US2592131A - Toothbrush sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

April 8, 1952 R. o. FARRAR TOOTHBRUSH STERIL-IZER 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed April 5, 1949 lllllllllll IN VEN TOR. IZM 74M. wwz w April 8, 1952 R. o. FARRAR 2,592,131

TOOTHBRUSH STERILIZER Filed April 5, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 IN V EN TOR.

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Patented Apr. 8, 1952 rooruenusnsrammzaa Roland 0. Fa-rrar, West Acton, Mass. Application April 5, 1949, Serial No. 85,570 V My invention relates to apparatus for sterilizing articles, particularly tooth brushes.

Ordinarily tooth brushes are either laid on the- The most important object of my invention is to provide simple, convenient and effective means for storing and sterilizing tooth brushes, not only to prevent them from collecting bacteria from the ambient atmosphere, but also to kill organisms collected from the mouth of the user, or from an adjacently located tooth brush.

, Another object of the invention is to provide means not only capable of storing tooth brushes in satisfactory sanitary condition, butalso-to provide a source of ozone tending to sterilize and deodorize the atmosphere of a bathroom.

An important feature of my invention comprises a plate serving as a support for a plurality of tooth brushes, combined with a source of ultraviolet radiation, and a covering reflector serving at once to direct radiation upon the brushes from all angles, as well as to shield the brushes from stray, airborne bacteria.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be more readily understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of a unit constructed in accordance with the invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the unit with the cover removed,

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical cross section from the complete unit, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the wall bracket b means of which the unit is supported in operating position.

As best shown in Figs. 1 and 3 I provide a circular bracket or mounting plate l provided with spaced holes to accommodate three screws [2 by means of which the bracket may be secured to a wall. The bracket [0 may be formed of metal or plastic or other suitable material and is provided with a central horizontally projecting lug l4 which is rectangular in cross section.

2 Claims. (Cl. 250 -51) The-unit itself is organized about a flat cir cular disk-or plate l8 stamped from metal, molded of plastic, or otherwise conveniently constructed. Integral with the plate I8 is a socket member 20 formed to fit the contour of the wall bracket l6 and including a horizontal aperture 2| rectangular in cross section and dimensioned to fit snugly over the lug l4. Secured to the under side of the socket 20 is a fiat leaf spring 22 mounted in' the upper end of which is a large pin 24 disposed normallyto engage a notch or hole l6 formed in the under side'of the lug 14. When the socket is iittedover thelug' [4 the latch pin rides over the lower surface of the lug until it reaches the notch 'l6, whereupon it snaps into place and locks theplate andsocket upon the bracket I ll. To remove the plate from the bracket, it is necessary merely to pull down the latch pin and' leaf spring until the pin clears the notch l6, and the plate may then be'detached from the bracket.

Cooperating with the plate I8 isa cup-shape container 26'havingat its upper edge an outwardly extending lip or flange bored to receive a plurality of machine screws 28 by means of which the container is secured to the lower surface of the plate l8. Spanning the container 26 at an intermediate point therein is a horizontal wall or partition 30 dividing the container into upper and lower chambers. In the lower chamber there is disposed a transformer, ballast, or other voltage controller of the sort conventionally included in the circuit of an ultraviolet lamp in order to establish the proper starting and operating voltages. Inasmuch as this equipment is conventional I have merely indicated its position and have not described or illustrated its construction. Mounted on'the wall 30 is a lamp socket including an integral ceramic member providing a flat base plate and an upwardly extending cylindrical socket lined with a bushing of brass or other metal deformed to provide a screw threaded receptacle for the accommodation of the conventional base of the lamp. The socket 34 extends up through a circular hole in the center of the plate l8 and carries in its base a pair of binding posts. or terminals 38 connected by leads (not shown) to the voltage controller beneath it. In the socket 34 there is disposed an ultraviolet lamp 40 of conventional characteristics designed T to emit a germicidal ultraviolet radiation of 2537 angstrom units.

Near the outer periphery of the plate I8 I provide a circular series of apertures 42' each dimensioned to receive the handle 44 of a 00R.

ventional tooth brush of maximum size. Flush with the inner wall of each aperture there is a thin vertical lip or ledge 48 upon which the bristles 46 of each brush may rest. The apertures 42'and the ledges 48 are oriented so that the tooth brushes supported by the plate will be arranged facing the centrally located germicidal lamp 40 and so that the center line of the bristles intersect the vertical axis of the lamp. The lips 48 are pointed at the top so that substantially all of the bristle portion of the brush is exposed. The unexposed brush and handle area is sterilized by a constant ozone draft passing it.

Formed into the upper surface of the plate 18 close to its outer edge there is a peripheral groove or channel 50 which serves to receive the lower edge of a domed metal cover 52substantially concentric with the center of the plate [8 and provided on its inner surface with a highly polished lustrous finish so thatit serves as a reflector. The cover is notsecured in place but may be lifted elf to afford access to the interior of the unit so that thebrushes may be quickly inserted or withdrawn. The outside of the cover may be given any desired surface treatment.

As can be seen, particularly in Fig. 3 the brushes, particularly the bristles 46 receive direct radiation from the lamp 40 and also are exposed to radiation reflected from the inner surface of the cover 52. I have found by experiment that by employing a germicidal lamp radiating ultraviolet light over frequencies predominantly of 2537 angstrom units the arrangement herein described and illustrated is effective to kill even the most resistant bacilli such as Lactobacillus acidophilus or Straphylococcus aureus. Hence it follows that the less resistant bacteria such as Vincent 'organisms are effectively killed. ,Consequently atooth brush which has been exposed to radiation in my: novel sterilizing unit for a 4 relatively short period will be presented for reuse in sterile condition. 7 Furthermore one action of an ultraviolet lamp is to generate ozone which itself is beneficial as a sterilizing and deodorizing agent. As the unit operates the ozone is continuously discharged through the apertures 42 at a rate sufficient to serve as effective means for killing bacteria in the bathroom and for deodorizing its atmosphere.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A tooth brush sterilizer comprising a plate having a series of elongated brush-holding apertures adjacent its periphery, a container secured to the underside of the plate, a, partition dividing said container into upper and lower chambers, a voltage controller disposed in the lower chamber, a lamp socket mounted in said upper chamber upon said partition and arranged to extend upwardly through a central aperture in said plate, said socket being electrically connected to said transformer, a germicidal lamp disposed in said socket, and a domed cover disposed on said plate for housing the lamp and said plate and reflecting rays from the lamp toward the plate.

2. A sterilizer defined in claim 1 wherein a thin upwardly extending lip is disposed on said plate adjacent the inner side of each of said elongated apertures to hold the tooth brush away from intimate contact with the supporting plate.

ROLAND o. F'ARRARf REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Jackel July 15, .1947-

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