EP0612490A1 - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a toothbrush (1) having a handle (2) at the end of which there is a brush head (3). The handle (2) is provided with a container (4) for reception of a dental cleaning agent, and a connecting line (6) for the dental cleaning agent, which can be expelled in portions by means of a manual metering device (7) from the reception container (4) to the brush head (3), is arranged between the reception container (4) and the brush head (3). The toothbrush (1) can have a two-part design in which case the brush head (3) and the handle (2) can be releasably connected to one another (bayonet catch). <IMAGE>

Description

The invention relates to a toothbrush according to the preamble of claim 1.

Such a toothbrush is known from DE GbM 72 47 425.

In this toothbrush, the manual dosing device is achieved by the interaction between a self-locking knurled nut and a toothed rack, the end of the toothed rack facing the brush head being provided with a pressure plate which is intended to push the dentifrice in front of it.

This results in a number of disadvantages.

In particular, it must be said that this solution always requires a rack. However, due to the thin cross section of the toothbrush handle, such a rack can only be made very flat. The instability caused by this entails the risk of the rack breaking off easily. In addition, it must be seen that the overall length of the toothbrush changes during use, since the toothed rack, with its free end, must protrude beyond the end of the handle until the handle is completely empty. This has the further disadvantage that the free end of the rack can be pressed unintentionally.

In particular in self-service shops, such a toothbrush cannot be offered for sale for reasons of hygiene either, since manipulation from the outside cannot be ruled out.

Furthermore, this construction requires extremely high precision between the pressure plate and the inner surface of the hollow handle to prevent that The dentifrice swirled past the pressure plate and dried up in the space between the knurled nut and the pressure plate.

A toothbrush is known from DE OS 23 28 251, in which a toothpaste tube can be accommodated within a handle, the toothpaste tube being intended to be expressed by a ball or a roller movable along the handle.

A self-locking manual dosing device is not provided.

In the toothbrush according to DE GbM 72 40 525, a stopper is guided in a tooth grid within a stem tube. The plug is tapered in the direction of movement. This means that when the plug is pushed forward, the handle is widened so that the toothpaste located in front of the plug is squeezed into the annular space between the handle and the plug. Economical and complete utilization of the entire tube content is not possible with this toothbrush, since the toothpaste squeezed in a ring past the stopper also gets into the already empty space of the stem tube as the stopper is pushed forward.

In this respect, the problem also arises that the already emptied space comes into contact with toothpaste, which will dry out over time.

DE 34 34 400 also does not provide a solution to this. In this case, the handle is formed directly by the tube. In addition, a grid in the sense of blocking against the metering direction is not provided.

Finally, DE OS 38 32 224 should be mentioned. Here, too, the dentifrice is poured directly into the handle, so that similar problems arise with regard to the tightness of the piston as with the already mentioned DE GbM 72 47 425.

For the invention it is expressly to be assumed that only those toothbrushes are claimed which generally fall under the term "manual toothbrushes", in particular not those that are electrically driven or that are based on the water jet principle.

There are also so-called travel toothbrushes, in which a small toothpaste tube is screwed onto a brush head. However, these toothbrushes have the disadvantage that the handle is formed by the toothpaste tube. When brushing your teeth, the tube must take over the function of the handle. The tube is squeezed so that toothpaste is expelled even when this is not intended.

The object of the invention is to improve the generic toothbrush in such a way that these disadvantages are eliminated, with particular emphasis being placed on the toothbrush offering optimum hygienic conditions for storing the dentifrice while being very simple to use.

This object is achieved in the generic toothbrush in that the dentifrice is housed in a hose body and that the handle has a grid path on which the hand-held metering device can only be moved in the metering direction and in such a way that the hose body is emptied, preferably squeezed out.

What is essential to the invention is the idea that the dentifrice is to be accommodated in a separate tube body and that the manual dosing device can only be moved in the dosing direction in such a way that the tube body is squeezed out.

Insulated storage of the dentifrice in the absence of air is thereby achieved, with the additional advantage that the number of utensils required for dental care is limited to ONE.

The invention has not only recognized that the handle offers an excellent possibility to accommodate a separate receptacle for the dentifrice. The invention has also recognized that a separate receptacle combined with a squeezing device that can only be moved in the emptying direction offers the required hygienic conditions.

The pressure-resistant handle reliably prevents dentifrice from being accidentally expelled.

For this purpose, it is proposed that the handle is hollow and that the receptacle is housed within the hollow handle.

It is essential that the receptacle is provided with a connecting line from which the dentifrice can be driven out to the brush head. For this purpose, it is proposed that the connecting line between the receptacle and the brush head should run, preferably concealed, preferably within the material of the handle and brush head.

A hose line or a corresponding channel system between the receptacle and the brush head is recommended for this.

Furthermore, it is essential that the receptacle is connected to a hand-held dosing device in order to be able to drive out the dentifrice located in the interior of the receptacle via the connecting line to the brush head if required.

The hand dosing device can be implemented in different ways. It is advisable, for example, to design the receptacle to be tube-like and to guide a squeeze roller along the tube-like receptacle with the hand dosing device, with a corresponding quantity depending on the feed path of the hand dosing device of dentifrice is squeezed out of the tube-like receptacle.

Another possibility is that the receptacle is of straight cylindrical design and has a piston-like bottom in the interior, which can be moved piece by piece in the longitudinal direction of the brush head using the manual dosing device. A piston guide rod should preferably run exclusively within the handle and should not be recognizable from the outside.

Depending on the path covered by the piston-like base in the receiving container, a respective quantity of dentifrice is displaced from the receiving container and expelled in the direction of the brush head.

Depending on requirements, the receptacle or the connecting line can be provided with a valve that can be pressure-controlled in the opening direction on the brush head. However, it has been shown that this is not absolutely necessary, since the dentifrice located in the outlet area of the connecting line forms an air-sealing plug which is expelled during the next metering process.

Because the handle is hollow, there is the advantage that the toothbrush is given a uniform, attractive appearance, and in particular that the handle becomes particularly stable.

For this reason, high pressure forces can be achieved with this toothbrush without the risk that the handle of the toothbrush breaks due to overload.

If one provides that the hand dosing device is movable in the longitudinal direction of the handle, this gives the advantage that the hand dosing device can be integrated ergonomically particularly well into the handle.

However, it should be expressly said that the invention also covers such manual dosing devices in which Within a straight cylindrical tube, a base which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the tube but does not rotate is guided like a piston. The bottom has, for example, a central feed thread, in which a threaded rod is inserted, which is rotated by a rotary drive from the end of the toothbrush handle. As a result of the rotation, the base is driven according to the thread pitch and thus the toothpaste is pressed out.

The grid path has the advantage that the progress in the consumption of dentifrices can be correctly recognized from the outside at all times. This feature means that the user is reminded in time to buy a new toothbrush.

Another advantage arises from the fact that when the manual dosing device is actuated, the dentifrice is available in the required manner immediately and without an empty path. The dentifrice is therefore kept compact.

Another advantage that results from the invention is the versatility. Thanks to the invention, it is easily possible for field workers, field workers, local craftsmen, construction workers, campers, holidaymakers, to name a few, to have a fully functional toothbrush with them at all times.

A development of the invention results from the features of claim 2 with the advantage that the volume of the dentifrice remains as low as possible. This development of the invention takes into account in particular the fact that the toothbrush according to the invention can "only" be a disposable item. Therefore, the invention also aims to keep the volume of waste as low as possible. This requirement is met in that the space requirement of the dentifrice is kept as low as possible.

It is particularly important that the dentifrice consistency can be between gel-like and liquid. But dentifrices with a creamy consistency can also be used.

Furthermore, it may be expedient to specify the dentifrice for certain buyer groups in accordance with the respective market requirements. In this case, the toothbrush according to the invention can be filled, for example, with a children's toothpaste, so that kindergarten children can also brush their teeth during kindergarten hours, e.g. after breakfast together.

Of course, other target groups are also possible.

It is an essential feature of the invention that dentifrices with medical properties and for medical purposes can also be used according to the invention.

The features of claim 3 are a development of the invention, with the advantage that the connecting line remains hidden in the brush head and in particular is not in the way when brushing teeth.

For this purpose, it is proposed to produce the connecting line from a soft and flexible hose material. The hose diameter can be so thin that the hose is hardly thicker than the bristles. These features ensure that the connecting line can protrude as far as possible into the brush head without interfering with brushing teeth. As a result of the brushing movement, the hose line is constantly bent back and forth, as a result of which the mouth of the hose line is reliably prevented from becoming clogged.

From the features of claim 4 follows a further development with the advantage that brushing teeth with high contact forces is made possible. High contact forces cause the teeth to penetrate deep into the brush head during cleaning and in this case it is advantageous if the mouth of the connecting line does not protrude particularly far into the brush head or at most up to the bristle tips.

For this purpose, it is therefore advantageous if the mouth of the connecting line does not protrude beyond the bristle tips.

The features of claim 5 relate to a development of the invention with the advantage that the same amount of dentifrice can always be dosed exactly and with the simplest means for each brushing operation.

To this end, toothbrushes can be produced whose hand-dosing devices have different grid step lengths. For this purpose, it is proposed that, for example, screen steps with a shorter length are produced for children's toothbrushes than for adult toothbrushes.

The features of claim 6 are a development of the invention with the advantage of easy attachment of the toothbrush e.g. on the lapel or on a shirt pocket.

From the features of claim 7 follows a development of the invention with the advantage that the toothbrush is always hygienically packed on the one hand and that it can be carried inconspicuously on the other hand. This particularly encourages taking it to the workplace, since no one can see the contents of the container from the outside. According to the invention, two principles are used. The first variant is characterized by a hollow container which holds the toothbrush as a single part. The container is in two parts and consists of two caps or the like plugged into one another on the opening side. The second variant consists in that the toothbrush handle is a shaft-like component of the container and that a cap can be placed over the shaft-like component of the container from the side of the brush head.

A further development of the invention results from the features of claim 8, which offers the advantage that not even water is necessary for brushing the teeth.

This is achieved in that the dentifrice already has a liquid or thin consistency.

The features of claim 9 are a further development with the advantage of an additional tooth brushing function in the sense of completing oral hygiene.

The further development according to claim 10 has the advantage that, on the one hand, the waste volume is reduced and, on the other hand, the dental care market is served with a further product which fully meets the requirements of modern dental hygiene.

This advantage is achieved in that the handle and the brush head are formed in two parts, so that on the one hand the dental care agent in the handle can be completely independent of the properties of the brush head. It is e.g. Thanks to the invention, it is now possible to combine a certain toothpaste with both a soft and a hard brush head.

Another advantage of the invention is that e.g. in the case of extremely economical use of dentifrices, a brush head which has been worn out prematurely can be replaced without further ado, and this without having to dispose of any remaining dentifrice.

In this case, it makes sense to attach a new brush head to the handle already used and you have a new toothbrush available.

The brush head can also be divided so that the bristles sit on an exchangeable plate plate.

The features of claim 11 as well as the features of claim 12 relate to advantageous developments of the invention which are easy to implement with regard to the material stresses of a toothbrush and nevertheless offer the required stability.

In this case, the invention has recognized that in particular a bending stress occurs between the brush head and the handle, which if necessary. can be overlaid by tensile and compressive stress. The proposed twist lock on the one hand easily absorbs these stresses, but also prevents an independent loosening between the brush head and handle during normal brushing operation.

The invention is explained in more detail below on the basis of exemplary embodiments.

Figur 1

eine erfindungsgemäße einteilige Zahnbürste in einem ersten Ausführungsbeispiel

Figur 2

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel einer erfindungsgemäßen Zahnbürste

Figur 3

eine erfindungsgemäße Zahnbürste mit schreibstiftähnlichem Aussehen

Figur 4

ein weiteres Ausführungsbeispiel für eine erfindungsgemäße Zahnbürste

Figur 5

eine erfindungsgemäße zweiteilige Zahnbürste in Seitenansicht

Figur 6

eine Draufsicht auf den Bürstenkopf gemäß Figur 5 entlang der Linie II.

Show it

Figure 1

a one-piece toothbrush according to the invention in a first embodiment

Figure 2

a further embodiment of a toothbrush according to the invention

Figure 3

a toothbrush according to the invention with a pen-like appearance

Figure 4

a further embodiment of a toothbrush according to the invention

Figure 5

a two-part toothbrush according to the invention in side view

Figure 6

a plan view of the brush head according to Figure 5 along the line II.

Unless otherwise stated below, the description that now follows always applies to all FIGS. 1 to 6.

Figures 1 to 6 show a toothbrush 1 with a handle 2, at the end of which there is a brush head 3.

1, 3 and 4, the handle 2 has a receptacle 4 for a dentifrice 5. The receptacle 4 is accommodated within the handle 2 of the toothbrush 1.

The receptacle 4 consists of the tube body 4.1, which is divided into a filled area 4.2 and an emptied area 4.3 by the manual metering device 7.

In the receptacle 4, as shown by the broken line in the middle area of the handle 2, there is the dentifrice 5, which can be driven out of the receptacle 4 via the connecting line 6. For this purpose, the connecting line 6 is arranged between the end of the receptacle 4 and the brush head 3, and the receptacle is provided with a hand dosing device 7 accessible from the outside, the function of which will be discussed in more detail below.

The hand dosing device 7 is accessible from the outside and serves to expel the dentifrice 5 from the receptacle 4 via the connecting line 6 to the brush head 3.

In the exemplary embodiment according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the manual metering device 7 consists of a cylindrical roller 8 which has a somewhat larger diameter in the central longitudinal region, the so-called roller center piece 10, than in the region of the two roller ends.

As can be seen in the lower right partial figure from FIG. 1, which is a view of the toothbrush 1 according to the invention from above, the handle 2 has a longitudinal slot 9 on its upper side, the width of which is dimensioned such that the roller center piece 10 with its two end faces on the Longitudinal slot 9 is present. The end faces of the roller center piece 10 are thus guided laterally along the longitudinal guide 11, the longitudinal guide 11 being formed by the opposite slot edges of the longitudinal slot 9.

It is also important that the connecting line 6 ends in the brush head 3, according to. Fig. 1, by coming from the bristle attachment side 12 ends on that surface of the brush head 3 which faces the bristle side.

The connecting line 6 opens here with an opening 14 coming from the bristle attachment side 12 in the brush head 3.

In this case, the course of the connecting line is selected such that the mouth 14 neither projects beyond the bristle attachment area nor lags behind the bristle attachment area. The mouth 14 is flush with the surface of the brush head 3. In this case, the connecting line 6 can be realized by 2 intersecting bores in the toothbrush head 3 or in the handle 2.

As the lower left part of FIG. 1 shows, the handle 2 in this embodiment is hollow (15), the receptacle 4 for the dentifrice being seated in the cavity 15 of the handle 2. The representation in this partial figure is a cross section through the handle 2 of the toothbrush 1 in the longitudinal region in which the emptied region 4.3 of the receptacle 4 is seated.

About the function:

The roller center piece 10 is laterally guided within the longitudinal slot 9 of the handle 2. The roller center piece is provided with an enlarged outer diameter which is so large that it slightly projects beyond the upward-facing plane of the handle 2. This can be clearly seen in the lower left partial image of FIG. 1. The roller center piece has a transverse corrugation in order to have a particularly non-slip grip option.

On both sides of the roller center piece, similar extensions of the cylindrical roller 8 are arranged, which are below the top level of the handle 2, which is arranged on both sides of the longitudinal slot 9. Thus, a pressure of the cylindrical roller 8 is made possible on the hose body 4.1 arranged below the roller, the pressure being transmitted from the remaining web on both sides of the longitudinal slot 9 via the extensions at the ends of the cylindrical roller 8, and essentially from these ends and the like Roll center piece 10 is transferred to the tube body 4.1 below.

If you now turn the fluted roller center piece 10 with your thumb, the cylindrical roller 8 is moved in the longitudinal direction 16 in the direction of the brush head 3 and, in accordance with the advance, a corresponding quantity of dentifrice from the receptacle 4.1 via the connecting line 6 in the direction of the brush head 3 expelled.

In this case, the transverse dimensions of the cylindrical roller 8 are chosen so that the cylindrical roller 8 extends over the entire width B of the handle 2, so that the available cavity 15 of the handle 2 can be filled with dentifrice in an optimal manner.

It is an essential feature of the invention that at the position of the hand-held metering device 7 within the path that it can travel in the longitudinal guide 11, the user can immediately see from the outside how far the supply of dentifrice that is inside the tube body 4.1 is already used up. If the hand-held metering device 7 is located in the front area, that is, where the receptacle 4 is connected to the connecting line 6, it can be seen that the supply of dentifrices has run out and that a toothbrush according to the invention is about to be purchased.

In a special embodiment, the receptacle 4 is filled with a dentifrice which is filled in in a concentrated form. According to the concentration of the dentifrice can be adjusted so that normal wear a toothbrush provided that with the use of dentifrice the bristles of the toothbrush are so worn that for this reason it is also necessary to think about buying a new toothbrush.

Figures 2 and 3 show another special feature.

As can be seen here, the hand dosing device 7 cooperates with a raster 17 along its longitudinal guide, which allows movement of the hand dosing device 7 only in the sense of a consumption of dentifrice and blocks an opposite movement.

As shown in FIG. 2, which shows a longitudinal section through the handle 2 of the toothbrush 1, the handle in the region of the webs on both sides of the longitudinal slot 11 is provided with a grid 17 on the inside, which interacts with a grid stone 17.3. The grid 17 consists of a sequence of identical identical sawtooth-shaped recesses 17.1, so that a sawtooth-shaped grid path is formed on the handle.

A raster stone 17.3 now runs on this sawtooth-shaped grid path, which has an engaging wedge 17.2 on its surface facing the grid path. The engaging wedge 17.2 has an inclined surface which is able to slide on the inclined surface of the sawtooth-shaped recesses 17.1 when the grid stone 17.3 is pushed in the removal direction 18.

The dotted raster stone shows that the raster stone is slightly deflected downwards during the process of sliding the mutually facing oblique sliding surfaces. However, this is readily possible since the handle 2 of the toothbrush 1 according to the invention consists of an elastic material. As a result, the grid stone 17.3 is under pressure in the drawn, deflected position, which causes the grid stone to attempt to evade. The grid stone 17.3 slides in the direction of lower resistance on the Bevel the corresponding sawtooth-shaped recess 17.1 until it hits the sawtooth edge 17.5 with the raster stone edge 17.6.

In this position, the movement of the grid stone 17.3 in the blocking direction 19 is prevented, since the grid stone 17.3 cannot climb over the sawtooth edge 17.5.

As said, the grid stone 17.3 has a bearing bore 17.4 in which a bearing pin 17.7 of the manual metering device 7 engages. The bearing pin 17.7 in the bearing bore 17.4 allows the manual metering device to be rotated in the manner already described, but the grid stone 17.3 is always driven forward in the longitudinal direction of the handle 2 and always assumes a concrete end position. Each end position is determined by the location of the raster stone edge 17.6 on the sawtooth edge 17.5 that is hit.

The cross corrugation of the hand dosing device also has an advantage that should not be overlooked:

As a result of the transverse corrugation, not only is the circumferential force better transmitted to the manual metering device 7, but the transverse corrugation also causes an increase in the friction between the manual metering device 7 and the surface of the hose body 4.1 in the area in which the manual metering device 7 against the filled area 4.2 of the Hose body 4.1 is pressed.

As the lower part of FIG. 2 shows, the hose body 4.1 can be pressed completely together with the hand dosing device according to the invention, so that the two tube halves are placed essentially exactly flat on one another after the hand dosing device has been rolled over it.

As the upper part of FIG. 2 shows, the sawtooth-shaped grid path has a step length 20 which is essentially identical for all sawtooth-shaped recesses 17.1. It is preferably dimension the step length 20 so that the amount of dentifrice expelled per grid step is sufficient for a single tooth brushing.

It should be said that the step length 20 depends at least on the following factors:
Target persons and concentration of the dentifrice.

As further shown in FIG. 1, the toothbrush body has a fastening clip 21 for attaching the toothbrush to a pocket, case or the like.

In addition to what has been said so far, FIGS. 3 and 4 show a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIGS. 3a and 4 show a side view, FIG. 3b shows a top view of the illustration according to FIG. 1, FIG. 3c shows a view in the longitudinal direction according to the illustration of FIG. 3a. FIG. 3d shows a side view of the representation according to FIG. 3b along a section line running through the axis of symmetry.

FIGS. 3a and 4 each show a toothbrush according to the invention which is assigned to a storage container which has a pen-like appearance with a receiving shaft 22 and a closure cap 23. Here the toothbrush head 3 is received by the closure cap 22.

For this purpose, the container is designed from two hollow bodies screwed together. One of the hollow bodies, the receiving shaft 22, contains the toothbrush handle, and the other hollow body, the closure cap 23, contains the brush head.

In this particular embodiment, both the receiving shaft 22 and the closure cap 23 are designed as a separate hollow body which is independent of the toothbrush and in which the toothbrush according to the invention is inserted.

It should be expressly stated that in principle the receiving shaft 22 can also be designed in one piece with the handle 2.

The embodiment shown has the advantage that it is reusable, thereby keeping the volume of waste low.

In addition, the embodiment shown offers the further advantage that such containers can be manufactured in a large number of embodiments, of which those embodiments made of particularly valuable materials are to be emphasized.

3a:
The receiving shaft 22 has an eccentric thickening at its end facing the closure cap 23, which, however, has a circular cross section.

This is shown in Figure 3c. In this view, the receiving shaft 22 can be seen as the smaller of the two circles, the center of the circle being the lower of the two crosses. The cap 23, on the other hand, is represented by the larger of the two circles, the center of the circle of the cap 23 being the upper of the two crosses.

It can clearly be seen that there is an eccentricity 29 between the two center points, which is necessary in order to be able to securely hold the bristles of the brush head in the round cap 23 in this exemplary embodiment.

In contrast to this, FIG. 4 shows that the diameter of the receiving shaft 22 essentially corresponds to the inside diameter of the closure cap 23. Furthermore, the fastening clip 21 is now on the closure cap. This results in a further advantage that the toothbrush can now no longer be distinguished from a stylus on the outside.

FIG. 3a further shows that the fastening clip 21 is now the subject of the receptacle shaft 22 belonging to the container.

The representations according to FIGS. 3a and 4 have in common that the wrapped toothbrush receives an overall pen-like appearance. This is supported in that the receiving shaft 22 and the closure cap 23 are rounded at their ends in the manner of an elliptical cone.

This outer contour makes it much easier to insert the toothbrush according to the invention into a jacket pocket, and it should be particularly pointed out that in this case the toothbrush according to the invention can also be worn completely inconspicuously.

The thickened part of the receiving shaft 22 in FIG. 3a, or generally the part which faces the open end of the closure cap 23, has an external thread which can be screwed into an associated internal thread of the closure cap 23.

As a result, the closure cap 23 can be turned down from the receiving shaft 22 in one of the screwing directions 24 and firmly connected to the latter in the other direction of rotation.

Figures 3a and 4 show another special feature.

In this case, the mouth 14 of the connecting line 6 is attached in a very thin tube, which consists of a very soft and flexible plastic material. The tube is led out of the brush head 3, to the extent that it protrudes considerably above the bristle attachment side 12.

In this case, the tube is led out so far that the mouth 14 is flush with the bristle tips 13.

It should be expressly pointed out that the mouth 14 of the tube can in principle lie in the area between the bristle tips 13 and the bristle attachment side 12.

If necessary, the optimal length of the tube leading out must be determined by experiment.

The length depends, among other things. from the question: "How long does the tube have to be so that it remains optimally clean and that the dentifrice is effective in the best possible way?"

As the invention has recognized, such an arrangement of the tube in the region between the bristle attachment side 12 and the bristle tips is advantageous in terms of cleaning technology.

The reason for this is that when brushing the teeth, the teeth constantly sweep past the mouth of the tube and this cannot therefore be added.

The cleaning movement of the tube is additionally supported by the constant back and forth movement that the tube experiences when the brush head brushes past the teeth to be cleaned.

According to the invention, however, a brush head with shorter bristles on the inside can be used instead of a brush head with a uniform bristle length. In this case, it is advisable to adapt the end of the tube, which forms the mouth 14, to the length of the shorter inner bristles and to cut it off accordingly.

Figure 3b shows another special feature.

As can be seen, a slide 25 is arranged within the hollow handle of the toothbrush, which engages in grids 17, which are symmetrical here.

The carriage 25 can be seen in side view in FIG. 3d. It is movably guided in the longitudinal direction of the handle within the hollow interior and projects with its spring tongues 26 into the longitudinal slot of the handle, which is delimited by the catches 17. The spring tongues 26 are fixedly connected to the slide 25 at their front end and, however, are freely movable relative to the slide at their rear ends.

The direction of movement of the spring tongues 26 is indicated by the arrow 27.

It can be seen in FIG. 3d that the spring tongues 26 are firmly seated on the carriage 25 in their front region, that is to say where the carriage 25 has the squeeze roller 28.

In the direction of their rear ends, the spring tongues 26 form a contact-avoiding gap between themselves and the slide, so that, in this view perpendicular to the plane of the paper towards the viewer, they can deflect resiliently when the slide 25 is moved in the direction by means of the manual metering device 7 is pushed to the left.

The spring tongues slide on the oblique areas of the screen steps 17 and snap back into the extended area of the subsequent screen step immediately after passing over a screen step.

As a result, retraction of the manual metering device 7 is no longer possible and the carriage 25 remains in this position until it is actuated again in the expulsion direction 18.

Figure 3d shows as a further special feature that the carriage 25 is provided at its end facing the filled area 4.2 with a rotatable nip roller 28, which ensures that the carriage 25 can roll easily and without friction on the tube body 4.1 during propulsion to empty them accordingly.

Another special feature should be pointed out: It is an essential feature of this invention that the dentifrice inside the handle can have breath-refreshing mouthwash properties.

This embodiment offers the advantage of all-round interdental care, with particular reference being made to the positive properties of a pleasant, fresh breath that can always be reached anywhere with the toothbrush according to the invention.

The invention makes particular use of the knowledge that the required mouthwash properties are particularly easy to achieve with an appropriately concentrated dentifrice in liquid form. In particular in connection with the mouth saliva that is always available, the toothbrush according to the invention can be used completely independently of a water supply.

This is a very special advantage of the invention, because in this case the liquefaction of toothpaste by water is no longer necessary, and the mouth can also be rinsed after brushing the teeth.

Unless otherwise stated below, the following description always applies to FIGS. 5 and 6. It is essential to this development that the handle 2 and the brush head 3 are formed in two parts and each have a connecting line connection 6a, 6b, and that handle 2 and brush head 3 and the connecting line connections 6a, 6b can be connected to one another in a detachable manner via a coupling pair 8.

In this case, the coupling pair 30, without restricting the invention to this design, consists of an opening in the brush head 3, into which an associated pin, which is located at the free end of the handle 2, can be inserted.

The pin and the bore are circular and cylindrical in the present case, so that a rotational movement 36 of the pin in the bore is made possible.

As can be seen in FIG. 5, the pin extends far enough into the brush head 3 that the insertion length of the pin in the brush head is sufficiently large to absorb the bending forces and bending moments transmitted from the brush head to the handle 2 when brushing teeth.

In the present case, the pin, shown in dashed lines, is approximately halfway inside the brush head 3, but in any case to such an extent that the seal 35 between the facing connection connections 6a, 6b of the connection line 6 can take effect.

It can be seen that on the one hand in the brush head 3 the connecting line 6 ends where the end face of the pin projecting into the brush head 3 ends, and on the other hand there is an associated connecting line 6 in the handle 2, the opening of which ends in the front face of the pin where in the closed position, the two connection connections 6a, 6b lie opposite one another.

In the present case, the connection connections are consequently the end-side bore ends of the connection line 6 on the one hand in the journal and in the opening of the coupling pair 30.

Furthermore, the figures show that the pin has a smaller cross-section compared to the handle 2, that is to say is offset from the handle 2, so that the handle 2 is supported with a remaining end face on the facing end face of the brush head 3 as soon as the handle 2 and brush head 3 are connected in the closed position.

To achieve this, in the present case the coupling pair 30 is designed as a releasable rotary closure 31, in which in the closed position, the openings of the connection connections are opposite one another.

The twist lock can e.g. be designed as a screw thread, preferably such that the connecting line 6 ends centrally on the end face of the respective threaded part.

However, the embodiment shown is advantageous, in which the releasable rotary closure 31 enables a bayonet-like engagement between the closure parts on both sides.

For this purpose, the figures show that the brush head 3 has an axial groove 34 which, coming from the outside, is driven into the brush head. At the front end of the axial groove 34, this merges into a circumferential groove 33 which covers an angle of the order of up to approximately 180 degrees.

Now that the coupling pin on the handle 2 is circular and consequently can be rotated within the bore in the brush head, the pin on the handle 2 has a radial pin 32 which can be inserted into the bore of the coupling pair 31 together with the pin in a certain angular position and penetrates within the axial groove 34 into the brush head until the radial pin 32 has reached the base of the axial groove 34.

At this moment, a rotation of the handle 2 relative to the brush head 3 with the rotary movement 36 is sufficient until the radial pin 32 has reached the end of the circumferential groove 33 and abuts there against the material of the brush head.

This rotational position corresponds to the rotational position shown in FIG. 5, it being said that the radial pin 32 in this view points vertically backwards from the plane of the paper.

If necessary. For example, a slightly latching but releasable connection can be provided between the radial pin 32 and the circumferential groove 33.

List of reference symbols

1

toothbrush

2nd

Handle

3rd

Brush head

4th

Receptacle

4.1

Hose body

4.2

filled area

4.3

emptied area

5

Dentifrices

6

Connecting line

6a

Connection line connection on the brush head

6b

Connection line connection on the handle

7

Manual dosing device

8th

cylindrical roller

9

Longitudinal slot

10th

Roll center piece

11

Longitudinal guidance

12th

Bristle attachment side

13

Bristle tip

14

muzzle

15

cavity

16

Longitudinal direction

17th

Grid

17.1

sawtooth-shaped recess

17.2

engaging wedge

17.3

Grid stone

April 17

Bearing bore

17.5

Sawtooth edge

17.6

Grid stone edge

17.7

Bearing journal

18th

Withdrawal direction

19th

Blocking direction

20th

Step length

21

Mounting clip

22

Receiving shaft

23

Sealing cap

24th

Screwing motion

25th

carriage

26

Spring tongue

27

Spring movement

28

Nip roller

29

eccentricity

30th

Coupling pair

31

Closure, twist lock

32

Radial pin

33

Circumferential groove

34

Axial groove

35

poetry

36

Rotary motion

Claims (12)

Toothbrush with a hollow handle that holds a dentifrice that can be driven out from a self-locking hand-dosing device accessible from the outside via a connecting line from the receptacle to the brush head,
characterized in that
the dentifrice is housed in a hose body (4.1), and that
the handle has a grid path on which the manual dosing device can only be moved in the dosing direction and in such a way that
the hose body (4.1) is emptied, preferably squeezed out. Toothbrush according to claim 1,
characterized in that
the dentifrice consists of a concentrate which is only required in small quantities (e.g. droplets). Toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2,
characterized in that
the connecting line coming from the bristle attachment side opens into the brush head. Toothbrush according to claim 3,
characterized in that
the mouth extends beyond the bristle attachment area up to the bristle tips at most. Toothbrush according to claims 1-4,
characterized in that
the grid consists of grid steps, the step length of which is dimensioned such that
the dentifrice expelled per grid step is sufficient for a single brushing. Toothbrush according to one of claims 1 to 5,
marked by
a fastening clip for attaching to a bag, case or the like. Toothbrush according to one of claims 1 to 6,
characterized in that
the toothbrush is assigned to a storage container which has a pen-like appearance with a receiving shaft and a closure cap. Toothbrush according to one of claims 1 to 7,
characterized in that
the dentifrice is of liquid consistency. Toothbrush according to claim 8,
characterized in that
the dentifrice has breath-refreshing mouthwash properties. Toothbrush according to one of claims 1 to 9,
characterized in that
Handle (2) and brush head (3) are formed in two parts and each have a connecting line connection (6a, 6b), and that
Handle, brush head and connecting line connections can be connected in a detachable manner via a coupling pair (8). Toothbrush according to claim 10,
characterized in that
the coupling pair (8) comprises a releasable twist lock (9), in which the openings of the connecting connections lie opposite one another in the closed position. Toothbrush according to claim 11,
characterized in that
the detachable twist lock enables a bayonet-like engagement between the twist lock parts on both sides.

Images