US2043898A - Tooth brush - Google Patents

Description

June 9, 1936. J. A. MALCOLM 2,043,898

TOOTH BRUSH Filed May 4, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 9, 1936. I A g 2,043,898

TOOTH BRUSH Filed May 4, 19:55 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 stock or back;

Cal

Patented June 9, 1936 PATENT OFFICE TOOTH BRUSH James A. Malcolm, sheraden, Pa.

Application May 4', 1935, Serial No. 19,892

8 Claims. (01. 15-167) This invention relates to improvements in tooth brushes, or more particularly to improvements 'in the form and construction of tufts of bristles in a brush, which improvements render it highly efficient in the cleansing of teeth of all known structures.

It has long been a desiresto construct a brush that will reach and cleanse any surface of any tooth that may be found in any mouth whether normal or abnormal in form, position or relation to adjacent teeth, and which brush will cleanse teeth with the least amount of effort. This is accomplished to a remarkably high degree with the product of the present invention.

In past forms of tooth brushes, one or moresets or tufts of bristles have been found to interfere with other tufts or with each other in getting into deep embrasures. The interfering tufts are displaced from an interfering position only with considerable difllculty, as by exerting great pressure. In their displaced positions, the bristles are generally found to be improperly placed for efllcient cleaning. The brush to be described below, as a product of the present invention, is so constructed as to avoid any objectionable interference of tufts with other tufts in the brush during a. mouth-cleansing operation.

In the accompanying drawings, which serve to illustrate the present invention, and in' which like reference characters denote like parts,

Fig. 1 is a view of the under side of the brush Fig.2 is a plan view of the brush;

Fig. 3 isa side elevation of the brush head;

Fig. 4 is a view of the free end of the brush head;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the brush head on line 5-5 in Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 6 and '7 are transverse sections of the brush head on line 6-6 and 'l-"l, respectively, in Fig. 2 in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 8 is a side elevationof a modified brush head; and

Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate the manner in which certain portions of the brush perform their cleaning action on teeth.

Referring to the drawings, the tooth brush shown comprises a handle I and a brush head 2 provided with tufts forming a bristle face having contours of the type to be described. The tufts 7 are set in sockets 3 in the usual manner. Although only one arrangement of sockets is shown J in Fig. 1, it is to be understood that this arrangement may be varied, depending on the size of the'brush head and the number of tufts in the brush head.

Oneimportant feature of the brush is a concavity or a cuppedportion, which might also be described as a scoop-like or spoon-like portion, formed by tufts adjacent the free end of the brush head, substantially as illustrated in Figures 2 to 7, inclusive. A ridge is formed on the border of the cupped portion by long bristles intufts 4, 5, 6, I, 8, 9, and Ill. The free ends of the bristles forming the ridge are illustrated by the darker dots in Fig. 2. The lighter dots indicate the approximate positions of the ends of the shorter bristles. The ridge may be in the form of an oval or. an ellipse or in approximately such forms.

Another feature of importance is the portion of the ridge extending transversely of the brush head and formed by bristles near the free end of the brush ,head. This portion of the ridge is preferably in the form a curve; the curve being convex toward the free end of the brush head.

The advantage of this will be explained below.

The ridge may extend from the ends of said curve. straight or in curved form, along both sides of the brush and part of the way'toward the handle end of the brush head. The top of the ridge perferably has a greater width than that formed by the thickness of a single line of bristles. That is, the top of the ridge may be several or more bristles across. Bristles on both sides of the ridge are of decreasing length in a direction away from the ridge.

A high portion in the ridge is formed by bristles in tufts 4, 5, and 8. Portions of the ridge formed 'by bristles in tufts 5, 6, and I on one side of the brush and by bristles in tufts 8, 9, andlll on the other side of the brush, slope toward the base of the brush, reaching its low portions at about tufts 1 and Ill, respectively.

Bristles, in tufts 4, I 4, and I5 within the ridge, are of decreasing length toward the handle I, the slope formed thereby reaching its low portion at tufts l5 and I6 beyond which the bristles increase in length to tuft I 3 which is approximately at the end of the concavity formed within the ridge, as shown inrFig. 5.

A slope is formed in the bristle face by bristles of decreasing length in tufts 4 and I1 from the high portion of the ridge to the free end of the brush head. As shown in Fig. 4, the portion of the ridgenearest the free end of the brush head and formed by bristles in tuft 4 and some of the bristles in tufts 5 and 8, extends transversely of the brush head and is substantially parallel with the base. The outer bristles in tufts I and I, as well as in the other tufts extending along the sides of the brush, are of decreasing length towards the sides of the brush, thereby forming a bevel on each side of the bristle face throughout the length of the brush head.

The tufts in the brush head toward the handle and away from the region of the concavity may be of any desired number and may be of the character shownin Figs. 2, 3, and 5 or of the character showninFig.8. Intheformertypeofb ,the.

rear tufts are shown as of increasing length toward the handle. 1n the brush of the latter type (Fig. 8) the rear tufts may form more or less of a convexity. The transverse rows of tufts in the rear portion of either type of brush are tapered so as to form transverse ridges extending I from bristles in the center of the tufts on one side of the brush to bristles in the center of the tuftslon the other side.

It is seen from the above description that the cupped or concave portion in the bristle face of of the ridge to reach into the groove formed 'at the gun line around the entire rear side of the tooth. At the same time, due to the concavity inthebrush,theendsofthebristles areincontact withthe upper rear part of thetooth. A slight pressure brings the ends of the bristles forming the sldes of the concavity and positioned towards the sides-of thrbrush head into embrasures on either side of the tooth and in contact withthesidesurfacesofthetoothasshownby the dotted lines in Fig. 10. Furthermore, while cleaning the rear of one tooth, the teeth on either a side are being cleaned on their adjacent surfaces by theends of bristles in the bevelled portions of the brush head outside the ridge described above. It is important to note that the bristles reaching into the enibrasures contact the surfaces of the sides of the tooth with their ends and not with their sides. Very little cleaning action results from rubbing of sides of bristles against atooth. To obtain the best results, the ends of the bristles must rub across the surface to be cleaned.

In Fig. 9 there is illustrated the condition of the brush in its normal position, and its condition when cleaning on the inner side of bridge work. The ends of the outer tufts are brought together over the inner tuft by the sides of the groove formed by the bridge and the gum. The 'shorter inner tuft and thebevelled sides'of the bristle face formed by outer tutti make it possible'for theendsofthebristlesintheside'tuftstoreach with ease the entire surface of the groove.

It has been found that abrush having-the features described maka it possible to clean teeth thoroughly to the gum line. The brush readily reaches into grooves andsulci in anindividual tooth and'in'to embrasures (labial. buccal and lingual) formed by the relative positionof one,

'tooth with respect to another or the relative poaitionof a tooth with respect to its investing What I claim is:-

1. Atoothbrush havingbristlesformingin the bristle face a ridge that is substantially in the form of an ellipse having its major axis extending longitudinally of the brush head. and from 5 substantially the outer wall of bristles t the free end of the brush head, and bristles pl inwardly and outwardly from the ridgeand of decreasing length-away from the ridge.

2. A tooth brush having bristles forming in the 10 bristle face a ridge that is substantially inthe form of an ellipse having its major axis extending longitudinally of the brush head, and from sub stantially the outer wall of bristles at the free end of the brush head, a portion of the plane of the 1 ridge near the free end of the brush head sloping toward the base of the brush head in the direc-- tion of the handle.

3. A tooth brush having bristles forming in the bristle face a ridge that is substantially in the form 20 of an ellipse having its maior axisextending longitudinall of the brush head and from substantially the 'uter wall of bristles at the free end of the brush head, a portion of the plane of the ridge near the free end of the brush head sloping lac-'2 ward the base of the brush head in the direction of the. handle, and bristles placed inwardly and outwardly from the ridge and decreasing in length in directions away from the ridge.

4. Inatoothbrushhavingapluralityoftufts 30 forming a-brlstle face. a substantially curved U-' shaped ridge formed by the ends of bristles in the said bristle face, the said ridge extending cross-wise of the bristle face adjacent the free end of the brush head and the said ridge having its convex portion toward the said free end of the brush head.

5. In a-tooth brush having a plurality of tufts forming a bristle face, a substantially curved U- shaped ridge formed by the ends of bristles in the 40 said bristle face, the said ridge extending crosswise of the bristle face adjacent the free end of the brush head and the said ridge having its convex portion toward the said free end of the brush head, and other bristles on both sides ofthe said 4 ridge. 1 p 8. A tooth brush having bristles forming a ridge in the bristle face, the said ridge extending trans-'- versely of the bristle face and along opposite sides "thereof, .portions of the said ridge on opposite 5 sides of the bristle face lyingin a plane that slopes toward thebaseof thebrushheadinthedirection of the handle, the said ridge extending from the free end of the brush head, and the said portions oftheridgeinthesaidplanebeingadjacentthe said free end. i

I '1. A'thoth bnish'having'bristles forming a ridge in the bristle face, the-said ridge extending transversely of the bristle face and .along opposite sides thereof, portions of the said ridge on opposite sides of the bristle face Lying in a plane that slopes toward the base of the bru'shheadin the direction ofthehandie,thesaidridgeextending fromthe freeend of the brush-head, and these-id portions of theridgeinthesaidplanebeingadjacentthe said free end: and bristles placed inwardly and outwardly from the rid e and forming sloping portions of the bristle face thatinclin'e toward the base of the brush. I

8.Inatooth brushcomprising-abrushheadlo including a base and;bristies extending in substantiallythesamedirectionfromthebaseand forming a bristle face, the free ends of bristles adjacent the free end of the brush head forming a depressionin thebristiefacathesaid a,o4a,a9s

face and from substantially the said free end of the brush head, whereby a ridge is formed in thebristle face along the said sides of the bristle face and transversely adjacent the said free end of the brush head.

JAMEs A. MALCOLM.

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