HIDDEN USER INTERFACE PANEL FOR PERSONAL CARE APPLIANCES AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME
First Claim
1. A personal care appliance, comprising:
- an appliance handle;
a brushhead assembly which includes a brush member for cleaning teeth;
a drive assembly for the brushhead assembly, mounted within the handle and responsive to an on/off switch to produce an oscillating movement of the brushhead assembly, wherein the drive assembly is capable of producing a plurality of modes of operation of the brushhead assembly;
a mode select member; and
a user interface assembly on the appliance which includes an interface panel, wherein the user interface assembly is structured so that when the appliance is off, the interface panel is blank, and when the appliance is on, an indicia on the panel corresponding to a selected mode of operation is illuminated and visible to the user, wherein the handle is translucent and includes a plurality of illuminating elements therein, the interface panel including a first layer characterized by blocking light from proceeding therethrough, etched regions extending through the first layer, defining the indicia representing the plurality of modes of operation) of the appliance and a second layer covering at least the etched regions, the second layer being illuminated by one or more of the illuminating elements, with the illuminated indicia being is visible to the user.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A power toothbrush appliance (10) which includes a user interface assembly (24) having a hidden interface panel (26) and a method of making same, the appliance including a handle (12, 40) and a brushhead assembly (18) with a brush member (24) for cleaning teeth. The user interface assembly is structured so that when the appliance is in the off condition, the user interface panel is blank, and when the appliance is in an on condition, the indicia associated with the selected operating mode of the toothbrush is illuminated and visible to the user. The interface panel includes a first paint layer of gray or black paint (42) on a translucent handle (40). The mode indicia are etched (44) to the handle in the first paint layer. A second paint layer of white paint (46) is applied over the first layer and is light-transmitting so that when the toothbrush is on, the selected indicia are visible to the user.
16 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A personal care appliance, comprising:
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an appliance handle; a brushhead assembly which includes a brush member for cleaning teeth; a drive assembly for the brushhead assembly, mounted within the handle and responsive to an on/off switch to produce an oscillating movement of the brushhead assembly, wherein the drive assembly is capable of producing a plurality of modes of operation of the brushhead assembly; a mode select member; and a user interface assembly on the appliance which includes an interface panel, wherein the user interface assembly is structured so that when the appliance is off, the interface panel is blank, and when the appliance is on, an indicia on the panel corresponding to a selected mode of operation is illuminated and visible to the user, wherein the handle is translucent and includes a plurality of illuminating elements therein, the interface panel including a first layer characterized by blocking light from proceeding therethrough, etched regions extending through the first layer, defining the indicia representing the plurality of modes of operation) of the appliance and a second layer covering at least the etched regions, the second layer being illuminated by one or more of the illuminating elements, with the illuminated indicia being is visible to the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for making a hidden panel assembly for use in a power toothbrush or other personal care appliance having a translucent handle and a plurality of light sources therein, comprising the steps of:
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applying a first layer, of light-blocking material, to the handle in a hidden panel region thereof; etching the first layer down to the handle, the etching representing operating modes of the appliance; and applying a second layer of light-transmitting material, on top of the etched regions, wherein when the appliance is on, selected indicia are illuminated through the second layer, visible to the user, and when the appliance is off, the handle is blank, without any indicia being visible. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification