Patent ID: 7377000

Claim:
An electric toothbrush comprising a graspable housing comprising a head portion; a bristle holder arranged on the head portion of the housing and rotatable about an axis of rotation of the bristle holder, the bristle holder carrying a cluster of bristles; and a drive mechanism for the bristle holder, including a motor arranged within the housing, and a transmission member configured to transfer a driving motion from the motor to the bristle holder, the transmission member including a drive rocker arranged to rock in multiple axes and arranged to be driven by the motor to approximately traverse a double conical path, the drive rocker and the bristle holder being connected in a jointed manner about an articulated axis that is parallel to the axis of rotation of the bristle holder, wherein the bristle holder is arranged in the housing to move along the articulated axis, and wherein a connection between the bristle holder and the drive rocker transfers at least some corresponding movements of the drive rocker along the articulated axis to the bristle holder.