US 2002/0116775 A1 · Automatic power-driven toothbrushes

Abstract

The present invention discloses the present invention discloses a power toothbrush that includes a body portion 105. An elongated level arm 102 extends from one end of the body portion to a toothbrush head 101 disposed at a distal end of the toothbrush. The toothbrush head includes a plurality of brush bristles. The elongated lever arm 102 is mounted on an vibrating pivot 104 driven by rotational DC motor engaging and pushing a set of permanent magnets attached to a two-arm fork rotating along the lever arm 102. In a preferred embodiment, the DC motor drives a three-leg permanent magnets each disposed at a 120-degree phase from each other for driving the two-arm fork for generating a vibration that three-times the frequency of the DC motor's rotational frequency. A power toothbrush capable of vibrating at a frequency of 30,000 to 40,000 toothbrush strokes per minute is disclosed in this invention. Furthermore, in another preferred embodiment, this invention also discloses an improved battery-charging configuration. The charging circuit for the battery provides a rectified DC current of 160 mA to the battery by configuring the charging circuit as a secondary transformer circuit with the primary circuit connected to a frequency converter for providing high frequency input AC current as primary current for induced the secondary current. A highly efficient charging configuration is disclosed and the batteries of the toothbrush can be fully charged in about six hours instead of 16 to 24 hours required by a conventional power toothbrush.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A vibrating toothbrush comprising:

an elongated hollow tube defining a toothbrush body having a top-head end and a bottom-seat end;
a vibrating means disposed near said bottom-seat end inside said hollow tube wherein said vibrating means comprising a two-arm fork with a first fork and a second fork extended from a central portion wherein said first fork and second fork substantially extends semi-circularly opposite each other and having a first and second permanent magnets attached to an end of said first and second fork respectively;
a vibrating lever arm mounted on said central portion of said vibrating means and extends therefrom toward said top-head end wherein said central portion rotating along a rotational axis defined by said vibrating lever arm;
and
a DC motor for rotating a vibrating driving shaft at a DC motor rotational frequency;
said vibrating means further comprising a multiple-arm permanent magnet attached to and rotating with said vibrating driving shaft driven by said DC motor wherein said multiple-arm permanent magnet having a plurality of extended arms extended from said vibrating driving shaft toward and rotationally approaching said first and second permanent magnets for magnetically asserting a force on said two-arm fork for vibrating said two-arm fork and said vibrating lever arm attached thereto.

3 more elements

A vibrating toothbrush comprising:

an elongated hollow tube defining a toothbrush body having a top-head end and a bottom-seat end;
a vibrating means disposed near said bottom-seat end inside said hollow tube;
a vibrating lever arm mounted on said vibrating means and extends therefrom toward said top-head end;
and
a rotational means for rotating a vibrating driving shaft at a rotational frequency and energy-transferably engaging said vibrating means for generating a vibrating frequency higher than said rotational frequency.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Automatic power-driven toothbrushes

Life of this patent

Automatic power-driven toothbrushes

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14