Patent Abstract:
“A Handheld Motorized Facial Brush Having Pivoting, Floating Head. The heads interface with a conventional handpiece so that the facial brush or other facial treatment head can be removed and replaced with a subassembly that provides pivoting/floating support. The treatment head is then attachable to the pivoting/floating subassembly as if it were attaching to the handpiece; the result being a motorized skin treatment head that pivots and/or floats to follow the contour of the skin. The internal motor can either be housed within the handpiece, or pivoting/floating subassembly, and will either provide rotation/oscillation of the treatment head, or simple vibrations to the handpiece and/or treatment head. The floating mechanism may be available in a variety of forms to provide the widest variety of use scenarios. Each floating mechanisms and/or subassemblies are interchangeable with the others so as to be removably attachable to the handpieces described in the Parent applications.”

Full Description:
[0001]    The present invention is a Continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/173,439, filed Jun. 30, 2011 and Ser. No. 13/592,226, filed Aug. 22, 2012 (and any related Provisional Patent Applications), both now pending (hereinafter “the parent applications”). 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    This invention relates generally to facial skin care appliances and, more specifically, to a Handheld Motorized Facial Brush Having Pivoting, Floating Head. 
         [0004]    2. Description of Related Art 
         [0005]    Facial massage and skin treatment devices are widely known in the art. One particular functional feature that has not been widely implemented is the device having a face-hugging or “floating” treatment head. The advantage of a floating head is that the face of the treatment head will tend to remain in contact with the user&#39;s skin while traversing the irregular topography that tends to define a person&#39;s face in particular. 
         [0006]    Specific examples of devices in this field are listed herein. 
       Facial/Skin Treatment Devices: 
       [0007]    Vigil, U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,063 is a “Skin Rejuvinating System” that includes a rotating bi-level brush. No floating capability. Harris, U.S. Pat. No. D612,612 discloses a design that appears to be a rotating and somewhat pivoting treatment brush. Roth, U.S. Pat. No. D549,964 shows the shape of a motorized facial brush without suggesting any pivoting motion. Akridge, U.S. Pat. No. 7,789,092 and Roth, U.S. Pat. No. 7,386,906 are related to the Roth design patent reference, but fail to suggest any pivoting motion or the light/vibration/microcurrent emissions. Pilcher, U.S. Pat. No. 7,320,691 discloses an “Apparatus and Method for Acoustic/Mechanical Treatment of Early Stage Acne”—while this reference does relate to the field of the instant invention, but it does not disclose any pivoting or floating head design. 
       Utility Cleaning Devices: 
       [0008]    Murphy, U.S. Pat. No. 5,950,268 is a “Hand-held Scrubbing Device” for a utility scrubber (such as for bathroom walls) that couples a rotating brush head with a pivoting motion. Murphy fails to suggest internal vibration, LED lighting, microcurrent. Furthermore, the Murphy pivoting head assembly is comprised of a complex pivot ball joint design that seems quite costly to implement. 
         [0009]    Madison, U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,102 for a “Portable Cleaning Device” that implements a rotating/reciprocating cleaning head (brushes and other implements), that uses a textured pivot ball to transfer torque from the drive motor to the cleaning head. Like Murphy, Madison fails fails to suggest internal vibration, LED lighting or microcurrent emissions. 
         [0010]    Guyuron, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20060168746 for a “Personal Cleaning Device” has a flexible cleaning head that can rotate or oscillate. It further discloses a plurality of different brush, sponge and abrasive pad cleaning heads and covers. Munn, U.S. Pat. No. 7,937,792 is a “Pole Scrubber” that has an external pivoting cam—not suitable for floating design or for facial skin care. Schonewille, U.S. Pat. No. 7,707,674, discloses a wide variety of handheld cleaning devices having motorized brush heads, but none of these devices has a flexible brush substrate or other pivoting mechanisms suitable for a hygienic facial massage/scrubbing device. France, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 20050066996 and 20050199265 disclose a stain removal brush, but with a head that only tilts and does not “float” or “pivot.” 
       Toothbrushes: 
       [0011]    Phgura, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20110138563 is a motorized toothbrush having at least one embodiment with a ball-joint pivoting/rotating head. 
       Electric Shavers 
       [0012]    Oswald, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20020157257 does disclose a shaver having a pivoting head having flexible screens, but the structure of that pivoting design only permits pivoting along a single axis (rather than in all axes passing through the head). Schmitt, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20100275446, discloses a set of three pivoting heads. The Schmitt heads do pivot around rotating drive shafts, but the re-centering (i.e. the force urging the heads to be coplanar with the shaver face) is created by a somewhat complex, spring-loaded design that is not suitable for the moist environment in which facial skin care devices are generally used. Tanaka, U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,324 discloses a three-bladed shaver that flexes on a group of “cushion elements” that appear to be soft mounting connections between the blades and the shaver housing. The cushioning elements are not directly interconnected to the shaver head, nor are they rotatable. Messinger, U.S. Pat. No. 5,007,168 describes a complex system that has the motor and shaver head pivot along a single axis. 
         [0013]    Shimizu, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 20110030220 and U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,743,508 and 7,370,420 is a rotary shaver that does have an internal pivot ball, but does not include a pliable support cup for restoring the head to its rest position. Okabe, like the Shimizu references, has pivot balls but no pliable support cup. 
         [0014]    Careful review of these prior devices reveals that the following references fails to suggest and internal vibrating mechanism to provide massaging force without the requirement for the head to oscillate or rotate. Furthermore, none of these prior devices has a floating head mechanism that is suitable for the moist, hygienic environment of facial skin care. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0015]    In light of the aforementioned problems associated with the prior devices, it is an object of the present invention to provide a Handheld Motorized Facial Brush Having Pivoting, Floating Head. The heads should interface with a conventional handpiece so that the facial brush or other facial treatment head can be removed and replaced with a subassembly that provides pivoting/floating support. The treatment head should then be attachable to the pivoting/floating subassembly as if it were attaching to the handpiece, with the result being a motorized skin treatment head that pivots and/or floats to follow the contour of the skin. The internal motor should either be housed within the handpiece, or within the pivoting/floating subassembly, and should either provide rotation/oscillation of the treatment head, or simple vibrations to the handpiece and/or the treatment head. The floating mechanism should be available in a variety of different forms so that the widest variety of use scenarios can be accomplished. Each of these floating mechanisms and/or subassemblies should be interchangeable with the others and be removably attachable to the handpieces described in the Parent applications. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The objects and features of the present invention, which are believed to be novel, are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the motorized handheld facial brush having a floating head of the present invention, along with a plurality of preferred floating head embodiments; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the first floating head of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of the floating head of  FIG. 2 ; 
           [0020]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  are partial perspective and cutaway top views, respectively, of the floating head of  FIGS. 2 and 3 ; 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway side view of the floating head of FIGS.  2 - 4 A/ 4 B; 
           [0022]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the second floating head of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0023]      FIG. 7  is a rear perspective view of the floating head of  FIG. 6 ; 
           [0024]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the second drive assembly of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0025]      FIG. 9  is a perspective view of the floating head of  FIGS. 6 and 7 ; 
           [0026]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the third floating head of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0027]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of the drive assembly of the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 12  is a partial rear perspective view of the floating head of  FIG. 10 ; 
           [0029]      FIG. 13  is another partial rear perspective view of the floating head of  FIGS. 10 and 12 ; 
           [0030]      FIG. 14  is a cutaway side view of the floating head of  FIGS. 10 ,  12  and  13 ; 
           [0031]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the fourth floating head of  FIG. 1 ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 16  is a rear perspective view of the floating head of  FIG. 15 ; 
           [0033]      FIG. 17  is a side view of the floating head of  FIGS. 15 and 16 ; 
           [0034]      FIGS. 18A and 18B  are front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a second version of the first floating head design; and 
           [0035]      FIG. 19  is an exploded perspective view of the floating head of  FIGS. 18A and 18B . 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0036]    The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out his invention. Various modifications, however, will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art, since the generic principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a Handheld Motorized Facial Brush Having Pivoting, Floating Head. 
         [0037]    The present invention can best be understood by initial consideration of  FIG. 1 .  FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the motorized handheld facial brush having a floating head  10  of the present invention, along with a plurality of preferred floating head embodiments. As will be discussed in additional detail hereinbelow, the essential aspects of the preferred designs as depicted and discussed herein are: 
         [0038]    i. the motorized handpiece  12  may be configured to operate in a variety of modes, including rotation of the drive assembly, rotary oscillation of the drive assembly, and/or only vibration of the handpiece due to operation of an internal mechanism, such as is disclosed in prior patent application Ser. No. 13/173,439, filed Jun. 30, 2011; 
         [0039]    ii. each disclosed floating head  14 , and those not specifically disclosed herein, provide “floating” motion so that the treatment surface of the head  14  seeks to follow the contour of the user&#39;s skin while the head is rotating/oscillating/vibrating—it has been determined that up to sixteen (16) degrees of deflection from the rest position is desirable; and 
         [0040]    iii. while the depicted disclosures are limited to brush bristles herein, it should be understood that a variety of treatment heads/surfaces are expected, including sponge, LED light-emitting, micro-current emitting, and others. Those shown here are merely exemplary. 
         [0041]    The handpiece  12  comprises a housing  16  defined by a handle portion  18  that is suited to be comfortably grasped by the typical user&#39;s hand, and a head portion  22  at its opposing end. The housing  16  is further defined by a control panel  20  to provide the user with conveniently-located touch-sensitive switches to turn on and off the various modes available from the device  10 . 
         [0042]    An electric motor and power supply (not shown) are mounted within the interior of the housing  16 . The power supply is preferably an internal rechargeable battery having optional capability for auxiliary external plug-in to a wall socket. Whether or not the internal batteries are rechargeable, they may also be replaceable. The motor may generate a rotational, oscillating and/or internal vibrations, such as that described in the two parent applications. 
         [0043]    The head portion  22  terminates in a generally circular face portion  24  that includes a face wall  26  (which is generally planar and bounded by a ridge), and a drive assembly (e.g.  28 B). The drive assembly (e.g.  28 B) could take a variety of forms, and may be movable relative to the face wall  26  (for rotating/oscillating versions) or may be fixed so that there is no relative movement therebetween (for vibrating version). Also, the hexagonal profile shown is only a single type. 
         [0044]    The face wall  24 , as discussed above, is generally planar in form. The wall  24  defines a first spatial plane  27 . This plane  27  is used herein in order to characterize the “floating” motion exhibited by the various floating heads (generically  14 ). Simply put, in addition to any rotating/oscillating/vibrating motion, the heads  14  are able to tilt or pivot so that the face of the head follows the contour of the user&#39;s skin as the user places the head  14  against their skin and translates across the treatment area. 
         [0045]    Four distinct head  14  designs are disclosed herein. The first floating head  14 A employs a pivot head and pliable support cup to provide flexing support for the treatment face so that the treatment face can float, as desired. The element interconnecting the treatment face of the second floating head  14 B and the drive assembly (e.g.  28 B) has a material composition and cross-section to permit the treatment head to float. The third floating head  14 C incorporates a spring-loaded “joystick” type design to create the desired floating action. Finally (for the limited disclosure herein), the fourth floating head has a cage of longitudinal spring elements creating the desired floating motion. The first of these designs is specifically discussed below in connection with  FIGS. 2 through 5 . 
         [0046]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the first floating head  14 A of  FIG. 1 . The first floating head  14 A is defined by a substrate element  30 . While the substrate  30  shown here is flat and circular, it is understood that a wide variety of shapes for the substrate  30  could be used, including but not limited to triangular, square, ovoid. Further, cupped or dome-shaped profiles might be desired and are feasible for this head  14 A, as well as those other head designs discussed herein below. 
         [0047]    The floating head  14 A has a plurality of brush elements  32  (or sponge material or other treatment surface as discussed above) extending from an upper or first side. The perimeter of the substrate  30  on its bottom or second side is supported by support cup  34 . The support cup  34  is made from a pliable, rubber-like material that will allow for some flexing in the cup  34  to allow the substrate  30  to “float.” One particular material that is deemed suitable for this application is a plastic having a material property of a 50 to 60 durometer scale (hardness) reading. 
         [0048]    The drive assembly (see  FIG. 1 ) external to the housing [ 16 ] 1  may be connected to the internal structure shown here where the drive assembly provides rotating or oscillating motion. The drive gear  36  receives mechanical drive force from the internal electric motor. The tail shaft  38  serves to restrain the drive assembly/gear  36  from moving, while also allowing it to rotate/oscillate. For the sake of simplicity, it is also possible that the depicted structure is also used for the vibrating version of the device [ 10 ].  FIG. 3  provides additional detail regarding this design.  1  As used throughout this disclosure, element numbers enclosed in square brackets [ ] indicates that the referenced element is not shown in the instant drawing figure, but rather is displayed elsewhere in another drawing figure. 
         [0049]      FIG. 3  is a partial perspective view of the floating head  14 A of  FIG. 2 . Here, the first version of the drive assembly  28 A is depicted. Unlike the hexagonal head depicted in the assembly [ 28 B] of  FIG. 1 , this version has a pivot head  48  that protrudes through an aperture formed in the bottom of the support cup  34 . The pivot head  48  is discussed in more detail hereinbelow. 
         [0050]    The support cup  34  is defined by a generally cylindrical shape having a sidewall  40  that terminates at its distal edge in an outer rim  42  that is of a shape to cooperate with the shape of the substrate [ 30 ]. An inner rim  44  slightly recessed into the sidewall  40  to engage an extended portion of the substrate [ 30 ] so that the cup  34  stays oriented and coupled with the substrate [ 30 ], and further to prevent foreign matter from entering in internal volume of the cup  34 . 
         [0051]    The sidewall  40  may have a plurality of rib elements  46  molded into the sidewall  40  so that the sidewall  40  resists crushing such that the cup  34  retains its shape for extended usage.  FIGS. 4A and 4B  explain the function and design of the pivot head  48 . 
         [0052]      FIGS. 4A and 4B  are partial perspective and cutaway top views, respectively, of the floating head  14 A of  FIGS. 2 and 3 . The first drive assembly  28 A (whether rotatable or fixed) may be defined by a drive gear  36  and tail shaft  38 . A base  70  protrudes from the face wall [ 26 ]. The neck  54  is of generally cylindrical configuration, and interconnects the base  70  and the pivot head  48 . 
         [0053]    The pivot head  48  has a generally globe-like shape, but with very distinct improvements thereto. In order to prevent any relative rotational motion between the pivot head  48  and the substrate [ 30 ], the pivot head  48  has a non-circular cross-section (see  FIG. 4B ). This non-circular cross-section is achieved by having a plurality of curved or arcuate side faces  58  separated from one another by an equivalent number of longitudinal ridges  56 . While a 4-sided cross-section is depicted here, it should be understood that a variety of other configurations may be employed within the spirit of the invention. 
         [0054]    Finally, while the ridges  56  will prevent slippage between the substrate [ 30 ] and the pivot head  48 , they will not prevent relative “rocking” motion between the substrate [ 30 ] and the first drive assembly  28 A.  FIG. 5  provides the detail necessary to understand this design. 
         [0055]      FIG. 5  is a cutaway side view of the floating head  14 A of FIGS.  2 - 4 A/ 4 B. The bottom wall  60  of the support cup  34  has an aperture  64  formed therethrough. The aperture  64  is centered on the bottom wall  60  and sized in order to permit the pivot head  48  to be pressed through it, and then to relax into position so that it closely fits to the neck [ 54 ] to prevent intrusion of foreign matter into the internal void  62  of the support cup  34 . 
         [0056]    A first receiver  66 A extends downwardly (in this orientation) from the back-side of the substrate  30 . The first receiver  66 A is made from a series of fingers or prongs that will allow the pivot head  48  to snap into it (and out of it if appropriate pulling force is exerted onto it). The first receiver  66 A may be described as a “snap socket,” and is preferably molded as a integral part of the substrate  30 . 
         [0057]    As discussed previously, the receiver  66 A, in cooperation with the surface topography of the pivot head  48 , will allow for angular motion (in the direction of arrows “F”), but will prevent rotational slippage between these two elements so that the treatment head will either move with the drive assembly [ 28 A] (e.g. rotating or oscillating), or will be prevented from movement (i.e. when the device is in vibration-only mode). Hence, any rotational torque will be transferred between the pivot head  48  and the receiver  66 A. The result is that the second spatial plane  29  defined by the substrate  30  will be allowed to rock in the direction shown by arrows “F,” which allows for the floating motion relative to the first spatial plane [ 27 ] defined in  FIG. 1 . The cup  34  may be made from silicone material, and is included in order to provide a certain amount of “centering” or “re-set” force against the substrate  30  to return the substrate  30  into the rest (i.e. non-deflected) position. We will now turn to  FIGS. 6-9  to understand another embodiment of the floating head. 
         [0058]      FIG. 6  is a side view of the second floating head  14 B of  FIG. 1 . Essentially, the floating motion is provided by this design by virtue of the use of flexible material of construction for portions of the support structure for the substrate  30 . Specifically, the head  14 B has a waist element  68 , which is bonded or molded to the substrate  30 . The waist element  68  is made from silicone or other rubber-like material. The material flexibility, along with the thinned-down throat  31  portion, allows the substrate  30  to float as depicted by “F.” In its preferred form, the outer diameter of the waist element  68  will be less than one-half the outer diameter of the substrate  30 , so that sufficient flexibility is present. 
         [0059]    A second receiver  66 B, made from non-rubberized, hard plastic-type material interconnects the waist element  68  with the drive assembly [ 28 B]. The receiver  66 B is defined by a base  70 , from which extend a plurality of tabs  72 , which serve to grasp the outer walls of the hexagonal drive assembly [ 28 B]. As shown in  FIG. 7 , the waist element  68  terminates at its bottom end (i.e. distal to the substrate  30 ) in a tip  74 . The waist element tip  74  is press-fit through an aperture formed in the base [ 70 ] of the receiver  66 B. The pliability of the material comprising the waist element  68  allows the tip  74  to deform enough to be pushed through the aperture, after which the edges return to their rest state and grip the base [ 70 ] to prevent any relative motion (rotational) between the waist element  68  and the receiver base [ 70 ].  FIG. 8  is provided to support the explanation of the drive assembly  28 B. 
         [0060]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view of the second drive assembly  28 B of  FIG. 1 . The drive assembly  28 B may also have a drive gear  36  internal to the housing [ 16 ] (particularly if the assembly  28 B is rotatable). A polygon-shaped drive spindle  76  protrudes from the housing [ 16 ] for the purpose of engaging the receiver  66 B. The polygon shape (hexagon in this version) is defined by the six upright generally flat sides to the outer wall  80  of the spindle  76 . In its preferred form, a plurality of grooves  82  are formed at the base of the wall  80 . The grooves  82  engage corresponding teeth formed at the tips of the individual tabs [ 72 ] of the receiver [ 66 B]. A center peg  78  protrudes slightly beyond the upper rim of the outer wall  80 . The peg  78  is provided to create stiffness in the drive spindle  76  without adding extensive amounts of material or weight to the spindle  76 . When the floating head  14 B is attached to the handpiece [ 12 ], it does so as depicted in  FIG. 9  (without depicting the housing [ 16 ] itself). The polygon shape depicted here is merely exemplary, and has found to be very suitable for the instant purpose. However, other shapes are expected and therefore are intended to be incorporated within this disclosure. Yet another version of the floating head is depicted by  FIGS. 10-14 . 
         [0061]      FIG. 10  is a perspective view of the third floating head  14 C of  FIG. 1 . This design may be characterized as a “spring-loaded joystick” mechanism. Before discussing the floating head  14 C, we will study the details of the third drive assembly  28 C. 
         [0062]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of the drive assembly  28 C of the present invention. The base [ 70 ] has an internal drive shaft [ 98 ] extending upwardly from it to terminate in a cap element  86  at its distal end. The cap element  86  serves to secure a plurality of drive fingers  84  onto the internal drive shaft [ 98 ]. As will be clear from  FIG. 12 , the drive fingers  84  provide the interconnection between the drive assembly  28 C and the substrate [ 30 ] in order to retain the substrate [ 30 ] thereto, to transfer torque therebetween, but also to allow for the floating relative motion therebetween. 
         [0063]      FIG. 12  is a partial rear perspective view of the floating head  14 C of  FIG. 10 . In this partial view, the drive fingers  84  have engaged the substrate by operation of the four drive brackets  90  extending downwardly therefrom. The drive brackets  90  extend from the bottom face  88  of the substrate  30 , and are preferably molded as integral portions thereof. These particular drive brackets  90  are formed with an open side (see generally the arrowhead of finger pocket  94 ). The open sides permit the fingers  84  to be twist-engaged and—disengaged from the brackets  90 . When engaged, the tips of the fingers  84  reside within the finger pockets  94  formed within the brackets  90 . 
         [0064]    The inner drive shaft  98  extends from the fingers  84  to be captured by the outer drive shaft [ 100 ]. A centering groove  96  is preferably cut into the bottom faces of each of the drive brackets  90 . If we turn to  FIG. 13 , we can see that these centering grooves  96  retain the upper ring of the biasing element  92  so that the biasing element  92  remains firmly compressed between the drive brackets  90  and the base [ 70 ].  FIG. 14  is provided to clarify this somewhat complex arrangement of elements. 
         [0065]      FIG. 14  is a cutaway side view of the floating head  14 C of  FIGS. 10 ,  12  and  13 . The inner drive shaft  98  extends between the cap element  86  and the base  70 , and is inserted into a bore formed in the outer drive shaft  100 . The outer drive shaft  100  is an integral part of the drive gear [ 36 ] and tail shaft [ 38 ]; the inner drive shaft  98  is glued or otherwise bonded into the inner bore of the outer drive shaft  100  during assembly. 
         [0066]    Once the drive fingers  84  have engaged the drive brackets  90 , the biasing element  92  is captured between the base  70  and the drive brackets  90  (and creating biasing force upward against the drive brackets  90 ). The internal void within the finger pockets  94  will allow the drive fingers  84  to move (upwardly in this view), which permits the substrate  30  to float (i.e. the plane  29  will move in direction “F”). The pushing force of the captured biasing element  92  will tend to urge the substrate  30  back towards its normal, rest position (as depicted here). 
         [0067]      FIG. 15  is a perspective view of the fourth floating head  14 D of  FIG. 1 . This design  14 D provides functionality essentially equivalent to those discussed above, but through very simple design. The head  14 D utilizes a very unique “cage” constructed of several individual spring strands interconnecting the substrate and the receiver to create the flexing necessary for the floating characteristic previously described.  FIG. 16  provides the detail of this fourth design. 
         [0068]      FIG. 16  is a rear perspective view of the floating head  14 D of  FIG. 15 . Sandwiched in between the base  70  and the substrate  30  is a spring cage  102  that is comprised of a circular set of individual spring strands  104  that encircle the entire  360  degrees of the substrate  30  and base  70 . The strands  104  comprising the cage  102  will likely have rings interconnecting the individual strands  104  at the contact point with the substrate  30  and the base  70 . A retention shaft tip  106  (which is preferably split in order to allow it to be compressed) protrudes through an aperture formed in the center of the base  70  when the head  14 D is assembled.  FIG. 17  provides additional detail regarding the operation thereof. 
         [0069]      FIG. 17  is a side view of the floating head  14 D of  FIGS. 15 and 16 . The second spatial plane  29  defined by the substrate  30  is permitted to flex in direction “F” because the individual spring strands  104  will flex as pressure is exerted atop the bristles/sponge, etc. The spring cage  102  is compressed between the substrate  30  and base  70  such that it is pre-loaded to generate a stabilizing force pushing these two elements apart. This preloading is accomplishing by pressing the substrate  30  towards the base  70  during assembly so that the springs [ 104 ] of the cage  102  are compressed until the retention shaft tip  106  protrudes through an aperture formed in the center of the base  70 . As can be seen here, the retention shaft tip  106  is at the distal end of the retention shaft  108 , which extends from the bottom side of the substrate  30  (and is very likely a contiguous element of the substrate  30 ). If it disassembly is necessary, the two halves of the retention shaft tip  106  need simply to pinched together so that the “barb” formed at its end will fit through the aperture formed in the base  70 . As depicted below in  FIGS. 18A ,  18 B and  19 , several permutations of the various design discussed above are included herein. These figures depict a second version of the first floating head. 
         [0070]      FIGS. 18A and 18B  are front and rear perspective views, respectively, of the second version of the first floating head design  14 AA. This version has a slightly different arrangement of parts as compared to the first floating head design  14 A, but is particularly suitable for the instant application because it is completely interchangeable with a conventional (non-floating/pivoting) treatment head. The brush elements  32  (or other treatment surfaces, such as abrasive material, massage pebbled surface, sponge and other interchangeable treatment faces as described in the parent disclosures). The handpiece-facing side of the head  14 AA terminates in base  70 . The base  70  preferably has a second receiver  66 B extending from it for engagement with a drive assembly [ 28 B] extending from the face of the handpiece. Further detail regarding this design and its ability to permit the treatment face to float is easily understood by review of  FIG. 19 . 
         [0071]      FIG. 19  is an exploded perspective view of the floating head  14 AA of  FIGS. 18A and 18B . The base  70  has a plurality of mounting stems  39  extending upwardly from it that each preferably have threaded bores formed within them. A screw (not shown) engages each threaded bore to keep the components of the head assembly  14 AA together. 
         [0072]    Centered on the base  70 , a base peg  37  extends upwardly in order to provide support for the biasing element  92 A and the floating drive spindle  76 A. Collectively, the base  70 , base peg  37 , biasing element  92 A and floating drive spindle  76 A are the fourth drive assembly  28 D. The spindle  76 A rests atop the base peg  37  and biasing element  92 A and is retained there by the support cup  34 A. 
         [0073]    The support cup  34 A is preferably made from a pliable material, such as silicone or other suitable material. There is a base ring surrounding an upstanding shoulder rim  79 . The shoulder rim  79  has a spindle aperture  81  formed and sized so that the floating drive spindle  76 A can protrude therethrough, but the aperture  81  is smaller than the diameter of the spindle base  77 , so that the spindle base  77  is captured under the shoulder rim  79 . 
         [0074]    The biasing element  92 A urges the floating drive spindle  76 A upward against the shoulder rim  79 , while still permitting movement downward (towards the base  70 ) so that the drive spindle  76 A will be permitted to float so that the facial brush  9  will follow the contour of the user&#39;s body. The pliability of the support cup  34 A further increases the potential tiltability of the drive spindle  76 A because the shoulder rim  79  will flex and allow additional movement of the spindle base  77 . The perimeter apertures around the base ring of the support cup  34 A are configured to readily line up with the mounting stems  39  extending from the base  70  so that the assembly screws (not shown) can pass through them. 
         [0075]    The support cup  34 A is captured between the base  70  and top cap  43 . The top cap  43  has a shoulder aperture  83  formed in its top side that is sized in order to permit the shoulder rim  79  (and drive spindle  76 A) to protrude through it. A set of perimeter apertures are formed through the top cap  43  to align with the mounting stems  39  so that assembly screws (not shown) will pass through the top cap perimeter apertures, through the support cup perimeter apertures, and then threadedly engage the threaded bores formed in the mounting stems  39  in order to form a clean, aesthetically pleasing assembly. A second receiver  66 B extends from the brush substrate  30 , such that it can engage the floating drive spindle  76 A that is protruding through the spindle aperture  81  and the shoulder aperture  83 . 
         [0076]    Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just-described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.

Technology Classification (CPC): 0