Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US20090087813?dq=7,546,338
Timestamp: 2013-12-21 04:19:54
Document Index: 261926194

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22', 'art 22']

Patent US20090087813 - Bio-activated oral care instrument - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inAdvanced Patent SearchPatentsAn oral care instrument, such as a motorized toothbrush, which activates upon exposure to the oral environment of the user, is described. The electrical conductivity of saliva, optionally mixed with toothpaste and water, may be utilized to complete an electrical circuit that powers a motorized device...http://www.google.com/patents/US20090087813?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US20090087813 - Bio-activated oral care instrumentAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS20090087813 A1Publication typeApplicationApplication numberUS 11/866,078Publication dateApr 2, 2009Filing dateOct 2, 2007Priority dateOct 2, 2007Also published asCA2700863A1, CA2700863C, CN101815481A, CN101815481B, EP2194912A1, US7975341, US8413282, US20110283469, WO2009046039A1Publication number11866078, 866078, US 2009/0087813 A1, US 2009/087813 A1, US 20090087813 A1, US 20090087813A1, US 2009087813 A1, US 2009087813A1, US-A1-20090087813, US-A1-2009087813, US2009/0087813A1, US2009/087813A1, US20090087813 A1, US20090087813A1, US2009087813 A1, US2009087813A1InventorsHeng Cai, Thomas James BoydOriginal AssigneeColgate-Palmolive CompanyExport CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManReferenced by (1), Classifications (11), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetBio-activated oral care instrumentUS 20090087813 A1Abstract An oral care instrument, such as a motorized toothbrush, which activates upon exposure to the oral environment of the user, is described. The electrical conductivity of saliva, optionally mixed with toothpaste and water, may be utilized to complete an electrical circuit that powers a motorized device within the instrument.
1. A motorized toothbrush comprising:
a head carrying cleaning elements; a handle configured to connect to a power source; a motorized device that is activated upon exposure of the toothbrush to an electrolyte solution. 2. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the motorized device causes movement of the head.
3. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the electrolyte solution completes an electrical circuit with a power source.
5. The toothbrush of claim 4, further comprising a power source, the electrical connections being operably connectable to the power source.
8. The toothbrush of claim 1, further comprising electrical conducting elements exposed to an exterior surface of the toothbrush at either the head or a neck that is located between the handle and the head.
9. The toothbrush of claim 8, further comprising electrical connections operably connected to the motorized device, and a switch operably connected to at least one of the electrical connections and the electrical conducting elements to prevent electrical communication between the power source and the motorized device or to complete the electrical circuit even without exposure of the head or neck to the electrolyte solution.
10. The toothbrush of claim 9, wherein the switch has at least three settings associated with interruption of the electrical circuit, completion of the electrical circuit, and conditional completion of the electrical circuit upon exposure of the toothbrush to the electrolyte solution.
11. The toothbrush of claim 8, further comprising a sensing device operably connected to the electrical conducting elements.
12. The toothbrush of claim 11, wherein the sensing device measures conductance between the electrical conducting elements.
13. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the motorized device activates upon exposure of the toothbrush to a threshold conductivity of the electrolyte solution.
14. The toothbrush of claim 11, wherein the threshold conductivity is based on the conductivity of saliva.
15. The toothbrush of claim 14, wherein the threshold conductivity is based on the conductivity of saliva having one or more additional amounts of dissolved ions selected from the group consisting of calcium, phosphate, fluoride, peroxide, and mixtures thereof.
16. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the motorized device activates for a minimum predetermined duration upon exposure of the toothbrush to the electrolyte solution.
17. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the handle includes a cavity and further comprising a battery insertable into the cavity.
18. The toothbrush of claim 17, wherein the cavity contains an electrically conductive sleeve which is open to the rear and closeable by a rear cover.
19. The toothbrush of claim 1, further comprising a switch that is activated to complete an electrical circuit with a power source based on a conductivity or resistivity of the electrolyte solution.
20. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the motorized device is a pump operatively connected to a reservoir and configured to deliver an active agent from the reservoir to outlets in the head.
21. A motorized toothbrush comprising:
a head carrying cleaning elements; a handle including a cavity: a power source received in the cavity of the handle; a motorized device operably connected to the power source; and electrical conducting elements operably connected to the power source and the motorized device; wherein the motorized device is activated upon exposure of the electrical conducting elements to an electrolyte solution. 22. The toothbrush of claim 21, wherein the motorized device is operably connected to the head to cause movement of the head.
23. The toothbrush of claim 21, wherein the motorized device is a pump operatively connected to a reservoir and configured to deliver an active agent from the reservoir to outlets in the head.
24. The toothbrush of claim 21, further comprising a switch operably connected to at least one of the electrical conducting elements and the power source to prevent electrical communication between the power source and the motorized device or to complete the electrical circuit even without exposure of the electrical conducting elements to the electrolyte solution.
25. A motorized toothbrush comprising:
a head carrying cleaning elements; a handle; a power source contained within the handle; a motorized device operably connected to the power source and operably connected to the head; electrical conducting elements operably connected to the power source and the motorized device; and a switch operably connected to at least one of the electrical conducting elements and the power source; wherein the motorized device is activated upon exposure of the electrical conducting elements to an electrolyte solution having a threshold conductivity. Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention pertains to an oral care instrument, such as a motorized toothbrush, which activates upon exposure to the oral environment of the user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Powered oral care instruments such as electric, motorized toothbrushes used to clean teeth are well known. Typically these toothbrushes employ vibrating or rotating motion, or a combination of motions, to effectuate tooth cleaning, whitening, and/or repair. Toothbrushes may also include a motorized activator, such as a pump, for dispensing active agents to one or more outlets.
In the case of an electric toothbrush, for example, activation establishes an electrical circuit which causes movement of the bristles for contacting tooth and soft tissue surfaces, or dispensing of an active agent. The switch is typically located on or near the handle portion of the toothbrush. The primary feature of such a switch is that it remains either in the �on� position or the �off� position until the user manually changes it. The toothbrush motor can be engaged or activated prior to the brush head being placed in the mouth, or the user can wait until the brush head is placed within the mouth before activating the motor.
SUMMARY Aspects of the present invention advantageously exploit particular conditions which are present in the mouth, either continually or at discreet instances during oral care or treatment. The electrical conductivity of saliva, optionally mixed with toothpaste and water, may be utilized to activate or complete an electrical circuit that powers the instrument. The existence of one or more such conditions provides a basis for automatic functioning of the oral care instrument when a portion (e.g., the head, or the head and neck) is placed into the mouth and the condition, or a combination of conditions, is/are detected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The drawings should be understood to present an illustration of various aspects of the invention and/or principles involved, and not to limit the scope of the subject matter as set forth in the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention relates to a bio-active oral care instrument, having the ability to operate automatically, when the instrument or a portion thereof is exposed to one or more conditions, such as the ambient electrical conductivity, existing in the oral environment. Other conditions and combinations of conditions, such as pH, temperature, solute concentrations, etc. could likewise be detected and used as the basis for automatic operation. Furthermore, aspects of the invention are illustrated in the remainder of this disclosure with reference to an electric motorized toothbrush, although it is understood that the operation of any number of oral care instruments, together with the associated advantageous features and/or beneficial effects described herein, could likewise be achieved. Other oral care instruments, for example, include those used in dental drilling, polishing, and grinding; oral suction instruments, oral surgical instruments; and other instruments used in the oral cavity which are powered by motorized devices and especially electrical devices.
Also shown in the particular illustrative embodiment of FIG. 1 is a spring contact 29 for a positive pole of a battery (not shown), which is fitted in the sleeve 20, on a transverse wall 2S, and is electrically connected to the motorized device 11 through the electrical connections 34 and switch 32, which is installed in the sleeve 20 and can be actuated from the outside of the handle 1. Switch 32 may also be, for example, a magnetic switch pulse switch or a pulse switch arranged on a printed circuit board with further electronic components that store the switching state. In other embodiments, closure part 22 can itself act as a switch, such that electrical contact between the power source and motorized device 11 is established or interrupted by turning closure part 22 to alter the position of contact surface 22 b relative to the negative pole of a battery.
It is to be appreciated, as discussed in greater detail below, that switch 32 is not necessary due to the ability of the toothbrush to turn on automatically when in the user's mouth. In some embodiments, therefore, the toothbrush can be �switchless� or �buttonless.�
Switch 32 may be depressed or adjusted by the user to effect a number of operating modes. For example, in �on� and �off� positions or settings, electrical communication or an electrical circuit between the power source and motorized device 11 may be continually established or continually interrupted, respectively. In the former case, for example, the electrical conducting elements 7 may be bypassed to allow continuous operation of motorized device 11, regardless of the presence of a conductive medium between electrical conducting elements 7. Switch 32 may also have a position corresponding to conditional completion of the electrical circuit.
Also as shown in FIG. 1, the closure part 22 is provided with a threaded stub 22 a made of an electrically conductive material, which may be the same material (e.g., a metal such as copper or a conductive plastic) used for the electrical conducting elements 7, electrical connections 34, spring contact 29, and/or sleeve 20. Closure part 22 can be screwed into the handle 1 and/or into the sleeve 20 by way of said threaded stub 22 a. The threaded stub 22 a is provided with a contact surface 22 b which, with the closure part 22 screwed in, comes into abutment against the negative pole of a battery (not shown) when inserted into the sleeve 20. During operation of the motorized toothbrush, this negative pole is electrically connected to motorized device 11 via the threaded stub 22 a, the sleeve 20 itself, and electrical connections 34 connecting sleeve 20 to motorized device 11. It would also be possible, instead of through the use of sleeve 20, for the power from the negative pole to be transmitted in some other way, for example using wires or electrically conductive plastic tracks. Instead of the rear closure part 22 being screwed to the handle 1, it would, of course, also be possible to have some other type of releasable connection (e.g. plug-in connection, bayonet connection, etc.) and a corresponding configuration of the contact part interacting with the negative pole of the battery.
One representative characteristic of the oral environment which differs significantly from the surrounding or ambient �non-use� environment is electrical conductivity, which increases directionally with the concentration of electrolytes in the surrounding medium (e.g., saliva). In some embodiments, this �non-use� environment may even include rinsing or submersing the portion of the instrument that is normally placed in the mouth (e.g., the head 5 of the toothbrush) in water (e.g., for pre-wetting or rinsing purposes), since the electrical conductivity of saliva is higher than that of water. This difference can thus be utilized to allow the instrument to �detect� when it is being used and thereby operate in an automatic mode.
Additionally, the combination of water, saliva, and dentifrice (e.g., toothpaste or other ingredient that is generated in the mouth during use of the instrument often affords even a significantly higher electrical conductivity than saliva alone. This is due to the generation of ions, often in large concentrations, from typical oral care products, including tooth fluoridating, whitening, and/or remineralization products which contain or form aqueous cations, such as sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), calcium (Ca+2), magnesium (Mg+2), iron (Fe+3), etc. and anions, such as phosphate (PO4 −3), diphosphate (P2O7 −4), carbonate (CO3 −2), fluoride (F−), chloride (Cl−), etc.
In an �auto� position or setting, motorized device 1 is powered by the power source only in the event that sufficient electrical conductivity (e.g., a threshold level of conductivity, or sufficiently low resistance) exists between electrical conducting elements 7 in the neck 4. The required electrical conductivity, as needed for the �conditional completion� of the electrical circuit to power motorized device it, may be provided, for example, by an electrolyte solution containing ions (e.g., calcium, phosphate, fluoride, or peroxide ions) such as that generated from a combination of saliva, water, and toothpaste existing in the oral environment during use. When the electrical conductivity between conducting elements 7 is no longer present, the electrical circuit is incomplete, thereby deactivating motorized device 11. Thus, in an �auto� or automatic operating mode, motorized device 11 will not be activated when the toothbrush is stored since air is the medium between electrical conducting elements 7. According to some embodiments, when the brush is being rinsed outside the mouth, the water between electrical conducting elements 7 will not have sufficient electrical conductivity to activate motorized device 11.
In this manner, the automatic functioning of the oral care instrument can be made more or less sensitive to the particular conditions or conditions associated with the environment in which the instrument is used (i.e., the �use� condition(s) required to activate the instrument). It is also possible that the sensitivity of the instrument can be adjusted by, set by, or tailored to, the user (e.g., to avoid either activation of the instrument during �non-use� conditions or non-activation during �use� conditions) and thereby ensure effective functioning of the instrument in automatic mode.
As discussed above, the ability of a dental instrument to �activate� (e.g., to turn on a motor) when exposed to the environment in which it is used (e.g., an electrolyte solution in the mouth) can obviate the need for an �on/off� switch or button, creating a simplified operation.
Referenced byCiting PatentFiling datePublication dateApplicantTitleWO2011077290A1 *Nov 22, 2010Jun 30, 2011Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Toothbrush with automatic actuation* Cited by examinerClassifications U.S. Classification433/89, 15/22.1International ClassificationA46B13/04, A61C17/00Cooperative ClassificationA46B13/02, A61C1/0015, A61C17/227, A61C17/221European ClassificationA61C17/22C, A61C17/22H2, A46B13/02Legal EventsDateCodeEventDescriptionOct 2, 2007ASAssignmentOwner name: COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY, NEW YORKFree format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CAI, HENG;BOYD, THOMAS JAMES;REEL/FRAME:019909/0045;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070911 TO 20070926Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:CAI, HENG;BOYD, THOMAS JAMES;SIGNING DATES FROM 20070911TO 20070926;REEL/FRAME:019909/0045RotateOriginal ImageGoogle Home - Sitemap - USPTO Bulk Downloads - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - About Google Patents - Send FeedbackData provided by IFI CLAIMS Patent Services©2012 Google