US4221492A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Toothbrush with built-in "squeezable" valved toothpaste holder
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1977-12-01
•
Granted: 1980-09-09
•
Expires: 1997-12-01
Abstract
Abstract A brush provided with a hollow handle for containing a supply of material and having a flexible wall for forcing the material past a valve and to the brush bristles at one end and a removable closure at the other end for material supply to the handle.
Inventors
- 👤 Lucio Boscardin
- 👤 Stefano Frustagli
- 👤 Alfredo Veronese
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 17:29
CPC Classifications
A; A46; A46B; A46B11/00; A46B11/001; A46B11/002; A46B11/0041; A46B2200/00; A46B2200/10; A46B2200/1066
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
260 words
A device for cleaning teeth with the use of cleaning fluid media, comprising a brush section having a base and an inner passage having a distributing aperture; an elongated container section bounding a hermetically closed inner chamber for accommodating a fluid medium and having an inlet end and an outlet end, said inner chamber communicating at said outlet end with said inner passage of said brush section, said container section having a wall which is sufficiently rigid in a longitudinal direction so that said container section can serve as a handle, and at the same time is sufficiently resiliently deformable in a transverse direction so that said container section can be squeezed to urge the fluid medium accommodated in said inner chamber to flow from the latter to said brush section; a rigid disk at said inlet end of said container section and defining a filling opening of said inner chamber; a detachable cap for closing said filling opening; and one valve arranged to open when said container section is squeezed so as to discharge the fluid medium from said inner chamber of said container section into said inner passage of said brush portion whereafter the fluid medium discharges through said distributing aperture, said one valve having a semi-spherical valve member closing said distributing aperture from outside, a head portion fixed to said base of said brush portion, and a stem connecting said valve member to said head portion, said valve member, head portion and stem being of one-piece with each other with said stem extending through said distributing aperture.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
260 words
A device for cleaning teeth with the use of cleaning fluid media, comprising a brush section having a base and an inner passage having a distributing aperture; an elongated container section bounding a hermetically closed inner chamber for accommodating a fluid medium and having an inlet end and an outlet end, said inner chamber communicating at said outlet end with said inner passage of said brush section, said container section having a wall which is sufficiently rigid in a longitudinal direction so that said container section can serve as a handle, and at the same time is sufficiently resiliently deformable in a transverse direction so that said container section can be squeezed to urge the fluid medium accommodated in said inner chamber to flow from the latter to said brush section; a rigid disk at said inlet end of said container section and defining a filling opening of said inner chamber; a detachable cap for closing said filling opening; and one valve arranged to open when said container section is squeezed so as to discharge the fluid medium from said inner chamber of said container section into said inner passage of said brush portion whereafter the fluid medium discharges through said distributing aperture, said one valve having a semi-spherical valve member closing said distributing aperture from outside, a head portion fixed to said base of said brush portion, and a stem connecting said valve member to said head portion, said valve member, head portion and stem being of one-piece with each other with said stem extending through said distributing aperture.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
A cleaning device as defined in claim 1, wherein said brush section, said container section and said cap are constituted of a synthetic plastic material.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
31 words
A cleaning device as defined in claim 1; and further comprising means for connecting said disc with said container section and including a weld seam integrally connecting them with each other.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
24 words
A cleaning device as defined in claim 1, wherein said container section is an injection molding-produced member having molecular homogeneousness and orderly arranged fibers.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
42 words
A cleaning device as defined in claim 1, wherein said container section has a cylindrical base portion adjacent to said inlet end and a truncated conical portion adjacent to said outlet end and converging from said cylindrical portion to said brush portion.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
107 words
A cleaning device as defined in claim 5, wherein said cylindrical portion of said container section has an outer cross section which is smaller than the outer cross section of said brush portion; and further comprising a substantially cylindrical case arranged to accommodate the cleaning device therein, said case having a first part with an inner cross section substantially corresponding to the outer cross section of said cylindrical portion of said container section, and a second part having an inner cross section substantially corresponding to the outer cross section of said brush section so that the cleaning device laterally abut against and cannot move inside said case.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
A cleaning device as defined in claim 6, wherein said case has a local depression which forms said second part.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
59 words
A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said wall of said container section has inner and outer circumferential surfaces having axes which are offset relative to one another so that said wall has a thickness differing in a circumferential direction so as to render said wall resiliently deformable in said transverse direction but rigid in said longitudinal direction.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
54 words
A device as defined in claim 1, wherein said inner passage has an extension immediately after said distributing aperture; and further comprising a fixing device including a block tightly fitting into said extension and pressing a part of said head portion of said valve against a wall of said extension of said inner passage.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1983-09-09 | 1984-03-10 | 1984-09-09 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1987-09-09 | 1988-03-10 | 1988-09-09 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1991-09-09 | 1992-03-10 | 1992-09-09 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |