Adjustable Brush With Rotatable Tooth Carriage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Grooming brushes are ineffective for different animals due to fixed tooth spacing, which may not align with the unique characteristics of the animal's fur or hair, leading to discomfort and inadequate grooming.

Innovation Solution

An adjustable brush design featuring a brush head with two sets of teeth that can be independently rotated, allowing for variable tooth spacing adjustment via a knob mechanism, enabling the teeth to transition between extended and retracted positions to accommodate different fur or hair types.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the spacing between protrusions is fixed, then the brush structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the brush cannot be adjusted to suit different animal fur characteristics

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to different fur characteristicsVSAvoidbrush structure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies the dynamics principle by making the tooth spacing adjustable rather than fixed. The brush includes a carriage that can be rotated relative to the brush head, changing the spacing between teeth. This allows the brush to adapt to different fur characteristics (long, short, thick, thin) by adjusting the tooth spacing, while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure through the use of a rotation mechanism rather than completely redesigning the brush architecture.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies the parameter changes principle by varying the tooth spacing parameter to suit different grooming needs. The carriage rotation mechanism changes the effective spacing between teeth, allowing the same brush to provide different tooth densities for different animal types. This parameter adjustment enables versatility without requiring multiple different brush designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If the tooth spacing is too wide, then the brush structure is simpler with fewer teeth, but the grooming effectiveness is reduced and animal comfort is compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrooming effectivenessVSAvoidtooth density
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The dynamics principle resolves this contradiction by allowing the tooth spacing to be dynamically adjusted based on the animal being groomed. When grooming animals with dense fur, the carriage can be rotated to provide narrower tooth spacing for effective grooming. When grooming animals with sparse fur, the carriage can be rotated to provide wider tooth spacing. This dynamic adjustment ensures high grooming effectiveness without permanently increasing device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3829385B1Adjustable brush
Publication Date: 2023.11.29 FOUR PAWS PRODUCTS LTD
  • EP3829385B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3829385B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3829385B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An example adjustable brush may include a brush head and a handle extending from the brush head. The brush head may include a first plurality of teeth extending along a rotation axis and a second plurality of teeth extending along the rotation axis. The second plurality of teeth may be rotatable independently of the first plurality of teeth about the rotation axis.