Cleaning appliance
First Claim
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1. A dental cleaning appliance comprising:
- a head;
a handle;
a stem extending in a longitudinal direction from the handle to the head, the head extending outwardly from the stem; and
a fluid delivery system comprising a nozzle located in the head for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, the nozzle extending along a nozzle axis, and a moveable fluid conduit which is moveable relative to the handle, at least a portion of the moveable fluid conduit that is outside of the head extending in the longitudinal direction of the stem within the stem such that fluid flows through the at least a portion of the moveable conduit toward the head in the longitudinal direction of the stem and the at least a portion of the fluid conduit is moveable within the stem, the nozzle being moveable with the fluid conduit relative to the head, the fluid conduit being biased for movement in a direction which moves the nozzle in a plane in which the nozzle axis and the longitudinal direction lie, and along a curved path lying within the plane, and thereby urges the nozzle against a user'"'"'s teeth during use of the appliance.
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Accused Products
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.
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Citations
54 Claims
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1. A dental cleaning appliance comprising:
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a head; a handle; a stem extending in a longitudinal direction from the handle to the head, the head extending outwardly from the stem; and a fluid delivery system comprising a nozzle located in the head for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, the nozzle extending along a nozzle axis, and a moveable fluid conduit which is moveable relative to the handle, at least a portion of the moveable fluid conduit that is outside of the head extending in the longitudinal direction of the stem within the stem such that fluid flows through the at least a portion of the moveable conduit toward the head in the longitudinal direction of the stem and the at least a portion of the fluid conduit is moveable within the stem, the nozzle being moveable with the fluid conduit relative to the head, the fluid conduit being biased for movement in a direction which moves the nozzle in a plane in which the nozzle axis and the longitudinal direction lie, and along a curved path lying within the plane, and thereby urges the nozzle against a user'"'"'s teeth during use of the appliance. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A cleaning tool for a dental cleaning appliance comprising a handle to which the cleaning tool is detachably connectable, the cleaning tool comprising:
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a stem that is attachable at a first end to the handle; a head extending outwardly from a second end of the stem that is spaced in a longitudinal direction of the stem from the first end of the stem; and a cleaning tool conduit system comprising a nozzle located in the head for delivering a burst of working fluid to the teeth of a user, and a fluid conduit which is moveable relative to the stem, at least a portion of the fluid conduit that is outside of the head extending in the longitudinal direction of the stem within the stem such that fluid flows through the at least a portion of the fluid conduit toward the head in the longitudinal direction of the stem and the at least a portion of the fluid conduit is moveable within the stem, the nozzle being moveable with the fluid conduit relative to the head and between a distal position and a proximal position relative to the head, the fluid conduit being biased for movement in a direction which moves the nozzle along a curved path toward the distal position relative to the head, the curved path lying in a plane in which the longitudinal direction of the stem lies, the plane intersecting with the head and configured to intersect with the handle, and when the nozzle is pressed against a user'"'"'s teeth the nozzle moves away from the distal position along the curved path and towards the proximal position relative to the head. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54)
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Specification