Automatic toothbrush paste feeder

May 14, 1935. h. _A appel et al 2,000,910

AUTOMATIC TOOTHBRUSH PASTE FEEDER Filed Nov. 14, 1933

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Patented May 14, 1935

2,000,910

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE

2,000,910

AUTOMATIC TOOTHBRUSH PASTE FEEDER Harry A. Appel, New York, and Emile Le Blanc, Woodside, N. Y.

Application November 14, 1933, Serial No. 697,882

Claims.

This invention relates to devices for feeding materials, and has particular reference to devices used for cleaning or similar operations, and particularly to brushes such as tooth brushes.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of the character described having improved means for feeding a material or paste to the operating head or bristles of a brush, and preferably to the free ends of the bristles; improved 10 means for distributing said material; improved means ’’hr actuating said distributor mechanically or manually; improved means to cause a measuring of the material discharged; improved means to cause the material to be discharged along a 15 small portion of the path of movement of the carrier for the material; improved hydraulic means for actuating said carrier; an improved pump combination for the purpose set forth; improved means to feed the material into one of 3 the pumps; improved means to cause one of the pumps to be filled before the other pump; improved means for acting in conjunction with a refill tube; an improved unitary arrangement of the pumps and the handle of the device.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the type mentioned having relatively few and simple parts, and which is inexpensive to manufacture and assemble, durable, reliable, and efficient in use, and neat and compact in 33 appearance.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the inven35 tion consists in the novel combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, and illustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the 43 same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section .of a device embodying the invention with certain ele⁴³ ments projected.

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a filling position of the device, with a filling means in dot dash lines.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse cross section ⁵⁰ taken on line 3—3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a side view of a removable refill tube.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the refill tube in the device.

The advantages of the invention as here out^5j lined are best realized when all of its features and (Cl. 15—137) instrumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, that the same 5 may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merely as showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 10 denotes 10 a device embodying the invention, and which may for illustrative purposes be shown as being in the nature of a toothbrush having a cleaning or bristle portion 11, or other operating means which may be mounted on a support or handle 12 15 of which the part 13 with the bristles II may be termed the head.

The handle 12 may have a primary pressure means or pump 14 having cylinder IS provided with a closure 16 threaded to the handle at 17 20 at the free end of the handle. Located in the cylinder is a piston 18 of rubber, leather, or other composition or collapsible material. A tubular rod 19 extends slidably through the closure at the opening 20 thereof, and through the piston 25 18 which is affixed thereto, so that the passage 21 of said rod extends continuously from the forward face of the piston to the rear end of the rod. At the latter end, the rod 19 may have engagement means such as a head 22 provided with 30 a suitably tapered internal thread 23 for connection with different sizes of necks 24 of collapsible tubes such as 25. To close the passage 21, a plug 26 may be provided having a knurled head 27, a conoidal· portion 28 freely receivable in the 35 threaded portion 23, and an end projection 29 that may be threadedly engaged in the adjacent ' end of the passage 21.

The opening of discharge of the cylinder is at 30, at the rear end portion of the cylinder 15, ⁴⁰and the closure 16 may include a plug portion 31 extending into the cylinder into relative proximity to said opening 30. The piston 18 may be rearwardly concaved so as to tend to embrace the portion 31 for assuring complete discharge through the opening 30 of any material in the cylinder. The primary function of the collapsible or concaved arrangement of the piston is to permit it to collapse rearward when the piston 50 is driven forward after the cylinder has been filled with material ahead of the piston in the fully retracted position of the latter shown in Fig. 2. When the piston is so driven forward, the material in the cylinder passes to the rear of 55

2,000,010 the piston and may be expelled through the opening 30 upon retraction of the piston.

The handle or support 12 may also include a secondary reciprocatory pump 32 which may 5 extend alongside of the pump 14, and which may have a cylinder 33 communicating with the cylinder IS through the opening 30. In the cylinder is a piston element or transverse movable wall 34 to which may be connected a carrier or 10 tubular piston rod 35 slidably fitted in the cylinder 33. To limit projection and retraction of the member 35, the latter may have a longitudinal recess 36 extending in spaced relation to the ends of the member and receiving a pin 37 fixed in a 15 wall of the cylinder 33. It is intended that the member 36 shall have communication with the cylinder 33 only during a small part of the path of movement of the member to discharge material from the cylinder 33 only at a predetermined 20 region and also to afford a measuring of the material. Hence the wall 38 of the cylinder 33 may have a longitudinal recess 39 adapted to communicate with the passage 40 of the member 35, through a lateral opening 41 of said member, 25 when the latter is projected. At its remote forward end the member 35 has a lateral opening 42 for communication with the passage 40 and the head or bristles, and a finger piece 43 may be provided at said end. The general arrange30 ment and construction is that the member 35 shall be movable along a predetermined path for feeding a material to the bristles or for distributing a material thereon along the bristles.

It will be noted that the opening 30 operates 35 as a restriction, being smaller than the area of the cylinder 33, so that cylinder 15 may be filled before the cylinder 33, and that the recess 39 and the opening 41 also operate as a restriction so that the primary pressure in the cylin40 der 33 is used to actuate the piston 34. The opening portion 42 may be in direct contact with the free ends qf the row of bristles, or in slightly spaced relation thereto as may be preferred.

denotes a refill tube and 45 denotes a de.- vice having such refill tube removably positioned therein. The refill tube 44 may be cylindrical, and may have a series of lateral openings angularly spaced along a plane perpendicular to the axis of said tube. Just beyond this circular se_{r )} ries of openings, the refill tube may be con^v strlcted at 47 to provide an annular internal shoulder, and the tube may have a portion 48 flared therefrom toward the open end 49 of the tube. The refill tube may contain any desired ₅- material to be supplied to the bristles and may ^J. be suitably enclosed or wrapped for sale in any suitable manner not shown, to reliably retain the contents thereof.

In the device 45, the refill tube is shown as_co sembled in the device 10. The refill tube is snugly removably received in the cylinder 15, with its closed end 50 in abutment with the corresponding end of the cylinder, and one or more of the openings 46 in close communication with 05 the opening 30. To prevent any material from entering between the refill tube and the internal surface of the cylinder 15, the flared portion 48 receives the tapered plug 31 so that as the closure 16 is screwed home, said plug acts expansive70 ly on the flared portion, tightly closing the refill tube and pressing the flared portion into intimate contact with the wall of the cylinder 15. The piston 18 may have been readily inserted into the refill tube despite the smaller internal diame75 ter thereof and the shoulder 47, by reason of the resilience or collapsibility of the piston. The arrangement of the piston 18 is such that it may be used to engage the shoulder portion 47 to retract and withdraw the refill tube after the closure 16 is disconnected. In the position of max- 5 imum retraction of the piston, the same may wholly or partially pass the openings 48, so that the latter may communicate with the Interior of the refill tube ahead of the piston, and in any event, the entire contents of the refill tube can 10 be ejected.

The manner of using the invention will now be described. With the device 10 in the position shown in Fig. 2, both pistons 18 and 34 being fully retracted, the closure 26 is removed and the col- 15 lapsible tube 25 connected to the tubular piston rod i8. Then the collapsible tube is compressed to discharge the contents thereof through the piston rod 19 into the cylinder 15 in advance of the piston head 18. Meantime, a portion of the 20 material so discharged flows from the cylinder 15 through the opening 30 into the cylinder 33 and causes the piston 34 and hence the tubular carrier 35 to be slowly advanced, but the restriction of the opening 30 prevents any substantial 25 advance until the cylinder 15 is full, when the full pressure exerted by the collapsible tube 25 is available for causing the piston 34 to rapidly advance. During this time the passage 40 is out of communication with the cylinder 33 so that 30 the full pressure acts on the piston 34. Hence when the member 35 is substantially advanced, the operator knows that the cylinder 33 is practically full and thus the member 35 operates as an Indicator for this purpose. The collapsible 35 tube 25 may now be disconnected and the closure 26 replaced. Now the piston is forced forward by means of the element 19, causing the material in the cylinder to collapse the piston 18 and to flow past the same so that all the material is now at the 40 rear side of the piston 18. This operation, however, will not create pressure on the material in the cylinder 33, because as soon as the piston passes the opening 30, the pressure in cylinder 15 is wholly in advance of said opening. 45

If now it be desired to deposit material on the bristles II, the piston 18 is retracted by exerting a pull on the member 19, forcing additional material through the opening 38 into the cylinder 33 to actuate piston 34 for further projecting the 50 carrier 35. When the opening 41 of the latter comes into communication with the recess 39, material may flow from the cylinder 33 into the passage 40, but such flow may be substantially restricted by the smallness in size of the opening 55 41 or of the recess 39 or both, so that all available pressure acts on the piston 34 to cause the device to assume the position shown in Fig. 1. Now, further projection being prevented by the stop pin 37, the pressure causes the material to flow 60 through 39, 41, and 40 and out through the opening 42 to deposit a desired quantity of material on the farther end of the row of bristles 42. If now the piston 18 is retracted by exerting a push on the member 19, a suction is transmitted to the 65 piston 34 causing retraction thereof and hence of the carrier 35. But this suction is insufficient to withdraw back into the carrier passage 40 the material deposited on the bristles, owing to the viscosity of the material and the resistance to 70 flow at 39, 41 and 40. The movement of retraction of the carrier will, however, cause the same to spread or distribute along the bristles the material discharged thereon.

By this invention it is possible to discharge ^5

9,00 a measured or predetermined quantity of material along the bristles without any wastage. Thus, instead of retracting the piston 18, as aforesaid, the finger piece 43 may be actuated to press the 5 piston 34 leftward, whereby material in the cylinder 33 will be expressed through the openings 38 and 41 to be discharged at 42 on the bristles in direct proportion to the movement of the carrier. Such expression can be controlled by the sizes of 10 the various passages and openings and will occur until the opening 41 passes out of communication with the recess 39. The recess 39 may be substantially equal in length with the row of bristles II, and hence the device automatically 15 determines not only the quantity of material discharged but also the path over which the discharge shall occur. The pump unit 14 and passage 30 may offer the requisite resistance to permit this operation by manual actuation of the 20 member 35. Of course, as soon as opening 41 passes the recess 39, further actuation of the carrier 3S will not cause any discharge.

For using a refill tube, the closure 16 is removed and the refill tube inserted into the cyl25 inder 15, whereupon the piston 18 is inserted into the refill tube and the unitary closure IS applied as hereinbefore described. The manner of supplying to the bristles 11 material from the refill tube may now be the same as above described.

The refill tube can be recharged from a collapsible tube, but if it is to be replaced, the closure 16 is disconnected and the member 19 pulled outward whereupon the piston 18 engages the shoulder 41 for withdrawing the refill tube, after which the 55 piston can be sprung out of the refill tube, and another full refill tube inserted into the cylinder 15 as set forth.

It will be apparent that all kinds of liquids, viscous fluids, plastic materials and even pow10 dered solids may be used in the device, and that the invention may be employed with cleaning, polishing, painting, and generally, with all devices where a material is to be supplied at a desired point or path. The device can be construct5 ed of metal, hard or soft, composition materials, and the like as may be preferred.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the device as shown in the drawing, and that the same is sub0 mitted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the following claims.