US3103027A - Combined tooth brush and gum massager - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 10, 1963 M. A. BIRCH COMBINED TOOTH BRUSH AND GUM MASSAGER Filed NOV. 30, 1960 INVENTOR MARJORIE ANDERSON BiRCH United States Patent 3,103,027 COMBINED TOOTH BRUSH AND GUM MASSAGER Marjorie A. Birch, 225 E. 73rd St., New York, N.Y. Filed Nov. 30, 1960, Ser. No. 72,707 1 Claim. (Cl. 15110) This invention relates to toothbrushes and has for its primary object, the combination of a bristle tooth brush and a gum massager on the same handle.

A Lturther object is to provide a toothbrush having conventional bristles =for brushing in the normal manner, with the addition of a pointed elastic member for massaging the gingival tips of the gums and cleaning between the teeth.

A still further object is to provide a combination bristle tooth brush and elastic gum massage device in which the gum massage device extends above the plane of the tree ends of the bristles.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts thereof, as will fully appear by a perusal of the description below and by various specific features which will be hereinafter set forth.

To the above cited and other ends and with the foregoing and various other novel features and advantages and other objects of my invention as will become more readily apparent as the description proceeds, my invention consists in certain novel deatures of construction and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claim hereunto annexe-d and more fully describes and referred to in connection with the accompanying drawings where- FIG. 1 is a bottom View of the tooth brushing and gum massaging device constructed according to this invention.

' FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional View taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan View or the brush.

FIG. 4 is an end section view of the brush, taken on the line 44 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of a modified form.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the modification shown in FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an elevational view of another modification.

FIG. 8 shows an elevational view of still another modification.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of the form shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is an elevatioual view of still another modification.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the modification shown in FIG. 10.

Referring to the drawings in detail, numeral 10 represents the handle of the brush, having a head 11. In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4, numeral 12 represents the still bristles, which may be natural or synthetic. A rubber or plastic gum cleaner and massager 13 is mounted on said head 11 intermediate the stiff bristles 12. This massage 13 may be mounted at any desired location among the stiff bristles 12, but the preferable location is adjacent the end of the head 11 and surrounded by the stiff bristles as shown in the drawings. The base of the massager is enlarged and may be mounted in the bristle retaining portion in various ways,

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a preferred form being shown in FIGURES 4 and 5, where the large conical base has a flange extending therefrom around its periphery, said flange and a portion of the large conical base being embedded in the bristle retaining portion, thus securely holding the massager in place, Due to this method of fastening, the massage will not work loose and fall out, even with vigorous massaging of the teeth and gums.

It is to be noted that the massager 13 is conical shaped and has its point extending above the plane of the free ends of the stiff bristles 1.2. This is to insure that the tender parts of the gums will be engaged by the soft massager 13 before the hard bristles contact the gums. Thus as the teeth are brushed in the normal regular manner the massager 13 will engage the gingival tips of the gums, and enter between the teeth, cleaning and massaging at the same time. The inclusion of the rnassager in the brush still allows the brush to be used in the same manner as regular bristle brushes, as. the soft plastic or rubber massager will flex easily and be depressed below the plane of the free ends of the stiff bristles when pressure is applied against the teeth, as in regular brushing.

A modification is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This shows a plurality of rubber massagers 13 surrounding a central group of stiff bristles 12. The tips of the massagers are in the same plane as the tips of the stiif bristles, but the location of the softer massaging members will act to protect the gums from damage by the stiff bristles and also give a gum massaging and cleaning action when brushing the teeth.

A further modification is shown in FIGURE 7. In this form the softer massage members 13 are conical shaped and located in the same positions as the massage members in FIGS. 5 and 6, but with the exception that the tips of the massage members extend beyond the plane of the tips of the bristles 12.

A still further modification is shown in FIGURES 8 and 9. This modification shows the rubber massage members as being chisel shaped instead of conical and positioned at to each other, to facilitate the massaging and cleaning of all gum and tooth surfaces. The angular positioning of the massage members will insure that vertical and horizontal areas of the gums and teeth will be reached. As shown in the drawings, the chisel shaped massage members 14 have their edges parallel to the handle and the chisel shaped massage members 15 have their edges transverse to the handle.

A still further modification is shown in FIGURES l0 and 11. This modification shows the chisel shaped massage members 16 on the outside of the hard bristle members with their edges all in line with the longitudinal axis of the handle and with each other. In this form, the massage members 16 are longer than the bristle members 12.

The invention may be embodied in other special forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claim rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claim are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

of the United States is:

A combined tooth brush and gum massaging device, comprising a handle having a bristle retaining portion on one end thereof, a plurality of relatively stiff bristles attached to said bristle retaining portion, the free ends of said bristles lying in a plane and a single, conical shaped gum cleaner and massager being sharply pointed at one end and flaring to an enlarged cone base at the other end, said pointed end extending above the plane of the free ends of the stifi bristles, the enlarged conical base being embedded in the end of the bristle retaining portion remote from the handle and surrounded by said bristles, whereby the pointed end protrudes above and is surrounded by the bristles on the end of the bristle retaining portion remote from the handle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

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