Chewable toothbrush

A disposable or edible chewable toothbrush is disclosed for cleaning teeth between meals. The device includes a chewable bristle holder with bristles attached to the holder, a cavity formed within the holder, a substance within the cavity, and regions of weakness formed in the holder that prevent leakage of the contents of the holder until the device is compressed by chewing. In another embodiment, a disposable or edible brush is housed inside within a disposable or edible shell. Upon chewing, the shell is broken or dissolves thereby releasing its contents, which include the brush and possibly a dentifrice.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to tooth cleaning devices, and particularly, to edible and/or disposable chewing utensils that clean teeth and freshen breath between meals or regularly scheduled tooth brushing sessions.

2. Background Art

Consumer tooth cleaning devices designed to help individuals control plaque buildup on teeth have existed for many years and in a variety of forms. The most basic technique for controlling plaque formation is through the use of hand-held, disposable toothbrush appliances, commonly known as toothbrushes. Other forms of mechanical tooth brushing devices include hand-held electrically driven toothbrush heads/bristles or ultrasonic tooth cleaning devices, and handle-free, chewable toothbrushing devices, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,013 B2. Non-mechanical devices for tooth cleaning include chewing gum, fluoride rinses, and anti-bacterial mouthwashes. Because each of these tooth cleaning options has varying benefits and drawbacks, consumers must balance an array of variables when choosing one device over another, such as purchase costs, cleaning effectiveness, convenience of use, etc.

Traditional hand-held toothbrushes purchased over-the-counter at retail outlets typically include an elongated handle formed from a thermoplastic, with nylon bristles securely embedded in rows at one end of the handle. A user of a traditional hand-held toothbrush typically applies toothpaste containing breath fresheners and fluoride, a known plaque inhibiter, to the bristles, and then gently scrubs the teeth with the bristles to mineralize the tooth enamel. For effective cleaning, a daily ritual of tooth brushing might include a session upon waking for the day and a session at the end of the day, with sparse opportunities, if any, throughout the day.

More expensive variations of the traditional toothbrush include hand-held, electrically driven toothbrush heads/bristles and ultrasonic tooth cleaning devices. Electrically driven devices such as these generally provide better cleaning results than traditional toothbrushes, but the lack of portability together with high initial and recurring costs of these devices sometimes dissuade users from purchasing these products altogether.

Significantly, however, traditional toothbrushes and the more modern electrically-driven devices suffer from a common shortcoming—they are impractical to use between meals throughout the day because they are too cumbersome, too costly, or rely on manipulation of a handle attached to the tooth brushing device to clean one's teeth and gums. Since consumers don't want to wait until the end of the day to have clean teeth and/or fresh smelling breath, consumers have resorted to more convenient but less effective options, such as chewing gum or rinsing with fluoride and/or anti-bacterial mouthwash formulations. Unfortunately, none of the non-mechanical alternatives provide the same level of tooth cleaning performance as compared to any of the hand-held mechanical tooth brushing devices. Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a mechanical, handle-less tooth brushing device having equivalent tooth cleaning and breath freshening characteristics as compared to traditional tooth brushing methods, and conveniently usable throughout the day between meals.

Clark, U.S. Pat. No. 6,602,013 B2, discloses a handle-less, chewable toothbrush with omni-directionally positioned bristles affixed to a resilient bristle anchor. The bristle anchor is made of a deformable material that returns to its original shape when not being chewed. Inside the bristle anchor is a cavity usable for holding a substance, such as a dentifrice, which is released upon biting into the chewable toothbrush. However, Clark neither teaches nor suggests a handle-less chewable toothbrush having a brush unattached and floating inside a temporary shell.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a toothbrush having a chewable shell formed from a resilient material and having an unstressed shape, the chewable shell being configured to compress upon itself in response to application of an external force, and return to the unstressed shape upon removal of the external force. The device further comprises a plurality of bristles attached to the chewable shell, a cavity formed within the chewable shell, a substance contained within the cavity, and a plurality of regions of weakness formed on the periphery of the chewable shell. The plurality of regions of weakness are operably configured to prevent leakage of the substance from inside the chewable shell before application of an external force, and configured to form a plurality of apertures through the chewable shell upon application of an external force to permit the substance to be released from within the cavity.

The plurality of bristles on the toothbrush of the present invention may have a fixed end attached to the chewable shell and an unconstrained free end. The plurality of bristles may be formed from a resilient material or from a dissolvable or digestible material. Preferably, the plurality of bristles have round, square, or triangular cross sections and may have a textured surface.

The substance contained in the cavity may comprise a dentifrice, and the cavity may also contain at least one shell stiffener. The at least one shell stiffener is preferably configured to follow the contour of the inner wall of the chewable shell.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the toothbrush comprises a shell, a cavity formed within the shell, and a brush comprising a plurality of bristles. The brush is operably configured to be contained within the cavity and the shell is configured to expose the brush upon application of an external force to the shell.

The cavity may contain a substance that is configured to become exposed upon application of the external force to the shell. Preferably, the substance comprises a dentifrice or a flavored breath freshener.

In an embodiment of the invention, the brush further includes a bristle holder, which is operably configured to apply a compressive force to the plurality of bristles to restrain each of the plurality of bristles with respect to one another. Preferably, the bristle holder comprises a coil compression spring, itself preferably comprising an edible material.

In an embodiment of the invention where each of the plurality of bristles have at least one end, the brush further includes a substantially incompressible core of cylindrical, spherical, ellipsoid, or rectangular shape for securely mounting one end of each of the plurality of bristles to form the brush. Preferably, the bristle core comprises an edible material.

In an embodiment of the invention, the shell is disposable. Alternatively, the shell may be made from an edible material capable of dissolving in one's mouth. Preferably, the edible material comprises cellulose or gelatin.

In an embodiment of the invention, the brush is made from an edible material. Preferably, the edible material comprises cellulose.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, certain preferred embodiments with the understanding that the present disclosure should be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiments so illustrated.

FIGS. 1–8describe a chewable toothbrush according to one embodiment of the invention. Chewable toothbrush10, as illustrated inFIG. 1, is generally spherical in shape in its unstressed state and includes bristles12for massaging gums and cleaning crevices in and around teeth. Bristles12originate from, and are embedded in, shell14(see alsoFIGS. 3–4) via an interference fit.

In a disposable configuration, bristles12may be made from any resilient, food-grade material (such as nylon, vulcanized rubber, etc.) to enable the bristles to reach deep inside tooth and gum crevices, yet are pliable enough to bend or “give” under ordinary chewing forces and return to their original shape when not under load. Alternatively, bristles12may be made from an edible material, such as cellulose that dissolves over time when warmed, chewed, or wetted by the mouth.FIGS. 1–8show bristles12as having a round cross-section, uniform texture, uniform thickness, and uniform length, however, bristles12may instead be manufactured in a variety of cross sectional shapes, textures, lengths, and thicknesses, or combination thereof, to achieve optimum tooth cleaning performance. Bristles12are preferably manufactured with diameters of about 0.001 to about 0.05 inches and lengths of about 0.25 to about 0.5 inches. And while individual bristles12are shown uniformly positioned around spherical shell14, they may instead be positioned non-uniformly around shell14, possibly even in random patterns or groups. Individual bristles of small diameter may also be bundled with other individual bristles to form groups of individual bristles that are secured at a single attachment point in shell14. Thus, each individual bristle shown inFIGS. 1–8may actually comprise bundles of individual bristles. In addition, bristles12and shell14, collectively, may be formed from a single, homogenous piece such that bristles12extend from shell14without any mechanical attachment means.

As shown inFIGS. 1–8, shell14is generally spherical in shape and is designed to securely retain bristles12to shell14using common techniques typical in the toothbrush manufacturing industry. Under normal chewing forces, shell14may temporarily collapse or deform (seeFIGS. 4,6, and8), but may be prompted by material properties or internal supports to return to its original shape when the consumer is not biting down on chewable toothbrush10. Shell14is preferably made of a resilient, food-grade material, such as vulcanized rubber, silicone rubber, etc. Shell14may alternatively be manufactured from an edible (i.e., digestible) food product that, when dry, is substantially rigid and inflexible, but may become more flexible and pliable when wet and/or warmed by a mouth, or may even dissolve altogether. Cellulose and gelatin are representative examples of dissolvable shell materials.

Shell14may be manufactured in a variety of thicknesses and outer diameters, ranging from about 0.002 to about 0.025 inches thick and about 0.25 to about 1.0 inches in diameter, depending on the market being served. For example, if the target market is teenage children whose mouths are smaller than those of grown adults, the diameter and thickness of shell14and/or length of bristles12can be decreased to enable more comfortable chewing. Likewise, if the target market is adults, then the diameter and thickness of shell14and/or length of bristles12can be increased to achieve more effective performance for adult teeth and gums.

Inside shell14is void16(seeFIGS. 5–8) that can optionally accommodate any number of substances18to help clean and/or whitening teeth, or to freshen one's breath. By way of example without intending to limit the types of substances that may be present, void16may contain fluoride toothpaste, whitening toothpaste, a flavored fluoride or non-fluoride rinse, an anti-bacterial mouthwash, a sugared or sugarless flavoring, or simply a breath freshener. Any substance18that is placed inside shell14in void16is permitted to escape into one's mouth during chewing, as illustrated inFIGS. 2 and 4, when shell14ruptures at one or more areas or points of weakness20fabricated in the outer surface of shell14, as shown inFIGS. 1–4. Areas or points of weakness20preferably do not extend through the thickness of shell14. Substance18may include a formulation intended either to be swallowed or expelled.

FIGS. 5–6show at least one optional shell wall spring stiffener22,23inside shell14in void16. Spring stiffener22,23is usable to assist shell14, if necessary, in maintaining the shell's original unstressed shape for long term chewing of chewable toothbrush10. Under normal chewing forces, shell14will temporarily collapse or deform, as will spring stiffener22,23, but each will return to its original shape when the consumer is not biting down on chewable toothbrush10. Spring stiffener22,23is made from a resilient material that is optionally affixed to the inner wall24of shell14at each end of spring stiffener22,23.

FIGS. 7–8show at least one optional spring stiffener26,27illustrated in yet another alternative configuration. Rather than being attached to inner wall24in void16of shell14, spring stiffener26,27is formed in the shape of a continuous hoop closely matching the contour of inner wall24. In this configuration, if more than one spring stiffener is employed, one will nest inside another. Spring stiffeners22,23,26, and27are shown inFIGS. 5–8as being relatively flat to enhance their ability to nest one inside the other without undue deflection as each passes by the other in the center of void16(FIGS. 5–6) or at the inner wall24of void16(FIGS. 7–8). However, spring stiffeners22,23,26, and27need not be constrained to any one particular configuration so long as their intended function of assisting shell14in maintaining the shell's original shape is not impeded. Any number or combination of spring stiffeners22,23,26, and27may be employed.

Use of chewable toothbrush10between meals according to the present invention begins by placing a single chewable toothbrush10in one's mouth and chewing like ordinary chewing gum. Bristles12, as shown and described above, behave like ordinary hand-held toothbrush bristles such that one's chewing and sloshing movements of chewable toothbrush10within one's mouth gently scrubs teeth and gums clean of food and plaque. Apertures21form in shell14when areas or points of weakness20split open during chewing of chewable toothbrush10. If present, substance18is released from void16through apertures21in shell14to further one's enjoyment and/or enhance the cleaning effectiveness of chewable toothbrush10during chewing. The size and shape of apertures21may control the rate of release of substance18from void16. For example, smaller openings may permit a slower rate of release of substance18while larger openings may permit a higher rate of release. Actual rates of release depend on the density and viscosity of substance18and the size of apertures21.

When chewing is no longer desired, the user may simply dispose of chewable toothbrush10, or alternatively, may save it for reuse at a later time. It should be noted that for chewable toothbrush10to function as described, shell14need not be spherical in shape but instead may optionally be formed in the shape of figurines or other geometric shapes, for example. In addition, chewable toothbrush10, including shell14, bristles12, and any present shell spring stiffener22,23,26or27may optionally be fabricated from materials that slowly dissolve upon insertion into one's mouth. In this way, nothing need be expelled from one's mouth.

In another embodiment of the invention (not shown), substance18may instead cover the outside of shell14to partially or completely immerse bristles12. In this configuration, shell14need not be hollow inside.

In another embodiment (not shown), shell14may be formed from an absorbent sponge-like material useful for helping a user expel, rather than swallow, substance18by reabsorbing substance18after a user is done chewing toothbrush10.

In another embodiment (not shown), a plurality of blisters containing substance18may be formed sporadically on the outer surface (in and around bristles12). Upon chewing, the blisters would break open (or dissolve) to release substance18. Shell14need not be hollow in this configuration.

Another embodiment of the invention is illustrated inFIGS. 9–15. Chewable toothbrush40is shown as being generally ellipsoid in shape. In this embodiment, brush42is located entirely inside, and unattached to, shell44in void46rather than having bristles43affixed to shell44. Shell44may be made from a relatively hard or relatively soft and/or compressible material, but preferably an edible material that dissolves or breaks open when chewed, wetted or warmed by the mouth. However, shell44may also be made from a non-edible, disposable material that readily breaks open, exposing its contents, when bitten into. As before, void46in shell44may optionally contain any number of substances50to help clean and/or whiten teeth, or to freshen one's breath. By way of example without intending to limit the types of substances that may optionally be present, void46may contain fluoride toothpaste, whitening toothpaste, a flavored fluoride or nonfluoride rinse, an anti-bacterial mouthwash, a sugared or sugarless flavoring, or simply a breath freshener. Any substance50that is placed inside shell44in void46is permitted to escape into one's mouth during chewing because shell44is made to readily dissolve and/or break open during chewing. Substance50may consist of a formulation intended either to be swallowed or expelled.

While shell44inFIGS. 9–12is shown as being ellipsoid, as before, shell44may optionally be formed in any shape to enclose brush42. Likewise, brush42can be manufactured in any shape so long as it can be carried within the volume dictated by the chosen shape of shell44. Alternatively, a liquefied substance that solidifies at room temperature, such as a sugar-free candy, may be poured into a mold containing brush42and allowed to harden so that brush42is completely submerged within a solid mass. During use, the candy may dissolve or break up during chewing leaving brush42that can be chewed. Shell44ofFIGS. 9–12is preferably made from a material that will dissolve in one's mouth during chewing, such as gelatin or cellulose. Alternatively, shell44need not be present at all if substance50comprises a hardenable, dissolvable, edible material in sufficient quantity to either partially or completely envelop brush42. In this way, substance50may dissolve or be broken apart during chewing leaving brush42in one's mouth to clean one's teeth. Brush42may also be manufactured from a dissolvable material having a different dissolution rate than that of substance50so no part of chewable toothbrush40need be discarded.

As shown inFIGS. 9–15, individual bristles43of brush42pass through a spring-like holder48as a means of securing individual bristles together. Coils49of holder48(seeFIG. 14, with coils shown in partial extension) are preferably in compression so as to apply a compressive force on bristles43to hold the bristles in place. Individual bristles43are nested one next to the other and individually may vary in length from about 0.25 to about 1.0 inches. The outer diameter52of holder48may be sized in tandem with the length of the bristles to help prevent bristles43from bending excessively during chewing, thereby permitting bristles43to penetrate deep inside tooth crevices and gingiva. Alternatively, as partially shown inFIG. 15, bristles43may be embedded in, and originate from, a solid cylindrical, spherical, or rectangular bristle core to form brush42, with bristles43being fed between coils49of holder48. Bristle core54of this design could be used instead of holder48, or in combination with holder48, to firmly constrain bristles43. Bristles43are shown inFIGS. 9–14as having a round cross section, uniform texture, and uniform thickness, however, bristles12may instead be manufactured in a variety of cross sectional shapes, textures, lengths, and thicknesses, or combination thereof, to enable efficient packaging within shell44and to achieve optimum tooth cleaning performance. Bristles12are preferably manufactured with diameters of about 0.001 to about 0.05 inches.

The foregoing description and drawings merely explain and illustrate the invention, and the invention is not so limited as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.