Patent Document

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/532,280, filed Dec. 23, 2003. 
     
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT  
       [0002]     Not Applicable.  
       REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX  
       [0003]     Not Applicable.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0004]     1. Technical Field  
         [0005]     This invention relates generally to the field of the toothbrushes for dental hygiene, and more particularly relates to toothbrushes that incorporate toothpaste and mouthwash in a single device.  
         [0006]     2. Prior Art  
         [0007]     Recommended dental hygiene includes brushing after every meal. In addition, especially after consuming certain foods or spices, rinsing with a mouthwash after the meal is often desirable. This practice is often considered to be impractical when meals are taken outside the home, as to do so requires bringing along a toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste and a bottle of mouthwash. Thus, many people do not bother to brush after meals eaten outside the home.  
         [0008]     The object of this invention is to provide a dental hygiene device that encourages or makes simple the practice of tooth-brushing after meals taken outside the home. To this end, the dental hygiene device is a disposable toothbrush that incorporates a one-use amount of toothpaste and a one-use amount of mouthwash, such that the user can readily carry the device in a pocket, purse, briefcase, etc. in a clean hygienic manner, use the toothbrush when desired and then discard the toothbrush.  
       BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0009]     In view of the foregoing background, it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide disposable toothbrush. These and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are provided by a small supply of toothpaste and a small supply of mouthwash contained within a toothbrush.  
         [0010]     The toothbrush includes a handle and a head member. The handle is adapted to be easily held in the user&#39;s hand and comprises a distal shaft portion, an intermediate portion and a proximal or grip end. The head member is disposed onto the distal shaft portion of the handle, with bristles mounted onto a lateral face of the head member. Preferably, all components are formed of a polymer or rubber material.  
         [0011]     The grip end of the handle is provided with an internal cavity adapted to retain a small quantity, suitable for a single use, of liquid mouthwash or mouth rinse. The grip end of the handle is significantly larger in diameter than the distal shaft portion of the handle. Most preferably, the grip end is provided with grip members to reduce slippage of the toothbrush  10  during use.  
         [0012]     Also, most preferably, the proximal end is provided with a flexible toothpick or gum massage member. Also most preferably, the grip end is provided with a transparent or translucent window portion that allows the mouthwash to be visible to the user throughout the window portion, in order to verify that a quantity of mouthwash is present in the toothbrush.  
         [0013]     The intermediate portion of the handle is provided with a releasable connection means such that the distal shaft portion can be disconnected from the grip end to expose an opening to the grip cavity. Preferably, the releasable connection means comprises a mated coupling of an externally threaded member and an internally threaded member. Most preferably, the shaft portion is provided with grip members that provide for a better grip when the handle distal shaft portion is rotated relative to the handle grip end to expose the mouthwash opening.  
         [0014]     An internal cavity is disposed within the head member in order to receive a small amount, preferably a one-time use amount of toothpaste. The distal shaft portion of the handle is inserted into through a shaft opening located in the proximal end of the head member. A plunger or ram member is disposed on the distal end of the distal shaft portion such that it resides within the head internal cavity.  
         [0015]     One or more apertures are provided in the lateral face of the head member, adjacent the bristles. The head member is mounted onto the distal shaft portion of the handle in such a manner that allows for relative reciprocal or axial movement of the head member and handle, such that either the ram member of the handle may be forced further into the head internal cavity or the head member may be forced down onto the distal shaft portion of the handle. Such relative movement causes the ram member to expel or express the toothpaste resident within the head internal cavity through the apertures and onto the bristles, such that the toothbrush is ready for use.  
         [0016]     After the tooth-brushing operation is completed, the head member and the distal shaft portion is removed from the grip end of the handle, such that the user can pour the mouthwash into the user&#39;s mouth. With the dental hygiene operation completed, the toothbrush is then discarded. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING  
       [0017]     The novel features believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:  
         [0018]      FIG. 1  is a side elevational view showing a disposable toothbrush adapted to an operable position, in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0019]      FIG. 2  is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal end of the toothbrush shown in  FIG. 1 , illustrating the ram portion of the handle;  
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is side elevational view showing the toothbrush of  FIG. 1  at a non-operable position wherein the ram portion of the handle is not engaged with the head member thereof;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a partial cross-sectional view of the distal end of the toothbrush shown in  FIG. 3 , illustrating the ram portion of the handle at a disengaged position;  
         [0022]      FIGS. 5-7  are enlarged side elevational, top plan and perspective views respectively showing the head cavity and notch for locking the handle in place when the toothbrush is adapted to an operable position;  
         [0023]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the transparent handle, which housing mouthwash and includes a pick the proximal end thereof; and  
         [0024]      FIGS. 9-10  are side elevational and perspective views respectively showing partial portion 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0025]     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment set forth herein. Rather, this embodiment is provided so that this application will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the true scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the figures.  
         [0026]     The apparatus of this invention is referred to generally in  FIGS. 1-10  by the reference numeral  10  and is intended to provide a disposable toothpaste that houses a predetermined quantity of mouthwash and toothpaste. It should be understood that the apparatus  10  may be employed by various individuals and can be altered to include many different types of mouthwash and toothpaste, as need by the user.  
         [0027]     With reference to the drawings, the invention will now be described with regard for the best mode and the preferred embodiment. In general, the invention is a disposable toothbrush that retains internally a supply of toothpaste and a supply of mouthwash, such that the user may expel the toothpaste into the bristle area of the toothbrush in order to perform the tooth-brushing operation, can then access the mouthwash in order to perform the mouth rinsing operation, and can then dispose of the toothbrush.  
         [0028]     As seen in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the invention is a toothbrush  10  including a handle  20  and a head member  30 . The handle  20  is adapted to be easily held in the user&#39;s hand and comprises a distal shaft portion  21 , an intermediate portion  22  and a proximal or grip end  23 . The head member  30  is disposed onto the distal shaft portion  21  of the handle  20 , with bristles  31  mounted onto a lateral face  32  of the head member  30 . Preferably, all components are formed of a polymer or rubber material.  
         [0029]     The grip end  23  of the handle  20  is provided with an internal cavity  24  adapted to retain a small quantity, suitable for a single use, of liquid mouthwash or mouth rinse  25 . The grip end  23  of the handle  20  is significantly larger in diameter than the distal shaft portion  21  of the handle  20 . Most preferably, the grip end  23  is provided with grip members  26  to reduce slippage of the toothbrush  10  during use.  
         [0030]     Also, most preferably, the proximal end  23  is provided with a flexible toothpick or gum massage member  27 . Also most preferably, the grip end  23  is provided with a transparent or translucent window portion  28  that allows the mouthwash  25  to be visible to the user throughout the window portion  28 , in order to verify that a quantity of mouthwash  25  is present in the toothbrush  10 .  
         [0031]     The intermediate portion  22  of the handle  20  is provided with a releasable connection means  40  such that the distal shaft portion  21  can be disconnected from the grip end  23  to expose an opening to the grip cavity  24 . Preferably, the releasable connection means  40  comprises a mated coupling of an externally threaded member  42  and an internally threaded member  43 . Most preferably, the shaft portion  21  is provided with grip members  44  that provide for a better grip when the handle distal shaft portion  21  is rotated relative to the handle grip end  23  to expose the mouthwash opening  41 .  
         [0032]     An internal cavity  33  is disposed within the head member  30  in order to receive a small amount, preferably a one-time use amount of toothpaste  34 . The distal shaft portion  21  of the handle  20  is inserted into through a shaft opening  45  located in the proximal end of the head member  30 . A plunger or ram member  35  is disposed on the distal end of the distal shaft portion  21  such that it resides within the head internal cavity  33 .  
         [0033]     One or more apertures  36  are provided in the lateral face  32  of the head member, adjacent the bristles  31 . The head member  30  is mounted onto the distal shaft portion  21  of the handle  20  in such a manner that allows for relative reciprocal or axial movement of the head member  30  and handle  20 , such that either the ram member  35  of the handle  20  may be forced further into the head internal cavity  33  or the head member  30  may be forced down onto the distal shaft portion  21  of the handle  20 . Such relative movement causes the ram member  35  to expel or express the toothpaste  34  resident within the head internal cavity  33  through the apertures  36  and onto the bristles  31 , such that the toothbrush  10  is ready for use.  
         [0034]     After the tooth-brushing operation is completed, the head member  30  and the distal shaft portion  21  is removed from the grip end  23  of the handle, such that the user can pour the mouthwash  25  into the user&#39;s mouth. With the dental hygiene operation completed, the toothbrush  10  is then discarded.  
         [0035]     While the invention has been described with respect to a certain specific embodiment, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.  
         [0036]     In particular, with respect to the above description, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the present invention may include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation. The assembly and use of the present invention are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art.

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