Abstract:
A novelty toothbrush wherein either the entire toothbrush or alternatively just the handle portion, is fashioned to simulate a musical instrument or a related item.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/207,324, filed May 30, 2000. 
     
    
     
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    The present invention relates to novelty toothbrushes and amusement devices, and more specifically, a toothbrush which is constructed to the shape of a musical instrument or a related item.  
           [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art  
           [0005]    Toothbrushes with whimsical handles are well known in the art. Ornamental designs for the handles of personal grooming aids have remained popular, especially with children. Many toothbrush designs have been fashioned to encourage children to brush their teeth, an example of which is disclosed in U.S. Des. Pat. No. 334,290, issued to John K. Gruberg on Mar. 30, 1993. The instant patent shows a toothbrush cover in the shape of a tennis racket.  
           [0006]    U.S. Des. Pat. No. 343,295, issued to Kenneth A. Brown on Jan. 18, 1994, depicts a musical toothbrush having a handle in the shape of a teddy bear&#39;s head.  
           [0007]    U.S. Des. Pat. No. 402,119, issued to Harry Landauer on Dec. 8, 1998, shows a children&#39;s toothbrush having an ornamental design of a dolphin on the handle.  
           [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,717, issued to Robert C. Hickey on Oct. 9, 1990, describes a toy containing a dental cleaning apparatus. The apparatus is a scale model of a U.S. Space Shuttle. The fuel tank is separable from the shuttle. Dentifrice is applied from the fuel tank and the brush is used either with the nose cone as a grip or with the nose cone inserted inverted in the body so that the body serves as a grip.  
           [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,258, issued to Elena M. D. M. D. G. Buj on Dec. 25, 1990, characterizes a children&#39;s folding toothbrush having an arm joined to the handle. The handle has a cavity for receiving the arm and the bristles of the toothbrush.  
           [0010]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,353,464, issued to Atkins, et al. on Oct. 11, 1994, discloses a toothbrush in the form of an animal having its body supported, when not in use, in a general horizontal position. The brush head extends from the end of the handle.  
           [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,921, issued to Susan Harrison on Jul. 7, 1998, shows a utensil designed for toddlers and small children. The utensil includes a handle in the form of an animal figure having a body which is essentially to scale. The handle carries either a rearwardly extending tail or forwardly extending trunk or other operative utensil portion secured to the limb of the animal figure.  
           [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,159, issued to David Haitin on Jul. 20, 1999, reveals a novelty toothbrush including a motion sensor mounted in the brush and arranged to provide output signals corresponding to movements of the brush. An audible generator and a controller activates a signal generator in response to the output signals for the motion sensor.  
           [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,968,309, issued to Daniel Edward Tarr on Oct. 19, 1999, elaborates on a method for transforming a thermoplastic novelty toothbrush into a costume jewelry piece or toy.  
           [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,328, issued to Robert Glaser on Jan. 18, 2000, discloses a toothbrush toy having interchangeable, bendable and posable character handles. The toothbrush portion of the invention is detachably secured to a handle portion in the form of an animate character.  
           [0015]    WO Pat. No. 94/17691 with a U.S. issue date February of 1994, shows a toothbrush having a signal generating device within a toothbrush that senses wetness.  
           [0016]    None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0017]    The present invention is a novelty toothbrush and amusement device with a musical instrument theme wherein either the entire toothbrush or just the toothbrush handle is constructed in the shape of a musical instrument or an item related to a musical theme. Each musical instrument is dimensioned and configured to promote a comfortable grip and constructed in a manner to encourage a person to brush his/her teeth.  
           [0018]    Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a novelty toothbrush as an amusement device for musicians and children.  
           [0019]    It is another object of the invention to provide a novelty toothbrush that includes a handle with a greater surface area for a comfortable grip.  
           [0020]    It is a further object of the invention to provide a novelty toothbrush that simulates the appearance of a musical instrument or a related item.  
           [0021]    Still another object of the invention is to provide a novelty toothbrush that will encourage children to brush their teeth.  
           [0022]    It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a novelty toothbrush for the purposes described which are inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing their intended purposes.  
           [0023]    These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0024]    [0024]FIG. 1 is a perspective, environmental view showing a child using a novelty toothbrush according to the present invention.  
         [0025]    [0025]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a novelty toothbrush having the grip handle constructed in the shape of a microphone according to the present invention.  
         [0026]    [0026]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the novelty toothbrush having the entire toothbrush constructed in the shape of a bass guitar according to the present invention.  
         [0027]    [0027]FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the novelty toothbrush having the brush part constructed in the shape of the head of a bass guitar according to the present invention.  
         [0028]    [0028]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a novelty toothbrush having the grip handle constructed in the shape of a keyboard according to the present invention.  
         [0029]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0030]    The present invention is a novelty toothbrush constructed to resemble a musical instrument or related device. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the toothbrush of the instant invention is generally indicated at  10 . The novelty toothbrush comprises a head  23 , a shaft  24  and a handle  22 . As shown, a child  20  is brushing his/her teeth with the novelty toothbrush  10 , having the handle  22  dimensioned and configured as a musical instrument such as an electric guitar. Handle  22  is dimensioned and configured to promote a comfortable grip. The shaft region  24  of the novelty toothbrush  10  is constructed to resemble an extension member (neck) of an electric guitar.  
         [0031]    [0031]FIGS. 3 and 3A best illustrate an example of the novelty toothbrush  10  wherein the entire toothbrush  10  is constructed to simulate an electric guitar. Bristles  36  are aligned into the head  38  of the toothbrush  10 . A portions  36   a  are positioned to simulate the pegs of a guitar. Bristles  36  may be fabricated in different colors, further adding to the aesthetic attraction of the toothbrush. The shaft  24  is simulative of the frets and neck of a guitar.  
         [0032]    [0032]FIG. 2 shows an example of a novelty toothbrush  12  constructed to resemble an item related to a musical theme. In this embodiment the toothbrush is constructed with a handle  22  wherein one end  26  resembles a hand-held microphone. An aperture  34  is provided at one end of handle  22  so that a toothbrush head  27  may be inserted and removed therefrom. If desired, handle  22  may be constructed with two sections  30  and  32  (shown in phantom lines). The two sections  30  and  32  are attached together at one side by a hinging means  28  such that the sections may be unfolded to provide a storage area for the toothbrush head. The hinge  28  firmly retains the sections  30  and  32  in the closed position to prevent from accidental opening. The hinge may take on a form of any suitable, efficient, conventional hinge known in the art.  
         [0033]    [0033]FIG. 4 illustrates an example of the novelty toothbrush whereby the handle  40  is shaped to simulate a keyboard. The shape of the keyboard increases the surface area of the handle  40 , as compared with a conventional toothbrush, to promote a better grip of the toothbrush.  
         [0034]    The instant invention can be a novel acquisition for musicians and a fun appliance for children. The handle or entire toothbrush can be simulated to appear like any desired musical instrument or related item. For example besides the embodiments set out above, the toothbrush can appear to simulate a classical guitar, violins, drumsticks, etc. As contemplated, the invention will be fabricated from colored, molded plastic, however other suitable materials may be employed if desired.  
         [0035]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.