AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF TOOTH BRUSH
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ebenezer Apperly, of Stroud, in the County
of Gloucester, Dental Surgeon, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED
MANUFACTURE OF TOOTH BRUSH."
Sealed the 16th January 1874, and dated the 22nd November 1873.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ebenezer Apperly at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 22nd November 1873.
I, EBENEZER APPERLY, of Stroud, in the County of Gloucester,
Dental Surgeon, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF TOOTH BRUSH," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to construct a tooth brush which will
in its use offer facilities greater than those heretofore presented by
tooth brushes for the cleaning of the teeth. To this end I construct
a concave brush, the back of which will be at right angles to the
handle. This back with its bristles I prefer to set a little on the slant
in order that the brush may be used freely up and down without the
.

page_text: handle interfering with the lip; and the concavity I so proportion
that it will correspond more or less with the convexity of the human
jaw. This brush I provide for cleaning the external surfaces of the
teeth, which object it will effectually accomplish by being rapidly
moved up and down in the direction of the length of the teeth. The
bristles when thus applied will act efficiently over the whole front
surface of the teeth instead of missing the interstices in the rows of
teeth as the bristles of the ordinary brush must do when moved across
the teeth.
At the opposite end of the handle, and also at right angles thereto,
I provide a short straight-backed brush, canting it slightly towards the
handle, which brush will serve the purpose of cleaning the back of
the teeth. This mode of setting the brush offers great facilities for
cleaning the back of the teeth.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Ebenezer Apperly in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 22nd May 1874.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, EBENEZER
APPERLY, of Stroud, in the County of Gloucester, Dental Surgeon send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of November, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-seventh year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said Ebenezer Apperly, Her
special licence that I, the said Ebenezer Apperly, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Ebenezer Apperly,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"AN IMPROVED MANUFACTURE OF TOOTH BRUSH," upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said Ebenezer Apperly,, my, executors or,

page_text: administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the.
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date.
of the said Letters Patent.,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Ebenezer Apperly, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in' what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Drawing here-
unto annexed, and to the letters and figures, marked thereon (that is
to say.) :—
"
;
}
The object of this Invention is to construct a tooth brush which will
in its use offer facilities greater than those heretofore presented by
tooth brushes for the cleaning of the teeth. To this end I provide a
compound brush of novel construction. At one extremity of the,
handle I fit a concave brush, the back of which will be at right angles
to the handle. This back with its bristles I prefer to set a little on
the slant in order that the brush may be used freely up and down
without the handle interfering with the lip, and the concavity I so
proportion that it will correspond more or less with the convexity of
the human jaw. This brush I provide for cleaning the external surfaces
of the teeth, which object it will effectually accomplish by being rapidly..
moved up and down in the direction of the length of the teeth. The
bristles when thus applied will act efficiently over the whole front
surface of the teeth instead of missing the interstices in the rows of
teeth as the bristles of the ordinary brush must do when moved across
the teeth.
At the opposite extremity of the handle, and also at right angles
thereto, I provide a short straight-backed brush, canting it slightly
towards the handle; which brush will serve the purpose of cleaning the
back of the teeth. This mode of setting the brush offers great facilities
for cleaning the back of the teeth.
In the accompanying Drawing my improved tooth brush is shewn
in several views; Fig. 1 is a plan view of the brush; Fig. 2 is an edge
view thereof; and Fig. 3 is an end view, or rather a side view, of
the concave brush.

page_text: A is the handle; B, the concave brush for cleaning the external
surfaces of the teeth; and C, the brush for cleaning the back of the
teeth. These brushes it will be seen are so arranged with respect to
the handle that the bristles of the brush B have a set outwards or from
the handle, while the bristles of the brush C have a set inwards or
towards the handle. This arrangement materially facilitates their
action on the teeth, and with respect to the brush C this is further
enhanced by chamfering the bristles inwards. The bristles of the
brush B are shewn as cut to a serrated form, but this is not essential
to the proper action of the brush.
For the sake of economy I prefer to connect the concave brush
back with the handle by rivets or equivalent means, but if desired it
may be formed in one piece with the handle.
Having now described my Invention of "An Improved Manufacture
of Tooth Brush," and explained the manner of carrying the same into
effect, I wish it to be understood that under the above in part recited
Letters Patent I claim the manufacture of tooth brush above described.
EBENEZER
(L.S.)
In witness whereof, I, the said Ebenezer Apperly, have hereunto
set my hand and seal the 21st day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-four.