US1260139A - Fountain tooth-brush. - Google Patents

Description

' e. L. BROWN.

FOUNTAIN TOOTH BRUSH.

APPLICATION FILED APR.28.1917.

latentecl Mm. 19 1918.

LQGQ ISQV INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY GEORGE L. BROWN, OF PLANT CITY, FLORIDA.

FOUNTAIN TOOTH-BRUSH.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Plant City, in the county of Hillsborough' and State of Florida, have invented new and useful Improvements Tooth-Brushes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fountain tooth brushes and it consists in the novel features v hereinafter described and claimed.-

An object of the invention is to provide 'a brush of the character indicated which is of sanitary nature, convenient'to manipulate and economical to manufacture and maintain.

With these and other objects in view the tooth brush comprises a reservoir which may be used as a handle and which may retain a quantity of paste. This reservoir is provided at one end with a vent and a resilient frame is located at that end of the reservoir which is provided with the vent. A spring pressed valve is mounted upon the reservoir and normally closes the vent thereof. A plunger is mounted for movement within the reservoir and is slidably mounted upon a rod, there being means for moving. the plunger in one direction with the movement of the rod but permitting the plunger to remain at a state of rest when the rod moves in an opposite direction. A conicaliy coiled spring is operatively connected wi the said rod and is adapted to normally hold the same in a retracted osition in the reservoir,-a detachable hoo is applied to the reservoir and houses the said s ring.

brush body is adapted to be applled to the said resilient frame and carries bristles which are adapted to receive upon their ends the paste from the reservoir when the same is expelled through the vent.

In the accompanying drawing a Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of the brush;

Fig. 2 is a detail fragmentary sectional view of the intermediate portion thereof;

Fig. 3 is a transverse-sectional view of the brush cut on the-line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a'perspective view of a clutch member used in the brush;

' Fig. 5 is a plan view of the frame which is mounted upon the reservoir of the brush; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional new of the Specification otletters Patent. Application filed A ril-as, 1917. Serial in. 165,206.,

in Fountain Patented Mar. 19,1918.

Fig. 7 is a similar view cut on the line tainer which may hold the paste which is supplied-to the reservoir.

The fountain brush comprises a reservoir 1 adapted to receive a paste or other suitable emulsion and which carries at one end a resilient frame '2. The said frame 2 is provided at its side edges with upstanding flanges 3 which in turn are provided at their upper edges and at points between their endswith inwardly disposed tongues 4. An inwardly disposed tongue 5 (best shown in Fig. 1) is provided at the end of the frame 2. The frame 2 is adapted to support a brush which consists of a back 6 having grooves 7 and 8 adapted to 1 receive the tongues 4 and 5 respectively. The said brush is further provided with bristles 9, the upper or freeends of which lie in a compound curved line as best shown in Fig. 1. The grooves 7 are located atthe opposite side edges of the back 6 and the groove 8 is located at the end thereof. When the brush'is inserted in position upon the frame 2, the tongue 5 is inserted in the groove 8 and the back 6 is pressed down so that the said frame is sprung laterally and the tongues 4 may enter in the groove 7. Thus the brush is securely held in position upon the frame 2 but may be readily detached therefrom by reversing the operation just described. When the brush is in position upon the frame the flanges 3 close the space between the edges of the back 6 and the body of the frame 2 thus preventing foreign substance from accumulating between the back 6 of the brush and the body portion of the frame 2.

That end of the reservoir 1 which is adjacent the frame 2 is provided with a vent 10 and a valve 11 is pivoted to the reservoir 1 adjacent the said vent. A sprin 12 is fixed at one end to the body of the rame 1 and bears at its other end against the edge of the valve 11 and is under tension with a tendenc ,to normally hold the valve 11 in a close position over the vent 10. A tube 13 is adapted to be slip ed over that end of the reservoir 1 who is adjacent the frame 2 and the said tube incloses the said frame and the brush.

Absorbentmaterial 14 as for instance cotlocated in one end of the tube 13 and no may be treated with a medicament or sterilizing agent and is held in osition by a perforated plate 15 located within the tube 13. When the brush is inclosed within the tube 13 it is subjected to the fumes from the medicament or sterilizing agent and thus the bristles of the brush are maintained in a sanitary condition when the device is not in use.

A plunger 16 is slidably mounted in the reservoir 1 and a rod 17 passes through the same and may slide therein. The plunger 16 is provided with a packing 16' of rubber or other suitable material which bears against the rod 17 and the inner surface of the reservoir 1 and preventsthe paste from passing behind the plunger. The rod 17 is provided at its inner end with an enlarged head 18 and in the vicinity of its other end with a stop 19 which is adapted to encounter the end of the reservoir 1 as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing. A hood 20 is attached to the outer end of the rod 17 and is provided with a reduced inner portion 21 adapted to be slipped over the humps 22 provided upon the reservoir 1 whereby the said hood is maintained in position upon the reservoir but may have slight longitudinal movement with relation to the same. A cone shaped spiral spring 23 is interposed between the end ofthe reservoir 1 and the inner surface of the hood 20 and is under tension with a tendency to normally maintain the stop 19 of the rod 17 in engagement with the end of the reservoir 1. A clutch member 24 is carried by the plunger 16 and the said memher is provided with tongues 25 which are adapted to engage the inner surface of the reservoir 1. The said clutch member is further provided with tongues 26 adapted to engage the rod 17 as best indicated in Fig. 2 of the drawing. The said tongues 25 and 26 are disposed in the said general direction with relation to the adjacent surface of the plunger 16 but they are disposed at angles with relation to each other so that the plunger 16 is forced to move with the rod 17 when the said rod is moved in one direction but the rod 17 may move in an opposite direction without moving the plunger 16. This is due to the fact that when the rod 17 is moved in the direction last indicated the tongues 25 frictionally engage the sides of the reservoir 1 and hold the plunger 16 agains movement. A block 27 is carried b the plunger 16 and is attached thereto by means of bolts or other securing devices 28 and serve as means for holding the clutch member 24 in position with relation to the plunger.

In Fig. 8 of the drawing is shown a container 29 in perspective which retains the paste or other lotion which is adapted to be filled in the reservoir 1.

The material from the container 29 is placed in the reservoir 1 as shown in Fig. 1 after the plunger 16 has been removed therefrom and the hood 2O detached from the end of the said reservoir. The said plunger 16 is then replaced in the reservoir 1 and the reduced end portion 21 of the hood 20 is engaged over the hump 22 of the said reservoir. .As the paste or lotion is used the hood 20 is forced in an inward direction toward the end of the reservoir 1 whereby the plunger 16 is moved toward the vent 10 and the paste or lotion is forced through the said vent and over the curved line described by the ends of the bristles 9 of the brush. As the lotion moves through the vent 10 it forces the valve 11 to an open position but as soon as the movement of the I lotion or paste ceases the tension of the spring 12 comes into play whereby the valve 11 is moved to a closed position over the vent 10 and the stream of lotion is cut thus leaving a portion thereof upon the ends of the bristles 9 of the brush. The brush may then be used upon the teeth in an ordinary manner and after the cleaning operation has been performed, the tube 13 may be placed in position upon the reservoir 1 whereby the frame 2 and the brush are inclosed and the bristles of the brush are subjected to the sanitary action hereinbefore described.

From the foregoing description taken in conjunction with the accompanyin drawing, it will be seen that a fountain tooth brush of simple and durable structure is provided and that the same includes economic and sanitary features, and may also be easily and readily used for cleaning the teeth.

Having described the invention what is claimed is A brush of the character stated comprising a reservoir having a vent, a brush body mounted on the reservoir adjacent the vent, a rod slidably mounted in the reservoir, :2. plunger slidably mounted on the rod and slidable in the reservoir and including a packing of relatively soft material which bears at one edge against the rod and at its other edge against the inner surface of the reservoir, a clutch device engageable with the rod and reservoir to hold the Inn er at adjusted position, a block locate ad acent the clutch device and securing devices passing transversely through the plunger, the clutch device and the block.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GEORGE L. BROWN.

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