Toothbrush and attachment therefor

Abstract

An electric toothbrush includes a handpiece with a drive shaft and attachment, which has a working head and a coupling member connecting the working head and the handpiece. The coupling member of the attachment contains a plug-on shaft to engage the drive shaft. An attachment coupling part is axially movable in a longitudinal direction to produce an unlocking or locking movement of the plug on shaft in the transverse direction. The connection can be released and re-established by axial push-on and pull-off movements. A transversely movable engagement part of a coupling contour of the plug-on shaft of the attachment and an actuating part provided on the coupling member are movable in the attachment longitudinal direction, such that relative movement of the actuating part and engagement part in the longitudinal direction produces an unlocking or locking movement of the engagement part in a direction transverse to the attachment longitudinal direction.

1 - 26 . (canceled) 
   
   
       27 . An attachment mountable to an electric toothbrush handpiece having a drive shaft, the attachment comprising:
 a working head;   a coupling member joined to the working head and configured to mount to the toothbrush handpiece; and   a plug-on shaft disposed in the coupling member and defining a coupling contour comprising an engagement part configured to lock with the drive shaft; wherein the engagement part is movable to produce one of a locking movement and an unlocking movement in a direction transverse to a longitudinal attachment axis in response to axial movement of the coupling member relative to the longitudinal attachment axis.   
   
   
       28 . The attachment according to  claim 27 , wherein the coupling member further comprises an actuating part comprising an unlocking section configured to move the engagement part into an unlocked position during an axial movement of the actuating part away from the working head. 
   
   
       29 . The attachment according to  claim 28 , wherein the engagement part and the actuating part define cooperative beveled surfaces configured to move the engagement between locked and unlocked positions as the engagement part rides over the actuating part. 
   
   
       30 . The attachment according to  claim 28 , wherein the engagement part defines a detent contour configured to be radially movable by the actuating part. 
   
   
       31 . The attachment according to the  claims 28 , wherein the engagement part includes a detent ring which is radially expandable by cooperation with a tapered surface on the actuating part. 
   
   
       32 . The attachment according to  claim 28 , wherein the actuating part comprises a slide which is axially displaceable relative to the longitudinal axis of the attachment. 
   
   
       33 . The attachment according to  claim 28 , wherein the actuating part is connected to a sleeve-shaped coupling insert slideably disposed within the coupling member 
   
   
       34 . The attachment according to the  claim 33 , wherein the coupling insert is configured such that axial movement of the coupling insert relative to the longitudinal attachment axis moves the engagement section between locked and unlocked positions in a direction transverse to the longitudinal attachment axis. 
   
   
       35 . The attachment according to  claim 34 , wherein the coupling insert is configured as one of a cylindrical mount and a conical mount, and is configured to receive a complementary connecting part of the toothbrush handpiece. 
   
   
       36 . The attachment according to the  claim 35 , wherein the conical mount of the coupling insert has a bevel of more than 7 degrees and is configured to be non-self-locking. 
   
   
       37 . The attachment according to  claim 33 , wherein the plug-on shaft of the coupling member comprises one of a detent clip and a spring catch configured to slide along the drive shaft and to rebound elastically to snap into engagement while the coupling member is being mounted onto the toothbrush handpiece. 
   
   
       38 . The attachment according to  claim 37 , wherein the one of the detent clip and the spring catch is unseatable from an engaged position by a relative axial movement of the actuating member and the coupling insert. 
   
   
       39 . The attachment according to  claim 27 , wherein the coupling contour comprises one of a conical faying surface and a plurality of circumferentially spaced faying surfaces. 
   
   
       40 . The attachment according to  claim 27 , wherein the coupling contour comprises one of a conical faying surface defining a bevel of more than 7 degrees. 
   
   
       41 . An attachment to be connected to a toothbrush handpiece having a drive shaft, the attachment comprising:
 a working head;   a coupling member joined to the working head and mountable on the toothbrush handpiece; and   a plug-on shaft disposed in the coupling member and defining a coupling contour configured to engage the drive shaft of the toothbrush handpiece, wherein the coupling contour defines at least one conical faying surface configured to engage with a complementary faying surface on the drive shaft of the toothbrush handpiece.   
   
   
       42 . The attachment according to  claim 41 , wherein the conical faying surface defines a bevel of more than 7 degrees. 
   
   
       43 . The attachment according to  claim 41 , wherein the coupling member comprises a coupling insert in the form of a sleeve configured to axially lock the coupling member onto a neck of the toothbrush handpiece with the complementary conical faying surfaces of the plug-on shaft and the drive shaft engaged. 
   
   
       44 . The attachment according to  claim 41 , wherein the coupling contour is axially biased away from the working head. 
   
   
       45 . An attachment to be connected to a toothbrush handpiece having a drive shaft, the attachment comprising:
 a working head;   a coupling member joined to the working head and mountable on the toothbrush handpiece; and   a plug-on shaft disposed within the coupling member, and defining two coupling contours, each contour configured to engage a drive shaft of a respective toothbrush handpiece.   
   
   
       46 . The attachment according to  claim 45 , wherein:
 a first one of the two coupling contours comprises an engagement part movable in a direction transverse to a longitudinal axis of the attachment to lock with a drive shaft of a first toothbrush handpiece; and   a second one of the two coupling contours comprising at least one conical faying surface configured to engage with a complementary conical faying surface on a drive shaft of a second toothbrush handpiece.   
   
   
       47 . The attachment according to  claim 46 , wherein one of the engagement part of the first coupling contour and an actuating part disposed on the coupling member is axially movable relative to an attachment longitudinal axis, the engagement part configured to cooperate with the actuating part such that relative axial movement of the actuating part and the engagement part produces an unlocking or locking movement of the engagement part in a direction transverse to the attachment longitudinal axis, and wherein the second coupling contour comprises at least one conical beveled surface defining a bevel of more than 7 degrees. 
   
   
       48 . The attachment according to  claim 45 , further comprising an adapter connected to the plug-on shaft and defining one of the two coupling contours is defined. 
   
   
       49 . An electric toothbrush handpiece configured to be removably connected to an attachment comprising a plug-on shaft and a coupling contour, wherein the handpiece comprises a neck and a drive shaft configured to engage the plug-on shaft of the attachment, the drive shaft defining a conical coupling contour with a bevel of more than 7 degrees. 
   
   
       50 . The toothbrush handpiece according to  claim 49 , wherein the coupling contour is substantially free of undercuts and axially effective snap-action connections. 
   
   
       51 . The toothbrush handpiece according to  claim 49 , wherein the drive shaft is axially displaceable relative to the neck of the toothbrush handpiece in the direction of a toothbrush handpiece longitudinal axis 
   
   
       52 . The toothbrush handpiece according to  claim 49 , wherein the coupling contour of the drive shaft defines a locking contour extending in a direction transverse to the drive shaft longitudinal direction, the locking contour being connected to an adapter seatable onto the drive shaft and defining a coupling contour configured to couple with the attachment plug-on shaft.