Oral care implement

Abstract

A oral care implement for cleaning soft oral tissue of the mouth, such as the tongue. The oral care implement includes a handle, an intermediary region, and a cleaning region. The cleaning regions include a plurality of collecting bases for collecting debris from the oral tissue. The collecting bases may include multiple protrusions that extend from the collecting bases that remove debris from the user's soft oral tissue.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oral care implement comprising:
 a handle;   a plurality of collecting bases coupled to the handle; and   a plurality of protrusions extending from each base,   wherein the protrusions of one base are offset from the protrusions of another base such that when viewed along the longitudinal axis of the handle, protrusions on one base are visible between protrusions on the another base.   
     
     
         2 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein each protrusion has a single radius of curvature in the longitudinal direction, and
 wherein the radius of curvature of the protrusions on one of the bases is greater than the radius of curvature of the protrusions on the another base.   
     
     
         3 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of collecting bases are formed in rows that extend perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the handle. 
     
     
         4 . The oral care implement of  claim 3 , wherein the plurality of collecting bases are formed in rows that curve away from the handle in opposing directions. 
     
     
         5 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of bases are formed in concentric circles. 
     
     
         6 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions have a substantially triangular saw-tooth shape, and wherein a free end of the protrusions forms the apex of a triangle. 
     
     
         7 . The oral care implement of  claim 3 , wherein a bottom surface of each collecting base has a convex curve such that protrusions at the center of the base are lower than protrusions at the periphery of the base. 
     
     
         8 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a collecting channel disposed between adjacent rows of collecting bases for collecting debris dislodged by the protrusions.   
     
     
         9 . The oral care implement of  claim 8 , wherein the depth of the collecting channel varies along the axis the collecting channel. 
     
     
         10 . The oral care implement of  claim 9 , wherein the depth of the collecting channel is different near a periphery of the collecting channel than the depth of the collecting channel is near a center. 
     
     
         11 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the height and width of the protrusions enables them to fit between the lingual papillae of a user's tongue. 
     
     
         12 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , further comprising a head that has a flat paddle shape, and the collecting bases extend from the head. 
     
     
         13 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are electronically charged. 
     
     
         14 . The oral care implement of  claim 13 , wherein the protrusions are positively charged and the collecting bases are negatively charged. 
     
     
         15 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the collecting bases and protrusions are fabricated from a material containing a substance for measuring the pH in a user's mouth. 
     
     
         16 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the collecting bases and protrusions are fabricated from a material containing a substance for measuring the user's temperature. 
     
     
         17 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the protrusions are coated with a flavored sub stance. 
     
     
         18 . The oral care implement of  claim 1 , wherein the handle is attachable to a vibration creation device for causing the protrusions to vibrate. 
     
     
         19 . An toothbrush comprising:
 a handle;   a head connected to the handle, the head having a first face and a second face opposite to the first face;   a plurality of bristles extending from the first face of the head; and   a plurality of collecting bases projecting from the second face of the head and extending the entire width of the second face; and   a plurality of protrusions extending from each base,   wherein a bottom surface of each collecting base has a convex curve such that protrusions at the center of the base are lower than protrusions at the periphery of the base.   
     
     
         20 . The toothbrush of  claim 19 , wherein the radius of curvature of the protrusions on a base is greater than the radius of curvature of the protrusions on another base.