An electric toothbrush having movable and static carriers which independently slidingly engage the receiving member of the toothbrush head within channels defined by the surfaces of the receiving member. Such carriers can be releasably removable to replace or exchange the carriers. Also disclosed is a toothbrush having a unique assembly utilizing a one-piece housing in combination with a movable bristle carrier that is engaged on a receiving member located at the distal end of the toothbrush, and a static carrier such as a brush head tip which is secured thereto. The unitary housing reduces the number of components of the toothbrush and decreases manufacturing costs. The static and movable carriers may be replaced with other carriers and allows a consumer to individually tailor the brush to provide a particular brushing configuration. An electric toothbrush having a particular assembly, bristle configuration, and drive mechanism is disclosed. The assembly, bristle configuration, and drive mechanism are such that operation of the brush is highly efficient and more economical than currently known toothbrushes. Specifically, an electric toothbrush is disclosed comprising a body, a head, and a neck extending therebetween. The head comprises a receiving member and several unique and preferred arrangements of static and movable carriers. The carriers can comprise bristles, and the static bristle carrier(s) can at least partially surround the collection of movable bristle carrier(s). A motor and drive train impart motion to the movable carrier(s).
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 10/274,700 filed on Oct. 21, 2002, now abandoned, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Applications Ser. No. 60/387,841 filed Jun. 11, 2002; Ser. No. 60/410,865 filed Sep. 13, 2002; and Ser. No. 60/410,556 filed Sep. 13, 2002 all of which are wherein incorporated by reference.
