Patent Description:
The onset of facial hair growth typically begins during puberty along with acne. Some consumers avoid shaving because of the difficulties and concerns with shaving acne prone skin, especially with wet shaving razors. The use of light energy to promote healing and skin treatment such as photo rejuvenation and so-called anti-aging is known. Several commercial devices including the WARP <NUM> marketed by WARP THERAPY; the DERMASTYLE SKIN REJUVENATOR marketed by LUMIPORT; the LED SKIN PHOTO REJUVENATION LIGHT marketed by LIGHT THERAPY PRODUCTS and devices marketed by OMNlLUX utilize light emitting diodes (LEDs) of diverse wavelengths for different effects. Blue light in the approximate range of <NUM>-<NUM> nanometer (nm) wavelength spectrum has been effective in treating acne and can be microbicidal. For example, Positively Clear Acne Clearing Blue Light by TRIA BEAUTY®. Visible and near infra-red red light in the approximate range of <NUM>-<NUM> wavelength spectrum has proved helpful in wound care and the reduction of wrinkles and age spots. An important aspect of these light energy devices is that the power output is less than that of devices used for hair removal, for example, <CIT> being representative of disclosing light energy devices for hair removal and hair growth inhibition.

Shaving razors have been proposed that incorporate a light energy source that provides a beneficial effect to the skin of the user in a shaving razor. However, the size of the shaving razor cartridge is relatively small. Accordingly, the light energy source may generate heat that the shaving razor cartridge is unable to dissipate and/or control in a safe and efficient manner. In addition, the light energy source may be harmful if it is inadvertently exposed to the eyes. The application of light energy during a shaving stroke creates other issues, such as higher power LED may be used to compensate for the relatively small footprint of the razor as well as short contact time (e.g., time during a single shaving stroke). Accordingly, there is a need to provide a shaving razor capable of delivering safe and reliable light energy without burning the skin.

<CIT> discusses a laser depilation probe that may have a safety razor attached to a tip of the probe.

The invention provides a skin treatment personal care device according to the claims.

The invention features, according to claim <NUM>, a skin treatment personal care with a handle having a gripping portion at one end and a head portion at an opposing end. The head portion includes a heat dissipating housing having a top surface and defines a pocket. The heat dissipating housing is made of a material having a thermal diffusivity greater than <NUM> W / m K. A light emitting diode adapted to provide one or more skin benefits is positioned within in the pocket. A window forms a water tight seal covering the LED. The skin treatment personal care device further comprises a shaving razor cartridge mounted to the heat dissipating housing.

While the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter that is regarded as the present invention, it is believed that the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, one possible embodiment of the present disclosure is shown illustrating a skin treatment personal care device <NUM>, such as a shaving razor. The skin treatment personal care device <NUM> includes a shaving razor cartridge <NUM> mounted to a handle <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. However, not within the scope of the claimed invention, it is understood other treatment heads may alternatively be mounted to the handle <NUM>, such as, a toothbrush or an applicator. The shaving razor cartridge <NUM> may be fixedly or pivotably mounted to the handle <NUM>. The handle <NUM> includes a gripping portion <NUM> that holds a power source, such as one or more batteries (not shown) that supply power to a light bar assembly <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the light bar assembly <NUM> may comprise one or more light emitting diodes (LEDS) <NUM>. The LED (or LEDs) are positioned to face the skin of the user when the light bar assembly <NUM> is mounted to the shaving razor cartridge <NUM> and the user takes a shaving stroke. For example, the light bar assembly <NUM> may extend into one or more openings <NUM> (<FIG>) defined by a housing <NUM> of the shaving razor cartridge <NUM>.

The light energy emitted by the LED has at least one wavelength in the range <NUM>-<NUM>. At least one wavelength in the range <NUM>-<NUM> has also been found to be beneficial. Each LED may have a power consumption more than <NUM> mW, more preferably more than <NUM> mW, and a radiant power more than <NUM> mW, more preferably more than <NUM> mW. The light energy emitted by the LED provides at least one of acne treatment; bactericidal effects; repair of photodamage; anti-aging effects; reduction of scarring and wound healing, including healing wounds or other skin damage caused by shaving.

The shaving razor cartridge <NUM> may be permanently attached or removably mounted from the handle <NUM>, thus allowing the shaving razor cartridge <NUM> to be replaced. <FIG> illustrates the shaving razor cartridge <NUM> removed from the handle <NUM>. The housing <NUM> of the shaving razor cartridge <NUM> may have include a guard <NUM>, a cap <NUM> and one or more blades <NUM> mounted to the housing <NUM> between the cap <NUM> and the guard <NUM>. The guard <NUM> may be toward a front portion of the housing <NUM> and the cap <NUM> may be toward a rear portion of the housing <NUM> (i.e., the guard <NUM> is in front of the blades <NUM> and the cap <NUM> is behind the blades <NUM>). The guard <NUM> and the cap <NUM> may define a shaving plane that is tangent to the guard <NUM> and the cap <NUM>. The guard <NUM> may be a solid or segmented bar that extends generally parallel to the blades <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the light bar assembly <NUM> may be positioned in front of the guard <NUM>. However, it is understood the light bar assembly may be positioned anywhere on the housing <NUM> (e.g., at the rear of the housing <NUM>, near the cap <NUM>). The light bar assembly <NUM> may comprise an outer surface <NUM> that contacts a consumer's skin during a shaving stroke. The light bar assembly <NUM> may be mounted to a head portion <NUM> of the handle <NUM>. The light emitting diodes <NUM> may be recessed within the light bar assembly <NUM> (e.g., spaced apart from the outer surface <NUM>).

In certain embodiments, the blades <NUM> may be mounted to the housing <NUM> and secured by one or more clips <NUM>. Other assembly methods known to those skilled in the art may also be used to secure and/or mount the blades <NUM> to the housing <NUM> including, but not limited to, wire wrapping, cold forming, hot staking, insert molding, ultrasonic welding, and adhesives. The clips <NUM> may comprise a metal, such as aluminum for conducting heat and acting as a sacrificial anode to help prevent corrosion of the blades <NUM>. Although five blades <NUM> are shown, the housing <NUM> may have more or fewer blades <NUM> depending on the desired performance and cost of the shaving razor cartridge <NUM>.

In certain embodiments, it may be desirable to provide light in front of the blades <NUM>. For example, the light bar assembly <NUM> may be positioned in front of the guard <NUM> and/or the skin engaging member <NUM>. As will be described in greater detail below, the light bar assembly <NUM> may be mounted to the housing <NUM> and in communication with the power source (not shown) via a printed circuit board (PCB) <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the printed circuit board (PCB) <NUM> may be flexible to facilitate movement of the shaving razor cartridge <NUM>. The light emitting diodes <NUM> may be mounted to the printed circuit board <NUM> and operatively coupled to the power source.

The cap <NUM> may be a separate molded (e.g., a shaving aid filled reservoir) or extruded component (e.g., an extruded lubrication strip) that is mounted to the housing <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the cap <NUM> may be a plastic or metal bar to support the skin and define the shaving plane. The cap <NUM> may be molded or extruded from the same material as the housing <NUM> or may be molded or extruded from a more lubricious shaving aid composite that has one or more water-leachable shaving aid materials to provide increased comfort during shaving. The shaving aid composite may comprise a water-insoluble polymer and a skin-lubricating water-soluble polymer. Suitable water-insoluble polymers which may be used include, but are not limited to, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, butadiene-styrene copolymer (e.g., medium and high impact polystyrene), polyacetal, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer and blends such as polypropylene/polystyrene blend, may have a high impact polystyrene (i.e., Polystyrene-butadiene), such as Mobil <NUM> (Mobil Corporation).

Suitable skin lubricating water-soluble polymers may include polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyacrylamide, hydroxypropyl cellulose, polyvinyl imidazoline, and polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate. Other water-soluble polymers may include the polyethylene oxides generally known as POLYOX (available from Union Carbide Corporation) or ALKOX (available from Meisei Chemical Works, Kyota, Japan). These polyethylene oxides may have molecular weights of about <NUM>,<NUM> to <NUM> million, for example, about <NUM>,<NUM> to <NUM> million. The polyethylene oxide may comprise a blend of about <NUM> to <NUM>% of polyethylene oxide having an average molecular weight of about <NUM> million (e.g., POLYOX COAGULANT) and about <NUM> to <NUM>% of polyethylene oxide having an average molecular weight of about <NUM>,<NUM> (e.g., POLYOX WSR-N-<NUM>). The polyethylene oxide blend may also contain up to about <NUM>% by weight of a low molecular weight (i.e., MW<<NUM>,<NUM>) polyethylene glycol such as PEG-<NUM>.

The shaving aid composite may also optionally include an inclusion complex of a skin-soothing agent with a cylcodextrin, low molecular weight water-soluble release enhancing agents such as polyethylene glycol (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM>% by weight), water-swellable release enhancing agents such as cross-linked polyacrylics (e.g., <NUM>-<NUM>% by weight), colorants, antioxidants, preservatives, microbicidal agents, beard softeners, astringents, depilatories, medicinal agents, conditioning agents, moisturizers, cooling agents, etc..

Referring to <FIG>, a cross section view of the skin treatment personal care device is shown, taken generally along the line <NUM>-<NUM>- of <FIG>. The handle <NUM> may hold a battery <NUM> to supply power to the light bar assembly <NUM>. A power switch <NUM> (e.g., a button) may be provided on the handle <NUM> to turn power on and off to the light bar assembly <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the power switch <NUM> may be illuminated to indicate the status of the light bar <NUM>. The battery <NUM> may be operatively coupled to a control circuit <NUM> to regulate power to the light bar assembly <NUM>. As will be explained in greater detail below, the control circuit may turn off power to the light bar assembly <NUM> if the temperature of the light bar assembly <NUM> exceeds a first predetermined temperature. In certain embodiments, the first temperature may be approximately <NUM> degrees Celsius, for example, about <NUM> degrees Celsius to <NUM> degrees Celsius. The control circuit <NUM> may also switch power back to the light bar assembly <NUM> once the temperature of the light bar assembly falls back below a second predetermined temperature, which may be less than the first predetermined temperature. In certain embodiments, the second temperate may be about <NUM> degrees Celsius to about <NUM> degrees Celsius. In other embodiments, the control circuit <NUM> may only switch the power on if the temperature sensed is less than the first predetermined temperature.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, a perspective view and an assembly view of the light bar assembly <NUM> is illustrated. According to the invention, the head portion <NUM> includes a heat dissipating housing <NUM> defining one or more pockets <NUM>. The light emitting diode <NUM> is positioned with the pocket(s) <NUM>. A considerable amount of heat may be produced by the light emitting diodes <NUM>, which can result in discomfort, pain or potential injury to a user. As will be explained in greater detail below, the light bar assembly <NUM> may include one or more thermal sensors <NUM> that send a signal to the control circuit <NUM> (<FIG>) to turn off power to the light emitting diodes <NUM> if a predetermined threshold temperature is reached to prevent burning the skin of a user. Thermal sensors provide a good safety mechanism for light emitting diode(s) <NUM>, but turning power off or reducing power to the light emitting diode(s) <NUM> may cause the skin treatment personal care device to be inefficient. For example, if the power to the light emitting diode(s) is constantly switched off and on during use, the light emitting diode(s) may not transmit a sufficient amount of energy to result in the desired skin benefit. To keep the light emitting diodes <NUM> switched on as much as possible during use, i.e. without the light bar assembly <NUM> heating up beyond the first predetermined temperature, it may be desirable to dissipate as much of the heat generated by the LEDs <NUM> to the surrounding area. During use of the skin treatment the personal care device <NUM>, the largest heat sink that is coupled through close contact to the light bar assembly <NUM> is typically the skin of the user. Therefore it may be desirable to provide a construction and selection of materials for the light bar assembly <NUM> that enables rapid transport of heat from the LEDs <NUM> to the user's skin. The heat dissipating housing <NUM> of the light bar assembly <NUM> comprises a material having a thermal conductivity greater than <NUM> W/ m K. This may facilitate a high rate of transfer of heat from the hot end (the LED contacting side) to the cold end (the skin contacting side). Examples of materials that have sufficient thermal conductivity may include, but are not limited to aluminum, copper, steel, or thermally conducting polymers such as Coolpoly E8101. Below are listed examples of various materials with respective thermal conductivity.

Referring to <FIG>, an assembly view of the light bar assembly <NUM> is illustrated. The light emitting diode(s) <NUM> may be mounted to and in electrical communication with the printed circuit board <NUM>. The thermal sensor(s) <NUM> may be mounted to and in electrical communication with the printed circuit board <NUM>. The printed circuit board <NUM> may transfer power and/or electrical signals to and from the power source <NUM> (<FIG>) and the control circuit <NUM> (<FIG>) as well as to the light emitting diode(s) <NUM> and the thermal sensor(s) <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the thermal sensor(s) <NUM> may be positioned between a pair of light emitting diodes <NUM> for improved accuracy. A plurality of thermal sensors <NUM> may be positioned between and adjacent to a pair of the thermal sensors <NUM> to facilitate more accurate temperature readings of the heat dissipating housing <NUM>. For an additional level of safety, multiple thermal sensors <NUM> positioned between the light emitting diodes <NUM> may provide a level redundancy in case one or more of the thermal sensors <NUM> fail. If the sensor(s) <NUM> identify that the first predetermined temperature is reached, the control circuit <NUM> may turn power to the LED(s) <NUM> off, turn power to the LED(s) <NUM> from continuous to intermittent (e.g., so the LED(s) <NUM> blink), or reduce power to the LED(s).

The printed circuit board <NUM> may be mounted to a chassis <NUM>. The chassis <NUM> may be manufactured from steel, aluminum, copper or polymeric material. The chassis <NUM> may have a top surface <NUM> and front surface <NUM>. A top portion <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM> may be positioned on the top surface <NUM> of the chassis <NUM> and a front portion <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM> may be positioned against the front surface <NUM> of the chassis <NUM>. In certain embodiments, adhesive may be used to secure the printed circuit board to the chassis <NUM>. The positioning of the front portion <NUM> and the top portion <NUM> on the chassis <NUM> may facilitate the securing process (e.g., movement of the circuit board <NUM> is limited during securing). The thermal sensor(s) <NUM> and/or the light emitting diode(s) may be mounted to the top portion <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM> either before or after the printed circuit board <NUM> is secured to the chassis <NUM>.

The printed circuit board <NUM> may be captured between the chassis <NUM> and the heat dissipating housing <NUM>. The heat dissipating housing <NUM> may be mounted over the printed circuit board <NUM> and the chassis <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the heat dissipating housing <NUM> may be mounted over both the top portion <NUM> and the front portion <NUM> of the printed circuit board <NUM>. Similarly, the heat dissipating housing <NUM> may be mounted over both the top surface <NUM> and the front surface <NUM> of the chassis <NUM>. One or more retaining member(s) <NUM> may extend through a respective opening(s) <NUM> in the chassis <NUM> and into the heat dissipating housing <NUM> to secure the chassis <NUM> to the heat dissipating housing <NUM>. The pockets <NUM> of the heat dissipating housing <NUM> may be positioned around respective light emitting diodes <NUM>. The heat dissipating housing <NUM> may have one or more sensor pads <NUM>. The sensor pad(s) <NUM> may be positioned between a pair of pockets <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the sensor pad(s) <NUM> may rest on top (e.g., in contact) of the thermal sensor(s) <NUM> to give an accurate temperature reading of the temperature of the heat dissipating housing <NUM>. As will be described in greater detail below, one or more window(s) <NUM> may be mounted to the heat dissipating housing <NUM> to cover the pockets <NUM> and thus the light emitting diodes <NUM>. The window(s) <NUM> may provide a water tight seal to prevent water ingress into the pockets <NUM>.

The window(s) <NUM> may be translucent or transparent for the light emitted by the light emitting diodes <NUM> to reach the skin. The window(s) <NUM> may comprise glass, polycarbonate and other translucent or transparent polymers. In the case of certain transparent polymers, e.g. acrylate, silicone or epoxy, the polymer may be filled into the pockets while in a liquid state and then cured to form solid transparent or translucent window(s) <NUM>. In certain embodiments, the window(s) <NUM> may comprises a transparent or translucent material that also aids the dissipation of heat to the skin, such as sapphire glass. Sapphire glass may be preferred over glass (e.g., silicon dioxide) because of its improved thermal properties to facilitate the dissipation of heat. In certain embodiments, the window(s) <NUM> may be have a thermal conductivity greater than about <NUM> W / m K.

Referring to <FIG>, a cross sectional view of the light bar assembly <NUM> is illustrated, taken generally along the line <NUM>-<NUM> of <FIG>. As previously discussed, one or more of the light emitting diode(s) <NUM> are positioned within one of the respective pocket(s) <NUM> of the heat dissipating housing <NUM>. A top surface <NUM> of the light emitting diode(s) <NUM> may be recessed a distance of "d1" relative to a top surface <NUM> of the heat dissipating housing <NUM> to facilitate light beam formation. In certain embodiments, the distance d1 may be about <NUM> to about <NUM>. The distance "d1" may also represent a thickness of the window <NUM>. One or more sides <NUM> of the light emitting diode(s) <NUM> may be positioned a distance d2 from an inner side wall <NUM> of the heat dissipating housing <NUM> to facilitate water sealing of the light emitting diode(s) <NUM>. For example, d2 may be about <NUM> to about <NUM>. Accordingly, the window <NUM> may be positioned to face more than one side of the light emitting diode(s) <NUM>. The window <NUM> may be secured to the heat dissipating housing <NUM> with a filler or an adhesive. Alternatively, the window <NUM> may comprise a transparent filler (e.g., an adhesive such as Epo-Tek <NUM>, which is also safe to use in contact with skin, or silicone rubber). Accordingly, the transparent filler may allow for light to be transmitted through the window <NUM> to provide one or more skin benefits in addition to providing a water tight seal and facilitate the dissipation of heat from the light emitting diode(s) <NUM>.

For example, a dimension disclosed as "<NUM>" is intended to mean "about <NUM>".

Claim 1:
A skin treatment personal care device (<NUM>) comprising:
a handle (<NUM>) having a gripping portion (<NUM>) at one end and a head portion (<NUM>) at an opposing end, the head portion includes a heat dissipating housing (<NUM>) defining a pocket (<NUM>) and having a top surface (<NUM>), the heat dissipating housing comprising a material having a thermal diffusivity greater than <NUM> W / m K;
a light emitting diode (<NUM>) positioned within the pocket adapted to provide one or more skin benefits; and
a window (<NUM>) forming a water tight seal covering the light emitting diode, characterized in that the skin treatment personal care device (<NUM>) further comprises a shaving razor cartridge (<NUM>) mounted to the heat dissipating housing (<NUM>).