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Toothbrush with tongue cleaning member

a technology of tongue cleaning and tooth brush, which is applied in the field of tooth brush with tongue cleaning member, can solve the problems of poor cleaning effect of tongue and soft tissue cleaning surface, inconvenient use of tooth brush head, and inability to clean tongue and soft tissue, etc., and achieves the effect of minimizing manufacturing complexity and gentle cleaning

Inactive Publication Date: 2004-12-23
COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO
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  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009] It is also an object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper provided on a toothbrush which is soft for contact with soft tissues and without deep edges that might get caught on tooth surfaces.
[0010] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper provided on a toothbrush which provides for maximum penetration between papillae.
[0011] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper for a toothbrush which keeps the height of the toothbrush head (from toothbrush bristle tips to tongue cleaning tips) to a minimum.
[0012] It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a tongue scraper for a toothbrush which is made of a relatively soft material for gentle cleaning and minimizes manufacturing complexities.

Problems solved by technology

This type of construction is not well-suited for the back of the toothbrush head as it makes contact with surfaces other than the tongue.
Conventional tongue scrapers have also been inadequate with respect to the cleaning capacity of the tongue and the soft tissue-cleaning surface.
Anaerobic bacteria tends to collect in the recesses causing bad breath.
Broad flat scraping blades or wipers are not able to reach between the papillae where the bacteria has collected.
The use of nylon in bristles also makes the manufacturing processing complex.

Method used

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  • Toothbrush with tongue cleaning member
  • Toothbrush with tongue cleaning member
  • Toothbrush with tongue cleaning member

Examples

Experimental program
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Embodiment Construction

[0030] Referring now to FIG. 1, an exemplary toothbrush according to a first embodiment of the invention is illustrated and generally indicated at 100.

[0031] Toothbrush 100 includes a handle 102 at a proximal end thereof and a brush section 104 that is defined by a neck 110 that terminates in a head section 120 at a distal end of toothbrush 100. Handle 102 has a free proximal end 108 and an opposite neck end 106 and extends along a first longitudinal axis a-a. Neck 110 generally includes a first end 114 and a second end 116 with first end 114 being located at neck end 106 of handle 102 and the second end 116 being located at head 120. In other words, neck 110 is the portion of toothbrush 100 that extends between handle 102 and head 120.

[0032] It will be further appreciated that the illustrated shapes of handle 102 and neck 110 are merely exemplary in nature and handle 102 and / or neck 110 can be formed to have any number of shapes. Preferably, the shapes of handle 102 and neck 110 ar...

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PUM

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Abstract

A toothbrush having a handle portion formed with a neck at one end thereof and extending along a first longitudinal axis. A head section is coupled to the neck. The head section includes a plurality of first cleaning members provided on a first head side thereof which extends outwardly from the first head side generally perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis. The head section further includes a second cleaning member provided on a second head side thereof opposite to the first head side. In order to reliably clean the tongue surface, the second cleaning member includes a plurality of flat-tipped conical-shaped cleaning elements which extend outwardly from the second head side of the head section generally perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis. Alternately, the second cleaning member can include a plurality of grated cleaning elements which extend outwardly from the second head side of the head section generally perpendicular to the first longitudinal axis.

Description

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] This invention relates generally to oral hygiene products, and more particularly, relates to a toothbrush having a tongue cleaning member provided on the head section thereof.[0003] 2. Discussion of Related Art[0004] Tongue cleaners have been in use for many years, with scraping type devices being one of the more popular solutions for improved cleaning of the tongue and soft cheek tissues. Scrapers exist as long, thin "blades" made of either plastic or metal which are bent into a "U" shape and dragged across the tongue.[0005] Tongue scraper configurations with linear wiping elements have been combined with toothbrushes in the past, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,818,856 and 6,119,296. Traditional tongue scrapers are formed of a tall flat "blade" or ribbon of either plastic or metal, which is dragged along the surface of the tongue. This type of construction is not well-suited for the back of the toothbrush head as it makes contact with surfac...

Claims

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Application Information

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Patent Type & Authority Applications(United States)
IPC IPC(8): A46B5/02A46B9/04A46B15/00
CPCA46B5/02A46B5/026A46B9/04A46B15/0055A46B15/0081A46B2200/1066A46B9/028A46B9/06
Inventor HOHLBEIN, DOUGLAS J.
Owner COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO
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