CLEANING APPLIANCE

• US 20160331115A1
• Filed: 05/11/2016
• Published: 11/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Original Assignee: Dyson Technology Limited (Beeswax Holdings UK Limited)
• Inventors: STICKNEY, Timothy Nicholas, FOLLOWS, Thomas James Dunning, BEX-RUSSELL, William John, TWEEDIE, Robert Lawrence, COURTNEY, Stephen Benjamin
• Granted Patent: US 9,700,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 11/0006 specially adapted to feed the bristle upper surface
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 11/001 with integral reservoirs A46B11/0003, A46B11/0006 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/04 with reservoir or other means for supplying substances
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 5/0095 Removable or interchangeable brush heads
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 7/08 as a rotating disc
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/04 Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 1/0084 Supply units, e.g. reservoir arrangements, specially adapted pumps
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/0202 Hand-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/221 Control arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/227 with reservoirs, e.g. for toothpaste
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/40 orbiting, e.g. nutating

Abstract

A dental cleaning appliance includes a handle, a fluid reservoir for storing a working fluid, a fluid delivery system for receiving working fluid from the fluid reservoir, and for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, and an external collar comprising a fluid port, the collar being moveable relative to the handle between a first position in which the fluid port is exposed to allow the fluid reservoir to be replenished, and a second position in which the fluid port is occluded.

Claims

1. A dental cleaning appliance comprising:

a handle;

a fluid reservoir for storing a working fluid;

a fluid delivery system for receiving working fluid from the fluid reservoir, and for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user; and

an external collar comprising a fluid port, the collar being moveable relative to the handle between a first position in which the fluid port is exposed to allow the fluid reservoir to be replenished, and a second position in which the fluid port is occluded.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein, when the collar is in the second position, the fluid port is connected to the fluid delivery system.

3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the collar is rotatable relative to the handle.

4. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir is configured to store a liquid working fluid.

5. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the collar has one of a curved, a convex and a faceted shape.

6. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the collar has a curvature which is one of ellipsoidal, spheroidal and spherical.

7. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the collar at least partially delimits the fluid reservoir.

8. The appliance of claim 1, wherein at least part of the collar is formed from transparent material.

9. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir is moveable with the collar.

10. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir comprises a flexible diaphragm which is connected to the collar.

11. The appliance of claim 10, wherein the collar surrounds the diaphragm.

12. The appliance of claim 11, wherein the diaphragm is annular in shape.

13. The appliance of claim 11, wherein the diaphragm is tubular in shape.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the diaphragm has opposite ends which are connected to the collar.

15. The appliance of claim 14, wherein the collar and the diaphragm extend about a common longitudinal axis.

16. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the handle comprises a body having a recessed section adjacent to the collar for receiving the fluid port when the collar is in the first position.

17. The appliance of claim 16, wherein the recessed section of the body of the handle has at least one wall which is shaped to guide working fluid towards the exposed fluid port.

18. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid reservoir has a capacity which is in the range from 5 to 50 ml.

19. The appliance of claim 1, comprising a head and a stem extending between the head and the handle, and wherein the collar is located about the stem.

20. The appliance of claim 19, wherein the head comprises a nozzle of the fluid delivery system from which the burst of working fluid is delivered to the teeth of a user.

21. The appliance of claim 20, wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the head between a distal position and a proximal position.

22. The appliance of claim 21, wherein the nozzle is biased towards the distal position.

23. The appliance of claim 21, wherein the head comprises teeth engaging members for engaging the teeth of the user during use of the appliance, and wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the teeth engaging members.

24. The appliance of claim 23, wherein, when the nozzle is in the distal position, the tip of the nozzle protrudes beyond at least some of the teeth engaging members.

25. The appliance of claim 23, wherein the teeth engaging members are formed from resilient material.

26. The appliance of claim 25, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of resilient members arranged around the nozzle.

27. The appliance of claim 26, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of bristles arranged about the nozzle.

28. The appliance of claim 27, wherein the bristles are mounted on a bristle carrier which is moveable relative to the nozzle.

29. A handle for a dental cleaning appliance comprising a cleaning tool to which the handle is detachably connectable, the cleaning tool comprising a fluid reservoir for storing a working fluid, and a moveable collar having a fluid port in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir, the handle comprising:

a body comprising a recessed portion for exposing the fluid port when the cleaning tool is connected to the handle and the collar is in a first position relative to the body; and

a handle conduit system comprising a fluid inlet for receiving working fluid from the fluid reservoir when the cleaning tool is connected to the handle and the collar is in a second position relative to the body.

30. The handle of claim 29, wherein the recessed section of the body has at least one wall which is shaped to guide working fluid towards the exposed fluid port when the collar is in the first position relative to the body.

31. The handle of claim 29, wherein the recessed portion of the body is angularly spaced from the fluid inlet.

32. The handle of claim 29, comprising a pump for drawing working fluid through the fluid inlet when the cleaning tool is connected to the handle and the collar is in the second position relative to the body.

33. The handle of claim 32, comprising a sensor and a control circuit for actuating the pump depending on an output from the sensor.

34. The handle of claim 33, comprising a valve located downstream from the pump, and wherein the control circuit is configured to move the valve from a closed position to an open position depending on an output from the sensor.

35. A cleaning tool for a dental cleaning appliance comprising a handle to which the cleaning tool is detachably connectable, the cleaning tool comprising:

a stem;

a fluid reservoir for storing a working fluid; and

an external collar comprising a fluid port, the collar being moveable relative to the stem between a first position in which, when the cleaning tool is connected to the handle, the fluid port is exposed to allow the fluid reservoir to be replenished, and a second position in which, when the cleaning tool is connected to the handle, the fluid port is occluded.

36. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein the collar is rotatable relative to the stem.

37. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein the collar is located about the stem.

38. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein the collar has one of a curved, a convex and a faceted shape.

39. The cleaning tool of claim 38, wherein the collar has a curvature which is one of ellipsoidal, spheroidal and spherical.

40. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein the collar at least partially delimits the fluid reservoir.

41. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein at least part of the collar is formed from transparent material.

42. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein the fluid reservoir is moveable with the collar.

43. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein the fluid reservoir comprises a flexible diaphragm which is connected to the collar.

44. The cleaning tool of claim 43, wherein the collar surrounds the diaphragm.

45. The cleaning tool of claim 44, wherein the diaphragm is annular in shape.

46. The cleaning tool of claim 44, wherein the diaphragm is tubular in shape.

47. The cleaning tool of claim 46, wherein the diaphragm has opposite ends which are connected to the collar.

48. The cleaning tool of claim 47, wherein the collar and the diaphragm extend about a common longitudinal axis.

49. The cleaning tool of claim 35, wherein the fluid reservoir is configured to store a liquid working fluid.

50. The cleaning tool of claim 49, comprising a head, the head comprising a nozzle from which the burst of working fluid is delivered to the teeth of a user.

51. The cleaning tool of claim 50, wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the head between a distal position and a proximal position.

52. The cleaning tool of claim 51, wherein the nozzle is biased towards the distal position.

53. The cleaning tool of claim 51, wherein the head comprises teeth engaging members for engaging the teeth of the user during use of the appliance, and wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the teeth engaging members.

54. The cleaning tool of claim 53, wherein, when the nozzle is in the distal position, the tip of the nozzle protrudes beyond at least some of the teeth engaging members.

55. The cleaning tool of claim 53, wherein the teeth engaging members are formed from resilient material.

56. The cleaning tool of claim 55, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of resilient members arranged around the nozzle.

57. The cleaning tool of claim 55, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of bristles arranged about the nozzle.

58. The cleaning tool of claim 57, wherein the bristles are mounted on a bristle carrier which is moveable relative to the nozzle.