Importance

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Abstract

A toothbrush or the like may be inserted, bristles downward, into an aperture in a cap removably attached to a body of the apparatus. A peg may be inserted into any one of the apertures in order to allow an electric toothbrush head or other non-standard type of toothbrush to be used. An internal ultraviolet (UV) bulb is located in the apparatus to sanitize the toothbrushes. A timer/control circuit may activate the UV bulb for three minutes and then shut off. To prevent the recurrence of bacterial growth over time, the UV bulb may be automatically reactivated by the timer/control circuit after six hours and activated for another 3 minutes or another amount of time, as programmed. A safety mechanism may interact with a spring-loaded microswitch coupled to the timer/control circuit to disable the unit if the cap is removed. The body has a rounded bottom and is weighted such that the sanitizing apparatus sits upright on a flat surface and returns to an upright position if tipped.

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First Claim