Patent Publication Number: US-2015074926-A1

Title: Portable toothbrush

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present invention relates to a portable toothbrush, and more particularly, to a portable toothbrush having a cleaning solution capable of cleaning the mouth, toothbrush bristles, and an interdental brush and capable of facilitating the carrying of an interdental cleaning member such as an interdental toothbrush or a dental floss. 
     BACKGROUND ART 
     Since bacteria over hundreds of species are lived in man&#39;s mouth, numerous bacteria reproduce even in the toothbrush thereof for cleaning the tooth. Accordingly, it is necessary to wash and dry the toothbrush well for preventing the propagation of the bacteria after toothbrushing and wash the toothbrush for sterilization before toothbrushing. 
     In other words, it is preferable to completely dry the toothbrush by rubbing the bristles with his thumb, washing it clean and then, placing it at the sunshiny and airy window after toothbrushing thereof. 
     Meanwhile, where it is far away from home like a travel or a business trip etc., since the toothbrush is not easily cleaned due to time and space constraints, numerous bacteria reproduce in the toothbrush thereof. In this state, when the user brushes his teeth, it can lead to health problems in terms of teeth and oral thereof. 
     In order to solve this problem, conventionally, it is necessary to separately equip a cleaning solution with the toothbrush. In this case, since it is inconvenient to separately equip a cleaning solution with the toothbrush, when the user brushes his teeth after eating out, there is difficult in completely ensuring the toothbrush and oral hygiene. 
     On the other hand, in the conventional toothbrush, it applies the toothpaste to a brush head to clean the teeth so as to remove food leftovers or plaques etc. existed on the teeth. However, in the conventional toothbrush, it is difficult to do a thorough cleaning of the teeth. Accordingly, the food leftovers or the plaques etc. exited between the teeth are removed by means of a dental floss or a specifically formulated interdental toothbrush, not the general toothbrush. 
     In the interdental toothbrush, a cone-shaped brush is fixed to an iron core, which is coupled to an end of the body of a bar shape. Here, the body is molded by a synthetic resin like the general toothbrush and the iron core is made of a nickel. Here, the surface of the core is coated on a resin material such as a nylon in consideration of the allege reaction. 
     In the conventional interdental toothbrush, in a state that the user holds the body thereof, the brush is repeatedly pushed and pulled toward the spaces between the teeth, so that the food leftovers or the plaques etc. existed in the spaces between the teeth are removed to maintain the dental health thereof. 
     However, although the conventional dental floss or the interdental toothbrush is used in parallel with the general toothbrush, since they are separately housed, the use thereof is very cumbersome. Also, since it is hard to secure a storage area thereof during a separate storage, there is a problem in a hygienic storage thereof. 
     “Interdental toothbrush having cleaning solution” (Korea Patent Registration No. 10-0468075, Patent Document 1) is disclosed as the conventional art. However, the conventional art, since the interdental toothbrush is small in volume, there is a problem in that the loss there is easy during travelling. 
     PRIOR ART DOCUMENT 
     Patent Document 1 
     Korean Patent Registration No. 10-0468075 (Jan. 15, 2005) 
     DISCLOSURE 
     Technical Problem 
     Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and a object of the present invention is to provide a portable toothbrush in that a storage member for discharging a cleaning solution for cleaning a mouth and a toothbrush bristles by means of the spraying method is coupled detachably to a knob portion of the toothbrush, while maintaining a fundamental shape of the toothbrush without taking up additional space during carrying thereof, so that the mouth and the toothbrush bristles can be easily cleaned before and after the toothbrush, thereby enabling the hygienic teeth and mouth care. 
     Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable toothbrush in that an interdental toothbrush or a dental floss is coupled detachably to an interdental cleaning member fixture formed at the storage member, so that the interdental toothbrush or the dental floss can be easily stored therein. 
     Technical Solution 
     In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a portable toothbrush including: a toothbrush body  10  having a head portion  12  provided with a bristles  11  on one side thereof and a body portion  14  integrally with the head portion  12  and provided with an coupling groove  13 , which is formed on an inside thereof; and a storage member  20  having one side coupled detachably to the coupling groove  13  of the body portion  14  and storing a cleaning solution therein. 
     Preferably, the cleaning solution is a cleansing agent for cleaning the teeth and the bristles or a mouthwash for removing halitosis therein. 
     Preferably, the portable toothbrush further includes: an interdental cleaning member fixture  30  having one side fixedly coupled to the other side of the storage member  20 , a fixing groove  31  formed on the other side opposed to one side thereof, and a coupling protrusion  32  protruded to the inside of the fixing groove  31 ; and a cover  40  coupled to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  and covering an interdental cleaning member so as to protect the interdental cleaning member coupled detachably to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  by inserting into the fixing groove  31  from the outside environment. 
     Preferably, the cleaning solution is a cleansing agent for cleaning the teeth, the bristles, and the interdental cleaning member or a mouthwash for removing halitosis therein. 
     Preferably, the interdental cleaning member is an interdental toothbrush  50  or a dental floss  60 . 
     Preferably, in the storage member  20 , the cleaning solution is discharged by means of a spraying method. 
     Preferably, the storage member  20  includes: a storage container  22  for storing the cleaning solution therein; a cap  25  seated on an upper end of the storage container  22 ; an opening and closing valve  27  coupled to and penetrated through the cap  25  in such a manner that one side thereof is disposed on an inside of the storage container  22  and the other side thereof is disposed on an outside of the storage container  22  and having a discharge hole  21  therein; a coupling member  26  for coupling the storage container  22  with the cap  25  so as to maintain the sealing thereof; an inflow pipe  28  formed on an lower portion of the other side of the opening and closing valve  27  so as to allow the cleaning solution stored in the storage container  22  to be delivered to the discharge hole  21 ; and a push button  24  coupled to the opening and closing valve  27  in an upper portion of the storage container  22  so as to operate the opening and closing of the opening and closing valve  27  and having a spray nozzle  23 , which is formed on one side of the outer circumference thereof. 
     Advantageous Effects 
     According to the present invention, the storage member is made of to transparent material so as to allow the cleaning solution stored therein to be seen and the storage member is coupled detachably to the body portion, so that it facilitates the carrying thereof and the cleaning solution stored in the storage member is easily discharged by means of the spraying method before and after the toothbrush, so that it can clean the toothbrush bristles and the mouth, thereby enabling the hygienic rinsing of the mouth. 
     Also, since the interdental toothbrush or the dental floss is coupled detachably to the interdental cleaning member fixture, which is formed at the other side of the storage member having the cleaning solution therein, it facilitates the carrying of the interdental toothbrush or the dental floss. Moreover, where the interdental toothbrush is damaged or the dental floss is contaminated, the interdental toothbrush or the dental floss can be easily replaced with a new one. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a portable toothbrush according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  is an exploded cross-sectional view of a portable toothbrush shown in  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a portable toothbrush according to another embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a portable toothbrush according to further another embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is an exploded cross-sectional view of a portable toothbrush shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTIONS ON REFERENCE NUMBERS FOR THE MAJOR COMPONENTS IN THE DRAWINGS 
     
         
         
           
               10 : toothbrush body 
               11 : bristles 
               12 : head portion 
               13 : coupling groove 
               14 : body portion 
               20 : storage member 
               21 : discharge holes 
               22 : storage container 
               23 : spray nozzle 
               24 : push button 
               25 : cap 
               26 : coupling member 
               27 : opening and closing valve 
               28 : inflow pipe 
               29 : spring 
               30 : interdental cleaning member fixture 
               31 : fixing groove 
               32 : coupling protrusion 
               40 : cover 
               50 : interdental toothbrush 
               60 : dental floss 
           
         
       
    
     BEST MODE 
     Mode for Invention 
     The objects, specific advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description and the preferred embodiments below, which are associated with the accompanying drawings. 
     Prior to the description, terms or words used in the present specification and claim should not be interpreted as conventional and dictionary meanings. They should be interpreted as the meanings and concepts conforming to the technical spirit of the present invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concepts of the terms so as to explain his invention with the best mode thereof. 
     Also, where reference numerals are added to the components of the drawings in this specification, the same element is illustrated as the same reference numeral, even if it is shown in other drawings. 
     Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a portable toothbrush according to an embodiment of the present invention and  FIG. 2  is an exploded cross-sectional view of a portable toothbrush shown in  FIG. 2 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , the portable toothbrush according to the present invention includes a toothbrush body  10  having a head portion  12  provided with a bristles  11  on one side thereof, and a body portion  14  integrally with the head portion  12  and provided with an coupling groove  13 , which is formed on an inside thereof; and a storage member  20  coupled detachably to the coupling groove  13  of the body portion  14  and storing a cleaning solution therein. 
     At this time, an inner protrusion  15  is formed on an inner circumference of the coupling groove  13  of the body portion. Accordingly, it can prevent the storage member  20 , which is inserted into and coupled to the coupling groove  13  of the body portion  14 , from being easily separated from the coupling groove  13 . 
     That is, when the storage member  20  is inserted into the coupling groove  13  to be coupled, since the inner protrusion  15  is caught in a coupling member  26  of the storage member  20 , it can prevent the storage member  20  from being easily separated from the coupling groove  13  during toothbrushing thereof. 
     On the other hand, the storage member  20  includes a storage container  22  for storing the cleaning solution such as a cleansing agent for cleaning the teeth and the bristles  11  or a mouthwash for removing halitosis therein; a cap  25  seated on an upper end of the storage container  22 ; an opening and closing valve  27  coupled to and penetrated through the cap  25  in order that one side thereof is disposed on an inside of the storage container  22  and the other side thereof is disposed on an outside of the storage container  22  and having discharge holes  21  therein; the coupling member  26  for coupling the storage container  22  with the cap  25  so as to maintain the sealing thereof; an inflow pipe  28  formed on an lower portion of the other side of the opening and closing valve  27  so as to allow the cleaning solution stored in the storage container  22  to be delivered to the discharge hole  21 ; and a push button  24  coupled to the opening and closing valve  27  in an upper portion of the storage container  22  so as to operate the opening and closing of the opening and closing valve  27 , the push button  24  being provided with a spray nozzle  23 , which is formed on one side of the outer circumference thereof. 
     In the storage member  20 , if the push button  24  is pressed, the opening and closing valve  27  descends to generate a pressure. At this time, by means of the pressure, the cleaning solution stored in the storage container  22  is sprayed to the outside through a spray nozzle  23  via the inlet pipe  28  and the discharge hole  21 . 
     In this case, if the pressed push button is returned, the opening and closing valve  27  is returned by means of the elastic restoring force of a spring  29  formed on the lower portion of the opening and closing valve  27  and then, the spray of the cleaning solution is stopped. 
     That is, the cleaning solution stored in the storage member  20  is sprayed to the outside through the spraying method. 
     It is preferred that the storage member  20  is made of a transparent material so as to allow the cleaning solution stored therein to be seen. 
     As described above, in the portable toothbrush according to the present invention, since the storage member is made of to transparent material so as to allow the cleaning solution stored therein to be seen and the storage member  20  is coupled detachably to the body portion  14 , it facilitates the carrying thereof. Also, the cleaning solution stored in the storage member  20  is easily discharged by means of the spraying method before and after the toothbrush, so that it can clean the toothbrush bristles and the mouth, thereby enabling the hygienic rinsing of the mouth. 
       FIG. 3  is a perspective view illustrating a portable toothbrush according to another embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 4  is a perspective view illustrating a portable toothbrush according to further another embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 5  is an exploded cross-sectional view of a portable toothbrush shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     Here, the portable toothbrush according to another embodiment of the present invention further includes an interdental toothbrush  50  as an interdental cleaning member and the portable toothbrush according to further another embodiment of the present invention further includes a dental floss as an interdental cleaning member. Since remaining elements are identical with the first embodiment of the present invention, they will be explained together herein below. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3  through  FIG. 5 , the portable toothbrush according to the present invention includes a toothbrush body  10  having a head portion  12  provided with a bristles  11  on one side thereof, and a body portion  14  integrally with the head portion  12  and provided with an coupling groove  13 , which is formed on an inside thereof; a storage member  20  having one side coupled detachably to the coupling groove  13  of the body portion  14  and storing a cleaning solution therein; an interdental cleaning member fixture  30  formed on the other side of the storage member  20 ; and a cover  40  coupled to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  so as to protect an interdental cleaning member (that is, any one of the interdental toothbrush  50  of  FIG. 3  and the dental floss  60  of  FIG. 4 ) inserted into and coupled detachably to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  from the outside environment. 
     At this time, an inner protrusion  15  is formed on an inner circumference of the coupling groove  13  of the body portion. Accordingly, it can prevent the storage member  20 , which is inserted into and coupled to the coupling groove  13  of the body portion  14 , from being easily separated from the coupling groove  13 . 
     That is, when the storage member  20  is inserted into the coupling groove  13  to be coupled, since the inner protrusion  15  is caught in a coupling member  26  of the storage member  20 , it can prevent the storage member  20  from being easily separated from the coupling groove  13  during tooth brushing. 
     On the other hand, like the first embodiment of the present invention, the storage member  20  includes a storage container  22  for storing the cleaning solution such as a cleansing agent for cleaning the teeth, the bristles  11 , and the interdental toothbrush  50  or a mouthwash for removing halitosis therein. 
     Also, one side of the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  is fixedly coupled to the other side of the storage member  20 . The interdental cleaning member fixture  30  further includes a fixing groove  31  formed on the other side opposed to one side thereof so as to allow any one of the interdental toothbrush  50  and the dental floss  60  to be inserted therein to be coupled detachably. Also, a coupling protrusion  32  is protruded to the inside of the fixing groove  31 . 
     At this time, the coupling protrusion  32  can prevent the body having the wound interdental toothbrush  50  or the wound dental floss  60 , which is inserted into the interdental cleaning member fixture  30 , from being easily separated from the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  during toothbrushing thereof. 
     The interdental cleaning member fixture  30  can be formed separately from the storage member  20 . That is, one side of the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  can be fixedly coupled to the other side of the storage member  20  by means of an adhesive means (for example, an high-strength adhesive) or can be formed integrally at the storage member  20 . 
     On the other hand, the interdental toothbrush  50  or the dental floss  60 , which is inserted into and detachably coupled to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30 , can be replaced with a new one according to the selection of the user. 
     That is, when the interdental toothbrush  50  is damaged or the user wishes to replace the dental floss  60 , the user removes the interdental toothbrush  50  or the dental floss  60  from the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  and then, a new interdental toothbrush  50  or a new dental floss  60  is inserted to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30  to be utilized. 
     The cover  40  for covering the interdental toothbrush  50  or the dental floss  60 , which is inserted into and coupled detachably to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30 , can prevent the interdental toothbrush  50  or the dental floss  60 , which is coupled detachably to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30 , from being contaminated or damaged from the outside environment. 
     As described above, in the portable toothbrush according to the present invention, since the storage member is made of to transparent material so as to allow the cleaning solution stored therein to be seen and the storage member  20  is coupled detachably to the body portion  14 , it facilitates the carrying thereof. Also, the cleaning solution stored in the storage member  20  is easily discharged by means of the spraying method before and after the toothbrush, so that it can clean the toothbrush bristles  11  and the mouth, thereby enabling the hygienic rinsing of the mouth. 
     Also, in the portable toothbrush according to another embodiment of the present invention, since the interdental toothbrush  50  or the dental floss  60  is coupled detachably to the interdental cleaning member fixture  30 , which is formed at the other side of the storage member  20  having the cleaning solution therein, it facilitates the carrying of the interdental toothbrush  50  or the dental floss  60 . Also, where the interdental toothbrush  50  is damaged or the dental floss  60  is contaminated, the interdental toothbrush  50  or the dental floss  60  can be easily replaced with a new one. 
     Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as disclosed in the accompanying claims. 
     INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY 
     The portable toothbrush of the present invention can be applied to various fields, such as a disposable toothbrush for traveling, a home toothbrush, and an electric toothbrush.