Disposable toothbrush

Feb. 1, 1966

C. F. CONDER

DISPOSABLE TOOTHBRUSH Filed Feb. 6, 1964

3,231,925

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United States Patent Office

3,231,925

Patented Feb. 1, 1966

3.231 925 DISPOSABLE TOOTHBRUSH Christy F. Conder, Perry, Ohio, assignor of one-third each to Joseph Leclair and Ronald Conder, both of Cleve1 ΟιΙΓΐίϊ ίΎίιίηι

Filed Feb. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 342,950

Claims. (Cl. 15—605)

The present invention relates in general to toothbrushes and more particularly to such devices which can be disposed of after use.

The primary object of the present invention is to make available to the general public an inexpensive disposable toothbrush without a handle that can be placed entirely in the mouth and moved around the various parts of the mouth by the movement of the tongue, the cheeks, the facial muscles and the muscles of mastication.

Another object of the present invention is to make available to the public at relatively low cost a highly satisfactory and convenient device for brushing the teeth which can be carried in the pocket or purse or which can be found on sale in public washrooms and other places through the medium of vending machines. ·

Another object of the present invention is to promote sanitation by the provision of a toothbrushing device so fabricated and so inexpensive that it can and should be used for one brushing only and disposed of without creating the feeling of extravagance, thereby promoting proper hygiene.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a means which is available at most any time to the individual for practicing proper oral hygiene insofar as toothbrushing and gum massaging are concerned.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a disposable toothbrush which can conveniently accomplish the function of cleaning the teeth, massaging the gums, cleaning of fixed orthodontic appliances, refreshing the mouth after smoking or eating, cleaning dentures without removing the same, and to stimulate secretion of palatal glands in people wearing false teeth.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of this invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a. side elevational view of the disposable toothbrush of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view taken generally along the lines 2—2 of FIGURES 1; and,

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view taken along the line 3—3 of FIGURE 1.

The disposable toothbrush of the present invention is shown in FIGURES 1 through 3 and is indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The toothbrush as will be noted is without a handle and is designed to be used, or in other words, to be operable only upon complete insertion into the user’s mouth. The toothbrush which is shown includes in combination in the preferred embodiment a generally spherical core 12 and extending from this core are a plurality of individual bristles 14 which are formed integral with the spherical core and which extend outwardly therefrom on numerous axes, each of which substantially intersect the center of the spherical core. In other words, in the preferred embodiment of the invention the axes of each of the bristles extends through the center of the sphere as can best be visualized by viewing FIGURE 2. Each of the bristles in the preferred embodiment is spaced from an adjacent bristle on the order of 45 degrees and also each of the bristles is of a length which is substantially equal to the the diameter of the spherical core. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the core is generally spheri10 cal or round, however, it would be possible to approach this configuration without having a core which is actually technically spherical, without departing from the spirit of the invention. In this embodiment, 26 bristles have been illustrated on the core.

Each of the bristles 14 is generally conical in shape and tapers to a point or point portion -17 at its outer portion from the base 20 which is located at the intersection of the bristle with the spherical core. The integral spherical core and bristles are preferably molded together and are formed of a resiliently yieldable plastic material whereby the bristles 14 in accomplishing their intended function are strong enough to penetrate the embrasures between the teeth and yet are soft enough not to cause tissue damage to the gums of the user. The entire assembly is preferably molded from a material such as polyethylene or polystyrene plastic or. similar non-toxic material. The drawing of FIGURES 1 through 3 has been drawn approximately eight times the scale of the preferred commercial embodiment of the device.

FIGURE 2 by way of a dot-dash line 23 serves to illustrate that the commercial embodiment of the disposable toothbrush vzill be coated with a dentifrice material to promote the cleansing of the teeth and maintain a high level of health for the oral cavity. This dentifrice material may comprise material such as chlorophyl-like substances, soluble-like substances, abrasive-like substances, caries-retarding-like substances, calculus-retarding-like substances, and other materials deemed useful in the promotion of oral hygiene. These materials in the normal sense will hydrate upon contact with natural mouth fluids and disperse themselves throughout the oral cavity.

In the preferred commercial form, the disposable toothbrush illustrated herein would carry the dentifrice material thereon properly packaged and all that need be done in order to utilize the device would be to unpackage the same and place it in the mouth. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that although a thin layer of dentifrice 23 has been illustrated, it may assume many forms as applied to the toothbrush. The brush would then be moved about in the mouth by means of the tongue, cheeks and other facial muscles with the bristles penetrating the embrasures between the teeth. By this means the brush will clean the various surfaces of the teeth and during the process of so cleaning the teeth the gingival and supporting area tissues will also be stimulated to increase their resiliency and health. After the toothbrush has been utilized, it can be simply disposed of. It will also be appreciated that the present device might be utilized in its present form without necessarily utilizing the dentifrice material. It will be appreciated from the discussion given hereinabove that the objects as set forth hereinabove are conveniently carried ⁵ out.

Although this invention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred form has been made only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.