Colgate Palmolive Company

Alan Vincent Sorrentino

Robert Moskovich

Eduardo J Jimenez

Douglas J Hohlbein

John J Gatzemeyer

Michael Rooney

Sharon Kennedy

Alberto J Mantilla

Thomas E Mintel

Lucas Wade

Jason Liang

Al Aquanza Sprosta

James Herbert Kemp

Swanson Xi

Paul Donald Carse

Thomas J Boyd

Kiat-Cheong Toh

Madhusudan Patel

Stephen Nelson

Frank Hom

Andreas Haefliger

Joseph Edward Fattori

David K Lee

Quang Nguyen

Emily Fink

Kenneth Gerald Waguespack

Brian Bloch

Joachim Storz

Guofeng Xu

Bruce M Russell

Donghui Wu

Richard Scott Robinson

Luca Casini

Matthew Lee Kolb

Tanja Langgner

Peter Andersen

John Hancock

David Demar

Clark F Bow

Thomas Kuechler

David Gurley

Francisco Dondo

Daniel Wainless

Andreas Wechsler

Yuanqiang Fang

Carlo Daep

Thomas Küchler

Xiaonan Zhang

Jan Felix Muller

Zi Wu

A system or method of forming a handle portion of an oral care implement and a handle portion of an oral care implement formed thereby. The method may include providing a first mold that defines a first mold cavity having a shape that corresponds to the handle portion, injecting a first material into the first mold cavity via a first injection orifice with a first hot runner sub-system, and injecting a second material into the first mold cavity via a second injection orifice with a second hot runner sub-system. The second material is injected into the first material thereby forming the handle portion, with the second material forming a core component of the handle portion and the first material forming a shell component of the handle portion that surrounds the core component.

System and method for forming an oral care implement

A mechanically tapered bristle filament for an oral care implement. The filament is characterized by a long thin tapered end portion. The tapered end portion has a taper length and tip diameter comparable to chemically tapered filaments. The areal surface roughness of the tapered end portion however is greater than chemically tapered filaments thereby producing increased scrubbing action against the surfaces of the teeth. The foregoing taper and roughness characteristics of the present filament enhance inter-dental cleaning effectiveness.

Oral care implement and filament for the same

An ultrasonic system may include: an oral care device including: a head; a plurality of teeth cleaning elements extending from a first side of the head; and an ultrasound module including an ultrasound transceiver positioned in the head, the ultrasound transceiver configured to produce an ultrasound signal on the first side of the head and to generate a detection signal from a reflected ultrasound signal; and a processing module operably coupled to the ultrasound module to receive the detection signal; wherein the processing module includes a programmable processor configured to process the detection signal non-linearly with respect to time by first identifying a first reflection representing a surface of a tooth and then determining whether a second reflection peak is present in the detection signal at a time prior to the first reflection peak, the second reflection peak representing a biofilm on the surface of the tooth.

Ultrasonic system and method for detecting a biofilm on a tooth

A vibrating toothbrush is provided with vibration-isolating zones that substantially isolate vibrations in the head and reduce vibrations transmitted to the handle without sacrificing structural integrity around the vibration-isolation zones. Such zones may generally comprise neck material that is reduced in cross-section, thinned, replaced by dampening material, or removed altogether to create transmission-inhibiting voids. The vibration-isolating zones may be further supported by the housing of the vibratory element to maintain the structural integrity around the zones and to thereby alleviate weakness conditions that might subject the toothbrush to fatigue and breakage.

Vibrating toothbrush

A fluid delivery apparatus including a reservoir containing at least one fluid. A capillary channel extends from the reservoir to deliver the fluids stored in the reservoir through one or more fluid outlets via capillary action. In one embodiment, an applicator formed of a capillary material is located within the outlet. A variety of fluids can be administered for therapeutic, hygienic, and/or other benefits. In one aspect, the apparatus includes a housing defining a reservoir; at least one fluid stored in the reservoir; and a capillary channel in fluid coupling with the at least one fluid, the capillary channel including a first capillary member and a second capillary member that circumferentially surrounds the first capillary member such that the first and second capillary members are concentric.

Fluid delivery apparatus

A system for forming an oral care implement and an oral care implement formed thereby. The system may include a first mold defining a first mold cavity having a first mold cavity axis; first and second injection orifices formed into the first mold and providing passageways directly into the first portion of the first mold cavity, the second injection orifice being spaced apart from the first injection orifice; first and second hot runner sub-systems fluidly coupled to the first and second injection orifices, respectively; wherein the system is configured to dispense the first material into the first portion of the first mold cavity via the first injection orifice, and after passage of a period of time, to subsequently dispense the second material into the first portion of the first mold cavity via the second injection orifice, the second material being injected into the first material to displace the first material.

A method of forming a bristle field for an oral care implement. The method includes providing a bundle of bristles and aligning the bundle of bristles with an insertion opening in a guide member. Upon insertion into the guide member, the guide member divides the bundle of bristles into a plurality of bristle tufts. The guide member can be aligned with tuft holes on a head or head plate of an oral care implement so that the bundle of bristles can be inserted through the guide member and into the tuft holes. As a result, a single bundle of bristles can be used to mount a plurality of bristle tufts to the head or head plate.

Oral care implement and a method of forming a bristle field for an oral care implement

A system comprising an implement and dispenser containing a fluid detachably coupled to the implement. In one embodiment, the dispenser has a housing that includes a reservoir containing a fluid and an actuator for dispensing the fluid from the dispenser. The dispenser is at least partially located within the cavity of the handle. The housing of the dispenser has at least one protuberance that protrudes radially beyond an outer surface of the handle thereby forming a ridge that a user can grip to remove the dispenser from the cavity of the handle.

Implement and dispenser system

Disclosed is an oral care implement, comprising: a body comprising a handle and a head at an end of the handle; the body having a cavity therein for storing an oral care fluid; the head having at least one oral care element extending therefrom, and a fluid outlet through which the oral care fluid is dispensable to an exterior of the oral care implement; a passageway fluidly connecting the cavity with the fluid outlet; a mechanism for introducing air into the cavity from the exterior of the oral care implement; and a control valve on the head movable relative to the head between a first position for preventing fluid flow from the cavity through the fluid outlet and a second position for permitting fluid flow from the cavity through the fluid outlet.

Oral care implement

Head portion of an oral care implement

An oral care implement having a body comprising a handle, a head having at least one oral care element extending therefrom, and at least one fluid outlet; a reservoir in the body and for storing an oral care fluid; and a pump in the body for pumping the oral care fluid from the reservoir towards the fluid outlet, wherein the pump is an umbrella check valve circumferentially surrounding a duckbill check valve. Alternatively, the invention is a method of manufacturing an oral care implement, including the steps of providing a body comprising a base having first and second holes extending therethrough; and fitting to the body a unitary component comprising first and second valves at a position at which the first valve blocks the first hole and the second valve blocks the second hole, wherein the first valve is an umbrella check valve that circumferentially surrounds the second valve.

Oral care implements and methods of manufacturing the same

An oral care system comprising a toothbrush and a dispenser is disclosed. In one embodiment, the dispenser comprises a housing having a longitudinal axis and an internal reservoir containing an oral care material; a drive component rotatably disposed within the housing and comprising a drive screw, the drive component being axially retained relative to the housing through mechanical interference; and an elevator coupled to the drive screw so that rotation of the drive component in a first rotational direction causes the elevator to axially advance along the drive screw in a first axial direction to dispense the oral care material from a dispensing orifice.

Oral care dispenser and oral care system implementing the same

Growing community of inventors

Cranbury, NJ, United States of America

Alan Vincent Sorrentino