Motor-powered toothbrush with improved brushing action

Abstract

A motor-powered toothbrush has a drive generating a reciprocating rotary movement, and a toothbrush attachment element, including a holding element connected to the drive and a head for acting on a teeth of a user, the holding element obtaining the reciprocating rotary movement from the drive and transmitting it to the head so that the head performs the reciprocating rotary movement, the head having a circular outer surface, so that after cleaning one group of teeth, when a user then applies the head to another group of teeth it is not necessary to orient a portion of the head in correspondence with the other group of teeth.

1 . A motor-powered tooth brush, comprising a drive generating a reciprocating rotary and extending along an axis a toothbrush attachment element, said toothbrush attachment element extending along said axis and including a holding element connected to said drive and extending along said axis and a head for acting on a teeth of a user, said holding element obtaining the reciprocating rotary movement from said drive and transmitting it to said head so that said head performs the reciprocating rotary movement, said head having a circular outer surface extending in a circumferential direction around said axis, so that after cleaning one group of teeth, when a user then applies said head to another group of teeth it is not necessary to orient a portion of said head in correspondence with the other group of teeth, said circular outer surface being completely exposed from outside for a contact with the teeth of the user. 
   
   
       2 . A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said drive provides said reciprocating rotary movement around an axis, said head having the circular outer surface which is concentric with said axis. 
   
   
       3 . A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said head is composed at a plurality of individual elements which are spaced from one another in a circumferential direction around said axis and in a longitudinal direction along said axis. 
   
   
       4 . (canceled) 
   
   
       5 . A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in  claim 1 ; and further comprising means for connecting said holding part of said toothbrush attachment element to said drive. 
   
   
       6 . A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in  claim 5 ; and further comprising at least one additional toothbrush attachment element having an additional holding part and an additional head, said head of said first mentioned toothbrush attachment element and said head of said additional toothbrush attachment element having different sizes. 
   
   
       7 . A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in  claim 6 , wherein said heads of said toothbrush attachment elements have different diameters. 
   
   
       8 . A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in  claim 6 , wherein said heads of said toothbrush attachment elements have different lengths. 
   
   
       9 . A motor-powered toothbrush as defined in  claim 1 , wherein said heads of said toothbrush attachment elements have different diameters and different length.