Patent Publication Number: US-4924547-A

Title: Packageable toilet utensil

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to a packageable toilet utensil, in particular to a tooth brush, i.e. a foldable utensil likely to be in the pocket-size form. 
     Toilet utensils such as a tooth brush have a relatively important length which does not allow them to be easily transported in a jacket- or trouser pocket. Moreover, it is necessary to transport the tooth brush in a relatively cumbersome protective holder which can be relatively easily lost. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention has as an object to eliminate the above drawbacks of the known utensils by providing a packageable toilet utensil, such for example as a tooth brush, of the type comprising an active head solid with a handle consisting of a stem which carries the head and of a handhold connected to the stem so that the assembly formed of the head and of the stem is retractable into the handhold and characterized in that the handhold comprises two hollow bodies articulated with respect to each other, one body forming an open holder intended to receive at least a part of at least the head and one body forming a cover folding back on the holder-forming body and in that the stem is mounted in pivoting relationship about a pivoting pin of the holder-forming body in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal median plane of this body so that the assembly formed of the stem and of the head can occupy an active position in the prolongation of the holder-forming body in which position the said assembly is locked by folding back the cover-forming body and an inactive retracted position after folding back of the cover-forming body. 
     An advantage of the utensil according to the invention is that it can be in a pocket-size form when not used. It is therefore very easily transportable and does not necessitate the use of an independent protective holder. 
     According to a feature of the invention, the cover-forming body comprises near its open free end two side walls for locking between them at least the end part of the stem in the aforesaid active and folded positions of the cover-forming body. 
     According to another feature of the invention, the pivoting pin of the aforesaid stem is arranged near the free end of the holder-forming body in the longitudinal median plane of the same and is solid with an even part of the said body serving as a support for the end part of the stem. 
     According to still another feature of the invention, the holder-forming body comprises at least one side opening for the passage of the aforesaid part of the head formed of brushing bristles when the utensil is a tooth brush. 
     According to still another feature of the invention, the stem comprises one side groove in which the aforesaid pivoting pin is inserted and which renders the assembly formed of the stem and of the head removable. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     For a fuller understanding of the invention, reference is made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 is a view of the utensil of the invention in the active position with partial longitudinal cross-section; 
     FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the utensil in an unfolded position for unlocking the assembly formed of the stem and of the active head of the utensil; 
     FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the utensil in a position where the assembly formed of the stem and of the active head of the utensil is partly lodged inside the holder-forming body; 
     FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the utensil in its totally folded back configuration. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Referring to FIG. 1, the toilet utensil according to the invention, of the type of a tooth brush, comprises one active head-forming extreme part 1 provided with brushing bristles 2 and solid with a handle 3. The handle 3 is formed of a stem 4 which carries the head and of a handhold 5 connected to the stem 4 so that the assembly formed of the head 1 and of the stem 4 is retractable into the handhold 5 as will be described later. 
     As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the handhold 5 consists of two hollow bodies hinged with respect to each other about one hinge pin 6, one body 7 forming an open holder intended to receive at least the brushing bristles 2 and one body 8 forming a cover which can be folded on the holder-forming body 7. More precisely, the holder-forming body 7 consists of a bottom-forming wall 7a and of two parallel side walls 7b connected near the hinge 6 to the cover-forming body 8 by an end wall 7c. The bottom-forming wall 7a consists of the first wall part 7a1 starting from the end wall 7c and of a second wall part 7a2 extending the first part 7a1 upwardly so as to form an obtuse angle between them. Thus, each of the side walls 7b comprises one approximately rectangular wall part starting from the end wall 7c and ending near the connection of the wall parts 7a1 and 7a2 and one wall part in the shape of a right-angled triangle extending the rectangular part and whose hypotenuse consists of the edges of the ascending wall part 7a2. One of the side walls 7b comprises one opening 7b1 formed in the rectangular part of the wall 7 b from the edge of the opening of the holder-forming body 7 and whose shape and dimension permit the brushing bristles 2 to go into and to come out of the body 7 respectively during the folding and the unfolding of the utensil. In the present case, the opening 7b1 is in the shape of a rectangle with a length greater than that of the area occupied by the brushing bristles 2 and with a width slightly greater than the height of the bristles 2 starting from the head 1. 
     The stem 4 is mounted in pivoting relationship at its end part opposite to the active head 1 about a pivoting pin 9 solid with the end part of the holder-forming body 7 opposite to the end wall 7c. The pivoting pin 9 is comprised in the longitudinal median plane of the holder-forming body 7 and is solid with an even wall 7d defined between the side walls 7b and level with the edges of the same. The even wall 7d serves as a support surface for the even lower end part of stem 4 and extends on a relatively short distance between the side walls 7b. This even wall 7d defines under it a recessed part with a volume of a triangular right prism and comprising reinforcing ribs 7d1. The pivoting pin 9 comprises at its free end a circular head 9a for holding the end part of stem 4 against the even wall 7d for supporting the body 7. The end part of the stem 4 comprises one side groove 4a which is substantially transversal to the longitudinal axis of the stem 4-active head 1 assembly and in which the pivoting pin 9 is inserted. The shape of groove 4a can be adapted so as to make the stem 4-active head 1 assembly removable from body 7. The even support wall 7d comprises opposite to the free end of body 7 and along the longitudinal axis of same, one projection 7d2 co-operating with two corresponding recesses 4b under the end part of stem 4 along the longitudinal axis of the stem 4-active head 1 assembly in order to position this assembly respectively in the holder-forming body 7 and in the prolongation of the same before the cover-forming body 8 is folded back. 
     The cover-forming body 8 is defined by an upper wall 8a from which two parallel side walls 8b start which are separated from each other by a distance slightly greater than the distance between the side walls 7b of the holder-forming body 7 so that these walls 7b can be inserted into the cover-forming body 8 during the folding of the same onto the body 7. The lower edges of the side walls 8b have an outline which takes the exact outer shape of the bottom-forming wall 7a of body 7 in the folded position of the cover-forming body 8 on the body 7 as seen in FIGS. 1 and 4. The side walls 8b comprise two curvilinear recesses 8b1 disposed symetrically with respect to the longitudinal median plane of the cover-forming body 8 and co-operating with two side projections 7b2 in order to manually open the cover-forming body 8 from the active position of the utensil or from its totally folded back configuration. The extreme side walls 8b2 of the side walls 8b of the cover-forming body 8 which are opposite to the hinge pin 6 form means for locking the stem 4-active head 1 assembly in the active position of the utensil once the cover-forming body 8 is folded back on body 7. Indeed, in so far as the extreme part of stem 4 is imprisonned between the extreme side walls 8b2, it cannot move any more in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal median plane of the holder-forming body 7. The end part of the upper wall 8a of body 8 comprises one circular through opening 8a1 for the passage of the circular head 9a of the pivoting pin 9 in the folded position of body 8 on the holder-forming body 7 and rests on the end part of stem 4 in this position. The end wall 8c of body 8 comprises one opening 8 c1 for the passage of the end wall 7c in order to ensure the pivoting of the cover-forming body 8 with respect to the holder-forming body 7. The hinge pin 6 consists for example of two small outer projections (not shown) solid with the side walls 7b of body 7 and located along an axis perpendicular to the longitudinal median plane of body 7 and of two small holes (not shown) located respectively in the corners at right angle of the side walls 8b adjacent to body 7 and through which the two outer projections 6 of body 7 fit respectively. 
     The conversion of the utensil from one to the other of the two active and passive configurations proceeds very easily as follows. 
     In FIG. 1, the stem 4-active head 1 assembly is locked at the end part of stem 4 inside the handhold 5 in the prolongation of the same, thus maintaining the utensil in its active position of use. 
     When the handle is seized at the recesses 8b1 and the projections 7b2, one just has to separate the cover-forming body 8 from the holder-forming body 7 as shown by arrow A in FIG. 1 to open the cover-forming body 8 and to thus unlock the stem 4-active head 1 assembly, the body 8 being moved apart up to the position represented in FIG. 3 so as to totally free the opening 7b1 of body 7. The stem 4-active head 1 assembly is then displaced as shown by arrow B in FIG. 2 about the pivoting pin 9 in the plane perpendicular to the longitudinal median plane of body 7 to arrive at the position illustrated in FIG. 3 in which the brushing bristles 2, after having passed through the opening 7b1, are lodged in the hollow part of body 7, the stem 4 and the head 1 in the prolongation of the former being in line with the longitudinal axis of body 7 directly above the opening of the latter. The cover-forming body 8 is then folded back on body 7 so as to totally conceal the stem 4-active head 1 assembly inside the handhold 5 thus formed. The utensil presents then the configuration illustrated in FIG. 4. In this configuration, the utensil can be transported very easily in a small volume. 
     The invention has been described with reference to a tooth brush as a toilet utensil. However it is clear that the invention can be applied to all toilet utensils and/or body care articles such for example as make-up brushes, lash brushes or eyebrow brushes or the like.