Patent Publication Number: US-7901153-B1

Title: Disposable toothbrush apparatus

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Area of the Art 
     The present invention relates to devices and methods for cleaning the teeth and between the teeth and gums of a user and more particularly to a disposable toothbrush apparatus that provides all the elements required for a user to clean their teeth, even in the absence of water or other cleansing or rinsing medium. 
     2. Background Art 
     It has been well established that substantial health benefits are derived from regular dental care performed by an individual together with periodic examination and treatment by professionally trained dentists. Likewise, it is well recognized that regular brushing of the teeth, particularly after every meal, serves to dislodge food particles which become lodged in the contours of the teeth, gums and in between. If these food particles are allowed to remain, they can lead to tooth decay, gingivitis, and halitosis. Moreover, when properly performed, regular brushing also serves to maintain good circulation in gingival tissue, thereby lessening the likelihood of gingival disease, one of the prime causes of premature loss of teeth. Perhaps of less significance, but still important are the stain removal and brightening actions resulting from regular brushing, which contribute noticeably to the cosmetic/aesthetic appearance of the individual. 
     In many circumstances, however, such as when an individual is traveling, at work, or is out with friends, it may be difficult for the individual to maintain a regular regimen of dental care. For instance, it may be inconvenient for the individual to bring their toothbrush or toothpaste with them, or they may simply forget. Moreover, when a user is on the road and does not have access to facilities, such as running water, it may be impossible, inconvenient or unpleasant for the individual to engage in proper dental care. 
     Several inventions have attempted to address these limitations by providing single use or disposable toothbrushes. These disposable toothbrushes may make it easier to keep up a regular regimen of dental care because they may be freely available as amenities at hotels, or inexpensively purchased by the traveling individual. However these inventions fail to provide the other elements required for brushing one&#39;s teeth, namely toothpaste, or other cleansing agents, and a rinsing fluid such as water. While some inventions incorporate toothpaste, or other cleansing agents, within the toothbrush, these inventions still fail to provide another necessary component for proper oral cleaning, a rinsing fluid. As previously mentioned, the primary object of brushing one&#39;s teeth is to dislodge food particles from the teeth, gums, and spaces in between. Because prior art devices fail to provide a rinsing fluid, an individual without access to an appropriate rinsing fluid will not be able to properly rinse away dislodged particles. As a result, these particles may remain in the oral cavity and become re-affixed to the individual&#39;s teeth, gums, or in between, potentially leading to tooth decay, gingivitis, and/or halitosis. 
     Due to the aforementioned limitations of prior art dental cleaning devices and accessories, there is a desire in the art for a toothbrush apparatus that provides all elements required for proper dental care. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention overcomes the limitations of prior art toothbrush devices and accessories by providing a disposable toothbrush apparatus that provides all of the elements required for proper dental care. To attain this functionality, the present invention teaches a novel disposable toothbrush apparatus, which incorporates a dentifrice, such as toothpaste, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, triclosan, extracts from Salvadora persica, or other agents well known in the art and at least one rinsing fluid, such as water, hydrogen peroxide, fluoride rinse or mouthwash, within the body of the toothbrush apparatus. 
     In one embodiment, the toothbrush includes a brush component having a proximal end, a distal end, a top surface, a bottom surface, and an intermediate area in between. The top and bottom surface may have a planar rectangular configuration and may taper downward to the intermediate extent. A series of bristles are secured to, and extend upward from, the bottom surface of the brush part. The bottom surface of brush component also includes an opening at some point between the brush component&#39;s distal and proximal end that connects to an internal lumen within the intermediate area of brush component. The lumen can contain a dental cleansing agent, such as toothpaste, baking soda, or hydrogen peroxide. 
     The toothbrush also includes a handle component, which may be of a generally cylindrical or ellipsoidal shape. It has a proximal end, a distal end and an intermediate area in between. The handle component is typically constructed from a transparent, plastic material and has a hollow interior portion. Towards its proximal end, the generally cylindrical handle tapers down and terminates, at its proximal end, in a resilient tip, having a slit or other passageway. The tip may be constructed of rubber, or some other resilient material such as polyurethane, or foam. The tapered proximal end of the handle and the tip forms a coupling area, which is adapted to fit within the lumen of the brush component at the brush component&#39;s distal end. The brush component should be securely coupled to the handle component, such that the components do not become disconnected during use. 
     The hollow interior portion of the handle contains a rinsing fluid, such as water or mouthwash. Separate water and mouthwash compartments can be provided. When the handle component is coupled to the brush component of the toothbrush apparatus, the rinsing fluid may flow from the hollow interior of the handle, through the slit in the resilient tip, through the lumen of the brush component, and out the opening in the bottom surface of the brush component. In one embodiment, a portion of the handle component of the toothbrush is composed of a flexible material, such as rubber or polyurethane, such that when a user squeezes the flexible portion of the handle, the rinsing fluid is forced out of the opening in the brush component by the corresponding increase in pressure. The rinsing fluid is contained within the hollow interior space of the handle component by a seal that fits on the handle component&#39;s distal end. In one embodiment, this seal is permanently affixed to the handle component. In alternate embodiments, the seal can be removed such that the rinsing fluid can be refilled. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, the handle component of the toothbrush apparatus can be divided into two interior hollow spaces. One space can contain one rinsing fluid, such as water or mouthwash, and the other hollow space may be filled with a different rinsing fluid. For example, a first interior hollow space may contain water to rinse an individual&#39;s mouth during brushing, and a separate second interior space can contain mouthwash, which a user can rinse with before or after brushing their teeth. The separate interior spaces of the handle component can be separated by a seal. In one embodiment, the handle component of the toothbrush apparatus is compose of two hollow handle elements with each handle element containing one of the two rinsing fluids. In this embodiment, the second handle element can be removed from the toothbrush apparatus, such that the user may later rinse with the contents of the second handle element without carrying the entire toothbrush apparatus with them. 
     In another embodiment of the present invention, a floss dispenser may be disposed on the proximal end of the handle component of the toothbrush apparatus. This improvement allows an individual to perform a complete and thorough dental cleaning with the inventive apparatus in the absence of the normal elements required for dental cleaning. Accordingly, an individual can keep up their dental cleaning regimen no matter their location, or the facilities available in that location. 
     In yet another embodiment an upper surface of the brush portion of the device bears a region of short bristles or ridges that act as a tongue cleaner or scrapper 
     These and other advantages of the current invention, as well as the details of the invention&#39;s embodiments, will be more fully understood from the following detailed description and drawings, in which: 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of one embodiment of the inventive device. 
         FIG. 2  is a perspective drawing showing the handle being disassembled to gain access to the internal fluid compartment. 
         FIG. 3  is shows removing the floss spool to access an internal fluid compartment. 
         FIG. 4  shows a plunger device used to dispense dentifrice stored in the brush end of the device 
         FIG. 5  shows dentifrice being released into the brush. 
         FIG. 6  shows an alternate embodiment where dentifrice and/or rinse are released from a middle region of the handle by squeezing. 
         FIG. 7  is a close-up view of the embodiment of  FIG. 6  with the dentifrice and/or rinse being squeezed through a one-way valve into the brush. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the general principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a dental cleaning system incorporating dentifrice and rinsing solution. 
       FIG. 1  shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention. The device  10  has a somewhat enlarged (compared to a common toothbrush) handle  12  that is ergonomically shaped to make it easy to grasp. Concentric ribs  14  are provided to improve the users grip. The distal end of the device tapers and bears a toothbrush  16  comprised of a plurality of bristles. Shorter bristles or projections  18  are borne by the back side of the tooth brush  16  to form a tongue scrapper  20 . The proximal end of the device  10  bears a floss spool  22  which carries a length of dental floss. The handle  12  contains a variable number of fluid compartments  11 . In the figure a first compartment  11  is shown in the distal (upper) portion  44  of the handle  12 , and a second compartment  11  is shown at the proximal end of the lower portion  42  of the handle close to the floss spool  22 . It is likely that the lower portion  42  of the handle  12  will also contain at least a second compartment  11  adjacent the mid-line  26 . As indicated by the phantomed hands  24  in  FIG. 2 , the handle  12  can be separated at a mid-line  26  to access fluid compartments  11 . As shown in  FIG. 3  the lower fluid compartment  11  in the lower portion  42  of the handle can be accessed by unscrewing the floss spool  22 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4  the brush end  28  is separable from the handle and can pressed down over a plunger  32  so that dentifrice located within the brush end  28  is forced into a passage way  34  and through one or more orifices to be dispensed into the brush  16  (see  FIG. 5 ). Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 6  rinse liquid and/or dentifrice is located in an integral compartment  36  and is dispensed into the brush  16  when the handle portion around the compartment  36  is squeezed ( FIG. 7 ). The dentifrice and/or rinse are forced through a passageway  38  in the brush end  28  and through a one way seal  40  formed as a duckbill flap valve or the like. Thereafter, the dentifrice and/or rinse solution is dispensed through the bristles of the brush  16 . 
     The following claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope of the invention. The illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that should not be taken as limiting the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.