HK1123465A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

Tooth brush

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a preferably electric toothbrush having a handle part and a removable toothbrush head. In this context, the invention relates, in one aspect, to a toothbrush head of a toothbrush having a bristle region and a coupling device for coupling a handle part of the toothbrush, wherein a line for delivering pasty, gel-like and/or liquid, in particular toothpaste, application substances is provided on the toothbrush head, and the coupling device has a line coupling for coupling the line to a line section on the handle part side. In a further aspect, the invention relates to a handle part of such a toothbrush, which has a coupling device for coupling the toothbrush head, wherein the handle part is likewise provided with a line for delivering pasty, gel-like and/or fluid, in particular toothpaste, application substances, and the coupling device has a line coupling for coupling the handle part-side line to the brush head-side line.

Background

DE 19729516 discloses a manual toothbrush in which toothpaste from a reservoir in the handle part can be fed to the bristle area on the toothbrush head via a line formed in the interior of the detachable toothbrush head. In the case of electric toothbrushes, the space available in the toothbrush head is limited to a large extent, since the drive shaft for transmitting the drive movement is also attached to the toothbrush head there. The toothpaste lines and in particular the line connections associated therewith must be designed to be very small so that they can be installed in the toothbrush head. In addition to this, in the case of electric toothbrushes, the brush head is frequently replaced (for example when the handle part is used by a plurality of users), thus enabling each person to insert his additional small brush head on the handle part and remove it again. If toothpaste remains in the removed toothbrush head or in the tubing provided thereon, the toothpaste may dry out and thus clog the tubing.

Disclosure of Invention

Starting from this point, the task of the invention is to: providing an improved toothbrush, an improved toothbrush head and an improved handle component of such a toothbrush; the disadvantages of the prior art are avoided and the prior art is further improved in an advantageous manner. It is preferable to realize a simple, small-sized line connection which avoids toothpaste drying out in the line.

According to the invention, this object is achieved by a toothbrush head according to claim 1, a toothbrush head handle part according to claim 14 and a toothbrush according to claim 27. Preferred embodiments of the invention are the subject matter of the dependent claims.

It is therefore proposed to design a line connection which connects the handle part-side line to the brush head-side line for delivering the application substance in such a way that the line cross section is automatically closed by the handle part when the brush head is detached and automatically opened by the handle part when the brush head is coupled again. According to the invention, the line connection comprises for this purpose a control valve which, when the brush head is coupled to the toothbrush handle part, automatically opens by the action of the valve operator and connects the handle part-side line section to the brush head-side line section and, when the brush head is decoupled from the handle part, automatically closes the line. The control valve can thus in principle be provided both on the toothbrush head and on the handle part, wherein the valve actuator is then arranged on the other toothbrush part. The control valve disposed on the brush head is opened by a valve operator provided on the handle part, and the control valve disposed on the handle part is opened by a valve operator provided on the brush head.

In particular, each line end to be connected can thus be used as a valve operator. When the toothbrush head is coupled to the handle part, the control valve will thereby open if it interacts with the line portion to be coupled.

In a further configuration of the invention, the control valve has for this purpose an elastic valve opening device which can be elastically deformed and operated by the pipe end to be coupled. When the toothbrush head is coupled to the handle member, if the control valve or the elastic valve opening means portion thereof interacts with the end portion of the pipe to be coupled, the valve opening means is elastically deformed and the valve is thereby opened. In contrast, if the toothbrush head is removed from the handle part of the toothbrush, the coupled line end then loses interaction with the valve opening device, which automatically returns into its starting position on the basis of its elastic properties, whereby the valve is closed again.

The valve opening device preferably simultaneously forms a coupling part by means of which the line section to be coupled can be brought into fluid-tight or substance-tight connection with the line section connected to the control valve. Whereby the valve opening means comprises a dual function. On the one hand, it is used to control the opening of the valve when coupling and uncoupling. On the other hand, it ensures a fluid-tight connection with the pipe to be coupled.

In particular, the valve opening device can be configured to receive a sleeve which can be pushed over the end of the line to be coupled when the toothbrush head is coupled to the handle part. Preferably, the inner diameter of the receiving sleeve is configured to be smaller than the outer diameter of the pipe end to be pushed in, so that the receiving sleeve expands radially when pushed onto the pipe end to be coupled. This elastic expansion movement is converted by the control valve into an opening of the valve cross section.

In order to achieve a precise opening and closing of the valve, at least one sealing lip can be provided, which forms the base of the aforementioned receiving sleeve and is connected thereto, so that the sealing lip opens by expansion of the receiving sleeve and closes the valve channel again when the receiving sleeve contracts. In particular, the sealing lip is formed on the inner wall of the housing side of the receiving sleeve and projects from the receiving sleeve inwardly into the valve channel, so that it can be moved transversely to the flow direction through the valve when the receiving sleeve is enlarged.

According to a particularly advantageous embodiment of the invention, the sealing lip for opening and closing the valve channel can be formed by an elastic transverse web or an elastic separating wall, which sealing lip fits into the valve channel of the control valve and is connected annularly around the valve channel wall and preferably has an approximately central, preferably approximately slit-shaped valve opening, the edges of which form the sealing lip and which in the unopened state of the control valve cooperate in a liquid-tight manner, one over the other or one against the other. If the receiving sleeve and thus the valve channel are enlarged, the elastic separating walls are pulled apart radially at their edges due to the connection of the elastic separating walls to the valve channel wall, whereby the valve lips move apart from one another and the slit-like valve opening opens and enlarges.

In order to facilitate the opening of the sealing lip, the cross section of the valve body can have a reduction in the area of the separating wall according to a development of the invention. In particular, the control valve can have a constriction on its outer circumference in the region of the separating wall, which constriction facilitates the expansion of the connecting sleeve connected to the constriction and thus the separation of the sealing lips from one another. It can furthermore be said that the enlargement of the connection sleeve is decoupled from the valve portion arranged on the opposite side of the sealing lip, that is to say that only the connection sleeve and the sealing lip connected thereto are enlarged, while at the same time the remaining valve portion is not or at least only insignificantly enlarged.

By means of a section of the line to which the control valve is fixedly assigned, the control valve can be fixedly connected by means of a connecting section. The connecting part of the control valve can be designed in such a way that it can be plugged onto and/or into the respective line. In this case, the connecting part preferably has a surrounding sealing projection, by means of which a liquid-tight sealing of the control valve with respect to each line or with respect to the wall part delimiting the control valve can be achieved.

The control valve may be constructed in multiple parts and may include components made of different materials. In a development of the invention, however, the control valve is constructed in one piece and consists of a completely elastic valve body made of soft plastic, if necessary also of rubber or rubber-like material.

Drawings

The invention will be elucidated on the basis of an embodiment of an electric toothbrush shown in the drawings. Wherein:

FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a power toothbrush having a conduit for delivering toothpaste to the toothbrush head;

FIG. 2 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the control valve in a closed state; and

fig. 3 shows a perspective sectional view of the control valve according to fig. 2 in an open state.

Detailed Description

The toothbrush shown in fig. 1 comprises a handle part 1 and a brush head 2, the brush head 2 being mounted on a brush tube 3, the brush tube 3 forming the end face end of the handle part 1 or being connected thereto. The handle part 1 is formed by a toothbrush housing 4, in which toothbrush housing 4 a dry cell or a battery and a drive motor are arranged, which can be switched on and off by means of a switch 6 on the lateral surface of the housing 4. Furthermore, a paste reservoir is mounted in the handle 1, from which paste can be supplied to the brush head 2 via a line 7a mounted in the brush tube 3, wherein a manual, but also motor-like supply (for example by means of a pump driven by the drive motor 5) can be provided.

The brush head 2 has a drivable bristle field 9, which bristle field 9 can be driven in a rotationally oscillating manner by a drive shaft, not shown in detail, which is received in the interior of the brush tube 3 by a drive motor.

As shown in fig. 1, the brush head 2 can be separated from the handle member 1 at the mouthpiece 8. The releasable connection between the toothbrush head 2 and the handle part 1 is made by means of a coupling device 10. The connection 8 can also be arranged between the brush tube 3 and the toothbrush housing 4, i.e. the brush tube 3 and the toothbrush head 2 can be constructed in one piece.

The line 7 for the supply of toothpaste is guided through the connection 8, wherein a liquid connection or line connection 11 is connected into the line 7, which liquid connection or line connection 11 is part of the connection device 10 and which liquid connection or line connection 11 connects the handle part side 7a of the line 7 to the brush head side 7b of the line 7 when the toothbrush head 2 is inserted onto the handle part 1, and on the other hand allows the two line parts 7a and 7b to be separated when the toothbrush head 2 is removed.

The line connection 11 here comprises a control valve 12 shown in fig. 2 and 3, which control valve 12 is fixedly connected to the brush head side part 7b of the line 7 in the embodiment shown and is releasably connectable to the handle part side part 7a of the line 7. It will be appreciated that such a control valve 12 may also be fitted on the handle part side portion 7a of the line 7.

The control valve 12 consists of a one-piece, completely elastic valve body 13, the valve body 13 being designed in the embodiment shown substantially rotationally symmetrically about a valve longitudinal axis 14. As shown in fig. 2 and 3, a valve passage 15 is formed in the valve body 13, which valve passage 15 can be closed or opened by a likewise elastic control body 17. In this case, a diaphragm or elastic transverse wall 18 is used as control body 17, diaphragm or elastic transverse wall 18 being substantially disk-shaped or plate-shaped and extending substantially in the radial direction. Here, a transverse wall or partition wall 18 is formed annularly around the inner wall of the valve channel 15 and forms, as it were, a partition wall which divides the valve channel 15 into valve channel parts 15a and 15b which are arranged coaxially one behind the other.

A slit-shaped valve passage opening 19 is formed in the transverse wall 18, so that the adjoining portions of the transverse wall 18 form sealing lips 16, which sealing lips 16 adjoin one another in the closed state of the valve according to fig. 2 and close the valve passage opening 19.

As shown in fig. 2, the valve body 13 has a constriction 20 on the outer circumference of the valve body in the region of the sealing lip 16, in the region of which the outer diameter of the valve body 13 is reduced and the wall thickness of the valve body 13 is reduced relative to the axially adjoining portions. This facilitates opening of the sealing lip 16.

In addition, the entire valve body 13 is radially expandable in the region of the passage section 15 a. The valve passage portion 15a is configured to receive a cannula into which the handle member side conduit portion 7a is insertable. The approximately cylindrical inner diameter of the valve body part 13a surrounding the passage part 15a, which inner diameter defines the valve passage part 15a, is configured to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the line part 7a, into which passage part 15a the line part 7a is to be pushed. If the toothbrush head 2 is assembled to the handle part 1 by means of the coupling device 10, the line portion 7a is pushed into the excessively small channel portion 15a, so that the valve body portion 13a is enlarged as shown in fig. 3. By said enlargement of the valve body part 13a, the separating walls 18 are also pulled radially away from each other, whereby the sealing lips 16 are opened and a valve passage opening 19 is formed between the sealing lips 16, as shown in fig. 3.

On the one hand, as long as the valve body part 13a forms a valve opening device, by means of which the control valve 12, more precisely the elastic sealing lip 16 thereof, can be opened. At the same time, the valve body part 13a forms a coupling part, by means of which the control valve 12 can be releasably connected to the line part 7a to be coupled.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the valve body part 13a extends in the illustrated embodiment from the constriction 20 to the end of the valve body 13 and is formed in a substantially cylindrical manner, wherein a flange-shaped, radial, sealing edge web is formed on the end face of the valve body part 13a on the end side.

The opposite channel section 15a on the other side of the sealing lip 16 is likewise surrounded by a substantially cylindrical valve body section 13b, which valve body section 13b likewise has a radially outwardly directed sealing projection 22 at its end face. The valve body portion 13b is used here to connect the control valve 12 with the head side pipe portion 7b, and the control valve 12 may be fixed to the head side pipe portion 7 b.

By means of the freely selectable geometry of the valve body 13, in particular the valve body parts 13a and 13b of the valve body 13, an optimized sealing function with respect to the brush tube 3 or the brush head 2 can be achieved. The actual switching function of the valve is the extent of the sealing lip 16 and the extent of the diameter of the receiving sleeve 15 a. If the toothbrush head 2 is coupled to the handle part 1, the handle part-side line portion 7a is pushed into the receiving sleeve 15a, whereby the sealing lip 16 is opened and the application substance, in particular toothpaste, can pass through without hindrance. On the other hand, when the toothbrush head 2 is detached from the handle part 1, the line part 7a is pulled out of the receiving sleeve 15a again, whereby the sealing lip 16 is closed and drying of the toothpaste is avoided.

Claims (27)

1. A toothbrush head which can be detached from a handle part of a toothbrush, having a bristle region (9) and a coupling device (10) for coupling to the handle part (1) of the toothbrush, wherein a line (7b) for delivering pasty, gel-like and/or liquid, in particular toothpaste, application substances is provided on the toothbrush head (2), and the coupling device (10) has a line coupling (11) for coupling the line (7b) to a handle part-side line (7a), characterized in that: the line connection (11) has a control valve (12), which control valve (12) opens by the action of a valve operator (7a) provided on the handle part (1) when the toothbrush head (2) is coupled to the handle part (1) of the toothbrush and connects a handle part-side line section (7a) and a brush head-side line section (7b) and closes the line (7b) when detached from the handle part (1).

2. A toothbrush head according to the preceding claim wherein the control valve (12) has a valve body (13), the valve body (13) having a valve passage (15) therethrough, in which is provided an elastic partition wall (18) having an elastically closed valve passage opening (19).

3. A toothbrush head according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the control valve (12) has resilient valve opening means (13a, 15a), the valve opening means (13a, 15a) being resiliently deformable and operable by the end of the handle member side conduit (7 a).

4. Toothbrush head according to the preceding claim, wherein the valve opening means (13a, 15a) constitute a coupling part for coupling the handle part side conduit (7 a).

5. A toothbrush head according to either one of the two preceding claims wherein the valve opening means (13a, 15a) constitutes a receiving sleeve which is resiliently radially expandable by the insertion of the handle part side conduit end (7 a).

6. A toothbrush head according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) has at least one elastic sealing lip (16), the sealing lip (16) being operable by the handle part side valve operator (7 a).

7. The toothbrush head according to the two preceding claims, wherein the at least one sealing lip (16) forms the bottom of the receiving sleeve (15 a).

8. Toothbrush head according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one sealing lip (16) is connected to the valve operator (13a, 15a) in such a way that the sealing lip (16) opens by radial expansion of the valve operator (13a, 15 a).

9. A toothbrush head according to one of the preceding claims in connection with claim 2, wherein the at least one sealing lip is formed by the elastic separating wall (18), wherein the separating wall (18) preferably has an approximately centrally arranged and/or slit-like valve passage opening (19).

10. Toothbrush head according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) has a constriction (20) on its outer periphery in the region of the at least one sealing lip (16).

11. A toothbrush head according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) is constructed in one piece and/or from an elastomeric integral piece, preferably made of soft plastic and/or rubber.

12. A toothbrush head according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) has a connecting portion (15b), which connecting portion (15b) can be plugged onto and/or into the head-side conduit (7 b).

13. A toothbrush head according to the preceding claim, wherein the connecting part (15b) has a surrounding sealing lip (22).

14. Handle part of a toothbrush with a coupling device (10), the coupling device (10) being used for coupling a brush head (2) supporting a bristle area (9), the handle part having a line (7a) for conveying a pasty, gel-like and/or fluid, in particular toothpaste, application substance to the brush head (2), wherein the coupling device (10) has a line coupling (11) for coupling the line (7a) to a brush head-side line (7b) for conveying the application substance, characterized in that: the line connection (11) has a control valve (12), which control valve (12) opens by the action of a valve operator (7a) provided on the brush head (2) when the brush head (2) is coupled to the handle part (1) of the toothbrush and connects a handle part-side line portion (7a) and a brush head-side line portion (7b) and closes the line (7a) when detached from the handle part (1).

15. Handle part according to the previous claim, wherein the control valve (12) has a valve body (13), the valve body (13) having a valve passage (15) passing therethrough, inside which an elastic partition wall (18) with an elastically closed valve passage opening (19) is provided.

16. Handle part according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) has elastic valve opening means (13a, 15a), which valve opening means (13a, 15a) are elastically deformable and operable by the end of the brushhead-side conduit (7 b).

17. Handle part according to the previous claim, wherein said valve opening means (13a, 15a) constitute a coupling portion for coupling said head side conduit (7 b).

18. Handle part according to one of the two preceding claims, wherein the valve opening means (13a, 15a) constitute a receiving sleeve which is elastically radially expandable by the plugging of the brushhead-side conduit end portion (7 b).

19. Handle part according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) has at least one elastic sealing lip (16), which sealing lip (16) is operable by the brush head side valve operator (7 b).

20. Handle part, according to the two previous claims, wherein said at least one sealing lip (16) constitutes the bottom of said receiving sleeve (15 a).

21. Handle part according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one sealing lip (16) is connected with the valve operator (13a, 15a) in such a way that the sealing lip (16) opens by a radial expansion of the valve operator (13a, 15 a).

22. Handle part according to one of the preceding claims in relation to claim 15, wherein the at least one sealing lip is constituted by the elastic partition wall (18), wherein the partition wall (18) preferably has an approximately centrally arranged and/or slit-like valve passage opening (19).

23. Handle part according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) has a cross-sectional constriction (20) on its outer periphery in the region of the at least one sealing lip (16).

24. Handle part according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) is constructed in one piece and/or from an elastic, integral piece, preferably made of soft plastic and/or rubber.

25. Handle part according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the control valve (12) has a connection portion (15b), which connection portion (15b) is insertable on and/or in the handle part side tubing (7 a).

26. A handle part according to the previous claim, wherein the connecting portion (15b) has a surrounding sealing protrusion (22).

27. Electric toothbrush having a handle part according to one of claims 14 to 26 and a toothbrush head (2) according to one of claims 1 to 13 which can be coupled with the handle part.