CLEANING APPLIANCE

• US 20160331116A1
• 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: MIGHALL, Scott James, FOLLOWS, Thomas James Dunning, COURTNEY, Stephen Benjamin, STICKNEY, Timothy Nicholas, TWEEDIE, Robert Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 9,743,749 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 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, and a fluid delivery system for receiving working fluid from the fluid reservoir, and for delivering the working fluid to the teeth of a user. The fluid reservoir is delimited by a wall and a movable member which is moveable relative to the wall to vary the volume of the fluid reservoir. An expansion chamber is located adjacent to the moveable member. The volume of the fluid reservoir decreases, and the volume of the expansion chamber increases, as fluid is supplied to the fluid delivery system during use of the appliance.

Claims

1. A dental cleaning appliance comprising:

a handle;

a fluid reservoir for storing a working fluid, the fluid reservoir being at least partially delimited by a wall and a movable member which is moveable relative to the wall to vary the volume of the fluid reservoir;

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

an expansion chamber located adjacent to the moveable member and which increases in volume as the volume of the fluid reservoir decreases, through movement of the moveable member relative to the wall, as working fluid is supplied to the fluid delivery system, the expansion chamber being open to the atmosphere to receive ambient air as the volume of the expansion chamber increases;

wherein the moveable member comprises a diaphragm which is expandable in response to a pressure difference across the surfaces thereof.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the wall is formed from relatively rigid material, and the moveable member is formed from relatively flexible material.

3. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the wall comprises a fluid port through which working fluid is introduced to the fluid reservoir.

4. The appliance of claim 3, wherein working fluid is supplied to the fluid delivery system from the fluid port.

5. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the wall surrounds the diaphragm.

6. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the diaphragm is annular in shape.

7. The appliance of claim 5, wherein the diaphragm is tubular in shape.

8. The appliance of claim 7, wherein the diaphragm has opposite ends which are connected to the wall.

9. The appliance of claim 8, wherein the wall and the diaphragm extend about a common longitudinal axis.

10. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the moveable member extends about the expansion chamber.

11. The appliance of claim 10, wherein the moveable member at least partially delimits the expansion chamber.

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

13. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the expansion chamber comprises a wall which defines a port through which air enters the expansion chamber.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the wall of the expansion chamber extends around the stem.

15. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir is connected to the wall of the expansion chamber.

16. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir is an external wall of the appliance.

17. The appliance of claim 16, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir has one of a curved, a convex and a faceted shape.

18. The appliance of claim 17, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir has a curvature which is one of ellipsoidal, spheroidal and spherical.

19. The appliance of claim 16, wherein at least part of the wall of the fluid reservoir is transparent.

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

21. The appliance of claim 1, comprising a cleaning tool connected to the handle, and wherein the fluid reservoir is connected to the cleaning tool.

22. The appliance of claim 21, wherein the cleaning tool comprises a nozzle of the fluid delivery system from which the burst of working fluid is delivered to the teeth of a user.

23. The appliance of claim 22, wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the cleaning tool between a distal position and a proximal position.

24. The appliance of claim 23, wherein the nozzle is biased towards the distal position.

25. The appliance of claim 22, 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.

26. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the working fluid is a liquid working fluid.

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

a fluid reservoir for supplying a working fluid to the handle conduit system, the fluid reservoir being at least partially delimited by a wall and a movable member which is moveable relative to the wall to vary the volume of the fluid reservoir;

a cleaning tool conduit system for receiving a burst of working fluid from the handle conduit system and for delivering the burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user; and

an expansion chamber located adjacent to the moveable member and which increases in volume as the volume of the fluid reservoir decreases as working fluid is supplied to the handle conduit system;

wherein the moveable member comprises a diaphragm which is expandable in response to a pressure difference across the surfaces thereof.

28. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the wall is formed from relatively rigid material and the moveable member is formed from relatively flexible material.

29. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the wall comprises a fluid port through which working fluid is introduced to the fluid reservoir.

30. The cleaning tool of claim 29, wherein working fluid is supplied to the handle conduit system from the fluid port.

31. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the wall surrounds the diaphragm.

32. The cleaning tool of claim 31, wherein the diaphragm is annular in shape.

33. The cleaning tool of claim 31, wherein the diaphragm is tubular in shape.

34. The cleaning tool of claim 33, wherein the diaphragm has opposite ends which are connected to the wall.

35. The cleaning tool of claim 34, wherein the wall and the diaphragm extend about a common longitudinal axis.

36. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the moveable member extends about the expansion chamber.

37. The cleaning tool of claim 36, wherein the moveable member at least partially delimits the expansion chamber.

38. The cleaning tool of claim 37, wherein the expansion chamber is annular in shape.

39. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the working fluid is a liquid working fluid

40. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the expansion chamber comprises a wall which defines a port through which air enters the expansion chamber.

41. The cleaning tool of claim 40, wherein the wall of the expansion chamber extends around the stem.

42. The cleaning tool of claim 40, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir is connected to the wall of the expansion chamber.

43. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir is an external wall of the cleaning tool.

44. The cleaning tool of claim 43, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir has one of a curved, a convex and a faceted shape.

45. The cleaning tool of claim 44, wherein the wall of the fluid reservoir has a curvature which is one of ellipsoidal, spheroidal and spherical.

46. The cleaning tool of claim 43, wherein at least part of the wall of the fluid reservoir is transparent.

47. The cleaning tool of claim 27, wherein the fluid reservoir has a capacity which is in the range from 5 to 50 ml.

48. The cleaning tool of claim 27, comprising a head and a stem which is connectable to the handle, and wherein the head comprises a nozzle of the cleaning tool conduit system from which the burst of working fluid is delivered to the teeth of a user.

49. The cleaning tool of claim 48, wherein the head comprises a plurality of bristles arranged about the nozzle.

50. The cleaning tool of claim 48, wherein the bristles are mounted on a bristle carrier which is moveable relative to the nozzle.

51. The cleaning tool of claim 50, comprising a connecting rod connected to the bristle carrier, and a set of gears connected to the connecting rod.