Colgate Palmolive Company

Patrik Johansson

Daniel Wainless

Gerald A Gontarz

Douglas J Hohlbein

John J Gatzemeyer

Harsh Mahendra Trivedi

Evaristo Delgado

Scott W Demarest

Mark David Lowenthal

Leighton Davies-Smith

Mark E Bartlett

Soniya Khan

Robert Moskovich

Najma Khan

Eduardo J Jimenez

Thomas J Boyd

Francis Tatu

Brian Bloch

Guofeng Xu

James G Masters

Venda Porter Maloney

Madhusudan Patel

Stacey Lavender

Scott P Mosby

Kathryn Neal

Kelly Duncan

John Jacob Gatzemeyer

Gerald Gontarz

Richard Adams

In some embodiments, an oral care device includes a flexible base substrate, a power source disposed on the base substrate, and a flexible light source disposed on the base structure or on the power source. The flexible light source is in electrical communication with the power source. Also disclosed are methods of using the same, for example, for whitening the teeth or for treating other conditions in the oral cavity.

Thin, flexible powered oral care device

An oral care implement sanitization system that includes an oral care implement and a case for storing the oral care implement and activating a sanitization or sterilization procedure. The oral care implement may include tooth cleaning elements, a light source, and a first electrical coupling element operably coupled to the light source. The case may include a housing having a cavity for holding the oral care implement, a power source, and a second electrical coupling element operably coupled to the power source. When the oral care implement is positioned within the cavity of the housing of the case, the first and second electrical coupling elements are operably coupled together. Operable coupling of the first and second electrical coupling elements initiates, either immediately or upon the occurrence of some additional action, activation of the light source for sanitizing or sterilizing the tooth cleaning elements.

Oral care implement

A container, a toothbrush, or a device including at least one sacrificial electrode. In one aspect, the container may include a body adapted to contain an oral care solution and a cap selectively removable from the body. The cap may include a cavity configured to contain a fluid, a first electrode comprising a sacrificial metal, a second electrode spaced from the first electrode, and an electrical connection electrically connecting the first electrode and the second electrode to a power source. Activation of the power source may generate an electric field between the first and second electrodes, thereby causing the sacrificial metal of the first electrode to release ions into the fluid in the cavity of the cap.

Oral care device with sacrificial electrode

An oral care implement having conductive protrusions. In one embodiment, the oral care implement includes a handle and a head coupled to the handle. Furthermore, the oral care implement includes a power source. A plurality of conductive protrusions may be electrically coupled to the power source. The plurality of conductive protrusions may include a base proximate the head and a distal end spaced from the head. Furthermore, at least one of the conductive protrusions may taper from the base to the distal end.

Oral care implement with conductive protrusions

A toothbrush includes a handle, a head at a distal end of the handle comprising a bristle plate, a hole extending through the bristle plate, a plurality of bristles at least partially disposed in the hole and extending from the hole in a direction away from the head, and a reservoir in fluid communication with the hole. Fluid in the reservoir enters the tuft holes and is wicked out of the head of the toothbrushes by capillaries formed between the bristles.

Brush with fluid delivery

An oral care device may include: a body including a head; a plurality of teeth cleaning elements extending from the head; a first electrode on the head; a second electrode on the head and spaced apart from the first electrode, wherein at least one of the first and second electrodes is a sacrificial electrode; a power source; and a controller configured to operably couple the power source to the first and second electrodes to create an electric potential between the first and second electrodes so that ions are released from the sacrificial electrode during a brushing session; wherein the controller is configured to change a magnitude of the electric potential the brushing session ends.

Oral care device

An oral care implement herein may be embodied as an oral device for placement in the oral cavity. The device may include an insert configured for placement in the oral cavity in contact with a wearer's teeth and an activating member configured for placement in the oral cavity and selectively attachable to the insert.

Oral device with activating element

An oral care process which includes initiating a first operational sequence which includes generating an electric potential between a first sacrificial electrode and a second sacrificial electrode, the electric potential in the first operational sequence beginning with one of a first polarity and a second polarity, stopping the first operational sequence, and commencing a second operational sequence which includes generating the electric potential between the first sacrificial electrode and the second sacrificial electrode. The electric potential in the second operational sequence may begin with the other of the first polarity and the second polarity. The electric potential may be alternated between the first polarity and the second polarity at predetermined intervals during at least one of the first operational sequence and the second operational sequence.

Oral care process

A powered toothbrush includes a handle, a power source disposed in the handle, a head including a cavity disposed at a distal end of the handle, an electrically conducting element disposed in the cavity and electrically connected to the power source, and a movable cleaning element connected to the head and movable relative to the cavity. The movable cleaning element includes a tooth cleaning support member, a tooth cleaning element mounted on the support member, and a ferromagnetic member. Application of an electrical current to the electrically conducting element generates a magnetic field at the electrically conducting element. The magnetic field selectively at least one of attracts and repels the ferromagnetic member to move the movable cleaning element relative to the electrically conducting element.

Powered oral care implement

An oral treatment device that emits light onto surfaces of a user's teeth. In one aspect, the oral treatment device includes an intraoral mouthpiece. The mouthpiece comprises a lamp support structure comprising a lamp support surface and is formed of a first material. A flexible lamp is mounted to the lamp support surface so that a light emitting surface of the flexible lamp assumes a concave curvature, thereby forming a lamp assembly. A guard component is overmolded to the lamp assembly. In one embodiment, the oral treatment device may be a teeth whitening device.

Oral treatment device

An oral care device may include: a body including a head; a plurality of teeth cleaning elements extending from the head; a first sacrificial electrode on the head; a second sacrificial electrode on the head and spaced apart from the first sacrificial electrode; a power source; and a controller configured to alternate between an ON state and an OFF state, wherein: in the ON state the controller operably couples the power source to the first and second sacrificial electrodes to create an electric potential between the first sacrificial electrode and the second sacrificial electrode, the electric potential having one of a first polarity and a second polarity, and for each successive transition from the OFF state to the ON state, the controller is configured to alternate between the first polarity and the second polarity.

An oral care implement having electrodes thereon. In one aspect, the oral care implement may include a handle and a head, the head having a front surface and an opposite rear surface. A plurality of tooth cleaning elements may extend from the front surface of the head. A soft tissue cleaner may be located on the rear surface of the head, the soft tissue cleaner including a protuberance field. A first electrode and a second electrode are each operably coupled to a power source to have opposite electrical charges. The first and second electrodes may be spaced apart from one another and substantially surround the protuberance field. In other embodiments, the first and second electrodes may be embedded within or otherwise located within the protuberance field.

Growing community of inventors

Hoboken, NJ, United States of America

Patrik Johansson