Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
2~ .8~
WO 92/18419 PCI~/US92/03013
... ...
- IMPROVED ELECTRIC TOOTHPASTE DISPENSER
.: .
- The present invention generally relates to an
electric toothpaste dispenser and, more particularly, is
concerned with a toothpaste dispenser which is operated by
- depressing a button with a toothbrush. When the dispenser
is empty a user merely replaces the toothpaste container.
The typical toothpaste tube in use today has been
in use for many years after gaining wide acceptance. This
typical toothpaste tube is relatively easy to use although
it has a few shortcomings. Some of the shortcomings
include leakage from the tube due to cracks and tears
forming in the walls of the tube, leakaqe between the
mouth and the cap of the tube due to the combination of
failing to properly tighten the cap onto the tube and the
placement of improper pressure upon the tube, wasted
toothpaste remaining in the tube due to uneven squeezing
~;~ or rolling of the tube, the inconvenience of unscrewing
, A,
i, and replacing a cap every time toothpaste is to be used
. and problems related to the application of too much
pressure to the tube resulting in additional wasted
j toothpaste and toothpaste spillage onto the counter and
. sink. All of these problems are compounded when the
toothpaste tube is used by children.
, There are also certain individuals who gain
satisfaction through the use of electric gadgets in the
home. Such individuals may find the installation of an
electrically driven toothpaste dispenser to be pleasing.
Several toothpaste dispensing apparatii have been
disclosed in the past. U.S. Patent No. 3,198,389 to
Dunning discloses a toothpaste dispensing cabinet which
uæes two rollers to roll down a tube of toothpaste. U.S.
Patent No. 4,234,104 to Apuzzo et al describes a
toothpaste dispenser having a motor for driving two
rollers down a tube of toothpaste. The outlet from the
dispenser includes a closure and a manually operated
:`
, .
SUB~;TITUTE SHEET
: '
... .
,
. .
.`.................................... ;
WO92/l~l9 - 2 - PCT/US92/03~-
:`
switch is included to reverse the motor. U.S. Patent No .
4,258,864 to Karamanolis et al describes a toothpaste
, ~ dispenser with a motor which drives a roller down a tube
, of toothpaste. A manually operated switch is used to
retract the roller and a gate is used to close off the
outlet. U.S. Patent No. 4,403,714 to Kane describes a
,~, toothpaste dispenser with a motor driven roller which
, compresses paste out of a horizontally mounted tube of
paste. The tube is threaded into an adapter and the
''~ outlet is covered by a lever 21. The motor is reversed by
~ a manual switch. U.S. Patent 4,629,095 to Smith describes
" a toothpaste dispenser which is carried by,a wheel for
~ driving the tube through a pair of pinch rollers. The
,, tube of paste is inverted and threaded into an aperture
which is close off by a flap closer.
,.~ The patents described above have several
' shortcomings. They fail to recognize the importance of
having pliable rollers which will provide an evenly
distributed squeeze across the tube. Resiliency in the
,, rollers is desired to accommodate different sized tubes
;,,`, and obstructions in the tubes. While some of the patents
's do mention that the rollers may be spring mounted, they
',~ fail to recognize that the spring created resiliency will
',;~ result in an imbalanced or uneven squeeze across the
,~' tube. Another problem is that these patents fail to
'~ provide drive to the rollers. Only the patent to Dunning,
''i U.S. Patent No. 3,198,389, provides rotational drive to
'',~ the rollers. However, the drive is provided by a pulley
~ system which will be espensive to construct and will
', encounter problems due to slippage of the pulley.
~' These patents also have drawbacks relating to the
, guidance of the toothpaste tube between the rollers when
' the rollers begin at the bottom of the tube and when the
, tube is improperly aligned or oriented with respect to the
rollers. These drawbacks are important since a dispenser
must accommodate various sizes of toothpaste tubes as well
: . ,
.
'. ,
: . j , . :
, t, ' ' ,
. ' ' ' ' '' `
', ~ ' ~ ' ' '
'~ ' ~ . ' '
wos2~1841s - 3 _ PCT/US92/03~13
as bent toothpaste tubes and adjust for improperly aligned
toothpaste tubes. Additionally, these patents fail to
. address problems related to the rollers forcing the tube
,! to collapse against the housing or the outlet or pulling
the tube out of the outlet due to the reversal of the
rollers or frictional forces from the rollers. These
patents also require that a switch be manually activated,
as opposed to automatically activated, to reverse a roller
assembly which has completed its compressing motion across
the toothpaste tube.
~ Other problems include the placement of the
- outlet at the bottom of the housing. This requires that
~,
the toothpaste tube be placed in an inverted position
which in turn requires that a closure device be placed at
.,
the outlet to prevent toothpaste from seeping out of the
dispenser due to gravity. Additionally, no device is
described for adapting to, connecting to and holding the
tube within the housing. Since toothpaste tubes are made
of various sizes and designs it is important to include
adjustable or adaptable structures to hold the tube and to
connect to the mouth of the tube. The patents described
above further fail to recognize the importance of making
the outlet nozzle removable so that clogged toothpaste can
be removed.
Further shortcomings include the failure to
recognize other features which can be added for ease of
operation of the dispenser including the addition of an
easily accessible button which will activate the dispenser
by pressing down with the back side of a toothbrush. The
patents above which use a toothbrush activated lever will
result in toothpaste being rubbed on or transferred to the
surrounding housing and accessory structure. The
dispenser can also be made more convenient by including a
wall mount and a toothbrush holder which is mounted on the
outside for accessibility while being removable for ease
of cleaning. Additionally, these patents use alternating
: ~-'3 ~ 4
WO92/1~19 - 4 - PCT~US92/03
current to power the motor which increases the risk of
-'~ electrocution.
The need therefore e~ists for an electric
toothpaste dispenser which is easily mountable and
J accessible for holding toothbrushes while allowing for
-~` cleaning, which prevents the likelihood of electrocution
through the use of a d/c converter, which will provide
proper and efficient drive to the rollers, which will
provide an even and pliable squeeze to the tube of
toothpaste, which will hold a tube of toothpaste in the
upright position while being adaptable to accommodate
~ various sizes and designs of toothpaste tubes and which
; will allow for ease of controlling the dispenser without a
s mess due to toothpaste being rubbed onto parts of the
, dispenser.
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the toothpaste
dispenser.
Fig. 2 is a front elevational view taken along
section line 2-2 of Fig. 1 to show the interior of the
, housing.
~ Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the
,) dispenser taken along section line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
Fig. 4 is a detail view of the drive assembly
~3 taken along section line 4-4 of Fig. 3.
'A', Fig. 5 is a detail view of the drive assembly
taken along section line 5-5 of Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a detail view partially broken along
section line 6-6 of Fig. 3.
Fig. 7 is a detail view partially broken along
section line 7-7 of Fig. 6.
Fig. 8 is a detail view partially broken along
section line 8-8 of Fig. 7.
; Fig. 9 is a detail view taken along section line
9-9 of Fig. 3 showing one grasping assembly in
cross-section.
Fig. 10 is a detail view partially broken along
section line 10-10 of Fig. 9.
.
., . , ~
'` ':, ' .:
.. . .
, '' ~' . . ' ' ' ' ' :
.. . . .
~, . . .
WO92~1~19 ~ 5 ~ PCT/US92/03013
Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of the electrical
circuit employed for controlling the toothpaste dispenser
; of Fig. 1.
. Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of the d/c
,
converter employed in the toothpaste dispenser of Fig. 1.
Fig 13 is a front elevational view similar to
Fig. 2 showing the interior of another embodiment of the
invention.
Fig. 14 is a cross-sectional side elevation view
of the dispenser shown in Fig. 13.
Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken along line
15-15 of Fig. 14.
Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the guide and
brace assembly of the present invention.
Fig. 17 is a side elevational view of the guide
and brace assembly.
Fig. 18 is a top view of the improved grasping
assembly.
Fig. 19 is a sectional view taken along line
19-19 of Fig. 18.
Fig. 20 is a top view of the improved nozzle
assembly.
Fig. 21 is a front elevational view of the
improved nozzle assembly.
Fig. 22 is a back elevational view of the
improved nozzle assembly.
Fig. 23 is a cross-sectional view taken along
line 23-23 of Fig. 20.
Fig. 24 is a top view of the toothbrush mounting
plate.
Fig. 25 is a schematic diagram of the electrical
circuit employed for controlling the toothpaste dispenser
of Figs. 13-15.
Fig. 26 is a front elevational view similar to
Fig. 13 showing the interior of another embodiment of the
invention.
.
:`
,
. ' ' .
.
:, i ,
.
~; 21 ~
W092/1~19 - 6 - PCT~US92/03a.
Fig. 27 is a sectional view taken along line
27-27 of Fig. 26.
Fig. 28 is a view of the toothbrush mounting
plate.
Fig. 29 is a detail view of the cap.
- Fig. 30 is a sectional view taken along line
30-30 of Fig. 29.
: Fig. 31 is a detail view of the drive assembly
and the clutch assembly.
Fig. 32 is a sectional view taken along line
32-32 of Fig. 31.
Fig. 33 is a view similar to Fig. 32 showing the
clutch disengaged.
Fig. 34 is a cross-sectional view of the worm
wheel and drum.
The present invention provides an electric
~; toothpaste dispenser designed to satisfy the
aforementioned needs. The present invention provides a
~,' toothpaste dispensing apparatus, comprising: a housing; a
drive assembly mounted in the housing for providing drive
to the toothpaste dispenser; a first roller driven by said
; drive assembly; a second roller driven by said drive
assembly and juxtapositional with respect to said first
roller such that said first and said second rollers will
move along a length of and squeeze a toothpaste container;
a means for grasping the toothpaste container for mounting
' the toothpaste container within the housing; a cap urged
in an a~ial direction against a mouth of the toothpaste
container and axially moveable away from the mouth of the
toothpaste container; and a control means located on the
housing for activating said drive assembly. In a further
embodiment, the present invention provides the features
that the control system will automatically reverse the
motor so that the rollers roll back across the tube when
the rollers have reached the end of the tube. Still
further, other features include an easily accessible
,~.,,
.~
, , . -::
, ~ .
. . .
~ .
~ 2.t O.Q~8~
WO92/1~19 - 7 - PCT/US92/03013
activation button, a wall mount, a removable toothbrush
holder and a d/c converter.
Referring now to the drawings, and more
particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown the electric
toothpaste dispenser apparatus 10. Referring now to Fig.
2, the electric toothpaste dispenser 10 generally includes
a housing 12, a toothpaste container 20, a drive assembly
30, a carriage assembly 60, a nozzle assembly 80 and first
and second grasping assemblies 90a and 90b.
Referring back to Fig. 1, the dispenser 10
includes a housing 12 with a door 14. The dispenser 10
also includes a toothbrush holder 16, a d/c converter 17
with a/c wall socket plug-in prongs 18 and electrical cord
19, a nozzle assembly 80 and a push button 100. Access to
the interior region of the housing 12 is made through the
door 14 which is large enough to allow the convenient
insertion by hand of a toothpaste container or tube 20.
The door 14 has two hinges 140 and 141 and a latch 142
which snaps into a groove in the housing 12 for holding
the door 14 in a closed position. The door 14 also
includes a window 143 for viewing the toothpaste container
20 so that a user can determine the brand and amount of
toothpaste which has been used. The electric toothpaste
dispenser 10 is activated by depressing the push button
100 with a toothbrush 22 or other device. This causes
toothpaste 24 to be dispensed out of the nozzle assembly
80. Lights 15a and 15b are located on the housing 12.
Light 15a is preferably blue and turns on when toothpaste
24 is being dispensed through the nozzle assembly 80.
Light 15b is preferably red and turns on when the
toothpaste container 20 is empty.
Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, the interior of
housing 12 is shown. A wall 13 separates a lower section
130 of the housing 12 from an upper section 131. Drive
assembly 30 generally includes motor 32 and gear train
40. Gear train 40 transfers drive or torque to carriage
assembly 60.
.
.
:' ' ' ' .
WO92/1~19 - 8 - PCT/US92/03
Current from the d/c converter 17 runs through
the cord 19 into the lower section 130 for powering motor
32. When the push button 100 is depressed it will close
the first switch Sl which turns on light 15a and activates
the motor 32 in the forward or toothpaste dispensing
direction. A frame 34 is attached to the end of the motor
32. The other end of the frame 34 is attached to a
planetary gear 48 which is in turn attached to a gear box
50. The internal components of the gear box 50 transfer
torque or drive to a long screw 58. When the long screw
58 is rotated it will transfer torque to or drive carriage
assembly 60. More specifically, carriage assembly 60 will
move along threads 58e causing pinion 59 to turn on rack
57 which is installed parallel to the long screw 58. The
rack 57 is attached to the housing 12 with screws 122a,
122b, 122c, and 122d which are threaded through rack
mounting supports 57a, 57b, 57c and 57d and into casing
123a, 123b, 123c and 123d which are affixed to the housing
12. The pinion 59 transfers torque or drive to the
carriage assembly 60. As the carriage assembly 60 rides
up the length of the long screw 58 it will squeeze
toothpaste out of the toothpaste container 20. When the
carriage assembly 60 approaches the top of the toothpaste
container 20 it will force toggle bar 110 to strike or
close reverse switch or second switch S2. The reverse
switch S2 will turn on light 15a and automatically
activate the motor 32 in the reverse direction such that
the carriage assembly 60 will ride downward until a prong
68 strikes or opens a third switch S3. In this position
the carriage assembly 60 will rest below the lower end of
the tube of toothpaste 20 so that the empty tube or
container may be removed for disposal and a new container
may be installed. The toothpaste container 20 is held
around the neck 26 of the container 20 by a first and a
second grasping assembly 90a and 90b.
,
WO 92/18419 - 9 - PCr~US92/03013
The nozzle assembly 80 includes a lever 88 for
the lowering of a tube fitting 86 into the mouth 28 of the
toothpaste container 20. Once the tube fitting 86 is in
place within or against the mouth 28 of the toothpaste
container 20, toothpaste 24 can flow through the tube
fitting 86 and out spout 82.
The toothbrush holder 16 could be mounted on
either side of the housing 12 by any suitable means of
attachment such as a hole and channel formed in the side
of the toothbrush holder 16 for sliding over a projecting
rivet head 16a. The toothbrush holder 16 has receptacles
16b for receiving toothbrushes 22. Referring to Fig. 3,
the electric toothpaste dispenser 10 also includes a wall
mount plate 130 which may be screwed or attached by other
suitable means of attachment to a wall 131 or other
structure. The mounting plate 130 has openings which
receive prongs 132a, 13^b, 132c (not shown) and 132d (not
shown) fixed on housing i2. The prongs 132a, 132b, 132c
and 132d are slid into the openings on mounting plate 130
and the housing 12 is lowered until the prongs 132a, 132b,
132c and 132d grasp around and the housing 12 rests on the
mounting plate 130. Housing 12 may include other
accessories.
,,
:; Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, portions of the drive
assembly 30 for driving carriage assembly 60 are shown.
, Frame 34 is attached by a screw 36 to the motor 32. The
drive shaft 38 driven by the motor 32 transmits torque to
~ gear train 40 through a pinion gear 42 located at the
i~ other end of the drive shaft 38. Gear train 40 ends with
long screw 58.
, The pinion gear 42 meshes with three idle gears
44a, 44b and 44c (not shown) which are equiangularly
A arranged around the pinion gear 42. Opposite the point of
contact between the idle gears 44a, 44b and 44c and the
pinion gear 42, the idle gears 44a, 44b and 44c mesh with
; a planetary gear 48. The planetary gear 48 remains
:~ .
.
:, ,
:, :
-
,
. . ,
WO92/18419 - 10 - PCT/US92/03~
stationary. The idle gears 44a, 44b and 44c are pinned to
a revolution disc 52. As the pinion gear 42 drives the
three idle gears 44a, 44b and 44c the idle gears 44a, 44b
and 44c will rotate about their central axis on shafts
46a, 46b and 46c (not shown) as well as orbit within the
planetary gear 48. Revolution disc 52 is seated within
but does not mesh with the planetary gear 48. Hence, the
orbital motion of the idle gears 44a, 44b and 44c will
~ cause the revolution disc 52 to turn. The revolution disc
52 has a keyed opening in the center for engaging a notch
54a in a worm gear 54. The worm gear 54 is supported at
the other end by a worm bush 54b. The worm gear 54
transmits torque to a worm wheel 56. Worm wheel 56 is
pinned or attached by other suitable means over the end of
~t the long screw 58. A gear bo~ 50 is attached to the
planetary gear 48 for enclosing the worm gear 54 and the
worm wheel 56 and holding the worm bush 54b in place. A
$ washer 54c is placed between the worm bush 54b and the
worm gear 54. The gear box 50 also contains two long
~, screw bushes 58a and 58b for support of long screw 58.
;~ Wave washers 58c and 58d are placed between the long screw
`~ bushes 58a and 58b and the worm wheel 56.
Details of the carriage assembly 60 are shown in
Figs. 6, 7 and 8. The carriage assembly 60 generally
includes an upper bracket 61, a lower bracket 65, a first
roller 70, a second roller 74, a roller gear box 69,
roller padding 70a and 74a and first and second guide
, plates 78a and 78b.
The lower bracket 65 has a vertical neck 66
having a threaded aperture for engaging the long screw 58
and has lower bearing cavities 67a and 67b for supporting
and guiding both the first roller 70 and the second roller
74. A prong 67e on lower bracket 65 rides in guide
channel 57e of rack 57 for stabilization of carriage
assembly 60. The upper bracket 61 has a vertical bore
therethrough which seats over the outer circumference of
~ .
:.
: .:
:. . . . .
~ . .
:, ' .
~ , .
PCTIIJS 9 ~ /03 0 ~ 3
. 3 N~V 1992
the neck 66 of the lower bracket 65, upper bearing
cavities (not shown) and 62b for supporting and guiding
both the first and the second rollers 70 and 74 and
bearing walls 63a (Fig. 3) and 63b having holes for
support of both the first and second guide plates 78a and
78b.
As the long screw 58 is driven, the threading in
the neck 66 will ride upon the long screw threading 58e.
The neck 66 is long enough to engage approximately
twenty-six millimeters of the long screw 58 in order to
stabilize the carriage assembly 60. The roller wheels 71
and 75 in both the first and second rollers 70 and 74 are
supported within the bearing cavities 62a and 62b and 67a
and 67b of the upper and lower brackets 61 and 65 when the
brackets are attached together by screws or other suitable
means of attachment. As best seen in Fig. 8, both
brackets 61 and 65 include a continuous cavity 62a and 67a
therethrough to accommodate first roller 70 and a partial
cavity 62b and 67b to support the roller wheel 75 of the
second roller 74.
A pinion 59 is attached to the first roller 70 at
one end. A first roller drive qear 72 is pinned or
i'.t~l attached by other suitable means to the other end of the
first roller 70. A second roller drive gear 76 is pinned
or attached by other suitable means to the other end of
the second roller 74. The first roller drive gear 72
meshes with a second roller drive gear 76. Additionally,
each roller 70 and 74 is coupled to its respective drive
gear 72 and 76, preferably by a hes shaped bore (not
shown) in each drive gear 72 and 76 which engages a hes
shaped shat section (not shown) on each roller 70 and
74. A roller gear bos 69 is pinned over the ends of the
first and second rollers 70 and 74 between two washers 73a
and 73b and 77a and 77b and retained by clips 73c and
77c. The roller gear bos 69 has two lower holes for
support of the first and second rollers 70 and 74 and two
upper bearing walls 69a and 69b having holes for support
.~
S e~llT~?.~E S8~ET
. . .
. - . .
2 ~ 8 ~
- 12 - ~ ~ it/~`, 1 3 NOV 1992
of the first and second guide plates 78a and 78b. As the
long screw 58 turns, the upper and lower brackets 61 and
65 will move together in either an upward or downward
direction depending upon the respective forward or reverse
drive being provided by the motor 32. During this upward
or downward motion of the brackets 61 and 65, contact
between the rack 57 and pinion 59 will impart motion to
the first roller 70. The first roller 70 drives the
second roller 74.
9Oth rollers 70 and 74 are covered with roller
padding 70a and 74a which is made of a pliable material
such as rubber, foam or foam rubber. The pliable material
is useful for guiding the toothpaste container 20 between
the rollers 70 and 74 when the carriage assembly 60 begins
at the bottom 21 of the toothpaste container 20, ~or
obtaining a better squeeze on the toothpaste container 20
and for rolling over creases and other obstructions on the
toothpaste containers 20 of various sizes.
The distance between the rollers 70 and 74 and
the thickness of the padding 70a and 74a creates a
suficient squeeze upon the toothpaste container 20 to
remove the toothpaste while not impeding the motion of the
rollers 70 and 74 and the carriage assembly 60. The open
space between the rollers 70 and 74 when covered with
padding 70a and 74a is preferably 0.5 millimeters and the
thickness of the pads is preferably 2.5 millimeters.
~ oth the first guide plate 78a and the second
guide plate 78b are attached to pins 79a and 79b which
ride and are clamped within the holes on the upper bracket
61 and the roller gear bos 69. Leaf springs 79c, 79d, 79e
and 79f are seated at both ends of the guide plates 78a
and 78b to urge the guide plates 78a and 78b to an angle
of appro~imately 45 from the horizontal. Four washers,
including washer 79j (Fig. 6) are located on pins 79a and
79b which are retained by clips 79k, 791, 79m and 79n.
However, the guide plates 78a and 78b may be rotated
against the force
~I~ZS~;3 ;.~ r
... , .. : ~ :
. . -. .
!
.
x~
WO 92/1~19 - 13 - PCT/US92/03013
of the leaf springs 79c, 79d, 79e and 79f to a horizontal
position. The guide plates 78a and 78b help to guide the
lower end 21 of the toothpaste container 20 to the open
space between the first and the second rollers 70 and 74
; when the carria~e assembly 60 starts at the bottom 21 of
the toothpaste container 20.
The guide plates 78a and 78b function to direct a
`~ toothpaste container 20 which is not installed parallel to
the axial direction of the first and second rollers 70 and
74 to the open space between such rollers when the
-~ carriage assembly 60 begins at the bottom 21 of a new
container of toothpaste 20. A toothpaste container 20 may
be installed such that the major cross-sectional axis of
the container is anywhere within a 360 range of the
axial direction of the first and second rollers 70 and
74. The guide plates will force the toothpaste container
to rotate so that the major cross-sectional axis will be
parallel to the axial directions of rollers 70 and 74
except in one situation. This situation occurs when the
bottom 21 of the toothpaste container 20 is wider than the
upper ends of guide plates 78a and 78b when the guide
plates 78a and 78b are forced to the horizontal position.
In this situation the angular range that the toothpaste
container 20 can be rotated away from the axial direction
of the first and second rollers 70 and 74 and still be
-rotated or guided between such rollers will be decreased
` to an angle where the bottom 21 of the toothpaste
container 20 is within the extremities of the width
` between the upper ends 78c and 78d of guide plates 78a and
78b when the guide plates 78a and 78b are in the
horizontal position.
The guide plates 78a and 78b are also useful for
guiding a slightly bent toothpaste container to the open
space between the padded rollers 70 and 74 as well as
guiding a toothpaste container which is partially empty
before being inserted within the electric toothpaste
. ` ~ 1 0 ~
` WO92/t~19 - 14 - PCT~US92/030~`-
dispenser 10. Since the guide plates 78a and 78b are
allowed to rotate toward a horizontal position against the
force of the leaf springs 79c, 79d, 79e and 79f, the guide
plates 78a and 78b will not obstruct the approach of the
carriage assembly 60 to the top of the housing 12. This
allows the rollers 70 and 74 to roll to the top 23 of the
, toothpaste container 20 before the second switch 112 is
closed thus minimizing the amount of toothpaste left
within the toothpaste container 20 before the drive
assembly 30 is reversed in direction.
~,
A toggle bar 110 is seated within a toggle bar
holder 111 which is attached by screws or other suitable
means of attachment to the housing 12. When the carriage
assembly 60 has reached the top 23 of the toothpaste
container 20, the upper bracket 61 will drive the toggle
bar 110 up to close the second switch S2. The second
switch S2 automatically reverses the drive assembly 30
causing the carriage assembly 60 to ascend or ride back
down the length of toothpaste container 20 until the prong
68 on the lower bracket 65 strikes the third switch S3
which turns the motor 30 off. At this time light 15b will
be activated to inform a user that a new toothpaste
container 20 should be installed.
Referring now to Fig. 9, the details of the
grasping assemblies 90a and 90b are shown. Both grasping
assemblies 90a and 90b include an assembly housings 96a
and 96b, respectively, which are attached by screws or
other suitable means of attachment to the housing 20.
Both grasping assemblies 90a and 90b include upper and
lower clamps 92a and 92b and 94a and 94b, respectively.
Both the upper clamps 92a and 92b and the lower clamps 94a
and 94b are held together within the assembly housings 96a
and 96b which restrict both vertical motion and motion in
a direction perpendicular to the plane of the Fig. 9
drawing. However, the clamps 92a and 92b and 94a and 94b
are allowed to move horizontally upon compression springs
'
.
.
~;., ': ' . ~
., ~ .
. .
.~: . .
, ..................................................................... .
WO92/1~19 - 15 - PCT/US92/03013
98a and 98b and 99a and 99b which urge the clamps 92a and
92b and 94a and 94b, respectively, in opposing
directions. Ends 92c and 92d on the upper clamps 92a and
92b, respectively, are concave to mesh with the threaded
neck 26 of the toothpaste container 20. Ends 94c and 94d
on the lower clamps 94a and 94b, respectively, are concave
to grasp under the threads and around the neck 26 located
on typical American toothpaste containers. In some
situations depending upon the design of the toothpaste
container 20, only either the upper or the lower clamps
92a and 92b or 94a and 94b will be needed.
The user of the electric toothpaste dispenser 10
is able to operate the grasping assemblies 90a and 90b
merely by reaching within the housing and pulling the
upper and lower clamps 92a and 92b and 94a and 94b apart
and either removing or inserting a toothpaste container
20. Since the grasping assemblies 90a and 90b are spring
loaded they will ad ust or adapt to the neck size of
toothpaste container 20 installed.
Figs. 9 and 10 show details of the nozzle
,
assembly 80 and the push button 100. The push button 100
has a cap 102 and a downwardly extending prong 104. A
compression spring 106 is seated over the prong 104 and
compressed between the cap 102 and the housing 12 to hold
the push button 100 in an upright position against a
retainer 108. In this position the first switch Sl will
be open. When the push button 100 is depressed the prong
104 will close the first switch Sl. This will activate
the motor 32 in the forward direction to drive the
carriage assembly 60 up the toothpaste container 20.
The nozzle assembly 80 includes a cup cover 84, a
nozzle adjustment lever 88, a spout 82, a tube fitting 86
and a spring 85. A cup 81 is threaded at its upper end
for attachment of the cup cover 84 and has an opening at
the lower end to allow the tube fitting 86 to pass
therethrough. The cup 81 is affixed to the top of the
. .
. ~
':', " ' ','-. ''' ~ . ' , '
- ~ - :
WO92/184l9 - 16 - PCT/US92/030
housing 12. The spout 82 has an elbow 82a to deliver the
. toothpaste 24 to an area over or above the push button
100. A shoulder 83 is located just below the elbow 82a.
, The nozzle adjustment lever 88, cup cover 84 and spring 85
, are seated over the lower end of spout 82 and held in
j. place between shoulder 83 and tube fitting 86 which is
'; threaded to the lower end of spout 82. The tube fitting
, 86 has a conical neck portion 87 for lowering, adapting or
,~ connecting to the mouth 28 of the toothpaste container 20
' mounted within the housing 12. This allows for,toothpaste
,~ container mouths of various sizes to be accommodated. The
~' upper end of the tube fitting 86 includes a flange 88.
This flange 88 limits the downward motion of the tube
fitting 86 when the flange 88 contacts the bottom of the
',' cup 81. Spring 85 forces the tube fitting 86 downward to
' maintain contact with the mouth 28 of the toothpaste
, container 20 while toothpaste 24 is being dispensed from
'`' the container 20.
As shown in Fig. 9, the nozzle adjustment lever
, 88 has a collar 88a which fits around the spout 82. A
,, portion of the collar 88a has an inclined surface 88b
"1 which wedges against the inclined surface 82b on the spout
' 82. Thus by moving lever 88, the spout 82 will adjust or
j move in an axial direction either to lower or raise the
'' tube fitting 86 from the mouth 24 of the toothpaste
', container 20.
,' At times toothpaste can dry within the spout 82
-~ causing the spout 82 to be blocked. When this occurs the
, nozzle assembly 80 may be removed for soaking in warm
;,~ water or for dislodging in some other manner. Nozzle
~, assembly 80 is removed by unscrewing cup cover 84 from cup
81.
There are two problems which the present
invention overcomes as the carriage assembly 60 ascends or
', descends along the toothpaste container 20. The first
problem occurs when the toothpaste container 20 collapses
;
; ,:
. - - . , .
:, :
,
'J~
- ~- WO92/18419 - 17 - PCT/US92~03013
either diagonally or toward the nozzle assembly 80. The
second problem occurs when the neck 26 of the toothpaste
container 20 is pulled out of the first and second
; grasping assemblies 90a and 90b. 8Oth problems are
affected by vibration and non-vertical forces exerted by
the rollers 70 and 74. However, the first problem is
primarily created by the exertion of too much vertical
force in the upward direction, and the second problem is
-~ primarily created by the egertion of too much vertical
~ force in the downward direction.
;) The interaction between the long screw 58,
brackets 61 and 65, rack 57, pinion 59 and padded rollers
70 and 74 creates a smooth rolling motion along the
toothpaste container 20 and makes the vibration and
non-vertical forces negligible as compared to the rigidity
of the toothpaste container 20 and the holding and
stabilization abilities of the grasping assemblies 90a and
, 90b.
~, The upward and downward forces on the toothpaste
container 20 are created by rollers 70 and 74 as carriage
assembly 60 ascends or descends along the toothpaste
i container 20 and created by frictional contact between the
padded rollers 70 and 74 and the toothpaste container 20.
, In the present invention these forces tend to balance each
other out. However, the resilient mounting of the tube
fitting 86 in nozzle assembly 80 will maintain contact
with the mouth of the toothpaste container 20 and the
holding and stabilization abilities of grasping assemblies
~j 90a and 90b will hold the neck 26 regardless of any net
~` force exerted by rollers 70 and 74 due to the ascending or
~' descending motion of carriage assembly 60 and friction.
The present invention is also designed so that
, the rate of ascension or descension of the carriage
assembly 60 and the rotational speed of rollers 70 and 74
will squeeze or compress the toothpaste container 20 to
obtain a desirable flow rate of the toothpaste 24 out of
` the nozzle assembly 80.
:~
'~.
.
`:~
., -. , . :
,. . .-.,
: . .
. .
`.
; W092~1~19 - 18 - PCT/US92/03~-
,.,`
- The drive assembly or motor 30 operates at a
speed of 5000 rotations per minute. Through the motor 32
and gear system 40 the long screw 58 is driven at 34.5
rotations per minute. The carriage assembly 60 either
ascends or descends l millimeter per revolution of the
.'~ long screw 58 depending upon the direction that motor 32
is driven. This results in the carriage assembly 60
moving at a rate of 34.5 millimeters per minute or 0.575
; millimeters per second. Although other drive assem~lies
30 may be devised and used, this illustrates the preferred
drive speed of the carriage assembly 60 in order to obtain
a desirable flow rate of toothpaste 24 out of the spout 82
and in order to hold the container 20 in place without
causing container 20 to collapse or be jarred from
grasping assemblies 90a and 90b.
Referring to Fig. ll, circuitry for the control
system of the present invention is shown. When the first
switch Sl is closed the circuit is completed and the motor
~, 32 will start running in the forward direction to squeeze
toothpaste out of the toothpaste container 20. When the
push button lO0 is released and the first switch Sl is
open, activating pulse signal generating device Q sends a
, signal which turns on the third transistor TR3 and the
; third transistor TR3 in turn puts the relay RL into
motion. This reverses the direction of the motor 32 which
causes the carriage assembly 60 to descend. The amount of
time that the third transistor TR3 sends the signal to
the relay RL in order to reverse the motor 32 is
, predetermined and adjustable. It is preferred that this
amount of time be set at 0.5 seconds or approximately
, thereabout. This automatic reversal feature which
; operates for a set predetermined amount of time once the
push button lO0 is released is designed to release any
pressure on the toothpaste container 20 to prevent excess
leakage of the toothpaste 24 from the nozzle assembly 80
once the push button lO0 is released.
. . ~
'
. . ,
, .. .
,~
. ,~ ,
. .
- - WO92/18419 - 19 - PCT/US92/03~13
When the toggle bar 110 closes the second switch
S2, the relay RL will be set into operation through the
contact point of the transistor TRl and the third switch
S3. In this position the motor 32 will run in the reverse
`,' direction. The transistor TR2 stays in the "on"
- position by its self-maintaining circuit until it is
restored to the original position. When the carriage
assembly 60 "bottoms~ the third switch S3 is opened. This
turns the second transistor TR2 ff and the RL is
restored to its normal condition. Consequently, the
. original state of the circuit system is recovered.
In some situations it may be desirable to reverse
the direction of the motor 32 before the second switch S2
; is closed. One such situation will occur when a user
wishes to replace a container 20 of toothpaste or to
rearrange the positioning of the toothpaste container 20.
; This m:nual reversal of the motor 32 can be achieved by
reaching within the housing 12 and raising the toggle bar
,; 110 by hand to close the second switch S2. As an option,
a fourth switch S4 (shown only in Fig. 11) could be added
to the e~terior of the housing 12 in order to manually
reverse the motor 32. Fig. 12 illustrates circuitry for
the d/c converter.
Referring to Figs. 13, 14 and 15 another
embodiment of the invention with improved components is
shown. This electric toothpaste dispenser 210 consists of
a housing 212, a toothpaste container 220, a drive
assembly 230, a carriage assembly 260, a guide and brace
assembly 270, a nozzle assembly 2~0 and a grasping
~ assembly 290.
;~ In this embodiment the toothpaste container 220
is held in an inverted position. The first switch Sl is
located at the bottom of the housing 212 for activating
the drive assembly 230 in a forward direction. Once the
i carriage assembly 260 has advanced a sufficient distance
along the toothpaste container 220, switch S3 will be
~"
.; .
,.
,
~.,,
.. , . ~
.
,
-
~ `J r` ~ 20 - ~ ~ , i 3 NOV 19~
activated by a prong 277 to reverse the direction of the
drive assembly 230. Carriage assembly 260 will then
retract until switch S4 is activated by a prong 279.
Switch S4 will stop the drive assembly 230. Once a new
toothpaste container 220 is inserted within housing 212
the drive assembly 230 can be activated at an increased
speed by pressing a switch S2 until carriage assembly 260
is at the base of the toothpaste container 220 at which
time Sl is used to continue the advancement of carriage
260. A switch S5 can be used to retract the carriage
assembly 260 by reversing drive assembly 230. Switch S5
can be used if a user desires to change toothpaste
containers 220 when the container 220 inside housing 212
is, for esample, half empty.
The drive assembly 230 includes a motor 232 which
is operated by a/c or d/c electricity which drives a worm
gear 234 (Fig. 14). Motor 232 includes a clutch mechanism
allowing the motor to idle when obstructions or
difficulties in the mode of operation are encountered.
Worm gear 234 drives a worm wheel 236 and worm wheel 236
drives gear 238 which is located on the same shaft as worm
wheel 236. Gear 238 drives gear 239 to rotate long screw
240. A rack 242 is fised within housing 212 parallel and
adjacent to long screw 240. The rack 242 has teeth on
opposite sides. The combination of the long screw 240 and
rack 242 drives carriage assembly 260.
The carriage assembly 260 includes a carriage
block 262 which has a vertically threaded aperture for
engaging long screw 240, two squeezing rollers 263 and
264, and pinion gears 265 and 266 which are estended to
the rollers 263 and 264 through the carriage block 262.
Pinion gears 265 and 266 mesh with the thread of rack 242.
A guide and brace assembly 270 fits over a knob
268 which protrudes from the other end of the carriage
assembly 260. The guide and brace assembly 270 helps to
stabilize carriage assembly 260. The guide and brace
.,
'
"7
,' ~ ".. ~.. ,.. ,.. ,.. ,... , . ~
... . .
. ~ .
,~ .
.` ~ '
.; '
2 8 ~
- , - WO92~18419 - 21 - PCT/US92/03013
~,.. .
assembly 270 includes a guide channel 272. Two walls 213
and 214 within housing 212 fit into the guide channel
272. As the carriage assembly 260 moves, walls 213 and
214 help to stabilize the carriage assembly 260 via guide
" and brace assembly 270. Carriage assembly 260 also
includes prongs 277 and 279 for activating switches S3 and
S4. Guide and brace assembly 270 includes a carrier arm
274 and a brace 276 as discussed in more detail below.
Referring to Figs. 16 and 17 the guide and brace
assembly 270 is shown in detail. Guide and brace assembly
~ .
270 includes carrier arm 274 and tube brace 276. Carrier
arm 274 includes a guide channel 272 and a notch 273.
Tube brace 276 includes a concave section 27~ for
conforming to toothpaste tube 220. Another arm ~not
shown) could protrude from tube brace 276 and ride along
screw 240 for additional support of guide and brace
assembly 270.
In use, knob 268 protruding from carriage
.:
assembly 260 fits within notch 273 of carrier arm 274.
Knob 26~ will normally rest against the upper hooked end
275 of carrier arm 274 as carriage assembly 260 is driven
up or down. When tube brace 276 reaches the bottom of
housing 212 guide and brace assembly 270 will come to rest
but carriage assembly 260 will continue to ride in a
downward direction as knob 268 can continue to move
downward within notch 273 until prong 276 strikes switch
S3. Carriage assembly 260 will then move upwards and
begin to carry guide and brace assembly 270 when knob 268
once again contacts hooked end 275 of carrier arm 274.
Tube brace 276 helps to support tube 220 as carriage
assembly 260 is driven down the tube 220.
Referring now to Figs. 18 and 19 the tube
grasping assembly 290 is shown. Tube grasping assembly
290 generally includes a mounting plate 291, a grasping
arm 295, a spring 298 and a lever 299. Mounting plate 291
has a hole 292 therethrough for passage of the neck of the
''' '
J~ r
.
': `
. ~ ' ~ ' ` .
.,' ' ~
,',~' ' ' '
.
~ '. ~' ' . .
2 1 Q ~ T/US 9 ~ /03 G~^
- 22 - ~ ~ ~)s1 3 NOV 19
toothpaste tube 220, a grasping surface 293, a tube
mounting guide 293a which as shown in Fig. 18 is a concave
. . .
cavity and a guide groove 294. Grasping arm 295 includes
a semi-circular grasping surface 296. Grasping arm 295 is
pinned to mounting plate 291 with pivot pin 297a around
which grasping arm 295 pivots within the range allowed by
guidepin 297b and guide groove 294. Spring 298 biases
semi-circular grasping surface 296 of grasping arm 295 and
grasping surface 293 against the neck of the toothpaste
tube 220. Tube 220 can be released by pushing lever 299
which protrudes from housing 212. The grasping assembly
290 is adaptable to the diameter and threading of the
mouth of the toothpaste container and tube mounting guide
293a assists a user in guiding the neck of the toothpaste
tube into hole 292 and helps to stabilize the container
220 during operation of the electric toothpaste dispenser
210.
Referring to Figs. 20-23, the nozzle assembly 280
generally includes housing 281, door 282, cap 286 and
switch plate 288. Housing 281 includes side walls 281a
which include guide grooves 281b and locking grooves
281c. Door 282 includes a chute 284 with guide walls 284a
and 284b, arms 283a and 283b which define a notch 283c.
Door 282 is resiliently mounted or urged in an upright
position by spring 285a mounted on pin 285b. Cap 286 is
held on pin 287 and has a concave surface or cavity 286a.
Switch plate 288 rotates about pin 288a and rests in
groove 289 of housing 281.
A user will insert a toothbrush against chute 284
on door 282. The toothbrush will be guided into housing
281 by guide walls 284a and 284b. As door 282 drops open,
pin 287 and cap 286 will be guided by notch 283c and
groove 281b in a downward a~ial direction. When door 282
is completely dropped the toothbrush 22 can contact switch
plate 288 which will contact switch Sl. When switch Sl is
contacted a predetermined volume of toothpaste will be
.
., .
'
~. .
. l ~ ~ -r
`'
~,
;. '
:....
2 3~ Q ~ 4
, : WO 92/1~19 - 23 - PCT/US~2/03013
dispensed from the container 220 while a buzzer sounds.
When the buzzer completes its sound the predetermined
volume of toothpaste has already been dispensed and the
user can retract the brush 22. As the toothbrush 22 is
retracted, spring 285a will urge door 282 to an upright
closed position lifting pin 287 and cap 286 axially up
against the mouth of the container 220. Concave surface
286a assists cap 286 which can rotate 5-10 degrees in
either direction about pin 287 against the mouth of the
container 220. Housing 281 can be removed from housing
212 by unclipping locking grooves 281c from knobs (not
shown) within housing 212.
Cap 286 prevents the drying and clogging of
toothpaste within the mouth of the container 220 and
prevents paste from dripping out of container 220. Nozzle
assembly 280 allows adjustment to the length of the
container neck since a container 220 with a longer neck
will urge cap 286 in a downward axial direction when
mounted. Nozzle assembly 280 also helps to prevent messes
by axially capping container 220 rather than sliding
across the mouth of the toothpaste container 220 (the
capping motion is frictionless).
Referring to Fig. 24 a toothbrush mounting plate
300 is shown. Toothbrush mounting plate 300 can pivot
around pin 302 which is clipped into housing bearings
214. Toothbrush mounting plate 300 includes several
notches 304 to be used for holding toothbrushes 22 when
not in use.
Fig. 25 shows the electric circuit for the
invention shown in Figs. 13-23. When the switch Sl is
activated by a toothbrush, the motor turns on and the
toothpaste container is squeezed for a predetermined
amount of time to dispense a predetermined volume of
toothpaste set at VRl. A buzzer 8D sounds while the
toothpaste is being dispensed or the motor is on and turns
off when the dispensing is complete. The buzzer could be
~,'
' ';
. . . .
., - ~
~, '' ~ `
, .
; 21Q828~1
r ~ wO 92/1~19 - 24 - PCT/US92/030!
replaced with a light or some other signal device. A
- volume dispense control (not shown) may be built into
housing 212 and the circuit so that a user can adjust the
amount of toothpaste to be dispensed. After the volume of
toothpaste has been dispensed the motor will reverse to
retract the rollers from five to fifteen millimeters to
'r take pressure off the toothpaste container. When prong
277 contacts switch S3 the motor is reversed and carriage
assembly 260 will retract until prong 279 strikes switch
S4 to turn the motor off. A user can then remove the old
toothpaste tube 220 and mount a new tube within grasping
assembly 290. Once the new tube is inserted the user can
adjust the carriage assembly 260 through manipulation of
; switch S2 while simultaneously activating switch Sl.
Switch S2 is particularly useful when installing a short
tube. If a user desires to change containers 220 before
the container is empty switch S5 is used to retract
carriage assembly 260.
; Referring to Figs. 26-34 another embodiment of
~ the invention is shown. The construction and operation of
;~ this embodiment is similar to those previously described
~ except as discussed below.
,. Referring to Figs. 26 and 27 the electric
,~ toothpaste dispenser 410 generally includes toothpaste
.~¦ container 420, drive assembly 430, clutch assembly 510,
,~J carriage assembly 460, nozzle assembly 480, grasping
assembly 490 and toothbrush mounting plate 500.
The drive assembly 430 through clutch assembly
510 and long screw 440 will drive carriage assembly 460.
This will cause pinion gears 465 and 466 to be driven by
rack 442 and pinion gears 467 and 468 to be driven by rack
443. Racks 442 and 443 are mounted in rack mounting
grooves 413a and 413b, respectively on opposite sides of
the toothpaste container 420. Pinion gears 465 and 467
l drive roller 463. Pinion gears 466 and 468 drive roller
- 464. ~he dual racks support and stabilize the rollers as
.'' .
. .
, .
.
;
,
.
..
2 ~ 8 4
WO92tl8419 - 25 - PCT/US92/030~3
they are driven along the toothpaste container 420.
Ref~rring to Fig. 28 the toothbrush mounting plate 500
includes a tab 502 with locking means 504.
Referring to Figs. 29 and 30 the cap 486 of
nozzle assembly 480 includes a pliable plug 486a which
- preferably is made of rubber.
- In Figs. 31-34 details of the drive assembly 430
and clutch assembly 510 are shown. Motor 432 drives
pinion 519 which transmits drive to worm wheel 512. Worm
wheel 512 includes a drum 516 having a notch 517. Clutch
assembly 510 also includes driver band 513, steel balls
514a and 514b and spring 515. Driver band 513 has locking
; grooves 520 and transmits drive to long screw 440.
Under normal operating conditions spring 515 will
rorce steel balls 514a and 514b (retained in notches 517)
into locking grooves 520. In this instance shown in Fig.
32 driver band 513 will rotate with drum 516 through steel
balls 514a and 514b. However if problems occur during the
operation of the invention (such as by obstructions to the
advancement of carriage assembly 460 or rollers 463 and
464) steel balls 415a and 415b may be forced out of
locking grooves 520 so that driver band 513 is not engaged
as drum 516 rotates.
, The preferred embodiment of this invention has
b en shown and described above. It is to be understood
that minor changes in the details, construction and
arrangement of the parts may be made without departing
; from the spirit or scope of the invention as claimed.
: .
s~
.i
:;
r-~ ~"~
,
.
: . .
