Abstract:
A user-friendly foldable toothbrush with an integrated toothpaste container and an oral care kit are provided. The foldable toothbrush comprises a detachable toothbrush head, a toothpaste connector, a toothpaste container, a bottom housing, and a top housing. The oral care kit comprises the foldable toothbrush and a rinse cup. The foldable toothbrush and the oral care kit of the present invention are not only more convenient for users to carry and use, but are also cost-effective due to the design of certain replaceable parts.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/120,360, filed on Feb. 24, 2015, entitled “ORAL CARE KIT COMPRISING COLLAPSIBLE TOOTHBRUSH, INTEGRATED TOOTHPASTE CONTAINER AND RINSE CUP/CASE”, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, including drawings. 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention generally relates to toothbrushes and oral care kits, more specifically, relates to a foldable toothbrush with an integrated toothpaste container and an oral care kit thereof. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     The following is a tabulation of some prior art that presently appears relevant: 
     
       
         
               
             
               
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
               
               
                 U.S. Patents 
               
             
          
           
               
                   
                 Kind Code 
                 Issue Date 
                 Patentee 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 Pat. No. 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 8,800,573 
                 B2 
                 Aug. 12, 2014 
                 Stein Hofstad 
               
               
                 3,734,118 
                   
                 May 5, 1973 
                 Frances B. Howard 
               
               
                 4,467,822 
                   
                 Aug. 28, 1984 
                 Victor C. Blackwell 
               
               
                 Publication No. 
                   
                   
                   
               
               
                 20100290829 
                   
                 Nov. 18, 2010 
                 William McCoy 
               
               
                   
               
             
          
         
       
     
     Tooth brushing is the act of scrubbing teeth with a toothbrush equipped with toothpaste. Usually, a rinse cup is used to hold the water to rinse the toothpaste residual and to clean the toothbrush head after tooth brushing. 
     Traditionally, a toothbrush, a toothpaste tube/container and a rinse cup are independent. A user must open the toothpaste container, dispense the toothpaste from a tube/container onto the bristles of the toothbrush, close the toothpaste container and set it on the table: a potentially messy and time consuming process. Also, a set of traditional toothbrush, toothpaste tube/container and a rinse cup can take a lot of space in a traveler&#39;s bag, which makes tooth brushing inconvenient for travelers and people who need to carry their oral care kit around. 
     Thereafter, several types of toothbrushes have been designed to incorporate a toothpaste supply in their handle to simplify the dispensing operation. For example, William McCoy (US2010/0290829) discloses a device combining a toothbrush, toothpaste dispenser, and refresh cup cover. However, the device remains the same length as a normal sized toothbrush, which makes it inconvenient for traveling. And its refresh cup is too small to hold enough water for rinsing. 
     Foldable toothbrushes are designed to enhance the portability of toothbrushes. Stein Hofstad (U.S. Pat. No. 8,800,573 B2) discloses a foldable toothbrush with a razor. However, it lacks an integrated toothpaste container and requires a rinse cup in order for the user to brush his/her teeth, which collectively take the same amount of space as a traditional toothbrush kit in a traveler&#39;s bag. Additionally, the razor component is useless for beardless users. 
     Several foldable toothbrushes have integrated toothpaste designs, but still have many problems to be solved. Frances Howard (U.S. Pat. No. 3,734,118) discloses a foldable toothbrush, which dispenses toothpaste through a discharge slot registering with the brush head when in a completely folded position. The problem is obvious: firstly, it is impossible for the user to know how much toothpaste has been dispensed, which may result in a messy operation. Secondly, as the discharge slot is exposed to the air, the toothpaste dries out quickly and blocks the slot, requiring the user to consistently clean the slot. This process is both time consuming and unhygienic. 
     Some other foldable toothbrushes with a combined toothpaste dispenser have been proposed. Victor Blackwell (U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,822) discloses a toothbrush device comprising an elongate container for receiving or containing toothpaste. All the disclosed configurations have a piston like toothpaste dispenser, which makes it difficult or impossible to refill the toothpaste, while the manufacturing cost is high. The brush head is directly exposed to the circumstance even in inoperative position, which doesn&#39;t satisfy hygienic practices. Also, the lack of a rinse cup in the proposed design makes it inconvenient for travelers to use. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A foldable toothbrush with an integrated toothpaste container is provided by the present invention. The foldable toothbrush comprises a detachable toothbrush head, a toothpaste connector, a toothpaste container, a bottom housing, and a top housing. The detachable toothbrush head comprises a hollow stem and a front surface in which a toothpaste output opening is configured, the hollow stem is in fluid communication with the toothpaste output opening around which bristles are configured. The toothpaste connector further comprises a toothbrush head adapter, a hose and a toothpaste container adapter. One end of the toothbrush head adapter is connected with the end of the hollow stem of the detachable toothbrush head. The other end of the toothbrush head adapter is integrally connected with the toothpaste container adapter through the hose, so that the toothpaste container adapter is in fluid communication with the toothpaste output opening. The toothpaste container has a dispensing port on one end and a toothpaste container seal on the other end. The dispensing port is fluidly connected with the toothpaste container adapter. The bottom housing has a first end and a second end. The toothpaste container sits in the bottom housing adjacent to said first end, and the first end is pivotally connected with the toothbrush head adapter via a pair of connector shafts in such a way that the detachable toothbrush head can be folded toward the bottom housing. The second end of the bottom housing contains a hinge component. In the non-use status, the detachable toothbrush head nests into said bottom housing adjacent to its second end without touching the interior face of the bottom housing. The top housing also has a first end and a second end. The first end of the top housing contains a hinge component. The first end of the top housing is hinged with the second end of the bottom housing by a pin and the hinge components; the second end of the top housing is configured with a toothbrush head adapter holder. To use the toothbrush, the top housing is clasped to the bottom housing at the toothbrush head adapter, securing the toothbrush head adapter and the detachable toothbrush head for brushing. 
     The present invention also provides an oral care kit which comprises the foldable toothbrush of the invention and a rinse cup. In one embodiment of the invention, the foldable toothbrush can be snugly put into the rinse cup when the foldable toothbrush is in the non-use status. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the foldable toothbrush or the oral care kit further comprises a toothbrush cap which contains a blocking rod therein. The top housing is configured with a toothbrush cap holder inside the housing, when the toothbrush is in the non-use status, the toothbrush cap is put on said detachable toothbrush head, with the blocking rod fitting into the toothpaste output opening. While in the ready-to-use status, the toothbrush cap can be fixed on the toothbrush cap holder. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the blocking rod is configured inside the bottom housing. When the toothbrush is in the non-use status, the blocking rod can fit into the toothpaste output opening. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the bottom housing further comprises a pair of snap fit buckles on both sides of the housing. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the toothpaste container is a refillable toothpaste container with its rear end sealed by means of said toothpaste container seal. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the toothpaste container is a replaceable commercial toothpaste tube. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the foldable toothbrush further comprises a pull-handle which is hinged by the pin. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pull-handle is a half ring. The foldable toothbrush can stand vertically on the plane, which is defined by the half ring and the hinge components, when the top housing and bottom housing are clasped together. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the configurations of the top housing and the bottom housing are designed to keep the bristles of the foldable toothbrush from touching the surroundings when the foldable toothbrush is positioned either vertically or horizontally in the ready-to-use status. 
     The advantages of the present invention over prior arts include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) to provide an all-in-one oral care kit where a foldable toothbrush, integrated toothpaste dispenser and a rinse cup are compactly combined; (2) all the parts can be easily manufactured and assembled for effective and inexpensive use; (3) the rinse cup can hold enough water for rinsing, and the detachable toothbrush head is well protected in a pair of housing covers to maintain hygiene; (4) the toothpaste container is connected to the brush head to dispense paste directly to the brush head without unnecessary opening and closing of a toothpaste container lid; (5) the toothpaste output opening on the brush head is closed by a blocking rod when the brush is in an inoperative position; this configuration ensures that the paste won&#39;t dry out, and obviates the need to clean the toothpaste output opening. 
     As used herein, the term “ready-to-use status” or “ready to use status” refers to the status when the detachable toothbrush head of the foldable toothbrush of the present invention is fully expanded, and the top housing is clasped to the bottom housing. Accordingly, the term “non-use status” or “inoperative status” refers to the status when the detachable toothbrush head of the foldable toothbrush of the present invention is completely folded into the bottom housing, enclosed by the top housing and bottom housing, which are clasped to each other. 
     The objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING 
         FIG. 1  is a top view of a foldable toothbrush with its top housing open, incorporating a detail view of the toothpaste output opening on the detachable toothbrush head in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows the assembly of a toothpaste connector in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a toothpaste container at sealed status on the left and ready-to-fill status on the right in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a blocking rod in a toothbrush cap and a toothbrush cap holder in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view of the foldable toothbrush, showing individual parts in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6  is a broken-out section view of the foldable toothbrush in the non-use status with a blocking rod fitting into the toothpaste dispensing opening in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 7  shows various ways of placing the foldable toothbrush onto a surface, keeping the toothbrush bristles from touching the surface as a result of the toothbrush configuration according to one embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 8  is a perspective trimetric view of an oral care kit in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, showing the side and the top of the oral care kit. 
         FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the oral care kit in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, showing a rinse cup and the foldable toothbrush side by side, ready for use. 
     
    
    
     DRAWING REFERENCE NUMERALS 
     
         
         
           
               01 . rinse cup 
               02 . foldable toothbrush 
               03 . detachable toothbrush head 
               04 . toothpaste output opening 
               05 . toothbrush head adapter 
               06 . hose 
               07 . toothpaste container adapter 
               08   a . buckle 
               08   b . buckle 
               09 . toothpaste container 
               10 . toothpaste container seal 
               11 . bottom housing 
               12   a . connector shaft 
               12   b . connector shaft 
               13 . top housing 
               14 . pull-handle 
               15 . toothbrush head adapter holder 
               16 . pin 
               17 . blocking rod 
               18 . toothbrush cap 
               19 . toothpaste connector 
               20 . toothbrush cap holder 
               21 . blocking rod 
               22 . hinge component 
               23 . hinge component 
           
         
       
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, a foldable toothbrush with an integrated toothpaste container and an oral care kit will be described in details.  FIG. 1  illustrates a top view of one foldable toothbrush  02  of the present invention. The foldable toothbrush  02  comprises a detachable toothbrush head  03 , a toothpaste connector  19 , a toothpaste container  09 , a bottom housing  11 , and a top housing  13 . The detachable toothbrush head  03  comprises a hollow stem and a front surface in which a toothpaste output opening  04  is configured, the hollow stem is in fluid communication with the toothpaste output opening  04  around which bristles are configured. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 2 , the toothpaste connector  19  comprises a toothbrush head adapter  05 , a hose  06  and a toothpaste container adapter  07 . One end of the toothbrush head adapter  05  is connected with the end of the hollow stem of the detachable toothbrush head  03 . The other end of the toothbrush head adapter  05  is integrally connected with the toothpaste container adapter  07  through the hose  06 , so that the toothpaste container adapter  07  is in fluid communication with the toothpaste output opening  04 . In one embodiment of the present invention, the toothbrush head adapter  05  and the end of the hollow stem of the detachable toothbrush head  03  are connected through snap fit features. 
     Now referring to  FIG. 3 , illustrated is a perspective view of a toothpaste container  09  of one embodiment of the present invention. The toothpaste container  09  has a dispensing port on one end and a toothpaste container seal  10  on the other end. When the toothpaste is insufficient, the user can manually take down the toothpaste container seal  10  and refill the toothpaste container  09 , then the rear part of the toothpaste container  09  can be sealed again using the toothpaste container seal  10 . As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , the dispensing port is fluidly connected with the toothpaste container adapter  07 . According to one embodiment of the present invention, the dispensing port and the toothpaste container adapter  07  are connected through screw threads. In the ready-to-use status, when the user presses the body of the toothpaste container  09  with a proper force, the toothpaste can be discharged onto the bristles through the toothpaste output opening  04 . The bottom housing  11  has a first end and a second end. The toothpaste container  09  sits in the bottom housing  11  adjacent to said first end, and the first end is pivotally connected with the toothbrush head adapter  05  via a pair of connector shafts  12  ( a ) and  12  ( b ) in such a way that the detachable toothbrush head  03  can be folded toward the bottom housing  11 . The second end of the bottom housing  11  contains a hinge component  23 . In the non-use status, the detachable toothbrush head  03  nests into said bottom housing  11  adjacent to the second end without touching the interior face of the bottom housing  11 . The top housing  13  also has a first end and a second end. The first end of the top housing  13  contains a hinge component  22  corresponding to the hinge component  23  of the bottom housing. The first end of the top housing  13  is hinged with the second end of the bottom housing  11  by a pin  16  and the hinge components; and the second end of the top housing  13  is configured with a toothbrush head adapter holder  15 . To use the toothbrush  02 , the top housing  13  is clasped to the bottom housing  11  at the toothbrush head adapter holder  15 , securing the toothbrush head adapter  05  and detachable toothbrush head  03  for brushing. 
     In an alternative embodiment, the toothpaste container  09  is a replaceable commercial toothpaste tube. The toothpaste container adapter  07  can be designed into standard toothpaste tube threads, so that the user can replace the current toothpaste container  09  with a new toothpaste tube obtained from the market. Alternatively, the size of the toothpaste container adapter  07  also can be designed to fit different toothpaste tubes available on the market. 
     With reference to an illustrated embodiment shown in  FIG. 4 , the foldable toothbrush  02  further comprises a toothbrush cap  18  which contains a blocking rod  21  therein. The top housing  13  is configured with a toothbrush cap holder  20  inside the housing, when the toothbrush  02  is in the non-use status, the toothbrush cap  18  is put on said detachable toothbrush head  03 , with the blocking rod  21  fitting into the toothpaste output opening  04 . While in the ready-to-use status, the toothbrush cap  18  can be fixed on the toothbrush cap holder  20 . As illustrated in  FIG. 4  according to one embodiment of the present invention, the toothbrush cap holder  20  can be two parallel rods mounted inside the bottom of the top housing  13 , and two corresponding holes are configured in the toothbrush cap  18 . When the toothbrush  02  is ready to use, the toothbrush cap holder  20  can hold the protection cap  18  tightly. 
     In a preferred embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in  FIG. 5  and  FIG. 6 , a blocking rod  17  is configured inside the bottom housing  11 . When the toothbrush  02  is in the non-use status, the blocking rod  17  can fit into the toothpaste output opening  04 . 
     According to one embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the bottom housing  11  further comprises a pair of snap fit buckles  08 ( a ) and  08 ( b ) on both sides of the housing. These two buckles can prevent the second end of the top housing  13  from releasing the first end of the bottom housing  11  after the two housings are clasped to each other. Equivalent means also could be used to achieve this objective. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the foldable toothbrush  02  further comprises a pull-handle  14  which is hinged by the pin  16 . In a preferred embodiment, the pull-handle  14  is a half ring. As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the foldable toothbrush  02  can stand vertically on the plane which is defined by the half ring and the hinge components, when the bottom housing  11  and top housing  13  are clasped together. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention as illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the configurations of the top housing  13  and bottom housing  11  are designed to keep the bristles of the foldable toothbrush  02  from touching the surroundings when the foldable toothbrush  02  is positioned either vertically or horizontally in the ready-to-use status. 
     Turning to  FIG. 8  and  FIG. 9 , illustrated is an embodiment of the oral care kit of the present invention. The oral care kit comprises the foldable toothbrush  02  of the present invention and a rinse cup  01 . When the user uses the foldable toothbrush  02  to brush his or her teeth, the rinse cup  01  can be used to resin his or her mouth and clean the toothbrush  02 . In the non-use status, the foldable toothbrush  02  can be snugly put into the rinse cup  01  to effectively protect the toothbrush  02  and to facilitate the carrying of the oral care kit. When the foldable toothbrush  02  is put into the rinse cup  01 , the pull-handle  14  of the foldable toothbrush  02  can be seen from the opening of the rinse cup  01 . Once the user wants to use the foldable toothbrush  02 , he or she can use one hand to hold the rinse cup  01  and the other hand to pull the pull-handle  14 , thus to easily take out the foldable toothbrush  02 . 
     While the invention has been disclosed in connection with the preferred embodiments shown and described in details, various modifications and improvements thereon will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the present invention is not to be limited by the foregoing examples, but is to be understood in the broadest sense allowable by law. 
     All documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference.