Patent US5078681A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US4257433A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Water-driven toothbrush and water-pick assembly
Assignee: WELL MEN INDUSTRIAL Co Ltd WAH INDUSTRIAL BLDG 16TH FLOOR BLOCK D QUARRY BAY A HONG KONG Co
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Filing: 1980-01-22
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Granted: 1981-03-24
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Expires: 2000-01-22
Abstract
Abstract A water-driven toothbrush and water-pick assembly is provided having a housing 1, a handle 3 pivotally attachable to the housing 1 and an elongated toothbrush arm with a brush 41 and water-pick outlet 43 at one end, attachable to the housing also. A water turbine rotor 11 in the housing 1 is connected to the arm 2 via an eccentric link 30 for converting rotary motion of the rotor 11 into agitating pivotal movement of the arm 2 and brush 41. The handle 3 can be pivoted between two positions in one of which water supplied to the handle 3 can be passed to the rotor 11 and exhausted from the handle 3 to actuate the toothbrush arm 2 only to clean a users teeth and in the other of which water supplied to the handle 3 can be passed to the water-pick outlet 43 only to provide a water jet for cleaning crevices between the users teeth.
Inventors
- 👤 Wong K. Kwan
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 04:01
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61C; A61C17/00; A61C17/16; A61C17/22; A61C17/32; A61C17/38
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 12
Claim 1
Independent Claim
281 words
A water-driven toothbrush and water-pick assembly having a housing containing at least two water flow paths, a water turbine rotor located in a first of the at least two water flow paths, a first shaft mounted to pivot about its longitudinal axis, and an eccentric link interconnecting the rotor and first shaft for converting rotary movement of the rotor into pivotal movement of the first shaft, an elongated toothbrush arm for mounting a toothbrush head, which arm contains a water passage extending from a water-pick outlet adjacent the head end of the arm to the other end of the arm and is fixedly connectible at the other end of the arm to the first shaft for pivotal agitation therewith and to form part of a second of the at least two water flow paths, and a handle containing a water inlet passage connectible to a source of water under gravity or pressure, and a water outlet passage, which handle is mountable on the housing for pivotal movement between at least first and second positions, so that when the water inlet passage is operatively connected to a source of water the handle can be pivoted into and out of the first position in which the water passes through the water inlet passage, along the first water flow path to rotate the turbine rotor and thereby pivotally agitate the toothbrush arm and head, and exit through the water outlet passage without actuating the water-pick, and into and out of the second position in which the water passes through the water inlet passage, the second water flow path, along the arm water passage and out of the water-pick outlet without actuating the toothbrush arm.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
281 words
A water-driven toothbrush and water-pick assembly having a housing containing at least two water flow paths, a water turbine rotor located in a first of the at least two water flow paths, a first shaft mounted to pivot about its longitudinal axis, and an eccentric link interconnecting the rotor and first shaft for converting rotary movement of the rotor into pivotal movement of the first shaft, an elongated toothbrush arm for mounting a toothbrush head, which arm contains a water passage extending from a water-pick outlet adjacent the head end of the arm to the other end of the arm and is fixedly connectible at the other end of the arm to the first shaft for pivotal agitation therewith and to form part of a second of the at least two water flow paths, and a handle containing a water inlet passage connectible to a source of water under gravity or pressure, and a water outlet passage, which handle is mountable on the housing for pivotal movement between at least first and second positions, so that when the water inlet passage is operatively connected to a source of water the handle can be pivoted into and out of the first position in which the water passes through the water inlet passage, along the first water flow path to rotate the turbine rotor and thereby pivotally agitate the toothbrush arm and head, and exit through the water outlet passage without actuating the water-pick, and into and out of the second position in which the water passes through the water inlet passage, the second water flow path, along the arm water passage and out of the water-pick outlet without actuating the toothbrush arm.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
170 words
An assembly according to claim 1, wherein the housing has a hollow cylindrical body portion radially subdivided internally by axially spaced first, second and third partition walls into a stator chamber containing the rotor and located between the first and second partition walls, and a second chamber located between the second and third partition walls, which second chamber is subdivided by walls into first and second separate part-annular outer passages and an inner cylindrical chamber which communicates via an aperture through the second partition wall with the stator chamber, and wherein the housing has on the outer periphery of the body portion, a first external chamber communicating with the first part-annular outer passage and with the stator chamber, and a second external chamber communicating with the second part-annular outer passage, the first part-annular outer passage, first external chamber, stator chamber and inner cylindrical chamber forming part of the first water flow path and the second part-annular outer passage and second external chamber forming part of the second water flow path.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
42 words
An assembly according to claim 2, wherein the rotor is fixedly mounted on a rotor shaft rotatably supported at one end in the second partition wall and carries at the other end, which extends through the first partition wall, the eccentric link.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
88 words
An assembly according to claim 3, wherein the eccentric link includes a ring fixed to the other end of the rotor shaft, a pin projecting from an annular outer face of the ring and axially spaced from the rotational axis of the rotor shaft, a cam disc rotatably mounted on the pin, and a link arm of generally U-shaped cross-section, one end of which is slidably fitted over the cam disc and the other end of which is fixedly connected to or forms part of the first shaft.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
44 words
An assembly according to claim 4 wherein the first shaft is hollow, forms part of the second water flow path and is pivotally mounted in the housing adjacent the first and second external chambers in communication at one end with the second external chamber.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
33 words
An assembly according to claim 5, wherein the other end of the first shaft projects from the housing for releasably fixed engagement with the toothbrush arm and communication with the arm water passage.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
29 words
An assembly according to claim 6, wherein the toothbrush arm end fits over the other end of the first shaft and is releasably fixed thereto by a locking key.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
45 words
An assembly according to claim 7, wherein the third partition wall has a first aperture therethrough communicating with the first part-annular outer passage, a second aperture therethrough communicating with the second part-annular outer passage and a third aperture therethrough communicating with the inner cylindrical chamber.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
95 words
An assembly according to claim 8, wherein the handle is pivotally attached to the third partition wall of the housing with the third aperture of the third partition wall communicating with the water outlet passage and with a movable opening in the handle communicating with the water inlet passage, the movable opening being located and dimensioned such that when the handle is in the first position the movable opening communicates with the first part-annular outer passage and when the handle is in the second position the movable opening communicates with the second part-annular outer passage.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
60 words
An assembly according to claim 9, including elongated flexible conduit means in the form of a water outlet conduit releasably attachable to the handle water outlet passage to lead the water to a receptacle, and a water inlet conduit releasably attachable at one end to the handle water inlet passage and at the other end to a source of water.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
61 words
An assembly according to claim 10, including a tap means releasably connectible at one end to a source of water and at the other end to the other end of the water inlet conduit, the tap means incorporating a valve operable to allow the passage of water from the source either to the water inlet conduit or to a by-pass outlet.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-03-23 | 1984-09-22 | 1985-03-24 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-03-23 | 1988-09-22 | 1989-03-24 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-03-23 | 1992-09-22 | 1993-03-24 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |