Electric Toothbrush With Drive Mechanism

Abstract

A toothbrush that includes a brushing attachment and a handle. The brushing attachment includes a main body portion with a hollow neck having an attachment opening and a head with a cleaning member opening, a drive shaft positioned in the neck, a cleaning member drive mechanism matingly engaged with gearing on the drive shaft, and a cleaning member extending through the cleaning member opening in the head and operatively associated with the cleaning member drive mechanism. The drive shaft includes a spline drive on one end and gearing on the opposite end. The handle includes a main body portion with a brushing attachment connection receiver that is at least partially received in the attachment opening. The brushing attachment connection receiver includes a recess defined therein that receives a drive hub with a grooved recess defined therein that receives the spline drive.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A toothbrush comprising:
 a brushing attachment that includes   a main body portion that includes a hollow neck and a head, wherein the neck includes an attachment opening and the head includes a cleaning member opening,   a drive shaft positioned in the neck, wherein the drive shaft includes a spline drive on one end and gearing on the opposite end, wherein the spline drive is positioned adjacent the attachment opening in the neck,   a cleaning member drive mechanism matingly engaged with the gearing on the drive shaft, and   a cleaning member extending through the cleaning member opening in the head and operatively associated with the cleaning member drive mechanism,   a handle that includes   a main body portion that houses a motor, and   a brushing attachment connection receiver extending upwardly from the main body portion that is at least partially received in the attachment opening in the brushing attachment, wherein the brushing attachment connection receiver includes a recess defined therein that receives a drive hub therein, wherein the drive hub includes a grooved recess defined therein that receives the spline drive.   
     
     
         2 . The toothbrush of  claim 1  wherein the drive hub includes a main body portion that is received in the recess in the brushing attachment connection receiver and a rim that is seated on or adjacent to a top surface of the brushing attachment connection receiver. 
     
     
         3 . The toothbrush of  claim 1  wherein the grooved recess includes a plurality of grooves and the spline drive includes a plurality of splines, and wherein individual splines are received in individual grooves. 
     
     
         4 . The toothbrush of  claim 3  wherein the grooved recess includes a straight section and an incline section, and wherein the straight section has smaller outer diameter than the outer diameter of the incline section. 
     
     
         5 . The toothbrush of  claim 4  wherein each of the grooves in the incline section of the grooved recess are defined by a circumferential incline surface and two non-circumferential incline surfaces. 
     
     
         6 . The toothbrush of  claim 5  wherein the splines each having a distal end, and wherein the distal end of each spline includes an inclined surface. 
     
     
         7 . The toothbrush of  claim 6  wherein each spline includes two opposing longitudinally extending surfaces that taper toward the distal end thereof 
     
     
         8 . The toothbrush of  claim 3  wherein the grooved recess includes at least one drive groove having an inner surface and at least one guide groove having an inner surface, wherein there is clearance between the spline positioned in the guide groove and the inner surface of the guide groove. 
     
     
         9 . The toothbrush of  claim 8  wherein the grooved recess includes a plurality of alternating drive grooves and guide grooves. 
     
     
         10 . The toothbrush of  claim 4  wherein the grooved recess includes at least one drive groove having an inner surface and at least one guide groove having an inner surface, wherein the guide groove is larger in volume than the drive groove. 
     
     
         11 . The toothbrush of  claim 10  wherein the grooved recess includes a plurality of alternating drive grooves and guide grooves. 
     
     
         12 . A brushing attachment for a toothbrush comprising:
 a main body portion that includes a hollow neck and a head, wherein the neck includes an attachment opening and the head includes a cleaning member opening,   a drive shaft positioned in the neck, wherein the drive shaft includes a spline drive on one end and gearing on the opposite end, wherein the spline drive is positioned adjacent the attachment opening in the neck,   a cleaning member drive mechanism matingly engaged with the gearing on the drive shaft, and   a cleaning member extending through the cleaning member opening in the head and operatively associated with the cleaning member drive mechanism, whereby motivating rotational force imparted to the spline drive is translated from the drive shaft to the cleaning member drive mechanism and to the cleaning member such that the cleaning member rotates.   
     
     
         13 . The brushing attachment of  claim 12  wherein the spline drive includes a plurality of splines each having a distal end, and wherein the distal end of each spline includes an inclined surface. 
     
     
         14 . The brushing attachment of  claim 13  wherein each spline includes two opposing longitudinally extending surfaces that taper toward the distal end thereof 
     
     
         15 . The brushing attachment of  claim 14  wherein the drive shaft is a unitary piece. 
     
     
         16 . The brushing attachment of  claim 15  wherein the spline drive includes six splines.