Patents by Inventor Thomas Küchler

Thomas Küchler has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8800093
    Abstract: An oral care implement having a handle and a head having a flexible support from which cleaning elements extend. In one aspect, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: a handle; a head attached to the handle; a flexible support attached to the head and having a face; a plurality of cleaning elements attached to the flexible support and projecting outwardly from the face, the cleaning elements including bristles and wall-like elements and being movable in the outward direction from the head; wherein the cleaning elements comprise a row of first cleaning elements substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the head and traversing a central region of the flexible support; and wherein some of the wall-like cleaning elements laterally radiate from the central region of the flexible support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, John J. Gatzemeyer, Bruce Russell, Peter Andersen, Luca Casini, John Hancock, Douglas Hohlbein, Eduardo Jimenez, Thomas Kuechler, Tanja Langgner, Joachim Storz, Thomas Mintel, Michael Rooney, Alan Sorrentino
  • Publication number: 20120073072
    Abstract: An oral care implement having a handle and a head having a flexible support from which cleaning elements extend. In one aspect, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: a handle; a head attached to the handle; a flexible support attached to the head and having a face; a plurality of cleaning elements attached to the flexible support and projecting outwardly from the face, the cleaning elements including bristles and wall-like elements and being movable in the outward direction from the head; wherein the cleaning elements comprise a row of first cleaning elements substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the head and traversing a central region of the flexible support; and wherein some of the wall-like cleaning elements laterally radiate from the central region of the flexible support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 2, 2011
    Publication date: March 29, 2012
    Applicant: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, John J. Gatzemeyer, Bruce Russell, Peter Andersen, Luca Casini, John Hancock, Douglas Hohlbein, Eduardo Jimenez, Thomas Küchler, Tanja Langgner, Thomas Mintel, Michael Rooney, Alan Sorrentino, Joachim Storz
  • Patent number: 8091170
    Abstract: An oral care implement having a handle and a head having a flexible support from which cleaning elements extend. In one aspect, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: a handle; a head attached to the handle; a flexible support attached to the head and having a face; a plurality of cleaning elements attached to the flexible support and projecting outwardly from the face, the cleaning elements including bristles and wall-like elements and being movable in the outward direction from the head; wherein the cleaning elements comprise a row of first cleaning elements substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the head and traversing a central region of the flexible support; and wherein some of the wall-like cleaning elements laterally radiate from the central region of the flexible support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, John J. Gatzemeyer, Bruce Russell, Peter Andersen, Luca Casini, John Hancock, Douglas Hohlbein, Eduardo Jimenez, Thomas Kuechler, Tanja Langgner, Joachim Storz, Thomas Mintel, Michael Rooney, Alan Sorrentino
  • Patent number: 7845042
    Abstract: An oral care implement is provided having a handle and a head with a soft tissue cleanser and/or tooth cleaning elements. The tooth cleaning elements may be flexibly mounted in the head for movement from an initial position with respect to the head during use. The soft tissue cleanser may include a plurality of projections for cleaning the soft tissue. The soft tissue cleanser may include a face having hills and valleys upon which the projections are located. The handle may include a base with a gripping region and a projection protruding from the base in the gripping region. The handle may also have a grip surface with a plurality of spaced slot openings exposing portions of the base. The grip body may form opposite finger grips on the handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, John J. Gatzemeyer, Bruce Russell, Peter Andersen, Luca Casini, John Hancock, Douglas Hohlbein, Eduardo Jimenez, Thomas Küchler, Tanja Langgner, Thomas Mintel, Michael Rooney, Alan V. Sorrentino, Joachim Storz
  • Patent number: 7836539
    Abstract: An oral care implement is provided having a handle and a head with a soft tissue cleanser and/or tooth cleaning elements. The tissue cleanser may include a plurality of projections for cleaning the soft tissue, which may include cleaning between the papillae of a user's tongue. The soft tissue cleanser may have an elongate ridge projecting from the head in generally the same direction as the projections. The handle may include a base with a gripping region and a projection protruding from the base in the gripping region. The handle may also have a grip surface with a plurality of spaced slot openings exposing portions of the base. The grip body may form opposite finger grips on the handle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, Bruce Russell, Luca Casini, Douglas Hohlbein, Thomas Küchler, Tanja Langgner, Thomas Mintel, Michael Rooney, Joachim Storz
  • Publication number: 20100275397
    Abstract: An oral care implement having a handle and a head having a flexible support from which cleaning elements extend. In one aspect, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: a handle; a head attached to the handle; a flexible support attached to the head and having a face; a plurality of cleaning elements attached to the flexible support and projecting outwardly from the face, the cleaning elements including bristles and wall-like elements and being movable in the outward direction from the head; wherein the cleaning elements comprise a row of first cleaning elements substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the head and traversing a central region of the flexible support; and wherein some of the wall-like cleaning elements laterally radiate from the central region of the flexible support.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 6, 2010
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, John J. Gatzemeyer, Bruce Russell, Peter Andersen, Luca Casini, John Hancock, Douglas Hohlbein, Eduardo Jimenez, Thomas Küchler, Tanja Langgner, Thomas Mintel, Michael Rooney, Alan V. Sorrentino, Joachim Storz
  • Patent number: 7707677
    Abstract: A toothbrush includes a head having a bristle carrying surface formed from a thin resilient flexible dome shaped membrane. An air space is located between the base of the head and the membrane so that the membrane is capable of flexing to alter its original shape during use of the toothbrush and then recover to the original shape randomly during use. In a further practice of the invention the head and/or handle have elastomeric portions at least partially surrounding an open area. These portions are readily deflectable under pressure during use to improve handling of the toothbrush and orientation of the cleaning elements. Alternatively the toothbrush includes a longitudinal hinge collinear with the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush head so as to separate the head into a pair of side by side longitudinal sections, each of which has outwardly extending cleaning elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2010
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, Tanja Langgner, Joachim Storz, Thomas Küchler
  • Patent number: 7430780
    Abstract: A toothbrush includes a head having multiple cleaning elements. One group of the cleaning elements is flexibly mounted on the head and another group may be fixedly mounted on the head. The flexibly mounted cleaning elements are attached to a flexible membrane so that the membrane is capable of flexing to alter its original orientation during use of the toothbrush and then recover to the original orientation randomly during use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 7, 2008
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, Tanja Langgner, Joachim Storz, Thomas Küchler
  • Patent number: 7360270
    Abstract: A toothbrush includes a head having a bristle carrying surface formed from a thin resilient flexible dome shaped membrane. An air space is located between the base of the head and the membrane so that the membrane is capable of flexing to alter its original shape during use of the toothbrush and then recover to the original shape randomly during use. In a further practice of the invention the head and/or handle have elastomeric portions at least partially surrounding an open area. These portions are readily deflectable under pressure during use to improve handling of the toothbrush and orientation of the cleaning elements. Alternatively the toothbrush includes a longitudinal hinge collinear with the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush head so as to separate the head into a pair of side by side longitudinal sections, each of which has outwardly extending cleaning elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Colgate-Palmolive Company
    Inventors: Robert Moskovich, Tanja Langgner, Joachim Storz, Thomas Küchler
  • Patent number: 6361005
    Abstract: A holding device for a hand-operated shower head contains a body, which is e.g. constructed as a slide for a wall rod and is held in longitudinally slidable manner on the wall rod. In its front it contains an adjusting screw for adjusting the force with which a brake mechanism acts on the wall rod. A reception element is articulated to the body so as to be pivotable about an axis upstream of the wall rod. The reception element receives part of the handle of a shower head, so as to fix the latter. The shower head can be pivoted in such a way that the median axis of the cone nut inserted in the receptacle is moved in a plane in which the longitudinal axis of the wall rod is also located.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2002
    Assignee: Hansgrohe AG
    Inventors: Magdelena Faisst, Andreas Haug, Thomas Schoenherr, Thomas Kuechler, Fabian Kollmann