TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to a device adapted for use as a toothbrush holder. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus adapted to store hygienically and conveniently a plurality of large-handled toothbrushes, such as those adapted for children, the elderly, infirmed, and others who are afflicted with less developed, less precise, and or impaired fine motor control.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Dental hygiene is one of the most important aspects of health care and disease prevention. For thousands of years, humankind has been plagued by the discomfort and pain of oral diseases and more particularly tooth decay that has resulted in cavities, more formally known to those with skill in the art as dental carries. Modern humans consume far more sugar than ancient humans and therefore we are more likely than our distant ancestors to suffer from dental carries. In addition to pain and suffering, untreated dental carries can readily become systemic, life threatening infections. Although cavity-related septicemia has undoubtedly led to the untimely demise of many people, contemporary humans do not normally die from dental carries. Nevertheless, the pain, inconvenience, embarrassment (such carries produce bad breath among other difficult to conceal problems), and expense that can result from dental carries are still very real concerns.

[0003] While the burdens imposed by tooth decay, periodontal anomalies, and cavities are clear and easily understood, cavity formation and development is a complex, multivariable process. Among many source or root causes, diet, microbes that transiently or stably colonize the oral cavity, the health of the gums and periodontal tissues, integrity of the protective tooth enamel, the state of the immune system, general health, and other factors are all variables that have been implicated in cavity formation. In spite of the complexities of periodontal disease, tooth decay and cavity development, there is general agreement among those with skill in the art that good dental hygiene is critical in preventing dental anomalies including carries, and that regular and proper tooth brushing can be a cornerstone of good dental hygiene. Tooth brushing scrapes or brushes away conglomerations of bacteria, sugars, and other compounds that are known to those skilled in the art as plaque. Since plaque build up has a central role in cavity formation, tooth brushing is a relatively simple but very important means by which to regularly remove plaque and other contaminants for purposes of preventing dental carries.

[0004] Due to the importance of tooth brushing, devices and techniques for brushing teeth have been known and practiced for a long time. Although many variations and alternatives are possible, the standard toothbrush with which most people are familiar has a handle portion and a brushing portion that contains some type of brush elements that are commonly referred to as bristles. An example of this sort of device can be found in any number of U.S. Letters Patent, including for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,128,910 to Nakata et al. The prior art is replete with examples of a wide range of attempted improvements and modifications to the basic handle-with-bristles toothbrush configuration. One such additional modification is the addition to the toothbrush of date indicia taught by Jurt in U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,150, which purports to improve efficacy by encouraging regular replacement of the toothbrush. Another example of additional modifications to the toothbrush is the inclusion of electric motors, such as the motor disclosed by Hunter in U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,516, which purport to improve the plaque removal and other cleaning capabilities by imparting energy to the bristles.

[0005] While the various modifications and embodiments of the toothbrush may offer one advantage or the other, the key to success is to implement regular periodic use of whatever style of toothbrush is preferred. Old habits die hard, as the popular saying goes, and so it is no surprise that parents often try to teach their young children to brush their teeth regularly. Children may receive little or no gratification from tooth brushing, and such children may view tooth brushing as a chore to be avoided when possible. To aid parents in instilling good dental hygiene habits into their children, many prior art attempts are directed towards making tooth brushing more amenable to young people.

[0006] One such attempt is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,269,420 to Harrison et al., which is limited primarily, among other limitations, to the use of a toothbrush adapted to resemble a sporting implement such as a baseball bat, tennis racquet, or the like. A toothbrush holder I also contemplated by Harrison et al. that is adapted to resemble a sporting figure such as a baseball player. While the Harrison et al. approach may make tooth brushing more enjoyable for children who enjoy sports, it suffers from one or more shortcomings. First, the contemplated Harrison et al. holding device is restricted to a device that holds the toothbrush in a substantially vertical position. In this configuration, microbe-laden liquid from the brush may drip down the handle and subsequently serve to contaminate the hands of a user during later use. Another significant limitation of Harrison's teachings is the incompatibility of the toothbrush holder with other, readily available toothbrushes that may not be specially adapted for compatibility with the depicted Harrison et al. holder. For a variety of reasons, it may be inconvenient or impractical for parents or guardians to purchase repeatedly only one type of toothbrush that is compatible for use with the Harrison et al. holder.

[0007] To overcome the limitation of incompatibility of the holder with the standard type of toothbrush, U.S. Pat. No. 6,102,203 to Marro teaches, for example, the use of a cover and a holder adapted for the standard toothbrush. The '203 device is restricted to, among other limitations, a toothbrush cover that resembles the helmet of a sporting team that is adapted to fit over the bristles of the standard type toothbrush. The '203 reference also depicts a toothbrush holder that is adapted to resemble football uprights, baseball bats, or other such sporting implements, which are adapted to receive the standard type toothbrush. While more compatible with standard toothbrushes than other prior art attempts, the '203 patent is still limited with respect to broad appeal and hygiene. First, as already discussed, all children may not necessarily be interested in sports. Second, the holder taught by Marro holds the toothbrush in the undesirable, substantially bristle on top vertical position. Third, the toothbrush cover taught by Marro encourages microbial growth on the toothbrush by trapping moisture. This cover, once colonized by microbes, can subsequently contaminate new toothbrushes, thereby diminishing the benefit of changing the toothbrush and further reducing the appeal and desirability of the '203 toothbrush cover and holder. Furthermore, it may be difficult for young children and those who may suffer from a hand dexterity impairment to hold and to manipulate the standard toothbrush contemplated by Marro.

[0008] Some of the prior art is focused on attempts to make the toothbrush more easily manipulated by children and those having limited dexterity by including an oversized handle on the tooth brush. Such an oversized handle is similar in many respects to the use of oversized handles in similarly specialized pencils. One example of the oversized toothbrush is U.S. Design Patent No. 388,254 to Schiffer, which is limited to one possible design of such a large-handled toothbrush. Since the motor skills of younger children have not yet fully matured, a wide-handled or oversized toothbrush can enable improved manipulation of the toothbrush with less reliance on fine motor control than the smaller sized standard toothbrushes. These over-sized toothbrush handles may also be well suited for, among others, the elderly, those afflicted with degenerative neuromuscular diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis, the infirmed, or other such persons that lack or have lost fine motor control.

[0009] Regardless of the particular type or style of toothbrush, the use of some sort of a toothbrush is a desirable and well-established practice. While the style or technique of brushing may differ from person to person or from family to family, some common practices relate to the use and maintenance of the toothbrush. One such common practice is to regularly replace the toothbrush. The bacteria and other microbes removed from the teeth by the toothbrush often remain stuck to the bristles of the toothbrush despite the best of cleaning efforts. Such microbes can accumulate on the brush and render the toothbrush unsanitary. Further to the desirability of cleanliness, another common practice is the use of a dedicated toothbrush storage device so that the toothbrush is not left on a potentially unsanitary and possibly wet sink, counter, or table top after use. Microbes grow best in moist conditions, and so it is generally desirable to prevent the toothbrush from lying on such moist surfaces. It is also generally undesirable to store the toothbrush on such wet surfaces because this results in the bristles contacting the potentially unsanitary surfaces. Furthermore, storage of more than one toothbrush in a rinse or drinking cup will create cross-contamination between toothbrushes, which can hasten the spread of undesirable germs and the like. Furthermore, such cups are often made of a fragile material such as pottery or glass that can easily break with such use resulting in shards or fragments that may cause injury.

[0010] For these and other reasons, it can be understood that there are many benefits to cleanly and conveniently storing the toothbrush in a dedicated holder device. In recognition of the possible benefits, there have been numerous examples of prior art devices for holding toothbrushes in less moist and less unsanitary configurations in order, for example, to impede the process of microbial contamination.

[0011] An example of such an attempt is the toothbrush holder described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,002,630 to Heisser. While the Heisser device is capable of holding a toothbrush, it is limited to a holder that contacts and substantially encloses only the bristles. This may be undesirable for a number of reasons. First, moisture is not allowed to easily evaporate from the bristles of the toothbrush, which maintains an optimal environment for microbial growth. As such, the '630 arrangement actually may shorten the sanitary life of a toothbrush. A second limitation of the '630 device is that the holder taught by Heisser closely contacts the bristles of the toothbrush such that microbes are likely to colonize the interior of the holder. When a new toothbrush replaces an old toothbrush, the new brush is immediately exposed to the microbes from the Heisser holder and much of the benefit of changing the toothbrush is lost. Furthermore, the holder taught by the '630 patent is not adapted to accommodate large-handled toothbrushes such as the ones contemplated by the instant invention.

[0012] To overcome these unsanitary and undesirable limitations, U.S. Pat. No. 3,946,877 to Galicia discloses another attempted toothbrush holder. The '877 holder is restricted to a toothbrush holder that engages the toothbrush by the handle without contacting the bristles. The '877 arrangement avoids the moisture-accelerated contamination inherent in the Heisser holder, but introduces another complexity. The Galicia device is limited to configurations that hold the toothbrush or toothbrushes in a substantially vertical position, which can encourage microbe-laden liquid from the bristles to collect on toothbrush handle, thereby contaminating the handle and contaminating the hands of subsequent users. An additional limitation of the '877 patent is that, as with the other prior art devices known to date, it not compatible for use with large, wide, or otherwise over-sized toothbrush handles.

[0013] Yet another example of an attempt to overcome the limitations of prior art attempts is the holder taught by Perler et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 4,854,457. The Perler et al. toothbrush holder, among other limitations, engages and holds a toothbrush by the handle in a substantially horizontal position. This arrangement holds the toothbrush in a possibly more desirable horizontal position without contacting the bristles. Although the '457 patent attempts to improve upon the holder taught by the '877 and the '630 patents, Perler et al. teaches only a limited embodiment that is restricted to use with standard type of toothbrush and that does not suggest, disclose, or otherwise contemplate compatibility with large-handled toothbrushes.

[0014] Although oversized handles are well suited and widely used by young people and by others, toothbrush holders presently known and otherwise contemplated in the prior art do not contemplate or suggest, and are not readily adapted for use with the oversized handles described herein. In the absence of a holding device designed to accommodate such a typical but increasingly preferred oversized toothbrush handles, users are left with no alternatives but to place the difficult to store large handle tooth brushes in a convenient drawer, or upon a washroom counter or table top horizontal surface, or to store the brush between uses in a rinse or drinking cup, all of which options suffer the noted drawbacks and undesirable results.

[0015] What has long been needed in the art is a toothbrush holder that stores toothbrushes in a sanitary location and position; that is readily adapted for use with the oversized toothbrush handles commonly used by children, the elderly, the infirmed, and others who might require or desire such an oversized handle; and that is widely compatible with the large variety of past, present, and prospective toothbrush configurations and designs. The present invention meets these and other needs, and does so without adding any complexities or expenses to the manufacture or use of such devices.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0016] In its most general configuration, the present invention advances the state of the art with a variety of new capabilities and overcomes many of the shortcomings of prior devices in new and novel ways. In one of the many preferable and contemplated configurations, a toothbrush holder that is especially adapted for compatibility with over sized toothbrush handles is described. The contemplated toothbrush holder according to the principles of the instant invention includes a holder base and or base plate that can be adapted to be free standing, to be hung from, or to be mounted to and against a wall, a mirror, or any other similarly configured bathroom or wash room appurtenance that can be adapted to support the toothbrush holder. The holder also further incorporates, among other elements and features, a plurality of troughs that are configured to project generally outward from the holder base or base plate. The troughs are each formed with a distal retaining bulwark that is spaced apart from the holder base or base plate at a distance, which distance is sufficient to define a receiver that is sized to retain at least a handle portion of the toothbrush having an oversized handle.

[0017] The receiver forming troughs can have any of a number of possible lateral cross sectional profiles that can be customized for receiving the over sized toothbrush handle, which can be a in a range or class of sizes and configurations, or which can be proprietary to a particular brand, style, or specially adapted configuration of such over sized handles. Additionally, the troughs can have a longitudinal dimension that is specially configured to receive and releasably capture only the over sized handle portion of the toothbrush whereby the bristles remain completely open to the surrounding air for accelerated drying times. In alternative variations, the longitudinal dimension of the troughs and respective receivers can be dimensioned to receive and releasably capture the entire longitudinal length of the toothbrush, from the handle end to the opposite bristle end. Moreover, in yet other variations, the longitudinal dimension can vary between troughs and receivers of the respective pluralities of the contemplated toothbrush holders.

[0018] In an exemplary illustration of one possible lateral cross sectional profile of the contemplated receiver forming troughs, a substantially arcuate lateral cross sectional profile that terminates in the retaining bulwark is depicted, which profile can be circular, semi-circular, ovoid, elliptical, hyperbolic, parabolic, and in the shape of higher and lower order curves, splines, and other types of curvilinear profiles. In another possible exemplary configuration, a substantially non-curvilinear lateral cross sectional profile is similarly contemplated that can be rectilinear, triangular, polygonal, trapezoidal, hexagonal, and the like.

[0019] In any of the contemplated embodiments, configurations, and modifications thereto, the receiver and or receiver forming trough can be formed to accommodate receipt and releasable capture of the over sized toothbrush handle by having a range of possible average cross sectional profile dimensions that can be in the range of approximately between 10 and 150 millimeters or larger, and more preferably in the range of between about 15 and 80 millimeters, and even more preferably in the range of between about 20 and 50 millimeters, and most preferably in the range of about 20 and 30 millimeters, or larger.

[0020] Any of the preceding embodiments, variations, and alternatives may also further be preferably and or optionally configured to have one or more of the plurality of troughs adapted in a spring grip type of arrangement to releasably capture the oversized handle portion of the toothbrush with a frictional fit. In this possible adaptation, the receiver forming troughs can be adapted to receive and releasably capture a range of possible over sized toothbrush handles configurations that have a range of cross sectional lateral dimensions including a dimension in the range of approximately at least 20 millimeters.

[0021] In another possible configuration of a toothbrush holder according to the features and capabilities of the instant invention, the free-standing or mounted toothbrush holder may also further incorporate any of the preceding features and capabilities and, among other elements and features, a holder base that is formed with one or more spaced apart bristle receivers and a superiorly positioned handle retainer supported from and or on the holder base. The handle retainer is formed with a plurality of spaced apart apertures that are each superiorly registered with a corresponding one of the plurality of spaced apart bristle receivers. In this arrangement, the bristle receivers and the handle retainer apertures cooperatively form a receiver that is configured, shaped, and sized to receive and releasably retain the over sized handle of the toothbrush contemplated for use with the instant invention.

[0022] The instant toothbrush holder configuration may also be further formed to include one or more generally upstanding retainer walls that can be formed to project superiorly from the holder base to support the handle retainer. One or more of the generally upstanding retainer walls may also be preferably and or optionally formed with at least one evaporation aperture sized to improve the exposure of the bristle receivers to the surrounding ambient atmosphere for improved and possibly accelerated drying times of the bristles of the retained toothbrush. In further variations, the bristle receivers may also be adapted to incorporate generally superiorly projecting bristle protector cups that can protect and separate bristles of the retained toothbrush.

[0023] In yet further possible variations of any of the preceding embodiments and variations, another alternative arrangement of the toothbrush holder of the instant invention can be adapted to incorporate the handle retainer that is formed with the plurality of apertures, but which also further includes one or more rotatable eccentric cams that can adjust a lateral dimension of the contemplated apertures. More particularly, the handle retainer rotatably captures the eccentric cams in and or upon the handle retainer so as to position the cams proximate to each of the respective apertures. As the cams are actuated, an average lateral cross sectional dimension of the apertures is adjusted for releasable receipt of a toothbrush having an oversized handle. Each of the cams can be preferably be rotated and or otherwise repositioned in a number of possible configurations between a deployed toothbrush capture position and a withdrawn release position that enables capture, retention, release, and removal of the releasably captured toothbrush.

[0024] In the rotatable eccentric cam configurations of the toothbrush holder of the instant invention, one or more of the depicted cams may also be adapted whereby a portion of the cam projects laterally outward from the handle retainer or is otherwise accessible for actuation. One or each cam can be formed with a thumb wheel portion that can be moved and or rotated to thereby adjust the lateral cross sectional dimension of the aperture as the eccentric cam is actuated and repositioned about its respective offset axis of rotation or movement. Moreover, each or any of the eccentric cams may be further adapted to have a frictional angular displacement preload whereby a predetermined rotational or displacement threshold force must be applied before the eccentric cam moves about its respective offset axis so as to prevent unwanted motion of the cam.

[0025] Any of the preceding configurations, variations, and alternative toothbrush holders may also be further adapted to incorporate one or more recesses or apertures sized and shaped to receive and retain one or more dentifrice containers including, for purposes of illustration, a tooth paste tube, a whitening substance container, a rinse substance, and the like. Further, any and each of the contemplated arrangements and variations of the holders of the instant invention may be further adapted to have a free standing configuration suited for shelf, table, or counter top placement, for under-shelf hanging placement, and or for wall, mirror, and other vertical surface mounting

[0026] These variations, modifications, and alterations of the various preferred embodiments may be used either alone or in combination with one another as can be better understood by those with skill in the art with reference to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments and the accompanying figures and drawings.