Toothbrush with a divided pivotable brush

Nov. 7, 1967 H. makowsky 3,350,737

TOOTHBRUSH WITH A DIVIDED PIVOTABLE BRUSH

Filed May 12, 1967 ₂ Sheets-Sheet 1

Fig.1 Fig. 2

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Inventon

Herbert HIAKoW-TAr)·'

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Arm

Nov. 7, 1967 h. makowsky 3,350,737

TOOTHBRUSH WITH A DIVIDED PIVOTABLE BRUSH

Filed May 12, 1967

Sheets-Sheet 3

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Fig.6

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inventor

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ATT

United States Patent Office

3,350,737

Patented Nov. 7, 1967

350 737 TOOTHBRUSH WITH A DIVIDED PIVOTABLE BRUSH Herbert Makowsky, 25 Wieiandstrasse, Bremen, Germany Filed May 12,1967, Ser. No. 638,023 Claims priority, application Germany, May 18,1966, M 55,215, M 69,537 4 Claims. (Cl. 15—172) bearing recesses for the reception of the headed squaresection studs. The slider can likewise be readily produced in one operation together with the forwardly projecting two-sided rack for engagement in the toothed segments at 5 the adjacent inner ends of the two bristle holders. These parts are thus appropriately designed and constructed for mass production.

Conveniently the slider may be formed with undercut flanges for slidably embracing bevel cut edges on the Iq handle.

This latter feature likewise contributes towards a general simplification and reduction of the· cost of production of the several parts of the toothbrush and at the same time it permits the parts of the toothbrush to be quickly and 15 easily assembled. The slider needs merely be slidably pushed onto the handle on which it is held by the cooperation of the undercut flanges with the bevel cut edges. The bristle holders can then be thrust through the throats of the dovetail entry ends of the bearing recesses, the dove20 tail ends resiliently yielding and then embracing the studs to retain them in the recesses. The square section studs are thus resiliently gripped and permit a snap action rotation of the bristle carriers through angles of 90°. When the two bristle, holders have been mounted on the end of the 25 handle their toothed segments are simultaneously engaged by the two-sided rack of the slider and are thus coupled for rotation in contrary directions between two relatively perpendicular end positions. When the bristle holders have been mounted and are in mesh with the two-sided rack 30 they simultaneously hold the slider on the handle so that it can be slidably operated to control the positions of the two bristle holders.

According to another useful feature of the invention the front face of the slider is formed with groovings or flutings 35 to facilitate operation of the slider with the thumb.

The proposed toothbrush is convenient to handle. The required position of the bristle holders can be easily selected by pushing the slider up or down with the thumb. The bristle holders can thus be set to form an arched 40 brush extending crosswise of the handle or a twin brush extending in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the handle, according to whether the outside or the inside of the teeth is to be cleaned. The snap action due to the square-section studs being resiliently gripped between the _ sides of the bearing recesses ensures that the brush is reliably and firmly retained in either of its two end positions and will continue to be so retained even after prolonged use. The two bristle holders can be controlled with one hand.

^A P^ref^erred embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevational view of a toothbrush according to the invention;

.^FI&lt;? ^{2 is a} front view of the toothbrush seen in the direction of the arrow A in FIG. 1, the right-hand bristle holder being not shown;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view, on a larger scale, of part of θθ one of the bristle holders;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear view of the bristle holder shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a front view, on a larger scale, of the upper end of the slider, the cross section of the slider being likewise indicated;

FIG. 7 is a front view, on a larger scale, of the upper end of the handle., the cross section of this end of the handle being also indicated, and

FIG. 8 is a side view of the handle end shown in FIG. 7.

^ito reference to the drawings, a toothbrush according to the invention comprises two curved bristle holders 19 each provided with bristles 18, the two bristle holders toABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A toothbrush in which the brush is divided into two sections each mounted on a curved bristle holder, the said holders having their inner ends pivotally mounted on the outer end of a handle. The inner ends of the bristle holders are inter-engaged in such a manner that the holders are pivoted in a symmetrical and simultaneous movement. More specifically, the inner ends of the bristle holders have square-section studs pivotally mounted in two bearing recesses with dovetail entries for the resilient reception therein of the two square-section studs in such a manner as to produce a 90° snap action movement, in contrary directions, of the two bristle holders.

This invention relates to a toothbrush in which the brush is divided into two curved bristle holders having their adjacent inner ends pivotably mounted on the forward end of a handle and adapted to be deflected in relation to the handle through the intermediary of a slider.

Toothbrushes of this kind are well known in the art. While the known toothbrushes serve their intended purposes within certain inherent limitations, they have several disadvantages. To eliminate said disadvantages it is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush, of the afore-mentioned kind which is simple in construction, easy to operate, suitable for manufacture as a mass produced article and which will effectively and efficiently perform the purposes for which it is intended.

Another object of the invention is to improve the reliability of such toothbrush in use and operation.

The toothbrush according to tiie present invention is characterized by the following combination of features:

(a) Each bristle holder is formed at its end adjacent the other bristle holder with a toothed segment and on its back, which carries no bristles, with a headed squaresection stud, (b) The handle is formed at its forward end, carrying the bristle, holders, with two bearing recesses with dovetailed entries for the resilient reception therein of the two headed square-section studs, (c) The slider is positively slidably mounted on the handle and formed with a forwardly projecting two-sided rack for. engaging in the toothed segments of both bristle holders in such a manner that sliding displacement of the slider on the handle produces a 90° snap action deflection in contrary directions of the two bristle holders by virtue of the headed square-section studs being forced to rotate between the resiliently yielding sides of the bearing recesses.

The combination of the above-specified features permits a toothbrush with deflectable bristle holders to be mass produced in an economical and simple manner.

The two bristle holders can be produced together with the headed square-section headed studs as integral injection mouldings. The toothed segment at the end of each bristle holder can be conveniently formed on the bristle holders during the moulding process.

Similarly the handle can be integrally produced and shaped in one operation with the required dovetail-ended

3,350,737 ³ gether constituting one brush. The back of each bristle holder 19 is integrally formed with a square section stud 20 with a retaining head 21, whereas the adjacent inner ends of the bristle holders are each constructed in the form of a toothed segment 22. As can be seen from FIG. 5 7, the toothbrush has a handle 10 with bevel cut edges 11 to provide a slideway for a slider 12 shown in FIG. 6. The handle 10 may consist of any suitable elastic material, for instance of a chromised light metal. As shown in FIG. 7, the end of the handle 10 which carries the jq bristle holders 19 is formed with two side by side recesses 15 with dovetailed entries 16 in the forward end 17 of the handle 10. The back of the handle 10 is formed with an elevated longitudinal rib 10α having indentations 10aj in both longitudinal sides. 15

In cross section the slider 12 has undercut flanges 13 shown in FIG. 6 and adapted slidably to embrace the bevel cut edges 11 of the handle 10. Moreover, at its forward end facing the bristle holders 19 the slider 12 is formed with a two-sided rack 14. The slider 12 can be 20 mounted on the handle 10 by sliding it on from the tapered back end of the handle 10.

The square-section studs 20 of the bristle holders 19 are pushed into the dovetailed entries 16 of the recesses 15 in the forward end 17 of the handle 10 and are re- 25 siliently pivotably received into the recesses 15 and retained therein by the undercut of the dovetailed entries 16. The toothed segments 22 of the two bristle holders 19 mesh with the two-sided rack 14. Thus it is ensured that the slider 12 is slidable on the handle 10 but at the same 30 time undetachably mounted. The toothed segments 22 mesh with the two-sided rack 14. By the slidable displacement of the slider 12 the bristle holders 19 can thus be deflected contrariwise through angles of 90° from positions crosswise of the handle 10 into positions in which 35 they are parallel and in alignment with the handle, the square section of the studs 20 working in the resilient bearing recesses 15 generating a snap action movement.

For the convenient handling of the toothbrush as proposed by the invention the front face of the slider 12 is ⁴⁰provided with a profiling 23 to provide grip for operating the slider with the thumb, and the back of the handle is formed with the elevated longitudinal rib 10α which lies comfortably in the palm of the hand. The described toothbrush permits the insides and outsides of the teeth to be ⁴⁵very effectively and easily cleaned by moving the brush up and down.

In a simplified embodiment of the invention the twosided rack 14 and a special actuating element for the bristle holders 19 can be dispensed with. Instead, the two ⁵θ toothed segments 22 of the bristle holders 19 may be arranged directly to mesh in such a manner that the manual deflection of one of the bristle holders by hand will simultaneously rotate the other bristle holder symmetrically thereto because of the interengagement of the two toothed segments 22. A toothbrush of the latter form of construction is also economically producible by mass production methods.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential character4 istics thereof. The present embodiment is therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein. For instance, alternative actuating means for the bristle holders 19 may be provided in place of the two-sided rack 14 and the co-operating toothed segments 22 for operating the two bristle holders 19 in the manner required.