Abstract:
A toothbrush storage device is disclosed which is both surface mountable and portable. A mounting bracket is first secured to the surface. The mounting bracket includes a first mating means. A portable housing is then mated to the mounting bracket via a second mating means disposed the housing. The first and second mating means are easily releasable which allows for portablilty of the housing. The housing includes a pair of opposing blades which supports the toothbrush. Finally, the housing substantially encloses the toothbrush head and bristles.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    This invention relates generally to toothbrushes and, more particularly, to a portable toothbrush storage device.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    Toothbrush storage devices are commonly found in many sizes and shapes. Most household bathrooms have wall mountable toothbrush storage dishes.  
           [0003]    Of the wall mountable toothbrush storage dishes, there are one piece and two piece storage dishes. One piece storage dishes are permanently wall mountable and include a plurality of openings for holding a toothbrush. Sometimes these storage dishes also include a soap dish centrally disposed so that a number of exposed toothbrushes surrounds the soap dish. Oftentimes, the toothbrush bristles contacts the storage dish, thereby creating an unsanitary environment.  
           [0004]    It is not uncommon for soap residue to splash or otherwise come into contact with the bristles. Furthermore, other airborne particles invariably stick to the often moist bristles.  
           [0005]    Two piece toothbrush storage dishes are similar in design to one-piece storage dishes except that a base portion and dish portion are easily separable so that the dish portion can be periodically sanitized. However, the same residual contacting, splashing and airborn transfer of soap debris and other particles is all too common.  
           [0006]    Portable toothbrush containers are also known in the art. These tubelike designs incluse a mating top and bottom. A toothbrush is packed into these designs and stored in a suitcase for vacations.  
           [0007]    However, there are two drawbacks with this design. First, the portable toothbrush container is not wall mountable. Therefore, a separate wall mountable toothbrush storage device is still required around the house.  
           [0008]    Secondly, the portable storage device must be stored horizontally thereby causing the bristles to contact its own debris.  
           [0009]    Finally, once the traveler arrives at his destination, he must lay the toothbrush onto the sink top, wherein several of the above mentioned unsanitary conditions will once again be encountered.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0010]    It is an object of the present invention to improve the field of toothbrush storage devices.  
           [0011]    It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable toothbrush storage device.  
           [0012]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a sanitary toothbrush storage device.  
           [0013]    It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide a sanitary toothbrush storage device that can be easily transported as required.  
           [0014]    It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush storage device that is wall mountable and substantially houses the toothbrush bristles.  
           [0015]    It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a wall mountable toothbrush storage device that is portable.  
           [0016]    It is still yet another object of the present invention to provide a sanitary wall mountable toothbrush storage device that is portable.  
           [0017]    It is still yet a further object of the present invention to provide a sanitary wall mountable toothbrush storage device that is portable and substantially houses the toothbrush bristles.  
           [0018]    These and other objects are provided in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention in which there is provided a toothbrush storage device which houses a toothbrush both fixedly and portably, wherein the toothbrush includes a head portion, a neck and a handle. The toothbrush storage device further includes a mounting bracket and mounting means for securing the mounting bracket to a supporting structure, such as a wall. The housing stores at least the head of the toothbrush, and further includes a bottom, a top, a pair of opposing sidewalls and a door. The door is partially rotatable about a sidewall. Releasable securing means secure the housing to the mounting bracket and include a first mating means disposed on the mounting bracket and a second mating means disposed on the housing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
       [0019]    The above and other objects of the present invention will be better understood by reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0020]    [0020]FIG. 1 shows a side elevation view of the toothbrush storage device of the present invention;  
         [0021]    [0021]FIG. 2 is a backside view of a removable housing of the toothbrush storage device of FIG. 1;  
         [0022]    [0022]FIG. 3 is a perspective front view of the removable housing of the toothbrush storage device of FIG. 1;  
         [0023]    [0023]FIG. 4 is a perspective front view of the removable housing of the toothbrush storage device of FIG. 3 showing a pair of inwardly disposed arms;  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 5 is a partial front view of the housing of FIG. 4 having a toothbrush disposed therein;  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 6 shows a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a base for the removable toothbrush housing;  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 7 shows a perspective backside view of the removable toothbrush housing to be used in conjunction with the base of FIG. 6; and  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 8 shows a side elevation view of the toothbrush holder in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0028]    Referring now to FIG. 1 there is shown a toothbrush storage device  10  in accordance with a preferred embodiment. The toothbrush storage device  10  consists of a mounting bracket  12  that releasably mates with a toothbrush housing  14 .  
         [0029]    The mounting bracket  12  comprises a base support  16  integrated with a track member  18 . The base support  16  includes a mounting surface  20  that abuts a wall, cabinet or other supporting structure  22  when installed. To install the mounting bracket  12  to the supporting structure  22 , a surface cover  24  is removed thereby exposing an adhesive layer  26  disposed on the mounting surface  20 . The mounting bracket  12  is then adhered to the supporting structure  22  via the adhesive layer  26 . The surface cover  24  prevents the adhesive layer  26  from drying up before installing the mounting bracket  12 . It is important that the support structure  22  is free from dirt and other foreign matter prior to installation so that the adhesive layer  26  contacts as much surface area as possible. The surface cover  24  also provides a barrier so that no foreign particles are trapped by the adhesive layer  26 .  
         [0030]    Adhesive layers such as the above described are well known. For instance, one type of applicable adhesive layer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,395,389 which is hereby incorporated by reference. There are many other adhesives that work just as well if not better.  
         [0031]    Other types of mounting methods can be equally effective. For example, and with reference to FIG. 6, a mounting bracket  28  is secured to the wall via a plurality of screws  30 . For easy installation, the screws  30  can be wood screws that are mountable to a wall  22  or a wall stud. Various other mounting methods known in the art are sufficient for securing the mounting bracket  28  to the supporting structure  22 .  
         [0032]    Turning back to FIG. 1 the toothbrush housing  14  mates with the mounting bracket  12  simply by fitting a housing jacket  32  over the vertically disposed track member  18 . The retaining jacket  32  extends from a rear surface  34  of the housing  14  as can be seen more clearly in FIG. 2.  
         [0033]    The retaining jacket  32  includes a pair of opposing upright L-shaped members  36 . An L-shaped cross member  38  connects the uprights  36 , although it is not necessary for the cross member  38  to connect the upright members  36 .  
         [0034]    An inner surface  40  of the jacket  32  is sized and shaped to fit snugly over the track member  18 . It is desirable that the depth of the track member  38  be roughly similar to the depth of the retaining jacket  32  so that the housing  14  is not loose with respect to the mounting bracket  12 .  
         [0035]    To connect the retaining jacket  32  to the track member  18 , the lower ends  42  of the retaining jacket  32  are slid over the upper ends  44  of the track member  18  until a bottom surface  46  of the cross member  38  engages the track member  18 . At this point the housing  14  becomes securely mated with the mounting bracket  12 .  
         [0036]    An alternative mating technique, depicted by FIGS. 6 and 7, utilizes a projecting head  48  disposed in the mounting bracket  28  and an oblong opening  50  disposed in a housing retaining surface  52 . The projecting head  48  extends from the mounting bracket  28  via a shank  54 . The shank  54  can be riveted or otherwise secured to the mounting bracket  28 . The oblong opening  50  comprises a lower larger opening  56  and an upper smaller opening  58 .  
         [0037]    After the mounting bracket  28  is secured to the supporting structure  22 , as previously described, the housing  14  is manipulated so that the projecting head  48  slides through the larger opening  56 .  
         [0038]    The larger opening  56  must be at least the size of the projecting head  48 . Once inside the larger opening  56  the housing retaining surface  52  is slid down so that the top  60  of the oblong opening  50  rests on the shank  54 .  
         [0039]    Here it is imperative that the smaller opening  58  be smaller than the projecting head  48  so that the housing  14  can only be removed by lifting and allowing the projecting head  48  to once again slide through the larger opening  56 .  
         [0040]    Alternatively, the housing  14  can contain the projecting head  48  and the mounting bracket  28  contain the oblong opening  50  to provide proper mating.  
         [0041]    Another obvious specification of the this embodiment is that the exposed length  62  of the shank  54  be approximately similar to the thickness of the oblong opening wall  64  so that the housing is tightly fitted to the mounting bracket  28  when installed.  
         [0042]    A number of stops  69  superpositioned from the back of the housing retaining surface  52  adjacently fit against the sidewall  63  of the mounting bracket  28 . The stops prevent the housing  14  from rotating about the shank  54 .  
         [0043]    Turning now to FIG. 3, a front view of the housing shows a door  66  having a releasable catch  68 . The releasable catch  68  fits over a protruding rib  70  when the door  66  is closed. To open the door  66 , one simply pulls the releasable catch  68  away from the rib  70  and moves the door  66  to an open position. The door  66  and housing  14  are interconnected via a hinge  72  or a number of spaced hinges.  
         [0044]    A floor  74  in the housing  14  contains an opening  86  which allows a toothbrush handle  76  to be slid therethrough.  
         [0045]    Turning now to FIG. 5, some important features of a toothbrush  78  will now be described. Typically, the toothbrush  78  contains a head  80  and the handle  76  that are interconnected by a neck  82 . A plurality of bristles  84  are perpendicularly disposed from the head  80 .  
         [0046]    Looking at FIGS. 4 and 5, a pair of opposing blades  88  are angularly disposed from inner walls  90  of the housing  14  so that their tips  92  lie at a predetermined distance apart over the bottom of the housing  14 . The toothbrush  78  is inserted into the housing  14  by sliding the handle  76  through the opening  86 . The blade tips  92  catch a portion of the neck  82  thereby supporting the toothbrush  78 .  
         [0047]    Angularly slanting the tips  92  allows for drainage of excess fluid that invariably falls from the bristles  84  after using the toothbrush  78 . The angular opposing blades  88  are somewhat flexible which further allows the tips  92  to accommodate toothbrush necks  82  of differing sizes.  
         [0048]    The housing  14  is sized to substantially enclose the toothbrush head  80  and bristles  84 . Therefore, the closed door  66  effectively prevents foreign matter from reaching the head  80  and bristles  84 . As an added feature, the housing  14  comes in a variety of colors and designs to provide a decorative look in any bathroom.  
         [0049]    Many people like to take their toothbrush with them when they travel or go on vacation. Therefore, one simply removes the housing  14  from the mounting bracket  12  for sanitary storing of the toothbrush  78  in their luggage during travel.  
         [0050]    In a preferred embodiment, the housing  14  is one piece molded from a suitable plastic material. The height of the housing  14  is two inches with a one and one eighth inch width and depth. The mounting bracket  12  is separately one piece molded from the suitable plastic material so that the track member  18  snugly mates with the retaining jacket  32 . Using methods known in the art, the adhesive layer  26  is applied to the mounting surface  20  and then covered with the surface cover  24  prior to packaging.  
         [0051]    To install the portable toothbrush storage device  10 , one simply removes the surface cover  24  and presses the base support  16  to the supporting surface  22 . After waiting a few moments for the mounting bracket  12  to become adhered to the supporting structure  22 , the housing  14  is mated to the mounting bracket  12  by sliding the retaining jacket  32  over the track member  18 . Finally the toothbrush  78  is slid into position inside the housing  14 .  
         [0052]    In still another embodiment, the housing  14  is mated to the mounting bracket  12  via velcro  96 ,  98  shown in FIG. 8.  
         [0053]    Various changes and modifications, other than those described above in the preferred embodiment of the invention described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. While the invention has been described with respect to certain preferred embodiments and exemplifications, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention thereby, but solely by the claims appended hereto.  
         [0054]    [0054] 10  Toothbrush storage device  
         [0055]    [0055] 12  Mounting bracket  
         [0056]    [0056] 14  Housing  
         [0057]    [0057] 16  Base Support  
         [0058]    [0058] 18  Track member  
         [0059]    [0059] 20  Mounting surface  
         [0060]    [0060] 22  Supporting structure  
         [0061]    [0061] 24  Surface cover  
         [0062]    [0062] 26  Adhesive layer  
         [0063]    [0063] 28  Second mounting bracket  
         [0064]    [0064] 30  Screws  
         [0065]    [0065] 32  Retaining jacket  
         [0066]    [0066] 34  Rear surface of housing  
         [0067]    [0067] 36  L-shaped uprights  
         [0068]    [0068] 38  L-shaped cross member  
         [0069]    [0069] 40  Inner surface  
         [0070]    [0070] 42  Lower ends  
         [0071]    [0071] 44  Upper ends of track member  
         [0072]    [0072] 46  Bottom surface of cross member  
         [0073]    [0073] 48  Projecting head  
         [0074]    [0074] 50  Oblong opening  
         [0075]    [0075] 52  Housing retaining surface  
         [0076]    [0076] 54  Shank  
         [0077]    [0077] 56  Larger opening  
         [0078]    [0078] 58  Smaller opening  
         [0079]    [0079] 60  Top  
         [0080]    [0080] 62  Exposed shank length  
         [0081]    [0081] 63  Sidewalls  
         [0082]    [0082] 66  Door  
         [0083]    [0083] 68  Releasable catch  
         [0084]    [0084] 69  Stops  
         [0085]    [0085] 70  Rib  
         [0086]    [0086] 72  Hinge  
         [0087]    [0087] 74  Floor  
         [0088]    [0088] 76  Toothbrush handle  
         [0089]    [0089] 78  Toothbrush  
         [0090]    [0090] 80  Toothbrush head  
         [0091]    [0091] 82  Toothbrush neck  
         [0092]    [0092] 84  Bristles  
         [0093]    [0093] 86  Opening  
         [0094]    [0094] 88  Opening blades  
         [0095]    [0095] 90  Inner walls  
         [0096]    [0096] 92  Tips  
         [0097]    [0097] 96  Velcro  
         [0098]    [0098] 98  Velcro