Safety Toothbrush and Methods for Providing Safety Features

Description

PRIORITY CLAIM

This patent application is a continuation-in-part, and therefore contains subject matter claiming benefit of the priority date of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/809,023; entitled COMPOSITE HEAD SAFETY TOOTHBRUSH AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME, filed on Aug. 19, 2024, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/327,734, filed on May 23, 2021, entitled METHOD OF MAKING COMPOSITE HEAD SAFETY TOOTHBRUSH, now U.S. Pat. No. 12,064,028; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/459,341, filed on Jul. 1, 2019, entitled COMPOSITE TOOTHBRUSH HAVING SAFETY FEATURES AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,013,311, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/854,097, filed on Dec. 26, 2017 entitled COMPOSITE HEAD TOOTHBRUSH HAVING SAFETY FEATURES, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,334,940, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/099,637 filed on Dec. 6, 2013 and entitled METHODS FOR MAKING SAFETY TOOTHBRUSHES, now abandoned, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/653,153 filed on Jan. 12, 2007 and entitled, PACKAGED TOOTHBRUSH AND TOOTHBRUSH CONTAINER AND METHODS OF MAKING SAME, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,066,583; which is further a continuation-in-part of, and claims benefit of the priority date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/275,027, filed on Dec. 8, 2006, entitled TOOTHBRUSH, issued as U.S. Des. Pat. No. D601,805 and now expired, which is further a continuation-in-part of, and claims benefit of the priority date of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/563,671, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,448,285 filed on Nov. 27, 2006 and entitled TOOTHBRUSH AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING SAME, accordingly, the entire contents of these issued or expired patents and patent applications are hereby expressly incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains generally to toothbrush devices. More specifically, the invention relates to methods of providing a toothbrush having safety features, useful for prisons, hospitals and patient/elderly care.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

Prisons and other detention systems restrict certain hygiene items used by inmates to prevent the use of an otherwise safe device as a weapon. For example, conventional toothbrushes are not permitted to be used by many prison systems because they may be fashioned into a pointed shaft or rod or otherwise known as a shank, which could be used to endanger other inmates or themselves, as well as security personnel. Psychiatric and other mental health systems likewise require toothbrushes that cannot cause self-injury or harm to care givers or security personnel.

A previous attempt to provide a safe alternative toothbrush for use by inmates was a toothbrush simply having a smallish brush head and a very short handle. However, such handle is so short that it must be grasped by only the thumb and forefinger of the user. Hence, this toothbrush is awkward to use. The fingers of the user may be required to enter the mouth to reach all of the teeth. Such a difficult to use toothbrush may only provide marginal teeth cleaning and be uncomfortable to use. Further ineffectual cleaning procedures may cause, or at the least contribute to, poor dental hygiene, thereby leading to costly dental procedures in some instances.

Relatively small prison toothbrushes made with less material to discourage fashioning said material into a weapon, will also fail in the area of bristle retention as well as inadequate cleaning. More particularly, the bristles made up of a plurality of bristle tuffs will fall out of smaller prison toothbrushes after only a few uses. Hence a need in the prison/institutional marketplace has emerged to provide a safety toothbrush with safety features that will further perform satisfactory in the area of bristle retention.

Toothbrushes having a flexible handle, therefore deterring inmates' ability to fashion into a shank have been heretofore attempted. One such example was proposed by inventor Phillips, entitled “Flexible Toothbrush,” U. S. Pat. No. 6,295,686. This particular design has a handle portion, reference character sixteen, that is flexible. The handle portion is further coupled to a neck portion, reference character fourteen. The material used in the toothbrush design additionally comprises 50% thermoplastic rubber and 50% polypropylene. As compared to Philips however, the present invention incorporates added design benefits that improve wear characteristics and facilitate use. Also, improved methods of providing safety features are included in the present invention.

The improved methods of providing safety features disclosed herein further include providing longevity and improved wear characteristics. Particularly, the present invention addresses refining bristle retention characteristics.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention specifically addresses and alleviates the above mentioned deficiencies associated with the prior art. More particularly, the present invention in a first aspect is a method for providing a safety toothbrush comprising: providing a flexible handle to prevent sharpening the toothbrush into a rigid weapon, the flexible handle having a proximal end and a distal end, the toothbrush thereby being a safety toothbrush; providing a toothbrush head at the flexible handle distal end; providing plurality of bristle tuffs secured at the toothbrush head for engaging a user's teeth for cleaning; and twisting the flexible handle about a longitudinal axis demonstrating flexible features.

The invention in this first aspect is additionally characterized as further comprising the method step of grasping each of the proximal and distal ends between a thumb and a forefinger; additionally the method comprises the steps of: folding the flexible handle about a midsection, the folding such that the proximal end touches the plurality of bristle tuffs; and bending the toothbrush into substantially an “L” or a “C” shape.

Still further, the invention in this aspect comprises the additional steps of providing a substantially barbell shape to the safety toothbrush in a top plan view aspect, the safety toothbrush thereby having a relatively narrow midsection, with a flared out terminus at the proximal end opposite the toothbrush head; and spooning out the flared out terminus at the proximal end, forming a recess crater for engaging a user's thumb; and wherein the recess crater comprises approximately elliptical shape in the top plan view aspect, the elliptical shape having a major axis and a minor axis.

Yet still further, the providing a safety toothbrush in this first aspect further comprises the method steps of providing a plurality of dot protrusions at an interior of the recess crater for assisting a user gripping the safety toothbrush; and providing a plurality of dot protrusions on a bottom side of the safety toothbrush for assisting a user gripping the safety toothbrush; and lastly increasing a thickness of the toothbrush head for improved bristle retention.

The present invention in a second aspect is a method for providing a safety toothbrush demonstrating flexible features comprising the steps of: providing a flexible handle to prevent sharpening the toothbrush into a rigid weapon, the flexible handle having a proximal end and a distal end, the toothbrush thereby being a safety toothbrush; providing a toothbrush head at the flexible handle distal end; providing plurality of bristle tuffs secured at the flexible handle distal end for engaging a user's teeth for cleaning; and folding the flexible handle about a midsection, the folding such that the proximal end touches the plurality of bristle tuffs; and further, twisting the flexible handle about a longitudinal axis demonstrating flexible features. The invention in this second aspect is lastly characterized as further comprising the step of providing a plurality of dot protrusions on a bottom side of the safety toothbrush for assisting a user gripping the safety toothbrush.

Still further in a third aspect, the invention is a method for providing a safety toothbrush for improved bristle retention comprising: providing a flexible handle to prevent sharpening the toothbrush into a rigid weapon, the flexible handle having a proximal end and a distal end, the toothbrush thereby being a safety toothbrush; providing a toothbrush head at the flexible handle distal end; providing plurality of bristle tuffs secured at the flexible handle distal end for engaging a user's teeth for cleaning; and increasing a thickness of the toothbrush head providing improved bristle retention and longevity.

In other aspects, the invention is a safety toothbrush comprising a flexible handle and a substantially barbell shape including a flared out terminus at the distal end opposite a toothbrush head. The barbell shape facilitates flexing for engaging a user's teeth. Further, the toothbrush head comprises a proper thickness for bristle retention, the thickness of the toothbrush head gradually tapering to a distal end. The toothbrush further comprises a neck portion having a decreased thickness in the profile aspect (and the top plan view aspect) as compared to the toothbrush head thickness for assisting flexing the safety toothbrush. Stated differently, the method for providing a safety toothbrush further comprises providing a toothbrush handle thickness that tapers to the proximal end, the toothbrush handle thickness tapering from the thickness of the toothbrush head.

These, as well as other advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description and drawings. It is understood that changes in the specific structure shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention, such as a variety of positions for pin placement as described herein.

While the apparatus and method has or will be described for the sake of grammatical fluidity with functional explanations, it is to be expressly understood that the claims, unless expressly formulated under 35 USC 112, are not to be construed as necessarily limited in any way by the construction of “means” or “steps” limitations, but are to be accorded the full scope of the meaning and equivalents of the definition provided by the claims under the judicial doctrine of equivalents, and in the case where the claims are expressly formulated under 35 USC 112 are to be accorded full statutory equivalents under 35 USC 112. The invention can be better visualized by turning now to the following drawings wherein like elements are referenced by like numerals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features of this invention, as well as the invention itself, both as to its structure and its operation, will be best understood from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description, in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush embodiment provided from a preferred method herein;

FIG. 2 is an additional prospective view thereof from an alternate vantage point;

FIG. 3 is a profile view of a first preferred safety toothbrush;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the toothbrush embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 6 is illustrative of a preferred position of a toothbrush illustrating flexing ability; and

FIG. 7 is an additional view of flexibility folding features; and

FIG. 8 is illustrative of a flexibility twisting features;

FIG. 9 illustrates a profile comparison of a typical prior art toothbrush and the toothbrush of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is illustrative of a flexing of the toothbrush at a neck area to engage a user's teeth.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Various inventive features according to methods herein are described below that can each be used independently of one another or in combination with other safety toothbrush features.

Initially, with reference to FIG. 1, a flexible handle toothbrush 10 is shown that particularly answers a need in the prison, hospital or institutional applications. As shown, the toothbrush 10 has a toothbrush head 12 opposite a flared out proximal end 13 with a midsection approximately equidistant, therebetween. The flared out proximal 13 and distal 12 ends act as termini for the flexible handle 11 toothbrush 10 assisting in flexing.

Additionally yet further, a preferred method includes the step of drilling a multiplicity of bristle holes on a surface of a top surface of toothbrush head 12 for subsequent attachment of a plurality of bristle tuffs 19. Further in the manufacturing process, a plurality of bristle tuffs 19 are provided to the toothbrush head 12, being attached via bristle holes. The flexible handle 11 toothbrush 10 is further manufactured from extrudable elastomer material, e.g. thermoplastic material, thereby making this material soft and pliable, hence, safer for prison environments or patient care institutions.

Also regarding FIG. 1, the methods herein provide a terminus 13 at the proximal end, for e.g., to engage a user's thumb 91. More particularly, terminus 13 comprises a shallow crater 15 wherein methods herein comprise the step of providing a safety toothbrush to include spooning out the flared out portion at the proximal end 13, forming a recess crater 15 for engaging a user's thumb 91.

With regard to FIG. 2, an additional prospective view from an alternate vantage point is shown illustrating an underside (see also FIG. 5 illustrating the bottom plan view). Dot protrusions 14, and 16 are provided to assist gripping of the toothbrush by a user in preferred embodiments. Also as shown in FIG. 3, dot protrusions 14 are approximately at the midsection of the flexible handle 11 toothbrush 10. Wherein further as shown in FIG. 5, the dot protrusions 14 at the midsection have a greater prominence as compared to the dot protrusions 16 approximately at the proximal end 13.

Additionally regarding FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, top and bottom plan views illustrate how the toothbrush comprises an approximate barbell shape with a relatively narrow midsection that is approximately equidistant from the distal 12 and proximal ends 13. The approximate barbell shape further facilitates a method steps of bending 20 the flexible handle toothbrush into an “L” shape and folding 30 the flexible handle toothbrush such that distal 12 and proximal ends 13 touch one another (see e.g., FIG. 6 and FIG. 7). Additionally as shown, the flared out terminus 15 at the proximal end 13 comprises a plurality of dot protrusions 18 for engaging a user's hand or thumb, for example. Still further, the flared out terminus 15 comprises an approximate elliptical shape further defined by major 17a and minor 17b axes.

With regard to FIG. 6, the preferred toothbrush methods herein include providing a flexible handle 11 the toothbrush 10 thereby being a safety toothbrush 10 suitable for prisons, institutions, or the like. As shown, the toothbrush can easily be bent 20 into a shape of an “L,” or a “C.” More particularly, the flexible handle 11 has an enlarged curvilinear spooned out 15 (or alternatively flat) proximal end portion 13 assisting the flexing and bending, Further, said “L” or “C-shape” method step 20 is for demonstrating flexible features; this bending 20 is more particularly achieved between a thumb 91 are a forefinger 92.

FIG. 7 is illustrative of a folding 30 method step wherein a flexible handle 11 toothbrush 10 is folded such that the proximal end 13 touches the plurality of bristle tuffs 19. Regarding FIG. 8, an additional method step of twisting the flexible handle 11 toothbrush 10 about a longitudinal axis 93 is illustrated. The twisting demonstrates flexible features being performed by grasping distal 12 and proximal 13 ends between a thumb 91 and a forefinger 92 on each end, 12, 13.

With regard to FIG. 9, a method step 80 of incrementally increasing thickness of the toothbrush head 12 is shown as compared to a typical prior art toothbrush 99. The safety features disclosed herein further require a method step of retaining bristle retention while introducing pliable materials. Adequacy in bristle retention can be measured by applying a tensile force to the plurality of bristle tuffs 19. Hence, as seen in the profile view, toothbrush head thickness 81 is greater than prior art toothbrush head thickness 82.

FIG. 10 is a perspective illustration of a flexible handle toothbrush showing flexing 60 particularly at the neck 51 area, for example with a user's thumb 91, to engage a user's teeth. In particular, the flexing and a profile shape (FIG. 3) of the toothbrush neck 51 and handle 11 permit said flexing for brushing 60. Also, with regard to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 5 and FIG. 9 this toothbrush neck 51 narrows in the top plan view and the profile view to accommodate extra toothbrush head bristle retention and in the top plan view to facilitate flexing the toothbrush. Further, the neck 51 design (particularly the profile view, FIG. 3) was expressly intended to facilitate flexing for brushing 60, for example, in and around bridge work to clean the teeth and to navigate around bridge work and crowns, further with the benefit of lessening damage to gums and soft tissue as well as to crowns and bridge work. This ability 60 is particularly important in prison environment because dental reconstruction is more often unavailable, as are dental implants. The brush flexing 60 for in-use illustrated additionally minimizes bending of the wrist for directional brushing; all flexible features 20, 30, 40, 60 disclosed, herein, prevent fashioning a toothbrush 10 into a weapon or as a rigid device to pick locks in prisons, jails, and secured mental health treatment centers.

Yet still additionally with regard to FIG. 3 and FIG. 9, the safety toothbrush 10 has a specially designed shape, particularly in the profile, to facilitate flexible features 20, 30, 40, 60. As stated and illustrated in FIG. 9, the toothbrush head 12 is thicker 81 than in the prior art 82 for bristle retention and longevity; yet further innovations include a tapered (FIG. 3) handle 11 in the profile view from the toothbrush head 12 to the neck portion 51 and further tapering to the flared out 15 proximal end 13. Hence, toothbrush head 12 thickness 81 tapers gradually to neck 51 thickness 51a that further tapers through a profile of the flared out terminus 15 the proximal end 13 of the flexible handle 11. As stated, the tapering in the profile view and the flared out terminus 15 are provided to facilitate the flexible features 20, 30, 40, 60 herein. Additionally, the flexible handle is provided curved upward in the profile FIG. 3 view to assist flexible features.

In a preferred embodiment, toothbrush head 12 thickness 81 is 10 millimeters, while toothbrush neck thickness is 7 millimeters; and proximal end 13 thickness is 3 millimeters. Also, in a preferred embodiment a toothbrush 10 length comprising the toothbrush head 12 and handle 11 is optimally chosen as 4.25 inches to provide adequate dental cleaning while minimizing any misuse of the safety toothbrush.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of example and that it should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different elements, which are disclosed in above even when not initially claimed in such combinations.

While the particular Safety Toothbrush and Methods for Providing Safety Features as herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of obtaining the objects and providing the advantages herein before stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the details of construction or design herein shown other than as described in the appended claims.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.