Oral healthcare system and method of operation thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9901430-B2
Application number	US-201515036485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2015
Priority date	May 21, 2014
Publication date	Feb 27, 2018
Grant date	Feb 27, 2018

Abstract

A personal care system ( 100 ) includes a personal care appliance ( 107 ) having a body ( 141 ), and at least one cavity ( 109 ). The body may be configured to receive a cleaning tool ( 111 ) at one end and may include at least one controller ( 122 ) which may be situated within the at least one cavity. The controller may be configured to: determine whether a personal care mode is activated; obtain sensor information from at least one tooth-based sensor ( 152 ) of a tooth portion ( 112 ), when it is determined that a personal care mode is activated; and transmit the sensor information to at least one of a remote server ( 102 ) and a base portion ( 132 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A personal care system, comprising:
at least one tooth-based sensor adapted to be coupled to a surface within a user's mouth and capable of sensing information;
at least one of a remote server or a base portion and;
a personal care apparatus (PCA) having a body with at least one cavity, the body configured to receive a cleaning tool at a second end and having at least one controller situated within the at least one cavity which is configured to:
determine whether an operating mode is activated,
obtain sensor information from the at least one tooth-based sensor, and when it is determined that the operating mode is activated,
transmit the sensor information to at least one of the remote server or the base portion.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the tooth-based sensor is capable of sensing information related to at least one of temperature, ph level, bacterial levels, presence of a target bacterium, audio information, force information, and glucose level.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller is further configured to establish communication with the at least one tooth-based sensor using a low-energy wireless communication method.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one controller transmits the sensor information to the base portion when it is determined that a charging mode is activated.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the base portion, if present, is configured to receive the sensor information and transmit the sensor information to the remote server.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the remote server, if present, further comprises at least one processor configured to receive the transmitted sensor information and analyze the sensor information.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the remote server further transmits results of the analysis to at least one registered address of a user.

8. A method of obtaining sensor information, the method performed by at least one controller of the personal care apparatus and comprising acts of:
providing a personal care apparatus having a body with at least one actuator and an oral cleaning tool coupled to the at least one actuator,
providing a tooth-based sensor that is coupled to a surface within a user's mouth that senses information within the user's mouth,
determining whether an operating mode is activated,
obtaining sensor information from the at least one tooth-based sensor, when it is determined that the operating mode is activated; and
transmitting the sensor information to at least one of a remote server and a base portion.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the sensor information comprises information related to at least one of temperature, ph level, bacterial levels, presence of a target bacterium, audio information, force information, and glucose level.

10. The method of claim 8 , further comprising an act of establishing communication with the at least one tooth-based sensor using a low-energy wireless communication method.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the act of transmitting the sensor information to the base portion is performed when it is determined that a charging mode is activated.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the act of transmitting the sensor information further comprising acts of:
receiving the sensor information at the base portion; and
transmitting, by the base portion, the sensor information to the remote server.

13. The method of claim 8 , further comprising an act of analyzing the sensor information by the remote server.

14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising an act of transmitting, by the remote server, results of the analysis to at least one registered address of a user.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Boughorbel Sabri

Classifications

• A61B2560/0209

  adapted for power saving · CPC title

• A61B5/14546

  for measuring analytes not otherwise provided for, e.g. ions, cytochromes · CPC title

• A61B5/14539

  for measuring pH · CPC title

• A61C17/221 Primary

  Control arrangements therefor · CPC title

• A61B5/0031

  Implanted circuitry · CPC title