Abstract:
The invention relates to a device for cleaning interdental spaces. It comprises:  
     a tubular guide element having a first profiled open end to allow its positioning at the entry to an interdental space;  
     cleaning means mounted movably in said tubular element, fixed to a first end of the support means;  
     support means for the cleaning means having a fixed longitudinal direction relative to the axis of the tubular guide element; and  
     gripping means for moving the cleaning means between a first position, in which they are entirely arranged inside the tubular element, and a second position, in which they are arranged entirely outside the first end of the tubular element.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The subject of the invention is a device for cleaning interdental spaces.  
           [0002]    The most well-known device for cleaning interdental spaces is generally called a brush. These cleaning means consist of a twisted metal core approximately 1 mm in diameter on which bristles defining a cylindrical or conical volume 5 to 10 mm in diameter are fixed.  
           [0003]    They are often provided with a reasonably sophisticated handle to enhance their ergonomics. Because of its small size, this brush can effectively be inserted in the space between two adjacent teeth and efficiently clean that area.  
           [0004]    However, these brushes have a number of drawbacks that either affect the cleaning efficiency or dissuade the user from continuing to use them.  
           [0005]    These drawbacks will be explained with reference to the appended FIGS. 1A, 1B and  1 C.  
           [0006]    In FIG. 1C, a lower jaw  10  with teeth  12  and the lateral buccal wall  14  have been shown. This figure also shows a brush  16  with its bristles  18  and its gripping rod  20 . The figure also shows the handle  20  of the brush being gripped by the fingers  22  of a first hand and the use of one or more fingers  24  of the other hand to move the buccal wall  14  away and to allow access to the desired interdental space  26 .  
           [0007]    [0007]FIG. 1A shows two consecutive teeth  12   1  and  12   2  and the corresponding interdental space  26 . FIG. 1B shows the two teeth in section in the plane B-B.  
           [0008]    Conventionally, to use the brush it is firstly necessary to place its end opposite the desired interdental space by holding back the soft tissue, such as the lip, cheek or tongue, and then the brush  16  is inserted in the axis of the interdental space and a back-and-forth movement is carried out.  
           [0009]    Interdental spaces are usually located in the areas of the mouth that are difficult to access, particularly in the molar sector. Moreover, the lips and cheeks cannot be pushed back easily in order to allow comfortable positioning of the brush. Furthermore, the brushes include a core  20  consisting of a very fine twist of metal to allow insertion of the brush into the interdental space. The core of the brush can thus easily be deformed. Lastly, patients do not always have the skill required to present the end of the brush conveniently opposite the interdental space to be cleaned.  
           [0010]    All the above considerations mean that the use of brushes of known type is therefore awkward, and the deformation of the brush gives rise to poor cleaning or early destruction of the equipment, and also to the frequent cessation of use of the cleaning device on the part of the user.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    An object of the present invention is to provide a device for cleaning interdental spaces that is more efficient and easier to use than the current state of the art represented principally by interdental brushes.  
           [0012]    To achieve this object according to the invention, the device for cleaning interdental spaces is noteworthy in that it comprises:  
           [0013]    a tubular guide element having a first profiled open end to allow its positioning at the entry to an interdental space;  
           [0014]    cleaning means (brush) mounted movably in said tubular element and having an axis constrained to remain coincident with that of said tubular element;  
           [0015]    support means for the cleaning means having a fixed longitudinal direction relative to the axis of said tubular guide element; and  
           [0016]    gripping means for moving said cleaning means via said support means between a first position, in which they are entirely arranged inside said tubular element, and a second position, in which they are arranged entirely outside said first end of said tubular element.  
           [0017]    Preferably, the device also comprises means for returning the cleaning means to their initial position and, also preferably, means for limiting the relative displacement of the support means and cleaning means relative to the tubular guide element.  
           [0018]    It will be understood that when the interdental cleaning device is put into position the brush is entirely inside the tubular element. It therefore cannot be mechanically damaged. Moreover, this initial positioning is facilitated because the assembly consisting of the tubular element and the gripping means has sufficient mechanical strength to allow the soft tissue, such as the lip, cheek or tongue, to be moved away while bearing in the interdental space. Furthermore, the profiled open end of the tubular element considerably facilitates the initial positioning of the cleaning device at the entrance to the interdental zone.  
           [0019]    According to a first embodiment, the gripping means comprise a tubular body with an axis aligned with that of said tubular guide element, the tubular body being movable relative to said tubular element in the common direction of their axes. The support means comprises a rod arranged along said common axis and has a first end integral with said means forming the brush and a second end integral with said tubular body.  
           [0020]    It will be understood that, in this first embodiment, after the initial positioning of the cleaning device opposite the interdental space, by bearing on the tubular body the means forming the brush are made to emerge and automatically penetrate the desired interdental space.  
           [0021]    According to a second embodiment of the invention, said gripping means comprise an elongate piece mounted movably in said tubular guide element and having a first end integral with the cleaning means.  
           [0022]    In the case of this second embodiment of the invention, after the initial positioning of the device opposite the interdental space it suffices to bear on the gripping means in order to obtain the automatic emergence of the means forming the brush into the interdental space. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0023]    Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will become more apparent upon reading the following description of a number of embodiments of the invention that are given by way of non-limiting examples. The description relates to the appended figures, in which:  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 1A, 1B, and  1 C already described illustrate the use of interdental brushes according to the state of the art;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a view in longitudinal section of a first embodiment of the cleaning device;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIGS. 3A, 3B, and  3 C illustrate the use of the first embodiment of the cleaning device;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 4 shows, in axial section, a second embodiment of the cleaning device;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIGS. 5A and 5B show the use of the cleaning device of FIG. 4; and  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 6 shows, in longitudinal section, a third embodiment of the cleaning device. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]    With reference, firstly, to FIG. 2, a description will be given of a first embodiment of an interdental cleaning device  30 . This device consists essentially of a tubular guide element  32 , gripping means  34 , cleaning means  36  forming a brush, and support means  58 .  
         [0031]    More precisely, the tubular guide element  32  includes a tubular piece  38  of which a first end  40  ends in a frustoconical shape for location and positioning in the interdental space  44 . In its common part, the tubular piece  38  has an internal diameter D0, whereas its open end  42  has a diameter D1 less than D0. The second end  44  of the tubular piece  38  constitutes a widened part  46  that defines a shoulder  48  on its front face.  
         [0032]    The gripping means  34  consist of a tubular body  50  with a first end  52  that is open to receive the tubular piece  38 . The open end  52  includes an edge  54  that is able to cooperate with the shoulder  48  of the tubular piece. The second end  56  of the tubular body  50  is closed by a base  57 . Mounted on this base  57  is an axial rod  58  forming the support means that extend over the entire length of the tubular body and penetrate the tubular piece  38 . At its free end  60 , the rod  58  is provided with a brush  62  of conventional type, which thus constitutes the cleaning means. The brush  62  includes a spindle  64  of very small diameter that is fixed to the end of the rod  58 , and bristles  66  fixed on the spindle  64 . The diameter of the brush is substantially equal to DO.  
         [0033]    Preferably, the brush  62  is fixed to the end of the rod  58  by reversible fixing means  63 , such as a screw-thread or bayonet system.  
         [0034]    The cleaning device  30  further includes elastic return means consisting, in this embodiment, of a helical spring  70  surrounding part of the rod  58 , a first end  70   a  of which bears on the base  57  of the tubular body and the second end  70   b  of which bears on the posterior face  46   a  of the widened part  46  of the tubular piece  38 . At rest, i.e. in the position shown in FIG. 2, the spring  70  holds the shoulder  48  of the tubular piece on the edge  54  of the tubular body. In this position, the brush  62  is arranged entirely inside the tubular piece  38  and is thus protected.  
         [0035]    Preferably, the base  57  is a piece distinct from the tubular piece  50  and is fixed by screwing or snap-fitting onto the end  56  of the tubular piece  50 . This allows removal of the rod  58  and of the brush  62  in order to facilitate cleaning of the device.  
         [0036]    It will be understood that if the user bears on the tubular body  50  in the direction of the arrow F, the end  42  of the device bearing on the teeth  12 , the spring  70  is compressed and the brush  62  progressively emerges from the opening  42  of the tubular piece  38 , thereby penetrating the interdental space  26 .  
         [0037]    It should be pointed out that the part  46  of larger diameter interacts with the inner face of the tubular body  50  in order to guide the tubular piece  38  in translation relative to the tubular body  50  and to maintain the alignment of the axes of the tubular body and of the tubular piece along the common axis X-X′, which is, naturally, also the axis of the brush  62 .  
         [0038]    To facilitate assembly and dismantling of the device, it is also possible to give the end  46  of the tubular piece  38  and the end  52  of the tubular body  50  a special shape, shown in FIG. 2A.  
         [0039]    The end of the tubular piece, which bears the reference  46 ′, includes two chamfers  47  and  49  that are able to interact with the chamfers  53  and  55  provided on the end  52 ′ of the tubular body  50 . Moreover, the end of the tubular piece  38  may include longitudinal slots, for example four slots, such as  61 , in order to facilitate elastic deformation of the piece during its assembly and dismantling by means of snap-fitting.  
         [0040]    With reference, now, to FIGS. 3A through 3C, a description will be given of the use of this first embodiment of the cleaning device. FIG. 3A shows the initial position I of the cleaning device  30 . In this position, the guide end  40  of the tubular element  32  bears on the end entry section of the interdental space. By pivoting, the user brings the device  30  into the position referenced II, simultaneously causing the cheek to move away. In this second position II, the axis X-X′ of the device extends along the axis of the interdental space. In this initial position, as shown in FIG. 3B, the brush  62  is entirely included in the tubular element  32  and is thus mechanically protected.  
         [0041]    In a second phase, shown in FIG. 3C, the user bears on the end  56  of the tubular gripping body  50 . With the tubular element  32  being applied against the teeth, the spring  70  is compressed and the brush  62  emerges into the interdental space  26 . To achieve convenient cleaning by means of a back-and-forth movement of the brush  62  in the interdental space, it suffices to press successively and then to slacken off pressure on the tubular gripping body  50 .  
         [0042]    With reference, now, to FIG. 4, a description will be given of a second embodiment of the device for cleaning interdental spaces, which bears the reference  80 . The device consists of a tubular element  82  with a first open end  84  that has a frustoconical shape and a second end  86  that is open and has a recess  88  close to this second end  86 . Mounted slidably in the tubular piece  82  is a cylindrical piece  90  forming the support means, the first end  92  of which serves as a pusher for the brush  62 . More precisely, the spindle  64  of the brush is fixed on the end  92  of the cylindrical piece  90 . The second end  94  of the cylindrical piece  90  is extended by gripping means or handles  96  that emerge from the tubular piece  82  via the recess  88 . The handle  96  is provided with an elastic leaf spring  98 , a first end  98   a  of which is secured to the handle  96  and the second end  98   b  of which bears on the edge  86   a  of the end  86  of the tubular piece  82 .  
         [0043]    Through the effect of the leaf spring  98 , the cylindrical piece  90  and therefore the brush  62  are held in a retracted position, as shown in FIG. 4. It will be understood that, as the tubular element  82  is bearing in the interdental space, the application of a force F′ to the handle  96  of the device causes the piece  90  to slide in the tubular piece  82 , which gives rise to the emergence of the brush  62  outside the end  84 .  
         [0044]    [0044]FIGS. 5A and 5B show the cleaning device  80  in its initial state and in its use state, respectively.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 6 shows a variant  80 ′ of the embodiment of FIG. 5. The difference lies essentially in that the gripping member  100  is in the extension of the cylindrical piece  90  and ends in an operating button  102 . The elastic return means consist of a helical spring  104  surrounding a narrowed part of the piece  90  and mounted between a shoulder  106  inside the tubular piece  82  and the shoulder  108  of the cylindrical piece  90 .  
         [0046]    In order to simplify assembly and dismantling of the cylindrical piece  90  relative to the tubular piece  82 , provision is preferably made in the latter two embodiments, in the tubular piece  82 , for a bayonet-form slot  95  for the engagement of the stud  91 . This slot includes a first portion  95   a  parallel to the slot  93  and opening out at the open end of the piece  82  and a second portion  95   b  in the form of an arc of a circle opening out in the slot  93 .  
         [0047]    It should be emphasized that, in all cases, the cleaning device is held in the retracted position by an elastic return system, and that this retracted position is defined by a mechanical stop constituting a means for limiting the relative displacement of the support means with regard to the tubular element.