Abstract:
A toothbrushing entertainment center is disclosed having a pivotable harness member for storing a toothbrush, which harness member activates or deactivates a switch which, in turn, triggers the initiation or ceasing of an internet-based audio and/or visual signal of pre-determined duration for effectuating or enhancing the brushing of teeth.

Description:
[0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/278,882, filed Oct. 13, 2009. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The invention relates generally to personal hygiene apparatus and particularly to toothbrush holders. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE PRIOR ART 
       [0003]    The need for proper oral hygiene is keenly important to American households. Proper brushing is not fully understood by many adults nor is it understood by most children. If proper instruction and technique were followed consumers could save money and lead healthier lives while enjoying higher self-esteem. In the past there have been musical toothbrushes, talking toothbrush holders, and other audio producing apparatus designed to effectuate and enhance proper brushing among adults, but especially among children. Prior devices have unfortunately had a number of drawbacks. For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,926,489 and 3,021,666, the inventor Stone disclosed activating an animated character in association with brushing teeth. Upon removal of a toothbrush from the mechanism the character became animated. Upon return of the toothbrush, the animation was deactivated. The mechanism had a timer control which could be cycled to its starting point upon the return of the toothbrush. However, the animation was not accompanied by any audio. Stubbman discloses in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,234 an animated character similar to the Stone apparatus, having a control means extending from the device and operated by the user to activate the display, but it also contained a sound producing audio component. The devices, however, were considered overly complex and too expensive to manufacture while also being susceptible to mechanical failure. Robert Gertler disclosed in 1981 his personal hygiene apparatus under U.S. Pat. No. 4,285,151. Mr. Gertler&#39;s invention also included a character figure but it was non-animated. Located within the interior of his device was an audio producing means which was activated by a switch on the base console of the device. The character figure supported a personal hygiene means which maintained the switch in a deactivated condition. Removal of a toothbrush located on the character caused the activation of the switch and thereby the audio was produced. However, a critical drawback to the Gertler device was that it used a primitive recording disk or tape which could only play one message. Furthermore, if the toothbrush was replaced prematurely, the message continued to play to the end of the melody or the message which was in progress. 
         [0004]    Accordingly, Mr. Rory G. Hogan disclosed an apparatus in 1999 under his U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,288, which was a talking toothbrush holder. The device incorporated an audio chip or in the alternative a tape-recorded message or possibly even a radio signal. A separate timing mechanism was incorporated in order to monitor the amount of time a toothbrush had been removed from the holder to insure proper brushing had taken place. Moreover, a separate warning message or tune having an independent signal generated apart from the original signal which carried the message or music that began playing when the toothbrush was removed from the holder. This independent second signal carried an acknowledgement that the pre-determined brushing period had elapsed. There was also a control apparatus to monitor the time elapsed since the toothbrush had been removed. The second control signal generated a second pre-determined sound pattern when the first signal (indicating the absence of the toothbrush) was de-asserted and the second signal was asserted. It was critical that the second signal be asserted in order to overcome the drawback of the Gertler device. In other words, this element allowed the message to stop immediately when the toothbrush was returned prematurely, and to create a warning which could be observed by the parents or noted by the parents of a toothbrushing child or by the person brushing their teeth, alerting one to the fact that additional brushing time was needed. 
         [0005]    Additionally, the toothbrush holder was designed, as most toothbrush holders were designed, to have a receptacle within the base of the toothbrush holder which fit the shape of the toothbrush handle and therefore could house the distal end of the toothbrush. 
         [0006]    Hogan disclosed a talking toothbrush holder in U.S. Pat. No. 5,864,288. It was not without its drawbacks. That is, different types of toothbrush handles require different shaped receptacles for purposes of holding the toothbrush. Additionally, the multiple signal switches and circuitry within the toothbrush holder are cumbersome and expensive. 
         [0007]    A novel and attractive but simple and inexpensive toothbrush holder which could entertain and/or educate the consumers when the toothbrush was removed from its holder and which would do so for the pre-determined period desired for toothbrushing, and yet could overcome previous drawbacks in the prior art would be a welcomed advancement and would satisfy a long felt need in the industry. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    It is an object of the present invention to provide an audio/visual toothbrushing entertainment center which overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. 
         [0009]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide an audio/visual toothbrushing entertainment center which does not require a second independent signal within the circuitry of the device for purposes of either ending the message or for providing a warning that the toothbrush has been returned to the holder prematurely. 
         [0010]    It is also an object of the present invention to provide an audio/visual entertainment center which does not require an animated object, but rather will have a moving picture signal which can be viewed on a monitor integral to the entertainment center. 
         [0011]    It is further object of the present invention to have a toothbrushing entertainment center which has a variety of messages, stories, tunes, etc. condensed to fit the pre-determined toothbrushing period of time which are downloadable from a central website or from an external computer processing unit of an independent computer which condensed messages are generated by a signal which inherently contains warning signals for prematurely returning the toothbrush and messages which are laudatory, or congratulatory when returning the toothbrush at the end of the pre-determined period of time in which toothbrushing should take place. 
         [0012]    The attached drawings and detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention are intended to be merely illustrative of a broader scope of invention which is contemplated for the device. Certain embodiments of the toothbrush holder will have obvious equivalents which can be employed as alternatives if desired. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0013]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the toothbrushing entertainment center of the present invention. 
           [0014]      FIG. 2  is an exploded perspective view of the entertainment center of the present invention as embodied within  FIG. 1 . 
           [0015]      FIG. 3  is a back side, internal view of the components housed within the toothbrushing entertainment center of the present invention. 
           [0016]      FIG. 4  is a block diagram of the internal components housed within  FIG. 3 . 
           [0017]      FIG. 5  is a left side view of the entertainment center of the present invention including a dotted line of a toothbrush which can be held in the invention. 
           [0018]      FIG. 6  is a front view of the toothbrushing entertainment center of the present invention. 
           [0019]      FIG. 7  is a right side view of a toothbrushing entertainment center of the present invention as shown in  FIG. 6 . 
           [0020]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of an alternative audio visual embodiment of the toothbrushing entertainment center of the present invention showing a video monitor. 
           [0021]      FIG. 9  is a block diagram of the internal components of this alternative embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in  FIG. 8 . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0022]    Referring now to  FIGS. 1-5 , the toothbrushing entertainment center  10  requires a housing  11  which housing may be connected to a base portion  12  by a rod  13  extending between the base  12  and the housing  10 , thereby allowing the entertainment center housing to stand vertically as if on a pedestal. Resting within the housing  11  may be a stand stabilizing element  16  affixed within the housing to releasably receive one end of rod  13 . Housing  11  is defined by a continuous perimeter wall  30  which has a backside edge  31  and a front side edge  32 . Back side edge  31  fittingly receives back side cover plate  14  which is releasably fixed thereto. Similarly, front edge  32  receives front cover plate  18  which is releasably affixed thereto. Thus, said front cover plate  18 , back side plate  14 , and continuous perimeter wall  30  there between which receives both said plates  14  and  18  so to define housing  11 . 
         [0023]    Critical to the entertainment center  10  is harness means  17 , which extends pivotally through a slot  19  within front side plate  18  of the housing  11 . Harness means  17  is designed to receive the neck portion of, for example, a toothbrush  25  (See  FIG. 5 ). The harness means  17  pivots downward from the weight of the toothbrush when said toothbrush  25  rests within the harness means  17 . Harness means  17  is not only pivotable but is spring loaded or otherwise releasable so as to activate when holding toothbrush  25  and deactivate (when toothbrush  25  is removed) an internal switch within the housing of the entertainment center. The switch  22 , as can be readily seen in  FIG. 3 , and which is noted in  FIG. 4 , connects a battery  23  (or other power source) and a computer processing unit (CPU)  21 . CPU  21 , in turn, sends audio signals to speaker  24 . Additionally, a USB port  20  allows hard wiring of external computers and devices which may generate signals to the CPU  21 . Also, CPU  21  may be enabled by Bluetooth or other technology for remotely and/or wirelessly sending signals to and receiving signals from CPU unit  21 . The CPU unit  21  is designed to communicate with off-site processing units, host computers, and other equipment supporting the worldwide web and/or the internet. Web signals from a central web site will be stored in a library comprising short instructional messages, audio, video, and/or other entertainment means which cover a predetermined condensed or shortened time period correlated to the period of time best suited for brushing teeth, i.e. from about 1 minute to about 3 minutes, but preferably 2 minutes. 
         [0024]    The weight of toothbrush  25  serves to close the switch  22  so that no signal other than a tail signal lasting a few seconds can be received from the internet. The tail signal will be laudatory if the toothbrush  25  has been removed from said harness  17  for a pre-determined period of time. However, the tail signal will be a warning if the toothbrush has been removed from the harness for less than the pre-determined period of time. However, in no case is an independent signal needed other than the programmed signals which are individually known as tooth tones or t-tones which are programmed digitally and stored at the central website. These tooth tones may be of an infinite variety of subjects, animated cartoons, stories, action films, or merely messages regarding, for example, dental hygiene. 
         [0025]    The backside plate  14  for housing  11 , should be easily removable as for example by screws which can be screwed in and out of screw holes  15 ( a ),  15 ( b ) and  15 ( c ) which may be seen in  FIGS. 1 ,  2  and  3 . 
         [0026]    Referring now to  FIGS. 6 and 7 , vents  24 ( a ) may be found in front plate  19  as a means for projecting audio from speaker  24 . USB port  20  may be seen in  FIG. 7  as a convenient point for hard-wiring signals from a central computer. 
         [0027]    Now referring to  FIGS. 8 and 9 , a most preferred embodiment of the present invention is a toothbrushing entertainment center  10  which has every element of the invention previously described plus a monitor  26  over which tooth video tunes may be displayed. Accordingly, the toothbrushing entertainment center  10  of the present invention may have video instructions and/or other educational messages regarding dental hygiene. Also in  FIG. 8  an external power cord  28  may be used if desired to power the entertainment center  10  of the present invention. 
         [0028]    While the preferred embodiments and various alternative embodiments of the invention have been disclosed and described in detail herein, it may be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.