Interdental Brush Holder Detent Joint for Stable Positioning

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing interdental brush holders with swivel joints lack a user-friendly and reliable locking mechanism, leading to difficult handling and unstable positioning during use.

Innovation Solution

The interdental brush holder features a pivot joint with two arms connected by a swivel joint, utilizing a guide surface and locking lug system that allows for precise positioning and a soft click mechanism, with a design that includes a toroid-like joint body and limited detent positions for easy and stable operation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If multiple closely spaced detent recesses are provided in the guide surface, then the number of locking positions is increased, but the user must exert relatively large force when adjusting the arms and easily overshoots the desired position

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of locking positionsVSAvoidforce required for adjustment
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The guide surface is segmented into distinct zones: transport areas with unstable resistance for easy movement, and locking recesses with stable resistance for secure positioning. This segmentation allows the locking lug to be easily transported between positions while providing clear haptic feedback during locking, resolving the contradiction between multiple positions and ease of operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the guide surface have different friction characteristics. The transport area has unstable resistance (lower friction) enabling easy movement, while the locking recesses have stable resistance (higher friction) providing secure locking. This local differentiation of properties allows both easy adjustment and reliable positioning without requiring excessive force.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Adaptability or versatility

If a large number of immediately adjacent detent recesses are provided, then more locking positions are available, but the user has to exert a relatively large amount of force when adjusting the arms

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of locking positionsVSAvoidforce required for adjustment
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The resistance characteristic of the guide surface is made dynamic rather than uniform. The unstable resistance area allows the locking lug to move freely during transport, while the stable resistance area provides firm locking when needed. This dynamic variation in resistance enables multiple locking positions without requiring consistently high adjustment forces throughout the entire range of motion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Measurement precision

If detent recesses are spaced apart by extended transport area, then positioning is faster and more accurate, but the transport area requires more space

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidspace required for transport area
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSArea of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The guide surface utilizes the radial dimension effectively by positioning locking recesses at different radial distances from the center of rotation. This allows multiple locking positions to be achieved within a compact angular range, reducing the overall space required while maintaining positioning accuracy through the unstable resistance areas between recesses.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP4678059A1Interdental brush holder
Publication Date: 2026.01.14 CURADEN
  • EP4678059A1 patent drawingFigure 1~4
  • EP4678059A1 patent drawingFigure 5~6
  • EP4678059A1 patent drawingFigure 7~9

AI summary

The present invention relates to an interdental brush holder with two arms (201, 202) connected to each other via a pivot joint (401). The arms are rotatable around a ring body. By means of detent recesses (1101, 1102, 1103, 1104) and a detent lug (901, 902), the arms can be locked in various positions. The detent lug (901, 902) is slidable along the guide surface (8) on a guide line (10). The guide surface (8) has a transport area (1201; 1202) between two adjacent detent recesses (1101, 1102; 1102, 1103). Adjacent to the detent recesses (1101, 1102) is an unstable resistance area that drives the detent nose (901) away from the detent recess (1101, 1103) and towards a center of the transport area (1201, 1202),