US4667360A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Toothbrush
Assignee: Lever Brothers Co
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Filing: 1985-10-29
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Granted: 1987-05-26
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Expires: 2005-10-29
Abstract
Abstract The essential feature of the new toothbrush is the relative position of the handle (1) to the head (3) and the bristle pattern (4). An angle reference plane (11) lying on the bristle side coincident with an upper surface of the brush handle intersects the bristle pattern either at the surface (15), the edge between the said surface and the side (16) facing the handle, or on the side (16) of the bristle array facing the handle. Relative to the bristle array surface (15), an acute angle (α) of from 5° to 20° is formed between the two planes. The new toothbrush therefore is a bristle array surface set at an angle to the handle and improved force transfer to the working surface of the bristle array.
Inventors
- 👤 Thomas Marthaler
- 👤 Uli Witzig-Jaggi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-07 23:54
CPC Classifications
A; A46; A46B; A46B9/00; A46B9/02; A46B9/04; A46B5/00; A46B5/02; A46B2200/00; A46B2200/10; A46B2200/1066
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
125 words
A toothbrush comprising: a handle having an upper and a lower surface; a neck connected by one end to said handle; a straight head piece angled upwardly and ridigly connected to a second end opposite said first end of said neck; and a bristle array projecting from said head piece having a plurality of bristles of equivalent height so as to form a planar top surface; and wherein a first angle reference plane coincident with the upper surface of said handle intersects the bristle array in a region of an upper edge of said array adjacent to said neck and wherein an acute angle α formed above and between said angle reference plane and said top surface of said array is from 5° to 20°.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
125 words
A toothbrush comprising: a handle having an upper and a lower surface; a neck connected by one end to said handle; a straight head piece angled upwardly and ridigly connected to a second end opposite said first end of said neck; and a bristle array projecting from said head piece having a plurality of bristles of equivalent height so as to form a planar top surface; and wherein a first angle reference plane coincident with the upper surface of said handle intersects the bristle array in a region of an upper edge of said array adjacent to said neck and wherein an acute angle α formed above and between said angle reference plane and said top surface of said array is from 5° to 20°.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
22 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said neck is formed as a straight connecting piece between said head and said handle.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
21 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said neck is formed with an angle between said first and said second ends.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
17 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said neck is formed as a continuously curved connecting piece.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein said head has a surface shape selected from the group consisting of rectangular, rounded and trapezoidal shapes.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, further defined by a second angle reference plane coincident with said lower surface of said handle and intersecting at a lower one-half of said bristle array relative to the height of said array.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
33 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the first angle reference plane intersects the bristle array in the one-third of the array top surface lying closest to the array edge facing the handle.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the first angle reference plane intersects at an upper one-half of said bristle array relative to the height of said array.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
36 words
A toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein bristle tufts comprising said bristle array in a portion of said array remote from the handle are denser than tufts in a portion of said array nearest the handle.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
DE119073C
Cited
DE592757C
Cited
US1378530A
Cited
US1929530A
Cited
FR835142A
Cited
US2232269A
Cited
FR1467935A
Cited
GB1396634A
Cited
CH615329A5
Cited
US4330896A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1990-05-25 | 1990-11-24 | 1991-05-26 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1994-05-25 | 1994-11-24 | 1995-05-26 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1998-05-25 | 1998-11-24 | 1999-05-26 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |