Appeal No. 2004-1246
Application No. 09/960,948
important in order to keep the teeth and gums clean and healthy.
Beals states that it is desirable that a toothbrush be as
comfortable to use as possible and that due to differences in hand
size and shape and brushing style, a toothbrush design that seems
comfortable to one user may not seem comfortable to another user.
Figures 1-2 of Beals show a toothbrush 10 having a rigid
handle 26 that defines a finger-gripping region 12 and a
palm-gripping region 14. The toothbrush also includes
a distal end 16, a neck 18, and a head 20 that includes a brush
portion 22 including a plurality of bristles 24. The
finger-gripping and palm-gripping regions 12, 14 are cushioned, for
a more comfortable and secure grip. Thus, a finger-gripping
resilient element 28 is provided in the finger-gripping region 12
of the handle and a palm-gripping resilient element 30 is provided
in the palm-gripping region 14 of the handle. The palm-gripping
resilient element 30 serves two purposes. First, it provides a
comfortable surface for gripping between the palm and fingers that
generally has a relatively non-slippery surface to give a
secure-feeling grip. Second, a tapered distal tip 32 of resilient
element 30 extends beyond the distal end 34 of the underlying
handle 26 to cushion the palm or heel of the user's hand from
uncomfortable contact with the hard end 34. This distal tip 32
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