Improvements in Tooth Brushes.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Tooth Brushes.
I, ALFRED HENRI DELPHIN THOMAS, of 34, Rue du Faubourg, St. Martin, Paris, in
the Republic of France, Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
This invention relates to curved tooth-brushes having one or more jointed parts,
for cleaning the inner and outer surfaces of the teeth; these brushes are given the
exact shape of the dental curve and cannot, under any circumstances, injure the gums
or the mucous membrane of the mouth.
They may, if desired, be provided with a telescopic or other handle whose length is.
reducible so that the case containing the brush can be made comparatively very small; .
or two brushes may be fixed to the ends of one single handle, in which case the one
serves for cleaning the outer surface of the teeth and the other for cleaning the inner
surface.
Brushes constructed according to my invention for cleaning the inner surfaces of
the teeth essentially comprise a curved part or brush back or body and a handle
normally fixed to the centre of this curved part and bearing against its top surface.
In one arrangement the brush back forms a curve or arc of a circle, made in one
single piece, to the convex face of which the hair or bristles are fixed.
The handle is fixed to the brush back at two points so as to lie centrally and
normally of the arc formed by such back and said handle is flattened or widened out
at the rear of the brush body, so as to form a supporting plane which will slide upon
the edges of the teeth, thus preventing the handle from turning upon itself when
in use.
Instead of being constructed in one single piece, the brush back or body is, in the
majority of cases, formed in two or three parts suitably jointed or connected together.
These constituent parts are fitted into one another by means of tenons and mortises
forming hinge-joints, and are subjected to the action of a spring blade located in a
recess provided in their concave portions. Each part of this brush is given the exact
shape of the dental curve.
For cleaning the outer surface of the teeth a brush may be employed in which the..
curved part carrying the hair or bristles is arranged in prolongation of the handle; :
and the brush back or body may likewise be made in one single piece, or in two
pieces jointed together and subjected to the action of a spring.
For cleaning the outer surface of the teeth, it is preferable to use a curved brush
operated by a vertical up and down motion, whereby the hair or bristles are forced
into the smallest interstices between the teeth, and their efficient action thereby
ensures. Moreover the cleaning can thus be effected more rapidly than by the
ordinary horizontal frictional movement. In a brush of this kind the back or body
consists of a curved part made in one piece, the concave face of which is directed
away from the handle, and carries the hair or bristles; the handle is fixed centrally
to the top surface of the back and at right angles to the plane of its curve.
Or I may form the brush back or body of three jointed parts, acted upon by a

page_text: spring blade which tends to close or bring them together so as to exactly fit the
dental curve in all positions.
A reducible handle, may be applied to any of the above described types of brushes.
Such handle is formed in two pieces one sliding within the other. In the cavity of
the outer piece are two metal arms or levers which, under the action of springs, tend
to bring their upper extremities together. When the inner piece of the handle
bears against the upper extremities of these arms or levers, the handle has its
maximum length, but when projections at the opposite extremities of the said arms
or levers are pressed or otherwise acted upon from the outside the upper extremities
of said arms are moved away from one another, and the inner part of the handle
slides into the other part, and the brush is thus reduced to its minimum length.
Curved tooth brushes of the kind hereinbefore described may be made of wood
-used for cabinet work, or of ivory, bone, tortoise-shell, celluloid or of any suitable
composition.
I, ALFRED HENRI DELPHIN THOMAS, of 34, Rue du Faubourg, St. Martin, Paris, in
the Republic of France, Dentist, do hereby declare the nature of this invention 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 bent or curved brushes whether inade in one piece or in a
number of parts linked together, for cleaning the internal and external surfaces of the
teeth, these brushes assuming the exact shape of the dental arches and being thereby
prevented from injuring the gums or mucous lining of the mouth under any
circumstances by the friction of the hairs or bristles of the brush.
The improved brushes may be provided with a handle capable of being reduced in
size, if desired, so that they may be enclosed in very small-sized cases, or two brushes
may be fixed to the ends of the same handle, in which case one brush may serve for
cleaning the teeth externally, and the other for cleaning their internal surfaces; or
again they may be so arranged as to be capable of cleaning the inner surfaces of the
upper and lower sets of teeth simultaneously.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawings
in which
Figure 1 is an elevation and plan of a brush for cleaning the internal surfaces of
the teeth the arched body of the brush being formed in one piece.
Figure 2 is a brush intended for the same purpose, whereof the arched body
however is made up of three jointed parts;
Figure 3 represents a curved brush in one piece for cleaning the external surfaces
of the teeth;
Figure 4 is an elevation and plan of a similar curved brush consisting of two jointed
parts.
Figure 5 comprises an elevation, plan and end view of a curved brush for cleaning
the external surfaces of the teeth by vertical friction;
Figure 6 represents three similar views of a vertically-rubbing brush consisting of
three jointed parts;
Figure 7 is an elevation and plan of a double brush with a single handle common
to both;

page_text: Figure 8 shows a brush-handle reducible within the limits of its two extreme
positions; and
Figures 9 and 10 represent two double brushes.
Figure 11 shows a brush for enabling the internal surfaces of both sets of teeth to
be cleaned simultaneously.
Figure 12 shows a double brush with a single handle, 8, for cleaning by one end, t,
the external surface of the teeth, and by the other end, u, the internal surfaces of
the two sets of teeth by means of two bundles v¹ v² of bristles mounted upon a
common brush-body.
Figure 13 shows a brush provided at one end with the double bundle of
bristles x¹² for simultaneously cleaning the inward surface of the two sets of teeth,
while on the other end it is provided with a transverse bundle of hairs y for cleaning
the teeth externally by vertical friction.
Figure 14 is a combination of two bundles of hairs arranged respectively at the
ends of one handle o common to both; viz. a single bundle, z, for cleaning the inward
surfaces of the teeth, and a double bundle z¹ z for the same purpose.
My improved brushes for cleaning the inner portions of the teeth mainly comprise
a curved part or body of the brush and a handle secured centrally and at right angles
to such curved part and resting upon its upper surface.
In Figure I the body a of the brush is a piece curved in the shape of an arc of a
circle, to the convex side of which are fixed the bristles or hairs b. The handle c is
secured to the upper part, axially, at the two points 1 and 2 and is widened at 3 in
the rear of the body of the brush, so as to form a plane serving as a fulcrum or point
of rest, to slide upon the edges of the teeth and prevent the handle from turning on
its own axis while in use.
The body of the brush instead of being constructed in one piece will in most cases
be formed in two or three jointed parts. These pieces de and ƒ (Figure 2) are fitted
within each other by means of mortises and tenons, so as to form hinges, and are
subjected to the action of a flat spring p located in a slot which is provided for the
purpose in their concavity or recess. This brush takes precisely the shape of the
dental arches in all its parts. In cleaning the outer surfaces of the teeth the brushes
shown in Figures 3 and 4 may be employed, wherein the curved portion c fitted with
the hairs or bristles forms an extension of the handle d. Here, too, the body of the
brush is formed either in one piece, as in Figure 3, or made up of two parts ce jointed
or linked together and controlled by a spring 7, as shown in plan in Figure 4.
In cleaning the outer surfaces of the teeth it would be preferable to employ curved
brushes adapted to be moved up and down vertically which will impart greater
penetrating power to the bristles or hairs and enable them to reach the interior of
the smallest interdental interstices. A brush of this type is represented in Figure 5;
the body e of the brush is in one piece and curved, with the concave side turned
downwards and constructed to receive the hairs or bristles f; the handle g is secured
centrally to the upper surface of the curve e, at right angles to such curve.
The brush represented in Figure 6 works similarly to the form of brush last
described; but the body of the brush is here constructed in three linked parts e¹,
tending to close under the action of a flat spring so as accurately to fit all parts of
the dental arches.
Figure 7 shows a double brush: to the ends of the same handle h there are secured,
on one side, a brush i, for cleaning the outward surfaces of the teeth, and on the
other side, a brush j, for cleaning their inward surfaces.
The two brushes shown in Figures 9 and 10 are obtained simply by combining two
different brushes such as are hereinabove described and arranging them at the ends
of one common handle.
The brush shown in Figure 11 enables the inward surfaces of the two sets of teeth
to be cleaned at the same time. The body d of the brush which is sufficiently thick
for the purpose, carries two identical bundles of hairs ffl arranged symmetrically in
relation to the handle g. In using the brush the handle is inserted between the teeth
and turned in the horizontal plane, the bundle f exercising friction on the inner

page_text: surface of the upper dental arch, while the bundle f rubs the inner surface of the
lower arch.
To any one of the types of brushes hereinabove described, I may apply an
adjustable handle such as is illustrated in Figure 8.
This handle consists of two pieces m and n sliding or telescoped within each other..
In the recesses of the part n there are adapted to move two metal arms p and q controlled
by the springs xx which constantly tend to bring their upper parts closer together.
When the piece m of the handle rests upon the upper parts of those arins the handle
'is extended to its inaximum length as shown in the sectional elevation; but when
the heel-pieces p¹ q¹ of the said arms are operated from outside in such a manner as
to move their upper ends apart, the portion m may be caused to slide within n, when
the brush will be reduced to its short length.
The improved curved tooth brushes may be manufactured of West India wood,
ivory, bone, tortoise shell, celluloid, or any suitable compound.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. Curved tooth brushes in one piece or two or more hinged parts for cleaning the
inward and outward surfaces of the teeth, with or without a reducible or adjustable
.handle.
2. Brushes for cleaning the inward surfaces of the teeth comprising each the arched
body of the brush carrying the hairs or bristles secured in its convex surface and
formed in one piece or in two or more hinged or jointed parts and controlled by a
spring which tends to expand them in a straight line, as described above and shown
in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawing.
3. Brushes for cleaning the outward surfaces of the teeth comprising a curved
portion in one piece or in two hinged parts, carrying the bristles or hairs upon its
concave surface and forming extensions of the handle; as hereinabove described with
reference to Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying drawings.
4. A curved brush for cleaning the outward part of the teeth by vertical friction
the body of the said brush consisting either of one piece or of any number of parts
hinged or linked together, its concave part covered with hairs or bristles being turned
downwards, while the handle is firmly secured in its upper part at right angles
thereto, as. illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings.
5. Double brushes formed by the arrangement at the ends of one common handle,
of two different brushes similar to those hereinabove referred to, as represented in
Figures 7, 9, 10, 12, 13 and 14 of the accompanying drawings.
6. A brush enabling the inward and outward surfaces of the two sets of teeth to be
cleaned at the same time by means of two bundles of bristles or hairs fitted
symmetrically on to the same brush body, as illustrated in Figure 11 of the drawings.
7. The reducible or adjustable tooth-brush handle for brushes constructed in
accordance with my invention or any other similar brushes, consisting of two parts
adapted to slide within each other within predetermined limits and capable of being
secured in either of their extreme positions through the operation of two oscillating
arms subjected to the action of springs located within the handle; which may be
operated from outside by pressure in order to produce the requisite release,
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.
8. The manufacture and employment of my brushes with curved fittings or backs
for the hairs or bristles, substantially as specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.