Patent Publication Number: US-11382410-B2

Title: Dispensing toothbrush assembly

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Not Applicable 
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT 
     Not Applicable 
     INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM 
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     STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR JOINT INVENTOR 
     Not Applicable 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     (1) Field of the Invention 
     The disclosure relates to toothbrush devices and more particularly pertains to a new toothbrush device for storing and dispensing a measured amount of toothpaste. 
     (2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98 
     The prior art relates to toothbrush devices. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     An embodiment of the disclosure meets the needs presented above by generally comprising a handle that has a toothpaste well integrated therein. A toothpaste tube is insertable into the toothpaste well in the handle and the toothpaste tube contains a toothpaste. A brush head is removably attachable to the handle and the brush head is in fluid communication with the toothpaste tube when the brush head is removably attached to the handle. The brush head has a conduit integrated therein for receiving the toothpaste contained in the toothpaste tube. A pump is movably coupled to the handle and the pump compresses the toothpaste tube when the pump is manipulated for urging the toothpaste outwardly from the toothpaste tube and into the conduit. A spool of dental floss is removably attachable to the handle for dispensing dental floss outwardly therefrom. A pick is coupled to and extends away from the spool of dental floss. 
     There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the disclosure in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the disclosure that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. 
     The objects of the disclosure, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the disclosure, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S) 
       The disclosure will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a dispensing toothbrush assembly according to an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  is a bottom phantom view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  is a front view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 5  is a right side view of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
         FIG. 6  is a cross sectional view taken along line  6 - 6  of  FIG. 3  of an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to  FIGS. 1 through 6  thereof, a new toothbrush device embodying the principles and concepts of an embodiment of the disclosure and generally designated by the reference numeral  10  will be described. 
     As best illustrated in  FIGS. 1 through 6 , the dispensing toothbrush assembly  10  generally comprises a handle  12  that has a toothpaste well  14  integrated therein. The handle  12  has a first end  16 , a second end  18  and an outer wall  20  extending therebetween, and the toothpaste well  14  extends inwardly on the first end  16  toward the second end  18 . The toothpaste well  14  has a bounding surface  22  and the bounding surface  22  has an engagement  24  extending around an entire circumference of the toothpaste well  14 . Additionally, the engagement  24  is spaced from the first end  16  of the handle  12 . 
     The second end  18  has a pick well  26  extending inwardly therein toward the first end  16  and the pick well  26  has a terminal end  28 . The pick well  26  curves between the second end  18  and the terminal end  28 . The pick well  26  has a bounding surface  30  and the bounding surface  30  of the pick well  26  has an engagement  32  extending around an entire perimeter of the pick well  26 . The outer wall  20  has a button opening  34  extending into the toothpaste well  14  and the handle  12  has a floss opening  36  extending into the pick well  26 . 
     A toothpaste tube  38  is provided and the toothpaste tube  38  is insertable into the toothpaste well  14  in the handle  12 . The toothpaste tube  38  contains a toothpaste for brushing a person&#39;s teeth. The toothpaste tube  38  has a top end  40 , the top end  40  is open and the top end  40  is aligned with the first end  16  of the handle  12  when the toothpaste tube  38  is inserted into the toothpaste well  14 . Additionally, the toothpaste tube  38  is comprised of a deformable material. 
     A brush head  42  is removably attachable to the handle  12 . The brush head  42  is in fluid communication with the toothpaste tube  38  when the brush head  42  is removably attached to the handle  12 . The brush head  42  has a conduit  44  integrated therein for receiving the toothpaste contained in the toothpaste tube  38 . In this way the toothpaste can be applied to the brush head  42  for brushing teeth. 
     The brush head  42  has an upper end  46 , a lower end  48  and an outer surface  50  extending therebetween. The outer surface  50  has a flattened portion  52  extending from the upper end  46  toward the lower end  48 . The conduit  44  extends between the lower end  48  and the flattened portion  52  of the outer surface  50 . A plurality of bristles  54  is attached to the brush head  42 . Each of the bristles  54  is positioned on the flattened portion  52  of the outer surface  50  to receive the toothpaste from the conduit  44 . 
     The outer surface  50  has a ridge  56  extending outwardly therefrom, the ridge  56  extends around an entire circumference of the brush head  42  and the ridge  56  is aligned with the lower end  48 . The ridge  56  releasably engages the engagement  24  in the bounding surface  22  of the toothpaste well  14  when the brush head  42  is attached to the handle  12 . A tube  58  is coupled to and extends downwardly from the lower end  48  of the brush head  42  and the tube  58  is in fluid communication with the conduit  44 . The tube  58  has a distal end  60  with respect to the lower end  48  of the brush head  42  and the distal end  60  tapers to a point. Moreover, the distal end  60  of the tube  58  extends into the top end  40  of the toothpaste tube  38  when the brush head  42  is attached to the handle  12  and the toothpaste tube  38  is positioned in the toothpaste well  14 . 
     A pump  62  is movably coupled to the handle  12  and the pump  62  engages the toothpaste tube  38 . The pump  62  compresses the toothpaste tube  38  when the pump  62  is manipulated for urging the toothpaste outwardly from the toothpaste tube  38  and into the conduit  44 . The pump  62  comprises a member  64  that is positioned in the toothpaste well  14 . The member  64  is oriented to extend along a line extending through the first end  16  and the second end  18  of the handle  12 . 
     The pump  62  includes a button  66  that is coupled to the member  64  and the button  66  extends outwardly through the button opening  34  in the outer wall  20  of the handle  12 . The member  64  is compressed against the toothpaste tube  38  when the button  66  is depressed. A biasing member  68 , such as a spring or the like, is positioned between the button  66  and the outer wall  20  of the handle  12  to bias the button  66  outwardly in the button opening  34 . 
     A spool of dental floss  70  is removably attachable to the handle  12  for dispensing dental floss  78  outwardly therefrom. The spool of dental floss  70  has an outer surface  72  and a top surface  74 , and the outer surface  72  of the spool of dental floss  70  has a ridge  76  extending outwardly therefrom. The ridge  76  on the outer surface  72  of the spool of dental floss  70  releasably engages the engagement  32  on the bounding surface  30  of the pick well  26  for retaining the spool of dental floss  70  in the pick well  26 . The dental floss  78  contained in the spool of dental floss  70  extends outwardly through the floss opening  36  in the outer wall  20  of the handle  12 . 
     A pick  80  is coupled to and extends away from the spool of dental floss  70 . The pick well  26  insertably receives the pick  80  when the spool of dental floss  70  is attached to the handle  12  for storage. The pick  80  is positioned on the top surface  74  of the spool of dental floss  70  and the pick  80  has a distal end  82  with respect to the top surface  74 . The pick  80  is curved between the top surface  74  and the distal end  82  of the pick  80 . 
     In use, the toothpaste tube  38  is inserted into the toothpaste well  14  and the brush head  42  is attached to the handle  12 . The button  66  is depressed to urge a measured amount of the toothpaste contained in the toothpaste tube  38  outwardly onto the bristles  54  on the brush head  42 . In this way the brush head  42  is prepared for brushing teeth. A measured length of dental floss  70  can be drawn outwardly from the spool of dental floss  70  for flossing teeth. Additionally, the spool of dental floss  70  can be removed from the handle  12  to facilitate the pick  80  to be manipulated for removing particles from the person&#39;s teeth. 
     With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of an embodiment enabled by the disclosure, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by an embodiment of the disclosure. 
     Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the disclosure. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the disclosure to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the disclosure. In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the elements is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be only one of the elements.