Patent Publication Number: US-2007113374-A1

Title: Toothbrush With Integral Forced Air Apparatus

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS  
      This application is related to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/725,503 entitled “TOOTHBRUSH WITH INTEGRATED FAN” and filed on Oct. 22, 2005 for Ashok V. Joshi, which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention relates generally to oral care devices, and more particularly to toothbrushes adapted to provide a flow of air through the brush head upon actuation by the user.  
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      Toothbrushes have been used as a hygienic aid in a variety of cultures for many years. Increasingly, toothbrushes have been used with a variety of compositions such as dentifrices (compositions which aid in cleaning teeth) and other substances which act to improve the smell of a user&#39;s breath, remove, dislodge, or kill bacteria, or otherwise improve oral health. As their popularity has increased, so has the industry behind the production and sales of toothbrushes and associated cleaning compositions.  
      It has been discovered that providing oxygen to toothbrushes, and thus, to the oral cavity during brushing helps to break up clumps of bacteria, thus facilitating their removal from the surfaces of teeth and gums. Delivery of extra oxygen to the oral cavity may also hinder the development of anaerobic bacteria that are often responsible for unpleasant odors in breath. Some difficulty is faced, however, in providing oxygen to the oral cavity in a safe and convenient manner.  
      Additional difficulty is faced in the industry in devising methods and means for administering a wide variety of beneficial agents to the teeth and/or mouth. Some such agents may be successfully delivered in dentifrice compositions, but others, due to their chemical properties may be unsuited for delivery in this manner. Others are useful only in such small quantities that delivery is highly difficult.  
      Thus, it would be an improvement in the art to provide a toothbrush device that provides a flow of air, including oxygen, to the mouth during brushing. It would further be beneficial to provide a toothbrush containing its own onboard supply of a beneficial agent that can be vaporized and delivered from the toothbrush.  
      Such a device and methods of its use are provided herein.  
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      The present invention has been developed in response to the present state of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems and needs in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currently available toothbrushes. Accordingly, the present invention has been developed to provide a toothbrush with an integral forced air apparatus that overcome many or all of the above-discussed shortcomings in the art.  
      The toothbrush may, in the described embodiments, include a housing connected with a head portion. The housing may comprise an integral air apparatus configured to force air through a channel extending from the housing into the head portion. The head portion includes at least one gas emitter orifice through which air may pass and a plurality bristles extending outward from the head portion.  
      In one embodiment, the toothbrush also includes a heating apparatus configured to raise the temperature of air being forced through the channel. Furthermore, the toothbrush may comprise a reservoir configured to maintain a beneficial agent that capable of being vaporized and carried with the flow of forced air through the channel. Examples of suitable beneficial agents include, but are not limited to, oxidizing agents, whitening agents, therapeutic agents, breath freshening agents, gingivitis-treating compositions, pain-relieving agents, and anti-inflammatory agents.  
      In a further embodiment, the toothbrush may include an ozonator configured to introduce ozone into the flow of forced air. Additionally, in one embodiment, the integral air apparatus comprises a fan and motor assembly. Furthermore, the housing further comprises at least one louver configured to allow air into the housing, and the louver may be configured to block water from entering the housing.  
      Other advantages and aspects of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following description of the drawings and detailed description of the invention. These and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following figures and description, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
      In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other features and advantages of the invention are obtained will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof that are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view diagram illustrating one embodiment of a toothbrush suitable for use with the present invention;  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the toothbrush in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a toothbrush having a heating apparatus in accordance with the present invention;  
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a toothbrush having a reservoir in accordance with the present invention; and  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a head portion in accordance with the present invention.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
      The presently preferred embodiments of the present invention will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the toothbrush with integrated fan device of the present invention, as represented in  FIGS. 1-5 , is not intended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed, but is merely representative of presently preferred embodiments of the invention.  
      The toothbrushes provided in the present invention are designed to provide and direct a flow of air to the head of the brush for delivery to the mouth of a user during use of the toothbrush. The toothbrushes of the present invention may produced so as to be modular and capable of being assembled and disassembled as needed, with the power supply, motor, fan, and head portion being replaceable, or they may alternatively be constructed so as to be disposable. Some such disposable embodiments may have a projected life similar to that of bristles. In some embodiments, this projected life is approximately three or four months. In other embodiments, only the head portion with bristles is modular and replaceable to allow the brush head to be swapped to provide new bristles every three to four months as recommended by the American Dental Association.  
       FIG. 1  is a perspective view diagram illustrating one embodiment of a toothbrush  100  suitable for use with the present invention. In one embodiment, the toothbrush  100  comprises a housing  102  connected with a head portion  104 . The housing  102  may be generally elongated in form and hollow in order to house various elements which will be described in greater detail below with reference to  FIGS. 2-4 . The exterior surface of the housing  102  may be configured with an activation switch  106 . As depicted, the activation switch  106  may comprise a rocker-style switch. Alternatively, the activation switch  106  may be any switch capable of activating an electronic circuit.  
      In a further embodiment, the toothbrush  100  may also include a channel  108  extending from the housing  102  to the head portion  104 . As will be described in greater detail below, the channel  108  is configured to conduct gasses from the housing  102  to the head portion  104 . The gasses may include a mixture of air and a beneficial agent. Alternatively, the gasses may comprise heated air. The toothbrush  100  also is configured with a plurality of bristles  110  extending from the head portion  104 .  
       FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of the toothbrush  100  in accordance with the present invention. As depicted, the toothbrush  100  includes the housing  102  and the head portion  104 . The head portion  104  comprises a number of bristles  202  that may be widely varied to correspond with various sizes and designs of toothbrushes, and at least one gas emitter  204 . The gas emitter  204  may comprise a simple opening in the head portion  104 , to allow the exit of a flow of air  68 .  
      In some embodiments, the head portion  104  may include a plurality of gas emitters  204  to allow escape of flows of air  206  from the head portion. In one instance, the gas emitters  204  will all be positioned within the bristles  202 . In others, emitters  204  may be positioned at a variety of locations on the head portion  104 , including, but not limited to, the top, back, and/or sides. The toothbrush  100  of  FIG. 2  has a plurality of gas emitters  204  positioned within the field of bristles  202 . One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that a wide variety of potential variations of position, size, and number of gas emitter  204  orifices are included within the scope of the present invention.  
      The head portion  104  is continuous with the channel  108  extending from the housing  102  which delivers the flow of air  206  to the head portion  104 , and which is continuous with orifices which may comprise, or may simply be continuous with, the gas emitters  204 .  
      The housing  102  may contain a power supply or battery portion  208 , a motor portion  210 , and an air apparatus  212 . In some embodiments, the battery  208 , motor  210 , and air apparatus  212  are held in proper relation within the housing  102 . In others, these components may simply interconnect to make up a part of the housing  102 . As described above, the housing  102  further comprises the activation switch  106  for starting the motor  210  of the toothbrush  100  to operate the air apparatus  212 .  
      In one embodiment, the air apparatus  212  comprises a fan configured to move air or gas from the housing  102  through the channel  108  and into the head portion  104 . Although the toothbrush  100  is depicted in  FIG. 2  having an axial-type fan, one skilled in the art will recognize that the fan may be replaced with centrifugal or radial fans, cross flow or tangential fans, the flapping blade of a piezoceramic fan, etc.  
      The air apparatus (hereinafter “fan”)  212  may be housed within the housing  102  which includes at least one louver  214 , and in many cases, a plurality of louvers  214  to allow inflow of outside ambient air into the toothbrush  100 . The louver  214 , in one example, may comprise a traditional louver having a water impermeable, but gas permeable, covering (not shown). The covering may be configured to allow ambient air to enter the housing  102  but not allow liquids to enter. Examples of coverings suitable for use in the present invention include fabrics having a mesh size that permits the passage of air but not liquid. One such fabric includes, but is not limited to, Gore-Tex® as manufactured by W.L. Gore and Associates of Newark, Del.  
      As fan  212  is operated, the flow of air  206  is produced from an air chamber  216  and directed through the channel  108  of the toothbrush  100  to the head portion  104 , from which it is emitted. This draws ambient air into the toothbrush  100  to become the flow of air  206 . Air emitted from the head portion  104  of the toothbrush  100  may enhance foaming of a dentifrice or other beneficial agent used during brushing, may dislodge, break up, or loosen bacterial colonies, and enhance the brushing experience for the user.  
       FIG. 3  is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a toothbrush  300  having a heating apparatus  302  in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment, the toothbrush  300  is illustrated to similarly include a housing  304  and a head portion  306 . As with toothbrush  100  of  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the head portion  306  of toothbrush  300  of  FIG. 3  comprises a number of bristles. As above, one of ordinary skill in the art is aware that the number, size, shape, and type of bristles may be varied widely within the scope of the present invention to provide a large number of differently-sized and shaped toothbrushes.  
      The head portion  306  also includes at least one gas emitter  308 , in some instances in the form of an orifice connecting the outside air to an interior channel  310 , to allow exit of a flow of air  312  produced by the toothbrush  300 . As above, the head portion  306  may include a plurality of gas emitters  308  to allow escape of flows of air  312  from the brush head portion  306 . The gas emitters  308  may be positioned all, or partially within the field of bristles. Emitters  308  may alternately be placed about the head portion  306  on the top, back, and/or sides. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that a wide variety of potential variations of position, size, and number of gas emitter  308  orifices are included within the scope of the present invention.  
      The head portion  306  of toothbrush  300  is also continuous with a channel  310  extending from the housing  304 . As above, a flow of air  312  is provided to the head portion  306 . The flow of air  312  is propelled through orifices which may comprise, or may simply be continuous with, the gas emitters  308 .  
      The handle portion  304  of toothbrush  300  may be similar to that provided in  FIGS. 1 and 2  in that it includes a power supply or battery portion  312 , a motor portion  316 , and a fan  318 . In some embodiments, the battery  312 , motor  316 , and fan  318  may be held together by the housing  304 , and in others they may interconnect. The housing  304  may further comprise a power switch  320  for operating the motor  316  of the toothbrush  300  to operate the fan  318 .  
      As above, the housing  304  may include at least one louver (now shown), and in many cases, a plurality of louvers to allow inflow of outside ambient air. The fan  318  may generate the flow of air  312  from an air chamber that is directed through the channel  310  of the toothbrush  300  to the head portion  306 .  
      In a further embodiment, the toothbrush  300  may include the heat apparatus  302  which may be configured to elevate the temperature of the ambient air to a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature is selected to maximize the cleaning ability of toothpaste. Furthermore, the heated air may beneficially eliminate germs and bacteria.  
      In one embodiment, the heat apparatus comprises a resistor element configured to convert electricity into heat. As the flow of air  312  passes over the element, the air is raised to a predetermined temperature. For example, the predetermined temperature may be in the range of between about 1 and 15° Celsius above the ambient temperature. Alternatively, the predetermined temperature is in the range of between about 7 and 12° Celsius above ambient temperature. In one embodiment, the air forced through the toothbrush is between about 10 degrees Celsius to about 50 degrees Celsius. In one embodiment, the air may be heated or cooled to achieve a temperature in this range. In another embodiment, the forced air is between about 25 degrees Celsius and about 40 degrees Celsius. The toothbrush  300  may also include a plurality of diverters  322  configured to direct the flow of air through the heat apparatus  302   
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a toothbrush  400  having a reservoir  402  in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment, the toothbrush  400  includes, in combination with the fan and the heat apparatus, or without, the reservoir  402  for maintaining a beneficial agent  404 . The beneficial agent  404 , in one instance, is capable of being vaporized and being carried with the flow of air into the mouth of the user. Vaporization of the agent  404  may be passive, i.e., the agent  404  is simply picked up by the flow of air and carried away; or an optional vaporizing unit (not shown) may be included to facilitate dispensing of the agent.  
      In some alternative embodiments, the reservoir  402  is replaced by an ozonator in the form of an ozone chip. When the toothbrush  400  is activated, the fan  406  starts and the ozone chip activates to produce ozone which is carried with the flow of air produced by the fan  406  into the mouth of the user. In some embodiments, it is beneficial to provide a flow of air having a concentration of ozone ranging from about 0 to about 10%.  
      As above, the flow of air containing the beneficial agent  404 , in some cases including ozone, that is emitted from the head portion  408  of the toothbrush  400  may enhance foaming of a dentifrice or other beneficial agent used during brushing, may dislodge, break up, or loosen bacterial colonies, and enhance the brushing experience for the user. The additional presence of the beneficial agent  404  may also impart additional properties to the dentifrice, or may improve its efficacy.  
      A wide variety of beneficial agents  404  is potentially useful with the toothbrushes  400  of the present invention. One general family of such agents includes, but is not limited to, agents such as oxidizing agents, capable of producing oxygen when dispensed to the mouth. Some such agents include hydrogen peroxide, ozone, and other similar substances. Other suitable beneficial agents  404  to be dispensed from reservoir  402  of the toothbrush  400  include whitening agents, therapeutic compositions, generating agents, and breath-fresheners.  
      Suitable therapeutic compositions include, without limitation, antibacterial agents, gingivitis-treating compositions, pain-relieving agents, anti-inflammatory agents, and many other chemical entities suitable for oral administration. Seals may additionally be provided to the head portions of the toothbrushes of the present invention, and/or to the emitters to seal the device during manufacturing, shipping, and storage prior to use.  
      Suitable beneficial agents could also include agents which are not stable when mixed with a dentifrice composition for long periods of time. In such situations, the toothbrush could be used with conventional toothpaste, with the beneficial agent being dispensed during brushing. Allowing the beneficial agent to be dispensed during use of the toothbrush may provide the benefits of the dentifrice and the beneficial agent that would otherwise be unavailable to a user.  
       FIG. 5  is a schematic diagram illustrating one embodiment of a head portion  500  in accordance with the present invention. In one embodiment, the head portion  500  includes, as described previously, a plurality of bristles  502  embedded in the head portion  500 . In one embodiment, the bristle bottoms are placed in holes formed or bored in the head portion  500 . Positioned underneath the bristles  502  is one end of the channel  504  that extends from the housing (see  FIGS. 1-4 ) to the head portion  500 .  
      The head portion  500  also includes the gas emitters  506 . As depicted, the gas emitters  506  comprise orifices or apertures that enable the flow of gas from the channel  504  to the ambient air. Although the gas emitters  506  as depicted are located in between bristles, the gas emitters may alternatively be formed in the head portion  500  such that the flow of air or gas passes through one or more bristles. For example, each bristle may comprise a hollow tube configured to direct the flow of gas directly to the surface of the teeth.  
      While specific embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and are thus included within its scope.