Abstract:
A cleansing device includes a toothbrush body having a handle on a first end and brush bristles on a second end. The second end movable with respect to the first end. A vibrating device is enabled to vibrate the brush bristle end to produce sonic vibrations. A metal anode is the handle and exposed on an outside of the handle and an cathode is positioned near or at the brush bristle end. An electronic circuit substantially within the handle has a mode switch operable to provide electrical potential to the metal anode, the mode switch also operable to cause activation of the vibrating device. A user using the toothbrush completes an electrical circuit to enable ions to flow from the cathode.

Description:
BACKGROUND 
       [0001]    1. Field of the Invention: 
         [0002]    This application concerns a cleansing device. In particular, the toothbrush is equipped to provide sonic vibrations and negative ions during brushing. 
         [0003]    2. Description of Related Art: 
         [0004]    The surface of a tooth has a negative electrical charge, and plaque has a positive charge. Opposite ions attract, so the plaque adheres to the teeth. When generating ions, the surface of the teeth is temporarily turned into a positive charge, so that loosening and repelling occurs. Also, the electrical circuit causes the bristles of the toothbrush to carry a negative electrical charge, which attracts the positive charge of the plaque. 
         [0005]    Conventional toothbrushes generally available in the market usually have multiple rows of bristles disposed on an end of a handle for removing residuals found in gaps between teeth to maintain oral health when used in conjunction with toothpaste. However, they fail to reach deeper to the skin in one&#39;s mouth to improve cellular activity. With rapid development of technology, toothbrushes having embedded electronic devices can be generally found in the market. The electronic devices, including circuits and associated electronic parts are essentially soldered together. Therefore, the electronic device is limited in function and deprived of becoming more practical in use by consumers. 
         [0006]    Manual toothbrushes are the most basic in design, and are generally characterized by a single-piece handle design and brush head or refill. The consumer&#39;s expectation of this segment is that most of the work of brushing will be done by the brusher. Some features that differentiate manual toothbrushes from each other are brush head size (often expressed in number of tufts: i.e., 35, 40, 60), bristle stiffness, bristle pattern, bristle color or concentration (power tip), indicator bristles that fade away to show loss of cleaning effectiveness over time, handle materials (soft, elastomeric, clear) or design (decoration, color, shape or ergonomics). 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0007]    Disclosed is a cleansing device, such as toothbrush or facial cleanser, with a circuit that is capable of improving oral cavity health, by providing either or both ionic application to the tooth surface and sonic vibrations during brushing. 
         [0008]    A sonic (vibrating)-ionic (ion emitting) toothbrush includes a toothbrush body having a handle on a first end and brush bristles on a second end, the second end movable with respect to the first end. A vibrating device to move the second end. A metal anode in the handle is exposed on an outside of the handle. A cathode at the first end. An electronic circuit substantially within the handle and has a mode switch operable to provide electrical potential to the metal anode, the mode switch also operable to cause activation of the ionic function. 
         [0009]    In an embodiment of the sonic-ionic toothbrush, the mode switch in a first position provides electrical potential to the metal anode, in a second position causes activation of the vibrating device, and in a third position provides electrical potential to the metal anode and causes activation of the vibrating device. In the first position potential is provided to the metal anode such that when a user touches the metal anode and brushes the user&#39;s teeth, ions are cause to flow out of the cathode. In the second position of the mode switch, the brush bristles are caused to vibrate. A third position of the switch can enable both the sonic and ionic functions. 
         [0010]    In an embodiment, the mode switch is an on/off switch for both the sonic and ionic functions. 
         [0011]    In an embodiment, a second switch has multiple positions to alter the frequency of vibration. In a particular embodiment, a light or lights are enabled to indicate which of the multiple positions the second switch is in. 
         [0012]    It is noted that in this disclosure and particularly in the claims and/or paragraphs, terms such as “comprises”, “comprised”, “comprising” and the like can have the meaning attributed to it in U.S. Patent law; e.g., they can mean “includes”, “included”, “including”, and the like. 
         [0013]    The above and other objects, features, and advantages of various embodiments as set forth in the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0014]      FIG. 1  is an exploded view of an embodiment of the present invention. 
           [0015]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention as assembled. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0016]    Referring to  FIG. 1  and  FIG. 2 , is a cleansing device  100  of the present invention includes a handle portion  12  and a bristle brush end portion  15 . A metal strip  50  can act as an anode and be positioned through an opening  80  in the handle  12  of the sonic-ionic toothbrush that touches a user hand when the toothbrush is being used. The user&#39;s hand can be wet or does not need to be wet because the skin (hand) is naturally moist (resistance). A metal cathode  51  is located adjacent the bristles  11  of the toothbrush. 
         [0017]    An electrical circuit  20  powered by one or more batteries  40  internal to the handle provides electrical potential to the anode. The battery or batteries can be housed in a holder  30  When the toothbrush is in use and the user is touching the metal strip  50  an electrical circuit is completed such that the electrical potential from the battery  40  at the cathode  51  causes ions to flow from the cathode to the metal strip  50  thereby causing the emitted ions to be imparted to the surface of the user&#39;s teeth. 
         [0018]    Body&#39;s energy (hand) starts the circuitry as a conductor, but also the body plays an important role in the overall ionic function as the flow of negative ions from toothbrush head bristle brush from the cathode (ion emitter) through the teeth and gums and back into the user&#39;s body or hand on the metal strip  50  to complete the electrical loop. 
         [0019]    The bristle brush end portion  15  with toothbrush bristles  11  are movable with respect to the toothbrush handle  12 . A vibrating device  90  can cause the bristles  11  to vibrate with respect to the handle  12 . Such vibrating devices are well-known to those of ordinary skill. The bristle end  15  of the toothbrush may be removable and replaceable as is known in the art. Sonic or vibrating function usually provides 20,000 to 30,000 strokes or vibrations per minute. The most common mass market sonic toothbrushes are 20,000 strokes per minute. An ultrasonic toothbrush function can be added and combined with ionic function or the user can use solely ultrasonic function. 
         [0020]    A mode switch  95  on the toothbrush handle is provided so the bristles  11  can be selected by the user to concurrently or alternatively vibrate with the emitting of ions. Ionic function can loosen and repel plaque and bacteria through polarization technology. Sonic function (sonic vibration) will move around plaque and bacteria, but may not loosen and repel it as the ionic function will (through polarization technology). Also, the ionic function at 9 V to 12 V power (which are safe power levels for the human body) loosens and repels plaque faster. The new combination of ionic and sonic in one toothbrush should provide the best results and performance for users. A light  51 , which may be mounted on handle  12  through an opening  52  can be used to indicate when the ionic function is active. 
         [0021]    A second switch  200  can have multiple settings to alter the number of vibrations per minute. A second light or lights  210 , which may be mounted on handle  12  can be used to indicate which of the multiple settings the mode switch is in. 
         [0022]    One battery  40 , fbr example a AAA battery, can be used to power the electrical circuit  20 . The battery can be located within the handle and be replaceable. Voltage booster circuitry (not shown) within the handle can boost 1.5 V up to about between 9 V to 12 V or any voltage necessary to activate the vibration device and provided ion flow. Alternatively, there can be multiple single cell batteries to power the toothbrush. 
         [0023]    The voltage booster circuit can generates 9 to 12 volts from a 1.5 volt AAA battery, which generates more negative ions (6× to 8×) and power during 1.5 to 2 minutes of brushing. This elevated voltage can provide better results for less plaque accumulation and less inflammation of the gums than at a lower voltage. The sonic-ionie toothbrush combines sonic vibration and 9 to 12 volts of ionic polarization power. It can do the work of 6 to 8 batteries in a small amount of time and in a small amount of space. Thus, the single cell 1.5 volt battery (coupled with the booster circuit) powers both sonic and ionic functions. 
         [0024]    The user does not need to operate both ionic and sonic functions at same time. The user can use solely ionic function or solely sonic function, or both sonic and ionic together. The mode switch  95  as discussed above is provided for this purpose. 
         [0025]    Alternatively, ionic function can operate using 1.5 V or 3 V and does not need to have booster circuit for the ionic function. Although 9 V or 12 V is preferable to improve the ionic function and yield better results for loosening and repelling plaque and bacteria from the teeth and mouth. 
         [0026]    A light  60  can turn on to show that ions are flowing and output is 9 V or 12 V (or an output that is required between 1.5 V and 12 V). This light can work at the same time sonic function is powered on or when user is solely using ionic function and sonic function is powered off. The light will glow to show the ionic function works when the user is holding the toothbrush and brushing their teeth. The user&#39;s body&#39;s energy starts the circuitry. In an implementation, the light  60  can include a light emitting device  21  electrically connected to the electronic circuit  20 , and a light guide post  61  mounted to the handle located adjacent the light emitting device  21 . The light guide post has a portion extending to the exterior the handle so as to transmit light from light emitting device. That is, the light source is visible through the light guide post and the light guiding and refracting material. In an implementation, light emitted by the light emitting device  21  is visible as shown in  FIG. 2  on the same side of the handle as the bristles  11 . In another implementation, the light emitted from the light emitting device  21  is visible on the opposite side of the handle on which the bristles are located. That is, the light is not directly visible to the user when the toothbrush bristles are facing the user, as in when the user is brushing their teeth. Rather the light may be visible by reflection in a mirror in front of the user. 
         [0027]    Bristles of the toothbrush are typically soft and made of Nylon or other synthetic materials. While soft bristles are recommend, any medium or hard toothbrush bristles can be used. 
         [0028]    The ionic function and power loosens plaque easily, so users do not need to brush hard. However, users can brush at any level they wish. The sonic or ultrasonic toothbrush function can have an ON/OFF switch  200 . This switch may have multiple settings to offer options for speed and power. This switch may have a power light to indicate the ON position and a light or lights to indicate which of the multiple settings the device is in. 
         [0029]    In use the present toothbrush can be a single-use device or have a replaceable bristle head with soft polypropylene handle and nylon bristles. Despite its advanced function and benefits, the toothbrush can look and feel much like an ordinary toothbrush. The handle can be fully sealed to keep out water or substantially watertight and have a replaceable battery. The light, can be a light-emitting diode (LED) or other lamp to indicate when the user has completed the electrical connection and the ionic action is functioning. 
         [0030]    The user simply touches a finger or hand, preferably wet, to the metal anode on the handle while brushing to engage the ionic action and see the light on the handle illuminate. The brush head can be any size and the bristles are soft with a staggered brush trim that emphasizes the soft feel of the bristles in the mouth. The bristle pattern is designed to toothpaste well. Both a large brush head size and the ability to hold toothpaste are attributes appreciated by some users. 
         [0031]    The sonic-ionic toothbrush will allow users to have an interactive brushing experience. Users can brush with ionic polarization for 1 minute to loosen plaque at 9 volts and top it off with sonic vibration for 1 minute to finish off with sonic power and hit the gum lines and hard to reach areas. Or users can brush with both sonic and ionic together, or sonic only. Users can make their own brushing plan for what they feel is best suited for their teeth and how they feel or want to feel. 
         [0032]    The sonic-ionic toothbrush technology can provide relief from painful dental sensitivity. It is hypothesized that the ionic action of the toothbrush facilitates the deposit of fluoride onto the teeth, which is often used in the treatment of tooth sensitivity. 
         [0033]    Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.