Folding toothbrush

Abstract

A toothbrush with a folding two-piece handle, the pivot designed to rotate the brush of the handle in relationship to rest of the handle, the pivot also designed to slide into a slot to lock the handle into the open upright position. The handle having a secondary slot and corresponding protrusion to further secure the handle in place.

1 . A folding toothbrush having an open position and a closed position, the toothbrush comprising:
 a two-piece handle, the second piece configured to be received by the first piece in the closed position, the second piece comprising a head and at least one bristle;   a pair of pivots;   a pair of first slots, each pivot being in a corresponding first slot and configured to both rotate and slide within the first slot;   a second slot; and   a protrusion configured to substantially conform within the second slot when in the open position.   
   
   
       2 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of first slots comprise a rotating section and a locking section. 
   
   
       3 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of pivots is configured to be in the rotating section of the corresponding first slot in the open position and in the locking section of the corresponding first slot in the closed position. 
   
   
       4 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , further comprising a third slot, at least one side of the protrusion configured to substantially conform within the third slot when in the closed position. 
   
   
       5 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot is configured to substantially conform within the locking section when in the open position. 
   
   
       6 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein the rotating section being generally circular. 
   
   
       7 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein the locking section being generally a trapezoid, rectangle or parallelogram in shape. 
   
   
       8 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot can rotate about between 165° and 195° within the first slot. 
   
   
       9 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein the pivot can rotate about 180° within the first slot. 
   
   
       10 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein three sides of the protrusion substantially conform within the second slot. 
   
   
       11 . The folding toothbrush of  claim 1 , wherein each of the pair of first slots further comprise a connecting section, wherein the depth of the connecting section is less than the depth of the other sections. 
   
   
       12 . A folding toothbrush having an open position and a closed position, the toothbrush comprising:
 a two-piece handle, the second piece configured to be received by the first piece in the closed position, the second piece comprising a head and at least one bristle;   a pair of semicircular pivots;   a pair of first slots corresponding to the pair of semi-circular pivots, each pivot being in the corresponding first slot and configured to both rotate and slide within the first slot, each of the pair of first slots having a semi-circular region and an elongated region;   a pair of protrusions;   a pair of second slots corresponding to the pair of protrusions and each protrusion configured to substantially conform within the corresponding second slot when in the open position; and   a pair of third slots also corresponding to the pair of protrusions and each protrusion configured to fit within the corresponding third slot when in the closed position.   
   
   
       13 . A method of operating a folding toothbrush comprising:
 providing the folding toothbrush;   opening the folding toothbrush from a closed position, comprising:
 rotating a second section of the toothbrush in relation to a first section at a pivot; 
 sliding the second section in relation to the first section, wherein the pivot slides into a first securing slot; and 
 sliding a protrusion into a second securing slot; and 
   using the toothbrush to brush at least one tooth.   
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of rotating further comprises rotating the second section between about 165° and 195°. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the step of sliding the second section further comprises sliding the pivot a distance equal to the length of the pivot.