CLEANING APPLIANCE

• US 20160331497A1
• 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: FOLLOWS, Thomas James Dunning, BEX-RUSSELL, William John, STICKNEY, Timothy Nicholas, TWEEDIE, Robert Lawrence
• Granted Patent: US 11,744,689 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 11/0041 Flexible or deformable reservoirs, e.g. resilient bulbs, compressible tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 11/063 by means of a supply pipe
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1066 Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/0202 Hand-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/028 with intermittent liquid flow
• 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 17/28 with rinsing means
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/36 with rinsing means
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/40 orbiting, e.g. nutating

Abstract

A dental cleaning appliance includes a handle and a fluid delivery system. The fluid delivery system includes a nozzle for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, and a moveable fluid conduit which is moveable about an axis relative to the handle. The nozzle is moveable with the fluid conduit, which is biased for movement about the axis in a direction which urges the nozzle against a user'"'"'s teeth during use of the appliance.

Claims

1. A dental cleaning appliance comprising:

a handle; and

a fluid delivery system comprising a nozzle for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, and a moveable fluid conduit which is moveable relative to the handle, the nozzle being moveable with the fluid conduit, the fluid conduit being biased for movement in a direction which urges the nozzle against a user'"'"'s teeth during use of the appliance.

2. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid conduit is moveable about an axis.

3. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the fluid conduit is pivotable about the axis.

4. The appliance of claim 2, comprising a support for supporting the fluid conduit, the support being arranged for movement about the axis.

5. The appliance of claim 4, wherein the support is pivotable about the axis.

6. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the axis is angled to the longitudinal axis of the handle.

7. The appliance of claim 6, wherein the axis is substantially orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the handle.

8. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the nozzle extends along a nozzle axis, and said axis is spaced from the nozzle axis.

9. The appliance of claim 8, wherein said axis is angled to the nozzle axis.

10. The appliance of claim 9, wherein said axis is substantially orthogonal to the nozzle axis.

11. The appliance of claim 2, wherein the nozzle is moveable along a curved path with movement of the fluid conduit about said axis.

12. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid conduit is connected to or engages the nozzle.

13. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid conduit is biased for movement in said direction by a resilient member which engages the fluid conduit.

14. The appliance of claim 13, wherein the resilient member comprises part of the fluid delivery system.

15. The appliance of claim 1, wherein the fluid conduit comprises a first section and a second section for engaging the nozzle, the second section being angled to the first section.

16. The appliance of claim 15, wherein the second section is curved.

17. The appliance of claim 15, wherein the first section is longer than the second section.

18. The appliance of claim 1, comprising a head, and a stem extending between the head and the handle, and wherein the nozzle protrudes from the head.

19. The appliance of claim 18, wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the head.

20. The appliance of claim 19, wherein the fluid conduit is biased for movement relative to the handle in a direction which urges the nozzle to move in a direction extending away from the head.

21. The appliance of claim 19, wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the head between a distal position and a proximal position relative to the head.

22. The appliance of claim 19, 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.

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 the nozzle is moveable relative to the teeth engaging members, and wherein when the nozzle is in the distal position, the tip of the nozzle protrudes beyond at least some of the teeth engaging members.

24. The appliance of claim 22, wherein the teeth engaging members are formed from resilient material.

25. The appliance of claim 24, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of resilient members arranged around the nozzle.

26. The appliance of claim 24, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of bristles arranged about the nozzle.

27. The appliance of claim 18, wherein the stem houses at least part of the fluid conduit.

28. The appliance of claim 18, wherein the head and the stem form part of a cleaning tool which is detachably connected to the handle.

29. The appliance of claim 1, comprising a fluid reservoir for supplying working fluid to the fluid delivery system.

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

31. 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; and

a cleaning tool conduit system comprising a nozzle for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, and a fluid conduit which is moveable relative to the stem, the nozzle being moveable with the fluid conduit, the fluid conduit being biased for movement in a direction which urges the nozzle against a user'"'"'s teeth during use of the appliance.

32. The cleaning tool of claim 31, wherein the fluid conduit is moveable about an axis.

33. The cleaning tool of claim 32, wherein the fluid conduit is pivotable about the axis.

34. The cleaning tool of claim 32, comprising a support for supporting the fluid conduit, the support being arranged for movement about the axis.

35. The cleaning tool of claim 34, wherein the support is pivotable about the axis.

36. The cleaning tool of claim 32, wherein the nozzle extends along a nozzle axis, and said axis is spaced from the nozzle axis.

37. The cleaning tool of claim 36, wherein said axis is angled to the nozzle axis.

38. The cleaning tool of claim 37, wherein said axis is substantially orthogonal to the nozzle axis.

39. The cleaning tool of claim 32, wherein the nozzle is moveable along a curved path with movement of the fluid conduit about said axis.

40. The cleaning tool of claim 31, wherein the fluid conduit is connected to or engages the nozzle.

41. The cleaning tool of claim 31, wherein the fluid conduit is biased for movement in said direction by a resilient member which engages the fluid conduit.

42. The cleaning tool of claim 41, wherein the resilient member comprises part of the cleaning tool conduit system.

43. The cleaning tool of claim 31, wherein the fluid conduit comprises a first section and a second section for engaging the nozzle, the second section being angled to the first section.

44. The cleaning tool of claim 43, wherein the second section is curved.

45. The cleaning tool of claim 43, wherein the first section is longer than the second section.

46. The cleaning tool of claim 31, comprising a head connected to the stem, and wherein the nozzle protrudes from the head.

47. The cleaning tool of claim 46, wherein the fluid conduit is biased for movement relative to the stem in a direction which urges the nozzle to move in a direction extending away from the head.

48. The cleaning tool of claim 46, wherein the nozzle is moveable relative to the head between a distal position and a proximal position relative to the head.

49. The cleaning tool of claim 46, 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.

50. The cleaning tool of claim 48, 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, and wherein, when the nozzle is in the distal position, the tip of the nozzle protrudes beyond at least some of the teeth engaging members.

51. The cleaning tool of claim 49, wherein the teeth engaging members are formed from resilient material.

52. The cleaning tool of claim 51, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of resilient members arranged around the nozzle.

53. The cleaning tool of claim 51, wherein the teeth engaging members comprise a plurality of bristles arranged about the nozzle.

54. The cleaning tool of claim 31, wherein the stem houses at least part of the fluid conduit.

55. The cleaning tool of claim 31, comprising a fluid reservoir for supplying working fluid to the fluid delivery system.