WO1998035585A1

WO1998035585A1 - Toothbrush holder

Info

Publication number: WO1998035585A1
Application number: PCT/FI1998/000129
Authority: WO
Inventors: Juha-Pekka Puurunen
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1997-02-14
Filing date: 1998-02-12
Publication date: 1998-08-20
Anticipated expiration: 1999-08-14
Also published as: AU5990898A; FI970616A0

Abstract

Toothbrush rack (1) for storing a toothbrush, when not used, consisting of a back plate (2), a holder part (3), and a shell part protecting the foregoing and having an entrance opening to enable insertion of the brush. The holder part (3) joins either the back plate (2) or the shell part and at the entrance opening it has a resilient contraction (15) which holds the toothbrush inserted into the holder part (3) in position.

Description

TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER

This invention relates to a toothbrush rack and particularly such a toothbrush rack that protects the bristle head from dust or the like when not used.

Several rack solutions have been developed for the protection of toothbrushes, when not used, having various kinds of enclosures to protect the bristle head.

Patent publication US 5,332,107 presents a toothbrush rack solution wherein the front part of the enclosure is hinged at its upper part so that by lifting the front pan the narrowing neck of the bristle head can be fitted into a recess, formed for it, in the bottom where it remains in place when the front part is lowered down.

British patent publication GB 1 601 092 and EP publication 0 40S 828 present similar toothbrush racks with an open bottom for inserting the bristle head of the toothbrush into the rack. In both solutions the bristle head of the toothbrush is retained by fixed support members from which the toothbrush hangs. Common to both solutions is also that the bristles of the brush press against the support members thereby at least partly preventing dropping of the toothbrush from the rack. However, this kind of supporting may, after a prolonged storage in the rack, bend the bristles of the brush so much that the toothbrush is no good for use.

Quite often toothbrushes are kept in all kinds of places, loosely on a bathroom shelf, in various mugs and other receptacles as well as in various racks.

It is obvious that toothbrushes kept loosely are inconvenient as they float around in the bathroom. Various mugs and the like generally make it possible to retain toothbrushes permanently but the drawback is the space required for the numerous mugs on the shelf or in like places. There are racks especially for storing the brush part of an electric toothbrush having a slot into which the brush is inserted by its narrowest point and where it stays resting on its thicker parts.

A common drawback with open toothbrush rack solutions is that bristles, which have not been used for long, become dusty and are exposed to touches of unauthorized persons. In the known enclosed rack solutions the bristles of the brush may bend whereupon the toothbrush becomes prematurely useless. Various kinds of opening parts of the enclosure tend to break in prolonged use. The object of the present invention is to provide an improvement to prior art solutions and obtain a toothbrush rack which has no so-called moving parts, which easily break, and which protects the bristle head well during storage without damaging the bristles. The toothbrush rack according to the invention can be placed, for example, on a wall surface where it is aesthetically beautiful, easy-to- use and gives protection especially from dust and touching.

The above and other benefits of this invention have been obtained by a toothbrush rack whose characteristic features have been presented in the appended claims.

In a toothbrush rack according to the invention, there is a holder part fitted to a back plate or a shell part protecting it, the holder part including a resilient contraction at its entrance opening formed by extensions of side walls on which contraction the narrow neck part of the inserted toothbrush rests and locks. The holder part preferably consists of a case-like structure protecting it from two or three sides. The contraction of the holder part consists of angular parts or similar bent or contracting parts. In order that the contraction formed by the extensions of the side walls be resilient enough, the extensions are off their base, and the gaps thus formed extend at least to the side walls of the holder part. The opening of the shell part is so wide that the bristle head of the toothbrush can be inserted through it without bending the bristles. The holder part may be integrally manufactured with the shell part or the back plate preferably of plastic or the like material. To facilitate insertion of the toothbrush into the holder part, the back plate has a ramp at its entrance opening with a bevelled surface. The end wall of the holder part may be completely or partly omitted.

The invention will be described in greater detail referring to the appended patent drawings in which

Fig. 1 shows schematically an embodiment of the invention from above with the shell part serving as a protecting hood removed;

Fig. 2 shows the embodiment of Fig. 1 seen right along the path which the toothbrush traverses when it is inserted into the rack; and

Fig. 3 shows schematically a lateral cross-section of the embodiment of Fig. 1. Fig. 1, consequently, shows a view of a toothbrush rack 1 according to one embodiment of the invention with the protective shell part opened. The rack 1 consists of a back plate 2 and a holder part 3 made from the same material or attached thereto. The back plate 2 may be a straight plate of e.g. plastic which in this case is formed into the shape of a stylized drop and which is intended, in situation of use, to receive a shell part also shaped like a drop on top. The plate 2 is provided with means for attachment to its base. A suitable attachment means is a screw for which there is a hole 4 in the plate. Another suitable attachment means is a double-sided tape at the rear side of the plate.

The holder part 3 in a toothbrush rack according to the invention consists of walls 5, 6, and 7, which e.g. in Fig. 1 rise towards the viewer, forming a compartment closed on three of its sides. Fig. 3 shows that the upper part of the side wall 5 and consequently that of the opposite side wall and the end wall 6 of the holder part 3 are fixed with the back plate 2. For example, the back plate 2 with its walls 5, 6, 7 may be injection moulded from plastic or like material at one stroke. The lower parts of the walls 5 and 7 are, however, partly off the back plate 2, which serves as the base, and they bend inwards so as to form a resilient contraction 15 in the entrance opening of the holder part 3, at the angular parts 8,9. In other words, extensions of the side walls 5, 7 form a clamp intended for holding the toothbrush in position.

Next we refer to Fig. 2 which shows a rack 1 according to the invention viewed from the direction of insertion of the toothbrush into the rack. The back plate 2 has now received a shell part 10 formed in the shape of a stylized cross-sectioned drop. The shell part 10 has an opening 12 through which the toothbrush is inserted into the rack by pushing the brush head first so that the bristles point upwards. Because every toothbrush 16 has a narrowing neck subsequent to the brush head containing the bristles 17, the toothbrush remains firmly in its place as the above narrowing part leans between the clamp formed by the angular parts 8, 9 on the extensions of the side walls 5 and 7. The opening 12 is sufficiently high so that the toothbrush can be inserted into and taken away from the rack in a relatively oblique position without the bristles having to bend heavily, which continuous heavy bending naturally is not good for the brush. Figs. 2 and 3 show that gaps 13 and 14 remain between the back plate 2 and the angular parts 8 and 9. To provide the contraction 15 formed by the angular parts 8 and 9 enough resilience the gaps 13 and 14 extend sufficiently far on the side of the side walls 5 and 7 of the holder part 3. The toothbrush 16 is inserted into the rack 1 in the manner indicated in Fig. 3 so that the bristles 17 are facing the shell part 10. Thus the bristles do not press against anything and they have enough space when drying after use. Alternative attachment means of the back plate 2 hole 4 and two-sided tapes, self-adhesive tape 18 or the like are shown in Fig. 3.

As seen from Figs. 1 and 2, the back plate 2 includes a ramp 11 along which the brush is directed more easily to the clamp, which is formed between the angular parts 8 and 9, and partly also out of the clamp to the entrance opening under the guidance of the side walls of the angular parts. Inside the shell part 10 the brush is fully protected from dust and touches of unauthorized persons.

Plastic is a suitable manufacturing material for the rack according to the invention, although it is not necessarily the only material. The rack may be manufactured so that the shell part 10 is provided with various figures for identifying various persons' brushes by the figures. On the other hand, manufacturing the shell part 10 in different colours is also a good way of identifying different brushes.

It is obvious that only one embodiment of the toothbrush according to the invention has been described above. The rack may be modified in many different ways but still remain within the scope of the basic idea and the appended claims.

The rack may be of any form. The shell part 10 may be designed into the form of a ladybird or a car instead of a drop, whereupon its use may be taught even to a little child.

The walls 5, 6, 7 forming the holder part 3 may be of another form than in the above embodiment, the angular parts 8 and 9 may be rounded and the upper wall 6 may be partly or completely omitted.

The toothbrush rack 1 according to the invention may also be realized so that the shell part 10 is replaced by a cover covering the holder part 3, which may be detachable or fixed with the walls 5, 6, 7.

Claims

1. A toothbrush rack for storing a toothbrush, particularly its bristle head, and protecting it from dust and touches, when not used, comprising a back plate (2) for attachment to a wall surface in particular and a shell part (10) on top of it or fitted to it, characterized in that a holder part (3) is fitted to the back plate (2) or the shell part (10) having at its entrance opening a resilient contraction (15) formed by extensions of side- walls (5) and (7) on which the narrow neck part of the toothbrush ( 16) inserted into the holder part (3) rests and locks.

2. The rack according to claim 1, characterized in that the holder part (3) is a case-like structure (5, 6, 7) protecting the bristle head of the toothbrush (16) from two or three sides.

3. The rack according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the resilient contraction (15) of the holder part (3) is formed by angular parts (8) and (9) or like bent or contracting parts which are extensions of the side walls (5) and (7).

4. The rack according to claims 1-3, characterized in that the extensions of the side walls (5) and (7) of the holder part (3) , which form the contraction (15), are off their base, the back plate (2), or the shell (10), forming gaps (13) and (14), which extend at least up to the side walls (5) and (7).

5. The rack according to claims 1-4, characterized in that an opening (12) in the shell part (10) is distinctly higher than the bristles (17) of the bristle head of the toothbrush (16) being inserted therein.

6. The rack according to claims 1-5, characterized in that the holder part (3) is of the same material as the back plate (2) and/or the shell (10).

7. The rack according to claims 1-6, characterized in that the uniform holder part (3) and the back plate (2) or the holder part (3) and the shell (10) are integrally made of plastic or the like.

8. The rack according to claims 1-4, characterized in that instead of the shell part (10) there is a fixed or detachable cover covering only the holder part (3).

9. The rack according to claims 1-8, characterized in that the back plate (2) has a ramp (11) at the entrance opening of the holder part (3) whose bevelled surface facilitates insertion of the brush (16) into the holder part (3).

10. The rack according to claims 1-9, characterized in that the end wall (6) of the holder part (3) is at least partly omitted.

AMENDED CLAIMS

[received by the International Bureau on 26 Dune 1998 ( 26.06.98) ; original claim 1 amended ; remaining claims unchanged ( 2 pages ) ]

1. A toothbrush rack for storing a toothbrush, particularly its bristle head, and protecting it from dust and touches, when not used, comprising a back plate (2) for attachment to a wall surface in particular, a shell part (10) on top of it or fitted to it and a holder part (3) fitted to the back plate (2) or the shell part (10), characterized in that there is at the entrance opening of the holder part (3) a resilient contraction (15) formed by extensions of side walls (5) and (7) on which the narrow neck part of the toothbrush (16) inserted into the holder part (3) rests and locks.

5. The rack according to claims 1-4, characterized in that an opening (12) in the shell part (10) is distinctly higher than the bristles (17) of the bristle head of the toothbrush ( 16) being inserted therein.