Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7003839?dq=5579430
Timestamp: 2014-11-20 22:03:21
Document Index: 724219246

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 3', 'art 4', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 4', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 4', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'art 3', 'art 2', 'arts 6', 'art 6']

Patent US7003839 - Interdental treatment device with vibrating head part - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsAn interdental treatment device, such as a toothbrush, includes a handle configured to accommodate an electric power source, a head carrying an interdental treatment tool, and a neck between the handle and the head. The head or neck includes a mechanical motorized vibratory device, including a drive...http://www.google.com/patents/US7003839?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7003839 - Interdental treatment device with vibrating head partAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7003839 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 10/913,485Publication dateFeb 28, 2006Filing dateAug 9, 2004Priority dateOct 19, 1999Fee statusPaidAlso published asCN1226968C, CN1379643A, CN1572260A, CN1739464A, CN1739464B, CN1762309A, DE50014070D1, DE50015846D1, DE50015918D1, EP1221906A1, EP1221906B1, EP1221906B2, EP1527750A1, EP1527750B1, EP1561435A1, EP1561435B1, EP1591077A1, EP1591077B1, EP1900342A1, EP1900342B1, US6802097, US7254858, US7261851, US7556320, US7748071, US8015649, US8327490, US20020124333, US20050011026, US20060026780, US20060156496, US20070256259, US20090126132, US20100242194, US20110289703, WO2001028452A1Publication number10913485, 913485, US 7003839 B2, US 7003839B2, US-B2-7003839, US7003839 B2, US7003839B2InventorsPeter H�fliger, Franz Fischer, G�nther ElsterOriginal AssigneeTrisa Holding AgExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (35), Referenced by (11), Classifications (42), Legal Events (2) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetInterdental treatment device with vibrating head partUS 7003839 B2Abstract An interdental treatment device, such as a toothbrush, includes a handle configured to accommodate an electric power source, a head carrying an interdental treatment tool, and a neck between the handle and the head. The head or neck includes a mechanical motorized vibratory device, including a drive which causes the head to vibrate. Electrical connections are operably connected to the mechanical vibratory device and the electric power source to power the mechanical vibratory device via the electrical connections. In various embodiments, a switch may be operably connected to at least one of the electrical connections to interrupt power from the power source to the mechanical motorized vibratory device. In various embodiments, a vibration-damping structure dampens vibration transmission from the head to the handle.
1. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
an interdental treatment head carrying an interdental treatment tool;
a mechanical motorized vibratory device, including a drive which causes the head to vibrate, located in at least one of the head and the neck and having an axis of rotation oriented in a substantially longitudinal direction of the portion of the interdental treatment device in which the mechanical motorized vibratory device is located; and
electrical connections operably connected to the mechanical motorized vibratory device and operably connectable to the electric power source to power the mechanical motorized vibratory device via the electrical connections.
2. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a diameter of less than 6 mm.
3. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the neck includes at least one vibration-damping zone comprising an elastically compliant material.
4. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a vibratory element drivable by the drive, the drive being arranged directly adjacent to the vibratory element.
5. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device comprises an eccentric body that can be rotated about the axis.
6. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a vibrating element including a vibratory armature that forms the drive electrically connected to the power source to make the head vibrate.
7. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device including the drive is located in the neck.
8. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a switch operably connected to at least one of the electrical connections to interrupt power from the power source to the mechanical motorized vibratory device, wherein the handle includes a cavity open to the rear of the interdental treatment device handle that is closable by a rear cover, and the cover has a rotative connection to the handle that provides actuation of the switch.
9. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the handle includes a cavity, the power source is an exchangeable battery insertable into the cavity, the electrical connections are configured for electrical connection with the battery, and the cavity contains a sleeve which is made of electrically conductive material and which is open to the rear and can be closed from the rear by a cover.
10. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental brush.
11. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 10, wherein the interdental brush includes a bristle carrier and bristles.
12. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental treatment part for cleaning of spaces between teeth.
13. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 1,
wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a vibratory element including a vibratory armature that forms the drive.
14. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
a mechanical motorized vibratory device, including a drive which causes the head to vibrate, located in the neck, the drive having an axis of rotation oriented in a substantially longitudinal direction of the portion of the interdental treatment device in which the mechanical motorized vibratory device is located; and
15. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a diameter of less than 6 mm.
16. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, further comprising a vibration-damping structure that dampens vibration transmission from the head to the handle.
17. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the neck includes at least one vibration-damping zone comprising an elastically compliant material.
18. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a vibratory element drivable by the drive, the drive being arranged directly adjacent to the vibratory element.
19. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device comprises an eccentric body that can be rotated about an axis of the drive.
20. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a vibrating element including a vibratory armature that forms the drive electrically connected to the power source to make the head vibrate.
21. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, further comprising a switch operably connected to at least one of the electrical connections to interrupt power from the power source to the mechanical motorized vibratory device, wherein the handle includes a cavity open to the rear of the interdental treatment device handle that is closable by a rear cover, and the cover has a rotative connection to the handle that provides actuation of the switch.
22. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the handle includes a cavity, the power source is an exchangeable battery insertable into the cavity, the electrical connections are configured for electrical connection with the battery, and the cavity contains a sleeve which is made of electrically conductive material and which is open to the rear and can be closed from the rear by a cover.
23. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental brush.
24. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 23, wherein the interdental brush includes a bristle carrier and bristles.
25. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 14, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental treatment part for cleaning of spaces between teeth.
26. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
electrical connections operably connected to the mechanical motorized vibratory device and operably connectable to the electric power source to power the mechanical motorized vibratory device via the electrical connections,
wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device includes mechanical and electrical components, wherein at least a portion of the mechanical and electrical components form a unit which is encapsulated within an injection molded first material and which is further at least partially encapsulated in an injection molded second material.
27. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 26, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental brush.
28. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 27, wherein the interdental brush includes a bristle carrier and bristles.
29. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 26, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental treatment part for cleaning of spaces between teeth.
30. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device includes mechanical and electrical components, wherein at least a portion of the mechanical and electrical components form a unit which is received between two separately produced interdental treatment device parts which are connected to one another in a water-tight manner.
31. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 30, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental brush.
32. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 31, wherein the interdental brush includes a bristle carrier and bristles.
33. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 30, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental treatment part for cleaning of spaces between teeth.
34. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
wherein the mechanical motorized vibratory device has a diameter of less than 6 mm.
35. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
a mechanical motorized vibratory device located in the neck, the mechanical motorized vibratory device including an eccentric vibratory element and a drive that causes the head to vibrate, the eccentric vibratory element having an axis of rotation oriented in a substantially longitudinal direction of the portion of the interdental treatment device in which the mechanical motorized vibratory device is located;
electrical connections operably connected to the mechanical motorized vibratory device and operably connectable to a battery in the cavity in the handle to power the mechanical motorized vibratory device via the electrical connections;
a switch in the handle operably connected to at least one of the electrical connections to interrupt power from the battery to the mechanical motorized vibratory device; and
36. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 35, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental brush.
37. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 36, wherein the interdental brush includes a bristle carrier and bristles.
38. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 35, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental treatment part for cleaning of spaces between teeth.
39. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
a mechanical motorized vibratory device, including a drive and an eccentric body which cause the head to vibrate, located in at least one of the head and the neck, the drive having a shaft with an axis of rotation oriented in a substantially longitudinal direction of the portion of the interdental treatment device in which the mechanical motorized vibratory device is located and the eccentric body being connected to the shaft of the drive for rotation about the axis; and
electrical connections operably connected to the mechanical motorized vibratory device and operably connectable to the electric power source to power the mechanical vibratory device via the electrical connections.
40. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 39, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental brush.
41. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 40, wherein the interdental brush includes a bristle carrier and bristles.
42. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 39, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental treatment part for cleaning of spaces between teeth.
43. In an interdental treatment device, the improvement comprising:
44. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 43, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental brush.
45. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 44, wherein the interdental brush includes a bristle carrier and bristles.
46. The interdental treatment device as recited in claim 43, wherein the interdental treatment tool includes an interdental treatment part for cleaning of spaces between teeth.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 10/093,699 filed Mar. 11, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,802,097 which is a Continuation of PCT/CH00/00563 filed Oct. 18, 2000, which claims priority from German Patent Appl. No. 199 50 204.8 filed Oct. 19, 1999 and German Patent Appl. No. 299 19 053.6 filed Nov. 3, 1999.
The invention relates to an interdental treatment device that includes an electrically powered vibrating head.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a cost-effective vibrating toothbrush which corresponds, in size, approximately to the conventional manual toothbrushes and nevertheless allows a better cleaning action than the latter.
This object is achieved according to the invention by a toothbrush including a vibrating head part, a mechanical vibratory device in at least one of the head and a neck, and a power supply, preferably in the handle.
Since a mechanical vibratory device which causes the head part to vibrate is accommodated in a front head part of the toothbrush, or in a neck-part region adjacent to the head part, the neck part connecting the head part to the handle, and is operatively connected to a power source, preferably accommodated in the handle, via electrical connections running in the neck part, vibration-damping means preferably being provided in order to prevent vibration transmission to the handle, this achieves the situation where the vibrations which effect the improved cleaning action are produced predominantly in the head part and can only be felt to a slight extent in the handle, as a result of which comfortable handling of the toothbrush is achieved. A further advantage of the toothbrush according to the invention is that there is no need for any mechanical drive means to be led through the flexible neck part to the vibratory device. It is merely the electrical connections, designed as wires, cables or electrically conductive plastic tracks, which run through the neck part.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which, purely schematically:
FIG. 5A shows a front part of the toothbrush according to FIG. 4 with different embodiments of exchangeable interdental treatment heads; and
FIGS. 5B�D show different embodiments of exchangeable interdental treatment heads.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Both the toothbrush illustrated in FIG. 1 and that according to FIGS. 2 and 3 each have a handle 1, a front bristle-carrying head part 3 and a neck part 4, which connects the head part 3 to the handle 1. The bristles combined to form clusters of bristles 6 are anchored in a bristle carrier 5 and form a possibly profiled brushing surface with their free ends. In the embodiment illustrated, the bristle carrier 5 with the clusters of bristles 6 is positioned, in a manner which is known per se and thus is not described in any more detail, on a retaining part 2 of the head part 3 such that it can be exchanged.
The neck part 4 is provided with neck-part zones 7 which are made of an elastically relatively compliant material component and provide for, or additionally increase, the elasticity of the neck part 4, with the result that, during use of the interdental treatment device, the head part 3 can be forced back resiliently in the case of forces acting in the direction of the brushing surface. If appropriate, the neck-part zones 7 are designed as notches which extend over part of the neck circumference and are filled with elastically compliant material (e.g. with thermoplastic elastomer). Of course, it would also be quite conceivable for the form and number of neck-part zones to be different. It is also conceivable to have a flexible neck zone without using elastic material components, e.g. by providing constrictions or by way of a bellows.
Integrated in the front head part 3, or in that region of the neck part 4 which is adjacent to the head part 3, is a mechanical vibratory device 10, by means of which vibrations which effect or enhance the teeth-cleaning action may be imparted to the head part 3. The vibratory device 10 can be connected to an electric power source, accommodated in the handle 1, via electrical connections running in the neck part 4, as is described herein below. The already mentioned neck-part zones 7 made of an elastically compliant material act here as means which damp the vibration between the vibrating head part 3 and the handle 1, with the result that the vibratory action is produced, in particular, in the head part and is only transmitted to the handle 1 to a slight extent. This means that only slight vibrations can be felt in the handle 1 during the teeth-cleaning operation, and the toothbrush is thus comfortable to handle. Conversely, however, it is also advantageous that the vibration produced is not damped by the handle 1 and can act to full effect in the head part 3. Instead of the neck-part zones 7 consisting of elastically compliant material, however, other vibration-damping means would also be conceivable; it is not absolutely necessary to use an elastic material. The damping may also be achieved, using a basic material, by the neck part being configured in a particular form, for example by the presence of a bellows/accordion part, etc.
In the case of the toothbrush variants illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vibratory device 10 comprises a vibratory element 11 in the form of an eccentric, which produces mechanical vibrations and can be rotated about an axis located in the longitudinal direction of the toothbrush, and also comprises a drive which is arranged directly adjacent and is designed as a micromotor 15. The vibratory element 11 is connected to the shaft 15 a of the micromotor 15, which can be electrically connected to the power source via the lines 33, 34. The micromotor 15 and the eccentric may be accommodated as a structural unit in a housing 12.
The toothbrush illustrated in FIG. 4 corresponds essentially to that according to FIGS. 2 and 3; the same parts, once again, have the same designations. According to FIG. 4, the vibratory device 10 is arranged directly in the front head part 3. In this exemplary embodiment, the sleeve 20 is dispensed with; the battery 25 is connected directly to the vibratory device 10 via the lines 33, 34. It is also the case with this device that use is preferably made of an exchangeable carrier 5 which can be positioned on a retaining part 2 of the head part 3, e.g. in the manner of a snap-in connection. The capacity for changing the bristle carrier 5 provided with the clusters of bristles 6 is particularly advantageous since the interdental treatment device provided with the vibratory device 10 can be used irrespective of the service life of the bristles, which is usually even shorter than the service life of the battery 25.
As can be seen from FIG. 5, it is possible, instead of the bristle carrier 5 or 5 a, which forms part of a conventional brush head and is provided with respective clusters of bristles 6 or 6 a, to position other, optionally different carriers or adapters 5 b to 5 d on the retaining part 2, these being provided with different interdental brushes 6 b, 6 c or interdental treatment parts 6 d for effective cleaning of the spaces between the teeth. The interdental brush 6 b may be designed, for example, as a helical brush made of coated wire with plastic filaments twisted in. The interdental brush 6 c comprises bristles which, together, form a cluster tip. The treatment part 6 d may be designed, for example, as a plastic element which has a tip and may preferably be provided with an abrasive coating for removing plaque and tartar from the spaces between the teeth. Of course, it would also be possible to use any other desired treatment heads.
According to the invention, use is made of a mechanical vibratory device 10 which has a diameter of less than 15 mm, preferably less than 6 mm, and is less than 35 mm, preferably less than 20 mm, in length. This ensures that the toothbrush may be of ergonomic configuration and is easy to handle. The toothbrush according to the invention may correspond, in size, more or less to the conventional manual toothbrushes, which makes them more straightforward to handle in comparison with the commercially available, considerably larger electric toothbrushes, even though this toothbrush achieves a cleaning action which is comparable with that of the known electric toothbrushes, but is gentler than the latter. Moreover, the toothbrush according to the invention is straightforward and cost-effective to produce.
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