A toothbrush is used to clean the teeth by removing plaque and debris from the tooth surfaces. Toothbrushes have a handle for gripping and a head which is inserted into a user's mouth for tooth and oral surface cleaning. The head typically has bristles formed of nylon and sometimes also cleaning elements formed from elastomeric materials to perform the cleaning function. Furthermore, some toothbrushes have been developed that include a tongue or soft tissue cleanser formed of an elastomeric material on the opposite surface of the head relative to the bristles. A great deal of innovation goes into the design of each toothbrush in order to have desirable aesthetic appeal while also improving the effectiveness of the toothbrush at performing its cleaning function. In current oral hygiene trends, toothbrushes are being developed that provide oral care benefits in addition to basic tooth cleaning. A need exists for a toothbrush or other oral care implement that has aesthetically pleasing and attractive features while still being effective at removing bacteria from a user's teeth and that offers an additional oral care benefit.
The present invention may be directed, in one aspect, to an oral care implement having a handle, a head, and at least one movable cleaning element coupled to the head. The movable cleaning element may be used as an interdental cleaner. The movable cleaning element may be positioned within a loop formed by fixed cleaning elements on the head. The movable cleaning element may be coupled to an actuator that moves the movable cleaning element between a first position wherein a distal tip of the movable cleaning element is spaced a first distance from a front surface of the head and a second position wherein the distal tip of the movable cleaning element is spaced a second distance from the front surface of the head, the second distance being greater than the first distance. The movable cleaning element may maintain the first and second positions until subsequent actuation of the actuator.
In one embodiment, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: a handle and a head, the head having a front surface and an opposing rear surface; a plurality of cleaning elements extending from the front surface of the head, the plurality of cleaning elements comprising a plurality of fixed tooth cleaning elements and a movable interdental cleaning element; an actuator operably coupled to the movable interdental cleaning element to move the movable interdental cleaning element between: (1) a first position in which a distal tip of the movable interdental cleaning element is spaced a first distance from the front surface of the head; and (2) a second position in which the distal tip of the movable interdental cleaning element is spaced a second distance from the front surface of the head, the second distance being greater than the first distance; and wherein actuation of the actuator selectably alters the movable interdental cleaning element between one of the first and second positions, the movable interdental cleaning element being maintained in each of the first and second positions upon being selected after cessation of an actuation force of the actuator.
In another embodiment, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: a handle and a head, the head having a front surface and an opposing rear surface; a plurality of cleaning elements extending from the front surface of the head, the plurality of cleaning elements comprising a subset of cleaning elements that form a loop and at least one movable cleaning element positioned within the loop; an actuator operably coupled to the movable cleaning element to move the movable cleaning element between: (1) a first position in which a distal tip of the movable cleaning element is spaced a first distance from the front surface of the head; and (2) a second position in which the distal tip of the movable cleaning element is spaced a second distance from the front surface of the head, the second distance being greater than the first distance.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.
The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles of the present invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated as such. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated by reference to the exemplified embodiments. Accordingly, the invention expressly should not be limited to such exemplary embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the invention being defined by the claims appended hereto.
As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range. Any value within the range can be selected as the terminus of the range. In addition, all references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. In the event of a conflict in a definition in the present disclosure and that of a cited reference, the present disclosure controls.
Referring first to
In the exemplified embodiment, the oral care implement 100 comprises a handle 110 and a head 120. The handle 110 extends from a proximal end 101 of the oral care implement 100 to a distal end 102 of the handle 110. Thus, in the exemplified embodiment the handle 110 includes the portion of the oral care implement 100 that is gripped during use and a neck of the oral care implement 100 that forms the transition region between the handle 110 and the head 120. The handle 110 is an elongated structure that provides the mechanism by which the user can hold and manipulate the oral care implement 100 during use. In the exemplified embodiment, the handle 110 is generically depicted having various contours for user comfort. Of course, the invention is not to be limited by the specific shape illustrated for the handle 110 in all embodiments and in certain other embodiments the handle 110 can take on a wide variety of shapes, contours, and configurations, none of which are limiting of the present invention unless so specified in the claims. The handle 110 may be formed of one or more rigid plastic materials such as for example without limitation polymers and copolymers of ethylene, propylene, butadiene, vinyl compounds, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), polyurethane, polyamide, cellulosic, acrylic, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), or the like. An thermoplastic elastomer or other elastomeric material may be overmolded or otherwise adhered/affixed to the handle 110 to enhance the grip-ability of the handle 110 and prevent hand slippage during use.
The head 120 of the oral care implement 100 is coupled to the handle 110 and comprises a front surface 121 and an opposing rear surface 122. The head 120 extends from the distal end 102 of the handle 110 to a distal end 103 of the head 120. In the exemplified embodiment, a plurality of cleaning elements 115 are coupled to and extend from the head 120, and more specifically from the front surface 121 of the head 120. The term “cleaning elements” is used in a generic sense to refer to any structure that can be used to clean, polish, or wipe the teeth and/or soft oral tissue (e.g. tongue, cheek, gums, etc.) through relative surface contact. Common examples of “cleaning elements” include, without limitation, bristle tufts, filament bristles, fiber bristles, nylon bristles, spiral bristles, tapered bristles, rubber bristles, elastomeric lamella, elastomeric protrusions, flexible polymer protrusions, combinations thereof and/or structures containing such materials or combinations. The cleaning elements may include tapered bristles, non-tapered (i.e., end rounded) bristles, and combinations thereof. Any combination of the various types of tooth cleaning elements may be used on the oral care implement 100 in different embodiments. Some specific arrangements of the cleaning elements 115 are described herein as forming a part of an exemplary embodiment of the oral care implement 100.
In the exemplified embodiment, the plurality of cleaning elements 115 comprises a plurality of tooth cleaning elements 118 and at least one movable cleaning element 130. Although in the exemplified embodiment the movable cleaning element 130 is a single cleaning element, it may be more than one cleaning element in other embodiments. In the exemplified embodiment the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 118 includes bristle tufts 116 and elastomeric elements 117. Of course, in some embodiments the tooth cleaning elements 118 may include only bristle tufts 116 without also including elastomeric elements 117 and vice versa. In certain embodiments the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 118 are fixed to the head 120 or non-movable relative to the head 120 and the at least one movable cleaning element 130 is movable relative to the head 120 as described in more detail below. More specifically, in such embodiments the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 118 have distal tips that are located at a fixed distance from the front surface 121 of the head 120 and a distance between a distal tip of the movable cleaning element 130 and the front surface 121 of the head 120 may be adjusted to achieve a specific type of oral hygiene activity. In certain embodiments the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 118 may be referred to herein as fixed tooth cleaning elements and the at least one movable cleaning element 130 may be referred to herein as an interdental cleaning element. In certain embodiments the tooth cleaning elements 118 are intended to clean the surfaces of a user's teeth and the movable cleaning element 130 is intended to clean the spaces between a user's teeth either before or after tooth brushing as described herein below.
When included on the head 120, each of the bristle tufts 116 comprises a plurality of bristles that extend together from a single tuft hole formed into the head 120 (or head plate). In embodiments that use elastomeric elements as one or more of the cleaning elements 115, suitable elastomeric materials may include any biocompatible resilient material suitable for uses in an oral hygiene apparatus. To provide optimum comfort as well as cleaning benefits, the elastomeric material of any such tooth or soft tissue engaging elements may have a hardness property in the range of A8 to A25 Shore hardness. One suitable elastomeric material is styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene block copolymer (SEBS) manufactured by GLS Corporation. Nevertheless, SEBS material from other manufacturers or other materials within and outside the noted hardness range could be used. The cleaning elements 115 may be coupled to the head 120 using any technique known in the art, such as stapling, anchor free tufting, in-mold tufting, AMR, or the like. The invention is not to be limited by the manner in which the cleaning elements 115 are coupled to the head 120 in all embodiments.
As discussed above, in the exemplified embodiment the plurality of cleaning elements 115 extend from the front surface 121 of the head 120. A tongue or soft tissue cleaner (depicted in
Referring to
In the specific embodiment exemplified, as noted above the plurality of cleaning elements 115 comprises the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 118 that includes bristle tufts 116 and elastomeric elements 117. In the exemplified embodiment the bristle tufts 116 make up most of the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 118 with the exception of three subsets of tooth cleaning elements 118 that form loops 123, 124, 125 positioned along the longitudinal axis A-A of the head 120. In the exemplified embodiment the three subsets of tooth cleaning elements 118 that form the loops 123, 124, 125 are formed by elastomeric elements 117. Of course, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and in certain other embodiments the loops 123, 124, 125 may be formed by bristle tufts instead of elastomeric elements. Furthermore, in alternative embodiments one or more of the tooth cleaning elements 118 illustrated as bristle tufts in the figures could instead be formed of elastomeric elements.
Referring still to
In the exemplified embodiment, the movable cleaning element 130 is positioned within the loop 123 and extends along the central axis C-C. Thus, in the exemplified embodiment the arcuate elastomeric elements 117 that form the loop 123 surround the movable cleaning element 130. Furthermore, the arcuate elastomeric elements 117 that form the loop 123 are spaced apart from the movable cleaning element 130 about the entirety of the circumference or perimeter of the movable cleaning element 130. During use of the oral care implement 100 to clean a user's teeth in the conventional manner, dentifrice and other cleaning materials and agents may partially fill in the space within the loop 123 between the movable cleaning element 130 and the arcuate elastomeric elements 117. As noted briefly above and discussed in more detail below, the movable cleaning element 130 is capable of moving relative to the head 120 such that the distance between the distal tip of the movable cleaning element 130 and the front surface 121 of the head 120 can be adjusted. As the movable cleaning element 130 is moved upwardly and the distal tip is moved further from the front surface 121 of the head 120, the movable cleaning element 130 will retain and carry some of the dentifrice (or other cleaning material or agent) from within the loop 123 such that it may be applied to a user's interdental spaces during cleaning with the movable cleaning element 130. This will enhance the cleaning effect on the interproximal tooth surfaces during use of the movable cleaning element 130.
The loop 124 is formed by two spaced apart arcuate elastomeric elements 117 and the loop 125 is formed by three spaced apart arcuate elastomeric elements 117. In the exemplified embodiment, each of the loops 124, 125 surrounds a tuft of bristles or a fixed tooth cleaning element. Of course, in other embodiments each of the loops 124, 125 may surround a movable cleaning element, or there may not be any cleaning element within the loops 124, 125. In some embodiments a movable cleaning element may be located within any of one or more of the loops 123, 124, 125. Thus, various modifications to the cleaning element pattern are possible and within the scope of the present application.
Referring to
The second distance D2 may be between 2 mm and 10 mm greater than the first distance D1, or between 2 mm and 8 mm greater than the first distance D1, or between 2 mm and 6 mm greater than the first distance D1, or between 2 mm and 4 mm greater than the first distance D1, or the like. In certain embodiments the second distance D2 may be approximately 4 mm greater than the first distance D1 such that the movable cleaning element 130 raises 4 mm when transitioning from the first position to the second position. Of course, the movable cleaning element 130 may raise or extend to distances outside of the ranges provided herein in other embodiments. In one specific embodiment the movable cleaning element 130 extends between 8 mm and 10 mm further from the head in the second position than in the first position.
In the exemplified embodiment, a tallest one of the fixed tooth cleaning elements 118 (the bristle tufts 116 and the elastomeric elements 117) is spaced a third distance D3 from the front surface 121 of the head 120. In this embodiment, the third distance D3 is greater than the first distance D1 and less than the second distance D2. In certain embodiments the second distance D2 is between 2 mm and 5 mm greater than the third distance D3, although the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments. Furthermore, as discussed above, in the exemplified embodiment the movable cleaning element 130 is located within the loop 123. In this embodiment the loop 123 terminates in a distal surface 126 that is spaced a fourth distance D4 from the front surface 121 of the head 120. In the exemplified embodiment the fourth distance D4 is less than each of the first and second distances D1, D2 such that the movable cleaning element 130 extends further from the front surface 121 of the head 120 than the cleaning elements that form the loop 123 in both the first and second positions. Of course, in other embodiments the fourth distance D4 may be greater than the first distance D1 and less than the second distance D2.
Thus, the movable cleaning element 130 is capable of being moved or adjusted between the first and second positions such that the distance that the distal tip 131 of the movable cleaning element 130 extends from the front surface 121 of the head 120 can be adjusted. In the first position the movable cleaning element 130 extends from the front surface 121 of the head 120 a distance similar to the other cleaning elements 115 on the head 120. In the second position the movable cleaning element 130 extends from the front surface 121 of the head 120 a distance that is greater than the distance that any other cleaning element 115 extends. Thus, in the first position the movable cleaning element 130 functions in a similar manner to the other cleaning elements 115 on the head for teeth cleaning or the like. In the second position, the movable cleaning element 130 may be used independently as an interdental cleaner (such as an interproximal pick or brush) to clean the spaces between adjacent ones of a user's teeth (see
In order to facilitate the movement of the movable cleaning element 130, the oral care implement 100 comprises an actuator. There are several different mechanisms that may be used to facilitate the movement of the movable cleaning element 130, a few non-limiting examples of which will be described herein below with reference to
Referring to
In this embodiment, the head 120 comprises a cavity 129 between the front and rear surfaces 121, 122 thereof. The actuator 150 comprises a switch 151, a first button 160, and a second button 161. In the exemplified embodiment, the switch 151 may be a rocker switch, the details of which are described herein below. However, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and the switch 151 may be any other type of switch including, without limitation, a leaf spring switch, a slide switch, a toggle switch, a thumbwheel switch, a key switch, a tile switch, a rotary switch, a snap action switch, or the like.
In the exemplified embodiment, the switch 151 is positioned within the cavity 129. The switch 151 comprises a pivot point 152, a first leg 153 extending from the pivot point 152 in a first direction, and a second leg 154 extending from the pivot point 152 in a second direction that is opposite the first direction. In the exemplified embodiment, each of the first and second legs 153, 154 is a V-shaped leg having two sections that intersect to form the apex of the V. Of course, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments. In the exemplified embodiment the first button 161 is operably coupled to the first leg 153 of the switch 151 and the second button 162 is operably coupled to the second leg 154 of the switch 151. Furthermore, the first leg 153 is operably coupled to the movable cleaning element 130 to facilitate movement of the movable cleaning element 130 as described in greater detail below. In the exemplified embodiment the first leg 153 is directly coupled to the movable cleaning element 130 to facilitate the movement of the movable cleaning element 130.
In the exemplified embodiment, each of the first and second buttons 161, 162 is located on the rear surface 122 of the head 120. Of course, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments and the first and second buttons 161, 162 may be located on the neck, on the handle 110, or otherwise in other embodiments. In the exemplified embodiment, the first and second buttons 161, 162 may be formed of an elastomeric material. Furthermore, the first and second buttons 161, 162 form a portion of the boundary of the cavity 129 such that the first and second buttons 161, 162 are exposed at the rear surface 122 of the head 120 to facilitate easy access by a user.
As shown in
Similarly, as shown in
In certain embodiments, the actuator 150 self-maintains the first and second states (and hence also the first and second positions of the movable cleaning element 130) upon actuation into one of the first and second states until subsequent actuation of the actuator 150 into the other one of the first and second states. Specifically, if a user presses the first button 161, the actuator 150 will be moved into the second state and will remain in the second state until the user presses the second button 162. Similarly, if a user presses the second button 162, the actuator 150 will be moved into the first state and will remain in the first state until the user presses the first button 161. Once in either the first state or the second state, the actuator 150 remains in that state without continued actuation of the actuator. Specifically, a user does not need to maintain the first and/or second forces F1, F2 on the first and second buttons 161, 162 to maintain the actuator in its present state. Rather, the actuator 150 remains in the state in which it is placed without any action or force required by the user until the user applies a force to physically actuate the actuator 150 into the other one of its states.
It should be appreciated that in this embodiment the movable cleaning element 130 can only be maintained in the first and second positions with the distal tip 131 located at the first or second distance D1, D2 from the front surface 121 of the head 120. The movable cleaning element 130 cannot be maintained in any other position. Specifically, the movable cleaning element 130 cannot be maintained with the distal tip 131 located at a distance that is less than the first distance D1, greater than the second distance D2, or between the first and second distances D1, D2.
In the exemplified embodiment, the switch 151 operates by moving or rotation about the pivot point 152 in response to user actuation of one of the first and second buttons 161, 162. This is because in the exemplified embodiment the switch 151 is a rocker switch as noted above However, the invention is not to be so limited in all embodiments. In certain embodiments, the switch 151 may be a leaf spring switch that operates such that when a user presses the first button 161 or the second button 162, the first and second legs 153, 154 of the switch 151 flip or invert relative to their current state or position. Specifically, in this embodiment when a user presses the first button 161 the apex of the V of the first leg 153 faces towards the front surface 121 of the head 120 and the apex of the V of the second leg 154 faces towards the rear surface 122 of the head 120. When a user presses the second button 162, the apex of the V of the first leg 153 faces towards the rear surface 121 of the head 120 and the apex of the V of the second leg 154 faces towards the front surface 121 of the head 120.
In either embodiment and in embodiments that use other types of switches such as those disclosed herein above, operation is such that pressing the second button 162 transitions the actuator 150 into the first state such that the movable cleaning element 130 is in the first position and the distal tip 131 of the movable cleaning element 130 is spaced the first distance D1 from the front surface 121 of the head 120. Furthermore, pressing the first button 161 transitions the actuator 150 into the second state such that the movable cleaning element 130 is in the second position and the distal tip 131 of the movable cleaning element 130 is spaced the second distance D2 from the front surface 121 of the head 120.
In the exemplified embodiment, the movable cleaning element 130 is coupled directly to the head 120 in both the first and second positions. Specifically, with reference to
In certain embodiments, the base portion 132 of the movable cleaning element 130 has a biasing force in both the first and second positions to facilitate maintaining the movable cleaning element 130 in the first and/or second position until an external force is applied thereto to change the position. Thus, when the movable cleaning element 130 is in the first position illustrated in
In the embodiment illustrated in
In certain embodiments the movable cleaning element 130 may be formed of a thermoplastic elastomer such as the movable cleaning element 930A illustrated in
Referring to
The oral care implement 200 has a handle 210 and a head 220, the head 220 having a front surface 221 and an opposite rear surface 222. A plurality of cleaning elements 215 extend from the front surface 221 of the head 220 and include a plurality of tooth cleaning elements 216 and at least one movable cleaning element 230. The plurality of tooth cleaning elements 216 may be bristle tufts, lamella formed of an elastomeric material, or the like as described above. The at least one movable cleaning element 230 may be an interdental cleaning element formed of a bristle tuft, an elastomeric material, or the like.
The main difference between the oral care implement 200 and the oral care implement 100 is in the actuator 250. Specifically, in this embodiment the actuator 250 comprises a compressible dome 270 that is coupled to the movable cleaning element 230. The compressible dome 270 and the movable cleaning element 230 may be formed as a single integral structure or may be formed separately and coupled together using techniques readily used by persons skilled in the art. The compressible dome 270 has a top surface 271 from which the movable cleaning element 230 extends and an opposite bottom surface 272.
In
To transition the movable cleaning element 230 between the first and second positions (and to similarly transition the actuator 250 between the first and second states), a user presses directly on the compressible dome 270. Specifically, to move the movable cleaning element 230 from the first position to the second position, a user applies a force F3 onto the bottom surface 272 of the compressible dome 270 sufficient to invert the compressible dome 270 and make the movable cleaning element 230 extend the second distance D2 from the front surface 221 of the head 220. To move the movable cleaning element 230 from the second position back to the first position, a user applies a force F4 onto the top surface 271 of the compressible dome 270 sufficient to invert the compressible dome 270 and make the movable cleaning element 230 extend the first distance D1 from the front surface 221 of the head 220.
Similar to the discussion above, the movable cleaning element 230 maintains the first and second positions and/or the actuator 250 maintains the first and second states. Thus, once the actuator 250 is actuated into the first state (
Referring to
The oral care implement 300 comprises a handle 310 and a head 320, the head 320 having a front surface 321 and an opposing rear surface 322. A plurality of cleaning elements 315 extend from the front surface 321 of the head 320. The plurality of cleaning elements 315 include a plurality of tooth cleaning elements (or fixed cleaning elements) 316 and at least one movable cleaning element 330. Furthermore, in this embodiment a soft tissue cleaner 305 is illustrated affixed to the rear surface 322 of the head 320. The soft tissue cleaner 305 may be an injection molded elastomeric material that is affixed to the rear surface 332 of the head 320 in any desired manner. In the exemplified embodiment the soft tissue cleaner 305 comprises a plurality of protrusions or nubs 306 that extend from the rear surface 322 of the head 320 for cleaning the tongue and other soft tissue surfaces in a user's mouth. It is noted that a soft tissue cleaner such as the soft tissue cleaner 305 may be affixed to the rear surfaces of the heads of the oral care implements in any embodiment described herein.
The oral care implement 300 comprises an actuator 350 that is operably coupled to the movable cleaning element 330 to move the movable cleaning element 330 between the first and second positions as described herein above. However, the actuator 350 is different than the previously described actuators. Specifically, the actuator 350 comprises a slide mechanism 380 that includes a slider 381 and an actuation mechanism 382. The slider 381 of the slide mechanism 380 is operably coupled to the movable cleaning element 330 to facilitate movement of the movable cleaning element 330 as described above and again below. In the exemplified embodiment the slider 381 is illustrated as forming an integral unitary structure with the movable cleaning element 330. However, the invention is not to be so limited and the slider 381 may be a separate component than the movable cleaning element 330 that is operably coupled to the movable cleaning element 330 using a mechanism connection such as lock/key, protuberance/detent, threaded screws, adhesive, fasteners, or the like. The actuation mechanism 382 is a portion of the slide mechanism 380 that protrudes from an outer surface of the oral care implement 300 (either from the outer surface of the head 320 or the outer surface of the handle 310) such that a user can grip the actuation mechanism 382 to slide the slider 381, thereby transitioning the movable cleaning element 330 between the first and second positions.
Referring to
The oral care implement 400 comprises a handle 410 and a head 420, the head 420 having a front surface 421 and an opposing rear surface 422. A plurality of cleaning elements 415 extend from the front surface 421 of the head 420. The plurality of cleaning elements 415 include a plurality of tooth cleaning elements (or fixed cleaning elements) 416 and at least one movable cleaning element 430.
The main difference between the oral care implement 400 and those previously described is with regard to the actuator 450. Specifically, in the oral care implement 400 the actuator 450 comprises a threaded rod 451 and a rotation mechanism 452. The threaded rod 451 is operably coupled to threads of the movable cleaning element 430. In the exemplified embodiment the threaded rod 451 has male threads and the movable cleaning element 430 has female threads, although the opposite arrangement is certainly within the scope of this application. In this embodiment, a user rotates the rotation mechanism 452 which causes the movable cleaning element 430 to move. Specifically, rotating the rotation mechanism 452 in a first rotational direction causes the distal tip 431 of the movable cleaning element 430 to move further away from the front surface 421 of the head 420 until it achieves the second position whereby the distal tip 431 is spaced the second distance D2 from the front surface 421 of the head 420 (
In the exemplified embodiment, the rotation mechanism 452 is located on the handle 410 or neck portion of the oral care implement 400. Of course, the invention is not to be so limited and the rotation mechanism 452 may be positioned on the rear surface 421 of the head 420 or the oral care implement 400 or at other locations along the oral care implement 400 as desired.
Referring briefly to
When the movable cleaning element 530 is in the second position, the movable cleaning element 530 extends further from the front surface 521 of the head 520 than any of the other cleaning elements 516 on the head 520. Thus, in this position the movable cleaning element 530 is used as an interdental brush or pick to clean the spaces between a user's teeth as illustrated in
While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Thus, the spirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/US2015/055056 | 10/12/2015 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2017/065719 | 4/20/2017 | WO | A |
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