Abstract:
A toothbrush having a conduit leading through the brush body to a plurality of egress apertures positioned within the bristle base of the brush covered by a slide tab having corresponding apertures that can be moved between an aligned open and an offset closed position to keep the dentifrice from drying out between usage&#39;s.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
   1. Field of the Invention 
   The present invention relates generally to dispensers and, more specifically, to a toothbrush incorporating means for dispensing a dentifrice into the toothbrush bristles. The toothbrush has a conduit leading through the brush body to a plurality of egress apertures positioned within the bristle base of the brush covered by a slide that can be moved between an open and closed position to keep the dentifrice from drying out between usage. 
   Additionally, the present invention provides for an additional element wherein the toothbrush receives a canister of dentifrice that is clipped onto the toothbrush handle providing a reusable toothbrush. 
   2. Description of the Prior Art 
   There are other dispensing devices designed for tubular material. While these devices may be suitable for the purposes for which they where designed, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as heretofore described. 
   It is thus desirable to provide a toothbrush having a cavity for the insertion of dentifrice that can be selectively dispensed by a user. 
   It is further desirable to provide a reusable toothbrush having a toothbrush body and means for receiving a tube of dentifrice that can be selectively dispensed and replaced when empty. 
   SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION 
   A primary object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush having dentifrice contained within the body of the brush. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush having a conduit leading from the reservoir of dentifrice to the toothbrush bristles. 
   Yet another object of the present invention is to provide said conduit with a plurality of apertures leading to the toothbrush bristles. 
   Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a slide positioned within the head whereby said apertures can be selectively opened and closed to prevent the dentifrice from drying out between uses. 
   Another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush having a body comprising a handle and brush head with retaining means for receiving a replaceable tube of dentifrice. 
   Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism whereby the dentifrice is moved from the replaceable tube through conduit to the toothbrush bristles. 
   Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush with a replaceable tube of dentifrice with a mechanism for opening and closing egress apertures within the toothbrush bristles. 
   Additional objects of the present invention will appear as the description proceeds. 
   The present invention overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art by providing a toothbrush incorporating means for dispensing a dentifrice into the toothbrush bristles. The toothbrush has a conduit leading through the brush body to a plurality of egress apertures positioned within the bristle base of the brush covered by a slide that can be moved between an open and closed position to keep the dentifrice from drying out between usage&#39;s. 
   Additionally, the present invention provides for an additional element wherein the toothbrush receives a canister of dentifrice that is clipped onto the toothbrush handle providing a reusable toothbrush. 
   The foregoing and other objects and advantages will appear from the description to follow. In the description reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which forms a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments will be described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. In the accompanying drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views. 
   The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is best defined by the appended claims. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
     In order that the invention may be more fully understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which: 
       FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the present invention in use. 
       FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of the bristle head. 
       FIG. 7  is a sectional view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 9  is an enlarged view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 11  is a sectional view of an additional element of the present invention. 
       FIG. 12  is an exploded sectional view of the present invention. 
       FIG. 13  is a detailed view of the sliding tab of the present invention shown in the open position. 
       FIG. 14  is a detailed view of the sliding tab of the present invention shown in the closed position. 
   

   DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCED NUMERALS 
   Turning now descriptively to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several view, the figures illustrate the Toothbrush incorporating dentifrice dispenser of the present invention. With regard to the reference numerals used, the following numbering is used throughout the various drawing figures.
           10  Toothbrush incorporating dentifrice dispenser     12  toothbrush handle     14  bristle head     16  bristles     18  apertures of  14       20  sliding tab     22  apertures of  20       24  toothpaste cartridge     26  toothpaste     28  injector pump     29  one-way valve     30  cartridge chamber     32  platen     34  cap     36  cap ridge     38  bristle head conduit       

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
   The following discussion describes in detail one embodiment of the invention (and several variations of that embodiment). This discussion should not be construed, however, as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments, practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well. For definition of the complete scope of the invention, the reader is directed to appended claims. 
     FIG. 1  is an illustrative view of the present invention  10  in use. The present invention  10  is a toothbrush having a reservoir for the placement therein of toothpaste that can be selectively dispensed by the user by means of a slide mechanism positioned of the tip of the bristle head. The toothpaste reservoir has means for moving the toothpaste through the reservoir using a spring and injector pump. 
     FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the present invention  10 . Shown is the present invention  10  comprising a toothbrush having a reservoir for the placement therein of toothpaste that can be selectively dispensed by the user by means of a slide mechanism  20  positioned of the tip of the bristle head. Once the desired amount of dentifrice is dispensed the slide  20  is moved to the closed position for brushing and storage. The toothpaste reservoir has means for moving the toothpaste through the reservoir using a spring and injector pump  28 . A cap  34  that snaps onto a cap ridge  36  is also provided to keep the bristle  16  from contamination. 
     FIG. 3  is a perspective view of the present invention  10 . Shown is the present invention  10  with the cap removed having a toothbrush handle  12  containing a reservoir of dentifrice that can be selectively dispensed by moving the slide  20  positioned at the bristle head  14  to the open position whereby the spring along with the injector pump  28  can be used to move the toothpaste from the reservoir through a conduit positioned within the head into the toothbrush bristles. Once the desired amount of dentifrice is dispensed the slide  20  is moved into the closed position for brushing. 
     FIG. 4  is a sectional view of the present invention  10 . Shown is a sectional view of the present invention  10  comprising a tooth brush having a handle  12  with a cavity therein forming a cartridge chamber  30  for the storage of toothpaste that can be selectively dispensed by the user by means of a slide mechanism  20  positioned of the tip of the bristle head  14  by aligning the slide tab apertures  22  with the bristle head apertures  18 . Once the desired amount of dentifrice is dispensed the slide  20  is moved to the closed position for brushing and storage. The toothpaste reservoir has means for moving the toothpaste through the reservoir into a conduit within the brush head using an injector pump  28  with one-way valve  29  (shown schematically) when the slide  20  is in the open position. 
     FIG. 5  is a sectional view of the present invention  10 . Shown is a sectional view of the present invention  10  with the means for moving the dentifrice from the toothpaste cartridge  24  to the bristle head  14  removed from the handle  12 , which provides means for refilling the toothbrush as needed. The means of selectively dispensing the dentifrice is comprised of a platen  32  conforming substantially to the reservoir bore that is in communication with an injector pump  28  having a one-way valve  29  which provides a force for moving the paste when the dispensing slide apertures  22  are moved into alignment with the bristle head apertures  18 . 
     FIG. 6  is an enlarged view of the bristle head  14 . Shown is an enlarged view of the bristle head  14  of the present invention  10  with the dispensing slide  20  in the closed position. The bristle head  14  has a conduit  38  in communication with the toothpaste cartridge  24  with a plurality of bristle head apertures  18  and slide tab apertures  22  leading into the bristles  16  with a movable dispenser slide  20  for selectively preventing or allowing the dentifrice to be moved into the bristles  16 . There is a nub positioned on the front of the slide  20  to aid in selective movement of the slide from the closed to open position. 
     FIG. 7  is an enlarged view of the bristle head  14  of the present invention with the dispensing slide  20  in the open position. The bristle head  14  has a conduit  38  in communication with the toothpaste cartridge  24  with a plurality of bristle head apertures  18  and slide tab apertures  22  leading into the bristles  16  with a movable dispenser slide  20  for selectively preventing or allowing the dentifrice  26  to be moved into the bristles  16 . There is a nub positioned on the front of the slide  20  to aid in selective movement of the slide  20  from the closed to open position. Once the desired amount of dentifrice  26  is dispensed into the bristle  16  the slide  20  is moved to the closed position for brushing and for storage. 
     FIG. 8  is an enlarged view of the means for moving the dentifrice from the reservoir to the bristle head removed from the handle  12 , thereby providing means for refilling the toothbrush as needed. Provided is an injector pump  28  and a one way valve  29  whereby additional pressure can be exerted against the platen as necessary to dispense the dentifrice. The toothpaste cartridge is inserted into the cartridge chamber  30 . 
     FIG. 9  is a sectional view of the present invention  10 . Shown is a sectional view of the bristle head  14  and handle  12  of the present invention  10  with the dispensing slide  20  in the closed position. The bristle head  14  has a conduit in communication with the toothpaste cartridge  24  with a plurality of bristle head apertures  18  and slide tab apertures  22  leading into the bristles  16  with a movable dispenser slide  20  for selectively preventing or allowing the dentifrice to be moved into the bristles. There is a nub positioned on the front of the slide  20  to aid in selective movement of the slide  20  from the closed to open position. As the dentifrice is dispensed the platen  32  moves through the toothpaste cartridge  24  by means of the injector pump  28  and one-way valve  29 . The dispenser slide  20  in the closed position prevents any inadvertent release of the confined dentifrice. 
     FIG. 10  is a sectional view of the present invention  10 . Shown is an enlarged view of the bristle head  14  and handle  12  of the present invention  10  with the dispensing slide  20  in the open position. The bristle head  14  has a conduit  38  in communication with the toothpaste cartridge  24  with a plurality of bristle head apertures  18  and slide tab apertures  22  leading into the bristles  16  with a movable dispenser slide  20  for selectively preventing or allowing the dentifrice  26  to be moved into the bristles  16 . There is a nub positioned on the front of the slide  20  to aid in selective movement of the slide  20  from the closed to open position. As the dentifrice  26  is dispensed the platen  32  advances through the toothpaste cartridge  24  by means of the injector pump  28  and one-way valve  29 . The dispenser slide  20  in the closed position prevents any inadvertent release of the confined dentifrice  26 . 
     FIG. 11  is a sectional view of an additional element of the present invention  10 . Shown is an additional element of the present invention  10  comprising a toothbrush toothpaste combination device having a handle  12  with a tooth brush bristle portion at one end and an injector pump  28  at the other end. On the lower portion of the handle a cartridge housing is provided to receive a tooth paste cartridge  24  therein. With cartridge  24  loaded, pressure applied on the injector pump  28  will force the toothpaste into the bristles  16 , provided the open/close slide  20  is in the open position. The dispenser slide  20 , when in the closed position, prevents over flow of toothpaste when not in use. 
     FIG. 12  is an exploded sectional view of the present invention  10 . Shown is an additional element of the present invention comprising a toothbrush toothpaste combination device having a handle  12  with a toothbrush bristle portion at one end and an injector pump  28  at its other end. On the lower portion of the handle  12  a cartridge housing is provided to receive a toothpaste cartridge  24  therein. With cartridge  24  loaded, pressure applied on the injector pump  28  will force the toothpaste into the bristles  16 , provided the open/close slide is in the open position. The dispenser slide  20 , when in the closed position, prevents over flow of toothpaste when not in use. 
     FIG. 13  is a detailed view of the sliding tab  20  of the present invention shown in the open position. Shown is an additional element of the present invention comprising a toothbrush toothpaste combination device having a handle with a toothbrush bristle portion at one distal end and an injector pump at its other distal end. On the lower portion of the handle a cartridge housing is provided to receive a toothpaste cartridge therein. With cartridge loaded, pressure applied on the injector pump will force the toothpaste into the bristles  16 , provided the open/close slide  20  is in the open position. The dispenser slide  20 , when in the closed position, prevents over flow of toothpaste when not in use. 
     FIG. 14  is a detailed view of the sliding tab  20  of the present invention shown in the closed position. Shown is an additional element of the present invention comprising a toothbrush toothpaste combination device having a handle with a toothbrush bristle portion at one distal end and an injector pump at its other distal end. On the lower portion of the handle a cartridge housing is provided to receive a toothpaste cartridge therein. With cartridge loaded, pressure applied on the injector pump will force the toothpaste into the bristles  16 , provided the open/close slide  20  is in the open position. The dispenser slide  20 , when in the closed position, prevents over flow of toothpaste when not in use. A cover cap is provided and clicks into place on ridges encompassing the handle. 
   It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above. 
   While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 
   Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various application without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention.