CA1164612A

CA1164612A - Silver-plated tooth brush

Info

Publication number: CA1164612A
Application number: CA000371463A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Renato Braga
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1980-12-04
Filing date: 1981-02-23
Publication date: 1984-04-03
Also published as: IL64413A0; GR76938B; ES8202250A1; MA19353A1; IT1134586B; PT74057A; FR2495450A1; DK535581A; JPS5796608A; CH645792A5; AU8150982A; ES499838A0; JO1174B1; GB2088710A; IT8026430A0; DE3105544A1; NL8105427A; NO814132L; BE891208A; US4411041A

Abstract

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

A silver-coated tooth brush comprises a brush head and a handle, which may be integral or fixed together by a demountable connection. At least the bristle-supporting portion of the brush head carries a coating of silver.

Description

SILVER-PLATED TOOTH BRUSH
The ordinary tooth brush, generally consisting of one single piece made of plastic or similar material, is known to all. One of its main drawbacks is the difficulty of ensuring thorough cleanliness, especially in the spaces between the bristles, which fact lowers the level of hygiene and favours formation of bacteria - consequently creating a risk of infection in the oral cavity, even of a serious nature, and of gum infection in particular.

The present invention eliminates these drawbacks and in addition offers considerable advantages as will be explained below.

An aspect of the invention is as follows:
A toothbrush comprising a handle and a head having a surface and fitted with bristles, at least that part of the head's surface which carries the bristles being coated with silver whose bactericidal properties, when contacted with water, are transferred by the water to the bristles by the ions of silver possessed within the silver, wherein the silver coating is applied before insertion of the bristles, said coating being also applied to the sides of the holes in which the tufts of the bristles are fitted to provide a sterilization action on the bristles and within the spaces among the base of the bristles, and between the sides of said holes and the bristles in such a way as to avoid proliferation of bacteria on the bristles from their base portions to the tips thereof.

6~12 In a preferxed embodiment, the t~o essential parts, the handle and the brush, are made in two pieces, generally of plastic, and can be easily put together and taken apart by the user. In this pre-ferred embodiment, there is an upstanding projection on the back of the brush head, so shaped as to fit closely into a cut-out in the handle adapted to receive it. The two parts thus remain firmly held together by pressure between them. With this construc-tion, when replacement of the head becomes necessary, ~le same can be easily detached from the handle by finger pressure.
Again in this preferred embodiment, the upstanding projection on the back of the brush head consists of a small block-shaped piece which is slightly wider at the sides so that, when pushed into place in the handle, lateral pressure holds it in position.
In a variant, the "male" part could be made on the handle and the "female" part cut out of the head.

In this preferred embodiment, the handle contains the entire head in a specially made cavity, in such a way as to establish satis-factory continuity both from the aesthetic and functional points of view. Preferably, before application of the bristles, the head is electroplated with substantially pure silver several microns thick. Alternatively, the entire tooth brush could be silver plated.
The characteristics of the inven~ion and its aims will be made still clearer by the example of how it can be made illustrated in the sketches.
Fig. 1 Tooth brush seen from the front;

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Fig. 2 Tooth brush seen from the side;
Fig. 3 Top view of the front end of the handle in perspective;
Fig. 4 Cross section of the handle;
Fig. 5 Brush head;
Fig. 6 Cross section of the head.
The tooth brush 10 is composed of the handle 11 and of the head 12 with its bristles 13. The small block 15 is fixed to the back of the head.
A ~avity 14 is cut in the front end of the handle and is so shaped as to accept the block lS which (as shown in Fig. 6) has convexly curved sides 16, 17. As shown in Fig. 4, the sides 18 of the cut-out 14 diverge outwards while the dimensions of the cavity 19 are adequate to house the whole of the brush head.

Before the bristles are fitted into holes in the head, the head undergoes an electro-plating process during which the head, including the sides of the holes, is entirely coated with a layer 20 of substantially pure silver of several microns thickness. Thus, sterilization action is provided at the base of the bristles, between the sides of the holes and the bristles, and within the spaces among the base of the bristles.

Operational principles of the invention are clear.

When, by exerting a slight amount of pressure, the brush head , .

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~3a-enters its cavity 19 the pro~ecting block 15 snaps into the cut-out 14 made for it so that the two parts fit together in a sufficiently stable manner while the toothbrush is being used.
~rO expell the brush head, all that is needed is to apply adequate pressure, with the fingers or something else to the back o block 15.
Advantages offered by the invention:
Improved defences against infection of the oral cavity. A
notably high degree of hygiene, in spite of the difficulty of cleaning properly between the bristles, conferred by the properties of silver, which, by its very nature, is refractary to the efforts of bacteria to remain on it and proliferate, as well as to dirt generally thus ensuring the best possible level of cleanliness. In addition there is the added "value"
given to the brush by the properties which silver possesses being at one and the same time ornamental, undeteriorable and hard-wearing.
As the tooth brush is made in two parts, only the head need be silver-plated or in any case only that part which holds the bristles, enabling economy to be made in its manufacture and making it possible for the user to effect easy replacement.
As the applications of the invention have been described only as an example, in no way limiting them to this, it is understood that any equivalent application of the inventive concepts expressed and any product made and/or operatiny in accordance with the characteristics of the invention~
will be included within its field of protection.

Claims

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A toothbrush comprising a handle and a head having a surface and fitted with bristles, at least that part of the head's surface which carries the bristles being coated with silver whose bactericidal properties, when contacted with water, are transferred by the water to the bristles by the ions of silver possessed within the silver, wherein the silver coating is applied before insertion of the bristles, said coating being also applied to the sides of the holes in which the tufts of the bristles are fitted to provide a sterilization action on the bristles and within the spaces among the base of the bristles, and between the sides of said holes and the bristles in such a way as to avoid proliferation of bacteria on the bristles from their base portions to the tips thereof.