US20070136968A1

US20070136968A1 - Toothbrush

Info

Publication number: US20070136968A1
Application number: US10/592,764
Authority: US
Inventors: Sang Lee
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2004-03-22
Filing date: 2005-03-21
Publication date: 2007-06-21
Also published as: BRPI0508208A; WO2005089591A1; DE602005004388D1; ATE383791T1; EP1727444B1; EP1727444A1; CN1953684A; KR200354838Y1; JP2007530131A; DE602005004388T2

Abstract

The object of this invention is to provide a toothbrush which has a structure such that deformed bristles may easily be replaced with new ones. The toothbrush includes a handle having a predetermined length to allow a user to hold the toothbrush, with an insert hole formed in an end of the handle. The toothbrush further includes a bristle support head, with a protrusion provided on the bristle support head, and a plurality of front bristles made of hard material set in the bristle support head. The toothbrush further includes a removable bristle support unit which is provided in the bristle support head, with a plurality of rear bristles made of soft material set in the removable bristle support unit.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates, in general, to toothbrushes and, more particularly, to a toothbrush which has a structure such that the bristles may be replaced with new ones.

BACKGROUND ART

Generally, toothbrushes are used along with toothpaste for cleaning teeth, thus keeping the teeth clean. Such a toothbrush includes a handle part to allow a user to hold the toothbrush, and a head part which is provided on an end of the handle part to support therein a plurality of bristles which is in direct contact with the user's teeth. Three or four rows of bristles are set in the head part in a longitudinal direction.
However, when a toothbrush is used over a long period, bristles placed near an outside edge of the head part of the toothbrush become bent outwards. The bent bristles stimulate the user's gums while brushing the teeth. If this stimulation is repeated over a long period, the user's gums are seriously injured and, as well, the teeth may be damaged.
Furthermore, when toothbrushes that have become useless alter being used for a long period are buried in the ground, serious environmental pollution results.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention has been made keeping in mind the above problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush which has a structure such that deformed bristles may easily be replaced with new ones, and which is made of biodegradable material, thus preventing environment pollution.
In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a toothbrush, including: a handle having a predetermined length to allow a user to hold the toothbrush, with an insert hole formed in an end of the handle; a bristle support head, with a protrusion provided on the bristle support head to engage with the insert hole, and a plurality of front bristles made of hard material and set in the bristle support head; and a removable bristle support unit provided in the bristle support head at a predetermined position adjacent to the front bristles, with a plurality of rear bristles made of soft material and set in the removable bristle support unit.
The handle may be made of resin, and both the bristle support head and the removable bristle support unit may be made of biodegradable resin.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush, according to the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the toothbrush according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a toothbrush according to the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the attached drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush, according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the toothbrush according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the toothbrush of the present invention has a structure such that a front part and a rear part are coupled to each other. The rear part of the toothbrush comprises a handle 1 to allow a user to hold the toothbrush when brushing his/her teeth. The front part of the toothbrush comprises a bristle support head 3 in which a plurality of bristles that come into contact with the teeth is set.
The handle 1 has an appropriate length so that the user can easily hold the handle 1. An insert hole 5 is formed in an end of the handle 1. Furthermore, the handle 1 is streamlined so that the user is able to stably hold the toothbrush when brushing the teeth.
The bristle support head 3 has a protrusion 7 which engages with the insert hole 5. A plurality of front bristles 9, made of relatively hard material, is set in a front end of the bristle support head 3 opposite the protrusion 7. The number of bundles of front bristles 9 is ⅕ to ⅓ of the total number of bundles of bristles.
As shown in FIG. 2, the toothbrush further includes a removable bristle support unit 12 which is mounted to the bristle support head 3 at a predetermined position in back of the front bristles 9. A plurality of rear bristles 11, which have superior cleaning ability and are made of softer material than are the front bristles 9 such that the user does not experience discomfort when the rear bristles 11 come into contact with the gum, is set in the removable bristle support unit 12. The bristle support head 3 has a recess 13 which is formed at a predetermined position in the bristle support head 3 so that the removable bristle support unit 12 is inserted into the recess 13. A coupling hole 15 is formed at a predetermined position in the bottom of the recess 13 'so that a coupling protrusion 14 provided under the lower surface of the removable bristle support unit 12 is forcibly fitted into the coupling hole 15 of the recess 13.
Meanwhile, in consideration of the protection of the environment, because both the bristle support head 3 and the removable bristle support unit 12 are replaced with new ones after being used for a long period, they are made of biodegradable resin which is decomposed in general soil within a relatively short period. On the other hand, because the handle 1 is used semi-permanently, the handle 1 is made of general resin.
As such, in the toothbrush of the present invention, both the bristle support head 3 and the removable bristle support unit 12 can be replaced with new ones after use over a long period, while the handle 1 can be used semi-permanently. Furthermore, they are made of biodegradable material, thus being easily decomposed by the self-purifying power of the environment. In addition, because the front bristles 9 are made of hard material, the toothbrush of the present invention can easily clean even areas deep inside the mouth.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

As described above, the present invention provides a toothbrush which has a structure such that deformed bristles may easily be replaced with new ones, thus being usable semi-permanently, and which is made of biodegradable material, thus preventing environmental pollution.

Claims

1. A toothbrush, comprising:

a handle having a predetermined length to allow a user to hold the toothbrush, with an insert hole formed in an end of the handle;

a bristle support head, with a protrusion provided on the bristle support head to engage with the insert hole, and a plurality of front bristles made of hard material and set in the bristle support head; and

a removable bristle support unit provided in the bristle support head at a predetermined position adjacent to the front bristles, with a plurality of rear bristles made of soft material and set in the removable bristle support unit.

2. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the handle is made of resin, and both the bristle support head and the removable bristle support unit are made of biodegradable resin.