Portable device for dental hygiene

This invention concerns a portable dental hygiene device with a treatment space (9) and a spray device (4a) by means of which a treatment medium can be sprayed into the treatment space (9), where the spray device (4a) and the parts (10) to be sprayed with the treatment medium are arranged separately but in spray relation to one another on a holding device (3a, 3b), which surrounds the spray device (4a) and the parts (10), with a release element being provided with which a spray head (11) of the spray device (4a) can be brought into spraying position, characterized in that PA1 a) the release element is a detachable cap (14) which can be placed on the holding device (3a, 3b) and has a release projection (14a) on its bottom (16a) on the inside; PA1 b) passages (15, 16), one of which is aligned axially with the spray head (11), are provided in the bottom of the holding device (3a, 3b) corresponding to the arrangement of the release projection (14a); PA1 c) the detachable cap (14) secures the spray device (4a) against the release of a spray stream when the cap is placed on the holding device (3a, 3b) in one of the possible placement positions, and in the other possible placement position it can cause a spray stream to be released.

This invention concerns a portable dental hygiene device with a treatment
 space and a spray device by means of which a treatment medium can be
 sprayed into the treatment space, with the spray device and the parts to
 be sprayed with the treatment medium being separated from one another but
 arranged in spray relation to one another on a holder which encloses the
 spray device and the parts, with a trigger element being provided with
 which a spray head of the spray device can be brought into the spraying
 position.
 International Patent WO No. 96/16,750 describes a dental care station where
 the head part of a toothbrush and the head of a spray can are at the
 bottom. A two-part case-like holding device is provided. The spray can
 sits in a receptacle cavity of one part of the holding device, and the
 toothbrush is in the other part of the holding device, which is designed
 as a lateral valve. Guide rails position the toothbrush when the device is
 closed. The spray head of the valve of the spray can sits in a brush
 chamber. A spray mist is released by means of a release button which is
 provided on the head of the housing and can act on the bottom of the spray
 can. By depressing the release button, the spray mist can be directed at
 the bristles of the toothbrush in the brush chamber in a controlled
 manner.
 Such a device is also unsuitable for travel purposes because of its size.
 There is a lack of possibilities for accommodation of other dental care
 utensils. A spray stream may be released unintentionally by depressing the
 release button inadvertently. This danger is especially great in luggage
 in particular.
 The object of this invention is to create a portable dental hygiene device
 which has a simple design and is very secure against accidental release,
 especially when traveling.
 This object is achieved according to this invention by the fact that
 a) the release element has a detachable cap which can be placed on the
 holding device and has a release projection on its bottom on the inside,
 b) passages are provided in the bottom of the holding device corresponding
 to the arrangement of the release projection, one passage being aligned
 axially with the spray head,
 c) when the detachable cap is placed on the holding device in one of the
 possible placement positions, it secures the spray device against release
 of a spray stream, and in the other possible placement position, it can
 cause a spray stream to be released.
 The special design of the detachable cap thus yields a security function
 and a release function. The security function is carried out when the
 release element penetrates into the passage provided at some distance away
 from the spray head when the cap is placed in position. The release
 function is carried out when the release element penetrates into the
 passage aligned axially with the spray head when the cap is placed in
 position. In this placement position, the release position, the release
 element of the detachable cap can force the spray head up and thereby
 release the spray stream. No spray can be released in the other placement
 position, the security position. Handling is simple, convenient and
 reliable.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the holding device
 consists of two shell parts that can be snapped together, and the
 detachable cap can be pushed at least partially over the shell parts that
 have been snapped together to hold them together. The detachable cap
 serves as a closing means for the holding device, holding together the
 shell parts of the device.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the detachable cap is
 also designed as a toothbrush dish. The detachable cap can thus be used
 appropriately in another application.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the two shell parts are
 joined together by a hinge mechanism. The hinge mechanism preferably
 consists of a film hinge with shell parts made of plastic.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the shell parts have an
 insertion cavity for the spray device, an insertion cavity for the
 toothbrush and an insertion cavity for a toothpaste container.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, at least one insertion
 cavity is provided for devices used for dental hygiene, such as
 toothpicks, dental floss and plaster.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, this insertion cavity is
 also designed for the insertion of portioned water disinfectants,
 especially fast-acting disinfectants. The portions of the water
 disinfectant are metered so that precisely the amount of water needed for
 brushing one's teeth is disinfected rapidly. This creates a complete
 travel set.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, multiple accommodations
 for spray devices and toothpaste containers are provided for long travel
 periods.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the parts to be arranged
 in the treatment space may be the heads of tooth cleaning brushes,
 electric toothbrush heads and even dentures. With suitable shaping, this
 makes it possible even for wearers of dentures and users of electric
 toothbrushes to achieve thorough dental hygiene.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the device is designed
 to serve as a dispenser for disinfectant by the fact that the disinfectant
 is sprayed onto the toothbrush bristles in the treatment space, and the
 toothbrush bristles thus sprayed then can be used as a carrier for the
 disinfectant. Thus parts outside the device which cannot be placed in the
 device because of their size, such as dentures, jackscrews, braces for
 trigeminal syndrome, and the like can then be disinfected reliably with
 freshly sprayed toothbrush bristles that are still wet from spraying.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, an adapter can be pushed
 onto the spray head of the spray device, assuming a secured position on
 the spray head, so it can pass through the passage provided for it to the
 bottom underside of the holding device.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the adapter has a
 projection with a reduced outside diameter on the bottom with which it can
 pass through the passage provided for it as far as the bottom underside of
 the holding device. There is thus a clear axial guidance of the adapter
 and the spray head.
 According to another embodiment of this invention, the device may be
 designed as a monoset, a duoset or a multiset for one, two or more
 toothbrushes.

FIG. 1 shows a device which forms a dental hygiene station in a compact
 form. A holding device for this dental hygiene device consists of a shell
 case 1 with two case shells 3a and 3b. The case shells 3a, 3b may be made
 of plastic by injection molding, for example. Receptacle cavities are
 provided inside the case shells 3a, 3b. Each receptacle cavity 4 serves to
 accommodate a spray device 4a, for example, a spray can. A receptacle
 cavity 5 serves to accommodate a tube of toothpaste 6. A receptacle cavity
 7 serves to accommodate a toothbrush 8 with its shank 8a. To expand the
 applicability of the device, another receptacle cavity 21 is also provided
 for dental floss, fast-acting water disinfectants, toothpicks, plaster and
 the like. The receptacle cavities 4, 5, 7 and 21 are bordered by webs 18
 which also determine the shape of the cavities. The case shells 3a and 3b
 are designed in mirror image to one another. A treatment space 9 is
 provided, where the head 10 of the toothbrush 8 is located. Likewise, the
 spray head 11 of the can-shaped spray device 4a projects into the
 treatment space 9.
 Case shells 3a and 3b may be separated from one another, as illustrated in
 FIGS. 1 and 2, but it is also possible for the case shells 3a and 3b to be
 joined by a film hinge according to the illustration in FIG. 5. In FIGS. 1
 and 2, the film hinge 12 is indicated by connecting lines 13.
 A detachable cap 14 that can be used as a toothbrush dish can be pushed
 from the underside of case shells 3a and 3b onto the latter when
 assembled. In FIG. 1 a cutaway view of the detachable cap 14 pushed onto
 the shells is shown with dotted lines. A release projection 14a which is
 provided on the detachable cap 14 can be pushed through passages 15 and 16
 on the bottom side 16a of the case shells 3a and 3b as shown clearly in
 FIGS. 1 and 2. This bottom side 16a is at the same time the bottom side
 16a of the holding device and it borders the underside of the treatment
 space. In FIG. 1, the release projection 14 is in passage 15. Passage 16
 in FIG. 1 is filled with spray head 11. Reliable guidance of the spray
 head 11 is achieved by means of guide walls 17 and 18. A modification of
 this mechanism is shown in FIG. 9.
 When case shells 3a and 3b have been snapped together and detachable cap 14
 has been pushed onto them, the case is then closed and can be packed in a
 suitcase as a complete travel set. For a person to brush his teeth, he
 removes the detachable cap 14 and unsnaps case shells 3a and 3b.
 Toothpaste can be applied to the bristles 10a of toothbrush head 10 from
 the tube of toothpaste 6. After brushing his teeth, optionally using
 detachable cap 14 as a dish, and rinsing the toothbrush, they and the tube
 of toothpaste 6 are placed back in the cavities 5, 7. Then the case shells
 3a and 3b are snapped back together. Next the detachable cap 14 is placed
 on the case as illustrated in FIG. 3. When the cap is pushed on, the
 release projection 14a forces the spray head 11 up against spray device
 4a, and a spray mist 19 is sprayed directly onto bristles 10a and into the
 roots of the bristle bundles, where bacteria, viruses and fungi prefer to
 stay and remain there the longest. After the spray stream, the detachable
 cap 14a is removed again, rotated 180.degree. into the position according
 to FIG. 1 and pushed back onto the case. During the resting phase until
 the next toothbrushing, the medium sprayed into the treatment space 9 can
 act on the bristles 10a of the toothbrush and the roots of the bristle
 bundles.
 Since the treatment space is closed, evaporation is retarded. Thus the
 effect of the disinfectant is improved.
 The idea is to first spray a disinfectant medium onto the bristles 10a with
 the help of the spray device. Instead of a disinfectant medium, however, a
 deodorant medium or another hygienic medium may optionally also be used.
 FIGS. 6 and 7 show a variant 1' of the shell case with case shells 3a' and
 3b'. In this case, two cavities 4' are preferably provided for spray
 devices 4a, which may also contain various treatment media. Tubes of
 toothpaste 5a may be provided in cavities 5'. The spray head 11' is
 replaceable and can be placed on valve pin 4c. Just as in the description
 of FIGS. 1 through 5, there is again a treatment space 9 here into which a
 spray mist 19 can be introduced by means of spray head 11'. The spray mist
 19 serves again to treat bristles 10a' on head 10' of a toothbrush 8' with
 a toothbrush shank 8a'. In this case it may be, for example, a larger
 toothbrush, which is used for brushing dentures, for example.
 FIG. 8 shows a diagram of three variants of sections through cases 1 and
 1'. Shape A is elliptical, shape B is an oval polygon and shape C is oval.
 The shape depends ultimately on the shape desired by the designer and the
 possibilities deriving from the shapes of the spray devices.
 FIG. 9 shows a modified device where the holding device likewise consists
 of a shell case 1" with two case shells 3a" and 3b". Inside the case
 shells 3a" and 3b" there is a receptacle cavity 4" to accommodate a spray
 device 4a such as a spray can. A receptacle cavity 5" serves to
 accommodate a tube of toothpaste 6. A receptacle cavity 7" serves to
 accommodate a toothbrush 8 with its shank 8a". Dental floss, fast-acting
 water disinfectants, toothpicks, plaster, and the like can be accommodated
 in a receptacle cavity 21". The case shells 3a" and 3b" are designed
 essentially in mirror image. A treatment space 9" is provided in which the
 head 10" of the toothbrush 8" is located. Likewise, the spray head 11" of
 the can-shaped spray device 4a projects into the treatment space 9". The
 case shells 3a" and 3b" are joined by a film hinge 12.
 In FIG. 9 the detachable cap 14 which can be used as a toothpaste dish is
 pushed onto the opened case, but it is shown in two parts. The detachable
 cap 14 is in the release projection 14a which passes through the half
 passages 15 in the bottom 16a.
 An adapter 11a which assumes a secured position on the spray head 11" is
 pushed onto spray head 11" of the spray device 4a. The adapter 11a has on
 the bottom side a projection 11b with a reduced outside diameter which can
 pass through passage 16 to the bottom underside 16b. Such an adapter
 guarantees secure guidance of the spray head. Due to the use of the
 adapter 11a, it is also possible to use a commercial spray head 11".
 This device can be used not only as a monoset. It is equally possible to
 design it by providing a receptacle space for a second toothbrush as a
 duoset or receptacle spaces for additional toothbrushes as a multiset.
 The portable devices shown here are equipped for spraying toothbrush heads.
 However, it has proven necessary to treat not only toothbrush heads and
 their bristles. There is also a risk of infection with dentures.
 Therefore, there are provisions for designing the devices in the area of
 the treatment space for treatment of dentures as well. On the other hand,
 this device can also be used as a dispenser for disinfectant by spraying
 disinfectant onto the toothbrush bristles in the treatment space and then
 using the toothbrush bristles sprayed in this way as carriers for the
 disinfectant. Thus, parts that are outside the device and cannot be placed
 into the device because of their size, such as dentures, jackscrews, tooth
 guards, trigeminal braces, etc. can be disinfected reliably with the
 freshly sprayed toothbrush bristles while still wet from spraying. Thus
 adequate disinfection of these parts can also be taken into account. The
 cleaning methods and preparations used so far do not yield an adequate
 disinfection effect.