Toothbrush

US5412827A · kind A · utility

Assignee

• U.S. Philips Corporation · US

Inventors

• Ingo Muller · Erkner, DE
• Norbert Schneider · Schorndorf, DE
• Erich Krammer · Klagenfurt, AT

Key dates

• Filing date: Jul 27, 1994
• Grant date: May 9, 1995
• Expiry date: Jul 27, 2014

Classification

• Technology area (CPC A): Human Necessities
• CPC primary: A61C17/22
• WIPO field: Medical technology
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

A toothbrush is provided having two housing sections (1, 2) which are pivotable relative to one another, of which a first housing section (1) serves as a handle and accommodates a drive unit (4) for driving a drive shaft (5), and of which a second housing section (2) carries a brush-head (3), which is drivable by the drive shaft, which second housing section (2) is pivotable relative to the drive shaft (5) about a pivot (6). To warn the user against an excessive brushing pressure the toothbrush has a spring device with at least one spring (14) which acts between the second housing section (2) and the drive shaft (5), the second housing section (2) being pivotable relative to the first housing section (1) about the pivot (6) against a pressure exerted by the spring (14) during use of the toothbrush, which spring snaps when a given pressure threshold is exceeded and which pivot is disposed in the second housing section and also forms at least a part of a mechanical coupling between the drive shaft and the second housing section.