Patent Publication Number: US-2019191937-A1

Title: Multi-headed personal care assembly

Description:
SUMMARY 
     A multi-headed personal care assembly includes an appliance having at least first and second drive assemblies configured to selectively oscillate at least first and second personal care portions. 
     An interface assembly is configured to removably attach two or more personal care portions to two or more drive assemblies of an appliance, wherein the two or more drive assemblies are configured to selectively oscillate the two or more personal care portions. 
     In one aspect, the interface assembly further includes a pop-out assembly configured to protrude at least one of the two or more personal care portions from the appliance for use. 
     A method of treating an application surface includes removably attaching a first personal care portion to an appliance, removably attaching a second personal care portion to the appliance, and selectively oscillating the first and second personal care portions in response to one or more inputs. 
     In one aspect, the method further includes oscillating the first personal care portion at a first frequency and oscillating the second personal care portion at a second frequency. 
     In one aspect, the method further includes oscillating the first personal care portion out of phase with the second personal care portion. 
     In one aspect, the method further includes oscillating the first and second personal care portions at around 75 Hz. 
     In one aspect, the method further includes oscillating the first personal care portion in phase with the second personal care portion. 
     In one aspect, the method further includes protruding at least one of the first personal care portion and the second personal care portion in response to one or more inputs. 
     This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the Detailed Description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will become more readily appreciated as the same become better understood by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
         FIG. 1 a    is an isometric view of a multi-headed personal care assembly shown in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 1 b    is a top view of the multi-headed personal care assembly of  FIG. 1   a;    
         FIG. 1 c    is a cross-sectional view of the multi-headed personal care assembly of  FIG. 1 b   , taken substantially across line  1   c - 1   c;    
         FIG. 2 a    is an isometric view of a multi-headed personal care assembly shown in accordance with an alternative exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2 b    is a top view of the multi-headed personal care assembly of  FIG. 3   a;    
         FIG. 3  is a top view of a multi-headed personal care assembly shown in accordance with another alternative exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 4  is a side view of a multi-headed personal care assembly shown in accordance with another alternative exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG. 5  is a functional block diagram of several operational components of the multi-headed personal care assembly of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Personal care appliances have been designed for cleansing, massaging, infusing product into, exfoliating, or otherwise treating the teeth, face, body, or other keratinous materials or areas. Some appliances include removable and/or replaceable personal care portions, such as brush heads, infusion tips, exfoliating discs, etc., that are oscillated over an area for treatment of that area. 
     In personal care appliances having oscillating brush heads, a fundamental goal is improved skin cleansing through mechanical oscillation of brush filament tips at the skin surface. While much effort has been expended on optimizing bristle properties (length &amp; diameter, tip geometry, materials, colors, patterns, etc.) and/or brush oscillation amplitudes, neither addresses the number of actual moving bristle tips in contact with the skin. In other words, one aspect of skin cleansing is essentially a surface area problem. Cleansing a small area (e.g. face ˜400 cm 2 ) in a shorter time (such as less than 1 minute) or a much larger area (e.g. body ˜1.6-2.0 m 2 ) in an acceptable amount of time (such as about a 3-minute shower) compared to prior art devices requires more moving bristle tips in contact with the skin area. 
     For multiple reasons, the brush heads cannot simply be enlarged to increase the contact surface area of the bristle tips with the skin. For facial cleansing, the varying contours of the human face require a smaller brush head, generally less than 20-30 mm in diameter. In addition, the greatly increased rotational inertia of a larger brush head, such as for body cleansing requires excessive battery power, and it generates a counter torque to the handle that results in unpleasant hand vibration. 
       FIGS. 1 a -1 c    depict an exemplary embodiment of a multi-headed personal care assembly  20  configured to provide an increased contact surface area for treating the skin without compromising the ability to treat contoured areas of the skin, and without causing excess hand vibration during use or compromising performance. Other advantages and benefits of the multi-headed personal care assembly  20  will become appreciated from the description that follows. 
     The multi-headed personal care assembly  20  generally includes an appliance  22  configured with a removable head assembly  24  suitable for cleansing, exfoliating, or otherwise treating a subject&#39;s skin. The appliance  22 , which may be employed to impart an oscillating or other driving motion to the removable head assembly  20 , will first be described in some detail. However, it should be appreciated that the removable head assembly  24  may instead be incorporated onto any suitable appliance, and accordingly, the descriptions and illustrations provided herein should not be seen as limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     The appliance  22  includes a handle portion  26  configured to be graspable by a user, a head attachment portion  28  defined at an upper end of the handle portion  26 , and an end cap portion  32  defined opposite the head attachment portion  28 . The appliance  22  is of any suitable contour, shape, size, geometry, etc., that is suitably graspable by the user for the intended application. For instance, in the embodiment depicted in  FIGS. 1 a -1 c   , the body  22  is generally elliptical in overall shape from a top or bottom view (see  FIG. 1 b   ). The handle portion  26  curves gently inwardly (i.e., concave) as it extends downwardly from the head attachment portion  28  toward the end cap  32 . The end cap  32  may be substantially flat or gently curved to allow a user to set the multi-headed personal care assembly  20  on a surface when not in use, but still provide a contoured surface against which a user&#39;s hand may conform during use. Of course, any other suitable contour, shape, size, geometry, etc., may instead be used. 
     The head attachment portion  28  is configured to selective attach a removable head assembly to the body  22 , such as removable head assembly  24 . The exemplary head assembly  24  is removably attachable to the appliance  22  and includes a plurality of personal care portions, such as first, second, and third personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  that can be oscillated or otherwise moved over a subject&#39;s skin in order to clean, exfoliate, or otherwise treat the skin. As noted above, in the depicted embodiment, the body  22  is generally elliptical in overall shape from a top or bottom view. As such, the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  are generally arranged in a linear row along the elliptical length of the body  22  with the second personal care portion  34   b  disposed between the first and third personal care portions  34   a  and  34   c . However, any other suitable arrangement may instead be used. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  are embodied as first, second, and third inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c  respectively, extending from and secured to an exterior surface of first, second, and third inner bases  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c , respectively, in a manner well known in the art. The inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c  may be surrounded by a fixed outer guard  44  extending from and secured to an exterior surface of an outer base  48 . The outer guard  44  may be configured as a bristle assembly, as shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 c   , or alternatively as an elastomeric member (that can optionally be heated or cooled) or another suitable configuration. 
     In the depicted embodiment, the outer guard  44  is substantially the same size and shape as the head attachment portion  28 . In other words, the outer guard  44  is substantially elliptical in shape from a top view (see  FIG. 1 b   ). Moreover, the outer guard  44  includes an inner opening  46  that substantially conforms in overall shape and size to the combined shape of the inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c . The outer guard  44  remains substantially fixed or stationary relative to the oscillating first, second, and third inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c  such that it acts as somewhat of an outer splash guard. 
     The inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c  are any suitable configuration for cleansing, exfoliating, massaging, etc., a desired area of the skin. For instance, one or more of the bristle assemblies may be similar in configuration to those described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 8,641,702, entitled “System for treatment of skin conditions using at least one narrow band light source in a skin brush having an oscillating brush head,” filed on Jan. 4, 2008; U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,691, entitled “Apparatus and method for acoustic/mechanical treatment of early stage acne,” filed on Jan. 15, 2003; U.S. Pat. No. 8,484,788, entitled “Brush head for electric skin brush appliance,” filed on Mar. 14, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 9,107,486, entitled “Exfoliating Brush Head for a Personal Care Appliance,” filed on Apr. 12, 2013; U.S. Pat. No. D711656, entitled “Exfoliating Disc Head”, filed Apr. 12, 2013; U.S. Pat. No. D715553, “Exfoliating Brush Head Assembly,” filed on Apr. 12, 2013; International Patent Application No. PCT/IB2013/002427, entitled “Brush head for Skin Brush Appliance,” filed Nov. 1, 2013; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20150065927, entitled “Brush With Multi-Height Bristles”, filed Aug. 18, 2014; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20150065927, entitled “Brush With Multi-Height Bristles,” filed Aug. 18, 2014; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20170119144, filed on Dec. 13, 2016, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Other suitable brush head assemblies, bristle configurations, etc., may instead be used. 
     As can be appreciated from the foregoing, many different bristle configurations and/or combinations of bristle configurations may be used. For instance, one or more inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and/or  36   c  may be configured for sensitive skin cleansing, deep pore cleansing, acne treatment, exfoliating, brightening, etc. Moreover, the removable head assembly  24  may include a variety of different types of inner and/or outer bristle assemblies. For instance, a user with sensitive skin may also want to use a brush head for deep pore cleansing. For such a use, the removable head assembly  24  may include a first inner bristle assembly of a sensitive skin configuration, a second inner bristle assembly of a deep pore cleansing configuration, and a third inner bristle assembly of a sensitive skin configuration. The combined combination of sensitive and deep pore cleansing bristle configurations may cooperatively act to deeply clean a sensitive area of a user&#39;s skin. Any of the inner and/or outer bristle assembly configurations of the brush heads available from Pacific Bioscience Laboratories Inc. (DBA Clarisonic) of Redmond, Wash., which are configured for various uses, may be used on the removable head assembly  24 . 
     Moreover, the removable head assembly  24  may include personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  having configurations other than bristle assemblies, such as exfoliating discs, infusion tips, hair brushes, sponges, massaging heads, etc. For instance, the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  may include one or more exfoliating discs similar to one or more of those described and illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 9,750,533, entitled “Exfoliating head for a personal care appliance”, filed on Apr. 12, 2013; U.S. Pat. No. D698449, entitled “Exfoliating Disc Head”, filed Apr. 12, 2013; U.S. Pat. No. D698932, entitled “Exfoliating Disc Head”, filed Apr. 12, 2013, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. As another example, the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  may include one or more infusion tips similar to one or more of those described and illustrated in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20100300479, entitled “Applicator tip assembly for skin formulation applicator,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     Any of the exfoliating discs, infusion tips, massaging heads, or other “brush heads”, available from Pacific Bioscience Laboratories Inc. (DBA Clarisonic) of Redmond, Wash., may also be used as one or more portions of the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c . Moreover, the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  may be all the same configuration type (i.e., all brush head assemblies, all exfoliating disc, all infusion tips, etc.), or the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  may instead include a combination of two or more different configuration types. Further, the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c  may instead be configured to treat materials other than a subject&#39;s body, such as clothing, food, etc. 
     The interior surface of each of the first, second, and third inner bases  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c , of the first, second, and third inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c , respectively, are securable to or are otherwise configured to interface with first, second, and third drive assemblies  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c  disposed within the appliance  22  for selective oscillation or otherwise driving of the inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c . The inner bases  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c  may interface with the drive assemblies  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c  through a suitable connecting structure, locking assembly, etc., which may be dependent on the type of drive assembly used. For instance, the interior surface of each inner base  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c  may be securable on a hub  64  that is configured to interface with the drive assemblies  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c , such as the hub shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,906, entitled “Oscillating Brush head Attachment System for a Personal Care Appliance,” filed Jun. 22, 2004, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
     In another embodiment, the inner bases  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c  each interface with the drive assemblies  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c  through a suitable “floating” connecting structure that allows the first, second, and third inner bristle assemblies  36   a ,  36   b , and  36   c , respectively, to adapt to the contour of the treatment surface during use. For instance, the floating connecting structure may allow the inner bases  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c  to move along the z-axis direction (i.e., along the axis of the drive shaft) through elastomeric structure or the like, while maintaining rotational rigidity for suitably translating the oscillations of the motor to the inner bases  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c.    
     In yet other embodiments, the inner bases  40   a ,  40   b , and  40   c  may instead be permanently secured to the drive shafts of the drive assemblies  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c , respectively while optionally providing for movement in the z-axis. 
     Each drive assembly  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c  in some embodiments includes an electric drive motor  56  (only labeled for the first drive assembly  52   a ) that drives an attached head, such as one of the personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , or  34   c , via a drive shaft or armature  60 . Each drive assembly  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c  may be configured to operate a personal care portion at sonic frequencies, typically in the range of 80-160 Hz, oscillating the personal care portion back and forth within a range or amplitude of 3-20 degrees. In some embodiments, the personal care portion is operated in loaded or unloaded conditions at frequencies between about 80 Hz to 120 Hz with an amplitude or range of about 3-17 degrees. In other embodiments, the personal care portion is operated in a loaded condition at frequencies of about 94 Hz to 106 Hz, amplitudes of about 8-12 degrees, and a duty cycle of about 38-44%. 
     One example of a drive assembly that may be employed by the multi-headed personal care assembly  20  to oscillate each personal care portion is shown and described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,786,626 and 7,157,816, as well as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US20090306577A1, the disclosures of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. However, it should be understood that this is merely an example of the structure and operation of one such appliance and that the structure, operation, frequency and oscillation amplitude of such an appliance could be varied, depending in part on its intended application and/or characteristics of the head, such as its inertial properties, etc. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the frequency ranges are selected so as to drive the attached head at near resonance. Thus, selected frequency ranges are dependent, in part, on the inertial properties of the attached head. It will be appreciated that driving the attached head at near resonance provides many benefits, including the ability to drive the attached head at suitable amplitudes in loaded conditions (e.g., when contacting the skin). 
       FIGS. 2 a -2 b    depict an alternative exemplary embodiment of a multi-headed personal care assembly  120  that is substantially similar to the multi-headed personal care assembly  20  described above except for the differences hereinafter noted is depicted. In that regard, similar parts are labeled with similar reference numerals except in the &#39;100 series. 
     The multi-headed personal care assembly  120  generally includes an appliance  122  configured with a removable head assembly  124  suitable for cleansing, exfoliating, or otherwise treating a subject&#39;s skin. The appliance  122 , however, is generally triangular (with soft corners) in overall shape from a top view (see  FIG. 2 b   ). In that regard, the personal care portions  134   a ,  134   b , and  134   c  are in a generally triangular arrangement within the appliance  122 . 
     The personal care portions  134   a ,  134   b , and  134   c  may be configured as inner bristle assemblies  136   a ,  136   b , and  136   c , as described above with respect to the assembly  20 , having an outer bristle assembly  144  surrounding the inner bristle assemblies  136   a ,  136   b , and  136   c . In the alternative, the personal care portions  134   a ,  134   b , and  134   c  may be configured as an exfoliating disc, an infusion tip, etc. Suitable drive assemblies (not shown) similar to that described above with respect to assembly  20  may be disposed within the body  122  and configured to selectively oscillate the personal care portions  134   a ,  134   b , and  134   c.    
       FIG. 3  depicts another alternative exemplary embodiment of a multi-headed personal care assembly  220  that is substantially similar to the multi-headed personal care assembly  120  described above except for the differences hereinafter noted. In that regard, similar parts are labeled with similar reference numerals except in the &#39;200 series. 
     The multi-headed personal care assembly  220  generally includes a triangular-shaped appliance  222  configured with a removable head assembly  224  suitable for cleansing, exfoliating, or otherwise treating a subject&#39;s skin. First, second, and third personal care portions  234   a ,  234   b , and  234   c  are in a generally triangular arrangement within the appliance  222 , similar to assembly  120 ; however, the second and third personal care portions  234   b  and  234   c  are larger in diameter than the first personal care portion  234   a . It should be appreciated that the personal care portions having varied diameters or sizes may instead be arranged in any other suitable configuration. If the first, second, and third personal care portions  234   a ,  234   b , and  234   c  are inner bristle assemblies, they may be surrounded by an outer bristle assembly  244 . 
       FIG. 4  depicts another alternative exemplary embodiment of a multi-headed personal care assembly  320  that is substantially similar to the multi-headed personal care assembly  20  described above except for the differences hereinafter noted. In that regard, similar parts are labeled with similar reference numerals except in the &#39;300 series. 
     The multi-headed personal care assembly  320  generally includes an appliance  322  configured with first and second opposing removable head assemblies  324   a  and  324   b  that are suitable for cleansing, exfoliating, or otherwise treating a subject&#39;s skin. The appliance  322 , is generally cylindrically shaped having first and second opposing head attachment portions  328   a  and  328   b  (at the first and second ends of appliance  122 ), and a generally concave shaped handle portion  326  extending between the first and second opposing head attachment portions  328   a  and  328   b.    
     First and second opposing personal care portions  334   a  and  334   b  are removably attachable to the first and second head attachment portions  328   a  and  328   b  in a manner well known in the art. The personal care portions  334   a  and  334   b  may be configured as inner bristle assemblies  336   a  and  336   b , as described above with respect to the assembly  20 , having first and second outer bristle assemblies  344   a  and  344   b , respectively surrounding the inner bristle assemblies  336   a  and  336   b . In the alternative, the personal care portions  334   a  and  334   b  may be configured as an exfoliating disc, an infusion tip, etc. 
     First and second drive assemblies  352   a  and  352   b  are disposed within the appliance  22  for selective oscillation or otherwise driving of the personal care portions  334   a  and  334   b . The drive assemblies  352   a  and  352   b  may be similar to the drive assemblies  52   a ,  52   b , and  52   c  described above with respect to assembly  20  or any other suitable drive assembly. 
     With the personal care portions  334   a  and  334   b  configured in an opposite arrangement, one of the personal care portions  334   a  and  334   b  may be used independently of the other. In that regard, the multi-headed personal care assembly may include suitable operating structure for independently activating and/or controlling each personal care portion  334   a  and  334   b . Moreover, each personal care portion  334   a  and  334   b  may be of a different configuration. For instance, the first personal care portion  334   a  may be configured as a bristle assembly, and the second personal care portion  334   b  may be an exfoliating disc, an infusion tip, etc. In such an embodiment, the assembly would be multi-functional. In other embodiments, the first personal care portion  334   a  may be configured as a first type of bristle assembly (such as sensitive skin cleansing), and the second personal care portion  334   b  may be configured as a second type of bristle assembly (such as deep pore cleansing). 
     It can be appreciated from the foregoing that a multi-headed personal care assembly formed in accordance with the present disclosure may be configured in any suitable manner. For instance, the multi-headed personal care assembly may have two, three, or four or more personal care portions. Moreover, the personal care portions may be arranged linearly, triangularly, spherically, as a square, or any other suitable arrangement. 
     Certain optional operational features of a multi-headed personal care assembly formed in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described. In that regard, an exemplary operating structure and associated internal assemblies of an appliance  422  of the multi-headed personal care assembly is shown in block diagrammatic form in  FIG. 5 . For ease of reference, the exemplary operating structure will be described with reference to an appliance substantially similar to appliance  22  shown in  FIGS. 1 a -1 c   , which is configured for use with first, second, and third personal care portions  34   a ,  34   b , and  34   c . However, it should be appreciated that the operating structure hereinafter described is exemplary only, and may be modified for any suitable multi-headed personal care assembly. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , the exemplary operating structure includes a programmed microcontroller or processor  440  configured to control the delivery of power to a plurality of drive assemblies, such as first, second and third drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and  428  or other aspects of the multi-headed personal care assembly, an input assembly  450  (which may include an on/off button, a power adjust button, a mode control button, etc., such as button  74  shown in  FIG. 1 ), and a power storage source  460 , such as a rechargeable battery. Further, the processor  440  is configured to operate in accordance with program instructions stored in a memory  446  or otherwise stored in hardware format for controlling aspects of the drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and  428  or other aspects of the multi-headed personal care assembly. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , in one embodiment the memory  146  stores a first drive assembly module  462 , a second drive assembly module  464 , and a third drive assembly module  466 , wherein each module stores programs, files, etc., for activating and/or controlling the first, second and third drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and  428 . It should be appreciated that the first, second and third drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  468  may be instead be defined by a single module or more than three modules. Accordingly, any suitable programs and instructions for activating and/or controlling the first, second and third drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and  428  or other aspects of the multi-headed personal care assembly may be used. 
     Each drive assembly  420 ,  424 , and  428  may include drive assembly circuitry  436  operably coupled to a motor  432  and configured for actuating and controlling the motor  432  to oscillate a corresponding personal care portion in the manner described above, or in any other suitable manner. The drive assembly circuitry  436  of each drive assembly can be configured to receive input from the input assembly  450 , the processor  440 , one or more modules stored in the memory  446 , and/or from one of the other drive assemblies. For instance, the input assembly  450  may be configured and arranged to selectively deliver power from the power storage source  460  to the drive assembly when a user presses a button (such as button  74  shown in  FIG. 1 ). 
     Each corresponding drive assembly module  462 ,  464 , and  466  may include any suitable programs, files, or instructions for activating and controlling the first, second and third drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and  428  in response to one or more inputs. In some embodiments, one or more drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may be configured to activate a selective number of the one or more drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and/or  428  in response to one or more inputs. For instance, a user may depress a button to select activation of only one of the plurality of personal care portions (and therefore only one of the drive assemblies) when only that selected personal care portion will be used. 
     In a non-limiting example, a multi-headed personal care assembly may have a first type of brush head for cleaning the skin and a second type of brush head for applying makeup, and the user can select (with an input button or otherwise) only one of the two brush heads to use. One or more of the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may activate the corresponding drive assembly for a predetermined amount of time in response to such an input signal (or processed signal). In addition, in response to such an input signal (or processed signal), one or more of the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may activate a pop-out assembly (not shown) for protruding the personal care portion of the selected drive assembly such that substantial interference with the other personal care portions does not occur during use. This configuration may be beneficial for treating a small or contoured area of the skin. 
     In some embodiments, one or more of the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may be configured to activate and control oscillation of the motors  432  of one or more drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and/or  428  in response to one or more inputs. For instance, a user may select (with an input button or otherwise) a particular appliance mode, such as maximum treatment mode, shear mode, fluid ejection mode, massaging mode, etc. 
     If a user selects maximum treatment mode, for instance, one or more of the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may activate all of the drive assemblies  420 ,  424 , and  428  for a predetermined amount of time in response to such an input signal (or processed signal). With all the personal care portions activated at the same time, a maximum surface area of the skin may be treated. If the personal care portions are brush heads, skin cleansing will be more efficient. In other words, the more bristles that are in contact with the skin, the more efficient the skin cleansing process will be. 
     If a user selects shear mode, for instance, one or more of the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may activate the first drive assembly  420  to oscillate a first personal care portion at a predetermined frequency starting in a first direction (such as clockwise), the second drive assembly  424  to oscillate a second personal care portion at a predetermined frequency starting in a second direction (such as counterclockwise), and the third drive assembly  428  to oscillate a third personal care portion at a predetermined frequency starting in the first direction (such as clockwise) for a predetermined amount of time in response to such an input signal (or processed signal). In other words, the first and third personal care portions will be oscillating out of phase with the second personal care portion. If the second personal care portion is positioned between the first and third personal care portions, as in the assembly of  FIGS. 1 a -1 c   , the out of phase oscillation of the personal care portions will impose a shear force on the application surface, such as the skin. In the example of using a brush head for skin cleansing, the shear force will help stretch the skin and further open the pores for deeper cleansing. Moreover, by oscillating the personal care portions out of phase, vibration of the appliance  422 , and specifically its handle portion is reduced, thereby providing a more pleasant experience for the user. 
     However, in a fluid ejection mode, the user may instead purposefully choose an input to oscillate the personal care portions in phase. By oscillating the personal care portions in phase, an increased amount of fluid may be ejected from the personal care portion during use. For instance, if fluid ejection mode is selected with an assembly having multiple brush heads, a unique fluid cleansing experience will result from the increased fluid ejected from the brush heads during cleaning. The fluid cleansing experience is of course increased with multiple brush heads. 
     The shear force and fluid ejection effects of a brush head are further described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 20150182246, the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
     If a user selects massaging mode, for instance, one or more of the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may activate the first drive assembly  420  to oscillate a first personal care portion at a predetermined massaging frequency in a first direction (such as clockwise), the second drive assembly  424  to oscillate a second personal care portion at a predetermined massaging frequency in a second direction (such as counterclockwise), and the third drive assembly  428  to oscillate a third personal care portion at a predetermined massaging frequency in the first direction (such as clockwise) for a predetermined amount of time in response to such an input signal (or processed signal). With all the personal care portions activated at the same time and oscillating out of phase, a massaging effect of the skin may occur. Moreover, the inventors have found that when oscillation of a single personal care portion occurs at around 75 Hz, a massaging effect occurs. In particular, if the skin is stretched at around 75 Hz, collagen stimulation and fibrogen proteins are expressed, which can increase skin structure and decrease wrinkles. Accordingly, with multiple personal care portions oscillating out of phase at around 75 Hz, the massaging effect may be increased. 
     It should be appreciated that the one or more of the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may also be configured to activate or deactivate one or more of the drive assemblies or other features of the appliance  422  in response to other types of inputs. For instance, the drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may be configured to activate a first drive assembly when a second and/or third drive assembly is deactivated. The drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may be configured to activate the first drive assembly  420  at a first frequency (e.g., 75 Hz for a massaging effect), the second drive assembly  424  at a second frequency (e.g., 175 Hz for a cleansing effect), and the third drive assembly  428  at the first frequency (e.g., 75 Hz for a massaging effect) for an overall combined cleansing and massaging experience. 
     The drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may also be configured to activate a vaporizer and vapor heating assembly that discharges a heated vapor (from the inner and/or outer brush head, the handle portion, etc.) when the module(s) receive an input signal indicating that at least one of the drive assemblies has been activated or in response to another input signal. For instance, the appliance may include a vaporizer and vapor heating assembly similar to that shown and described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/476,352, filed Mar. 31, 2017, entitled “Vaporizing and Vapor Heating Assembly and Personal Care Appliances Including the Same”, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. The drive assembly modules  462 ,  464 , and  466  may be configured to activate other heating or cooling elements of the appliance when the module(s) receive one or more input signals. 
     The operating structure and associated internal assemblies may also have circuitry configured to exchange encrypted and anonymized multi-headed personal care assembly information with a remote network, circuitry configured to detect a client device associated with the multi-headed personal care assembly and to exchange encrypted and anonymized information with the client device, and/or circuitry configured to detect a client device associated with the multi-headed personal care assembly and to exchange drive assembly control information or other control information with the client device. 
     It should be appreciated that the operating structure and associated internal assemblies may have any suitable modules, circuitry, etc., configured to selectively activate and control features of the appliance to benefit from the combined effect of the multiple personal care portions. 
     The detailed description set forth above in connection with the appended drawings is intended as a description of exemplary embodiments of a multi-headed personal care assembly and are not intended to represent the only embodiments. The representative embodiments described in this disclosure are provided merely as an example or illustration and are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the claimed subject matter to the precise forms disclosed. 
     In the foregoing description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some or all of the specific details. In some instances, well-known process steps or features have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure various aspects of the present disclosure. Further, it will be appreciated that the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may employ any combination of features described herein. 
     The present disclosure may also include references to directions, such as “forward,” “rearward,” “front,” “back,” “upward,” “downward,” “lateral,” “medial,” “in,” “out,” “extended,” “advanced,” “retracted,” “vertical,” “horizontal,” “proximal,” “distal,” “central,” etc. These references, and other similar references in the present disclosure, are only to assist in helping describe and understand the particular embodiment and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to these directions or locations. 
     The present disclosure may also reference quantities and numbers. Unless specifically stated, such quantities and numbers are not to be considered restrictive, but exemplary of the possible quantities or numbers associated with the present disclosure. Also in this regard, the present disclosure may use the term “plurality” to reference a quantity or number. In this regard, the term “plurality” is meant to be any number that is more than one, for example, two, three, four, five, etc. In an embodiment, “about,” “approximately,” etc., means plus or minus 5% of the stated value. 
     While illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described, it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.