Antiseptic toothbrush cover

Abstract

An antiseptic toothbrush cover is designed for safety, ease of manufacture, and increased functionality by providing an exterior receptacle which is easily filled, covered and tenaciously sealed. The exterior receptacle is filled with an outgassing, antiseptic media. A field of throughholes extending substantially throughout the area beneath the receptacle may provide fluid communication from the receptacle to the interior of the holder adjacent a toothbrush head. The interior surfaces of the holder are desirably smooth and unbroken except for the throughholes, in order to minimize bacteria-friendly spaces.

1 . An antiseptic toothbrush cover, comprising 
 a) first and second case portions, at least one of the first and second case portions being substantially an open-faced parallelepiped with five walls, including one wall serving as a lid and four side walls connected to said lid, with the open faces of the parallelepipeds being opposite the lid surfaces;    b) a receptacle located on the lid of one of said case portions, the receptacle formed by a receptacle-wall portion of the lid and at least one wall extending from the exterior surface of the lid;    c) means for providing fluid communication between an inner surface of the case and the receptacle;    d) an outgassing antiseptic media contained within the receptacle; and    e) a covering tenaciously engaged with the at least one wall to enclose the antiseptic media within the receptacle.    
   
   
       2 . An antiseptic toothbrush cover, comprising: 
 a) a case divided between a first portion and a second portion;    b) the case having a closed position whereby the first portion and the second portion are positioned to form a substantially enclosed void for holding at least a head of a toothbrush;    c) a receptacle located on an exterior surface of the first portion, the receptacle formed by a receptacle-wall portion of the first portion and at least one wall extending from the exterior surface of the first portion;    d) means for providing fluid communication between an inner surface of the case and the receptacle;    e) an outgassing antiseptic media contained within the receptacle; and    f) a covering tenaciously engaged to the at least one wall to enclose the granular antiseptic media within the receptacle.    
   
   
       3 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the covering is tenaciously engaged in an airtight manner.  
   
   
       4 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 3  wherein the covering is tenaciously engaged by at least one of ultrasonic welding, heat sealing and adhesives.  
   
   
       5 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the receptacle is integrally molded with an exterior surface of the first portion.  
   
   
       6 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the means for providing fluid communication includes a plurality of throughholes located within the receptacle-wall portion of the first case and distributed over a preponderance of the receptacle-wall portion of the first case.  
   
   
       7 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 6  wherein the antiseptic media is granular and the granular antiseptic media is sized to extend beyond a diameter of the throughholes.  
   
   
       8 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the means for providing fluid communication includes a gas permeable material of the receptacle-wall portion.  
   
   
       9 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the antiseptic media contained within the receptacle is granular.  
   
   
       10 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the case is a one-piece molded case.  
   
   
       11 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the case has substantially smooth unbroken inner surfaces.  
   
   
       12 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  further comprising a hinge connecting the first portion and the second portion.  
   
   
       13 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 12  wherein the hinge is a living hinge connecting the first portion and the second portion.  
   
   
       14 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 2  wherein the case has a closed position whereby the first portion and the second portion are positioned to form a substantially enclosed void sized to primarily hold only a head of a toothbrush.  
   
   
       15 . A antiseptic toothbrush cover, comprising: 
 a) a one-piece molded case divided between a first portion and a second portion with a living hinge between the first and second portions;    b) the case having a closed position whereby the first portion and the second portion are positioned to form a substantially enclosed void for holding at least a head of a toothbrush;    c) a receptacle integrally formed with an exterior surface of the first portion;    d) throughholes for providing fluid communication between an inner surface of the case and the receptacle;    e) an outgassing granular antiseptic media contained within the receptacle, the antiseptic media granules being sized to extend beyond a diameter of the throughholes; and    f) a covering tenaciously engaged to the at least one wall to enclose the granular antiseptic media within the receptacle; and    g) the case having substantially smooth unbroken inner surfaces.    
   
   
       16 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 15  wherein the antiseptic media comprises corn solids.  
   
   
       17 . The antiseptic toothbrush cover of  claim 16  wherein the antiseptic media further comprises a compound selected from the group including cinnamon oil, clove oil, peppermint oil, tea tree oil, and thyme oil.