Abstract:
A tooth cleaning assembly including a rack, and at least one detachable toothpaste squeezing assembly mounted on the rack. The assembly further includes a base, a toothpaste cylinder having a lower end fitted in the base, an annular member arranged at an upper end of the toothpaste cylinder, a cover fitted on a top of the toothpaste cylinder and mounted on the annular member, a tubular neck telescopically fitted in the toothpaste cylinder, a cap pivotally connected with an upper end of the tubular neck, and a movable knob extending through the rack to be detachably engaged with a bottom of the base. At least one toothbrush is detachably mounted on the annular member, and at least one spring mug is fitted within the rack, so that all commonly used tooth brushing articles are combined into one unit thereby making them convenient to use and arranging them in a tidy manner.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE  
       [0001]    This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/391,076, filed Sep. 4, 1999.  
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    (a) Technical Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention is related to an improved tooth cleaning assembly.  
           [0004]    (b) Description of the Prior Art  
           [0005]    Generally, a person keeps a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a mug separately on a vanity cabinet in the bathroom When the person wants to brush his teeth, it is necessary to hold the toothpaste with one hand, open the cap of the toothpaste with another hand, set down the cap, pick up the toothbrush, squeeze the toothpaste on to the toothbrush, and then put the toothpaste back in the vanity cabinet, creating an inconvenient operation. Hence, various kinds of toothpaste squeezers have been developed to streamline this process, but it is still necessary to align the toothpaste with the toothbrush and squeeze the toothpaste onto the toothbrush, thus making the squeezers unsatisfactory for practical use.  
           [0006]    Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tooth cleaning assembly which can obviate and mitigate the above-mentioned drawbacks.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    This invention is related to a tooth cleaning assembly.  
           [0008]    It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a tooth cleaning assembly which combines all commonly used tooth cleaning articles into one unit thereby making them convenient to use and arranging them in a tidy manner.  
           [0009]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a tooth cleaning assembly which enables one to choose the desired toothbrush and toothpaste easily by the rotation of the annular member and the toothpaste squeezing assembly.  
           [0010]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a tooth cleaning assembly which will automatically apply toothpaste to a desired toothbrush.  
           [0011]    It is still another object of the present invention to provide a tooth cleaning assembly which is compact.  
           [0012]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tooth cleaning assembly in which the toothbrush and toothpaste can be foldably connected, thus making them easy to carry and suitable for practical use.  
           [0013]    The foregoing objects and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.  
           [0014]    Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]    [0015]FIG. 1 is a partially exploded view of the present invention;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the present invention;  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the toothpaste squeezing device;  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the toothpaste squeezing device;  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 5A is a sectional view illustrating the engagement between the annular member and the cover;  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 5B is a sectional view illustrating the engagement between the base and the detachable knob;  
         [0021]    FIGS.  6 A- 6 B show a second preferred embodiment of the annular member and the cover;  
         [0022]    FIGS.  6 C- 6 D shows a second preferred embodiment of the base of the toothpaste squeezing assembly;  
         [0023]    FIGS.  7 A- 7 L illustrate another six preferred embodiments of the annular member of the toothpaste squeezing assembly;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate front and side views of a second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush and toothpaste squeezing assembly unfolded;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate a front and side views of the second preferred embodiment of the toothbrush and toothpaste squeezing assembly folded;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 illustrates another preferred embodiment of the toothbrush and toothpaste squeezing assembly;  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the spring mug;  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 is an exploded view of the spring mug; and  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 is a view of the rack.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0030]    For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings. Specific language will be used to describe same. It will, nevertheless, be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, alterations and further modifications in the illustrated device, and further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.  
         [0031]    With reference to the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1 thereof, the tooth cleaning assembly according to the present invention generally comprises toothpaste squeezing assemblies  10  and  10 M, tooth brushes  40  and  40 M, spring mugs  60  and  60 M, and a rack  70 . Referring to FIGS. 2,3 and  4 , the toothpaste squeezing assembly  10  includes caps  12 , tubular necks  14 A,  14 B,  14 C and  14 D, toothpaste cylinders  19 , an annular member  32  with slots  33 , a cover  30 , a base  34  and a movable cap  37 . The caps  12 , tubular necks  14 A,  14 B,  14 C and  14 D and toothpaste cylinders  19  are joined together to form the toothpaste squeezer  10 . The movable cap  37  is engaged with the base  34 . The toothpaste cylinder  19  is fitted in the hole  36  of the base  34  and held in place by the hooks  35 . The upper end of the toothpaste cylinder  19  is engaged with the cover  30  which is in turn held in place by the annular member  32 . The outlet  21  at the top of the toothpaste cylinder  19  is connected with the lower end of the tubular neck  14 C.  
         [0032]    As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the toothpaste squeezer  10  includes a cap  12 , having a bottom connected with the outer upper tubular neck  14 B. The cap  12  has two through holes  16  and  16 A. The hole  16  is connected to outer tubular neck  14 B by pins, and through hole  16 A is also connected to inner tubular neck  14 A by pins. The inner upper tubular neck  14 A is slidably fitted within the outer upper tubular neck  14 B and provided with a projection  20  at the lower end. A spring  18  is fitted between the inner and outer upper tubular necks  14 A and  14 B. The lower end of the outer upper tubular neck  14 B is slidably fitted in the outer lower tubular neck  14 D which is formed integrally with the cover  30 . The inner lower tubular neck  14 C is slidably fitted within the outer lower tubular neck  14 D and engaged with the outlet  21  of the toothpaste cylinder  19  through threads  25  or conical circular portions (not shown). The annular member  32  is mounted on the outer edge of the cover  30 . A piston  20 A is fitted inside the lower end of the toothpaste cylinder  19  thereby forming a chamber for receiving toothpaste  22 . The piston  20 A is provided with a non-return member  23  and a bottom cover  24 . The toothpaste squeezer  10  is fitted in the hole  36  of the base  34 , with the hooks  35  supporting the toothpaste cylinder  19 . The movable cap  37  has an engaging member  38  engaged with the engaging member  35 A of the base  34 .  
         [0033]    When in use, it is only necessary to press the front portion of the cap  12  so that the lugs  15 A of the inner upper tubular neck  14 A act as a main axle in the axle holes  15 B of the outer upper tubular neck  14 B. The inner upper tubular neck  14 A is lowered to open the cap  12  to expose the outlet  13  by pressing on the cap  12 . As pressure is maintained on the cap  12 , the piston  20 A is blocked by the non-return member  23 , thereby squeezing toothpaste  22  out of the outlet  13  and applying it to the head of the tooth brush. The toothbrush  40  and/or  40 M is then removed for use.  
         [0034]    Meanwhile, the spring  18  forces the tubular necks  14 A and  14 B and the cap  12  to return to their original positions. Then, the cap  12  is moved by the upward force of the axle  15 A to close the outlet  13 . Since the tubular necks are smaller than the toothpaste cylinder  19 , the toothpaste will adhere to the tubular necks more than to the toothpaste cylinder  19  so that the piston  20  and the non-return member  23  will move upwardly to be in position for future use.  
         [0035]    The lower end of the outer upper tubular neck  14 B, the inner lower end of the outer lower tubular neck  14 D, the inner upper end of the cover  30 , and the upper end of the toothpaste cylinder  19  are formed with conical circular portions  26 A and  26 B. The upper end of the outlet  21  and the lower end of the outer upper tubular neck  14 B are formed with engaging threads  27  so that the toothpaste cylinder  19  can be replaced.  
         [0036]    In addition, the cap  12  may be provided with a sound card, an air whistle (not shown) or a music integrated circuit so that when the cap  12  is opened, sounds will be generated. Furthermore, the tubular necks  14 C and  14 D, the cover  30 , the toothpaste cylinder  19  and the base  34  may be partially or entirely formed integrally. The hook  35  must be made as an independent component so as to enable the user to replace the toothpaste cylinder  19  from the bottom.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 5A is a sectional view showing the engagement of the cover  30  and the annular member  32 . FIG. 5B is a sectional view illustrating the engagement of the base  34  and the detachable knob  37 . FIGS.  6 A-D illustrate a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein the annular member  32 A, the cover  30 A and the base  34 A are formed with two holes, and the annular member  32 A may be wavy in shape. In addition, the toothpaste squeezer may be directly engaged with the detachable knob  37  at the bottom and with a single-hole annular member  32 B at the top. Further, as shown in FIGS.  7 A-L, the ears  33 ,  33 A and  33 B of the annular members  32 ,  32 A and  32 B may be of different types so as to be adapted for use with different types of toothbrushes  40 ,  40 M, and hooks  42 . In other words, the present invention may be provided with one or more toothpaste squeezers to form a desired toothpaste squeezing assembly  10 . The small lug  33 C is a hook that can be used to hang a long-handled dental mirror (not shown).  
         [0038]    [0038]FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate the engagement of a toothbrush  40 M with a small toothpaste squeezing assembly  10 M. FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate how the toothbrush  40 M is folded in a small toothpaste squeezing assembly  10 M. As shown, the small toothpaste squeezing assembly  10 M includes a seat  51  and a spring  52 . A short-handled toothbrush  40 M is pivotally connected to the seat  51  by an axle  43 . The toothbrush  40 M is normally disposed in a straight position so that its hook  42  hangs on the annular member  57 . When a user wants to remove the toothbrush  40 M from the assembly, the user rotates the toothpaste squeezing assembly  10 M through an angle of 180 degrees toward the bristles of the toothbrush  40 M so that the hook  42 M slides through the hole  44  (see FIG. 10).  
         [0039]    Referring to FIG. 10, when in use, the cap  12 A is depressed to squeeze the toothpaste  22  out of the tubular neck  14 A of the toothpaste cylinder  19 A. The paste  22  comes out of the outlet  13 A, and the protuberance  58  of the annular member  57  is pressed to disengage the hook  42 M from the annular member  57 , thus causing the toothbrush  40 M to move to a straight position for use. The toothbrush  40 M may be folded after use, thereby making it convenient to carry. The toothbrush  40 M, the axle  43 , and the seat  51  can be connected together by a connecting plate, and partially or wholly made by injection molding. The tubular neck  14 C may be connected to the toothpaste cylinder  19 A to make it disposable after use.  
         [0040]    Referring to FIGS. 1, 6A,  6 B,  8 A,  8 B,  9 A and  9 B, each of the toothbrushes  40  and  40 M is provided with a hook for hanging on the lug  33 C of the annular member  32 A and an axle  43  for engaging with the seat  51  of the toothpaste squeezing assembly. Each of the hooks  42  and  42 M and the axle  43  are designed to make the bristles of the toothbrush align with the outlet  13 . However, for electric toothbrushes, the hook may be provided on a detachable power handle. The toothbrush may be made of resilient foam plastic.  
         [0041]    [0041]FIGS. 11 and 12 are a perspective view and an exploded view of the spring mug  60 , respectively. As shown, the spring mug  60  is made of a body  61 , a bottom member  64 , a ring member  63 , a spring  67  and a handle  62 . The body  61  has an annular groove  66  formed with three cavities  661 . One of the cavities  661  receives the spring  67 . The bottom member  64  has a flange  65  formed with three projections  651 . The bottom member  64  engages the body  61  with the projections  651  slidably fitted into the cavities  661 . The ring member  63  is sleeved over the bottom member  64  to be fixedly mounted with the body  61 , thereby retaining the bottom member  64  in the body  61 . Normally, the spring  67  forces the bottom member  64  to position with the recessed portion  69  engaging the ring member  63  so that the spring mug  60  can be fitted into the lower portion of the rack  70 . When the spring mug  60  is removed from the rack  70 , the protuberances  73  at two sides of the rack  70  will adjust the position of the bottom member  64 , thereby causing the spring  67  to force the bottom member  64  outward, thereby increasing the capacity of the spring mug  60 . The annular groove  66  with three cavities  661  may be replaced with a larger circular groove adapted to receive a single spring.  
         [0042]    Referring to FIG. 13, the upper portion of the rack  70  is formed with a protrusion  71  adapted to engage a cavity  39  at the lower end of the toothpaste squeezing assembly  10 . The interior of the rack  70  is divided by two partitions into three chambers for receiving spring mugs  60 . The rack  70  has two holes  74  for hanging the rack on the wall.  
         [0043]    The above-mentioned component parts form the tooth cleaning assembly according to the present invention. The rack  70  receives the toothpaste squeezing assembly  10 , on which are hung toothbrushes  40  and  40 M. Spring mugs  60  or  60 M are fitted within the rack  70 .  
         [0044]    While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in itsoperation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the restrictions of the appended claims.