Pacific Bioscience Laboratories, Inc.

Optiva, Inc.

Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

L'oreal

Loreal Sa

Sundstrand Data Control, Inc.

Philips Oral Healthcare

Pacific Biosciences Laboratories, Inc.

Magic Wheels, Inc

Stephen M Meginniss, Iii

David Giuliani

Kenneth A Pilcher

Richard A Reishus

Dane M Roth

Matthew D Bixby

Robert E Akridge

Johannes B Groenewegen

Steven Ross Henrikson

Ward Edwin Harris

Kevin T Underwood

Wendell G Matas

Kenneth E Pilcher

San Francisco Sabin

Kent E Plant, Jr

An applicator, also referred to as workpiece, is suitable for use with a personal care appliance. The applicator can be in the form of a dual brush head. The dual brush head includes a movable central portion having first and second independently movable sections.

Dual motion applicator for a personal care appliance

The apparatus includes at least two skin-contacting elements, the elements having narrow end faces and a mounting assembly for holding the elements closely adjacent to each other. A driving assembly reciprocally moves one element relative to the adjacent element(s) at a frequency that produces an action on the pores of the skin to loosen sebaceous plugs present in the pores, by permitting their ready removal from the skin.

Apparatus and method for acoustic/mechanical treatment of early stage acne

The motor includes an E-core stator assembly with a source of alternating current and an armature portion mounted to be responsive to the stator to oscillate back and forth through an arc portion of the personal care appliance and flexure elements are connected between the armature and the mounting member, the flexure elements crossing each other, wherein the crossing point defines a pivot point about which the armature rotates. A workpiece assembly, which includes a mounting arm, is configured so that a skin brush mounted on a free end of the mounting arm has an axis of rotation about the pivot point.

Oscillating motor for a personal care appliance

The brushhead attachment system includes a hub member which is secured to a drive shaft of a personal care appliance for oscillating action. The hub member includes a number of spaced locking elements in the form of protrusions around the periphery thereof. An annular outer brushhead portion with a first group of bristles includes a plurality of spaced grooves in the outer surface thereof which mate with extending pins in the body of the appliance for insertion and removal of the outer brushhead portion. An inner brushhead portion is configured to fit within the annular opening of the outer brushhead portion and includes a plurality of depending legs which mate with the protrusions on the drive member for resulting oscillating action of the inner brushhead portion when the drive member oscillates, at least some of the legs having latch elements which fit onto an interior lip of the outer brushhead portion in such a manner that the inner and outer brushhead portions may be installed and removed as a unit, while permitting the inner brushhead portion to be freely rotatable relative to the outer brushhead portion.

Oscillating brushhead attachment system for a personal care appliance

The acne treatment devices use an array of LEDs, which emit monochromatic light substantially at a wavelength of 405 nanometers, which is coincident with the peak absorbance of light by acne porphyrins. The emitted light is directed from the light source to an acne area of the skin. The device can either be hand-held, with the LEDs mounted on a handle portion, or an LED can be mounted on a patch-like mounting element, which is adapted to be secured to the skin for longer exposure at less intensity.

System for treatment of acne skin condition using a narrow band light source

The motor assembly which produces an oscillating action for a personal care device includes a horizontally positioned U-shaped stator portion, and an armature portion which includes a torsion spring shaft which is anchored at one end thereof. The armature portion also includes a U-shaped magnet mounting member which is fixed near the upper end of the spring shaft, the U-shaped member including two opposing legs which extend along a substantial part of the length of the spring shaft, away therefrom. At the tips of each leg are magnet assemblies, which interact with the stator portion in alternating torsion, to produce a back-and-forth oscillation of the armature and a brushhead or other workpiece attached thereto.

Motor providing oscillating action for a personal care appliance

A wheel assembly for a wheelchair having a number of structural features, including a two-gear arrangement, in which one gear is a hypocycloidal gear providing a gear ratio lower than 1:1. A shift member is located on the wheel assembly with hand operated shift portions of the shift member, the shift member capable of moving laterally (perpendicular to the axle) of the wheel between two positions. The shift member can be moved by the user while seated in the wheelchair. The wheel assembly includes a hand rim which is connected to a housing within which is a gear assembly. The gear assembly includes two spaced cage plates which are joined by fixed shafts having unidirectional rollers positioned thereon around the periphery thereof. The rollers have an exterior surface portion which engages with the interior surface of the housing in such a way as to readily permit movement in the forward direction, but to prevent movement in the rear direction, unless the hand rims are used to rotate the housing relative to the gear assembly. The cage plate structure has rubbing elements which interact with the interior surface of the housing to produce an additional braking force for downhill terrain.

Two-speed wheel assembly for manual wheelchairs, with a quick-release mounting capability

The three point force sensing system includes three spaced sensor members which change in resistance linearly or monotonically over a selected range of force applied thereto. The sensor members are arranged in a triangle configuration in a flex circuit which is positioned between a brushhead and a brushhead body. The brushhead has three raised portions on a lower surface thereof which bear against the sensor members in a spring-like relationship. Electrically conductive trace lines extend from the sensor members along the length of the toothbrush to a connector at the rear end thereof. A microprocessor is used to evaluate the change of resistance as force is applied against the brushhead to determine force in the z direction against the teeth, as well as motion in the x and y direction in a plane parallel with a base portion of the brushhead.

Three point force sensing system for a toothbrush

The pressure sensing system includes a hinged member that is fixedly attached to a brushhead body. An arm member is attached at one end to said hinged member and pivots about a hinge portion of the hinged invention. The pivoting arm member and the brushhead member nestle within the toothbrush body. The brushhead member includes a striking element portion that extends away from a rear surface of the brushhead. Mounted on the toothbrush body beneath the brushhead member is a collapsible, recoverable dome member, which provides an alarm indication by collapsing when excessive pressure is applied by the user on the brushhead against the teeth.

Force sensing system for a toothbrush

A brushhead for a toothbrush having a particular bristle configuration which includes a plurality of bristle tufts arranged in three columns and nine rows, wherein the distal end two adjacent rows and the proximal end two adjacent rows and an intermediate row have longer bristles than the remaining bristle tuft rows. The distal, intermediate and proximal bristle tuft rows all have pointed tips (in the lateral direction) and beveled outside edges at the top portion thereof. The shorter bristle tuft rows also have beveled outside edges. The shorter bristle tuft rows between the distal and intermediate rows have angled top surfaces in addition to the beveled outside edges.

Brushhead for a toothbrush

A power toothbrush has a brushhead mounted at one end thereof, the brushhead including a base mounting element for bristles which extend from one surface thereof. Extending from the opposing surface of the base mounting element is a pressure contact member. A substantially rigid brushhead shield extends along and is adjacent to the opposing surface of the brushhead. The brushhead has a hinge-like portion which permits the brushhead to move or swivel in response to pressure being placed on the brushhead, while the brushhead is moving back and forth at its operating frequency of its normal brushing action at over 150 Hz. Thin electrical switch contacts, which are part of an electrical circuit, are positioned on the brush shield, spaced from the contact member on the brushhead. When sufficient pressure is applied against the brushhead, the brushhead moves sufficiently about the hinge, while also continuing to move in normal action that the pressure contact member comes into contact with and then closes the switch contacts, closing the electrical circuit and resulting in a visual indication that the brushhead pressure has exceeded the maximum limit for desirable brushing pressure.

Pressure overload indicator system for power toothbrushes

In order to provide a magnetic tape recorder where the magnetic tape and tape reels are driven by a drive belt with the capability of operating in temperature extremes, the drive belt is composed of silicone rubber that has been cured with a peroxide curing agent.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Stephen M Meginniss, Iii