VETERINARY TOOTHBRUSH HAVING DUAL HEADS

Abstract

The present invention presents a veterinary toothbrush having dual heads. The presented solution provides a cost-saving measure for connecting or attaching two conventionally known standard toothbrushes to form a dual-headed toothbrush. The present invention focuses on various mechanisms such as pinning, welding, or dipping of two conventionally known standard toothbrushes to permanently form a single toothbrush with a dual head with bristles. According to an aspect, the two existing toothbrushes may be plastic dipped to form a single dual-head brush. According to another aspect, the two existing toothbrushes may be welded together to form a single dual head brush. In another mechanism, the two existing toothbrushes may be joined or pinned together to form a single dual head brush.

Claims

1. A double head toothbrush, comprising: a first toothbrush and a second toothbrush, each of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush comprises a head portion having bristles, and a tail portion; a first connector having a first slot located at a first end and a first screw thread located at an opposing end to the first end, wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush is connected to the first slot of the first connector; a second connector having a second slot at a second end and a second screw thread located at an opposing end to the second end, the tail portion of the second toothbrush is connected to the second slot of the second connector; a handle with a hollow portion; and wherein, the first screw thread and the second screw thread are joined together and combinedly inserted and rotated into the hollow portion of the handle to attach the first connector and second connectors thereto.

2. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush are standard conventional toothbrushes.

3. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first screw thread and the second screw thread are semi-circular in shape.

4. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first screw thread and the second screw thread when joined together form a circular shape.

5. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush are removably or fixedly connectable to the first slot of the first connector, and the second slot of the second connector respectively.

6. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the first screw thread and the second screw thread are joined together ensuring the head portion of the first toothbrush and the head portion of the second toothbrush are aligned at an opposing angle.

7. The double head toothbrush of claim 6, wherein the head portion of the first toothbrush and the head portion of the second toothbrush are aligned at the opposing angle creating a space between a first neck of the first toothbrush and a second neck of the second toothbrush.

8. The double head toothbrush of claim 7, wherein the space between the first neck of the first toothbrush and the second neck of the second toothbrush prevents an animal from biting onto the first neck and the second neck of the toothbrush during the brushing process.

9. The double head toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the handle is made up of plastic or silicone.

10. The double head toothbrush of claim 6, wherein the head portion of the first toothbrush and the head portion of the second toothbrush are aligned at the opposing angle such that the bristle surfaces of each of the head portions of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush are substantially facing one another.

11. A double head toothbrush, comprising: a first toothbrush and a second toothbrush, each of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush comprises a head portion having bristles, and a tail portion; a handle; a first connector having a first slot at a first end and connected to the handle at an opposing end to the first end, wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush is connected to the first slot of the first connector; a second connector having a second slot at a second end and connected to the handle at an opposing end to the second end, the tail portion of the second toothbrush is connected to the second slot of the second connector; and wherein, the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush connected to the first connector and the second connector ensure the head portion with bristles of the first toothbrush and the head portion with bristles of the second toothbrush are aligned at the opposing angle creating a space between a first neck of the first toothbrush and a second neck of the second toothbrush.

12. A double head toothbrush, comprising: a first toothbrush and a second toothbrush, each of the first toothbrush and the second toothbrush comprises a head portion having bristle, and a tail portion; wherein, the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush are joined or pinned together forming a handle graspable by a user; wherein the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush are joined or pinned together using at least a plastic dip method, and a heat-shrink method; and wherein, the tail portion of the first toothbrush and the tail portion of the second toothbrush joined together ensuring the head portion with bristle of the first toothbrush and the head portion with bristles of the second toothbrush are aligned at an opposing angle creating a space between a first neck of the first toothbrush and a second neck of the second toothbrush.

Description

[0014] The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention, as to its structure, organization, use and method of operation, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of various examples. It is expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example in association with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0015] FIGS. 1A-1C are diagrams that illustrate a dual-headed toothbrush with its handle dipped in plastic, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram that illustrates a handle that is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] FIGS. 3A-3C are diagrams that illustrate an integration process in which the handle is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 4 is a diagram that illustrates a use case scenario in which a user is using a double-headed brush for cleaning a tooth of a pet animal, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Certain terminology is used in the following description for reference only and is not limiting. The words “front,” “rear,” “anterior,” “posterior,” “lateral,” “medial,” “upper,” “lower,” “outer,” “inner,” and “interior” refer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric center of the invention, and designated parts thereof, in accordance with the present disclosure. Unless specifically set forth herein, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” are not limited to one element, but instead should be read as meaning “at least one.” The terminology includes the words noted above, derivatives thereof, and words of similar import.

[0020] Before describing the present invention in detail, it should be observed that the present invention utilizes a combination of components, which constitutes a system for effectively fixing two existing toothbrushes together to form the veterinary toothbrush having dual heads. This may help to avoid tooling up to make a brand-new design that is cost-prohibitive. The toothbrush with dual heads may be used for comprehensive cleaning of the teeth of animals or human users. Accordingly, the components have been represented, showing only specific details that are pertinent for an understanding of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that may be readily apparent to those with ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein. As required, the detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein. However, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting but rather to provide an understandable description of the invention.

[0021] The words “comprising”, “having”, “containing”, and “including”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalent in meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items.

[0022] The veterinary toothbrush having dual heads will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which should be regarded as merely illustrative without restricting the scope and ambit of the present invention.

[0023] FIGS. 1A-1C are diagrams that illustrate a dual-headed toothbrush 100 with its handle dipped in plastic, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, two existing toothbrushes are taken, and their tails are joined together by performing a plastic dip process to form a handle 108. Additionally, at least two existing toothbrushes may be joined or pinned together by performing a heat-shrink method in a manner similar to the plastic-dip method without limiting the scope of the present invention. Each toothbrush includes a head portion 102a or 102b, bristles 104a or 104b, and a neck portion 106a or 106b. The two toothbrushes are joined together such that the bristles 104a and 104b are facing each other at a predefined angle and their tails are dipped into a plastic mold. This will create a plastic covering all-around the tails of the two toothbrushes. For example, the brush 100 may include dual heads 102a and 102b that are opposite to each other such that the bristle 104a and 104b are substantially facing one another. The dual heads 102a and 102b (and so are the corresponding bristles 104a,104b) are at opposite angles. Further, each brush head 102a or 102b is supported by its own neck 106a or 106b. The system has been designed to integrate at least two existing toothbrushes as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. The necks 106a, 106b are spaced apart from each other. The space between the necks 106a and 106b of the dual-head toothbrush 100 has the advantage of preventing an animal from biting onto the necks 106a, 106b of the toothbrush 100. If a pet animal attempts to bite the necks 106a, 106b of the toothbrush 100, the teeth of the pet would go between the space keeping the brush heads on either side of the teeth. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide the toothbrush 100 for brushing domestic animals' teeth wherein two sets of bristles are set opposite each other to cover the mesial and distal portions of the teeth. In some other exemplary scenarios, the proposed toothbrush 100 may be used to guide between the teeth of a human being while achieving brush action on both sides of the teeth. It is another object to provide the toothbrush 100 as described above that is sturdy, and yet economical to manufacture. It is another object to provide the toothbrush 100 with soft bristles. It is still another object to provide the toothbrush 100 that allows for a thorough brushing of the pets' teeth. It is yet another object to provide a mechanism as described above that is efficient to produce the toothbrush 100, enabling the person brushing the teeth to complete the process thoroughly, yet quickly. It is still another object to provide the toothbrush 100 that may help to keep the jaw open while softening the bite of a domestic animal.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a diagram 200 that illustrates a handle 206 that is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The handle 206 may be made up of a plastic or silicone material. Further, there is provided two connectors 204a and 204b, and each connector is provided with a slot (not seen) on one end and a screw thread (not seen) on another end. In another embodiment, each of the connectors 204a and 204b may be fixedly connected (pre welded) to the handle 206. A user may insert a tail portion of one toothbrush 202a into one slot of the connector 204a and a tail portion of another toothbrush 202b into another slot of another connector 204b. The tail portions of the toothbrushes 202a, 202b may be removably inserted within the slots of the connectors 204a, 204b. A locking mechanism may be deployed or used by the user to temporarily or permanently lock or at least tighten the tail portions of each toothbrush 202a or 202b into the slots of the respective connector 204a or 204b.

[0025] In some other embodiments, the tail portions of each toothbrush 202a or 202b may be permanently fixed into the slots of the respective connector 204a or 204b. Thereafter, the user may insert a screw thread portion of each connector 204a or 204b into a hollow portion of the handle 206 and then rotate them together to tighten within the hollow portion. This integration process in which the handle 206 is adapted to hold two toothbrushes has been described in detail below in conjunction with FIGS. 3A-3C.

[0026] FIGS. 3A-3C are diagrams 300 that illustrate an integration process in which the handle is adapted to hold two toothbrushes, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In FIGS. 3A-3C, there is shown two toothbrushes 302a and 302b that are fitted (either permanently attached or removably attached) to the connectors 304a and 304b from the top as shown. Each connector 304a or 304b has a threaded portion including screw thread 308a or 308b, respectively. Further, each threaded portion with screw thread 308a or 308b is semi-circular in design as shown. The threaded portions with screw threads 308a and 308b form a circular shape when both of them are attached or joined or pasted together as shown in FIG. 3B. Thereafter, the threaded portions with screw threads 308a and 308b (in its circular shape) may be inserted into a hollow column of the handle 306 as shown and is rotated, either clockwise or anti-clockwise, to lock the connectors 304a and 304b with the toothbrushes 302a and 302b into the handle 306. This whole set-up of the integrated toothbrush 100 may then be used for brushing domestic animals' teeth wherein two sets of bristles are set opposite each other to cover the mesial and distal portions of the teeth. In some other exemplary scenarios, the integrated toothbrush may also be used for brushing humans' teeth wherein two sets of bristles are set opposite each other to cover the inside and outside portions of the teeth.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 that illustrates a use case scenario in which a user is using his or her hand 404 to hold or grasp a double-headed brush 100 for cleaning a tooth 402 of a pet animal 406, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The toothbrush 100 may be formed by using a mechanism in which at least two standard toothbrushes may be fused together, clipped together, snapped together, or joined in any manner or held together by a handle so that the brush heads are met at opposing angles. When the animal bites, the teeth are captured between the brush head keeping the teeth centered on the dual brush surface and held in the track of the opposing handles ensuring brush contact to gums and teeth.

[0028] While the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.