Vibrating toothbrush
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorAlan Vincent Sorrentino
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vibrating toothbrush is provided with vibration-isolating zones that substantially isolate vibrations in the head and reduce vibrations transmitted to the handle without sacrificing structural integrity around the vibration-isolation zones. Such zones may generally comprise neck material that is reduced in cross-section, thinned, replaced by dampening material, or removed altogether to create transmission-inhibiting voids. The vibration-isolating zones may be further supported by the housing of the vibratory element to maintain the structural integrity around the zones and to thereby alleviating weakness conditions that might subject the toothbrush to fatigue and breakage conditions.
Claims17
A toothbrush comprising:
- a) a head and a neck formed from a support of a first material having a first vibration transmission capacity,
- b) a mechanical vibrating device in the neck containing a power element and a vibratory element that are both housed within a housing having a length, and
- c) a vibration-reducing section situated along at least a portion of the length of the housing having a second vibration transmission capacity that is less than said first vibration transmission capacity.
A method of isolating vibrations in a head of a toothbrush having, a vibration-generating device for generating vibrations in the head, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a vibration-reducing section adjacent the vibration-generating device for directing generated vibrations in the head;
- and
- b) using the vibration-generating device to structurally support the vibration-reducing section.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.