Power toothbrush

• US 4,353,141 A
• Filed: 07/07/1980
• Issued: 10/12/1982
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1978
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Arthur T. Sempliner, Teague W. Dorwin Jr
• Original Assignee: Arthur T. Sempliner, Teague W. Dorwin Jr
• Inventors: Sempliner, Arthur T., Teague, W. Dorwin Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Roberts, Edward L.
• Application Number:
  US06/166,705
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• Field of Search: 15/22 R, 15/22 A, 15/22 C, 128/50, 128/66, 128/62 A, 128/47, 173/168, 173/169, 173/73, 51/170 MT
• US Class Current: 15/22.1
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/38 driven by hydraulic motor, e.g. water motor

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a water-powered toothbrush appliance or the like wherein the water-powered motor for driving the toothbrush is mounted in a hand held housing. A valve for controlling fluid flow to the water-powered motor is mounted in the housing and a valve control portion is rotatably mounted by the housing at an area thereof which generally underlies the thumb of a hand holding the appliance. The valve control portion is rotatable by the user'"'"'s thumb to actuate the valve. In order to efficiently utilize the space within the housing, while maintaining optimum proportions thereof for convenient handling by the human hand, the valve is mounted within the housing on the side of the motor more distant from the valve control portion and the valve control portion is mechanically connected to the valve by an actuator which is arranged to pass directly through the nutating action motor.

Claims

1. A water-powered appliance comprising

(a) a housing,

(b) a working element movably associated with one end of said housing,

(c) orbital output drive means within said housing for driving said working element through a predetermined motion,

(d) said orbital output drive means comprising a fluid-powered, nutating motor having a motor housing,

(e) a saturn disc mounted within said motor housing for universal tilting movement within predetermined limits,

(f) a source of motive fluid for driving said saturn disc through said tilting movement,

(g) said appliance housing being of a size and shape to be held by one hand of an operator with the thumb of the holding hand extending generally toward the forward end of the housing associated with said working element and on one side of said nutating action motor,

(h) a valve operating member mounted by said appliance housing for rotational movement relative to said housing and being mounted in the area of said housing engaged by the thumb of the holding hand,

(i) said valve-operating member being rotatable by thumb motion of the operator,

(j) a valve providing fluid communication between said source of motive fluid and said nutating motor,

(k) said valve being mounted within the housing on the side of the motor opposite the thumb engaging portion of the appliance housing, and

(l) a rod-like valve actuator extending within said appliance housing from the valve-operating member to the valve and passing directly through the saturn disc of the nutating action motor,

(m) said rod-like valve actuator being axially movable by rotation of said valve-operating member to actuate said valve.

2. The water-powered appliance according to claim 1, further characterized by

(a) said saturn disc including a port-like opening formed therethrough,

(b) said rod-like valve actuator extending through said port-like opening.

3. The appliance according to claim 1, further characterized by

(a) said valve-operating member comprising a hollow, sleeve-like element rotatably mounted on said appliance housing,

(b) said sleeve-like element including an internal thread portion,

(c) a nut element non-rotatably mounted within the housing and threadedly engaging the threaded portion of said sleeve-like element,

(d) whereby rotation of said sleeve-like element causes an axial displacement of the non-rotatable nut,

(e) one end of said rod-like valve actuator being disposed directly below said nut and being movable by the axial displacement of said nut to operate said valve.

4. The appliance according to claim 3, further characterized by

(a) said motor housing including an inlet port,

(b) said valve comprising a normally closed, spring-biased valve plug being in a leak-tight sealing relation with said inlet port,

(c) said rod-like valve actuator being connected to said valve plug and operable upon being displaced by said nut to move said spring-biased valve plug away from the inlet port whereby motive fluid from said source of motive fluid may enter the motor housing to drive said saturn disc.

5. The water-powered appliance according to claim 3, further characterized by

(a) means forming a fluid flow path from said motor housing to said working element,

(b) a second valve mounted between said motor housing and said means forming a fluid flow path,

(c) said rotatable valve-operating member being operable upon rotation thereof to open said second valve.

6. The appliance according to claim 5, further characterized by

(a) said second valve including an integral actuator element with one end thereof being disposed directly below said nut element and being spaced below the outermost end of said rod-like valve actuator whereby upon rotation of said sleeve-like, valve-operating member said nut element will be displaced to first engage and move said rod-like valve element and then engage and operate said second valve after said rod-like valve actuator has been displaced sufficiently to open said inlet port of the nutating motor to fluid flow.

7. The water-powered appliance according to claim 3, further characterized by

(a) said working element comprising a toothbrush and including a wobble shaft pivotally mounted in said appliance housing,

(b) said output drive means including an output rod rigidly mounted to said saturn disc and movable thereby through an orbital motion during the tilting movement of the saturn disc,

(c) one end of said wobble shaft being mechanically connected to said output rod whereby the orbital motion of said output rod is transmitted to the wobble shaft thereby driving said toothbrush through a non-rotary, orbital motion.

8. A water-powered appliance comprising

a housing,

(b) a working element movably associated with one end of the housing,

(c) a nutating action motor mounted within the housing and being disposed toward the end of the housing opposite said end associated with the working element,

(d) said nutating action motor including a saturn disc mounted for universal tilting movement within predetermined limits,

(e) a source of motive fluid for driving said saturn disc through progressively-changing tilt angles,

(f) said nutating action motor being mechanically connected to said working element,

(g) a valve-operating member rotatably supported by said housing near the end thereof associated with said working element,

(h) a valve interconnecting said source of motive fluid and said nutating action motor and being disposed within said housing near said opposite end,

(i) a valve actuator mechanically associated with said valve-operating member and extending from said valve-operating member to said valve directly through the saturn disc of the nutating action motor.

9. The water-powered appliance according to claim 8, further characterized by

(a) said appliance housing including a hand grip section being of a size and shape to be held by one hand of an operator,

(b) said valve-operating member comprising a hollow, sleeve-like element rotatably mounted on said appliance housing between said hand grip section and the end of the appliance housing associated with said working element whereby the thumb of the holding hand generally overlies said sleeve-like, valve-operating member.

10. The water-powered appliance according to claim 9, further characterized by

(a) said sleeve-like, valve-operating member being flush with and generally forming a gradually tapering extension of the hand grip section of the appliance housing.