Abstract:
An adjustable toothbrush having a plurality of interchangeable bristle mount settings that facilitate more direct contact with the various teeth geometries. The adjustable toothbrush preferably has at least three selectable surface variations or configurations comprising a flat surface, an inverted/concave surface, and a radial/convex surface. The adjustable toothbrush comprises a brushing surface defined by a plurality of bristles, a bristle mount, at least one adjustment key, hollow brush casing and adjustment mechanism wherein the bristles are secured to the mount and the mount engages the adjustment mechanism. The bristle mount is flexible to accommodate manipulation of its shape by the adjustment mechanism. Depending on the setting, the adjustment mechanism raises the mount to create the radial version, lowers the mount to create the inverted version or leaves the mount stationary for the flat version. The three configurations are selected and engaged by a tactile control.

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Serial No. 60/439,860 filed Jan. 14, 2003. 
     
    
     
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT N/A  
       COPYRIGHT NOTICE  
         [0002]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights rights whatsoever.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0003]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0004]    This invention relates generally to an adjustable toothbrush, and more particularly, to an adjustable toothbrush that mechanically adjust to three different configurations to correspond to the teeth being brushed so as to provide a user with improved teeth cleaning coverage  
           [0005]    2. Description of the Background Art  
           [0006]    The upper and lower sets of teeth are shaped like little horseshoes having generally three main and distinctive shapes. The frontal teeth are radial in shape, the back teeth have opposite inverted radial shapes and the tops and sides are considerably straight. Most toothbrushes are designed with a straight or slightly inverted radial brushing surface, which do not conform to all three geometries, resulting in inadequate cleaning. Therefore, several toothbrushes of varying shapes should be used to provide complete cleaning. However, using two, three or more toothbrushes to properly clean teeth can be expensive, cumbersome, messy and impractical. An all in one toothbrush that changes to conform to various shaped areas would offer a much more efficient cleaning as well as a satisfying brushing experience. If an adjustable toothbrush existed that conformed to the various geometry of teeth, it would be well received. The instant invention addresses this unfulfilled need in the prior art by providing a toothbrush that offers a plurality of adjustable surfaces for facilitating improved contact with the teeth and hence enhanced cleaning, as described herein.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0007]    In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush that adapts to the various geometries of teeth to improve contact with the teeth.  
           [0008]    It is another object of the instant invention to provide a toothbrush that has an adjustable brushing surfacing for conforming to the various contours of teeth.  
           [0009]    It is also an object of the instant invention to provide a toothbrush having an adjustable surface that comes in contact with the various gaps and crevices typically missed by conventional toothbrushes.  
           [0010]    It is an additional object of the instant invention to provide an adjustable toothbrush that is convenient and easy to use.  
           [0011]    It is an additional object of the instant invention to provide an adjustable toothbrush that is cost-effective with respect to manufacturing.  
           [0012]    It is a further object of the instant invention to provide an adjustable toothbrush that improves the dental hygiene of the average person.  
           [0013]    It is yet another object of the instant invention to provide an adjustable toothbrush that provides a brush surface that may be adjusted to provide a plurality of different contours.  
           [0014]    In light of these and other objects, the instant invention comprises a toothbrush having a surface that is adjustable to accommodate the concave, convex and straight geometries of the average set of teeth. The adjustable toothbrush of the instant invention is designed to help the bristles come in direct contact with the teeth regardless of its geometry and so long as the proper adjustment is made, to facilitate more efficient dental hygiene. The adjustable toothbrush preferably has three selectable surface variations or configurations to correspond with the three common surface geometries of teeth. The three configurations comprise a flat surface, an inverted/concave surface, and a radial/convex surface. The adjustable toothbrush generally comprises a brushing surface defined by a plurality of bristles, a bristle mount, at least one adjustment key, hollow brush casing and adjustment mechanism. The bristles are secured to the mount and the mount engages the adjustment mechanism. The bristle mount is flexible to accommodate manipulation of its shape by the adjustment mechanism. Depending on the setting, the adjustment mechanism raises the mount to create the radial version, lowers the mount to create the inverted version or leaves the mount stationary for the flat version. The toothbrush may also be designed to provide a plurality of alternative brush contours. The brush configurations are adjusted by a rotatable or slidable tactile control, referenced herein as a drive mechanism. The adjustable toothbrush is preferably manufactured with plastic and could offer soft, medium and hard flexible brushing bristles.  
           [0015]    The instant invention mechanically changes brushing surfaces to provide maximum contact with teeth for more efficient cleaning. The flexible bristle mount allows the user to manipulate the surface configuration of the toothbrush bristles to provide a straight configuration for flat, accessible tooth surfaces, an inverted configuration for the back of the teeth and a radial configuration for the frontal teeth surfaces. In an alternative embodiment, the instant invention may a plurality of other configurations as shown herein.  
           [0016]    In accordance with these and other objects, which will become apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 provides a perspective exploded view in FIG. 1A and perspective views in FIGS. 1B-1D of a first embodiment of the adjustable toothbrush in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0018]    [0018]FIG. 2 provides perspective views in FIGS. 2A-2E of a second embodiment of the adjustable toothbrush in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0019]    [0019]FIG. 3 provides elevational views in FIGS. 3A-3C of a third embodiment of the rotating cam version of the adjustable toothbrush in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 4 provides elevational views in FIGS. 4A-4C of a fourth or push/pull embodiment of the adjustable toothbrush.  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 5 provides elevational views in FIGS. 5A-5C of a fifth or thumb slide embodiment of the instant invention.  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 6 provides side and plan views of the preferred embodiment of the flexible mount in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 7 provides elevational views of an assembled 12-segment toothbrush with form keys in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 8 provides elevational views of the components of the 12-segment toothbrush in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 9 provides elevational views of the brush surface design variations of the instant invention utilizing bristle holders extending lengthwise with respect to the brush holder.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 10 provides elevational views of the bristle configurations for the 12-segment brush utilizing a variety of different key configurations in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 11 provides elevational views of the 10-segment toothbrush with formed wire twist guide in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 12 provides elevational views of the bristle configurations that may be derived with a formed wire guided bristle mount in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0029]    [0029]FIG. 13 provides elevational views of the self-adjusting bristle mount utilizing magnets in accordance with the instant invention.  
         [0030]    [0030]FIG. 14 provides elevational views of the electronically controlled toothbrush and bristle mount in accordance with the instant invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0031]    With reference to the drawings, FIGS.  1  to  14  depict the preferred embodiments of the instant invention which is generally referenced as an adjustable toothbrush and, or by numeric character  10 . The adjustable toothbrush  10  is designed so that more bristles, in comparison to toothbrushes having a static or virtually static bristle configuration, come in direct contact with the teeth so long as the proper adjustment is made. With reference to FIGS. 1A to  14 , the adjustable toothbrush  10  comprises a handle  20  having a proximal/grasping end and a distal end defining or having a brush/bristle system casing  22 , a brush system  11  comprising a bristle mount  14  and plurality of bristles  16  mounted to and/or projecting outward from the bristle mount  14  and an adjustment system  17  ( 17   a - 17   c ) that adjust the elevation of the bristle mount  14 , at least one segment of the bristle mount  14  and/or at least one bristle segment. The handle  20  may also comprise a grip  34  for enhancing control.  
         [0032]    The bristles  16  and mount  14  are secured in the hollow brush casing  22 , as shown in FIG. 1, by securing the mount  14  to the adjustment mechanism by way of at least one and preferably two engagement tabs  15 . The adjustable toothbrush  10  preferably has three selectable surface variations or configurations, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, to correspond with the three surfaces of the teeth. The three configurations comprise a flat surface  12 , an inverted surface  12 , and a radial surface  12 , as shown in FIGS. 1B, 1C and  1 D, respectively. The bristles  16  are mounted to the bristle mount  14  as shown in FIGS. 6 and 8. With reference to FIGS. 6 and 8, the bristle mount  14  comprises at least one base  14   a  having a locking groove  14   b , and a plurality of bristle holder segments  14   c  comprising plastic molded supports  14   d  having a plurality of bristle sleeves  14   e  for securely receiving the bristles  16 . As a result of this construction, the bristle mount  14  is flexible and may be raised proximal the center to create the radial version, as shown FIG. 1D, lowered to create the inverted version, as shown in FIG. 1C, or left stationary for the flat version, as shown in FIG. 1A. The three configurations are selected by engaging the bristle mount base  14   a  with an adjustment mechanism  17   a ,  17   b  or  17   c . The locking groove  14   b  locks the bristle mount  14  in a set position. The adjustable toothbrush  10  is preferably manufactured with plastic and could offer soft, medium and hard flexible brushing bristles  16 .  
         [0033]    The adjustment mechanism resides in the handle  20  between the grip  34  and head of the toothbrush  10  and has three embodiments, as shown in FIGS.  3  to  5 . The adjustment mechanism generally comprises a cam or lever connected to or engageable with the flexible bristle mount  14  in a position, such as proximal the center, that deforms the mount  14  into a straight, radial or inverted position, as shown in FIGS. 3-5. Affixing it proximal the center of the mount base  14   a  allows the use of a double cam on both the proximal and distal ends of the mount  14  to obtain the various configurations. The cam or lever is attached to the drive mechanism  32  by way of the connecting rod  28  to manipulate the mount  14  by pushing and pulling and, or rotating the connecting rod  28 . The use of an additional guide mount may be incorporated above the flexible mount  14  to keep the bristles  16  straight.  
         [0034]    With reference to FIGS. 1-5,  7  and  9 - 14 , the adjustment mechanism/system  17  embodiments ( 17   a - 17   c ) are shown. Referring to FIGS. 1, 4 and  5 , the first adjustment mechanism  17   a  comprises at least one bristle mount engagement tab  15 , a mount ramp or inclined lever  26  that engages the bristle mount base  14   a  and/or tab  15  in a manner that adjusts its elevation when adjusted, a guide groove  29  extending along at least one side surface of the ramp  26  for guiding at least one pin projecting from the tab  15  to facilitate changes in elevation of the mount  14  and a connecting rod  28  attached to, joined to, in engagement with and, or otherwise in mechanical or magnetic communication with a drive mechanism  32 . The drive mechanism  32  may comprise a rotatable handle, push/pull handle  32   a  as shown in FIG. 4 or thumb slide  32   b  as shown in FIG. 5. The first variation  17   a  preferably uses a three-position push/pull handle and lever drive mechanism, as shown in FIG. 4. When the handle is pushed, the connecting rod  28  urges the center of the flexible mount  14  upward and when the handle is pulled the connecting rod  28  urges the center of the flexible mount  14  downward.  
         [0035]    Referring to FIGS. 2 and 7, the second adjustment mechanism  17   b  comprises at least one adjustment key  18  or  19  and preferably a first adjustment key  18 , a second adjustment key, a connecting rod  28  and one of the drive mechanisms  32 . The first adjustment key  18  is substantially concave and the second adjustment key  19  are connected or mechanically engaged with the connecting rod  28  and the connecting rod  28  is driven by the drive mechanism  32 . The keys  18  and  19  raise and lower the bristle mount  14 , respectively, depending on which way and how far the drive mechanism  32  is actuated.  
         [0036]    With reference to FIG. 3, a third variation comprises a three-position rotating cam. The third adjustment mechanism  17   c  comprises at least one bristle mount engagement tab  15 , rotating cam  40 , connecting rod  28  and a rotating drive mechanisms  32 . The tab  15  engages or is connected to the bristle mount base  14   a  at one end and to the connecting rod  28  at another end. When the drive mechanism  32  is rotated it imparts rotational movement of the cam  40  causing the mid-section of the bristle mount  14  to be raised or lowered. The third variation comprises a thumb slide version, comprising a thumb control switch  30  in the side of the handle for pushing and pulling the connecting rod. The toothbrush  10  may incorporate a flexible unitary or segmented bristle mount  14  connected to the adjustment mechanism  17  in a manner that deforms the shape of the mount  14  into the desired configuration. Each of the three mechanism variations would allow the brush configuration to be changed by manipulating the flexible brush mount  14 . The use of an additional guide mount could be incorporated above the flexible mount in order to keep the bristles straight. The instant invention  10  may also comprise  
         [0037]    With reference to FIGS. 9-14, alternative adjustment systems and, or adjustment key configurations may be incorporated with the adjustment system  17  to achieve a variety of other brush surface configurations, as shown. With reference to FIG. 9, the bristle segments  14   c  may comprise various shapes to vary brush surface configurations. Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the adjustment system  17  may comprise a plurality of different adjustment key configurations  21   a - 21   h  to provide alternative brush surface  12  configurations. With reference to FIG. 11, the adjustment system  17  may comprise a formed wire twist guide  31 . The twist guide  31  comprises a preformed wire having a raised or contoured shape that extends from, is connected to or otherwise engages the connecting rod  28  to facilitate rotation when the rotating drive mechanism  32  is turned. The twist guide  31  may have an elongated end that replaces and provides the same function as the connecting rod  28 .  
         [0038]    The adjustable toothbrush  10  is adjusted by manipulating the push/pull mechanism, thumb slide or rotating cam drive mechanism  32 , depending on the embodiment employed. By doing so, the user adjusts the brush formation to be flat, inverted or raised according to the teeth being brushed. Each of these surfaces corresponds with the three major surfaces of the teeth. The inverted radial surface may be used on the frontal surfaces of the teeth, the inverted brushing surface may used on the inside of the teeth and the flat brushing surface may be used on the flat areas of the teeth.  
         [0039]    With respect to the instant invention  10 , one method for changing the brushing surface  12 , of the toothbrush  10 , is using a unitary flexible bristle mount  14 . Another method of achieving the brushing surface configurations shown comprises use of a segmented bristle mount  14 . The instant invention  10  may incorporate different key configurations  21   a - 21   h  to create a wide variety of designs that include different geometrical surface configurations besides radial bends, as shown in FIGS. 9-10. The bristle mount  14  can be divided into any number of independently moving sections  14   c  with unique shapes that offer a wide variety changeable brushing surfaces, as shown in FIG. 9. For instance, a straight brush could be transformed, temporarily, into a reach style brush, by mechanically extending the distal bristles, for cleaning those hard to reach back teeth and then back to a straight brush to continue normal cleaning, or, from straight, to radial, then inverted radial and back. Numerous combinations of two, three or more toothbrushes can be developed into one. Alternatively, the toothbrush  10  may comprise an electronic version wherein the bristle mount segments  14   c  are caused to alternate left and right, with adjacent segments  14   c  moving in opposite directions, as shown in FIG. 14. FIG. 14 shows the electric toothbrush  10  that produces opposing brush strokes.  
         [0040]    With reference to FIG. 7, an assembled 12-segment toothbrush  10  has two form keys  18 ,  19  to provide three different changeable brushing configurations. FIG. 8 illustrates the separate components of the 12-segment bristle mount  14 . The 12 segments  14   c , each of which holds a row of bristles, move up and down independently with respect to each other. They are all held together in a hollow housing  22 . The different brushing configurations are created by the use of a form key  18  and, or  19 . The form key normally lays flat beneath the row of segments. These keys are designed to engage and disengage the mount  14  depending on the rotational direction of the twist rod. When twisted 45 degrees into an upright position, the key moves each segment to a new location to form a different bristle surface  12  configuration. FIG. 9 illustrates some of the alternative design variations of the segmented bristle mount  14 .  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 10 shows eight assorted brush configurations  21   d - 21   h  all of which can be used on the 10 or 12-segment toothbrush with forming keys. The keys are extracted from their above assembly simply to see them better. It demonstrates some the different configuration achievable with the use of these keys  21 . The key  21  and bottom portions of the segments  14   c  may be magnetized with magnet plates  51  and  52  to assist in holding the segments  14   c  in place, a shown in FIG. 13. The key  21  may be made of metal and magnetized along with the bottoms of each segment  14   c  to complete a mechanism for retaining the segments  14   c  in position. The magnetic version of the invention  10  in FIG. 13 is a self-conforming toothbrush that self-conforms to any shape automatically. It is also possible to spring load each segment  14   c.    
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 11 shows a 10-segment brush with a formed wire twist guide  31 . This changeable segmented brush is altered by the use of a preformed wire  31  used as a twist guide. When turned 180 degrees it transforms from a radial shaped brush to a straight plane then to an inverted radial shape. There are a number of selections that vary the intensity of the radius between the two extremes to provide a multi-selectable toothbrush. FIG. 12 shows the same 10-segment brush without the housing.  
         [0043]    The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious structural and/or functional modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.