Oral treatment device, system and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11110291-B2
Application number	US-201816157198-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2018
Priority date	Oct 11, 2018
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

An oral treatment device that emits electromagnetic radiation onto surfaces of a user's teeth. The oral treatment device may include an intraoral mouthpiece and a handle extending therefrom, the handle containing the control circuitry required for operation of the device. The mouthpiece may include a lamp support structure, a lamp, a lens plate, and a guard component. The lamp may include an electromagnetic radiation source that includes a flexible sheet and a plurality of illumination elements located thereon. The illumination elements may be light emitting diodes printed with an electrically conductive. Additional electronic components such as a processor and a power source may also be included in the device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oral treatment device comprising:
a control circuit that comprises, in operable coupling, a power source, a first compressible electrical contact having a first electrical charge, and a second compressible electrical contact having a second electrical charge that is opposite the first electrical charge;
an intraoral mouthpiece comprising:
a lamp comprising a lamp longitudinal axis and a flexible sheet body having first and second electrical contacts located on the lamp longitudinal axis, the lamp longitudinal axis extending from a first lamp side edge of the flexible sheet body to a second lamp side edge of the flexible sheet body, the lamp configured to generate and emit electromagnetic radiation from a front surface of the lamp;
wherein the lamp is mounted within the oral treatment device so that the first and second electrical contacts of the lamp are aligned and pressed into contact with the first and second compressible electrical contacts of the control circuit, respectively; and
wherein a transverse plane contains the lamp longitudinal axis and the transverse plane intersects both of the first and second electrical contacts of the lamp and both of the first and second compressible electrical contacts.

2. The oral care treatment device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second compressible electrical contacts of the control circuit are in a compressed state due to the contact with the first and second electrical contacts of the lamp.

3. The oral care treatment device according to claim 1 wherein each of the first and second compressible electrical contacts comprises a body formed of a compressible material and an electrically conductive layer on the compressible material.

4. The oral care treatment device according to claim 1 wherein each of the first and second compressible electrical contacts comprises an electrically conductive mesh filled with a compressible material.

5. The oral care treatment device according to claim 3 wherein the compressible material is a foam.

6. The oral care treatment device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second compressible electrical contacts are resilient.

7. The oral care treatment device according to claim 1 further comprising:
the intraoral mouthpiece comprising:
a lamp support surface having a concave curvature, the lamp mounted to the lamp support surface;
a curved lens plate overlying a front surface of the flexible sheet body of the lamp, the lamp positioned between the curved lens plate and the lamp support surface, the lens plate comprising one or more protuberances extending from a convex rear surface of the curved lens plate that are aligned with the first and second electrical contacts of the lamp and press the flexible sheet body of the lamp against the first and second compressible electrical contacts to electrically couple the first and second electrical contacts of the lamp with the first and second compressible electrical contacts, respectively.

8. The oral care treatment device according to claim 7 wherein the one or more protuberances compress the first and second compressible electrical contacts between a wall surface and the flexible sheet body.

9. The oral care treatment device according to claim 8 wherein the lamp support surface comprises at least one depression, the wall surface forming a floor surface of the at least one depression.

10. The oral care treatment device according to claim 7 wherein the intraoral mouthpiece comprises a lamp support structure comprising a curved support plate that comprises at least a portion of the lamp support surface.

11. The oral care treatment device according to claim 10 wherein the lamp support structure comprises a perimetric lamp retaining wall protruding from and surrounding the lamp support surface, the lamp positioned against the lamp support surface so that edges of the flexible sheet body of the lamp are retained by the perimetric lamp retaining wall.

12. The oral care treatment device according to claim 10 wherein the intraoral mouthpiece further comprises a guard component formed of an elastomeric material, the guard component coupled to the lamp support structure and sealing the lamp in a fluid tight manner between the curved lens plate the lamp support structure, the guard component comprising a frame portion defining a window through which the curved lens plate is exposed and the electromagnetic radiation emitted by the lamp can pass.

13. The oral care treatment device according to claim 12 wherein the curved lens plate comprises one or more protuberances extending from a concave front surface of the curved lens plate and into a bite plate of the guard component that divides the window into an upper window and a lower window.

14. The oral care treatment device according to claim 10 wherein the curved lens plate comprises one or more alignment elements that mechanically mate with one or more alignment elements of the lamp support structure to maintain the curved lens plate and the lamp support structure in relative alignment with one another.

15. The oral care treatment device according to claim 7 wherein in an uncompressed state, each of the first and second compressible electrical contacts protrude from the lamp support surface.

16. The oral care treatment device according to claim 7 further comprising:
the flexible sheet body of the lamp comprising at least one upper illumination zone located on the front surface of the flexible sheet body of the lamp above the lamp longitudinal axis and at least one lower illumination zone on the front surface of the flexible sheet body of the lamp located below the lamp longitudinal axis; and
the one or more protuberances contacting the front surface of the flexible sheet body between the at least one upper illumination zone and the at least one lower illumination zone.

17. The oral care treatment device according to claim 1 wherein the first and second compressible electrical contacts are compressed into a compressed state between a wall surface and the first and second electrical contacts of the lamp.

18. The oral care treatment device according to claim 1 wherein the lamp further comprises a plurality of light emitters embedded within the flexible sheet body that generate light which is emitted from the front surface of the flexible sheet body; and wherein the plurality of light emitters are light emitting diodes printed with an electrically conductive ink.

19. The oral treatment device according to claim 1 wherein the lamp is configured to emit light at a wavelength, or wavelengths, effective to whiten teeth.

20. An oral treatment device comprising:
a control circuit that comprises, in operable coupling, a power source, a first electrical contact having a first electrical charge, and a second electrical contact having a second electrical charge that is opposite the first electrical charge;
an intraoral mouthpiece comprising:
a lamp comprising a flexible sheet body and a plurality of light emitters, the flexible sheet body having first and second electrical contacts;
a lamp support structure comprising a lamp support surface having a concave curvature, the lamp mounted to the lamp support surface;
a curved cover lens plate overlying the lamp, the lamp positioned between the curved cover lens plate and the lamp support surface, the curved cover lens plate comprising one or more protuberances extending from a convex rear surface of the curved cover lens plate that are aligned with the first and second

Assignees

• Colgate Palmolive Co

Inventors

• Bloch Brian
• Lefebvre Michael

Classifications

• A61N2005/0606

  Mouth · CPC title

• A61C1/088

  Illuminating devices or attachments (for examination of the mouth A61B1/24 and A61B1/06) · CPC title

• A61N2005/0663

  Coloured light · CPC title

• A61N5/0603 Primary

  for treatment of body cavities · CPC title

• A61C19/066

  Bleaching devices; Whitening agent applicators for teeth, e.g. trays or strips · CPC title