Improvements in Rotary Tooth Brushes.
Year: 1898

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rotary Tooth Brushes.
I, ADRIAAN MARIE WILLEM TER LAAG, of Phillipsburg, Saint Martin, Dutch-
West Indies, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in rotary tooth brushes and has for
its object, first, a brush in which in use the bristles follow the direction of the
enamel bars, second to protect the gums and other parts of the mouth from
being injured by the bristles, third, to procure with facility the required rotary
motion of the brush, and fourth to enable the brush to be removed from the
handle or casing in an easy and efficient manner:-
The invention consists in a brush held to turn in a casing which partially closes
the bristles so as to protect the mouth when using the brush, the casing and
handle being so connected together that longitudinal movement will effect the
rotary motion of the brush.
The body of the brush or that part to which the bristles are attached has one
of its ends made polygonal in cross section and its other end rounded. The
polygonal or non circular end is removably inserted in a socket in the end of
a shaft while the other end is journalled in an opening in the end of a casing
which is mounted upon the shaft. The casing is formed at one end with a shield
preferably integral therewith and adapted to partially enclose the bristles of
the brush, so as to protect the inner parts of the mouth from contact with the
bristles and its opposite end with an enlarged portion adapted to form a grip
for the fingers. The shaft is held from longitudinal movement within the casing
by a collar which screws into or is otherwise removably secured in the end of the
casing stem and engages on each side projections or shoulders formed in the
shaft. To replace the brush with another brush the collar is unscrewed from
the casing stem, and the said stem slipped off the shaft when the brush will be
released from its bearings and can be easily removed and replaced by another.
To effect a rotary motion of the shaft carrying the brush with respect to the
casing, the said shaft is formed with one or more spiral grooves and a hollow
handle fits over the grooved portion of the shaft, bearings being held within the
handle and adapted to work in the grooves.
Various forms of brush may be employed in which the brushes are formed of
either rubber or bristles.
To operate the brush, the fingers of one hand grasp the enlarged portion of
the stem of the casing and hold the bristles in contact with what surface of the
teeth it is desired to clean. The other hand moves the handle towards and from
the casing whereupon the bearings working in the groove of the shaft will
rotate said shaft and the brush which it carries.
It will be seen that I have provided a very simple but efficient device and one
that will thoroughly cleanse the teeth while the shield portion of the casing
protects the mouth from contact with the bristles. It will also be observed

page_text: that the brushes can be readily removed from their casing and replaced so that
extra brushes can be sold with every device at very little additional cost.
It is often absolutely necessary in the proper care of the teeth to brush them
in the direction of the bars of enamel that is, up and down, instead of across
so that the bristles may get in between the teeth. With ordinary tooth brushes
in which there is fixed relation between the brush and its bristles and the handle
the attempt to comply with this requirement is awkward and painful. With
my construction and arrangement, the operation is a very pleasant thorough and
enjoyable one.
Dated this 15th day of October 1898.
HERBERT HADDAN & Co.,
Agents to Applicant.
Improvements in Rotary Tooth Brushes.
I, ADRIAAN MARIE WILLEM TER LAAG, of Phillipsburg, Saint Martin, Dutch-
West Indies, Manufacturer, 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 improvements in rotary tooth brushes and has for
its objects, first, a brush in which in use the bristles follow the direction of the
enamel bars, second, to protect the gums and other parts of the mouth from
being injured by the bristles, third to procure with facility the required rotary
motion of the brush, and fourth to enable the brush to be removed from the
handle or casing in an easy and efficient manner.
.
The invention consists in a brush held to turn in a casing which partially closes
the bristles, so as to protect the mouth when using the brush, the casing and
handle being so connected together that longitudinal movement will effect, the
rotary motion of the brush.
The invention also consists in certain novel constructions and arrangements
of the parts, which I will first describe and then particularly point out in the
appended claims.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of the
specification and in which corresponding characters of reference indicate corre-
sponding parts in all the views where they occur.
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention.
Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof.
Fig. 3 is a detail view of the cylindrical brush and Figures 4 and 5 are detail
views of different forms of brushes.
The body of the brush B, or that part to which the bristles are attached, has
one of its ends a. made polygonal in cross section and its other end rounded.
The polygonal or non-circular end a is removably inserted in a socket a¹ in the
end of a shaft C, while the other end 6 is journalled in an opening in the end
of the casing A, which is mounted upon the shaft C. The casing A is formed
at one end with a shield A¹ preferably integral therewith and adapted to partially
enclose the bristles of the brush B, so as to protect the inner parts of the mouth
from contact with the bristles and, its opposite end with an enlarged portion A³
adapted to. form a grip for the fingers. The shaft C is held from longitudinal
movement within.a casing A by a collar c which screws into or is otherwise remov-
ably secured in the end of the casing stem and engaging on each side projections
or shoulders g formed in the shaft. It will be thus seen that to replace the

page_text: brush B with another brush the collar c is unscrewed from the casing stem, and
the said stem slipped off the shaft, when the brush B will be released from its
bearings and can be easily removed and replaced by another. To effect a rotary
motion of the shaft C, carrying the brush, with respect to the casing A, the said
shaft is formed with one or more spiral grooves d, and a hollow handle D fits
over the grooved portion of the shaft, bearings e and f being held within the
handle and adapted to work in the grooves. Instead of having the brush formed
as shown in Figure 3 the forms shown in Figs. 4 and 5 may be employed, in
which the brushes B1 and B2 are formed of either rubber or bristles.
To operate the brush, the fingers of one hand grasp the enlarged portion of
the stem of the casing and hold the bristles in contact with what surface of the
teeth it is desired to clean. The other hand moves the handle towards and from
the casing A, whereupon the bearings e and f working in the groove of the shaft,
will rotate said shaft and the brush which it carries.
It will be seen that I have provided a very simple but efficient device, and
one that will thoroughly cleanse the teeth, while the shield portion of the casing
protects the mouth from contact with the bristles. It will also be observed that
the brushes can be readily removed from their casing and replaced so that extra
brushes can be sold with every device at very little additional cost.
It is often absolutely necessary in the proper care of the teeth to brush them
in the direction of the bars of enamel that is, up and down, instead of across
so that the bristles may get in between the teeth. With ordinary tooth-brushes,
in which there is a fixed relation between the brush and its bristles and the
handle, the attempt to comply with this requirement is awkward and painful.
With my construction and arrangement, the operation is a very pleasant,
thorough and enjoyable one.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is:-
:-
1. A rotary tooth brush, comprising the casing, a brush mounted to rotate
therein, and means for imparting a rotary motion to said brush, as set forth.
2. A rotary tooth brush, comprising the casing, a shaft mounted to turn in
said casing, a brush carried by said shaft and a handle mounted to have a longi-
tudinal and rotary motion upon said shaft, as set forth.
3. A rotary tooth brush, comprising the casing, a shaft mounted to turn in
said casing, and having a portion extending outside said casing and formed with
a spiral groove, a brush carried by said shaft, and a handle fitting over the
grooved portion of said shaft and having a bearing working in said groove as
set forth.
4. A rotary tooth brush, comprising the casing, a shaft held to turn in said
casing, a brush removably held on said shaft and means for imparting a rotary
motion on said shaft, as set forth.
5. A rotary tooth brush comprising a casing formed with a stem and a shield,
a shaft mounted to rotate, in the stem of said casing, a brush in the shield of
said casing and having one end secured to the shaft and the other end journalled
in the end of the shield, and means for imparting rotary motion to said shaft,
as and for the purpose set forth.
6. As a new article of manufacture, a tooth brush having a brush proper in
which the abrasive surface is of cylindrical shape, as and for the purpose set forth.
7. A rotary tooth brush, comprising a casing, a shaft mounted to turn within
said casing, but removable therefrom said shaft being formed with a spiral groove,
a brush removably held in the end of said casing and moving therewith, and a
hollow handle adapted to fit over the grooved portion of said shaft and having
bearings arranged to work in the groove as and for the purpose set forth.
8. A rotary tooth brush comprising a casing, a shaft mounted to turn in said
casing and provided with shoulders, a collar removably held in the end of said

page_text: casing and located between said shoulders, whereby the shaft is held to rotate
about a fixed axis, a brush removably held on said shaft to rotate therewith the
said shaft being further provided with a spiral groove and a hollow handle fitted
over the grooved portion of said shaft and having bearings working in said
groove, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 14th day of August 1899.
E
HERBERT HADDAN, & Co.,
Agents to Applicant, 18, Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C.