extends in the longitudinal direction of the toothbrush  1  and forms a cavity  7  in the handle  3 . The cutout  5  is open to the rear. Provided for closing the cavity  7  is a closure part  8  that can be seen from  FIG. 3  in particular and can be inserted into the cutout  5 , by way of its offset part  8   a,  from the rear, and is connected to the handle  3 . This may be a releasable connection of the two parts (for example snap-in connection, screw connection, bayonet connection, etc.) or a non-releasable connection (weld connection including connection by means of high-frequency welding, adhesive bonding, non-releasable snap-in connection, etc.). The purpose of the closeable cavity  7  is described hereinbelow.  
         [0032]     The handle  3  and the head part  2  are advantageously produced by multi-component injection molding, and at least partially transparent material component being used for the handle  3 . This may be, for example, styrene acrylonitrile (SAN). It would also be possible in principle, for the head part  2  to consist of this material, i.e., for the two toothbrush parts  2 ,  3  to be produced from the transparent material by conventional injection molding. Such a toothbrush would be particularly cost-effective since SAN in inexpensive. It is preferable, however, to select for the front bristle-carrying head part  2  a material other than SAN, for example polypropylene (PP), which is more resistant to aggressive teeth-cleaning substances (e.g., peppermint oil). Since these two materials do not join during the injection molding, the two toothbrush parts  2 ,  3  are preferably provided with interengaging parts (protrusion/recess) on their contact surfaces, with the result that the two plastic parts are brought into form-fitting connection during the injection molding. Such a connection is indicated in FIGS.  1  to  3  and is designated  10 . It would also be conceivable, however, to have a force-fitting connection between the two plastic parts, e.g., in the manner of a shrinkage connection.  
         [0033]     Both the handle  3  and the head part  2  may have parts that consist of further material components and help to improve the aesthetic effect and/or the grip. It is also the case, for example, that the handle  3  is provided with a depression, which can be seen from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , for a thumb rest  11  which consists of an elastically compliant material, for example a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).  
         [0034]     The cutout  5  or the cavity  7  of the handle  7  is produced by encapsulating a core by injection molding and hollowing out the same.  
         [0035]     Different means for achieving an aesthetic effect may be accommodated in the cavity  7 , which can be closed by means of the closure part  8 , as will now be described hereinbelow.  
         [0036]     The cavity  7  may be filled directly with decorative articles or playthings, e.g., different figures, snowflakes, shiny particles, etc. It is also possible for a liquid to be introduced directly into the cavity  7 . This liquid may also contain floating articles. A powder or sand filling is also possible. Hologram foils or luminescent parts may also be accommodated in the cavity  7 .  
         [0037]     It is also possible, however, for a roll  14 , e.g., made of cardboard or plastic, which is illustrated in  FIG. 4  and preferably has multicolored printing on it, to be inserted into the cavity  7 .  FIG. 5  illustrates a roll  15  that can be inserted into the cavity and has a film adhesively bonded to it. It is also possible, however, for a section of film which has printing on it to be rolled together and pushed directly into the cavity  7 . This section of film may also be at least partially transparent or translucent, giving the person looking at it an illusion of depth or the impression of a three-dimensional image.  
         [0038]     A further possibility is for the rolls  14 ,  15  or the section of film to be configured so as to achieve the effect of moving image. The lenticular production of such moving images is described in EP Patent Application No. 99 118 775.8.  
         [0039]     Furthermore, it is also possible to provide the rolls  14 ,  15  with holes or openings through which it is possible to see printing (image, text) in the opposite region of the inner wall of the rolls  14 ,  15 , the illusion of depth being achieved as a result. It is also possible for the section of film to have such holes, with the effect of depth being achieved. It is also possible in this way to produce the impression of a three-dimensional image.  
         [0040]     It is also possible, on occasion, to insert filled ampoules into the cavity  7 , as the examples illustrated in FIGS.  6  to  10  show. Thus, ampoule  16  illustrated in  FIG. 6  contains a liquid with floating articles, the ampoule  17  according to  FIG. 7  contains loose articles and the ampoule  18  according to  FIG. 8  merely contains a liquid. The ampoule  19  according to  FIG. 9  is filled with a fine-grain material (powder, sand). A gas filling would also be possible.  FIG. 10  shows an ampoule  20  which has printing on it. The ampoule could also have a film adhesively bonded to it. It would also be possible for the abovementioned hologram foils or luminescent parts to be accommodated in the interior of an ampoule and inserted, with the latter, into the cavity  7 .  
         [0041]     In the case of a releasable connection between the closure part  8  and the handle  3 , it is possible to exchange the cavity contents. In particular, the abovementioned rolls  14 ,  15  or the different ampoules  16  to  20  can easily be exchanged, which allows a rapid change in design. It is possible for at least partially transparent handles of different outer shapes to be provided with the essentially cylindrical cutout  5  and filled, for example, with the rolls  14 ,  15  or the ampoules  16  to  20 . In addition to, or instead of, means with an aesthetic effect, it would also be possible for useful articles, such as toothpicks, exchangeable ampoules with mouthwash or toothpaste, to be accommodated in the cavity  7 .  
         [0042]     Instead of the cap-like closure part  8  that is illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  3 , it is possible to use, for the purpose of closing the cavity  7 , a closure part  22 , which can be seen from  FIGS. 11   a  to  11   c,  provided with a helical positioning element  23  and by means of which the toothbrush can be positioned on an underlying surface. Instead of the helical positioning element  23 , it would also be possible for the closure part to be provided with a sun-like positioning element  24  according to  FIGS. 12   a  to  12   c,  or a star-shaped positioning element  25  according to  FIGS. 13   a  to  13   c.  The positioning elements  24 ,  25  are each provided with a depression  26  for a fixed connection to a closure cap (not illustrated).  
         [0043]     A further embodiment of a possible closure part  27  is illustrated in  FIGS. 14   a  to  14   c.  This closure part  27 , which can be inserted into the cutout  5  by way of its offset part  27   a  and can be connected either releasably or non-releasably to the handle, has a star-shaped positioning part  28 .  
         [0044]     Of course, it would also be possible for the positioning parts  24 ,  25  or  28  to have some other basic outline.  
         [0045]     The handle  3  of the toothbrush  1 ′ according to  FIG. 15  is provided with a securing means  31 , which is located in the front region of the cutout  5  and is intended for the insert located in the cavity  7 , for example the ampoule  30 . The securing means  31  has an annular part  31   a,  which can be seen from  FIG. 15   b,  made of an elastically compliant material and provided with a number of rearwardly directed tongues  31   b,  which extend in the longitudinal direction of the toothbrush  1 ′ and are arranged in the form of a circle. For example, it is possible for the securing means  31 , like the head part  2 , to consist of polypropylene (PP) and to be injection molded in the same step as the head part (the connecting channel provided for this purpose is designated  32  in  FIG. 15 ). The closure part  8 ′ is also provided with a number of tongues  35 , which extend in the longitudinal toothbrush  1 ′, are arranged in the form of a circle, and are directed forward. When the cavity  7  is closed, the ampoule  30  is forced between the elastically compliant tongues  31   b,  on the one hand, and the likewise elastically compliant tongues  35  on the other hand, and is kept in its position both radially and axially by the tongues.  
         [0046]     It is also the case that the closure part  37 , illustrate in  FIGS. 16   a  and  16   b,  is provided with the abovementioned tongues  35  for securing the cavity insert. This closure part  37  is formed integrally with a positioning part  38 , which is provided with a planar standing surface  39 , at right angles to the longitudinal axis  1 , for setting the toothbrush in the upright position. The standing surface  39 , is, if appropriate, of annular configuration. The closure part  37  is inserted, by way of its offset part  37   a,  into the handle cutout  5  of the toothbrush and, in the process, snaps onto the handle  3  by way of its plug-on border  37   b.    
         [0047]     In order to set the toothbrush in the upright position, it would also be possible to use a closure part with a rearwardly rounded positioning part and an integrated weight for producing a “stand-up” effect.  
         [0048]     Examples of possible material for the transparent handle  3 , in addition to the abovementioned SAN, are polystyrene or polyester.  
         [0049]     In particular, in the case of a releasable connection to the handle  3 , the closure parts  8 ,  8 ′,  22 ,  27 ,  37  are preferably produced from a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), a good sealing action being achieved as a result.  
         [0050]     Instead of filling the handle cavity from the rear, for example, with an ampoule, it would also be possible for the ampoule to be embedded in the handle by being encapsulated in the transparent material by injection molding. In this case, however, it would no longer be possible to exchange the cavity contents.