Toothbrush with removable brushing members

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] This invention relates to toothbrushes, and in particular to a toothbrush with removable brushing members.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] Toothbrushes are commonly manufactured including a handle and a brush head where the brush head holds bristles or tufts of bristles suitable for cleaning teeth. Typically, the bristles are moved against the teeth in a sawing motion to remove plaque and other materials. When the bristles wear or become too soft to be able to use for cleaning effectively, the toothbrush is discarded and replaced with a new toothbrush. This practice is wasteful as the bristles typically wear out long before the handle or the brush head of the toothbrush will. U.S. Pat. No. 6,145,152 discloses a toothbrush with a replaceable head construction. In such a toothbrush, the head of the toothbrush can be replaced without replacing the brush handle. Nonetheless, an individual has to purchase a new brush head when only the bristles are wore out.

[0006] In some countries, toothbrushes are not commonly used and other means for dental cleaning are employed. For example, in Saudi Arabia, a piece of soft wood, commonly known as sywack, is used by an individual to clean the teeth. Sywack, also referred to as siwak or sewak, is a soft wood containing fine fibers running along the length of the wood. The user holds a sywack stick in a hand and rubs an end of the stick against the teeth for cleaning the surface of the teeth. Unfortunately, when the sywack stick is used, only the front surface of the front teeth (i.e., the incisors and the canines) can be directly approached by the end of the sywack stick. The side and back teeth (i.e., the bicuspids and the molars) and the inside surface of the front teeth receive less cleaning because of the difficulties in placing the cleaning surface of the sywack stick adjacent to these areas. Accordingly, a solution is needed to allow a user to use sywack in a way that will effectively clean all tooth surfaces of both the front and the back teeth in an individual.

[0007] According to the present invention, a toothbrush with removable brushing members is disclosed. The toothbrush includes a handle, a brush head extending from the handle, and a first brushing member of soft wood. The brush head includes a bottom surface and a body together defining a cavity for receiving the first brushing member. The brush head further includes an anchoring member extending partially around the inside perimeter of the body except at a first end of the inside perimeter of the body. The first brushing member is inserted into the cavity at the first end and is slid along the cavity into the anchoring member. The anchoring member compresses against and bites into the sides of the first brushing member to secure the first brushing member in the cavity. In one embodiment, the toothbrush includes multiple brushing members.

[0008] In one embodiment, the brushing members are stubs made of siwak sticks. A siwak stick can be cut into stubs of a desired height and assembled into the toothbrush of the present invention so that effective dental cleaning can be carried out using siwak.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush with removable brushing members according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a side view of the toothbrush of FIG. 1.

[0011] FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the brush head of the toothbrush of FIG. 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the brush head of the toothbrush of FIG. 3 including a brushing member according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] FIGS. 5a-5iillustrate the process of assembling the brushing members in the brush head of FIG. 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] FIGS. 6a-6iis a top view of the toothbrush of the present invention illustrating the process of loading up to three pieces of sywack stubs into the brush head of the toothbrush.

[0015] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a toothbrush with removable brushing members according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 8 is a top view of the toothbrush of FIG. 7.

[0017] FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of a brushing member used in the toothbrush of FIG. 7.

[0018] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the brush head of FIG. 7 including a brushing member according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the brush head of FIG. 7 including a brushing member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIGS 12a-12care perspective views of a toothbrush with removable brushing members and a hinged bar as looking member according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of the brush head of a toothbrush including a concave bottom surface according to one embodiment of to present invention.

[0022] While certain embodiments of this invention will be described, it should be understood that this description is illustrative only and not limiting. Other embodiments of this invention will be obvious in view of the following disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush 10 with removable brushing members according to one embodiment of the present invention. In accordance with the present invention, fully assembled toothbrush 10 includes removable and disposable brushing members 16a-16cwhich are inserted into the toothbrush during assembly. The brushing members are replaced when the bristles of the brushing members become worn out or too soft for effective cleaning. In this manner, the useful life of toothbrush 10 can be extended to provide a cost effective toothbrush.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, toothbrush 10 includes a handle 12 and a brush head 14 extending from handler 12. Brush head 14 includes an elongated cavity for securing one or more brushing members in the cavity. The cavity can be provided with different dimensions for receiving brushing members having different diameters. In the present embodiment, the cavity has a width suitable for accommodating one brushing members and a length suitable for accommodating three brushing members 16a-16cand a locking member 16d, arranged linearly along the length of the cavity of brush head 14. In the present embodiment, locking member 16dis used to hold brushing members 16a-16caffixed in cavity 20 and locking member 16dhas a height shorter than brushing members 16a-16c. Of course, in other embodiments, locking member 16dcan have the same height as the brushing members and thus, locking member 16dalso functions as a brushing member. FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of toothbrush 10 illustrating the relative height of brushing members 16a-16cto locking member 16din the present embodiment. The distal ends of brushing members 16a-16care the cleaning surfaces for used in brushing against the teeth of a user.

[0025] Brushing members 16a-16care typically cylindrical in shape and can be made of any material that is soft and suitable for brushing against the teeth. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, brushing members 16a-16care made of the soft wood sywack (also called siwak). Sywack or siwak is preferable as it is a natural material and is low cost. Sywack has been known to be effective for cleaning teeth as sywack contains fine fibers which fibers can be softened when wet. Furthermore, sywack contains a powder which is also known to be effective in teeth cleaning and in promoting healthy gum. In another embodiment, the brushing members can be made of bristles of nylon filaments, as will be described in more detail below.

[0026] In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention, a piece of sywack is cut into stubs having substantially equal height. The sywack stubs are inserted into brush head 14 to assemble toothbrush 10. Often, the bark or shell of the sywack stubs near the distal end of the stubs is shaved to expose the fibers. The process of assembling toothbrush 10 will be described in more detail below. Brushing members 16a-16ccan have any desirable height and in the present embodiment, the height of the brushing members is approximately 12 mm. The height of the locking member can be approximately 5 mm. When sywack is used as the brushing members, the diameter of a sywack is typically 5-10 mm. Of course, brush head 14 can be designed to accommodate brushing members having different diameters.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of brush head 14 of toothbrush 10 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 3, brush head 14 is shown without any brushing members to illustrate the construction of the brush head in the present embodiment. Brush head 14 includes a body 18 and a bottom surface 19 defining a cavity 20 for accommodating one or more brushing members. In the present embodiment, brushing members 16a-16care placed in cavity 20 against bottom surface 19 and are secured in the cavity of brush head 14 by a flange 22 formed around the inside perimeter of body 18, except at an opening 24 at the base of brush head 14. In accordance with the present embodiment, flange 22, functioning as an anchoring member, engages the outside surfaces of the brushing members, thereby anchoring and securing the brushing members in place. Specifically, when the brushing members are made of sywack, flange 22 presses against the sides of the sywack stubs to secure the sywack stubs in cavity 20. Opening 24 in brush head 14 is provided for inserting the brushing members before the brushing members are pushed towards flange 22 during the assembly process, as will be described in more detail below.

[0028] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of brush head 14 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, flange 22, disposed around the inside perimeter of body 18, is provided with sufficient amount of protrusion such that flange 22 can bite into a brushing member 16 for securing the brushing member in the cavity. Typically, flange 22 is formed as a sharp notch or a sharp protrusion and is placed near the middle point along the height of body 18. Of course, the shape of flange 22 is not critical as long as it provides sufficient compressive force for anchoring the brushing members in place. In the present embodiment, flange 22 is used as the anchoring member to anchor the brushing members in cavity 20. However, one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that other anchoring mechanisms can be used for anchoring brushing members in the cavity of the brush head of the toothbrush of the present invention. For example, a spring-loaded mechanism around the inside perimeter of the brush head can be used to anchor the brushing members.

[0029] Handle 12 and brush head 14 of toothbrush 10 can be made of the same material or can be made of different materials. Typically, handle 12 and brush head 14 are made of a very hard wood or a conventional plastic material suitable for use in toothbrushes. When brush head 14 is made of wood, flange 22 can be formed in body 18. When brush head 14 is made of plastic, flange 22 can be formed using an injection molding process. Flange 22 needs to be made with a material rigid enough to press against the brushing members so as to secure the brushing members in place.

[0030] The process of assembling toothbrush 10 of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 5ato 5iand FIGS. 6ato 6i. FIGS. 5ato 5iillustrate the process of assembling the brushing members in brush head 14 of FIG. 3 according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 6ato 6iillustrate the same process from a top view of toothbrush 10. As described above, when sywack stubs are used in toothbrush 10 of the present invention, in preparing the brushing members for assembly, the bark or shell of the sywack stubs at the distal ends of the stubs is often shaved to expose the fibers of the sywack stubs.

[0031] Beginning with FIG. 5a,a user inserts the first brushing member (denoted member 16a) into cavity 20 of brush head 14 at opening 24. Because opening 24 is clear of any protrusion limiting the width of the opening, brushing member 16acan be easily inserted into cavity 20. Then, the user slides brushing member 16adown towards the top of cavity 20, allowing flange 22 to bite into the sides of brushing member 16a(FIG. 5b). The first brushing member is in place when it is slid to the top end of cavity 20 (FIG. 5c). Then, the user inserts a second brushing member (member 16b) at opening 24 as shown in FIG. 5d.Again, the user slides brushing member 16btowards the top end of cavity 20 (FIG. 5e) until the second brushing member is adjacent the first brushing member (FIG. 5f). Finally, the user inserts the last brushing member (member 16c) into opening 24 (FIG. 5g) and slides brushing member 16ctowards the second brushing member 16b(FIG. 5h). In the present embodiment, brush head 14 is designed to accommodate three brushing members. Of course, the length of brush head 14 can be adjusted accordingly to accommodate any number of brushing members. Typically, one to three brushing members are desirable.

[0032] After all of the brushing members are in place, a locking member 16dis inserted into opening 24 to hold brushing members 16a-16cin place. In this manner, brushing members 16a-16care secured in place and will not move when toothbrush 10 is used for cleaning teeth. In the present embodiment, locking member 16dis made of the same material as brushing members 16a-16cbut is made with a shorter height than the brushing members. For example, when brushing members 16a-16care sywack stubs, locking member 16dcan be a sywack stub having reduced height. In an alternate embodiment, locking member 16dcan have the same height as the brushing members and thus also functions as a brushing member.

[0033] When assembled as shown in FIGS. 5iand 6i, toothbrush 10 can then be used to clean the teeth of a user as in a conventional fashion. The user holds onto handle 12 and place the cleaning surfaces (the distal ends) of brushing members 16a-16cadjacent the surface of the teeth. By applying a sawing motion, toothbrush 10 can be used to clean all exposed surfaces of the teeth effectively, including the inside surface of the teeth and the top surface of the molars.

[0034] The toothbrush of the present invention is particularly useful in Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt where sywack are traditionally used for teeth cleaning. By using sywack stubs as the brushing members, the toothbrush of the present invention preserves the traditional cleaning materials used in those countries while giving the users the ability to clean all surfaces of all teeth effectively. Thus, a user may use the toothbrush of the present invention assembled with sywack stubs as brushing members to clean the front and back surfaces of the front, side and back teeth (i.e., the incisors, the canines, the bicuspids and the molars). Furthermore, using the toothbrush of the present invention, the user can also apply the cleaning surfaces of the sywack stubs to the top surfaces of the molars for effectively cleaning of all surfaces of all teeth.

[0035] In typical applications, after assembly of the sywack stubs in toothbrush 10, toothbrush 10 can be immersed in water for about five minutes to rewet the sywack stubs. The rewetting process is particularly useful when the sywack stubs are made from dried sywack stick. The rewetting process makes the fibers in the sywack stubs tender and more flexible for the purpose of teeth cleaning.

[0036] In the present embodiment, toothbrush 10 uses a locking member 16dto hold brushing members 16a-16caffixed in cavity 20. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a hinged bar or a brace or other locking mechanism can be used to retain the brushing members in plane. For example, a hinged bar 26 can be placed at the base of cavity 20 and is forced down in place against the last brushing members in cavity 20, as shown in FIGS. 12a-12c.Alternately, a brace can be used to retain the brushing members in place. One of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate that a number of locking mechanisms can be used to secure the brushing members in toothbrush 10 of the present invention. In one embodiment, toothbrush 10 can be made with only one brushing member and without a locking member. The brushing member can be held in place by the flange in the brush head or by other suitable locking mechanism.

[0037] FIGS. 7-10 illustrate another embodiment of the present invention where the brushing members are made of nylon filaments. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of toothbrush 30 including removable brushing members 36ato 36cwhile FIG. 8 is a top view of toothbrush 30. Brushing member 36 represents any one of brushing members 36ato 36cand includes a base 38 and multiple bristle tufts 37 extending from base 38. The bristle tufts are typically made of nylon filaments or other conventional material used in making bristles for toothbrushes. Toothbrush 30 may include one or more brushing members. In toothbrush 30, a locking member 39 is included for holding brushing members 36ato 36caffixed in the cavity of brush head 34. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, locking member 39 can be made of the same material and can be of the same size as base 38 of brushing member 36.

[0038] FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view of brushing member 36 used in toothbrush 30 of FIG. 7. In the present embodiment, brushing member 36 is shown as including a square of 36 tufts of nylon filament bristles. The tufts are spaced apart at a suitable distance to provide effective cleaning capability. Base 38 of brushing member 36 can be made in wood or plastic or other conventional material rigid enough to secure bristle tufts 37. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, base 38 includes a groove 40 for engaging the anchoring member, such as a flange, around the perimeter of brush head 34. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of brush head 34 including a brushing member 36. Groove 40 of base 38 is disposed to engage flange 42 of brush head 34 for anchoring brushing member 36 in place.

[0039] FIG. 11 illustrates another embodiment a toothbrush of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, brushing member 46 is similar in construction to brushing member 36 and includes multiple bristle tufts 47 and a base 48. However, in the present embodiment, base 48 of brushing member 46 includes a protusion or a flange 49 along the sides of the base which is provided to engage with a groove 50 provided in brush head of the toothbrush. In this manner, brushing member 46 can be anchored in place by fitting flange 49 into groove 50 of the brush head.

[0040] In the present embodiment, toothbrush 30 uses locking member 39 for holding brushing members 36a-36cin place. In other embodiments, locking member 39 is not needed and brush head 34 can include other means for locking the brushing members in place. In an alternate embodiment, a spring loaded notch is provided at the base of brush head 34. The brushing members are snapped in place by being forced downward into the cavity 20 through the notch. In yet another alternate embodiment, a resilient metal lever can be provided at the base of brush head 34 and the brushing members are snapped into the cavity of the brush head, after which the metal lever springs back in shape, holding the brushing members affixed in the cavity of the brush head.

[0041] The above detailed descriptions are provided to illustrate specific embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to be limiting. Numerous modifications and variations within the scope of the present invention are possible. For example, the bottom surface of the brush head can be shaped suitably, such as curved in a concave shape as shown in FIG. 13, for securing the brushing members. The present invention is defined by the appended claims.