WO2002019866A1 - Toothbrush with peripheral support structure - Google Patents

Toothbrush with peripheral support structure Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002019866A1
WO2002019866A1 PCT/US2001/025937 US0125937W WO0219866A1 WO 2002019866 A1 WO2002019866 A1 WO 2002019866A1 US 0125937 W US0125937 W US 0125937W WO 0219866 A1 WO0219866 A1 WO 0219866A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
mounting surface
toothbrush
bristle mounting
bristles
periphery
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/US2001/025937
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Stephen D. Harada
Original Assignee
Harada Stephen D
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Harada Stephen D filed Critical Harada Stephen D
Priority to AU2001285089A priority Critical patent/AU2001285089A1/en
Publication of WO2002019866A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002019866A1/en

Links

Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B9/00—Arrangements of the bristles in the brush body
    • A46B9/08—Supports or guides for bristles
    • A46B9/12—Non-adjustable supports
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B2200/00—Brushes characterized by their functions, uses or applications
    • A46B2200/10—For human or animal care
    • A46B2200/1066—Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures

Definitions

  • This invention relates to toothbrushes, and, more particularly,
  • toothbrushes in a direction toward the periphery of such surface.
  • bristle stiffness e.g., soft, medium and hard.
  • the stiffness or resistance to bending as the toothbrush was used to clean
  • the teeth was obtained by the materials forming the bristles, or coatings applied thereto. It was originally believed that offering
  • toothbrushes with varying bristle stiffness was desirable to provide individuals with a range of choices depending upon such factors as
  • toothbrushes with comparatively stiff bristles can be damaging to the
  • a toothbrush conventionally includes a handle connected to a
  • toothbrushes with soft bristles can be less effective in the removal of plaque and debris from the teeth.
  • a toothbrush comprising a handle, and a head connected to the handle including a
  • bristle mounting surface having a periphery defining an interior portion within which an array of tufts are located each consisting of a
  • peripheral support noted above comprises a section of resilient
  • the resilient material may be any resilient material
  • such section of resilient material may be a
  • a number of peripheral tufts are located along at least a portion of the periphery of
  • the bristle mounting surface each including a number of bristles.
  • Such stiffening section may take the form of a
  • the peripheral tufts may include a denser concentration of individual
  • toothbrush including those nearer to the periphery of the bristle
  • toothbrush of this invention is more efficient
  • Fig. 1 is an enlarged side view of the toothbrush of this
  • Fig. 2 is a plan view of the toothbrush of Fig. 1, depicting one
  • peripheral support herein;
  • Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 showing an alternative of
  • Fig. 4 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 except with a still further
  • Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 1 depicting an alternative to the
  • Fig. 5A is a view similar to Fig. 5, but illustrating a still
  • Fig. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the peripheral
  • Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 7 with a different peripheral
  • Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of Fig. 7;
  • Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 6 and 7 showing a still further
  • Fig. 10 is a side view of Fig. 9;
  • Fig. 11 is a plan view of still another alternative embodiment of
  • Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 but depicting a different location for the peripheral support;
  • Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 but showing a still further
  • Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of Fig. 13;
  • Fig. 15 is a side view of Fig. 14;
  • Fig. 16 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of Fig. 15.
  • a toothbrush 10 is illustrated having a handle 12 connected to a head 14.
  • the head 14 is depicted as generally rectangular, but it should be understood that heads with
  • the bristle mounting surface 20 of the head 14 is considered to have a longitudinal axis 22 (see Fig. 2), a first end 24
  • a number of tuffcs 30 are arranged in an array on the head 14 of the toothbrush 10, each of which consists of a number of individual
  • bristles 32 The bristles 32 within each tuft 30 extend outwardly from the bristle mounting surface 20 and terminate at a bristle tip,
  • one objective of this invention is to provide
  • a section 36 of resilient material is mounted to the
  • Fig. 3 includes the two sections 38 and 40 illustrated in Fig. 4, with the addition of a
  • Each of the sections 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44 has a height dimension measured outwardly from the bristle mounting surface 20
  • the sections 36-44 are not designed to engage the teeth or gums during use of the toothbrush 10, but are
  • sections 36-44 is a continuous piece of rubber, plastic or similar
  • such sections 36-44 can be formed of a
  • Such rods 48 have essentially the same height and thickness
  • sections 36, 38, 40, 42 and/or 44 are formed of peripheral tufts 49,
  • the peripheral tufts 49 have a height dimension in the range of about
  • Figs. 6-16 alternative embodiments of the bristle support structure of this invention are illustrated.
  • the location and purpose of such supports is substantially the same as
  • the bristle support is in the form of a number of
  • peripheral tufts 50 located along the periphery 18 of the bristle
  • peripheral tufts 50 are formed with a stiffening portion 54 which extends from the bristle mounting surface 20 outwardly to a height of
  • peripheral tufts 50 can take the form of a coating, a treatment, a sleeve formed of plastic, rubber or other suitable
  • portion 54 in the embodiments of Figs. 6-10 is similar to that of the
  • peripheral tufts 50 with a stiffening portion 54 are mounted along the entire periphery 18 of the bristle mounting surface 20.
  • the peripheral tufts 50 with a stiffening portion 54 are located in areas 56 and 58 at the sides 28,
  • portion 54 are provided at the ends 24 and 26, respectively in Fig. 9.
  • peripheral tufts 64 are
  • the bristle 66 is provided each having a number of individual bristles 66.
  • support structure is formed by a densified area 68 of bristles 66
  • densified area 68 of bristles 66 extend about the entire periphery 18 of the bristle mounting surface 20 of the head 14.
  • tufts 64 with a densified area 68 of bristles 66 are located in areas 70 and 72 at the sides 28 and 29, respectively, of the bristle mounting surface 20 as shown in Fig. 12, and additional areas 74 and 76 of
  • peripheral tufts 64 with a densified area 68 of bristles 66 are provided at the ends 24 and 26, respectively, in the embodiment of Fig. 13.

Abstract

A toothbrush is provided comprising a handle, and a head connected to the handle including a bristle mounting surface having a periphery defining an interior portion within which an array of tufts are located each consisting of a number of individual bristles. At least a portion of the periphery of the bristle mounting surface is provided with a support which is effective to resist deflection of the bristles within the interior portion of the bristle mounting surface in a direction toward its periphery.

Description

TOOTHBRUSH WITH PERIPHERAL SUPPORT STRUCTURE
Field of the Invention This invention relates to toothbrushes, and, more particularly,
to a toothbrush including a head having bristle mounting surface with a peripheral support which is effective -to resist deflection of
bristles in a direction toward the periphery of such surface. Background of the Invention For many years, toothbrushes were offered to the public with
different degrees of bristle stiffness, e.g., soft, medium and hard. The stiffness or resistance to bending as the toothbrush was used to clean
the teeth was obtained by the materials forming the bristles, or coatings applied thereto. It was originally believed that offering
toothbrushes with varying bristle stiffness was desirable to provide individuals with a range of choices depending upon such factors as
the sensitivity of one's teeth, age and other considerations.
Studies and experience have shown, however, that
toothbrushes with comparatively stiff bristles can be damaging to the
gums. In some individuals, the gums were found to actually wear away to some extent, leaving portions of the teeth exposed. Consequently, most dentists, dental hygienists and other health
professionals currently recommend the use of toothbrushes with
"soft" or easily deflected bristles to guard against gum damage.
A toothbrush conventionally includes a handle connected to a
head having a bristle mounting surface including a periphery
defining an interior portion of such surface. Groups of individual bristles or "tuffcs" are arranged in an array within the interior portion
and along the periphery of the bristle mounting surface. Although better for the gums, the use of toothbrushes with soft bristles can be less effective in the removal of plaque and debris from the teeth.
Upon contact with the teeth, gums or tongue, soft bristles readily deflect or flatten out. Because the tufts on the bristle mounting
surface are arranged close to one another, such deflection of the bristles has a "domino effect" causing a collapse of the bristles f om the center of the bristle mounting surface to its periphery. As a
result, most of the actual cleaning of the teeth and gums is
accomplished by the bristles located in the middle of the bristle
mounting surface, at least for common linear toothbrushes having a
generally rectangular-shaped head. The bristles on the outer portion
of the bristle mounting surface remain generally unused, and become
permanently flattened signifying time for replacement of the
toothbrush. In any case, the most effective cleaning of the teeth and gums is obtained with the tips of the bristles and not by their sides
which tend to contact the teeth when the bristles are collapsed or flattened.
Summary of the Invention
It is therefore among the objectives of this invention to provide
a toothbrush having soft bristles for the protection of one's gums,
which resists deflection of the bristles near the outer portion of the bristle mounting surface and which provides better and more efficient cleaning of the teeth.
These and other objectives are accomplished in a toothbrush comprising a handle, and a head connected to the handle including a
bristle mounting surface having a periphery defining an interior portion within which an array of tufts are located each consisting of a
number of individual bristles. At least a portion of the periphery of the bristle mounting surface is provided with a support which is
effective to resist deflection of the bristles within the interior portion
of the bristle mounting surface in a direction toward its periphery.
In one presently preferred group of embodiments, the
peripheral support noted above comprises a section of resilient
material such as rubber or plastic which is not rigid but deflects
much less than the soft bristles. The resilient material may be
located along the entire periphery of the bristle mounting surface, or, alternatively, along opposite sides and/or opposite ends of such
surface. Additionally, such section of resilient material may be a
continuous strip or a number of side-by-side rods formed of rubber or
plastic.
5 In a second group of preferred embodiments, a number of peripheral tufts are located along at least a portion of the periphery of
the bristle mounting surface, each including a number of bristles.
The peripheral support in these embodiments comprises a stiffening section provided along at least a portion of the height of at least some
10 of the peripheral tufts. Such stiffening section may take the form of a
coating applied to the peripheral tufts, or, alternatively, the peripheral tufts may include a denser concentration of individual
bristles to form the stiffening section.
In either group of embodiments described above, the height of
15. the section of resilient material or stiffening section is equal to in the
range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height of the bristles in the interior
portion of the bristle mounting surface, as measured from the bristle
mounting surface outwardly to the tips of the bristles. As such,
neither the section of resilient material nor the stiffening section is
20 designed to directly contact the teeth, gums or tongue, but they are
effective to resist deformation of the bristles within the interior
portion of the bristle mounting surface in a direction toward its periphery. This will allow all of the bristles on the head of the
toothbrush, including those nearer to the periphery of the bristle
mounting surface, to assist with cleaning of the teeth and not merely
those bristles located at the center of the head as in other toothbrush designs. As a result, the toothbrush of this invention is more efficient
in cleaning the teeth, lasts longer before it must be replaced and
provides for greater bristle tip to teeth contact.
Description of the Drawings
The structure, operation and advantages of the presently preferred embodiments of this invention will become further apparent
upon consideration of the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Fig. 1 is an enlarged side view of the toothbrush of this
invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the toothbrush of Fig. 1, depicting one
embodiment of the peripheral support herein;
Fig. 3 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 showing an alternative of
the peripheral support;
Fig. 4 is a plan view similar to Fig. 2 except with a still further
variation of the peripheral support;
Fig. 5 is a side view of Fig. 1 depicting an alternative to the
resilient material forming the peripheral support; Fig. 5A is a view similar to Fig. 5, but illustrating a still
further alternative of the peripheral support;
Fig. 6 is a plan view of another embodiment of the peripheral
support of this invention;
Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 7 with a different peripheral
support;
Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a view similar to Figs. 6 and 7 showing a still further
embodiment of the peripheral support; Fig. 10 is a side view of Fig. 9;
Fig. 11 is a plan view of still another alternative embodiment of
the peripheral support of this invention;
Fig. 12 is a view similar to Fig. 11 but depicting a different location for the peripheral support;
Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 but showing a still further
variation of the location of the peripheral support;
Fig. 14 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of Fig. 13;
Fig. 15 is a side view of Fig. 14; and
Fig. 16 is an enlarged view of the encircled portion of Fig. 15.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Referring initially to Figs. 1-5A, a toothbrush 10 is illustrated having a handle 12 connected to a head 14. The head 14 is depicted as generally rectangular, but it should be understood that heads with
other shapes such as oval, triangular and the like could be employed
and are considered to be within the scope of this invention. The head
14 is formed with a bristle mounting surface 20 having an outer periphery 18 defining an interior portion 16. For purposes of the
present discussion, the bristle mounting surface 20 of the head 14 is considered to have a longitudinal axis 22 (see Fig. 2), a first end 24
connected to the handle 12, a second end 26 opposite the first end 24,
and, opposed sides 28 and 29 located on either side of the longitudinal axis 22.
A number of tuffcs 30 are arranged in an array on the head 14 of the toothbrush 10, each of which consists of a number of individual
bristles 32. The bristles 32 within each tuft 30 extend outwardly from the bristle mounting surface 20 and terminate at a bristle tip,
thus defining a height dimension "H" measured from the bristle
mounting surface 20 to the bristle tips. See Fig. 5.
As discussed above, one objective of this invention is to provide
resistance to deflection of the bristles 32, upon contact with the teeth
or gums, in a direction toward the periphery 18 of the bristle
mounting surface 20. In the embodiments of Figs. 1-5A, this
resistance to deflection is obtained with the provision of a support in
the form of a section of resilient material such as rubber, plastic or the like located at the periphery 18 of the bristle mounting surface
20. In Fig. 2, a section 36 of resilient material is mounted to the
bristle mounting surface 20 along its entire periphery 18. In Fig. 3,
two sections 38 and 40 of resilient material are mounted along the periphery 18 of the bristle mounting surface 20, one along each of the
sides 28 and 29, respectively. The embodiment of Fig. 3 includes the two sections 38 and 40 illustrated in Fig. 4, with the addition of a
section 42 of resilient material along the first end 24 of the bristle mounting surface 20 and a second section 44 of resilient material at the second end 26.
Each of the sections 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44 has a height dimension measured outwardly from the bristle mounting surface 20
which is in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height dimension of "H" of the bristles 32. As such, the sections 36-44 are not designed to engage the teeth or gums during use of the toothbrush 10, but are
intended to resist deflection of the bristles 32 within the interior portion 16 of the bristle mounting surface 20 in a direction toward its
periphery 18. In one presently preferred embodiment, each of the
sections 36-44 is a continuous piece of rubber, plastic or similar
resilient material having a thickness on the order of the thickness of
the tufts 30. Alternatively, such sections 36-44 can be formed of a
number of individual rubber or plastic rods 48 mounted side-by-side and extending from the bristle mounting surface 20 as seen in Fig. 5.
Such rods 48 have essentially the same height and thickness
dimensions as the continuous sections of resilient material depicted
in Figs. 1-4. In still a further embodiment shown in Fig. 5A, the
sections 36, 38, 40, 42 and/or 44 are formed of peripheral tufts 49,
each consisting of the same types of bristles 32 contained within the
tufts 30 in the interior portion 16 of the bristle mounting surface 20. The peripheral tufts 49 have a height dimension in the range of about
1/3 to 1/2 of the height H of the bristles 32 within the tufts 30, and therefore exhibit a stiffness which resists deflection of such tufts 30.
Referring now to Figs. 6-16, alternative embodiments of the bristle support structure of this invention are illustrated. The location and purpose of such supports is substantially the same as
described in connection with' the resilient sections 36-44. Additionally, the overall construction of the toothbrush 10 is the same
in Figs. 6-16 as in Figs. 1-5, and therefore the same reference
numbers are used in all Figs, to denote the same structure.
In Figs. 6-10, the bristle support is in the form of a number of
peripheral tufts 50 located along the periphery 18 of the bristle
mounting surface 20, each consisting of a number of individual
bristles 52. As best seen in Figs. 8 and 10, at least some of the
peripheral tufts 50 are formed with a stiffening portion 54 which extends from the bristle mounting surface 20 outwardly to a height of
about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height "H" of the bristles 32 in the interior
portion 16 of the bristle mounting surface 20. The stiffening portion
54 of the peripheral tufts 50 can take the form of a coating, a treatment, a sleeve formed of plastic, rubber or other suitable
material, or any other suitable means of stiffening.
The positioning of the peripheral tufts 50 having a stiffening
portion 54 in the embodiments of Figs. 6-10 is similar to that of the
resilient sections 36-44 in Figs. 2-4. In Fig. 6, the peripheral tufts 50 with a stiffening portion 54 are mounted along the entire periphery 18 of the bristle mounting surface 20. The peripheral tufts 50 with a stiffening portion 54 are located in areas 56 and 58 at the sides 28,
29, respectively, of the bristle mounting surface 20 as shown in Fig. 7, and additional areas 60 and 62 of peripheral tufts 50 with a stiffening
portion 54 are provided at the ends 24 and 26, respectively in Fig. 9.
With reference to Figs. 11-16, still further embodiments of this invention are shown which are similar to Figs. 6-10 except for the
bristle support structure. In Figs. 11-16, peripheral tufts 64 are
provided each having a number of individual bristles 66. The bristle
support structure is formed by a densified area 68 of bristles 66
within at least some of the peripheral tufts 64 which extends
outwardly from the bristle mounting surface 20 to a height in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of the height of "H" of the bristles 30 in the
interior 16 of the bristle mounting surface 20. The densified area 68
is preferably simply a concentration of additional bristles 66 which
extend outwardly only a portion of the height of a peripheral tuft 64,
thus providing sufficient rigidity to resist deflection of the bristles 32
of the interior tufts 30 toward the periphery 18 of the bristle
mounting surface 20.
In the embodiment of Fig. 11, the peripheral tufts 64 with a
densified area 68 of bristles 66 extend about the entire periphery 18 of the bristle mounting surface 20 of the head 14. The peripheral
tufts 64 with a densified area 68 of bristles 66 are located in areas 70 and 72 at the sides 28 and 29, respectively, of the bristle mounting surface 20 as shown in Fig. 12, and additional areas 74 and 76 of
peripheral tufts 64 with a densified area 68 of bristles 66 are provided at the ends 24 and 26, respectively, in the embodiment of Fig. 13.
While the invention has been described with reference to a
preferred embodiment, it should be understood by those skilled in the
art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be
substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of
the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention
without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that he invention not be limited to the particular
embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out
the invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments
falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A toothbrush, comprising:
a handle;
a head connected to said handle, said head including a bristle
mounting surface having a periphery defining an interior portion;
a plurality of bristles extending from said bristle mounting
surface of said head, said bristles being arranged in an array of tufts along said interior portion of said bristle mounting surface with each
tuft having a number of individual bristles; a support mounted alon at least a portion of said periphery of said bristle mounting surface, said support being effective to resist
deflection of said bristles in a direction toward said periphery of said bristle mounting surface upon engagement with the teeth, gums or
tongue.
2. The toothbrush of claim 1 in which said bristles have a height
dimension measured from said bristle mounting surface of said head,
said support comprising a section of resilient material mounted to
said head and extending substantially continuously along said
periphery of said bristle mounting surface, said section of resilient
material having a height dimension in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of
said height dimension of said bristles.
3. The toothbrush of claim 2 in which said section of resilient
material is rubber.
4. The toothbrush of claim 2 in which said section of resilient material is plastic.
5. The toothbrush of claim 2 in which said section of resilient material comprises a number of individual rubber or plastic rods
oriented side-by-side along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface.
6. The toothbrush of claim 2 in which said section of resilient material comprises a number of tufts each containing individual bristles, said tufts being oriented side-by-side along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface.
7. The toothbrush of claim 1 in which said bristle mounting
surface of said head has a longitudinal axis, a first end connected to
said handle, a second end opposite said first end and first and second
sides located on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis, said support
comprising a section of resilient material located at said periphery of said bristle mounting surface along at least a portion of each of said
first side and said second side thereof.
8. The toothbrush of claim 7 in which said section of resilient
material is rubber.
9. The toothbrush of claim 7 in which said section of resilient material is plastic.
10. The toothbrush of claim 7 in which said section of resilient
material comprises a number of individual rubber or plastic rods oriented side-by-side along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface.
11. The toothbrush of claim 7 in which said section of resilient
material comprises a number of tufts each containing individual
bristles, said tufts being oriented side-by-side along said periphery of
said bristle mounting surface.
12. The toothbrush of claim 7 in which said support further
includes a section of resilient material located at said periphery of said bristle mounting surface along at least a portion of each of said
first and second ends thereof.
13. The toothbrush of claim 12 in which said section of resilient
material is rubber.
14. The toothbrush of claim 12 in which said section of resilient material is plastic.
15. The toothbrush of claim 12 in which said section of resilient
material comprises a number of individual rubber or plastic rods oriented side-by-side along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface.
16. The toothbrush of claim 1 in which said bristles within said
interior portion of said bristle mounting surface have a height
dimension measured from said bristle mounting surface, said
toothbrush further including a series of side-by-side peripheral tufts
located along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface each
including a number of individual bristles, said support being formed
by a stiffening section which extends from said bristle mounting surface along at least a portion of at least some of said peripheral
tufts.
17. The toothbrush of claim 16 in which said stiffening section is a
coating applied to each of said at least some peripheral tufts along a
portion thereof extending from said bristle mounting surface to a
height which is equal to in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of said height dimension of said bristles within said interior portion of said bristle
mounting surface.
18. The toothbrush of claim 16 in which said stiffening section is a sleeve mounted to each of said at least some peripheral tufts along a
portion thereof extending from said bristle mounting surface to a height which is equal to in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of said height
dimension of said bristles within said interior portion of said bristle mounting surface.
19. The toothbrush of claim 16 in which said stiffening section is
an area of densification of bristles within each of said at least some
peripheral tufts extending from said bristle mounting surface to a
height which is in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of said height dimension of said bristles within said interior portion of said
mounting surface, said area of densification within said at least some
peripheral tufts including a larger number of bristles compared to
said tufts within said interior portion of said bristle mounting
surface. l
20. The toothbrush of claim 16 in which each of said peripheral
tufts along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface is provided with a stiffening section.
21. The toothbrush of claim 16 in which said bristle mounting surface of said head has a longitudinal axis, a first end connected to
said handle, a second end opposite said first end and first and second sides located on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis, a number of said peripheral tufts located at said periphery along said first side
and a number of said peripheral tufts located at said periphery along said second side being formed with said stiffening section.
22. The toothbrush of claim 21 in which a number of said
peripheral tufts located at said periphery along said first end, and a
number of such peripheral tufts located at said periphery along said second end, are formed with said stiffening section.
23. A toothbrush, comprising:
a handle;
a head connected to said handle, said head including a bristle
mounting surface having a periphery defining an interior portion;
a plurality of bristles extending from said bristle mounting
surface and having a height dimension measured therefrom, said
bristles being arranged in an array of tufts along said interior portion of said bristle mounting surface with each tuft having a number of individual bristles;
a section of resilient material mounted to said head and
extending along at least a portion of said periphery of said bristle mounting surface, said section of resilient material having a height dimension in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of said height dimension of
said bristles, said section of resilient material being effective to resist deflection of said bristles within said interior surface of said bristle
mounting surface in a direction toward said periphery thereof in
response to engagement with the teeth, gums or tongue.
24. The toothbrush of claim 23 in which said section of resilient
material is rubber.
25. The toothbrush of claim 23 in which said section of resilient
material is plastic.
26. The toothbrush of claim 23 in which said section of resilient
material comprises a number of individual rubber or plastic rods
oriented side-by-side along said periphery of said bristle mounting
surface.
27. The toothbrush of claim 23 in which said section of resilient material comprises a number of tufts each containing individual
bristles, said tufts being oriented side-by-side along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface.
28. The toothbrush of claim 23 in which said bristle mounting
surface of said head has a longitudinal axis, a first end connected to
said handle, a second end opposite said first end and first and second
sides located on opposite sides of such longitudinal axis, said resilient
material being located at said periphery of said bristle mounting
surface along at least a portion of said first side and said second side
thereof.
29. The toothbrush of claim 28 in which said section of resilient
material is located at said periphery of said bristle mounting surface
along at least a portion of said first end and said second end thereof.
30. A toothbrush, comprising:
a handle;
a head connected to said handle, said head including a bristle
mounting surface having a periphery defining an interior portion;
a group of interior tufts, each including a number of bristles,
arranged in an array along said interior portion of said bristle mounting surface, said bristles of said interior tufts each extending from said bristle mounting surface and having a height dimension
measured therefrom; a group of peripheral tufts each including a number of bristles
arranged side-by-side along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface, at least some of said peripheral tufts having a stiffening section which extends from said bristle mounting surface along at least a portion thereof.
31. The toothbrush of claim 30 in which said stiffening section is a
coating applied to each of said at least some peripheral tufts along a
portion thereof extending from said bristle mounting surface to a
height which is equal to in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of said height
dimension of said bristles of said interior tufts.
32. The toothbrush of claim 30 in which said stiffening section is a
sleeve mounted to each of said at least some peripheral tufts along a
portion thereof extending from said bristle mounting surface to a
height which is equal to in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of said height
dimension of said bristles within said interior portion of said bristle
mounting surface.
33. The toothbrush of claim 30 in which said stiffening section is an area of densification of bristles within each of said at least some
peripheral tufts extending from said bristle mounting surface to a height which in the range of about 1/3 to 1/2 of said height dimension of said bristles of said interior tufts, said area of densification within said at least some peripheral tufts including a larger number of
bristles compared to said interior tufts within said interior portion of
said bristle mounting surface.
34. The toothbrush of claim 30 in which each of said peripheral
tufts along said periphery of said bristle mounting surface is provided
with a stiffening section.
35. The toothbrush of claim 30 in which said bristle mounting
surface of said head has a longitudinal axis, a first end connected to
said handle, a second end opposite said first end and first and second
sides located on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis, a number of
said peripheral tufts located at said periphery along said first side
and a number of said peripheral tufts located at said periphery along
said second side being formed with said stiffening section.
36. The toothbrush of claim 36 in which a number of said peripheral tufts located at said periphery along said first end and a
number of said peripheral tufts located at said periphery along said second end are formed with said stiffening section.
PCT/US2001/025937 2000-09-01 2001-08-20 Toothbrush with peripheral support structure WO2002019866A1 (en)

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Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US65388100A 2000-09-01 2000-09-01
US09/653,881 2000-09-01

Publications (1)

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7137163B2 (en) 2002-09-27 2006-11-21 Colgate-Palmolive Company Power toothbrush and power source

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US561995A (en) * 1896-06-16 Tooth-brush
US1022920A (en) * 1911-10-12 1912-04-09 Rufus L Anderson Brush.
US1924152A (en) * 1931-11-02 1933-08-29 David M Coney Toothbrush
GB438858A (en) * 1935-05-24 1935-11-25 Johnson & Johnson Improvements in or relating to tooth brushes
US5802656A (en) * 1995-12-01 1998-09-08 Chesebrough-Pond's Usa Co., Division Of Conopco, Inc. Toothbrush with flexibly mounted bristles

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US561995A (en) * 1896-06-16 Tooth-brush
US1022920A (en) * 1911-10-12 1912-04-09 Rufus L Anderson Brush.
US1924152A (en) * 1931-11-02 1933-08-29 David M Coney Toothbrush
GB438858A (en) * 1935-05-24 1935-11-25 Johnson & Johnson Improvements in or relating to tooth brushes
US5802656A (en) * 1995-12-01 1998-09-08 Chesebrough-Pond's Usa Co., Division Of Conopco, Inc. Toothbrush with flexibly mounted bristles

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7137163B2 (en) 2002-09-27 2006-11-21 Colgate-Palmolive Company Power toothbrush and power source

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