1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an oral hygiene kit including a combination toothbrush and toothpaste dispenser. More particularly, the present invention relates to a kit comprising a paste-dispensing toothbrush assembly and a floss-dispensing assembly. The paste-dispensing toothbrush assembly and a floss-dispensing assembly are formed into a compact, hand-holdable kit for enabling users thereof to more effectively maintain oral hygiene.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Oral hygiene art is ancient. Toothpaste has been used for about 2500 years, its origin of use being found in China and India. Modern toothpastes were developed in the 1800s. In 1824, soap was added to toothpaste as a detergent. In the 1850's, chalk was added to toothpaste. In 1873, aromatics were added to toothpaste, which were then first mass-produced in jars. In 1892, toothpaste was first sold in collapsible tubes. During the years following WWII, advancements in synthetic detergents replaced the soap used in toothpaste with emulsifying agents such as Sodium Lauryl Sulphate and Sodium Ricinoleate. Later, research resulted in the use of fluoride in toothpaste.
Toothbrush art has its origin about 5500 years ago, in the form of “chewingsticks” as used by ancient Babylonians. Ancient Greek and Roman literature further discuss primitive toothpicks used to help clean the teeth and mouth. These toothpicks matured into a chew stick, one end of which was chewed until softened and brush-like while the opposite end was pointed and used as a pick to clean food and debris from between the teeth. The sticks used were selected from aromatic trees and thus had a mouth-freshening effect.
The first true bristled toothbrush is said to have originated in China at around 1600 AD. Around 1780, the first toothbrush was made by William Addis (England). Addis, and later, his descendants, manufactured toothbrushes, the handles of which were carved out of the bone of cattle and the heads of the natural bristles were placed in the bored holes made in the bone and kept in place by thin wire. The natural bristles were obtained from the necks and shoulders of swine, especially from pigs living in colder climates like Siberia and China.
In 1857, Wadsworth was credited as the first American to receive a toothbrush patent as America entered the growing toothbrush market. In 1844, the first toothbrush was manufactured by hand and patented as a 3-row brush of serrated bristles with larger tufts by Rhein. In 1885, the Florence Manufacturing Company of Massachusetts, in association with Rhein, began producing the Pro-phy-lac-tic brush for mass marketing in the United States.
As technology progressed, synthetic bristles replaced the natural swine bristles. Nylon was first applied to the toothbrush around 1938 and by 1939, electric toothbrushes arrived in an attempt to offer the public a brush that could simulate the action of a manual brush but with better results and cleaning performance. The first real electric toothbrush was produced in 1939, developed in Switzerland. The electrical toothbrush was first marketed in the United States in 1960 by Squibb. The brush was called the Broxodent. General Electric introduced a rechargeable cordless toothbrush in 1961. Interplak was the first rotary action electrical toothbrush for home use, introduced in 1987.
Dental floss is also an ancient invention. Researchers have found dental floss and toothpick grooves in the teeth of prehistoric humans. Parmly (1790–1859) is credited as being the inventor of modern dental floss. Parmly promoted flossing with a piece of silk thread in 1815.
Current oral hygiene art has attempted to combine the above-referenced oral hygiene products into a single compact embodiment so as to more effectively enable oral hygiene for those desirous of maintaining oral hygiene. Frequently attempts to provide combined oral hygiene products have resulted in paste-dispensing toothbrush devices and systems. Some of the more pertinent patent prior art relating to paste-dispensing toothbrush devices is described briefly hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,018,158 ('158 patent), which issued to Violette, discloses a Fountain Toothbrush. The '158 patent teaches a fountain toothbrush comprising a hollow handle portion, the interior of which is divided into communicating chambers. A dentrifice tube is removably carried in the one of the chambers and a dentrifice extrusion press, carried within the other chamber, is cooperatively engageable with the tube to force the dentrifice through the hollow handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,638,614 ('614 patent), which issued to Anderson, discloses a Fountain Brush Head having Sliding Valve. The '614 patent teaches a hollow head portion having apertures formed therein and to which toothpaste may be delivered. A carrier member is detachably carried by the head and bristles are mounted in the carrier. The carrier member has apertures formed therein among the bristles, which are disposed normally in alignment with the head apertures. A resiliently supported detent is formed on the carrier for securing the carrier detachably on the head. A valve member is disposed slidably between the head and the carrier, has apertures formed therein, and is adapted to be moved to and from registry with the head and carrier apertures. A handle for operating the valve is further disclosed, the handle having an interlocking sliding connection with the carrier. A resiliently supported detent is carried by the head and adapted to engage the valve handle to secure the valve in its closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,652,949 ('949 patent), which issued to Martin, discloses a Dispenser with Spring Pressed Follower. The '949 patent teaches a spring closed valve carried by a handle, which handle is fixed to an elongated shank with a longitudinal passage formed in it to deliver toothpaste. The spring closed valve is attached to the handle at one end thereof and arranged to control the passage. The handle comprises two sections, the first section having a bore which opens outwardly through the end thereof, the second section having a bore which is arranged to communicate with the first bore, means for releasably fastening the sections together, the second section having a closed end wall and an aperture in a side wall thereof adjacent to the closed end wall. A spring loaded keeper is mounted pivotally within the aperture. A piston is disposed in the bores and adapted to compress a tube in the bores. A spring reacts upon and contacts one surface of the piston and the inside surface of the closed end wall of the second section. The piston has a skirt with an opining therein and the keeper is removably disposed in the opening in the piston skirt to thereby hold the piston in one position with the section and thereby hold the spring compressed between the piston and the closed end wall when placing a tube of toothpaste in the bores.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,699,889 ('889 patent), which issued to Johnson, discloses a Dispensing Toothbrush. The '889 patent teaches a tubular barrel for toothpaste and means forming an outlet at one end of the barrel. The outlet extends through the wall of the barrel, which tubular barrel has a longitudinal axis. Means forming a spider and thrust bearing are connected to the barrel and extend inwardly of the outlet. The last named means comprise ribs circumferentially spaced with respect to the longitudinal axis and have portions extending parallel to the longitudinal axis. The ribs each have a radially extending portion projecting inwardly from the axially parallel extending portions of the ribs, thus forming a recess therebetween and the radially extending portions forming a bearing within the recess. The ribs form slots therebetween communicating the outlet and the interior of the barrel. A screw shaft extends axially in the barrel and a piston is threaded on the shaft for travel along the barrel upon rotation of the shaft. A finger knob is secured to the shaft at one end of the barrel opposite the outlet and forms a closure for the end of the barrel. The shaft has an enlarged head on the end opposite the knob, which head is spaced from the outlet and is received in the recess and seated on the bearing formed by the radially extending portions.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,910,706 ('706 patent), which issued to Del Bon, discloses a Cartridge for Liquid or Pastry Dentrifice. The '706 patent teaches a cartridge adapted for use in a fountain toothbrush having a bristle carrier. A guiding sleeve member is connected to the bristle carrier for receiving the cartridge therein and serving as a handle of the toothbrush. Duct means lead from the bottom part of the sleeve member through the bristle carrier to a set of bristles on the bristle carrier. Further disclosed are actuating means in which the cartridge is adapted to be brought into engagement. The actuating means comprise a piston borne by the bristle carrier at its end away from the bristles, which cartridge is hermetically closed at the end thereof destined for facing away from the bristle carrier. The cartridge further has a reservoir for dentrifice in its interior and an outlet passage of the latter reservoir opening in that frontal face of the cartridge which is destined to face the bristle carrier. The outlet passage is adapted for receiving therein the piston in displaceable, sealing engagement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,194 ('194 patent), which issued to Smith, discloses a Paste Dispensing Toothbrush. The '194 patent teaches a toothbrush having a polishing paste compartment and a plunger apparatus for forcing paste through a passageway into communication with the bristles of the toothbrush. The compartment for containing the paste may be either a re-fillable container or cartridge or a disposable cartridge. The plunger is operated by a thumb wheel drive located at the end of the toothbrush handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,287 ('287 patent), which issued to Braun et al., discloses a Toothbrush with Self-Contained Toothbrush Dispenser. The '287 patent teaches a fountain toothbrush having in its handle a toothpaste reservoir constantly pressurized by a charge of actuator gas acting through a cup-like piston disposed at the upstream end of the reservoir. The gas pressure pushes the piston and toothpaste downstream while resiliently urging the piston sidewall against the reservoir boundary wall to forwardly extrude toothpaste adjacent the boundary wall. A valve for selectively passing toothpaste from the reservoir to the brush head includes an apertured gate and a structurally separate actuator for translating the gate in a valve chamber in opposition to a bias spring. Separating the gate from the actuator permits the gate to be positively sealed against the chamber outlet by the toothpaste in the closed valve position. A lengthwise segment of the gate has a reduced thickness dimension so as not to fill the upstream side of the valve chamber, thereby avoiding the creation of a partial vacuum that would otherwise hold the gate in its open position.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,694 ('694 patent), which issued to Rivlin et al., discloses a Toothbrush with Reservoir for Dentrifice. The '694 patent teaches a disposable toothbrush with a built-in reservoir for dentrifice including a piston, a cord, and a rotatable spindle for forcing the dentrifice from the storage compartment through a conduit in the neck portion to the bristles in a controlled manner.
From an inspection of these patent disclosures and other art generally known in the relevant art, it will be seen that the prior art does not teach an oral hygiene kit comprising a paste-dispensing toothbrush assembly and a floss assembly, which assemblies are structurally configured to provide a user thereof with a hand-holdable kit. Thus, the prior art perceives a need for an oral hygiene kit comprising a paste-dispensing toothbrush assembly and a floss assembly, which assemblies are structurally configured to provide a user thereof with a hand-holdable kit as summarized in more detail hereinafter. It will be further seen that the prior art does not teach a paste-dispensing toothbrush assembly comprising a paste-dispensing brush, a paste pump assembly, a piston, and a paste reservoir, which pump assembly comprises a manually-operable pump member, a pump diaphragm, a plunger, a compression coil, a housing diaphragm, and a pump housing, and which pump assembly is operable to increase an initial paste pressure to a second paste pressure, the second paste pressure for forcing a portion of paste from the paste reservoir through paste conduit means (formed through the pump assembly) and the brush to a brush head thereof. Thus, the prior art perceives a need for an oral hygiene kit comprising a pump assembly as heretofore prefatorily described and which is described in more detail hereinafter.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds