Patent Grant
11432847
The present invention pertains to personal care appliances, such as a power skin care brush, that are used to care for, clean and otherwise treat skin and hair, and, in particular, to a portable, electrically driven, handheld device that may be used to care for, clean and otherwise treat skin and hair.
Handheld personal care appliances used to care for, clean or otherwise treat the skin or hair (e.g., to clean, massage and/or apply creams, cleansing solutions or other substances to the skin or hair) are known and have gained increasing popularity. Such devices are most often used to provide daily hygienic skin care, in particular care for the facial skin. These devices usually include a small handheld casing having an internal motor and a self-contained power source (such as a battery) for producing a particular movement/action of a workpiece (e.g., a brush or pad), which in turn produces desired functional results. Examples of such appliances include power skin brushes and power toothbrushes, among others. Such personal care appliances have motor arrangements which produce either rotational movement or oscillating (back and forth) movement.
While many such devices are known, there is room for improvement in the field of personal care appliances such as handheld skin and hair treatment devices. Hence, it is desirable to have a personal care appliance having a drive assembly which is powerful (stronger and faster), energy efficient, quiet and durable.
In one embodiment, a personal care appliance is provided that includes a housing, a drive assembly provided in the housing, and a workpiece member. The drive assembly includes a stator, and an armature adjacent the stator, wherein the stator, when energized, is structured to cause the armature to oscillate back and forth. The personal care appliance also includes a first mounting member secured to the housing, the first mounting member having a first hole extending through the first mounting member and forming part of a first bearing member. The personal care appliance further includes a pivot arm member including a first arm, a second arm, and a shaft member provided between the first arm and the second arm. The shaft member has a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein a first end of the first arm is coupled to the armature assembly and a second end of the first arm is coupled to a first side of the shaft member, wherein a first end of the second arm is coupled to a second side of the shaft member opposite the first side of the shaft member, and wherein a second end of the second arm is coupled the first mounting member. Also included is a second mounting member secured to the first mounting member, the second mounting member having a second hole aligned with the first hole and extending through the second mounting member and forming part of a second bearing member, wherein the first end portion of the shaft member is received through the first hole and the second end portion of the shaft member is received through the second hole. The workpiece member is coupled to the first end portion of the shaft member such that oscillation of the armature causes the workpiece member to oscillate relative to the housing.
In another embodiment, a personal care appliance is provided that includes a housing, a drive assembly provided in the housing, the drive assembly including a stator and an armature adjacent the stator, wherein the stator, when energized, is structured to cause the armature to oscillate back and forth. The personal care appliance further includes a workpiece member coupled to drive assembly such that oscillation of the armature causes the workpiece member to oscillate relative to the housing, and control electronics structured to control operation of the stator and armature such that the armature is caused to oscillate back and forth in a pulse mode wherein the armature is caused to move back and forth between a first lateral maximum position and a second lateral maximum position with a pause at each of the first lateral maximum position and the second lateral maximum position before initiating movement in an opposite direction.
In still another embodiment, a brush head assembly structured to be selectively attachable to drive assembly of a personal care appliance is provided. The brush head assembly includes a base member having a front side and a rear side, a plurality of bristles arranged on and extending from the front side, and a hexagonal female attachment structure provided on the rear side and structured to receive a hexagonal male member provided as part of the drive assembly.
As used herein, the singular form of “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
As used herein, the statement that two or more parts or elements are “coupled” shall mean that the parts are joined or operate together either directly or indirectly, i.e., through one or more intermediate parts or elements, so long as a link occurs.
As used herein, “directly coupled” means that two elements are directly in contact with each other.
As used herein, “fixedly coupled” or “fixed” means that two elements are coupled so as to move as one while maintaining a constant orientation relative to each other.
As used herein, the word “unitary” means a part is created as a single piece or unit. That is, a part that includes pieces that are created separately and then coupled together as a unit is not a “unitary” part or body.
As employed herein, the statement that two or more parts or elements “engage” one another shall mean that the parts exert a force against one another either directly or through one or more intermediate parts or elements.
As employed herein, the term “number” shall mean one or an integer greater than one (i.e., a plurality).
Directional phrases used herein, such as, for example and without limitation, top, bottom, left, right, upper, lower, front, back, and derivatives thereof, relate to the orientation of the elements shown in the drawings and are not limiting upon the claims unless expressly recited therein.
In the illustrated, non-limiting embodiment, workpiece member is a circular brush head assembly 14 having a base member 15, a plurality of bristles 16 (shown only in
Because of the presence of microbes such as bacteria and fungi in all walks of human life, there is a constant interaction between microbes and humans. This is especially so in the workpiece member, where skin cells left on the bristles 16 from the exfoliating effects of the brush head or other workpiece member provide a food source for microorganisms, which when combined with moisture and light, provide a breeding ground for the growth of mold, mildew and fungus, as well as, microbes, pathogens and bacteria, such as E. coli and Staph, and other microorganisms. Tests have shown that on unprotected surfaces, bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes.
Thus, in one non-limiting exemplary embodiment, the components of the workpiece member including, without limitation, the bristles 16, are made with active ingredients during the manufacturing stage that are both (i) safe for use on the skin, and (ii) resist and inhibit the growth of mold, mildew, fungus and/or bacteria on the workpiece member, keeping the workpiece member cleaner and healthier for a longer period of time. By helping prevent the growth of microorganisms, stain and odor control is also achieved.
Such active ingredients may include, for example and without limitation, silver ion technology (wherein silver ions are incorporated as an additive at the time of manufacture, or applied as a coating after manufacture), which forms a safe protective antimicrobial surface to resist and inhibit bacterial growth by up to 99.94%. Such active ingredients may further include, without limitation, essential plant oils (e.g., cinnamon oil, clove oil, eucalyptus oil, oregano oil, lavender oil, leleshwa oil, lemon oil, lemon myrtle oil, mint oil, neem oil, nigella sativa (black cumin) oil, peppermint oil, sandalwood oil, ironwort oil, tea tree oil, and thyme oil), and essential minerals, or bacteria resistant polymers (e.g., a polymer that reduces the ability of pathogenic bacteria to attach to the polymer).
An actuator mechanism 18 including a number of buttons is provided on handle portion 10 for controlling the operation of personal care appliance 2 (i.e., controlling the starting, stopping and/or speed of the movement of brush head assembly 14). In addition, handle portion 10 also includes a number of indicator lights 19 for indicating various modes of operation of personal care appliance 2.
As noted elsewhere herein,
In addition, as seen in
As seen in
Drive assembly 24 further includes a pivot assembly 41 that is structured to be coupled to brush head assembly 14 as described herein to enable brush head assembly 14 to move in an oscillating manner with respect to main housing 4. Pivot assembly 41 includes a pivot arm member 42, a first mounting member 50 and a second mounting member 52. First mounting member 50 is structured to be secured to the interior of attachment portion 12 of main housing 4 by a plurality of screws in order to secure drive assembly 24 in place. In particular, first mounting member 50 includes a base member 54 having four screw cylinders 56 extending upwardly therefrom. Screw cylinders 56 are structured to be fit over and secured to peg members 58 provided as part of attachment portion 12 by four screws (not shown). Base member 54 further includes a mounting arm 60 that is coupled to and extends between the top two of the screw cylinders 56 as shown. Second mounting member 52 is structured to be secured to the bottom two of the screw cylinders 56 of first mounting member 50 to provide further support and stability to drive assembly 24 as it operates as described herein.
Pivot arm member 42 includes a first arm 44, a second arm 46, and a generally cylindrical shaft member 48 provided between first arm 44 and second arm 46 in a manner wherein the longitudinal axis of cylindrical shaft member 48 is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of both first arm 44 and second arm 46. A first end of the first arm 44 is directly coupled to a second side of main body portion 38 (opposite the first side thereof, i.e., opposite magnets 40A, 40B), and a second end of the first arm 44 is directly coupled to a first side of cylindrical shaft member 48. A first end of second arm 46 is directly coupled to a second side of cylindrical shaft member 48 (opposite the first side of cylindrical shaft member 48), and a second end of second arm 46 is directly coupled to mounting arm 60.
In addition, base member 54 of first mounting member 50 includes a through hole 62 supporting a first disc shaped bearing insert 64 (e.g., made of a thermoplastic elastomer such as thermoplastic rubber) which receives a first end 66 of shaft member 48 therethrough. Thus, through hole 62 and bearing insert 64 function as a first bearing member for shaft member 48. Similarly, second mounting member 52 includes a through hole 68 supporting a second disc shaped bearing insert 70 (e.g., made of a thermoplastic elastomer such as thermoplastic rubber) which receives a second end 72 (opposite first end 66) of shaft member 48 therethrough. Thus, through hole 68 and bearing insert 70 function as a second bearing member for shaft member 48.
In addition, as seen in
In operation, when power is provided to motor 26 by rechargeable battery 22, armature assembly 32 will be caused to oscillate back and forth in an arcuate path as a result of the changing magnetic field produced in stator assembly 30 and the interaction of magnets 40A, 40B therewith. As a result, shaft member 48 will be caused to oscillate, which will cause brush head assembly 14, coupled to shaft member 48, to oscillate with respect to main housing 4. A user may then apply the oscillating bush head assembly 14 to different areas of skin and/or hair (e.g., the face, feet, etc.) to provide care and treatment for the skin and/or hair, for example by using the oscillating brush head assembly to apply a cleansing solution or another substance to the user's skin and/or hair.
The bearing members forming a part of pivot assembly 41 as described herein make the oscillation of shaft member 48 and brush head assembly 14 extremely stable and minimize the noise created thereby. The bearing members also ensure that brushhead assembly 14 will oscillate about the middle of attachment portion 12 of main housing 4 with minimum resistance (which helps to reduce waste of power and therefore helps to increase battery life). In addition, second arm 46 coupled to mounting arm 60 enables personal care appliance to 2 operate with increased power has it provides an automatic rebound affect.
In the exemplary embodiment, pivot assembly 41 is made from a zinc alloy material for provided maximum strength.
As will be appreciated, during operation, when armature assembly 32 oscillates, after starting from an initial midpoint, armature assembly 32 will move back and forth between a first lateral (e.g. left) maximum position and an opposite second lateral (e.g. right) maximum position. In the exemplary embodiment, the control electronics of main circuit board 20 are programmed to control operation of personal care appliance 2 such that it is able to operate in at least two modes, the first mode being a “normal” mode (with one or more (preferably multiple) speeds) and the second mode being a “pulse” mode (with one or more (preferably multiple) speeds), each of which is discussed below.
In the “normal” mode of operation, armature assembly 32 is controlled such that, after the initial move from the initial midpoint to the first lateral maximum position, armature assembly 32 moves back and forth between the first lateral maximum position and the second lateral maximum position without pausing at either the first lateral maximum position or the second lateral maximum position before initiating movement in the opposite direction. This “normal” mode of operation is shown schematically in
In the “pulse” mode of operation, armature assembly 32 is controlled such that, after the initial move from the initial midpoint to the first lateral maximum position, armature assembly 32 moves back and forth between the first lateral maximum position and the second lateral maximum position with a pause (period of rest/no movement) of at least 300 milliseconds at each of the first lateral maximum position and the second lateral maximum position before initiating (by the motor 26) movement in the opposite direction. This “pulse” mode of operation is shown schematically in
In one particular exemplary embodiment, personal care appliance 2 is structured and configured such that personal care appliance 2 will operate for about 45-55 minutes on a single charge and such that only about 2 milliamperes is consumed when personal care appliance 2 is not in use (which prolongs the battery life).
In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The word “comprising” or “including” does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those listed in a claim. In a device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The word “a” or “an” preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. In any device claim enumerating several means, several of these means may be embodied by one and the same item of hardware. The mere fact that certain elements are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that these elements cannot be used in combination.
Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose of illustration based on what is currently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover modifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood that the present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one or more features of any embodiment can be combined with one or more features of any other embodiment.
This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/073,697, filed on Mar. 18, 2016, entitled “Personal Care Appliance,” which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) from U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/135,198, filed on Mar. 19, 2015, entitled “Personal Care Appliance,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/196,006, filed on Jul. 23, 2015, entitled “Personal Care Appliance,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
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| Child | 16108563 | US |
