Characterization of motion of dual motor oral hygiene device

• US 6,955,539 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2003
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Water Pik Incorporated (Church & Dwight Company Incorporated)
• Inventors: Shortt, Robert A., Taylor, Kurt M., Hair, Kenneth A., Julian, Danial E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaver, Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bumgarner, Melba
• Application Number:
  US10/340,262
• Publication Number:
  US 20030162146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,012 Days
• Field of Search: 433/118, 433/125, 433/117, 433/119, 433/114, 433/166, 433/124, 433/131, 433/133, 132/309, 132/322, 151/671
• US Class Current: 433/118
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/221 Control arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/34 driven by electric motor
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3481 Vibrating brush body, e.g. by using eccentric weights

Abstract

An oral hygiene device is disclosed having at least two motors to simultaneously vibrate and impart motion upon the head portion of the oral hygiene device, most beneficially at the tip. A first motor is positioned in the handle portion of the device to impart a first frequency of movement to the tip. A second motor is located in a head portion, generally in a shaft of or an oral hygiene attachment to the device, to impart at least a second frequency of movement onto the tip. When both the first and second motors are activated, the resulting movement of the tip of the device may include complex, substantially random movements, depending in part on the frequencies at which the motors are operating.

Claims

1. A power oral hygiene device comprising:

a main body having a handle portion and a head portion;

an oral hygiene attachment connected to the head portion;

a first vibratory means positioned in the handle portion operating at a first frequency and a first amplitude;

a second vibratory means positioned in the head portion operating at a second frequency and a second amplitude; and

a power means for providing energy to the first vibratory means and the second vibratory means;

wherein

the first frequency is greater than the second frequency;

the second amplitude is greater than the first amplitude; and

the first vibratory means and the second vibratory means operate in concert to impart an orbital motion with random or quasi-random variances to the head portion.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the orbital motion further comprises a substantially elliptical orbital motion.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the substantially elliptical orbital motion is eccentric.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein a major axis of the elliptical orbit is substantially parallel to a plane of an oral surface of a user when the oral hygiene attachment is operationally held against the oral surface and a minor axis of the elliptical orbit is substantially perpendicular to the plane of the surface of the oral surface when the oral hygiene attachment is operationally held against the oral surface.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein a first vibratory force imparted by the second vibratory means primarily contributes to the orbital motion and a second vibratory force imparted by the first vibratory means primarily contributes to the random or quasi-random variances.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprising a motor mount attached to the first vibratory means and tightly fitted against an interior surface of the handle portion, wherein

the motor mount focuses vibratory energy generated by at least one of the first vibratory means and second vibratory means and imparts the vibratory energy to the head portion in at least one direction.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising a pivot means between the handle portion and the head portion wherein a radius of the orbital motion of the head portion is constrained by the pivot means.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the pivot means acts like a spring to impart additional complex motion to the head portion.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the pivot means dampens the motion imparted to the head portion by the first vibratory means and the second vibratory means.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein a ratio of the first frequency to the second frequency is between 1.3 and 3.

11. A power toothbrush comprising:

a main body having a handle portion and a head portion;

the head portion further comprising a shaft portion and a brush head portion operably attached to the shaft portion;

the brush head portion further having bristles;

a first vibratory motor operating at a first frequency and a first amplitude positioned in the handle portion;

a second vibratory motor operating at a second frequency and a second amplitude positioned in the head portion; and

a power source for providing energy to the first motor and the second motor;

wherein

the first frequency is greater than the second frequency;

the second amplitude is greater than the first amplitude; and

the first vibratory motor and the second vibratory motor operate in combination to impart an orbital motion with random or quasi-random variances to the head portion.

12. The power toothbrush of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first motor and the second motor is an eccentric motor.

13. The power toothbrush of claim 11, wherein the first vibratory motor excites a natural frequency of the bristles.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein a proximal end of each of the bristles is fixedly attached to the brush head and a distal end of each of the bristles is free to move, and wherein the second vibratory motor causes an oscillatory motion in the distal ends of the bristles.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein combination of the first vibratory motor with the second vibratory motor excites distal ends of the bristles to randomly or quasi-randomly deviate from the oscillatory motion.

16. A power oral hygiene device comprising:

a handle portion for grasping by a user;

an oral hygiene portion attached to the handle portion at a pivot point; and

at least one vibratory means;

wherein

the at least one vibratory means imparts an orbital motion to the oral hygiene portion, wherein a distal end of the oral hygiene portion orbits around an axis extending distally from the handle portion at the pivot point, and

the at least one vibratory means comprises at least a first vibratory means and a second vibratory means, wherein the first vibratory means is positioned within the handle portion and the second vibratory means is positioned within the oral hygiene portion.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the orbital motion is substantially elliptical.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the substantially elliptical orbit is eccentric to the axis.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein the oral hygiene portion further comprises a brush head with a plurality of bristles and wherein the first vibratory means excites a natural frequency of the bristles.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of bristles are grouped in at least one clump and wherein the first vibratory means excites a natural frequency of the at least one clump of bristles.

21. The device of claim 19, wherein the first vibratory means excites a natural frequency of the each of the bristles individually.

22. The device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of bristles are excited by at least one of the first vibratory means and the second vibratory means to impart between 15,000 and 50,000 brush strokes per minute.

23. The device of claim 19, wherein the plurality of bristles are excited by at least one of the first vibratory means and the second vibratory means to impart approximately 48,000 brush strokes per minute.

24. The device of claim 20, wherein a proximal end of each of the bristles is fixedly attached to the brush head and a distal end of each of the bristles is free to move, and wherein the second vibratory means causes an oscillatory motion in the distal ends of the bristles.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein combination of the first vibratory means with the second vibratory means excites distal ends of the bristles to randomly or quasi-randomly deviate from the oscillatory motion.

26. The device of claim 19, wherein a proximal end of each of the bristles is fixedly attached to the brush head and a distal end of each of the bristles is free to move, and wherein the second vibratory means causes an oscillatory motion in the distal ends of the bristles.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein combination of the first vibratory means with the second vibratory means excites distal ends of the bristles to randomly or quasi-randomly deviate from the oscillatory motion.

28. The device of claim 16, wherein the oral hygiene portion orbits in a substantially random pattern as a result of a combination of vibratory energy generated by the first vibratory means and vibratory energy generated by the second vibratory means.

29. A power oral hygiene device comprising:

a handle portion for grasping by a user;

an oral hygiene attachment;

at least one vibratory means; and

a frame that houses the at least one vibratory means, wherein the frame is positioned internal to and spaced apart from the handle portion and is connected to the oral hygiene attachment, wherein the frame imparts vibratory energy generated by the at least one vibratory means to the oral hygiene attachment;

wherein

the at least one vibratory means comprises a first motor housed within a portion of the frame within the handle portion and a second motor housed within the shaft.

30. The device of claim 29 further comprising a motor mount positioned between the frame and the handle portion, wherein the motor mount focuses the vibratory energy generated by the at least one vibratory means and imparts the vibratory energy to the oral hygiene attachment in at least one direction.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein the frame further comprises a shaft protruding from within the handle portion and extending beyond the handle portion to engage the oral hygiene attachment;

and

wherein an interface between the shaft and the handle portion comprises a pivot point about which the shaft of the frame orbits under influence of the vibratory energy.

32. The device of claim 31 further comprising an O-ring mounted to the handle portion at the pivot point wherein the O-ring imparts a spring effect on the orbit of the shaft.