Reduced form factor oral irrigator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12186147-B2
Application number	US-202117536574-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 29, 2021
Priority date	Jan 25, 2016
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

An oral irrigator has a base unit housing a motor and a pump, a removable reservoir defining a reservoir cavity configured to mechanically couple to a top surface of the base unit and fluidly couple the reservoir cavity to the pump, and a belt drive assembly connecting the motor to the pump. The belt drive assembly includes a drive pulley connected to an output shaft of the motor, a driven pulley spaced apart from the drive pulley and mechanically connected to a piston that drives the pump, and a continuous belt connecting the drive pulley to the driven pulley. A handle for the oral irrigator may include a housing defining a slot formed in an outer wall of the housing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A handle for an oral irrigator for directing a focused stream of fluid, the handle comprising:
a housing having a first end and a second end, the housing comprising:
a front housing half:
a rear housing half comprising a convex outer wall; and
a slot formed in the convex outer wall of the rear housing half, the slot comprising:
two opposing walls spaced apart from each other; and
a transverse wall at a terminal interior end of the opposing walls such that the convex outer wall of the housing is open to the slot at lateral sides of the two opposing walls and at a base end of the opposing walls opposite the transverse wall;

a fluid tip coupled to the first end of the housing; wherein:
the slot is positioned adjacent to a center of mass of the handle;
the slot is configured to receive a portion of a reservoir wall of the oral irrigator; and
the slot extends upwards and inwards towards the first end of the housing and towards an internal cavity of the handle defined by the housing, wherein an interior surface of the housing defines an angled wall extending towards a longitudinal axis of the housing, wherein the angled wall is defined by the transverse wall of the slot, and wherein the handle is configured to hang via the slot with the fluid tip positioned above the housing.

2. The handle of claim 1 , wherein the two opposing walls are planar.

3. The handle of claim 1 , wherein the two opposing walls are parallel.

4. The handle of claim 3 , wherein the two opposing walls are planar.

5. The handle of claim 1 , wherein the handle extends from a first end to a second end in a generally elongate form along the longitudinal axis and the opposing walls defining the slot extend at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

6. The handle of claim 1 , wherein the slot is positioned such that a length of the slot is centered between a length of the handle from a base end to the first end where the fluid tip attaches to the handle.

7. The oral irrigator of claim 1 , further comprising a fluid tube extending through the housing, wherein the fluid tube is routed around the angled wall as it extends between the first end of the housing and the second end of the housing.

8. A handle for an oral irrigator for directing a focused stream of fluid, the handle comprising:
a housing having a first end and a second end, the housing comprising:
a front housing half:
a rear housing half comprising a convex outer wall: and

a slot formed in the convex outer wall of a rear portion of the rear housing half, wherein the convex outer wall is open to the slot, the slot comprising:
two opposing walls spaced apart from each other; and
a transverse wall at a terminal interior end of the opposing walls such that the convex outer wall of the housing is open to the slot at lateral sides of the two opposing walls and at a base end of the opposing walls opposite the transverse wall;
wherein:
the slot is positioned adjacent to a center of mass of the handle;
the slot is configured to receive a portion of a reservoir wall of the oral irrigator; and
the slot extends upwards and inwards in a direction towards the first end of the housing and towards an internal cavity of the handle defined by the housing, the slot defining an angled wall on an interior surface of the housing, the angled wall extending towards a longitudinal axis of the housing, and wherein the oral irrigator is configured to hang via the slot with a fluid tip positioned above the housing.

9. The handle of claim 8 , wherein the two opposing walls are parallel and planar.

10. The handle of claim 8 , wherein the handle extends from a first end to a second end in a generally elongate form along the longitudinal axis and the slot extends upwards and inwards at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

11. The handle of claim 8 , wherein the slot is positioned such that a length of the slot is centered between a length of the handle from a base end to a top end where the fluid tip attaches to the handle.

12. An oral irrigator for directing a focused stream of fluid, the oral irrigator comprising:
a handle comprising:
a housing having a first end, a second end, and a rear housing half comprising a convex outer wall, the housing comprising:
a slot formed in the convex outer wall of the rear housing half, the slot comprising:
two opposing walls spaced apart from each other; and
a transverse wall at a terminal interior end of the opposing walls such that the convex outer wall of the rear housing half is open to the slot at lateral sides of the two opposing walls and at a base end of the opposing walls opposite the transverse wall;

wherein:
the slot is positioned adjacent to a center of mass of the handle;
the slot is configured to receive a portion of a reservoir wall of the oral irrigator; and
the slot extends upwards and inwards towards the first end of the housing and towards an internal cavity of the handle defined by the housing, wherein an interior surface of the housing defines an angled wall extending towards a longitudinal axis of the housing, wherein the angled wall is defined by the transverse wall of the slot, and wherein the oral irrigator is configured to hang via the slot in an upright position such that a fluid tip is above the housing.

13. The oral irrigator of claim 12 , wherein the two opposing walls are planar.

14. The oral irrigator of claim 12 , wherein the two opposing walls are parallel.

15. The oral irrigator of claim 12 , wherein the handle extends from a first end to a second end in a generally elongate form along the longitudinal axis and the two opposing walls defining the slot extend at an angle with respect to the longitudinal axis.

16. The oral irrigator of claim 12 , wherein the slot is positioned such that a length of the slot is centered between a length of the handle from a base end to a top end and the fluid tip attaches to the handle at the top end.

Assignees

• Water Pik Inc

Inventors

• Senff Oscar
• Wagner Robert

Classifications

• A61M2205/0272

  Electro-active or magneto-active materials · CPC title

• A61M2039/242

  designed to open when a predetermined pressure or flow rate has been reached, e.g. check valve actuated by fluid · CPC title

• A61M39/26

  Valves closing automatically on disconnecting the line and opening on reconnection thereof {(check valves A61M39/24)} · CPC title

• A61M3/0258

  by means of electric pumps · CPC title

• A61H2201/1246

  by piston-cylinder systems · CPC title