PROPHY ANGLE WITH TRANSLATING PADDLE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR METERED DISPENSING OF A PROPHYLAXIS MEDIUM WITH TACTILE AND AURAL FEEDBACK

• US 20090098505A1
• Filed: 12/18/2008
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bradley A. Randolph
• Original Assignee: Bradley A. Randolph
• Inventors: RANDOLPH, BRADLEY A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,206,758 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 433/82
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/01 Disposable brush A46B11/0003, A46B5/0004 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/005 where the brushing material is not made of bristles, e.g. sponge, rubber or paper
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/12 Angle hand-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/005 Devices for dental prophylaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/227 with reservoirs, e.g. for toothpaste

Abstract

A disposable prophy angle with an accessible and replaceable internal collapsible prophylaxis bladder and a push button and plunger/paddle combination to force a metered amount of prophylaxis medium into the prophy angle while providing audible and/or tactile feedback.

Claims

1. A method of delivering a variable and measured amount of dentifrice through a prophy angle comprising the steps of:

providing a means for driving a plurality of detachable disposable prophy angles;

providing a prophy angle with an exterior housing and a removable and collapsible bladder disposed therein; and

engaging with a human digit, an exterior member disposed on an exterior of the prophy angle and sliding the exterior member over and beyond a first protuberance on an outer surface of the exterior housing so as to cause a mechanically coupled interior member inside the exterior housing to translate, contact and apply force to the removable and collapsible bladder and thereby force a first predetermined amount of prophylaxis medium out of an outlet of the removable and collapsible bladder and into a prophy cup disposed on said prophy angle;

detecting a first aural and first tactile feedback message from said exterior member indicating passage of the exterior member beyond the first protuberance;

continuing to slide the exterior member over and beyond a second protuberance on the outer surface of the exterior housing so as to cause a second predetermined amount of prophylaxis medium out of an outlet of the removable and collapsible bladder;

detecting a second aural message and a second tactile feedback message from the exterior member which are substantially identical to the first aural message and first tactile message, respectively; and

immediately terminating further sliding of the exterior member in response to and after detecting the second aural message and the second tactile message;

so as to limit a total output of prophylaxis medium to an amount substantially equal to twice an amount which was output when the first aural message and the first tactile message were detected.

2. A method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

engaging, with said exterior member, a further plurality of protuberances disposed on the exterior housing, when said exterior member is translated to increase expulsion of said prophylaxis medium and simultaneously causing a series of tactile and aural notifications to occur.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

before the step of providing a prophy angle with an exterior housing and a collapsible bladder disposed therein;

providing a prophy angle with an exterior housing with a movable top housing component; and

causing a collapsible bladder to be located under said movable top housing component.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said step of engaging, with said exterior member, a plurality of protuberances, simultaneously causes visual, tactile and aural notifications to occur.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said exterior housing further comprises a hinged access door configured to provide access to insert and remove the collapsible bladder.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said exterior housing further comprises a removable housing cap.

7. An apparatus for providing dentifrice into a tooth-cleaning means comprising:

a longitudinal section having a longitudinal axis with a drive member disposed therein which is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis;

a head adjacent to said longitudinal section, said head having a tooth-engaging means which is oriented substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and is configured to engage a tooth and remove matter from the tooth when the drive member is driven and the tooth-engaging means is in contact with the tooth;

said longitudinal section having an exterior surface and sized and configured to be held and manipulated by a human hand and further comprising;

a variable volume structure containing prophylaxis medium disposed inside said exterior surface;

a passageway configured to transport prophylaxis medium from the variable volume structure to the tooth-engaging means;

finger-engaging member configured for transferring force from a finger to the variable volume structure;

a plurality of exterior surface deviations in said exterior surface; and

said finger-engaging member configured to manually slide toward the head while causing the variable volume structure to decrease in volume and thereby expel prophylaxis medium into said tooth-engaging means in a metered manner, depending upon an extent of a distance of travel of the finger-engaging member.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the variable volume structure is a means for converting a longitudinal force into an increase in pressure to force prophylaxis medium into the tooth-engaging means.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the means for converting a longitudinal force is a collapsible bladder.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the tooth-engaging means is a prophy cup.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 further comprising a movable member for allowing inserting or removing the collapsible bladder from the longitudinal section.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the plurality of surface deviations are a plurality of protuberances on the exterior surface.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the plurality of protuberances are configured to contact the finger-engaging member and to limit backward travel of the finger-engaging member.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the plurality of protuberances and the finger-engaging member further cooperate to provide tactile and aural notification of increasing amounts of prophylaxis medium being expelled into the tooth-engaging means.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the passageway configured to transport prophylaxis medium has a neck section which is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and a head section which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, and where the head section coaxially extends through a central portion of a gear head disposed in the head and configured to transfer motion of the drive member into motion of the tooth-engaging means.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the finger-engaging member slides through a slot in a top side of the exterior surface, where the slot is disposed above the collapsible bladder and permits visual inspection of the prophylaxis material when the collapsible bladder is made of a transparent material.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the finger-engaging member makes a clicking sound when being advanced forward past one of the plurality of protuberances.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the finger-engaging member produces a tactile notification when being advanced forward past one of the plurality of protuberances.

19. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the longitudinal section is configured to be readily detachable from a handheld drive apparatus.

20. An apparatus for providing dentifrice into a tooth-cleaning means comprising:

means for housing a drive shaft with a longitudinal axis and gears to cause a tooth-polishing means to turn about an axis which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;

said means for housing configured to be held and manipulated by a human hand and comprising an exterior surface;

a variable volume structure containing dentifrice disposed inside said exterior surface;

a passageway configured to transport dentifrice from the variable volume structure to the tooth-engaging means;

sliding button configured for transferring force from a finger to the variable volume structure;

a plurality of exterior raised ridges on said exterior surface; and

said sliding button configured to manually slide while causing a member contacting the variable volume structure to cause a decrease in volume and thereby expel dentifrice into said tooth-polishing means.