Patent Publication Number: US-2009235474-A1

Title: Combination toothbrush and tongue cleaner

Description:
FIELD OF INVENTION 
     This invention relates to the field of oral cleaning devices, and more specifically to a combination toothbrush and tongue cleaner. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Modern dental practice has determined that to properly clean the month and to reduce the incidence of halitosis it is necessary to clean not only the teeth, but the tongue as well. Various techniques have been developed for effecting such cleaning, including toothbrushes, dental floss, mouthwash, and tongue scrapers. In order to reduce the need to have multiple tools for effecting oral cleaning, particularly when traveling, various combination devices have been developed. The following are several examples. 
     U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0249402, published for Von Bergen, discloses a low profile tongue scraper that includes a conventional toothbrush at one end and a scraping element at the other end. Both ends of the device, one to the brush and one to the scraper, are angled. The scraping element is transverse to the handle. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,433, issued to Hansen is directed to the ornamental design of a pair of trunks. The trunks have an attached skirt that covers the front and the rear, but not the sides. U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,433 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,915,433, issued to Hybler a combined toothbrush and tongue scraper with anti-slip bumps between the toothbrush portion and the scraper portion. The device is seen to have a tooth brushing end at the opposite end of the device wherein is found a tongue scraping portion that is transverse to the elongated plastic base portion. On the first tongue scraping end and the second tooth brushing end, there is an intermediate handle portion with a plurality of bumps that are used to preclude slipping of the device in a user&#39;s hand. 
     U.S. Pat. No. D377,417, issued to Gupta disclose a tongue cleaner integrally molded with a toothbrush. The tongue scraping element is angled to the main body of the instrument. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,247, issued to Decesare is directed to a combination toothbrush and tongue brush. The tongue brush portion includes a curvilinear shaft integrally coupled with the second end of the main body portion of the device. The combination toothbrush and tongue brush also includes a plurality of gripping ridges which are integrally formed and extend upwardly from an exterior surface of the main body portion intermediate first and second ends of the device. 
     U.S. Pat. No. D447,238, issued to Tang discloses a tongue scraping tool in which the tongue scraping end of the device is angled from the main portions of the handle. 
     It is an objective of the present invention to provide a compact device that combines a toothbrush with a tongue cleaning feature. It is a further objective to provide such a device that fits easily in the hand and is convenient to use. It is yet a further objective to provide a tooth and tongue cleaning device that is convenient for travel use while providing effective and rapid cleaning. Finally, it is an objective of the present invention to provide such device that is durable and inexpensive to manufacture. 
     While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention addresses all of the deficiencies of prior art combination toothbrush and tongue cleaner inventions and satisfies all of the objectives described above. 
     (1) A combination toothbrush and tongue cleaner may be constructed from the following components. A handle is provided. The handle has a brush portion, a gripping portion and a tongue cleaner portion. A brush element is provided. The brush element is located adjacent an end of the brush portion and has a plurality of bristles affixed orthogonally to the brush portion. A tongue cleaner element is provided. The tongue cleaner element is located adjacent an end of the tongue cleaner portion. It is affixed orthogonally to the tongue cleaner portion and located orthogonally to the brush element. The brush portion is angled upwardly from the gripping portion. The tongue cleaner portion is angled upwardly from the gripping portion. 
     (2) In a variant of the invention, the tongue cleaner element has a scraping edge. The scraping edge has first and second ends and is located above an upper surface of the tongue cleaner portion. 
     (3) In another variant, the scrapping edge is located at an angle to the tongue cleaner portion. 
     (4) In still another variant, the scrapping edge is curved toward the brush element. 
     (5) In yet another variant, the scrapping edge has inward curving tip segments located at the first and second ends. 
     (6) In a further variant, the scrapping edge is beveled at a back edge toward a front edge. The front edge faces toward the brush element. 
     (7) In still a further variant, the gripping portion further includes grip enhancing features. 
     (8) In yet a further variant, the grip enhancing features are selected from the group consisting of finger grooves, indentations, serrations and raised projections. 
     (9) In a final variant of the invention, a finger pad is included. The finger pad has a frictional surface and an attachment surface. The finger pad is affixed at the attachment surface to a back side of the tongue cleaner portion between the tongue cleaner element and the gripping portion. The frictional surface permits application of finger pressure to urge the tongue cleaner element against a user&#39;s tongue. 
     An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the present invention and an understanding of it may be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of a preferred embodiment. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrating the curved tongue cleaner; 
         FIG. 2  is a plan view of the  FIG. 1  embodiment; 
         FIG. 2A  is a plan view detail of a tongue cleaner with curved in ends; 
         FIG. 3  is a side elevational view of the  FIG. 1  embodiment illustrating raised projections in the gripping portion; 
         FIG. 3A  is a side elevational detail view of a cleaning element with a curved scraping edge; 
         FIG. 3B  is a side elevational detail view of a cleaning element with a flat scraping edge; 
         FIG. 4  is a bottom view of the  FIG. 1  embodiment illustrating the finger pad; 
         FIG. 5  is a side elevational view of the  FIG. 1  embodiment illustrating an indentation in the gripping portion. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     (1)  FIGS. 1-5  illustrate a combination toothbrush and tongue cleaner  10  that may be constructed from the following components. A handle  14  is provided. The handle  14  has a brush portion  18 , a gripping portion  22  and a tongue cleaner portion  26 . A brush element  30  is provided. The brush element  30  is located adjacent an end  34  of the brush portion  18  and has a plurality of bristles  38  affixed orthogonally to the brush portion  18 . A tongue cleaner element  42  is provided. The tongue cleaner element  42  is located adjacent an end  46  of the tongue cleaner portion  26 . It is affixed orthogonally to the tongue cleaner portion  26  and located orthogonally to the brush element  30 . The brush portion  18  is angled upwardly from the gripping portion  22 . The tongue cleaner portion  26  is angled upwardly from the gripping portion  22 . 
     (2) In a variant of the invention, the tongue cleaner element  42  has a scraping edge  48 . The scraping edge  48  has first  50  and second  54  ends and is located above an upper surface  58  of the tongue cleaner portion  26 . 
     (3) In another variant, the scrapping edge  48  is located at an angle  62  to the tongue cleaner portion  26 . 
     (4) In still another variant, the scrapping edge  48  is curved toward the brush element  30 . 
     (5) In yet another variant, as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , the scrapping edge  48  has inward curving tip segments  66  located at the first  50  and second  54  ends. 
     (6) In a further variant, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 ,  3 A and  3 B, the scrapping edge  48  is beveled at a back edge  70  toward a front edge  74 . The front edge  74  faces toward the brush element  30 . 
     (7) In still a further variant, as illustrated in  FIGS. 2 ,  3  and  5 , the gripping portion  22  further includes grip enhancing features  78 . 
     (8) In yet a further variant, the grip enhancing features  78  are selected from the group consisting of finger grooves (not shown), indentations  86 ,.serrations  90  and raised projections  94 . 
     (9) In a final variant of the invention, as illustrated in  FIGS. 3-5 , a finger pad  98  is included. The finger pad  98  has a frictional surface  102  and an attachment surface  106 . The finger pad  98  is affixed at the attachment surface  106  to a back side  110  of the tongue cleaner portion  26  between the tongue cleaner element  42  and the gripping portion  22 . The frictional surface  102  permits application of finger pressure to urge the tongue cleaner element  42  against a user&#39;s tongue (not shown). 
     The combination toothbrush and tongue cleaner  10  has been described with reference to particular embodiments. Other modifications and enhancements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow.