US 5,706,545 AGranted

Multi-positionable toothbrush

OwnerTodd H. Yamadainventor

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Abstract

A multi-positionable toothbrush comprising a brush array member shiftably supported on the forward end of a hollow handle member within which is housed a toothed element adapted to change its position in accordance with the tooth setting in reference to a spring biassed lever having a detent adapted to be disposed between the teeth in the toothed element; the particular disposition being effected by pressing the lever against its spring bias to allow the brush array member to have its position changed relative to the axis of the handle member.

Claims5

Dependent claims

An angularly adjustable toothbrush comprising:

an elongated brush array member, said member having a predetermined length, with a forward end and an after end, the forward end supporting brush array extending laterally, and the after end of said member being concavely arcuate and having an axial bore terminating inwardly in a transverse passageway;
a handle member, said handle member being formed of two semi-cylindrical mating halves secured together edgewise, each half having an inner wall and a semi domed forward end and a closed after end, the inner walls of said two halves, when brought together, defining a hollow forward section of said handle member capped by a dome with a predetermined radius of curvature, the forward domed end of which handle member is recessed to form an arcuate first slot;
the inner wall of one of said halves having projecting means to receive and secure one end of the spring, each of said handle member halves further having transversely extending from their respective inside walls and co-axially with each other a first journal adjacent to an end and centrally disposed within the domed forward end;
and, spaced rearwardly from the first journal adjacent the bottom edges of the halves, each half is provided with a second journal co-axial with the corresponding second journal in the other handle half;
and the upper edges of each half being recessed to provide a second slot when the halves are brought together and secured to each other;
said handle member further enclosing a partially rotatable brush array support element, the last said element being formed of a forward arcuate block section having a radius of curvature corresponding to that of the dome, and, unitary therewith, a rearwardly extending rectangular block section terminating in a plurality of transverse ridges and valleys, said forward arcuate block section having laterally extending from its sides, a pair of trunnions each disposed to rotate within a first journal;
the forward arcuate block section further having a rigid stem projecting radially forwardly with respect to the arc of curvature of said arcuate block section, the forward end of said stem terminating in a transverse tip;
said stem being inserted into the bore of the brush array member with its tip engaging the transverse passageway in the bore;
said handle member further enclosing a pivotable rigid angle selection element, the last said element being elongated and having a bottom end and an upper end, the bottom end being provided with trunnions disposed in the second journals in the inner walls of the halves, and the upper end of the angle selecting element terminating in a lever projecting through the second slot, the angle selecting element having a forward side parallel to the axis of its trunnions and an opposite after side, the forward side having a projection receivable in each of the valleys at the terminus of the rectangular block section of the partially rotatable brush array support element, and the after side having a rearwardly extending shoulder which is adapted to move between a first position in abutment with the edges of the inside walls of the handle member halves, and a second position spaced from said upper inside walls;
and
said spring having a first end anchored in the transverse projecting means in the one of the halves of the handle member and extending to the angle selector element to bias the last said element forwardly toward the ridges and valleys of the terminus of the rectangular block of the partially rotatable brush array support element, and thereby the projection on the forward side of the angle selector element into a selected valley in the terminus of the rectangular block section of the partially rotatable brush array support element;
the lever protruding upwardly through a second slot serving to enable the angle selector element to be moved rearwardly to disengage the projection on the forward side of the angle selector element from any valley into which it may be biased, thereby to permit the bristle array member to be shifted angularly with respect to the handle member to a selected angular position permitted by the partially rotatable brush array support element, in which position the brush array member and the handle member may be temporarily secured upon release of the lever and the action of the spring against the angle selector element.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

An angularly adjustable toothbrush comprising:

an elongated brush array member, said member having a predetermined length, with a forward end and an after end, the forward end supporting brush array extending laterally, and the after end of said member being concavely arcuate and having an axial bore terminating inwardly in a transverse passageway;
a handle member, said handle member being formed of two semi-cylindrical mating halves secured together edgewise, each half having an inner wall and a semi domed forward end and a closed after end, the inner walls of said two halves, when brought together, defining a hollow forward section of said handle member capped by a dome with a predetermined radius of curvature, the forward domed end of which handle member is recessed to form an arcuate first slot;
the inner wall of one of said halves having projecting means to receive and secure one end of the spring, each of said handle member halves further having transversely extending from their respective inside walls and co-axially with each other a first journal adjacent to an end and centrally disposed within the domed forward end;
and, spaced rearwardly from the first journal adjacent the bottom edges of the halves, each half is provided with a second journal co-axial with the corresponding second journal in the other handle half;
and the upper edges of each half being recessed to provide a second slot when the halves are brought together and secured to each other;
said handle member further enclosing a partially rotatable brush array support element, the last said element being formed of a forward arcuate block section having a radius of curvature corresponding to that of the dome, and, unitary therewith, a rearwardly extending rectangular block section terminating in a plurality of transverse ridges and valleys, said forward arcuate block section having laterally extending from its sides, a pair of trunnions each disposed to rotate within a first journal;
the forward arcuate block section further having a rigid stem projecting radially forwardly with respect to the arc of curvature of said arcuate block section, the forward end of said stem terminating in a transverse tip;
said stem being inserted into the bore of the brush array member with its tip engaging the transverse passageway in the bore;
said handle member further enclosing a pivotable rigid angle selection element, the last said element being elongated and having a bottom end and an upper end, the bottom end being provided with trunnions disposed in the second journals in the inner walls of the halves, and the upper end of the angle selecting element terminating in a lever projecting through the second slot, the angle selecting element having a forward side parallel to the axis of its trunnions and an opposite after side, the forward side having a projection receivable in each of the valleys at the terminus of the rectangular block section of the partially rotatable brush array support element, and the after side having a rearwardly extending shoulder which is adapted to move between a first position in abutment with the edges of the inside walls of the handle member halves, and a second position spaced from said upper inside walls;
and
said spring having a first end anchored in the transverse projecting means in the one of the halves of the handle member and extending to the angle selector element to bias the last said element forwardly toward the ridges and valleys of the terminus of the rectangular block of the partially rotatable brush array support element, and thereby the projection on the forward side of the angle selector element into a selected valley in the terminus of the rectangular block section of the partially rotatable brush array support element;
the lever protruding upwardly through a second slot serving to enable the angle selector element to be moved rearwardly to disengage the projection on the forward side of the angle selector element from any valley into which it may be biased, thereby to permit the bristle array member to be shifted angularly with respect to the handle member to a selected angular position permitted by the partially rotatable brush array support element, in which position the brush array member and the handle member may be temporarily secured upon release of the lever and the action of the spring against the angle selector element.

9 more elements