Patent Description:
At present, various aids are used to dry the brushes. Drying the toothbrush has a hygienic justification, as bacteria and mould can accumulate on a wet or damp toothbrush. Usually, the toothbrush is left in a container. Drying is done by, for example, running a finger over the filaments and then placing the brush in a container. However, there are also sophisticated devices in which the toothbrush is placed and the UV rays are used to eliminate the germs from the toothbrush filaments. However, these devices are relatively expensive and inaccessible to the average user, they are not designed to be carried and therefore, especially in the case of travel, their use is inappropriate and too complicated.

No product has yet been designed that is very inexpensive, effectively mechanically dries the brush filaments, and can be used to allow the brush to dry itself so that air can flow freely around the brush filaments.

A known solution according to document <CIT> is disclosed, which is a combined toothbrush support and protective cover designed to be coupled to a handle or to be coupled to a handle of different cross-sections and having surfaces that support the toothbrush in a suspended position in a toothbrush stand with the head spaced from the stand and in a position on a flat surface with the head spaced from the flat support surface. However, this arrangement is not adapted and intended to mechanically dry the toothbrush, since only the body of the toothbrush is inserted into the opening. The solution does not propose any elements for mechanically drying the brush.

Also known is a solution according to <CIT>, which provides a splash guard and a support accessory for a toothbrush, which is available in six shapes and is made of a single piece of injection-moulded flexible plastic with a through-hole in the centre. A support collar is moulded into both surfaces of the guard and surrounds the opening, ensuring high stability of the guard position when fitted to the toothbrush handle. The guard is easily fitted to the toothbrush by wetting the handle with water, aligning the opening, pressing the guard against the lower end of the toothbrush handle, and sliding it forward to the neck area approximately <NUM> inches below the filaments. A properly positioned guard prevents toothpaste from dripping onto the handle; prevents the toothbrush from being swallowed or regurgitating; and suspends the toothbrush in the air so the filaments do not touch the table top or toothbrush stand. This solution therefore has a completely different purpose, which is primarily to protect against water running off during brushing. The opening is designed to hold the handle of the toothbrush firmly in place, i.e. it is not designed as a through hole for the brush head and, in particular, it does not serve to dry it out mechanically.

Further known is a solution according to <CIT>, which is a portable device for hygienically holding a toothbrush, which is generally planar in shape and made of a rigid polymer, such as an acrylic resin, and has a predefined shape with at least one linear edge for resting on a planar surface, such as a counter or sink. The toothbrush holder includes one or more openings for passage of the toothbrush handle. The distal end of the toothbrush handle rests against a surface such as a counter or sink, while the end of the toothbrush filaments is elevated above the counter surface due to the supporting effect of the toothbrush holder being positioned near the end of the toothbrush filaments. Again, this device does not comprise an opening adapted and designed as a through hole for the brush head and, in particular, does not serve to mechanically dry it.

Further, a solution according to <CIT> is known which aims to provide a children's toothbrush that can be used hygienically and safely for children aged <NUM> to <NUM> years. Although this solution comprises a part with an opening which prevents the toothbrush from being inserted too deeply into the child's oral cavity and into which the body of the toothbrush is inserted, this solution has a completely different purpose from the invention proposed here.

The subject of the invention is a means or device in the form of a combined brush dryer and brush stand, the primary function of which is the effective removal of moisture from the brush filaments, first primarily by mechanical action consisting of achieving an optimum frictional force on the brush filaments and achieving a maximum centrifugal effect, by which the filaments are freed from moisture, and in a second step, by using the same means, the toothbrush is dried by a free stream of air, since the subject dryer also acts as a stand after the body of the toothbrush has been supported by the edge of the opening of the device. The advantage of the device according to the present invention is the minimal manufacturing cost and therefore purchasing cost, where it can advantageously be delivered directly with the toothbrush, and the minimal storage requirements consisting in the degradability of the device.

The basis of the invention is that the present device comprises an opening for inserting a toothbrush that is adapted for the passage of a toothbrush head with filaments and which therefore has specially designed proportions of size in relation to the length, quantity and elasticity of the toothbrush filaments and the overall thickness of the toothbrush head with filaments, including a specially adapted shape of the opening.

In an advantageous embodiment, the material of the device according to the present invention is identical to the material for the manufacture of the toothbrush body, which reduces the cost of manufacture.

The computational model for determining residual water is dependent on the efficiency of the device, which is dependent on the dimensional parameters of the pass-through opening and the brush used. The calculation of the residual water is given by <MAT> where N is the number of passes of the toothbrush through the device (back and forth motion). Laboratory measurements were made on three types of toothbrushes which differed in the density parameter of the filaments used in the toothbrush head. The effect of the areal density of the filaments on the amount of water loss was negligible, with individual results varying within ±<NUM> %.

Using the three types of toothbrushes, <NUM> measurements were made each time, from which the mean value of the effectiveness of the product used was determined. When the head of the toothbrush was passed through the opening, the efficiency was equal to <NUM> % for the first type of test toothbrush, <NUM> % for the second type of toothbrush and <NUM> % for the third type.

Based on these measurements, a product efficiency of <NUM> % was determined. The calculation of the amount of residual water after using the product with N repetitions of steps (moving the toothbrush back and forth) is hereby defined as <MAT>.

From the formula for the residual amount of water, a relationship can be derived for the relative amount of residual water w, which gives the percentage ratio of the remaining water in the toothbrush after the N-th passage zH<NUM>O to the initial state pH<NUM>O. The following table shows the percentage of residual water when using the product with N number of passes:.

The reduction in the amount of residual water in the brush head is shown in the graph, where the horizontal axis shows the number of passes N and the vertical axis shows the percentage of the relative amount of residual water w.

In order to maintain usability and the possibility of inserting the toothbrush into the opening of the product at different entry angles, the minimum width S<NUM>min of the opening is defined as the width T<NUM> of the toothbrush head increased by <NUM> %. The maximum usable opening width S<NUM>max is defined as the width T<NUM> of the toothbrush head increased by <NUM> %. <MAT> <MAT> <MAT>.

The minimum usable height S<NUM>min of the pass-through opening is defined as the sum of half the visible height T5 of the filaments and the height T4 of the fixed part. The fixed part of the toothbrush head is primarily the base for the filament placement. If a smaller pass-through opening height is used, mechanical degradation of the filaments occurs and results in irreversible damage to the toothbrush. The maximum usable height S<NUM>max of the pass-through opening is less than the sum of the height T<NUM> of the fixed part of the head and the visible height T<NUM> of the filaments. <MAT> <MAT> <MAT>.

The thickness of the product must be such that the product meets the mechanical resistance and at the same time does not prevent water from leaving the toothbrush filaments. It is therefore defined as having a minimum of <NUM> % of the height of the solid part of the toothbrush head and a maximum of <NUM> % of the height of the solid part of the toothbrush head. <MAT> <MAT> <MAT>.

Given the shape of the toothbrush and the direction of application, it is apparent to the skilled person that the opening must be of an appropriate shape to allow the toothbrush to pass through the opening. In the case of a rectangular shaped toothbrush head, the opening of the product preferably has a rectangular shape. The opening is defined as the projection of the surface of the opening into the direction of the toothbrush passage.

Let λ be the relative height of the uncovered (visible) filaments of the head in percentage, defined as the ratio of the visible height T<NUM>,v of the uncovered filaments (measured from the fixed part of the head) to the visible height T<NUM> of the filaments.

The optimum height S<NUM>,optimal of the opening was experimentally defined as the sum of <NUM> % of the visible height T<NUM> of the filaments and the height T4 of the fixed part of the head. At this height, the pass-through opening provides efficiency n = <NUM> % when the toothbrush is drawn parallel to the normal axis of the opening of the device.

When the relative height λ of the non-overlapping (visible) filaments changes, the η<NUM> efficiency of the product changes. The calculation of this efficiency as a function of the relative height λ of the non-overlapping (visible) filaments is defined by the formula <MAT> valid for the definition domain λ = (<NUM>;<NUM>). In the case where the opening of the product covers more than half of the visible filament height, material damage to the toothbrush occurs.

Furthermore, the efficiency value η of the product is also dependent on the type of toothbrush to which the product is applied. By keeping the same type of filament of the brush, the efficiency of the product increases when using a head with a higher density of filaments, while the resulting efficiency decreases when using a head with a lower density of filaments. When using a higher number of filaments in the head, the application of the product causes the filaments to come into closer contact with each other, contributing to a greater degree of drying of the individual filaments. For the same density, then, the efficiency increases with higher filament flexibility. Water loss occurs by two mechanisms, namely centrifugal force on the return of the filaments to their original configuration causing a droplet ejection effect into the environment and direct pressure on the filaments causing a wringing effect.

It is valid that at the third pull through, the residual weight of water is less than <NUM> % of the weight of the original amount of water before the use of product. Therefore, it can be said that for sufficient drying of the toothbrush, it is sufficient to perform three pull throughs (back and forth), then place the toothbrush in the stand and let the filaments dry by the air flow and the process of spontaneous drying of the toothbrush.

A product <NUM> having the function of a toothbrush dryer and toothbrush holder <NUM>, comprising a pass-through opening <NUM> for inserting the toothbrush head <NUM>, wherein the opening <NUM> also serves as a support for the toothbrush body, as seen, for example, in <FIG>, wherein the width of the pass-through opening <NUM> corresponds to between <NUM>% to <NUM>% of the width of the fixed portion <NUM> of the toothbrush head, and the height of the pass-through opening <NUM> corresponds to at least half of the sum of the visible height of the filaments <NUM> and the height of the fixed portion <NUM> of the toothbrush head and is no greater than the sum of the height of the fixed portion <NUM> of the toothbrush head and the visible height of the filaments <NUM>. The thickness of the edge of the opening <NUM> corresponds to at least <NUM> % of the height of the fixed part <NUM> of the toothbrush head and is at most <NUM> % of the height of the fixed part <NUM> of the toothbrush head.

The product <NUM> according to Example <NUM>, wherein the height of the pass-through opening <NUM> corresponds to the sum of <NUM> to <NUM> % of the visible height of the filaments <NUM> and the height of the fixed part <NUM> of the brush head.

The product <NUM> according to Example <NUM>, wherein the height of the pass-through opening <NUM> corresponds to the sum of <NUM> % of the visible height of the filaments <NUM> and the height of the fixed part <NUM> of the brush head.

The product <NUM> according to any one of Examples <NUM> to <NUM>, wherein the basic shape of the opening <NUM> is identical to the shape of the brush head <NUM>.

The product <NUM> according to any one of Examples <NUM> to <NUM>, wherein the opening <NUM> is rectangular in shape.

The product <NUM> according to any one of Examples <NUM> to <NUM>, which is formed from the same material as the toothbrush <NUM> body.

The outer shape of the product <NUM> according to any of Examples <NUM> to <NUM> in <FIG>, and <FIG>, here in the form of a butterfly, may be formed in any commercial form, but must include at least two support points in the lower support portion of the outer shape of the product <NUM>.

Claim 1:
A product (<NUM>) having the function of a toothbrush (<NUM>) dryer and toothbrush (<NUM>) holder, characterized in that it comprises a pass-through opening (<NUM>) for inserting the head (<NUM>) of the toothbrush, which also serves as a support for the body of the toothbrush,
wherein the width of the pass-through opening (<NUM>) corresponds to between <NUM> % to <NUM> % of the width of the fixed part (<NUM>) of the toothbrush head,
wherein the height of the pass-through opening (<NUM>) is at least half the sum of the visible height of the filaments (<NUM>) and the height of the fixed part (<NUM>) of the brush head and is not greater than the sum of the height of the fixed part (<NUM>) of the brush head and the visible height of the filaments (<NUM>),
wherein the thickness of the edge of the opening (<NUM>) corresponds to at least <NUM> % of the height of the fixed part (<NUM>) of the toothbrush head and is at most <NUM> % of the height of the fixed part (<NUM>) of the toothbrush head.