Toothbrush with lighting fixture and fixture for lighting fixture

Abstract

To provide a luminaire for a toothbrush which can be attached to various toothbrushes and does not impose a burden on a user during the brushing operation of the toothbrush, and to provide a fixture for the luminaire.SOLUTION: In the mounting tool 2 for mounting the luminaire 5 on the toothbrush 1, the mounting tool 2 is provided with a handle part side mounting part 3 mounted on the handle part 12 and a lighting side mounting part 4 provided at a position shifted along the longitudinal direction of the handle part 12 with respect to the handle part side mounting part 3 for mounting the luminaire 5. The handle side mounting part 3 is provided with a slit part 31 so that the handle part 12 can be held from the right and left sides, and a cut part 34 is provided on a bottom part 33 inside the slit part 31 so that the suction tube 14 can be passed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a lighting device and its attachment that allows for visualization of the oral cavity while brushing teeth. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, the following patent documents have proposed devices that allow the user to visually check the inside of the oral cavity by attaching a lighting device to a toothbrush.

[0003] The device described in the patent document, as shown in FIG. 6, has a lighting device 61 attached to the handle 11a of the toothbrush 1a using a cable tie 62. By turning on the switch of the lighting device 61 attached to the handle 11a, light is irradiated onto the brush part 12a, allowing the user to brush while visually checking the inside of the oral cavity. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-273850 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, such a structure causes the following problems.

[0006] That is, in the structure shown in Patent Document 1, the lighting fixture 61 is secured to the handle 11a in close contact with the cable tie 62. Therefore, if the shapes of the two components are not easily secured to each other, such as when the handle 11a of the toothbrush 1a has an elliptical cross section and the lighting fixture 61 is cylindrical, it is difficult to stably secure the lighting fixture 61. Furthermore, if an attempt is made to attach such a lighting fixture 61 to a toothbrush equipped with a suction tube for care purposes, the pressure of the cable tie 62 will clog the suction tube, preventing it from absorbing moisture and dirt during brushing. Furthermore, because the lighting fixture 61 is attached directly to the handle 11a, the optical axis of the lighting fixture 61 will be directed toward the base of the brush head 12a, making it impossible to illuminate the area being brushed.

[0007] Furthermore, because the lighting device 61 shown in Patent Document 1 is attached to the center of the handle 11a, the heavy lighting device 61 must also be moved back and forth when brushing, which places a strain on the user's movements. Alternatively, the lighting device 61 could be attached to the rear end of the handle 11a, but this would mean that the cable tie 62 would also be attached to the rear end of the handle, making the area to be gripped by the palm thicker due to the cable tie 62 and lighting device 61. This makes it difficult to use for users with small hands.

[0008] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention aims to provide a toothbrush lighting device and its attachment that can be attached to various toothbrushes and that does not impose a burden on the user during brushing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In other words, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a toothbrush with an illumination device, which comprises a longitudinal handle, a brush portion provided at the tip of the handle, and a lighting device attached to the handle via an attachment device, wherein the attachment device comprises a handle-side attachment portion attached to the handle, and an illumination-side attachment portion which is provided at a position offset from the handle-side attachment portion along the longitudinal direction of the handle, for attaching the lighting device.

[0010] This configuration allows the lighting fixture to fit in the palm of a person's hand and allows the handle-side attachment to be held between the fingertips, eliminating the need for a thick grip. Furthermore, since the lighting fixture can be positioned on the palm side of the hand, it becomes possible to brush without feeling the weight of the lighting fixture.

[0011] In this invention, the optical axis of the lighting device attached to the lighting fixture is set at a height that points toward the tip of the brush part of the toothbrush.

[0012] With this configuration, light can be irradiated onto the tip of the brush part, allowing the area to be brushed to be brightly illuminated while brushing.

[0013] Furthermore, the handle-side mounting portion is provided with a slit portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the handle.

[0014] With this configuration, the toothbrush can be turned sideways, inserted into the slit from the thinner part of the handle, and then rotated 90 degrees to hold the toothbrush in place, allowing the attachment to be attached to the toothbrush instantly and enabling the lighting fixture to be attached stably to toothbrushes of various shapes.

[0015] In addition, a slit is provided in the handle-side mounting portion along the longitudinal direction of the handle, and a notch is provided inside the slit to form a space between the handle and the slit.

[0016] With this configuration, the cutout portion makes it easier to widen the slit portion to the left and right, and the suction tube of the toothbrush with a suction tube can be positioned in the cutout portion, so the suction tube will not become blocked. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, the lighting fixture can be held in the palm of a person's hand and the handle-side attachment part can be held between the fingertips, so the part to be gripped by the palm does not become too thick. Also, since the lighting fixture can be positioned on the palm side of the hand, it becomes possible to brush without feeling the weight of the lighting fixture. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing a toothbrush and attachment according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 shows the state in which the attachment is attached to the suction toothbrush in the same embodiment. [Figure 3] Schematic cross-sectional view of the fixture in the same form [Figure 4] FIG. 10 shows a mounting fixture according to another embodiment. [Figure 5] Figure showing an example of use in this form [Figure 6] FIG. 1 shows a toothbrush equipped with a conventional lighting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0020] In this embodiment, the attachment device 2 for attaching a lighting device 5 to the handle 12 of the toothbrush 1 includes a handle-side attachment part 3 attached to the handle 12 of the toothbrush 1, and a lighting-side attachment part 4 for attaching the lighting device 5 at a position offset in the longitudinal direction of the handle 12 from the handle-side attachment part 3, as shown in Fig. 1. With this configuration, the handle-side attachment part 3 is positioned near the center of the handle 12 so that it can be gripped with fingertips from both sides, and the lighting-side attachment part 4 and the lighting device 5 are positioned on the palm side of the user's hand, thereby reducing the burden of brushing due to the weight of the lighting device 5. This embodiment will be described in detail below.

[0021] First, the toothbrush 1 can be a commercially available elongated toothbrush 1, and as shown in Fig. 1, one having a longitudinal handle 12 and a brush part 11 provided at the tip of the handle 12 can be used. In addition to this type of toothbrush 1, a suction toothbrush 1 having a suction tube 14 passing through a groove 13 along the longitudinal direction of the handle 12, as shown in Fig. 2, can also be used. Note that handle 12 of this type of toothbrush 1 can have a variety of cross-sectional shapes, but here, the description will be given using one having a rounded rectangular cross section along the short side.

[0022] Next, the attachment 2 attached to such a toothbrush 1 will be described.

[0023] This attachment device 2 has a handle-side attachment part 3 that is attached to the handle part 12 side of the toothbrush 1, and a lighting-side attachment part 4 that attaches a lighting device, and these are integrally configured via a connecting part 40 so that they are staggered.

[0024] Of these, the handle-side attachment portion 3 has a fixed length (L1) and is configured by providing longitudinal slits 31 at the distal ends of the left and right curved sidewalls 32, as shown in the cross-sectional view of Fig. 3. A flat bottom 33 is provided at the base ends of the left and right sidewalls 32, and a notch 34 is provided along the longitudinal direction of the handle 12. The notch 34 allows the left and right sidewalls 32 to easily spread apart laterally, sandwiching the handle 12 from the left and right, and bringing the handle 12 into surface contact with the bottom 33. The notch 34 also forms a V-shaped space between the handle 12 and the notch 34 when the handle 12 is attached, allowing the suction tube 14 of the suction toothbrush 1 to pass through this space without obstruction, as shown by the dashed line in Fig. 3. The handle side mounting part 3 and the lighting side mounting part 4 are made of lightweight and flexible materials such as expanded polyurethane (PUR), expanded polystyrene (PS), and expanded polyolefins such as polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), but are not limited to these materials.

[0025] On the other hand, the lighting-side mounting part 4 is designed to accommodate a small lighting fixture 5 with a built-in battery, and is formed in a circular hollow shape with a certain length (L2) (see FIG. 3 ). The optical axis of the lighting fixture 5 is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the handle 12, and the height of the connecting part 40 is used to orient the center of the optical axis toward the tip of the brush part 11, thereby enabling the optical axis to be directed toward the brushing part. Note that a cylindrical lighting fixture 5 is used here, and the lighting-side mounting part 4 is also configured in a corresponding hollow cylindrical shape, but various shapes can be used for the lighting fixture 5 and the opening of the lighting-side mounting part 4. In this case, rather than being configured in a cylindrical shape and inserted longitudinally, the lighting-side mounting part 4 may be provided with a slit 31 along the longitudinal direction of the handle 12, as with the handle-side mounting part 3, and the lighting fixture 5 may be inserted and held through the slit 31.

[0026] Furthermore, the connecting part 40 is provided integrally to connect the handle-side mounting part 3 and the lighting-side mounting part 4, and as described above, it allows the optical axis of the lighting device 5 to be directed toward the tip of the brush part 11, and as shown in the cross-sectional shape of Fig. 3, a recess 41 is provided between the handle-side mounting part 3 and the lighting-side mounting part 4. By providing this recess 41, the thumb can be positioned in the recess 41 during use, as shown in Fig. 5, making it easier to use.

[0027] When the attachment device 2 configured in this manner is attached to the toothbrush 1, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle-side attachment part 3 is located at the tip end (brush part 11 side) of the toothbrush 1, and the lighting-side attachment part 4 is located at the rear end of the handle 12, so that they are staggered. In this embodiment, the handle-side attachment part 3 and the lighting-side attachment part 4 are configured to have constant lengths L1 and L2, but as shown in FIG. 4, if the handle-side attachment part 3 and the lighting-side attachment part 4 are provided intermittently, the center position along the length of the handle-side attachment part 3 and the center position along the length of the lighting-side attachment part 4 are staggered. The handle-side attachment part 3 is located near the center of the handle 12 of the toothbrush 1, making it easy to grip the handle 12 and the handle-side attachment part 3 with the fingertips from both sides, as shown in FIG. 5. The lighting-side attachment part 4 can also be placed in the palm of the hand, so that the lighting device 5 is located toward the center of vibration during brushing, making it less likely to feel heavy when brushing.

[0028] Next, a method of using the fixture 2 for the lighting device 5 on the toothbrush 1 configured as described above will be described.

[0029] First, when using the fixture 2, the lighting fixture 5 is inserted into the opening of the lighting-side mounting portion 4 and fixed in place.

[0030] Then, in this state, the handle-side attachment part 3 of the attachment tool 2 is attached to the handle 12 of the toothbrush 1. At this time, the handle 12 of the toothbrush 1 is pushed into the thinner part of the handle 12 along the slit 31 of the handle-side attachment part 3, and with the toothbrush 1 pushed into the slit 31, the toothbrush 1 is rotated so that the left and right sides of the handle 12 are held by the side walls 32. At this time, the slit 31 is easily opened to the left and right by the notches 34 provided at the back thereof, and after the handle 12 is inserted, the handle 12 is clamped from the left and right by the elastic force of the resin. Furthermore, at this time, if the suction tube 14 is provided on the handle 12, as in the suction toothbrush 1 (see FIG. 2), the suction tube 14 can be positioned in the gap of the notch 34 (see FIG. 3), so the handle 12 can be clamped without blocking the suction tube 14.

[0031] In this state, the handle-side attachment part 3 is positioned near the center of the handle 12, and the lighting-side attachment part 4 and the lighting fixture 5 are positioned on the rear end side of the handle 12.

[0032] Next, the operation of the toothbrush 1 with the lighting device 5 attached thereto in this manner when in use will be described.

[0033] First, when gripping toothbrush 1, lighting device 5 is placed in the palm of the hand, and the little finger is placed around the rear end of handle 12 to hold it in place, as shown in FIG.

[0034] On the other hand, the tips of the thumb and index finger pinch the left and right sides of the handle 12 and the handle-side attachment part 3, thereby holding the entire toothbrush 1.

[0035] When using the toothbrush 1 in this state, the power switch provided at the rear end of the lighting device 5 is pressed to irradiate the brush head 11 with light and to begin brushing.

[0036] At this time, the relatively heavy lighting device 5 is held in the palm of the hand, so there is no need to vibrate it from side to side greatly, and the burden of the action during brushing can be reduced.

[0037] According to the above embodiment, toothbrush 1 includes longitudinal handle 12, brush head 11 attached to the distal end of handle 12, and lighting fixture 5 attached to handle 12 via attachment 2. Attachment 2 includes handle-side attachment 3 attached to handle 12 and lighting-side attachment 4, which is offset from handle-side attachment 3 along the longitudinal direction of handle 12 and for attaching lighting fixture 5. Therefore, lighting fixture 5 can be held in the palm of a person's hand and can be held between the fingertips, preventing the portion to be gripped by the palm from becoming too thick. Furthermore, since lighting fixture 5 can be positioned on the palm side of the hand, users can brush their teeth without feeling the weight of lighting fixture 5.

[0038] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be implemented in various forms.

[0039] For example, in the above embodiment, the attachment device 2 is configured to have a notch 34, but if the material of the attachment device 2 does not block the suction tube 14, or if the attachment device 2 is not used in a suction toothbrush 1, the notch 34 may not be provided.

[0040] In addition, in the above embodiment, a slit portion 31 is provided in the handle side mounting portion 3 so that it can be clamped, but it may also be configured in a cylindrical shape so that it can be inserted by sliding it from the rear end side of the handle portion 12.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the lighting fixture 5 is attached, but the lighting fixture 5 may be fixed and attached in advance. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 1. Toothbrush 11 Brush section 12...Handle 13...Groove 14. Suction tube 2. Mounting fixture 3. Handle side mounting part 31 Slit section 32 Side wall 34 Cutout 4. Lighting side mounting section 41...Connection part 42 Recess 5. Lighting equipment

Claims

1. A handle portion having an elongated shape; A brush portion provided on the tip side of the handle portion; a lighting fixture attached to the handle via a fixture; In a toothbrush with an illumination device, the attachment is a handle-side attachment portion attached to the handle; A toothbrush with an illumination device, characterized in that a lighting side mounting portion is provided at a position offset along the longitudinal direction of the handle from the handle side mounting portion, for mounting the illumination device.

2. 2. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the optical axis of the lighting fixture attached to the lighting fixture is set at a height facing the tip of the brush part of the toothbrush.

3. 2. The toothbrush with an illumination device according to claim 1, wherein the handle-side attachment portion has a slit portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the handle.

4. The handle-side attachment portion has a slit portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion, 2. The toothbrush with an illumination device according to claim 1, wherein a notch is provided inside the slit to form a space between the handle and the slit.

5. A fixture for attaching a lighting fixture to the handle of a toothbrush, a handle-side attachment portion attached to the handle; a lighting-side mounting portion for mounting the lighting fixture at a position offset from the handle-side mounting portion along the longitudinal direction of the handle; A fixture for attaching a lighting device to a toothbrush, characterized in that it is provided with a

6. 6. The fixture for attaching a lighting device to a toothbrush according to claim 5, wherein the handle-side attachment portion has a slit portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the handle.

7. The handle-side attachment portion has a slit portion extending along the longitudinal direction of the handle portion, 6. The fixture for attaching a lighting device to a toothbrush according to claim 5, wherein a notch is provided inside the slit to form a space between the handle and the slit.

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