A motorized interdental toothbrush includes one or more wires having fixed filaments, and a gage disposed on one end portion of the wires and having an outer diameter equal to or smaller than that of the filaments for limiting the wires and the filaments to engage into the selected interdental spaces between the teeth of the user and for preventing the filaments from being inserted and engaged into the interdental spaces having a relatively smaller width and for preventing the user's gum from being injured by the greater filaments, and a moving device may be coupled to move and drive the brush device to move back and forth or in a reciprocating action and to clean the interdental space.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an interdental toothbrush, and more particularly to a motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrush including a motor driving device coupled to the interdental toothbrush for moving the interdental toothbrush back and forth or in a reciprocating action and for allowing the interdental spaces to be suitably cleaned by the motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrushes.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Typical interdental toothbrushes comprise one or more twisted wires having fixed filaments between turns of the wire or wires for inserting or engaging into the interdental spaces between the teeth and particularly designed for cleaning the hard-to-reach interdental spaces between the teeth of the users.

For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,943 to Brandli discloses one of the typical interproximal toothbrushes also comprise one or more twisted wires having fixed filaments between turns of the wire or wires for inserting or engaging into the interdental spaces between the teeth. Normally, two or more brushes or refills having different shapes or sizes or diameters may be provided in one package of the typical interproximal toothbrushes.

However, when the interdental toothbrushes of greater sizes or diameters are forced to be inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces having relatively smaller sizes or widths, the gum of the user may be hurt or injured by the interdental toothbrushes. In addition, the twisted wires may also have a good chance to hurt or injure the gum of the user when the twisted wires of the interdental toothbrushes are not precisely engaged into the interdental spaces between the teeth.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,404 to Tarrson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,596 to Simms, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,488,751 to Gekhter et al. discloses three further typical interproximal toothbrushes each comprise a handle, and one or more twisted wires secured to the handle and having fixed filaments between turns of the wire or wires for allowing the interproximal toothbrushes to be suitably inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces between the teeth with the handles.

However, the interdental toothbrushes may not be moved back and forth or in a reciprocating action by any motor driving device and have to be operated manually. In addition, when the fixed filaments of greater sizes or diameters are inadvertently forced or inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces having relatively smaller sizes or widths, the gum of the user may be seriously hurt or injured by the interdental toothbrushes.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,258 to Hilfinger et al. discloses a still further typical interproximal toothbrush comprising a handle, one or more twisted wires secured to the handle and having fixed filaments between turns of the wire or wires, and a motor drive mechanism for driving the bristle array in oscillating rotary motion about the axis of the stem, and for allowing the interproximal toothbrushes to be suitably inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces between the teeth with the handle.

However, when the fixed filaments of greater sizes or diameters are inadvertently forced or inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces having relatively smaller sizes or widths and when the greater filaments are rotated relative to the gum and the teeth of the user, the gum of the user may be seriously hurt or injured by the interdental toothbrushes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrush including a motor driving means or device coupled to the interdental toothbrush for driving the interdental toothbrush to move back and forth or in a reciprocating action and for allowing the interdental spaces to be suitably cleaned by the motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrushes.

The other objective of the present invention is to provide a motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrush including a gage for guiding the interdental toothbrush to be inserted or engaged into the predetermined or suitable interdental spaces between the teeth and for preventing the interdental toothbrushes of greater sizes or diameters from being inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces having relatively smaller sizes or widths.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, there is provided a motorized interdental toothbrush comprising a brush device including at least one wire having filaments disposed on the wire for inserting and engaging into an interdental space between teeth of a user, and a gage disposed on a free end portion of the wire and having an outer diameter corresponding to that of the filaments for limiting the filaments to engage into a predetermined interdental space between the teeth and for preventing the filaments from being inserted into an interdental space having a relatively smaller width and for preventing the user's gum from being hurt or injured by the filaments, and a moving device for moving the brush device to move back and forth in a reciprocating action and to clean the interdental space between the teeth of the user.

The moving device includes a handle, a motor disposed in the handle, and a coupling device provided for coupling the motor to the wire of the brush device and to move and drive the wire and the filaments of the brush device to move back and forth in the reciprocating action.

The motor includes a spindle coupled to the wire of the brush device with the coupling device. The coupling device includes a crank coupled to the spindle of the motor, and a lever coupled to the crank and the wire of the brush device for allowing the wire of the brush device to be moved back and forth in a reciprocating action by the motor.

The lever is coupled to the crank with a pivot pin. The moving device includes one or more batteries disposed in the handle and coupled to the motor for energizing the motor to move the brush device.

The wire includes a wire segment provided thereon and located between the gage and the filaments. The gage includes an outer diameter equal to or smaller than that of the filaments.

The gage is made of soft materials for preventing the user's gum from being hurt and injured by the wire. The gage preferably includes a rounded structure or a spherical structure for safely engaging with the gum or the teeth of the user and also for preventing the user's gum from being hurt and injured by the wire.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the drawings, and initially toFIGS. 1 and 2, a motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrush1in accordance with the present invention comprises a brush device10including one or more twisted wires11having fixed filaments12disposed or attached between turns of the wire or wires11for inserting or engaging into the interdental spaces a or b or c (FIG. 7) between the teeth80of the user and particularly designed for cleaning the hard-to-reach interdental spaces a or b or c between the teeth of the users. The filaments12may also be formed into or selected from various kinds of different shapes or contours or sizes or diameters, such as the ultra fine cylindrical shapes (FIG. 2), the ultra fine tapered shapes (FIG. 3), the cylindrical shapes (FIG. 4), the tapered shapes (FIG. 5), the large cylindrical shapes (FIG. 6), or the like.

For example, the filaments12of the ultra fine cylindrical shapes (FIG. 2) may include a size or diameter smaller than that of the cylindrical shapes (FIG. 4) which may include a size or diameter smaller than that of the large cylindrical shapes (FIG. 6). Similarly, the filaments12of the ultra fine tapered shapes (FIG. 3) may include a size or diameter smaller than that of the tapered shapes (FIG. 5). Normally, in one refill package of the interproximal toothbrushes1, either or some or all of the refills or brush devices10of that shown inFIGS. 2-6may include the filaments12of different shapes or sizes or diameters that may be selectively provided and contained in the package. The wire or wires11and the filaments12are typical or conventional and will not be described in further details.

The first or rear end portion13of the wires11may be attached to a power or motor driving or moving means or device2which includes a handle20(FIGS. 1,7) for suitably inserting or engaging the wire or wires11and the filaments12of the brush devices10into either of the interdental spaces a or b or c between the teeth80of the user and for moving or actuating the filaments12to clean the interdental spaces between the teeth of the users. The brush device10of the motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrush1in accordance with the present invention further includes a wire segment14selectively, but not necessarily formed or extended or provided on the second or front or free end portion15of each of the wires11and having no filaments formed or provided thereon.

A gage30,31,32,33,34is further provided and disposed or attached to the front portion15of each of the wires11or of the wire segment14of each of the wires11of the brush devices10and arranged for allowing the wire segment14to be formed and provided or located between the gages30-34and the filaments12. The gages30-34are preferably made of soft or rubber or plastic or resilient or other synthetic materials and includes a rounded or spatial or three dimensional or spherical structure for safely engaging with the user's gum and for safely inserting or guiding the wire or wires11and the filaments12of the brush devices10to engage into the interdental spaces a or b or c between the teeth80and thus for preventing the gum of the user from being hurt or injured by the wire or wires11.

The gages30-34each include a size or outer diameter or slightly smaller than or corresponding to that of the respective filaments12for limiting or guiding the brush devices10to be inserted or engaged into the predetermined or suitable interdental spaces a or b or c between the teeth80and for preventing the brush devices10of greater sizes or diameters from being inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces a or b or c having relatively smaller sizes or widths. For example, the gages30-31(FIGS. 2,3) may be inserted or engaged into all of the interdental spaces a, b, c, but the other greater brush devices10(FIGS. 4-6) may be prevented from being inserted or engaged into the relatively smaller interdental space b by the gages32-34.

Similarly, the greater brush devices10as shown inFIGS. 4-6may be limited and guided to be inserted or engaged into the relatively greater interdental spaces a, c, except the relatively smaller interdental space b by the gages32-34, and the greatest gage34may limit and guide the brush devices10as shown inFIG. 6to engage into the greatest interdental spaces c only but not the relatively smaller interdental spaces a and b, or the greatest gage34may limit and prevent the brush devices10as shown inFIG. 6from being inserted or engaged into the relatively smaller interdental spaces a and b. The gages32-34have been disclosed and claimed in a co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/715,061, filed 6 Mar. 2007.

As shown inFIGS. 1 and 7, the power or motor driving or moving device2includes a motor21disposed or inserted or engaged into the handle20, such as disposed in the front portion22of the handle20and having a spindle23coupled to the wires11of the brush devices10with a reduction gearing (not shown) and/or a linking or coupling device24for moving or driving the wire or wires11and the filaments12of the brush devices10to move back and forth or in a reciprocating action and to suitably clean the predetermined or suitable or selected interdental spaces a, b, c between the teeth. The coupling device24may include a crank25coupled to the spindle23of the motor21, and a link or lever26coupled to the crank25with such as a pivot pin27and also coupled to the wires11of the brush devices10for allowing the wires11of the brush devices10to be moved back and forth or in a reciprocating action by the motor21of the moving device2.

One or more batteries28may further be provided and disposed or inserted or engaged into the rear portion29of the handle20and coupled to the motor21for energizing or operating or actuating the motor21to move or drive or operate the wire or wires11and the filaments12of the brush devices10to move back and forth or in a reciprocating action in order to suitably clean the interdental spaces between the teeth of the user.

The brush devices10may thus be limited and guided to be inserted or engaged into only the predetermined or suitable or relatively greater interdental spaces between the teeth, and may prevent the brush devices10of greater sizes or diameters from being inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces having relatively smaller sizes or widths, and thus may prevent the gum of the user from being hurt or injured by the filaments12of the brush devices10having relatively greater sizes or diameters. In addition, the rounded or spatial or three dimensional or spherical gages30-34may also prevent the gum of the user from being hurt or injured by the wire or wires11.

Accordingly, the motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrush includes a motor driving device for moving the interdental toothbrush back and forth in a reciprocating action and for allowing the interdental spaces to be suitably cleaned by the motorized and reciprocating interdental toothbrushes, and a gage for guiding the interdental toothbrush to be inserted into the suitable interdental spaces and for preventing the interdental toothbrushes of greater sizes or diameters from being inserted or engaged into the interdental spaces having relatively smaller sizes or widths.