Oral care fluid delivery system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9144298-B2
Application number	US-201113575687-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 28, 2011
Priority date	Jan 29, 2010
Publication date	Sep 29, 2015
Grant date	Sep 29, 2015

Abstract

An oral care implement having a fluid dispensing system for dispensing an oral care fluid. In one embodiment, the oral care implement may be a toothbrush including a handle, a neck and a head containing a plurality of tooth cleaning elements. Embodiments of the toothbrush further include a removable container or reservoir including a collapsible bladder that holds the oral care fluid. The bladder is in fluid communication with one or more fluid dispensing outlets disposed in the head. A manually actuated pump disposed in the handle provides the motive force for dispensing the fluid.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A toothbrush comprising:
a handle;
a neck supported by the handle;
a head supported by the neck and including a plurality of tooth cleaning elements; and
a reservoir having a housing coupled to the handle and including a collapsible bladder holding an oral care fluid, wherein the reservoir housing defines an internal cavity that houses the bladder, wherein an open distal end of the bladder is fixed to the housing, and the bladder being in fluid communication with a fluid dispensing outlet disposed in the head; and
a manually actuated pump disposed in the handle;
wherein actuating the pump causes the fluid to flow from the bladder to the outlet wherein the fluid is dispensed.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1 , wherein the bladder collapses by an amount essentially equal to the amount of fluid dispensed.

3. The toothbrush of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir housing includes an externally open venting hole that pressurizes the cavity at essentially atmospheric pressure for enabling the bladder to collapse when dispensing fluid.

4. The toothbrush of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir housing includes a neck portion and the bladder includes an open distal end that is annularly sealed to a distal interior surface of the housing neck portion for preventing leakage into the cavity from the distal end of the bladder.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1 , further comprising an elastomeric first check valve disposed adjacent to an open distal end of the bladder and an inlet to the pump.

6. The toothbrush of claim 5 , wherein the reservoir housing includes a neck portion having an end sealing surface that compresses a valve seat of the first check valve when the neck portion is coupled to the handle.

7. The toothbrush of claim 5 , wherein the first check valve is disc-shaped and includes a displaceable valve plug, an annular seat complementary configured to engage the plug, and a plurality of supporting members resiliently connecting the plug to the seat.

8. The toothbrush of claim 1 , wherein the reservoir housing includes a threaded neck portion that is rotatably received in a threaded socket on the proximal portion of the handle.

9. The toothbrush of claim 1 , wherein the fluid dispensing outlet includes an elastomeric duck bill check valve.

10. The toothbrush of claim 1 , wherein the fluid dispensing outlet includes a plurality of dispensing ports disposed in a front brushing surface of the toothbrush head.

11. A toothbrush comprising;
a handle having a proximal portion and a distal portion;
a neck supported by the handle;
a head supported by the neck and including a plurality of tooth cleaning elements;
a removable reservoir thresdably coupled to the handle for holding an oral care fluid and including a cavity having a collapsible bladder disposed therein containing an oral care fluid, wherein an open distal end of the bladder is fixed to the housing, and the bladder being in fluid communication with a fluid dispensing outlet disposed in the head;
a manually actuated pump disposed in the handle and having an inlet and an outlet, the pump including a depressible elastomeric convex surface;
a fluid dispensing system comprising a first check valve disposed upstream of the pump and a second check valve disposed downstream of the pump, the system further including a flow conduit fluidly connecting the pump to the fluid dispensing outlet;
wherein when a user depresses the convex surface of the pump, the fluid flows from the bladder to the fluid dispensing outlet and the bladder partially collapses.

12. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the reservoir housing includes an externally open vent hole that pressurizes the cavity at essentially atmospheric pressure for enabling the bladder to collapse when dispensing fluid.

13. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the first check valve is disc-shaped and includes a displaceable valve plug, an annular seat configured to engage the plug, and a plurality of supporting members resiliently connecting the plug to the seat.

14. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the reservoir housing includes a threaded neck portion that is rotatably received in a threaded socket on the proximal portion of the handle.

15. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the dispensing outlet includes the second check valve which is an elastomeric duck bill check valve.

16. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the second check valve is disposed in the flow conduit of the toothbrush upstream of the toothbrush head.

17. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the reservoir includes a neck portion having an end sealing surface that compresses a valve seat of the first check valve when the neck portion is threadably coupled to the handle.

18. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the proximal portion of the handle is tapered for user comfort while brushing.

19. The toothbrush of claim 11 , wherein the fluid dispensing outlet includes a plurality of dispensing ports disposed in the head of the toothbrush.

20. A method of dispensing an oral care fluid from a toothbrush comprising:
providing a toothbrush including a handle, a neck supported by the handle, and a head supported by the neck portion, the toothbrush further including a fluid dispensing system;
rotatably coupling to the handle a removable reservoir having a housing defining a cavity including a collapsible bladder therein holding an oral care fluid, wherein an open distal end of the bladder is fixed to the housing, and;
depressing an elastomeric convex surface of a manual pump fluidly connected to the fluid dispensing system; and
dispensing the oral care fluid from an outlet in the head of the toothbrush.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein the bladder partially collapses during the dispensing step.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein the fluid flows through two check valves disposed in the fluid dispensing system during the dispensing step.

23. The method of claim 20 , further comprising pressuring the cavity of reservoir to atmospheric pressure.

24. An oral care kit, comprising:
a toothbrush comprising a handle, a neck supported by the handle, a head supported by the neck and including a plurality of tooth cleaning elements and a fluid dispensing outlet, and a manually actuated pump disposed in the handle; and
a reservoir having a housing removably couplabte to the handle and including a collapsible bladder holding an oral care fluid, wherein the reservoir housing defines an internal cavity that houses the bladder, wherein an open distal end of the bladder is fixed to the housing;
wherein, when the housing of the reservoir is coupled to the handle, activation of the pump causes the fluid to flow from the bladder to the outlet wherein the fluid is dispensed.

25. The oral care kit of claim 24 , further comprising a threaded closure removably attached to a threaded neck portion of the reservoir.

26. The oral care kit of claim 24 , wherein the housing is threadably couplable to the handle.

Assignees

• Fattori Joseph E
• Colgate Palmolive Co

Inventors

• Fattori Joseph E

Classifications

• B05B11/1069

  the valve being made of a resiliently deformable material or being urged in a closed position by a spring · CPC title

• B05B11/1032

  actuated without substantial movement of the nozzle in the direction of the pressure stroke (B05B11/103 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B05B11/007

  being opened by deformation of a sealing element made of resiliently deformable material, e.g. flaps, skirts, duck-bill valves · CPC title

• A46B11/0065

  Brushes where the reservoir is specifically intended for being replaced when empty · CPC title

• A46B11/0062

  Brushes where the reservoir is specifically intended for being refilled when empty · CPC title