Rotary toothbrush

Claim 1

A rotary toothbrush for brushing all the teeth of a jaw, said teeth being in a substantially U-shaped pattern with front teeth at the curvilinear portion of the pattern and side teeth at the substantially linear portions of the pattern and each tooth having an inner surface on the inside of the U-shaped pattern, an outer surface on the outside of the U-shaped pattern and a bite surface facing the bite surfaces of the teeth of the other jaw, said toothbrush comprising a housing; first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth substantially linearly extending brushes rotatably mounted at one end in the housing and positioned so that the first brush operatively abuts a corresponding one of the inner surfaces of substantially half the front teeth and the corresponding side teeth, the second brush operatively abuts the outer surfaces of substantially half the front teeth and the corresponding side teeth and the third brush operatively abuts the bite surfaces of substantially half the front teeth and the bite surfaces of the corresponding side teeth, the first brush comprising a substantially linear rod having a first plurality of substantially radially extending bristles in planes substantially perpendicular to the rod in the area of the side teeth, a second plurality of substantially radially extending bristles in planes inclined at angles opening away from the first plurality of bristles in the area of the inner surfaces of the front teeth and a third plurality of substantially radially extending bristles in planes inclined at angles openinG toward the first and second pluralities of bristles in the area of the outer surfaces of the front teeth, the bristles of each of the second and third pluralities of bristles substantially abutting each other in a plane substantially perpendicular to the rod and the bristles of each of the second and third pluralities of bristles increasing in length substantially in proportion with the distance from said plane, the bristles of each of the second and third pluralities of bristles forming substantially conical configurations, the second brush comprising a substantially linear rod having a first plurality of substantially radially extending bristles in planes substantially perpendicular to the rod in the area of the side teeth, the bristles of the first plurality of bristles having substantially equal lengths, and a second plurality of substantially radially extending bristles in planes substantially perpendicular to the rod, the bristles of the second plurality of bristles increasing in length substantially in proportion with the distance from the first plurality of bristles in a flared configuration, and the third brush comprising a substantially linear rod having a first plurality of substantially radially extending bristles in planes substantially perpendicular to the rod in the area of the side teeth, the bristles of the first plurality of bristles having substantially equal lengths, and a second plurality of substantially radially extending bristles in planes substantially perpendicular to the rod, the bristles of the second plurality of bristles increasing in length substantially in proportion with the distance from the first plurality of bristles in a flared configuration, the fourth of the brushes being identical to the first brush and abutting the inner surfaces of the other half of the front teeth of the jaw and the inner surfaces of the corresponding side teeth, the fifth of the brushes being identical to the second brush and abutting the outer surfaces of the other half of the front teeth and the outer surfaces of the corresponding side teeth and the sixth of the brushes being identical to the third brush and abutting the bite surfaces of the other half of the front teeth of the jaw and the bite surfaces of the corresponding side teeth; and motive means in the housing coupled to the brushes for rotating the brushes about their axes in predetermined directions.