DISPOSABLE TOOTHBRUSH WITH DENTIFRICE HOLDER

BROSSE A DENT JETABLE AVEC PATE DENTIFRICE

English Abstract

Gérard Joseph RICHOZ RENENS/Switzerland
Jacques Charles COLLET VEVEY/Switzerland
"TOOTHBRUSH"
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A discardable toothbrush formed of fibers
agglomerated along part of their length to form a
handle and free at one end to form a brush is wrapped,
with a dose of toothpaste. in a tubular cover having a
rupture zone which when ruptured frees the brush and
toothpaste ready for use.
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Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive
property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:
1. A disposable toothbrush assembly comprising: a
toothbrush having an elongate handle and a plurality of bristles
at an end portion of the handle axially of the handle, an air-
tight tubular cover of uniform outer cross section enclosing the
bristles and at least part of the handle so that the assembly has
a uniform outer cross section along the entire length thereof, a
dentifrice in between the bristles internally of the cover, the
cover having a weakened zone rupturable for removing an end por-
tion of the cover to expose the bristles and dentifrice for use.
2. A disposable toothbrush assembly according to claim
1, in which said end postion of the handle having the bristles
and dentifrice therebetween is bendable.
3. A disposable toothbrush assembly according to claim
1, in which said cover is a sleeve having a closed end adjacent
said end portion of the handle, and the rupturable zone disposed
to expose said end portion of the handle with bristles thereon.
4. A disposable toothbrush assembly according to claim
1, in which said handle comprises a bundle of fibers along part
of their length and free adjacent one end thereof to define said
bristles.

Description

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The invention relates to toothbrushesO
Improvements proposed in conventional toothbrushes have
generally tended towards complexity in manufacutre and sophisti-
cation of the brush; this has led to prolongation of the useful
life of the brush and hence perpetrates two major drawbacks,
bulk and lack of hygiene.
It is known that brushing of the teeth after each con-
sumption of carbohydrates provides an effective dental hygiene;
however, conventional toothbrushes are not convenient to use away
from home and hence dental hygiene is often neglected.
Moreover, conventional toothbrushes form an ideal medium
for bacterial culture and are a source of infection for the mouth
and gums.
An aim of the invention is t-o remove these inconveniences
by providing a toothbrush which is ready for use anywhere and can
be discarded after use~
According to the invention, a toothbrush assembly com-
prises a toothbrush having a handle extended longitudinally by a
bundle of bristles, a quan$ity of dentifrice, a cover wrapped
about and enclosing at least the toothbrush bristles and the den-
tifrice, the cover having a rupture zone which can be ruptured
irreversibly to free the toothbrush bristles and the dentifrice
ready for useO
The invention is more particularly directed toward a dis-
posable toothbrush assembly comprising: a toothbrush having an
elongate handle and a plurality of bristles at an end portion of
the handle axially of the handle. An airtight tubular cover of
uniform outer cross section encloses the bristles and at least
part of the handle so that the assembly has a uniform outer cross
section along the entire length thereof. A dentifrice is provi-
ded in between the bristles internally of the coverO The cover
has a weakened zone rupturable for removing an end portion of the
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cover to expose the bristles and dentifrice for use
An embodiment of the invention is shown, by way of exam-
ple, in the accompanying drawing, in which:
Fig~ 1 is a longitudinal cross-section of a toothbrush
assembly according to thé invention; and
Fig. 2 is a similar view of the ruptured assembly ready
for use.
The toothbrush assembly shown includes a toothbrush
having a rigid or semi-rigid cylindrical handle 1 formed of a
bundle of fibres agglomerated by an adhesive or a polymer, or by
radiation or microwave heating, or by dielectric loss, and a head
2 of flexible bristles formed of an untreated end part the bundle
of fibres. A dose of tooth paste 3 is placed directly in contact
with the brush head 2. The handle 1, head 2 and toothpaste 3 are
enclosed in a heat-sealed or stuck tubular casing 5 which has a
ring of perforations at 7 and an outer casing 6 which also has a
- ring of perforations at 7, cooperating with the perforations of
casing 5 to define a rupture zone. The end of the assembly oppo-
site handle 1 is closed by a plug 4.
For use, the user separates the toothbrush head from the
toothpaste, for example by squeezing the head 2 and exerting a
torsion to rupture the casings 5 and 6 at 7, followed by a traction.
This frees the head 2, as shown in Fig. 2, and the toothpaste 3
which can then be emptied onto the head 2. After use, the entire
unit can be discarded.
The fibres forming the toothbrush may be composed of ex-
truded, or spun natural or synthetic materials The casings 5
and 6 can be laminated sheets of natural or synthetic materials
suitable to aseptically protect the toothbrush head and tooth-
paste.
Certain portions of the fibres forming the handle 2 may
be only slightly agglomerated, or some parts can be left unagglo-

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merated, to provide a flexibility enabling the user to bend thehandle at will.
As a variation, the toothpaste 3 could be separated from
the head 2 by a perforable membrane. Also7 the handle 1 could be
formed in a homogeneous material such as wood, cardboard, or plas-
tics material, and could be hollow; in these embodiments, the
bristles would be attached to the handle by setting or by an ad-
hesive.
Several different types of toothbrush assembly can be
provided, with different quantities and types of dentifrices to
suit various tastes and requirements.
The described toothbrush assembly can be mass produced
at high speed and low cost using machines similar to those used
for the manufacture of cigarettes, cigarette filter tips, and
capillary rods such as are used in pens.
As the described brush is designed for a single use, and
has a substantially impermeable aseptic covering, it fulfills the
requirements for perfect buccal hygiene.
It would alternatively be possible to provide a double-
headed toothbrush with two doses of dentifrice and two rupturezones, suitable for two tooth-brushing operations, or an assembly
with a cover that can be ruptured in several zones to successi-
vely each time free a fresh toothbrush head and a dose of denti-
frice.
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