Abstract:
An electric toothbrush having a handle which houses a motor and a toothbrush member. The toothbrush member is configured for coupling with the handle. The toothbrush member has a plurality of brushes that rotate in opposite directions to enhance teeth cleaning, plaque removal and gum prophylaxis. Two separate switches are provided, one providing momentary operation and the other continuous.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS  
       STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
         [0001]    Not Applicable.  
         BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0002]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0003]    This invention pertains to an electric toothbrush, and specifically to an electrical toothbrush having more than one cluster of rotating bristles wherein the clusters rotate in opposite directions relative to each other.  
           [0004]    2. Discussion of the Related Art  
           [0005]    There have been attempts to enhance toothbrushing and the efficacy of plaque removal from a user&#39;s teeth by employing electrical toothbrushes configured with various rotational speeds of the brush sections or by using a specific angle(s) of brush heads.  
           [0006]    In addition to the actual cleaning of the teeth and removal of plaque performed by brushing one&#39;s teeth with an electric toothbrush, it is also desirable to massage the gums in order to retain their health, a procedure referred to as prophylaxis.  
           [0007]    What is needed is an electric toothbrush with an enhanced cleaning operation.  
           [0008]    What is also needed is an electric toothbrush that provides improved gum prophylaxis during brushing.  
           [0009]    What is further needed is an electric toothbrush with a plurality of brush heads that provide a plurality of brushing directions to yield enhanced teeth cleaning and plaque removal.  
           [0010]    What is further needed is an improved electric toothbrush head configured for the above-described needs.  
         BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0011]    The electric toothbrush of the instant invention is equipped with two brushes that rotate in opposite directions to enhance the efficacy of toothbrushing. By employing two brushes that rotate in opposite directions, the teeth cleaning and removal of plaque is enhanced because the areas that make contact with the toothbrush are cleaned in two directions. Thus, whichever areas and crevices are missed by one brush because the rotation of the brush at the time of cleaning this area did not cover a specific area, can now be contacted by the second brush when it rotates in the opposite direction.  
           [0012]    The instant invention also improves prophylaxis of the gums during brushing, because areas that would not be massaged as a result of bushing in one direction are now subject to being massaged by the second brush rotating in an opposite direction.  
           [0013]    This procedure is further improved if the user switches hands while toothbrushing. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0014]    [0014]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the electric toothbrush of the present invention;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 2 is an exploded, perspective view of the toothbrush of the present invention showing various parts thereof; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 3 is a sectional view and taken substantially along the line  3 - 3  of FIG. 1. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0017]    The toothbrush of the present invention is described herein with reference to FIGS. 1 through 3. Referring to FIG. 1, the electric toothbrush  10  comprises a handle  20  and a toothbrush member  30 . As shown in FIG. 2., the handle defines a housing  23  for housing a motor  26  and a battery power source consisting of batteries  71  for energizing the motor  26 . There is also provided a housing for receiving batteries  71  to provide power to the motor, although the batteries  71  are not part of this invention. A handle cover  22  is removably affixed to the handle  20  in order to allow for easy replacement of batteries  71 .  
         [0018]    Switch  60  turns the motor on and switch  61  turns the motor off.  
         [0019]    A motor shaft  75  is operatively connected to the motor  26  such that when the motor  26  is in an ON condition, the motor shaft  75  rotates in response thereto along its longitudinal axis.  
         [0020]    A toothbrush member  30  is provided that is connected to the handle  20  by a connector  34  as shown in FIG. 2. The toothbrush member  30  comprises a body  31 , a drive shaft  32 , a transition gear  36 , a first bevel gear  38 , a second bevel gear  42 , a first brush  46  and a second brush  48 . The transition gear attaches to shaft  32 . The body  31  of the toothbrush member  30  is configured to house the drive shaft  32  which is configured for coupling via coupling  33  with the motor shaft  75  at a first end such that when the motor shaft  75  rotates, the drive shaft  32  also rotates in response thereto via coupling  33 . The drive shaft  32  is coupled to mesh with transition gear  36  at a second end such that when the drive shaft  32  rotates, the transition gear  36  rotates in a plane that is at a substantially right angle to a plane of rotation of the drive shaft  32  (FIG. 3).  
         [0021]    The first bevel gear  38  is meshed with the transition gear  36  such that when the transition gear  36  rotates, the first bevel gear  38  rotates in a plane that is at substantially a right angle to the plane of rotation of the transition gear  36  (FIG. 3). A shaft  38   a  extends through bevel gear  38  with its bottom received in a bearing housing  39 . The uppermost portion of shaft  38   a  extends through a hole in plate  51  to the interior of first brush  46  such that the first brush rotates with shaft  38 a. The second bevel gear  42  is meshed with the first bevel gear  38  such that when the first bevel gear  38  rotates, the second bevel gear  42  rotates in an opposite direction.  
         [0022]    A second brush  48  is coupled to shaft  42   a  which rotates with bevel gear  42 . The shaft extends  42   a  through second bevel gear  41  with its bottom portion received in bearing housing  45 . Bevel gears  38  and  42  are in mesh with each other. As a result of this arrangement, each of the brushes  46 , 48  rotate in opposite directions while the electric toothbrush  10  is in operation. That is, one rotates clockwise while the other rotates counterclockwise.  
         [0023]    As shown in FIG. 3, the first brush  46  and second brush  48  may be comprised of a series of tufted bristles  52 ,  54  arranged in a substantially circular manner so as to facilitate easy maneuverability of the brushes  46 ,  48  within the oral cavity of a user. In addition, a protective plate  51  to protect against gears  36 ,  38 ,  42  from foreign particles such as dust, toothpaste and liquids which they may otherwise contact and compromise the efficacy of the gears  36 ,  38 ,  42 . Hence, the protective plate  51  preserves and prolongs the life of the electric toothbrush  10 .  
         [0024]    When the motor  26  operates, it turns motor shaft  75 , which in turn rotates the drive shaft  32  via coupling  33 . The opposite end of the shaft  32  is secured by coupling  33  to the transition gear  36  to rotate the same. The transition gear  36  has teeth that mesh with the first bevel gear  38  to rotate the same, say, in a clockwise direction. The teeth of the second bevel gear  42  rotates with those of the first bevel gear so that the second bevel gear  42  rotates counterclockwise since the first bevel gear  38  rotates clockwise. The brushes  46 ,  48  that are attached respectively to shafts of bevel gears  38 ,  42  rotate in opposite directions relative to each other; i.e. in the same direction as that of the respective bevel gears to which they are attached.  
         [0025]    Although the present invention has been described in relation to particular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modifications and other uses may become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is preferred, therefore, that the present invention be limited not by this specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.