Oral care implement, handle thereof, and oral care refill head therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12096848-B2
Application number	US-201915733783-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 25, 2019
Priority date	Nov 25, 2019
Publication date	Sep 24, 2024
Grant date	Sep 24, 2024

Abstract

An oral care implement that includes a handle and an oral care refill head. The oral care refill head is alterable between a first state in which it is separated from the handle and a second state in which it is coupled to the handle. The oral care refill head has a proximal edge surface that defines an opening into a sleeve cavity. The proximal edge surface is inclined with radial distance from a cavity axis of the sleeve cavity. Similarly, the handle has a gripping portion that terminates at a distal end and a stem that protrudes from the distal end. The annular shoulder that is inclined downwardly and away from a stem to facilitate mating of the oral care refill head to the handle. The oral care refill head may have features for securing the oral care refill head to the stem of the handle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An oral care refill head for detachable coupling to a stem of a handle, the oral care refill head comprising:
an oral care treatment portion; and
a sleeve portion comprising:
a sleeve cavity extending along a cavity axis
from a proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion to an end wall, the sleeve cavity comprising:
a sleeve base section and
a sleeve guide section and
a sleeve interference section configured to form an interference fit with a stem interference section of the stem, wherein
the sleeve base section extends axially from the proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion to a proximal end of the sleeve guide section, and
the sleeve guide section extends axially from a distal end of the sleeve base section to a proximal end of the sleeve interference section, and
the sleeve interference section extending axially from a distal end of the sleeve guide section to the end wall of the sleeve cavity, wherein
a transverse cross-sectional area of the sleeve guide section defines a continuous taper from the proximal end of the sleeve guide section to the distal end of the sleeve guide section; and
a transverse cross-sectional area of the sleeve interference section defines a continuous taper from the proximal end of the sleeve interference section to the end wall;
wherein the taper of the sleeve guide section defines a greater degree of taper than the taper of the sleeve interference section;
a sleeve snap element configured to snap-interlock with a stem snap element of the stem,
the sleeve snap element comprising a sleeve ring that protrudes from an inner surface of the sleeve portion and extends circumferentially around the inner surface of the sleeve portion;
and the proximal edge surface defining an opening into the sleeve cavity,
the proximal edge surface extending radially from an outer sleeve edge to an inner sleeve edge, the proximal edge surface inclined from the inner sleeve edge to the outer sleeve edge in one direction downwardly away from the oral care treatment portion with increasing distance from the cavity axis;
and a sleeve rotational alignment element that is configured to mate with a stem rotational alignment element of the stem to prevent relative rotation between the handle and the oral care refill head,
the sleeve rotational alignment element comprising a sleeve groove in the inner surface of the sleeve portion that defines the sleeve cavity,
the sleeve groove extending axially from an open groove end in the proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion to a closed groove end wall,
the sleeve rotational alignment element forming a part of the opening into the sleeve cavity at the proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion.

2. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve portion is configured to prevent the stem from being fully inserted into the sleeve cavity unless the stem rotational alignment element and the sleeve rotational alignment element are circumferentially aligned with one another.

3. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve rotational alignment element and the sleeve snap element are positioned on the sleeve portion so that a first reference plane that is transverse to the cavity axis intersects both the sleeve rotational alignment element and the sleeve snap element.

4. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the outer sleeve edge of the proximal edge surface lies in a reference plane that is oblique to the cavity axis.

5. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the oral care treatment portion comprises a plurality of tooth cleaning elements protruding from a head body, and wherein the head body is located at a distal end of the sleeve portion and extends along a head longitudinal axis that is inclined relative to the cavity axis; and wherein the head body is integrally formed with the sleeve portion as a monolithic component.

6. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 further comprising:
the oral care treatment portion coupled to a distal end of the sleeve portion, the oral care treatment portion comprising a front surface facing a first direction, a plurality of tooth cleaning elements protruding from the front surface;
the sleeve portion comprising a front surface facing the first direction and a rear surface facing a second direction, the second direction opposite the first direction;
a front portion of the outer sleeve edge of the proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion located a first axial distance from the distal end of the sleeve portion and a rear portion of the outer sleeve edge of the proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion located a second axial distance from the distal end of the sleeve portion, the second axial distance greater than the first axial distance.

7. The oral care refill head according to claim 6 wherein the front portion of the outer sleeve edge of the proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion is a high point of the proximal edge surface and the rear portion of the outer sleeve edge of the proximal edge surface of the sleeve portion is a low point of the proximal edge surface, when viewed in side profile.

8. The oral care refill head according to claim 6 wherein the plurality of tooth cleaning elements comprises a plurality of bristle tufts.

9. The oral care refill head according to claim 6 wherein the outer sleeve edge of the proximal edge surface lies in a reference plane that is oblique to the cavity axis.

10. The oral care refill head according to claim 6 wherein the oral care treatment portion comprises a head body comprising the front surface from which the plurality of teeth cleaning elements extend, the head body extending along a head longitudinal axis that is inclined relative to the cavity axis.

11. The oral care refill head according to claim 10 wherein the head longitudinal axis is inclined forward moving from a proximal end of the head body to a distal end of the head body.

12. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the proximal edge surface is inclined downwardly away from the oral care treatment portion with increasing distance from the cavity axis.

13. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve portion further comprises a continuous outer surface extending from the proximal edge surface to the oral care treatment portion, wherein the continuous outer surface does not comprise any openings, apertures, slits, or sleeve rotational alignment element.

14. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve base section, the sleeve guide section, and the sleeve interference section define an entirety of an interior volume of the sleeve cavity.

15. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the sleeve snap element and the sleeve rotational alignment element are located within the sleeve base section of the sleeve cavity.

16. The oral care refill head according to claim 1 wherein the transverse cross-sectional area of the sleeve guide section has a trapezoidal shape.

17. An oral care refill head for detachable coupling to a stem of a handle, the oral care refill head comprising:
an oral care treatment portion; and
a sleeve portion comprising:
a proximal edge surface;
a sleeve cavity extending along a cavity axis from the proximal edge surface to an end wall, the sleeve cavity comprising:
a sleeve base section, a sleeve guide section, and a sleeve interference section configured to form an interference fit with a stem interference section of the stem, wherein
the sleeve base sect

Assignees

• Colgate Palmolive Co

Inventors

• Sprosta Al Aquanza
• Jimenez Eduardo
• Hohlbein Douglas
• Rooney Michael
• Ji Yanmei
• Ding Xiangji

Classifications

• A46B2200/1066

  Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures (A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04) · CPC title

• A46B7/042 Primary

  Clip or snap connection for bristle carriers · CPC title

• A46B9/04 Primary

  {Arranged like in or} for toothbrushes · CPC title

• A61C17/225

  Handles or details thereof · CPC title

• A61C17/22

  with brushes, cushions, cups, or the like (brush bodies, e.g. arrangements of the bristles A46B) · CPC title