TOOTHBRUSH ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A toothbrush assembly comprises an elongated handle portion, a head portion at one end and having toothbrush bristles thereon, and an opposite end within which an indicator, comprising a timer mechanism and a light, is provided for providing the user with a predeterminedly defined timed period for brushing one's teeth. The entire assembly is made as a one-piece assembly such that various components do not become separated from each other, the assembly is fabricated from a thermoplastic material which is transparent such that inner components are visible, and the toothbrush assembly is also adapted to accommodate a three-month supply of toothpaste after the depletion of which the entire assembly can be discarded. A timer is provided for defining the predeterminedly defined timed period, and one or more lights, preferably LEDs, can be illuminated at the end of the timed period or can flash throughout the timed period and then be extinguished at the conclusion of the timed period. Having the lights constantly flash throughout the timed period permits users, particularly children, to brush their teeth in a dark environment, a feature that they may find fun and interesting, and therefore serve as an inducement for them to regularly brush their teeth.

Claims

1. A disposable tooth brush assembly, comprising: a body portion defining a hollow interior portion within which a predetermined amount of toothpaste is capable of being stored; a handle portion defined upon a first end of said body portion; a head portion defined upon a second opposite end of said body portion; a plurality of bristles mounted upon said head portion; a fluid conduit defined within said body portion for fluidically connecting said hollow interior portion, within which the predetermined amount of toothpaste is capable of being stored, with said plurality of bristles so as to permit toothpaste to flow from said hollow interior portion to said plurality of bristles; an actuator for causing a predetermined amount of toothpaste to be dispensed from said hollow interior portion, through said fluid conduit, and to said plurality of bristles; and an indicator mounted upon said body portion for indicating to the user of said tooth brush assembly that a predetermined amount of brushing time has elapsed whereby the user can be confident that he/she has brushed his/her teeth for a sufficient amount of time; wherein said body is fabricated from a thermoplastic material which is transparent such that inner components of said toothbrush assembly are visible.

2. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said predetermined amount of toothpaste comprises approximately a three-month supply of toothpaste in accordance with normally recommended brushing standards of brushing frequency.

3. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 2, wherein: said toothbrush assembly is discardable such that after the depletion of said three-month supply of toothpaste, said toothpaste assembly is discarded and replaced with a new toothbrush assembly having a fresh or new supply of toothpaste.

4. The tooth brush assembly as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: gripping members attached to side portions of said handle portion of said toothbrush assembly so as to enable a user to grip said toothbrush assembly.

5. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 4, further comprising: dimple members integrally formed upon said gripping members so as to enhance the tactile gripping of said body portion of said toothbrush assembly.

6. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said indicator comprises a timer mechanism.

7. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 6, further comprising: a push-button for actuating said timer mechanism.

8. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 6, wherein: said predetermined amount of time, timed by said timer mechanism, comprises two minutes.

9. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 6, further comprising: at least one light which provides a signal that said predetermined amount of time has expired.

10. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein: said at least one light comprises an LED light.

11. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein: said at least one light is illuminated when said timer mechanism begins said predetermined timed period for brushing one's teeth, and is extinguished upon the expiration of the timed period.

12. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein: said at least one light constantly flashes during said predetermined timed period.

13. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 9, wherein: said at least one light is normally OFF but will be illuminated upon the expiration of said predetermined timed period.

14. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 9, further comprising: a power supply disposed within said body portion of said toothbrush assembly for powering both said timer mechanism and said at least one light.

15. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said actuator comprises a slidable actuator.

16. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said actuator comprises a rotary actuator.

17. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a tongue scraper mounted upon said head portion of said toothbrush assembly.

18. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 17, wherein: said tongue scraper is fabricated from a silicone material.

19. The toothbrush assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said toothbrush assembly is relatively light in weight, said weight being less than three ounces, so as to be capable of being easily held and manipulated by children.

20. A disposable tooth brush assembly, comprising: a body portion defining a hollow interior portion within which a predetermined amount of toothpaste is capable of being stored; a handle portion defined upon a first end of said body portion; a head portion defined upon a second opposite end of said body portion; a plurality of bristles mounted upon said head portion; a fluid conduit defined within said body portion for fluidically connecting said hollow interior portion, within which the predetermined amount of toothpaste is capable of being stored, with said plurality of bristles so as to permit toothpaste to flow from said hollow interior portion to said plurality of bristles; an actuator for causing a predetermined amount of toothpaste to be dispensed from said hollow interior portion, through said fluid conduit, and to said plurality of bristles; and an indicator mounted upon said body portion for indicating to the user of said tooth brush assembly that a predetermined amount of brushing time has elapsed whereby the user can be confident that he/she has brushed his/her teeth for a sufficient amount of time; wherein said toothbrush assembly is fabricated from a thermoplastic material as a one-piece component such that different components of said toothbrush assembly cannot be readily separated.

21. A disposable tooth brush assembly, comprising: a body portion defining a hollow interior portion within which a predetermined amount of toothpaste is capable of being stored; a handle portion defined upon a first end of said body portion; a head portion defined upon a second opposite end of said body portion; a plurality of bristles mounted upon said head portion; a fluid conduit defined within said body portion for fluidically connecting said hollow interior portion, within which the predetermined amount of toothpaste is capable of being stored, with said plurality of bristles so as to permit toothpaste to flow from said hollow interior portion to said plurality of bristles; an actuator for causing a predetermined amount of toothpaste to be dispensed from said hollow interior portion, through said fluid conduit, and to said plurality of bristles; and an indicator mounted upon said body portion for indicating to the user of said tooth brush assembly that a predetermined amount of time has elapsed whereby the user can be confident that he/she has brushed his/her teeth for a sufficient amount of time; wherein said indicator comprises at least one light which constantly flashes throughout said predetermined amount of time such that a person can brush one's teeth within a darkened environment.

Description

BRIEF DESCIRPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of a disposable toothbrush assembly as developed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the toothbrush assembly as illustrated within FIG. 1 and showing the use of the same by means of a user so as to dispense toothpaste onto the bristles of the toothbrush;

[0013] FIG. 3 is a partial perspective of the toothbrush assembly as illustrated within FIGS. 1 and 2 and showing a person activating the timer mechanism mounted within the bottom end portion of the toothbrush assembly housing;

[0014] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the timer mechanism which is adapted to be mounted within the bottom end portion of the toothbrush assembly housing but shown separately from the toothbrush assembly;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the toothbrush assembly being used by a person to brush their teeth; and

[0016] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a toothbrush assembly also developed in accordance with the principles and teachings of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0017] Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1-5 thereof, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described, and it is seen that the first embodiment of the toothbrush assembly is disclosed and is generally indicated by means of the reference number 100. More particularly, it is seen that the toothbrush assembly 100 comprises an elongated main body portion or handle 110, and a toothpaste container 160 which is adapted to be disposed internally within the elongated main body portion or handle 110. The toothpaste container 160 comprises an internal volume 170 within which a predetermined supply of toothpaste 174, such as, for example, a three-month supply of toothpaste, is disposed, and it is additionally seen that the upper end of the toothpaste container 160 is provided with an aperture 168 through which the toothpaste 174 can flow into the upper head portion 180 of the toothbrush assembly 100 so as to, in turn, flow through a slot 142 defined within the upper head portion 180 of the toothbrush assembly 100 whereby the toothpaste can flow onto or between the bristles 194 of the upper head portion 180 of the toothbrush assembly 100 when the upper head portion 180 of the toothbrush assembly 100 is fixedly mounted atop the upper end portion 150 of the elongated main body portion or handle 110 of the toothbrush assembly 100. It is to be noted that the elongated main body portion or handle 110 may be fabricated from a suitable thermoplastic material which is transparent such that the internal components of the toothbrush assembly 100 are visible as will be noted more fully hereinafter.

[0018] It is further seen that the axially central, external portion of the elongated main body portion or handle 110 is provided with one or more hand-grip members 112 which, in turn, have a plurality of ridges or dimples 114 integrally formed thereon so as to provide the user with tactile structures such that the person can firmly grip and hold the toothbrush assembly 100. In addition, as can best be seen in FIG. 2 of the drawings, a slider mechanism 200 is slidably mounted upon an external portion of the elongated main body portion or handle 110, at a location just above one of the hand-grip member 112, so as to be capable of being conveniently actuated by one's thumb 254 as illustrated. The slider mechanism 200, which comprises a button 220 which is adapted to be engaged by means of the thumb 254 of the person using the toothbrush assembly 200, is movable within a longitudinal slot 146, and is operatively connected to a plunger mechanism 210. A spring member 230 is interposed between the slider mechanism 200 and the plunger mechanism 210 such that when the slider mechanism 200 is moved forwardly, the plunger mechanism 210 will encounter the toothpaste container 160 so as to force a predetermined amount of toothpaste 174, disposed within the toothpaste container 160, out from the toothpaste container 160 whereby the dispensed toothpaste 174 can flow through the open end or aperture 168 of the toothpaste container 160, through the slot 142 defined within the head portion 180 of the toothbrush assembly 100, and onto or between the bristles 194 of the head portion 180 of the toothbrush assembly 100. Conversely, when the thumb 254 of the person is removed from the slider mechanism 200, the spring member 230 will return the slider mechanism 200 to its original position. It is further noted that a tongue scraper 192 is also provided upon an underside portion of the head portion 180 of the toothbrush assembly 100 and may be fabricated from silicone rubber or other similar material.

[0019] Continuing further, and with reference continuing to be made to FIGS. 1-5, it is additionally seen that the toothbrush assembly 100 further comprises a timing mechanism 300 which is mounted within a lower end portion 120 of the elongated main body or handle portion 110 of the toothbrush assembly 100 wherein the timing mechanism 300 is adapted to provide the user 350 with a warning signal when a predetermined brushing time period, such as, for example, two minutes, has expired or elasped. More particularly, it is seen that the timing mechanism 300 comprises a power supply 310, a timer and visual display 320, and a light member 330. The light member 330 can be any suitable type of light source, but in particular, is noted a preferably comprising one or more LED lights, and it is of course appreciated that the light member 330 and the timer 320 are electrically powered by means of the power supply 310. More specifically, the timer 320 can be set for a predetermined period of time, such as, for example, two minutes, during which the person or user brushing his or her teeth will perform a complete brushing operation, at the end of which time, the light member 330 will be illuminated, indicating to the user that the brushing time has expired or lapsed. Alternatively, the light member 330, comprising the one or more LED lights, can comprise constant illumination, or flashing illumination, during the entire brushing period of two minutes, at the end of which the light member 330, comprising the one or more LED lights, will be extinguished, again indicating to the user that the predetermined brushing time as expired or lapsed. The constant or flashing LED lights during the two-minute brushing time may be particularly interesting or amenable to children in that they can brush their teeth in a darkened environment, such as a darkened bathroom, with the only illumination coming from the one or more LED lights. Alternatively, other audible or tactile indicators, such as, for example, a buzzer or vibrator, may be utilized in lieu of, or in addition to, the one or more LED lights. It is lastly noted that a push-button 340 is provided for starting the timer mechanism 320.

[0020] Still yet further, it is seen that a coil spring 315 is operatively connected to the power supply 310 so as to effectively not only support the lower end portion of the toothpaste container 160, but to impart a predetermined force to the same so as to constantly bias the toothpaste container 160 upwardly and thereby effectively ensure that the lower end of the toothpaste container 160 is continuously moved upwardly or collapsed so as to, in turn, ensure that a supply of toothpaste is continually available within the upper end of the toothpaste container 160 so as to be dispensed when the user's thumb 254 activates the slider mechanism 200 and the plunger mechanism 210. In this manner, it can be ensured that the supply of toothpaste 174, disposed within the toothpaste container 160, will be properly consumed and exhausted such that the particular consumer or owner of the toothbrush assembly 100 will effectively be provided with an entire three-month supply of toothpaste 174.

[0021] With reference now being made to FIG. 6, and in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention toothbrush assembly, as is generally indicated by the reference character 400, in lieu of the slidable actuator and plunger mechanism as disclosed within the first embodiment of the toothbrush assembly 100, a rotary actuator is provided, as will be more fully described hereinafter. It is initially noted that with respect to the overall second embodiment of the toothbrush assembly 400, all component parts thereof which correspond to similar components of the first embodiment of the toothbrush assembly 100, will be designated by corresponding reference numbers except that they will be within the 400 and 500 series. Accordingly, and more particularly, and has already been briefly noted, the second embodiment of the toothbrush assembly 400 includes a rotary actuator 475 wherein, when the actuator mechanism 475 is rotated in either one of two opposite directions, a predetermined amount of toothpaste will be dispensed onto the toothbrush bristles, whereas when the actuator mechanism 475 is released so as to permit the actuator mechanism to return to its original position in a second opposite direction, a predetermined amount of toothpaste will effectively be pre-loaded into a dispensing housing portion, not shown, so as to be ready to be dispensed onto the toothbrush bristles 494 when the actuator mechanism 475 is again angularly rotated in either one of the two opposite directions. The actuator mechanism may effectively be operational in a manner similar to a conventional one-way pump dispenser such as, for example, the pump dispenser disclosed within U.S. Pat. No. 8,056,771 which issued to Rossignol on Nov. 15, 2011. As was the case with the first embodiment of the toothbrush assembly of the present invention, the entire toothbrush assembly effectively comprises a one-piece structural component so that parts of the toothbrush assembly cannot become disconnected from each other or lost. Still further, the housing or elongated boy or handle portion is fabricated from a suitable thermoplastic material which is transparent such that the internal components of the toothbrush assembly are visible. As has been noted, this feature is submitted to be interesting to young children who always seem to have a thirst for knowledge as to how different structures are made or how the components of a system operatively cooperate together so as to cause the commercial item that they are using to operate in the way that it does. Lastly, as was the case with the first embodiment, a timer 420 is provided for effectively programming a predetermined time period into the toothbrush assembly, such as, for example, two minutes, during which the person or child is to use the toothbrush to properly and completely brush their teeth, and one or more LED lights, not shown, are also provided. This feature is deemed to render the tooth brushing operation more fun to children in that they can effectively brush their teeth in, for example, a darkened bathroom.

[0022] Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.

REFERENCE NUMBER KEY

[0023] 100Toothbrush assembly [0024] 110Elongated handle or body portion [0025] 112Hand-grip members [0026] 114Ridges or dimples on 112 [0027] 120Lower end portion of handle 110 [0028] 142Slot within upper head portion of toothbrush assembly [0029] 146Slot for movement of slider mechanism 200 [0030] 150Upper end portion of elongated body portion [0031] 160Toothpaste container [0032] 168Aperture in upper end of toothpaste container 160 [0033] 170Internal volume of toothpaste container 160 [0034] 174Toothpaste in container 160 [0035] 180Upper head portion of toothbrush assembly [0036] 192Tongue scraper [0037] 194Toothbrush bristles [0038] 200Slider mechanism [0039] 210Plunger mechanism [0040] 220Button on slider mechanism 200 [0041] 230Spring mechanism [0042] 254Thumb of person using the toothbrush assembly [0043] 300Timing mechanism [0044] 310Power supply [0045] 315Coil Spring [0046] 320Timer and visual display of timing mechanism 300 [0047] 330Light member [0048] 340Push-button for timer 320 [0049] 350Person's hand [0050] 400Second embodiment toothbrush assembly [0051] 410Elongated handle or body portion [0052] 412Hand-grip members [0053] 414Dimples or ridges on hand-grip members 412 [0054] 420Timer and visual display [0055] 430Light member [0056] 442Slot in upper head portion of toothbrush assembly [0057] 460Toothpaste container [0058] 475Rotary actuator [0059] 494Toothbrush bristles [0060] 510Lower end portion of handle 410