Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Yu-Wen Chang

Gregory Russ Goddard

Marco Baragona

Valentina Lavezzo

Milica Kovacevic Milivojevic

Anandh Balakrishnan

Tyler G Kloster

Bart Johannes Massee

Wolter F Benning

Bart Gottenbos

Leonardo Ochoa Sosa

Lisa Bethany Schmalhurst

Quintin Oliver Williams

John Theodore Ferrier

Sandra Hotzl

A oral irrigator device () for cleaning teeth, including a system () for producing a stream of liquid/air bursts and a nozzle () connected to the system, and through which the stream of liquid/air bursts are directed. The nozzle can include a guidance tip () including a base portion (), a tip portion (), and an orifice () through which the stream of liquid/air bursts exits at a flow output pattern, and a flow output pattern selection mechanism (') connected to or positioned within the guidance tip. A flow output pattern selection mechanism can be configured to be selectively actuated and to vary, upon the actuation the flow output pattern between a first flow output pattern to at least a second flow output pattern.

Adjustable assembly and nozzle for providing various liquid/air output flow patterns

An oral care appliance comprises: a fluid delivery system for producing discrete fluid bursts by means of a pump (), a regulator () regulating liquid in a pressurized liquid tank () delivered via a valve () through a fluid delivery path () in an outlet member (), directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting fluid bursts are directed to the teeth.

Oral care appliance using pulsed fluid flow

The interproximal toothbrush includes an appliance body and neck with a nozzle member having a nozzle tip shaped to fit into interproximal teeth spaces. Bursts of air or air/liquid mixture are generated, exiting through the nozzle tip. A helix member or, alternatively, a spring, is supported within a channel in the nozzle member. The helix member is free to rotate as air or the air/liquid mixture is moved through the channel. A set of bristles is attached to a forward end of the helix member, so that it rotates with the helix member. Alternatively, a set of bristles is attached to the distal end of the spring so that successive bursts of air or the air/liquid mixture produce an in-and-out movement of the set of bristles toward and away from the teeth.

Air-driven interproximal toothbrush

The oral care appliance comprises: a fluid pump (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas (); wherein the pump is in operative communication with the sources of liquid and gas to produce a series of gas-injected fluid pulses and/or a jet fluid flow using liquid slugs in a selected sequence directed to a nozzle and from there to the teeth, and a control assembly for selecting pulse flow or slug flow with specific set times and sequence directed to a nozzle assembly () and from there to the teeth; wherein the pulses have a pulse width within the range of 0.001-0.5 seconds, a pulse height from 0.1-10 Newtons, a rise/fall time range of 0.5-250 ms, a repetition rate in the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz, and wherein the gas/liquid mixture range from 40-95% volume to volume gas to liquid, or wherein the fluid slugs in the jet flow have a volume in the range of 0.05-0.5 ml per orifice, a diameter in the range of 0.1-2 mm and a repetition rate within the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz.

Oral care appliance using a variable fluid flow

The appliance includes a jet source of fluid, and a nozzle assembly through which the fluid is directed and then out for application to the teeth. A flow interrupter assembly is mounted within the nozzle assembly, such that the interrupter assembly is responsive to the fluid flow to produce momentary successive interruptions of the fluid flow by the action of the interrupter assembly moving from an original position to a flow interrupting position and then returning to its original position as the flow decreases and then is interrupted, due to the fluid flow itself, resulting in a cyclical perturbation in the fluid flow from the nozzle, by flow action alone.

System for introducing pulsation into a fluid output for an oral care appliance

An oral care appliance comprises: a fluid pump assembly (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas (), wherein the pump is in operative communication with the sources of liquid and gas to produce a series of gas-injected fluid pulses, directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting pulses are directed to the teeth. The individual pulses have a pulse width in the range of 0.001-0.5 seconds, a pulse height from 0.1-10 Newtons, and a rise/fall time range of 0.5-250 ms, a repetition rate in the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz. The gas/liquid mixture range from 40-95% volume to volume, gas to liquid.

An oral cleaning device () including: a nozzle portion () configured to direct a plurality of liquid droplets; an actuator (); a mode selector (); a liquid reservoir () wherein in operation liquid is moved from the liquid reservoir into an orifice () at the proximal end of the nozzle; a system () configured to drive a plunger or piston element () toward the proximal end of the nozzle to create a spray of liquid droplets when the moving air comes into contact with the liquid; a control unit () configured to control the system to drive the plunger a predetermined number of times in response to a single actuation of the actuator, where the control unit is further configured to accept input from the user via the mode selector, and the mode selector is configured for the user to select a number of liquid bursts that will be delivered in response to a single actuation of the actuator.

Oral cleaning device with adjustable fluid dynamics

An oral care appliance comprises an gas-liquid cleaning assembly which comprises a fluid pump assembly (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas(). The pump is in operative communication with the sources of liquid and gas to produce a series of gas-injected fluid pulses, directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting pulses are directed to the teeth by a user. The individual pulses have a pulse width within the range of 0.001-0.5 seconds, a pulse height from 0.1-10 Newtons, a rise/fall time range of 0.5-250 ms, a repetition rate in the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz. The gas/liquid mixture range from 40-95% volume to volume, gas to liquid. The appliance also includes a mechanical teeth cleaning assembly, in combination with the gas-liquid assembly. The mechanical assembly includes a drive system () and a brush assembly in operative contact with the drive system, the brush assembly having a set of bristles () at the distal end thereof, wherein in operation, the nozzle assembly is positioned within the brush assembly.

Oral care appliance using pulsed fluid flow and mechanical action

An oral care appliance using a jet-type fluid flow And mechanical action An oral care appliance comprises: a gas-liquid cleaning assembly which includes a fluid flow pump assembly (); a source of liquid (); and a source of gas (). The pump assembly is in operative communication with the sources of fluid and gas to produce a jet pattern of gas-injected fluid slugs, directed to a nozzle assembly () from which the resulting slugs are directed to the teeth, wherein the individual fluid slugs in the jet flow have a volume in the range of 0.05-0.5 ml per orifice, a diameter in the range of 0.1-2 mm and a repetition rate within the range of 2 Hz to 20 Hz. The appliance further includes a mechanical teeth cleaning assembly, in combination with the gas-liquid assembly, which includes a drive system () and a brush assembly in operative contact with the drive system, the brush assembly having a set of bristles () at the distal end thereof, wherein in operation, the nozzle assembly is positioned within the brush assembly.

Oral care appliance using a jet-type fluid flow and mechanical action

Nozzle for toothcleaning apparatus

The power toothbrush includes a driving assembly which in turn includes a DC motor () and a battery. The DC motor has a rotating drive shaft (), supported at its free end. The drive shaft has an eccentric portion (). Mounted on the eccentric portion is a plastic sleeve () having an extending portion which engages one end of a spring member (). The other end of the spring member is secured to a yoke () which is secured to a brushhead shaft (). Rotation of the drive shaft results in the extending portion of the plastic sleeve, moving the spring between a compressed state and an extended state. The action of the DC motor excites the spring to produce an oscillating action of the brushhead shaft and a brushhead assembly () mounted thereon.

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Mercer Island, WA, United States of America

Yu-Wen Chang