Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
17-04-2001 CA 02364109 2001-09-07 IB 00990187:
APO - ~C
~ 7, 0~, 200i
A DISPOSABLE TOOTHBRUSH y oa
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
THIS invention relates to a toothbrush, more particularly to a disposable
toothbrush which includes a toothpaste dispenser.
Disposable toothbrushes are used particularly by travellers to brush their
teeth in toilet facilities along the route on which they are travelling. It is
convenient for the toothbrush to be in combination with a toothpaste
dispenser and also to be disposable, so that the traveller can easily buy a
toothbrush or be given one. use it once, and then throw it away. Another
use for disposable toothbrushes is in treating oral diseases. Persons
afflicted
with oral diseases can very often only use a toothbrush once as subsequent
use of the toothbrush can re-infect the person or introduce bacteria into the
mouth of the person.
A disposable toothbrush is disclosed in United States Patent No. 5,865,19.
In this document toothpaste is contained within the brush head of the
toothbrush, in a storage reservoir behind the bristles of the toothbrush. The
toothpaste is applied to bristles, via apertures through the brush head, by
depressing the storage reservoir. A problem with this toothbrush is that the
toothpaste within the reservoir is not sealed from the atmosphere and the
toothbrush must be packaged in a specially sealed container. As the
container is likely to contain air, the toothpaste within the reservoir may
dry
out, or may become contaminated during the packaging process.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved compact disposable
toothbrush in combination with a toothpaste dispenser.
AMENDED SHEET
17-04-2001 CA 02364109 2001-09-07 IB 00990187:
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention there is provided a toothbrush and toothpaste
dispenser unit comprising:
a longitudinally extending brush head attached to a brush
handle;
a plurality of bristles extending from the brush head;
a plunger cap defining a supply cavity containing a supply of
toothpaste in the brush head, the plunger cap being movable
laterally relative to the brush head from an inoperative position
to an operative position;
at least one aperture extending through the brush head, bringing
the supply cavity into communication with the bristles;
characterized in that the brush head includes a perforatable
membrane for sealing the supply of toothpaste from the
atmosphere and perforating means for perforating the membrane
when the plunger cap is moved from the inoperative position to
the operative position so that the toothpaste may be forced by
the plunger cap, via the at least one aperture in the brush head,
to the bristles.
The supply of toothpaste may be contained within a sachet within the
plunger cap.
Advantageously, the supply of toothpaste contained within the supply cavity
in the cap is sealed from the atmosphere by a perforatable membrane which
is adhered to an opening defined by the plunger cap.
Preferably, the perforatable membrane is a plastics film or a foil.
AMENDED SHEET
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The perforating means is preferably a pointed ridge or spike formed
integrally with the brush head.
Advantageously, the perforating means is arranged to substantially fill the
supply cavity in the plunger cap, when the plunger cap is in the operative
position.
The brush head may include locking means for locking the plunger cap in
the operative position.
AMENDED SHEET
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Typically, the perforating means is a pointed ridge or spike formed
integrally with the brush head.
Advantageously, the brush head includes locking means for locking the
plunger in the second operative position.
The brush handle preferably includes a first cavity for storing a supply of
dental floss and also a second cavity for storing a supply of mouthwash.
Preferably, the toothpaste includes an active ingredient for the treatment of
an oral disease, such as gingivitis, perdontitis, carries, calculus and
dentinal
hypersensitivity.
Advantageously, the mouthwash also includes an active ingredient for the
treatment of an oral disease, such as gingivitis, perdontitis, carries,
calculus
and dentinal hypersensitivity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figure 1 is an exploded side cross-sectional view of a disposable
toothbrush according to a first embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a cross-section view of Figure 1 through the line 2-2;
Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of the disposable toothbrush of
Figure 1 in an inoperative position;
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view of disposable toothbrush of
Figure 1 in an operative position;
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Figure 5 is a cross-sectional side view of a disposable toothbrush
according to a second embodiment of the invention;
Figure 6 is a pictorial view of a sachet containing toothpaste for the
disposable toothbrush shown in Figure S;
Figure 7 is cross-sectional side view of the disposable toothbrush
shown in Figure 5, in an inoperative position; and
Figure 8 is a cross-sectional side view of the disposable toothbrush of
Figure 5, in an operative position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to Figure 1, a disposable toothbrush 10 according to a first
embodiment of the invention includes a longitudinally extending brush head
shown generally by the numeral 12 with a brush handle 14. The brush
handle 14 is made of a ridged plastics material such as polypropylene or
styrene. The brush handle 14 includes a first cavity 16 for retaining a
supply of dental floss and a second cavity 18 for containing a supply of
mouthwash. A flexible removable end cap 20 is provided for closing the
cavity 18.
Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the brush head 12 includes a base 22 formed
integrally with the handle 14 and is made from the same material as the
handle. The base 22 has an outer surface 26 to which is secured a number
of bristles 24. The bristles 24 are arranged to lie substantially
perpendicular
relative to the surface 26. The base 22 also defines a cavity 28 having a
floor 30. Projections, in the form of pointed ridges 32 are formed integrally
with and extend from the floor 30. An aperture 34 extends through the
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brush head 12, linking the cavity 28 to the bristles 24 communicatively.
The brush head 12 further includes a plunger cap 36 which is made from a
flexible material such as low density polyethylene or more preferably
thermoplastic elastomer (TPE). The plunger cap 36 defines a supply cavity
38 with an opening 40 into the supply cavity 38. The opening 40 is sealed
closed by a perforatable membrane 42 which is made from a plastics film or
foil. A single supply of toothpaste (shown by stippling) is contained within
the supply cavity 38, behind the membrane 42. The cap 36 further includes
a peripheral projection 44 which is engageable with first and second
projections 46 and 48 on an inner side wall 49 of the cavity 28 in the base
22. The projection 44 is also arranged to form a seal with the inner side
wall 49 of the cavity 28.
Referring to Figure 3, the cap 36 is pressed onto the base 22 so that the
projections 44 on the cap 36 engage with the first projections 46 on the side
wall 49 of the base 22, thereby locking the cap 36 onto the base 22. The cap
36 is now in a first inoperative position, with the toothbrush 10 ready for
sale or storage. The membrane 42 seals the supply of toothpaste (shown by
stippling) from the atmosphere and ensures that the toothpaste is not
contaminated by germs and that it does not dry out.
Referring to Figure 4, in use, the cap 36 is pressed, like a plunger, from the
first inoperative position shown in Figure 3, laterally relative to the brush
head 12, to the second operative position shown in Figure 4. During the
lateral movement, the pointed ridges 32 perforate the membrane 42 and
toothpaste (shown by stippling) is forced through the aperture 34 and onto
the bristles 24. The peripheral projection 44 engages sealingly with the
inner side wall 49 to stop toothpaste from escaping between the cap 36 and
the inner side wall 49. The flexible cap 36 also ensures that most of the
toothpaste (shown by stippling) is pressed out of the supply cavity when the
cap is depressed. The toothbrush may then be used by a user, with
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toothpaste already on the bristles. After brushing, the user may use the
mouthwash to wash his/her mouth out and then may use the dental floss 48
for further cleaning of the teeth. Once in the second operative position, the
peripheral projection 44 on the cap 36 engage with the second projections
48 on the base 22, locking the cap 36 in place, so that the toothbrush may
only be used once.
Referring to Figure 5, according to a second embodiment of the invention,
toothpaste (shown by stippling) is contained within the cap 36 within a
sachet 50. Referring to Figure 6, the sachet 50 is shaped to fit within the
supply cavity 38 in the cap 36 and is made from a plastics film or a foil.
Referring back to Figure 5, in this embodiment, the projections 32 shown in
Figure 1 are replaced with blocks 52 which are formed integrally with the
base 22 of the brush head 12. The blocks substantially fill the cavity 28 in
the base 22 and support spikes 54 which are formed integrally therewith.
Referring to Figure 7, in an inoperative position, the cap 36 clips onto the
base 22 in the same way as Figure 3. Toothpaste within the sachet 50 is
sealed from the atmosphere, is not contaminated by germs and does not dry
ollt.
Referring to Figure 8, in use, the cap 36 is pressed laterally relative to the
brush head 12 from the inoperative position shown in Figure 7 to an
operative position shown in Figure 8. During the lateral movement, the
spikes 54 perforate the membrane of the sachet 50 and toothpaste (shown by
stippling) is forced through the aperture 34 and onto the bristles 24. Again,
as with the toothbrush shown in Figure 4, the cap 36 is then locked in place
by the projection 48. In this embodiment the blocks 52 substantially fill the
cavity 28 in the base 22, to ensure that as much toothpaste as possible is
forced from the cavity 38 in the cap 36 onto the bristles 24. It will be noted
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_g_
that the flexible cap 36 is deformed over the spikes 54 to ensure that as
much toothpaste as possible is forced onto the bristles 24.
A sachet can be used in the toothbrush shown in Figure l; and a cap with a
sealed membrane could be used with the toothbrush shown in Figure 2.
The toothbrush according to the invention provides a compact and easy to
operate toothbrush head which includes a toothpaste dispenser that a
traveller can use once, and then throw away. In addition, the system is
hygienic and the toothpaste does not dry out as it is sealed from the
atmosphere during transport and storage, before use.
Another important advantage of the toothbrush according to the invention is
that it can be used in health care to treat, or to assist in the treatment of,
oral
diseases.
The toothpaste in the cap or sachet may contain an active ingredient such as
an antiseptic, antibiotic, antimicrobial, anti-fungal, analgesic, anaesthetic,
anti-inflammatory or any other medicament for the treatment of an oral
disease, such as a gum disease for example, gingivitis and other oral
diseases such as periodontitis, caries, calculus and dentinal
hypersensitivity.
A typical example would be the toothpaste sold under the trade mark
Sensodyne which contains strontium chloride hexahydrate, a surface
anaesthetic for treatment of dentinal hypersensitivity.
The advantage of the toothbrush according to the invention is that toothpaste
containing an active ingredient is sealed from the atmosphere and this
prolongs the shelf life of the active ingredient in the toothpaste which could
otherwise be oxidised if exposed to oxygen. After being used once, the
toothbrush is discarded. This is often necessary in treating oral diseases, as
a used brush can re-infect a patient or introduce new bacteria to the
patient's
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mouth. Also, the toothpaste supply in the brush can have a selected volume
and concentration of active ingredient for the disease that is to be treated.
The mouthwash in the handle of the brush may also contain an active
ingredient as mentioned above for the treatment of an oral disease, such as
those mentioned above. For example, the handle could contain the
mouthwash sold under the trade mark Cosordyl which contains
chlorhexidine gluconate as an active ingredient which is an antibacterial.
