US5107987A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Toothbrush holder
Assignee: Individual
•
Filing: 1990-05-14
•
Granted: 1992-04-28
•
Expires: 2010-05-14
Abstract
Abstract A toothbrush holder having a main container 10, a lid 14, and internal separators 15. The toothbrush main container contains disinfectant 11 in the form of a mouthwash. The container forms a chamber with the disinfectant acting as an immersion agent for loosening materials from a toothbrush. The bottom of the container has a plurality of protrusion support elements 19 which are spaced apart from one another and support a toothbrush dropped into the disinfectant spaced above the bottom of the main container so as to provide trap space for foreign material carried by said toothbrush.
Inventors
- 👤 Frank J. Palazzolo
- 👤 Joel L. Stone
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 10:53
CPC Classifications
A; A47; A47K; A47K1/00; A47K1/08; A47K1/09; A46; A46B; A46B17/00; A46B17/06; A46B17/065
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
243 words
A toothbrush container for one or more toothbrushes comprising: a main container having side walls and a bottom defining an internal chamber therein with side walls and a bottom end, said container having an open top, a lid for said main container, said lid being sized to mate with the top of said main container, said lid and said main container being configured with lip and sleeve means for securing the lid to said main container and for enclosing the same to form a container with a sealed chamber therein, a plurality of separators each sized to hold a toothbrush housed within said main containers, said separators being formed so as to provide an open top end into which said toothbrush may be inserted and an open bottom end to permit said toothbrush to drop to said bottom end of said main container, said bottom end of said main container having a plurality of vertically upwardly projecting protrusive fingers collectively adapted to contact and support the brush end of a toothbrush and hold the toothbrush above and spaced away from the bottom of said main container, said plurality of upwardly projecting support protrusive fingers being spaced from one another and of small diameter so as to permit materials loosened from said toothbrush to drop to the bottom of said main container and to maintain said toothbrush above said loosened materials in a trap space beneath the top of said upwardly projecting protrusive fingers.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
243 words
A toothbrush container for one or more toothbrushes comprising: a main container having side walls and a bottom defining an internal chamber therein with side walls and a bottom end, said container having an open top, a lid for said main container, said lid being sized to mate with the top of said main container, said lid and said main container being configured with lip and sleeve means for securing the lid to said main container and for enclosing the same to form a container with a sealed chamber therein, a plurality of separators each sized to hold a toothbrush housed within said main containers, said separators being formed so as to provide an open top end into which said toothbrush may be inserted and an open bottom end to permit said toothbrush to drop to said bottom end of said main container, said bottom end of said main container having a plurality of vertically upwardly projecting protrusive fingers collectively adapted to contact and support the brush end of a toothbrush and hold the toothbrush above and spaced away from the bottom of said main container, said plurality of upwardly projecting support protrusive fingers being spaced from one another and of small diameter so as to permit materials loosened from said toothbrush to drop to the bottom of said main container and to maintain said toothbrush above said loosened materials in a trap space beneath the top of said upwardly projecting protrusive fingers.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
A toothbrush holder according to claim 1, further comprising, fluid disinfectant located at the bottom of the chamber which is filled with said fluid disinfectant up to a point where a toothbrush dropped down onto said protrusive support elements will be partially immersed in said fluid disinfectant.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
65 words
A toothbrush holder according to claim 1 wherein said main container has a collar flange at the upper end thereof around the side wall of said container, said collar flange having a plurality of striated indentations formed therein for a gripping surface, and said flange extending outwardly from said side wall so as to form at the bottom of said collar flange a support stop.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The toothbrush container of claim 1 wherein said main container has a height between six and seven inches and has a diameter between two and one half inches and three and one half inches.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
31 words
The toothbrush holder according to claim 1 wherein said separators are a plurality of individual pie shaped sleeves open at the top and the bottom and insertable into said main container.
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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) | 1995-04-28 | 1995-10-28 | 1996-04-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-04-28 | 1999-10-28 | 2000-04-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-04-28 | 2003-10-28 | 2004-04-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |