Network for collaborating personal care devices

• US 10,881,285 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2017
• Issued: 01/05/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: Deane, Steven Charles, Helaoui, Rim, Rmaile, Amir Hussein, Borisenko, Yekaterina, Jeanne, Vincent, De Jager, Marinus Karel Johannes, Grabulov, Aleksandro
• Primary Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US16/348,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20190313892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 3405731
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0004 with a controlling means
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0008 with means for controlling duration, e.g. time of brushing
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0038 with signalling means
• 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: A61B 1/24 for the mouth, i.e. stomatoscopes, e.g. with tongue depressors tongue depressors per se A61B13/00; Instruments for opening or keeping open the mouth combined with saliva removers A61C17/00; mouth openers for animals A61D15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/746 Alarms related to a physiological condition, e.g. details of setting alarm thresholds or avoiding false alarms alarms per se G08B
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/221 Control arrangements therefor

Abstract

A method (400) for modifying a user'"'"'s oral care program. The method includes the steps of: (i) providing (410) a network (200) comprising a first personal care device (10a) in communication with a second personal care device (10b); (ii) cleaning (420) at least a portion of the oral cavity using the first personal care device; (iii) obtaining (440), while cleaning with the first personal care device, sensor data for the at least a portion of the oral cavity; (iv) communicating (450) the obtained sensor data to the second personal care device; and (v) modifying (460), based on the communicated sensor data, a function of the second personal care device.

Claims

1. A system for modifying a user'"'"'s oral care program, the system comprising:

a first personal care device adapted to perform an oral care function and configured to obtain sensor data for at least a portion of the user'"'"'s oral cavity; and

a second personal care device in communication with the first personal care device;

wherein the second personal care device is configured to receive the obtained sensor data directly from the first personal care device, and further configured to modify, based on the obtained sensor data, a function of the second personal care device; and

wherein an algorithm to modify personal care is used for analyzing the obtained sensor data and modifying the function of the second personal care device, and the modification is performed automatically without any input from or notice to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a central hub configured to facilitate communication between the first personal care device and the second personal care device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said modification is made to correct a deficiency in the user'"'"'s oral cleaning identified via the obtained sensor data.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the obtained sensor data comprises information about a period of time since the first personal care device was used by the user.

5. A method for modifying a user'"'"'s oral care program, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a network of collaborative personal care devices comprising a first personal care device and a second personal care device, wherein the first personal care device is in communication with the second personal care device;

cleaning at least a portion of the user'"'"'s oral cavity using the first personal care device;

obtaining, while cleaning with the first personal care device, sensor data for at least a portion of the oral cavity;

communicating the obtained sensor data directly to the second personal care device; and

modifying, based on the communicated sensor data, a function of the second personal care device, and wherein the modification is based on an algorithm to modify personal care by analyzing the obtained sensor data and the modification is made automatically by the second personal care device without any input from or notice to the user.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said modification is made to correct a deficiency in the user'"'"'s oral cleaning identified via the obtained sensor data.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising a central hub configured to facilitate communication between the first personal care device and the second personal care device.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising an imaging device configured to obtain one or more images of the oral cavity.

9. A method for modifying a user'"'"'s oral care program, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a network of collaborative personal care devices comprising a first personal care device, a second personal care device, and an imaging device, wherein the first personal care device is in communication with the second personal care device and the imaging device;

obtaining an image of at least a portion of the user'"'"'s oral cavity using the imaging device;

cleaning the oral cavity with the first personal care device;

obtaining sensor data for at least a portion of the oral cavity;

communicating the obtained image to the second personal care device; and

modifying, based on the communicated image and/or obtained sensor data, a function of the second personal care device, and wherein said modification is based on an algorithm to modify personal care by analyzing the obtained sensor data and the modification is made automatically by the first personal care device without any input from or notice to the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said modification is made to correct a deficiency in the user'"'"'s oral cleaning identified via the obtained image.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the network further comprises a central hub configured to facilitate communication between the first personal care device and the imaging device.