Improvements in Tooth Brushes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Feb., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 11th Feb., 1891-Accepted, 21st Mar., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tooth Brushes.
I, ROSARIO ROY, of Richmond, in the County of Henrico, and State of
Virginia, United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to tooth brushes, and its object is to provide mechanical
means whereby a brush held in one hand may be given a rotary motion to act
vertically upon and between the teeth as well as to act horizontally across them.
The body of the brush is cylindrical in form and mounted upon a shaft journaled
in bearings of the frame work which forms the handle. One portion of the handle
is fixed and provided with a segmental bearing or slideway in which a segmental
toothed rack is fitted to slide. A pinion wheel is fixed upon a shaft journaled in a
bearing of the frame, to engage the rack and be rotated thereby and provided with
a socket to hold the shaft. The movable portion of the handle is shaped to mate
the fixed portion and connected therewith by a spring which serves practically as
a hinge on which the handle portion may oscillate. The movable portion of the
handle is connected with the rack and when it is pressed towards the fixed
portion, by the operator's hand closing thereon, the rack is pushed downwards
across the frame causing the pinion and the brush which is connected therewith
to revolve in one direction and when the operator's hand is opened the spring
raises the movable portion causing the pinion and brush to revolve in the other
direction. This oscillating motion between the parts of the handle may be
repeated as rapidly as the operator desires, the speed of revolution of the brush
being proportional thereto.
In order to protect the lips of the operator from the action of the brush, a
shield projecting from the bearing as a portion of the frame surrounds the brush
for about two-thirds of its circumference leaving the remaining one-third as an open
side through which the brush may act. The brush journal may be removably fitted
to the shaft by means of a socket so as to be interchangeable with brushes of
different material, its outer end being journaled in a socket bearing which is actuated
by a spring so that the socket may be pressed endwise for the purpose of withdrawing
the opposite end of the journal from the socket.
These brushes may be made of any suitable material. The two portions of the
handle may also be made of any suitable material and they may be joined together
by the spring whose normal tendency is to hold the two portions separated.
It is evident that in using this brush, it may not only revolve, as described, to
act up and down on the teeth and between them, but it may be drawn to and
fro across the teeth and used in other respects like the old-style tooth brush.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1891.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Tooth Brushes.
I, ROSARIO ROY, of Richmond, in the County of Henrico, State of Virginia,
United States of America, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
5tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to tooth brushes; and its object is to provide mechanical

page_text: means whereby a brush held in one hand may be given a rotary motion to act
vertically upon and between the teeth, as well as to act horizontally across them.
To this end, my invention consists in the construction and combination of parts
forming a tooth-brush, hereinafter described and claimed.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation, shewing my tooth-brush, with
certain parts broken away; Figure 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, at
line and Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section, at the line y of Figure 1.
5 represents the body of the brush, which is cylindrical in form and mounted
upon a shaft 6 journaled in bearings 7 and 8 of the frame work which forms the
handle.
9 represents the fixed portion of the handle provided with a segmental bearing or
slideway 10, in which a segmental toothed rack 11 is fitted to slide.
12 is a pinion-wheel fixed upon the shaft 13 and journaled in the bearing 8 of the
frame to engage the rack 11 and be rotated thereby, and provided with a socket 19
to hold the shaft 6.
14 is a movable portion of the handle, shaped to mate the portion 9 and connected
therewith by a spring 15, which serves practically as a hinge on which the handle
portion 14 may oscillate. The movable portion 14 of the handle is connected at 16
with the rack 11, and when it is pressed towards the fixed portion 9 by the
operator's hand closing thereon the rack 11 is pushed downwards across the frame,
causing the pinion 12 and the brush 5, which is connected therewith, to revolve in
one direction, and when the operator's hand is opened the spring 15 raises the
portion 14, causing the pinion and brush to revolve in the other direction. This
oscillating motion between the parts of the handle may be repeated as rapidly
as the operator desires, the speed of revolution of the brush being proportional
thereto.
In order to protect the lips of the operator from the action of the brush, a
shield 17, projecting from the bearing 8 as a portion of the frame, surrounds the
brush for about two-thirds of its circumference, leaving the remaining one-third as
an open side through which the brush may act. The brush-journal 6 may be
removably fitted to the shaft 13 by means of the socket 19, so as to be inter-
changeable with brushes of different material, its outer end being journaled in a
socket-bearing 7, which is actuated by a spring 18, so that the socket may be pressed
end wise for the purpose of withdrawing the opposite end of the journal 6 from
socket 19. These brushes may be made of any suitable material. The two
portions of the handle 9 and 14 may also be made of any suitable material and
they may be joined together by the spring 15, whose normal tendency is to hold the
two portions separated.
It is evident that in using this brush it may not only revolve, as described, to
act up and down on the teeth and between them, but it may be drawn to and fro
across the teeth and used in other respects like the old-style tooth-brush.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
1. The combination of a tooth-brush in cylindrical form mounted on a shaft
provided with a pinion and journaled in bearings of a frame having a fixed handle
portion, a movable handle portion attached at its outer end to the outer end of the
fixed portion of the handle by a joint permitting oscillating motion, and a segmental
toothed rack fitted to slide in the frame to engage the aforesaid pinion and
connected with the free end of the movable portion of the handle, substantially as
described.
2. The combination of a handle 9, having the slideway 10 and the bearing 8,
the segmental rack 11, fitted to the said slideway, the pinion 12, provided with a
shaft 13, journaled in the bearing S to engage the rack 11, a rotatory brush 5.
connected with the said shaft, and a handle portion 14, connected at its outer end

page_text: with a handle 9 by a spring 15 and connected at its inner end with the said rack 11,
substantially as described.
3. The combination of a handle, a shaft journaled therein, means for rotating
the shaft, a shield connected with the handle, a socket-bearing in the outer end of
the said shield, a spring impelling the socket-bearing inward, and a cylindrical
brush provided with a shaft adapted to be journaled at one end in the said socket
and having a removable socket connection at its other end with the aforesaid pinion-
shaft, substantially as described.
1001