CA1191003A - Personal health care device - Google Patents
Personal health care deviceInfo
- Publication number
- CA1191003A CA1191003A CA000437589A CA437589A CA1191003A CA 1191003 A CA1191003 A CA 1191003A CA 000437589 A CA000437589 A CA 000437589A CA 437589 A CA437589 A CA 437589A CA 1191003 A CA1191003 A CA 1191003A
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- attachment
- axis
- operative end
- engaging
- driven
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Abstract
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
A hand-held personal health care device for the polishing of teeth wherein the appliance containing the cleaning agent is driven in an oscillatory manner.
A hand-held personal health care device for the polishing of teeth wherein the appliance containing the cleaning agent is driven in an oscillatory manner.
Description
~10~3 1 P~RSONAL HEALTH CARE DEVICE
2 ____ ____ _ __ _
3 Background of the Invention . __ __ . __ __ __ ___
4 The bei~efits to health derived from the con-tinual periodic cleansing of teeth by an individual has 6 been clearly demonstrated over the years. In order to 7 obtain -these benefits, -the selection of an appl-opriate 8 type of personal health care device to provide the de-9 sired cleansing and polishing effects has been found most important.
] l 12 The combined utilization of bac-teria disturbing 13 vehicles for use at and below the gum line, such as 14 dental tape and floss, along with a thorough cleansing and polishing of the exposed surfaces of the -teeth are 16 now generally accepted by the professionals in the den-17 tal field as providing the best practical care. ~hile 18 the conventional toothbrush is the most common personal 19 device employed, the dental professional utilizes a flexible rotating cleansing-polishing appliance which 21 contains the cleansing agent therein. Numerous attempts 22 have been made to provide a similar hand-held device for 23 individual usage at locations remote from the specialized 24 equipment and drive mechanisms which are common to the professional office.
27 Size and shape of -the device are primary con-28 siderations since the operative end must be capable of 29 manipulation throu~hout the mouth in order to contact the exposed surfaces of the teeth. In addition, dental 31 care devices require that the portion containing the 32 particular appliance for the task at hand be angled with 33 respect to the axis of the main body of the device in 3~ order to insure that the appliance effectively contacts the multiple faces of the teeth.
37 At present, the need for slim line, hand-held 38 personal heal-th care devices has generated a family of _I_ ~ OE3 1 yroducts capable of providincJ a cleansiny and polishing 2 effect and which is intentionally made small for inser-3 tion into the oral cavity and angled :From the body of the 4 device to facili-tate hand rnanipulation by the individual unskilled user. One such device is disclosed in my 6 prior U.S. patent No. 3,921,298 wherein continuous rota-7 tional motion via flexible arive means of an applidnce 8 provides polishing and cleansing functions.
One common problem in the design of -these small 1l devices with tapered angled operative ends is the accom-12 modation of a motion translating mechanism in the small 13 cross-sectional area available. The hand-held device 14 typically utilizes an electric motor connected to either an internal or external power supply with a rotating 16 shaft extending axially within the housing. In applica-1~ tions wherein continuous rotational mo-vement of the ap-18 pliance is the desired end, it is ~nown to provide a flex-19 ible belt and pulley drive mechanism within the narrow 2Q confines of the angular operating end. In the operation 21 of this type of device for home usage, the operating 22 conditions are not controlled by professionally-trained 23 staff and the varying pressures applied by the user often 24 lead to undue heat generation at the tooth surface, in-ternal belt slippage and a freq~lent need to replace the 26 belting. While the flexible belt drive is found satis-27 factory under many conditions it provides continual 28 rotational movement of the appliance. While this type 29 of movement is acceptable under controlled conditions, an individual operator failing to turn the device off 31 while it remains within the oral cavity causes residual 32 matter on the appliance to fly about the area.
34 ~ccoraingly, the present invention is directed to a personal health care device for use by individuals 36 wherein the small cross-sectional area of the operating 37 end includes an oscillatory drive mechanism. In addition, 3e the a liance ~s located proximate to the small end 1 region of an angled operating end to facilitate manipu-~2 lation by the user. Fur-ther, the oscillating drive 3 mechanism provides a positive direct linking be-tween the 4 in-ternal drive and driven means to subs-tantially elimin-ate internal slippage and reduce the need for the replace-6 ment of parts therein.
8 Summ~y of the Invention 9 The present invention relates to a personal health care device for use by individuals without the 11 direct supervision or control of professional staff. The 12 device is especially we]l-suited for use in polishing and 13 cleaning the exposed surfaces of teeth.
The device includes a containment means for 16 housing a drive mechanism and has an operative end of 17 small cross-sectional area and a hand-grippable body 18 portion. The operative end is constructed so that at lg least a portion thereof is angled with respect to the axis of the body for enhancing the efficacy of the device.
~1 22 A power drive means is mounted within the con-23 tainment rneans and either an external elec-trical connec-24 tion can be provided or rechargeable ba-ttery operation can be utilized. The nature of the power supply can be 26 selected by the type of usage expected. The power drive 27 means includes an output shaft which rotates upon actua~-28 tion of suitable control means and extends substantially 29 axially along the body portion of the containment means.
A drive means is mounted for rotation abou-t a ~irst axis 31 within the operating end and is operatively coupled to 32 the output shaft.
33 l 34 Also, the opera-tive end includes driven means mounted therein for rota-tion about a second axis. The 36 ¦driven means has an engaging means affixed thereto which 37 extends outwardly of the operative end for removably 8 receiving an appliance thereon. A non-planar connection -3~
~ 3 1 means is coupled to both the drive and the driven means 2 to permit incorporation within the angled operative end.
3 In addition, the connection ineans is coupled to impart 4 oscillatory motion to the driven rneans. This is accomp-lished by coupling one end of the connection means to the 6 drive means a first distance ~rom the first axis while 7 coupling the opposing end to the driven means a second 8 distance from the second axis. The first dis-tance is 9 less than the second distance so that a 360 degree rota--tion of the drive means in response to the drive shaft 11 results in an oscillatory movement of the driven means 12 about the second axis.
14 The engaging means affixed to the driven means is therefore provided with an oscillatory movement. ~he 16 engaging means which extends outwardly of the operative 17 end via a suitable bushing is provided with an expanded 18 diameter end for removably receiving an appliance, typi-19 cally a conventional cleansing-polishing cup with a rib-bed external cavity for receiving paste ma-terial to be 21 applied to the surfaces of the teeth.
23 Further features and advantages of the invention 24 will become more readily apparent from the following de-tailed description of specific embodiments of the inven-26 tion when taken in conjunction with the accompanying 27 drawings.
29 Bri_f Description of_the Dr_wings Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of one embodi-31 ment of the invention.
33 Fig. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of 34 Fig. 1.
36 Fig. 3 is a top view in section taken along 338 line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
~ 3 1 Fig. 4 is a side view in section taken along 2 line 4-4 of Fig. 3.
4 Fig. 5 is a side view in section similar to Fig. 4 of another embodiment of the invention.
7 Descri~tion_of the_Preferred__mbodlment 8 Referring now to the embodiment of ~igs. 1 and 9 2, a personal health care device 10 is shown including containrnent means 11 having a hand-grippable body portion 11 12 with external switch button 23 and an operating end 14 12 of reduced cross-sectional area. The opposin~ end of 13 containment means 11 is provided with external electrical 14 connection 15 having a flexible waterproof reinforcing section 16 provided adjacent the containment means. How-16 ever, the external a-c connection may be replaced by 17 internal battery means as the power supply with conven-18 tional recharging receptacles provided for the external 19 connection. The containrnent means is formed in upper and lower sections as indicated by parting line 18 in 21 order to permit assembly and testing prior to form,ng the 22 sealed unit. This feature provides distinct manufactur-23 ing advantages.
At the end of operating end 14, a region 22 of 26 substantially reduced cross-sectional area is angularly 27 displaced in an upward direction from the longitudinal 28 axis of the body portion 12. This orientation of the 29 portion of the device placed within the oral cavity of the user facilitates the manipulation of the device by 31 the user to permit the contact of appliance 20 with the 32 variously oriented surfaces of the teeth. The combina-33 tion of small cross-sectional area and angular displace-34 ment in the operative end have heretofore tended to limit the types of drive mechanisms available for use therein 36 while favoring the use of flexible belt drives and their 37 360 degree rotational drive of the tip-mounted accessory 38 20. e present lnvention utllizes a novel drive assembl ~ ?3 1 which is readily accommoda-ted in this type of containment 2 rneans and provides a different drive rnotion for -the acces-4 sory 20.
The accessory 20 is generally a flexible cup 6 containing i.nternal ribs or vanes within the cup. In 7 operation, a cleansing-pol.ishing agent is added -to the 8 cup and the cup is placed in contact with the surface of 9 the teeth. Heretofore, the 360 degree rotation of such accessories has placed the burden on the user to actuate 11 the device after it is within the oral cavity to prevent 12 the agent from being sprayed about. This result has tend~
13 e~ to reduce consumer acceptance of devices of this type.
14 The present invention providing an oscillatory motion of the accessory 20 does not ~enerate this undesirable l6 result nor does it create the heat of a continually rot-17 ating head which often leads to user discomfort.
1~
19 The manner of affixation of the accessory 20 to the engaging means is not apparent from viewing Figs.
21 1 and 2 sincel in operation, a flexible sleeve or boot 21 22 is provided between the accessory and region 22 of the 23 operative end. The sleeve frictionally engayes the ex~
24 tended portioll of the operative end as well as the ex-ten-sion of the shaft of the oscillatory engaging means which 26 extends from -the device, as shown in de~ail in Fig. 4.
27 The sleeve assists in establishing a water-tight device 28 and can be utilized because the output moti.on of -the 29 device is oscillatory rather than complete rotation. The provision of this barrier is importan-t not only from a 31 safety standpoint but al.so to the operating li.fetime of 32 the device since cleansing-polishirlg agents are abrasive 33 by their nature and their migration into the workings of 34 the drive mechanism has been found to result :in damage to the mechanism.
37 The drive mechanism is shown in detail in the 38 pa ial sectior al view of ~i 3 3 wherein the upper sectio ~ 3 1 of containment means 11 is removed to provide a view of 2 the interior of the operating end 14. The power drive 3 module 36, typically a d-c electrical motor, has an ou-t-4 put shaft 25 which axially extends into the operating end and is provided with support plate 26 having circular 6 gear 27 affixed thereto. The actuation of the power drive 7 module results in the rotation of gear 27.
9 The power drive module 36 is provided as shown with internal threads for receiving the external threads 11 35 of the operating end. The a~ility to use the power 12 drive module with other operating ends for multiple user 13 capability is present. In other embodiments of the inven-14 tion, the operating end and the power drive module can be made integral if desired. In addition it should be 16 noted that the extension of -the drive shaft 25 into the 17 operating end is preferred, however the power drive module 18 can incorporate the entire output shaft and circular gear 19 27 if desired.
21 As shown, the drive means in the operative 22 end includes the gear 28 centrally mounted on a substan-23 tially vertical axis and having upstanding year teeth 24 which mesh with the teeth of circular gear 27. Consequent _ ly, the rotational drive from the power module is trans-26 lated through an angle of ninety degrees. Horizontal 27 gear 28 is provided with a raised central por-tion 29 28 upon which one end 32 of the connecting link 30 is movably 29 mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane. The end 32 is mounted on the raised portion 29 at a poin-t spaced 31 from the vertical rotational axis on gear 28. As gear 28 32 is driven through a complete rotation, the end of the 33 connecting link moves about a circular path having a 34 radius equal to the distance between the mounting and the axis of rotation of gear 28.
37 Driven means 34 is shown as a disc and is mount-3 a e~ fo otation abo~t a centra 1 off-vertical axis, shown ~ 3 1 more clearly in Fig. 4. The opposing end 33 of the connec _ 2 ing link 30 is rotatably attached at the upper surface of 3 drlven means 34 at a distance from the axis of rotation 4 t~ereof. This distance is greater than -the spacing of end 32 from the axis of rotation of gear 28 so tllat one 6 revolution of gear 28 results in end 33 and driven means 7 34 transversing an arc of less than 180 degrees. In 8 the preferred embodiment, the ratio of the di.stances for 9 the ends 32 and 33 of link 30 is made such that -the driven disc 34 traverses and arc of about 120 degrees. One 11 revolution of gear 28 provides two traverses of the arcuat 12 path or one oscillatory cycle for the disc 34.
14 In Fig. 4, the gear 27 on the output shaft is shown meshing with gear 28 mounted for rotation about a 16 vertical axis defined by shaft 40. The shaft 40 is 17 normally press fit into a mounting sieeve 41 bonded to 18 or molded in the underside of the operating end 14. The 19 gear 28 contains an integral raised central portion at the top of which is rotatably pinned the end 32 of con-21 necting link 30. Pin 39 is shown offset from the verti-22 cal axis of gear 28 as defined by shaft 40.
24 The opposing end 33 of connecting link 30 is movably coupled to the top surface of driven disc 34 by 26 pin 44. The coupling pin is spaced from the axis of 27 movement of the disc as defined by shaft 42 by a distance 28 greater than the offset spacing of end 32. In order to 29 accommodate the combination of drive gear, driven disc and connecting link within the angled cross-sectional 31 area of the operating end 14, the rigid connecting link 32 is non-planar with the opposi.ng ends essentially per-33 pendicular to the axes of rotation of the drive gear and 34 driven disc. The axes are non-parallel due to the angu-lar displacement of region 22. The portion of the connect 36 ing link between the opposing ends is shown comprised of 37 two non-planar segments oriented to provide the coupling 38 for t nsmittal of the force. Other configurations of 1 the central portion of the link may be utilized if desirec .
3 The shaft 42 of -the driven disc 34 is journalled 4 in a split sleeve bearing 46 which is affixed to the perimetrical surface of a hole formed in the underside 6 of the operating end. The disc is preferably made inte-7 gral wi-th the engaging means for receiving the appliance 8 20 and is shown affixed to the end of shaft 42 which 9 terminates at its outer end in expanded diameter portion 48. The flexible accessory is urged onto the engaging 11 means by forcing its receiving end over portion 48.
13 Also, shaft 42 has an intermediate section 49 14 of large diameter serving as a thrust plate with a con-cave peripheral surface. Adjacent section 49 is the 16 bearing 46 for shaft 42 so that axial movement of thc 17 driven disc and the engaging means is limited. A housing 18 47 for bearing 46 is placed over the engaging means and 19 moved upwardly to be fastened to both the ou-ter surfaces of the operating end and the bearing 46. The housing 21 47 is shown having a centrally located concave peripheral 22 portion.
24 The cylindrical sleeve 21 formed of a water impermeable material serves as a water-tight boot that 26 prevents the entrance of the cleansing-polishing agent 27 into the operating end of the invention thereby substan-28 tially increasing the service life of the device. The 29 boot can be independently replaced by removing the appli-ance 20 and slidiny the new sleeve over -the concave por-31 tion 49 of the engaging means onto the housing 47 and 32 its concave portions. The nature of the oscillatory 33 motion of the shaft 42 permits the use of a tight flexibl~
34 sleeve to cover bearing joints as contrasted with the ex-posed joints found in fully rotational e~uipment.
37 The use of a longitudinally divided contain-3a ment eans permits Ihe insta~ ation and testing of tne ~9~3 1 components of the invention prior to sealing. The mount-2 ing of the power drive means and the associated switch 3 in the containment means can be selected by the manufac-4 turer in accordance with the type of drive motor and power source favored. Reference to external connections 6 in hand held appliances may be found in my U.S. patent 7 3,921,298 issued November 25, 1975.
9 A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 5 with like parts having the same reference num-11 erals. This embodiment utilizes a threaded spli-t bearing 12 46' which is placed about shaft 42 and threaded into 13 receiving housing 47' molded as a portion of the operatin 14 end. The insertion of the piece part takes place from the top prior to the affixation of the top portion of 16 the containment means. A thrust plate 50 is located on 17 the shaft 42 to limit axial movement. The shaft termin-18 ates in an expanded diameter portion 48 which receives 19 the appliance to be driven. The connection of the driven disc to the drive gear is the same for each embodiment.
21 If desired, a flexible boot can be provided by the use 22 of a right-angle sheath extending over the end and 23 con-tacting the sides of the thrust plate 50.
While the above description has referred to 26 specific embodiments of the invention, it is recognized 27 that many variations and modifications may be made there-23 ~ in thout departing ~rom the scope o~ the invention.
~65
] l 12 The combined utilization of bac-teria disturbing 13 vehicles for use at and below the gum line, such as 14 dental tape and floss, along with a thorough cleansing and polishing of the exposed surfaces of the -teeth are 16 now generally accepted by the professionals in the den-17 tal field as providing the best practical care. ~hile 18 the conventional toothbrush is the most common personal 19 device employed, the dental professional utilizes a flexible rotating cleansing-polishing appliance which 21 contains the cleansing agent therein. Numerous attempts 22 have been made to provide a similar hand-held device for 23 individual usage at locations remote from the specialized 24 equipment and drive mechanisms which are common to the professional office.
27 Size and shape of -the device are primary con-28 siderations since the operative end must be capable of 29 manipulation throu~hout the mouth in order to contact the exposed surfaces of the teeth. In addition, dental 31 care devices require that the portion containing the 32 particular appliance for the task at hand be angled with 33 respect to the axis of the main body of the device in 3~ order to insure that the appliance effectively contacts the multiple faces of the teeth.
37 At present, the need for slim line, hand-held 38 personal heal-th care devices has generated a family of _I_ ~ OE3 1 yroducts capable of providincJ a cleansiny and polishing 2 effect and which is intentionally made small for inser-3 tion into the oral cavity and angled :From the body of the 4 device to facili-tate hand rnanipulation by the individual unskilled user. One such device is disclosed in my 6 prior U.S. patent No. 3,921,298 wherein continuous rota-7 tional motion via flexible arive means of an applidnce 8 provides polishing and cleansing functions.
One common problem in the design of -these small 1l devices with tapered angled operative ends is the accom-12 modation of a motion translating mechanism in the small 13 cross-sectional area available. The hand-held device 14 typically utilizes an electric motor connected to either an internal or external power supply with a rotating 16 shaft extending axially within the housing. In applica-1~ tions wherein continuous rotational mo-vement of the ap-18 pliance is the desired end, it is ~nown to provide a flex-19 ible belt and pulley drive mechanism within the narrow 2Q confines of the angular operating end. In the operation 21 of this type of device for home usage, the operating 22 conditions are not controlled by professionally-trained 23 staff and the varying pressures applied by the user often 24 lead to undue heat generation at the tooth surface, in-ternal belt slippage and a freq~lent need to replace the 26 belting. While the flexible belt drive is found satis-27 factory under many conditions it provides continual 28 rotational movement of the appliance. While this type 29 of movement is acceptable under controlled conditions, an individual operator failing to turn the device off 31 while it remains within the oral cavity causes residual 32 matter on the appliance to fly about the area.
34 ~ccoraingly, the present invention is directed to a personal health care device for use by individuals 36 wherein the small cross-sectional area of the operating 37 end includes an oscillatory drive mechanism. In addition, 3e the a liance ~s located proximate to the small end 1 region of an angled operating end to facilitate manipu-~2 lation by the user. Fur-ther, the oscillating drive 3 mechanism provides a positive direct linking be-tween the 4 in-ternal drive and driven means to subs-tantially elimin-ate internal slippage and reduce the need for the replace-6 ment of parts therein.
8 Summ~y of the Invention 9 The present invention relates to a personal health care device for use by individuals without the 11 direct supervision or control of professional staff. The 12 device is especially we]l-suited for use in polishing and 13 cleaning the exposed surfaces of teeth.
The device includes a containment means for 16 housing a drive mechanism and has an operative end of 17 small cross-sectional area and a hand-grippable body 18 portion. The operative end is constructed so that at lg least a portion thereof is angled with respect to the axis of the body for enhancing the efficacy of the device.
~1 22 A power drive means is mounted within the con-23 tainment rneans and either an external elec-trical connec-24 tion can be provided or rechargeable ba-ttery operation can be utilized. The nature of the power supply can be 26 selected by the type of usage expected. The power drive 27 means includes an output shaft which rotates upon actua~-28 tion of suitable control means and extends substantially 29 axially along the body portion of the containment means.
A drive means is mounted for rotation abou-t a ~irst axis 31 within the operating end and is operatively coupled to 32 the output shaft.
33 l 34 Also, the opera-tive end includes driven means mounted therein for rota-tion about a second axis. The 36 ¦driven means has an engaging means affixed thereto which 37 extends outwardly of the operative end for removably 8 receiving an appliance thereon. A non-planar connection -3~
~ 3 1 means is coupled to both the drive and the driven means 2 to permit incorporation within the angled operative end.
3 In addition, the connection ineans is coupled to impart 4 oscillatory motion to the driven rneans. This is accomp-lished by coupling one end of the connection means to the 6 drive means a first distance ~rom the first axis while 7 coupling the opposing end to the driven means a second 8 distance from the second axis. The first dis-tance is 9 less than the second distance so that a 360 degree rota--tion of the drive means in response to the drive shaft 11 results in an oscillatory movement of the driven means 12 about the second axis.
14 The engaging means affixed to the driven means is therefore provided with an oscillatory movement. ~he 16 engaging means which extends outwardly of the operative 17 end via a suitable bushing is provided with an expanded 18 diameter end for removably receiving an appliance, typi-19 cally a conventional cleansing-polishing cup with a rib-bed external cavity for receiving paste ma-terial to be 21 applied to the surfaces of the teeth.
23 Further features and advantages of the invention 24 will become more readily apparent from the following de-tailed description of specific embodiments of the inven-26 tion when taken in conjunction with the accompanying 27 drawings.
29 Bri_f Description of_the Dr_wings Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of one embodi-31 ment of the invention.
33 Fig. 2 is a side view of the embodiment of 34 Fig. 1.
36 Fig. 3 is a top view in section taken along 338 line 3-3 of Fig. 2.
~ 3 1 Fig. 4 is a side view in section taken along 2 line 4-4 of Fig. 3.
4 Fig. 5 is a side view in section similar to Fig. 4 of another embodiment of the invention.
7 Descri~tion_of the_Preferred__mbodlment 8 Referring now to the embodiment of ~igs. 1 and 9 2, a personal health care device 10 is shown including containrnent means 11 having a hand-grippable body portion 11 12 with external switch button 23 and an operating end 14 12 of reduced cross-sectional area. The opposin~ end of 13 containment means 11 is provided with external electrical 14 connection 15 having a flexible waterproof reinforcing section 16 provided adjacent the containment means. How-16 ever, the external a-c connection may be replaced by 17 internal battery means as the power supply with conven-18 tional recharging receptacles provided for the external 19 connection. The containrnent means is formed in upper and lower sections as indicated by parting line 18 in 21 order to permit assembly and testing prior to form,ng the 22 sealed unit. This feature provides distinct manufactur-23 ing advantages.
At the end of operating end 14, a region 22 of 26 substantially reduced cross-sectional area is angularly 27 displaced in an upward direction from the longitudinal 28 axis of the body portion 12. This orientation of the 29 portion of the device placed within the oral cavity of the user facilitates the manipulation of the device by 31 the user to permit the contact of appliance 20 with the 32 variously oriented surfaces of the teeth. The combina-33 tion of small cross-sectional area and angular displace-34 ment in the operative end have heretofore tended to limit the types of drive mechanisms available for use therein 36 while favoring the use of flexible belt drives and their 37 360 degree rotational drive of the tip-mounted accessory 38 20. e present lnvention utllizes a novel drive assembl ~ ?3 1 which is readily accommoda-ted in this type of containment 2 rneans and provides a different drive rnotion for -the acces-4 sory 20.
The accessory 20 is generally a flexible cup 6 containing i.nternal ribs or vanes within the cup. In 7 operation, a cleansing-pol.ishing agent is added -to the 8 cup and the cup is placed in contact with the surface of 9 the teeth. Heretofore, the 360 degree rotation of such accessories has placed the burden on the user to actuate 11 the device after it is within the oral cavity to prevent 12 the agent from being sprayed about. This result has tend~
13 e~ to reduce consumer acceptance of devices of this type.
14 The present invention providing an oscillatory motion of the accessory 20 does not ~enerate this undesirable l6 result nor does it create the heat of a continually rot-17 ating head which often leads to user discomfort.
1~
19 The manner of affixation of the accessory 20 to the engaging means is not apparent from viewing Figs.
21 1 and 2 sincel in operation, a flexible sleeve or boot 21 22 is provided between the accessory and region 22 of the 23 operative end. The sleeve frictionally engayes the ex~
24 tended portioll of the operative end as well as the ex-ten-sion of the shaft of the oscillatory engaging means which 26 extends from -the device, as shown in de~ail in Fig. 4.
27 The sleeve assists in establishing a water-tight device 28 and can be utilized because the output moti.on of -the 29 device is oscillatory rather than complete rotation. The provision of this barrier is importan-t not only from a 31 safety standpoint but al.so to the operating li.fetime of 32 the device since cleansing-polishirlg agents are abrasive 33 by their nature and their migration into the workings of 34 the drive mechanism has been found to result :in damage to the mechanism.
37 The drive mechanism is shown in detail in the 38 pa ial sectior al view of ~i 3 3 wherein the upper sectio ~ 3 1 of containment means 11 is removed to provide a view of 2 the interior of the operating end 14. The power drive 3 module 36, typically a d-c electrical motor, has an ou-t-4 put shaft 25 which axially extends into the operating end and is provided with support plate 26 having circular 6 gear 27 affixed thereto. The actuation of the power drive 7 module results in the rotation of gear 27.
9 The power drive module 36 is provided as shown with internal threads for receiving the external threads 11 35 of the operating end. The a~ility to use the power 12 drive module with other operating ends for multiple user 13 capability is present. In other embodiments of the inven-14 tion, the operating end and the power drive module can be made integral if desired. In addition it should be 16 noted that the extension of -the drive shaft 25 into the 17 operating end is preferred, however the power drive module 18 can incorporate the entire output shaft and circular gear 19 27 if desired.
21 As shown, the drive means in the operative 22 end includes the gear 28 centrally mounted on a substan-23 tially vertical axis and having upstanding year teeth 24 which mesh with the teeth of circular gear 27. Consequent _ ly, the rotational drive from the power module is trans-26 lated through an angle of ninety degrees. Horizontal 27 gear 28 is provided with a raised central por-tion 29 28 upon which one end 32 of the connecting link 30 is movably 29 mounted for rotation in a horizontal plane. The end 32 is mounted on the raised portion 29 at a poin-t spaced 31 from the vertical rotational axis on gear 28. As gear 28 32 is driven through a complete rotation, the end of the 33 connecting link moves about a circular path having a 34 radius equal to the distance between the mounting and the axis of rotation of gear 28.
37 Driven means 34 is shown as a disc and is mount-3 a e~ fo otation abo~t a centra 1 off-vertical axis, shown ~ 3 1 more clearly in Fig. 4. The opposing end 33 of the connec _ 2 ing link 30 is rotatably attached at the upper surface of 3 drlven means 34 at a distance from the axis of rotation 4 t~ereof. This distance is greater than -the spacing of end 32 from the axis of rotation of gear 28 so tllat one 6 revolution of gear 28 results in end 33 and driven means 7 34 transversing an arc of less than 180 degrees. In 8 the preferred embodiment, the ratio of the di.stances for 9 the ends 32 and 33 of link 30 is made such that -the driven disc 34 traverses and arc of about 120 degrees. One 11 revolution of gear 28 provides two traverses of the arcuat 12 path or one oscillatory cycle for the disc 34.
14 In Fig. 4, the gear 27 on the output shaft is shown meshing with gear 28 mounted for rotation about a 16 vertical axis defined by shaft 40. The shaft 40 is 17 normally press fit into a mounting sieeve 41 bonded to 18 or molded in the underside of the operating end 14. The 19 gear 28 contains an integral raised central portion at the top of which is rotatably pinned the end 32 of con-21 necting link 30. Pin 39 is shown offset from the verti-22 cal axis of gear 28 as defined by shaft 40.
24 The opposing end 33 of connecting link 30 is movably coupled to the top surface of driven disc 34 by 26 pin 44. The coupling pin is spaced from the axis of 27 movement of the disc as defined by shaft 42 by a distance 28 greater than the offset spacing of end 32. In order to 29 accommodate the combination of drive gear, driven disc and connecting link within the angled cross-sectional 31 area of the operating end 14, the rigid connecting link 32 is non-planar with the opposi.ng ends essentially per-33 pendicular to the axes of rotation of the drive gear and 34 driven disc. The axes are non-parallel due to the angu-lar displacement of region 22. The portion of the connect 36 ing link between the opposing ends is shown comprised of 37 two non-planar segments oriented to provide the coupling 38 for t nsmittal of the force. Other configurations of 1 the central portion of the link may be utilized if desirec .
3 The shaft 42 of -the driven disc 34 is journalled 4 in a split sleeve bearing 46 which is affixed to the perimetrical surface of a hole formed in the underside 6 of the operating end. The disc is preferably made inte-7 gral wi-th the engaging means for receiving the appliance 8 20 and is shown affixed to the end of shaft 42 which 9 terminates at its outer end in expanded diameter portion 48. The flexible accessory is urged onto the engaging 11 means by forcing its receiving end over portion 48.
13 Also, shaft 42 has an intermediate section 49 14 of large diameter serving as a thrust plate with a con-cave peripheral surface. Adjacent section 49 is the 16 bearing 46 for shaft 42 so that axial movement of thc 17 driven disc and the engaging means is limited. A housing 18 47 for bearing 46 is placed over the engaging means and 19 moved upwardly to be fastened to both the ou-ter surfaces of the operating end and the bearing 46. The housing 21 47 is shown having a centrally located concave peripheral 22 portion.
24 The cylindrical sleeve 21 formed of a water impermeable material serves as a water-tight boot that 26 prevents the entrance of the cleansing-polishing agent 27 into the operating end of the invention thereby substan-28 tially increasing the service life of the device. The 29 boot can be independently replaced by removing the appli-ance 20 and slidiny the new sleeve over -the concave por-31 tion 49 of the engaging means onto the housing 47 and 32 its concave portions. The nature of the oscillatory 33 motion of the shaft 42 permits the use of a tight flexibl~
34 sleeve to cover bearing joints as contrasted with the ex-posed joints found in fully rotational e~uipment.
37 The use of a longitudinally divided contain-3a ment eans permits Ihe insta~ ation and testing of tne ~9~3 1 components of the invention prior to sealing. The mount-2 ing of the power drive means and the associated switch 3 in the containment means can be selected by the manufac-4 turer in accordance with the type of drive motor and power source favored. Reference to external connections 6 in hand held appliances may be found in my U.S. patent 7 3,921,298 issued November 25, 1975.
9 A second embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 5 with like parts having the same reference num-11 erals. This embodiment utilizes a threaded spli-t bearing 12 46' which is placed about shaft 42 and threaded into 13 receiving housing 47' molded as a portion of the operatin 14 end. The insertion of the piece part takes place from the top prior to the affixation of the top portion of 16 the containment means. A thrust plate 50 is located on 17 the shaft 42 to limit axial movement. The shaft termin-18 ates in an expanded diameter portion 48 which receives 19 the appliance to be driven. The connection of the driven disc to the drive gear is the same for each embodiment.
21 If desired, a flexible boot can be provided by the use 22 of a right-angle sheath extending over the end and 23 con-tacting the sides of the thrust plate 50.
While the above description has referred to 26 specific embodiments of the invention, it is recognized 27 that many variations and modifications may be made there-23 ~ in thout departing ~rom the scope o~ the invention.
~65
Claims (23)
1. A personal health care device comprising:
a) containment means for housing a drive mechanism therein and having an operative end and a body portion;
b) power drive means mounted in said con-tainment means and having an output shaft extending therefrom, the actuation of said power drive means pro-viding rotation of said output shaft;
c) drive means mounted for rotation about a first axis at an angle to the axis of said output shaft and operatively coupled thereto;
d) driven means mounted in said operative end for rotation about a second axis at an angle to the axis of said output shaft;
e) an elongated rigid link coupled to said drive means a first distance from said first axis and coupled to said driven means a second distance from said second axis, said first distance being less than said second distance whereby rotation of said drive means imparts an oscillatory motion to the rotation of said driven means;
f) engaging means affixed to said driven means and extending outwardly of said operative end for receiving an appliance thereon.
a) containment means for housing a drive mechanism therein and having an operative end and a body portion;
b) power drive means mounted in said con-tainment means and having an output shaft extending therefrom, the actuation of said power drive means pro-viding rotation of said output shaft;
c) drive means mounted for rotation about a first axis at an angle to the axis of said output shaft and operatively coupled thereto;
d) driven means mounted in said operative end for rotation about a second axis at an angle to the axis of said output shaft;
e) an elongated rigid link coupled to said drive means a first distance from said first axis and coupled to said driven means a second distance from said second axis, said first distance being less than said second distance whereby rotation of said drive means imparts an oscillatory motion to the rotation of said driven means;
f) engaging means affixed to said driven means and extending outwardly of said operative end for receiving an appliance thereon.
2. The device of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of said operative end is angled from the body portion of said containment means.
3. The device of claim 2 wherein said engaging means extends outwardly of the angled portion of said operative end.
4 The device of claim 3 wherein said engaging means comprises an expanded diameter end for removably receiving an appliance thereon.
5. The device of claim 4 further comprising sealing means coupled between said engaging means and the operative end of said containment means.
6. The device of claim 5 wherein said sealing means is a flexible sleeve frictionally engaging the operative end of said containment means and said engaging means.
7. The device of claim 6 wherein said elongated rigid link is non-planar and comprises first and second end segments substantially parallel with the drive means and the driven means respectively and a connecting segment there-between.
8. The device of claim 3 further comprising a bearing means affixed to the angled portion of said operative end for rotatably receiving a portion of said engaging means therein.
9. The device of claim 8 wherein said bearing means comprises a section of reduced diameter and said engaging means has a section of reduced diameter, said sealing means being frictionally coupled to said sections of reduced diameter and extending therebetween.
10. The device of claim 9 wherein said elongated rigid link is non-planar and comprises first and second end segments substantially parallel to the drive means and the driven means respectively and a connecting segment therebetween.
11. The device of claim 10 wherein said first and second axes are non-parallel with respect to each other.
12. The device of claim 11 wherein the operative end of said containment means is removably affixed to the body portion thereof, said power drive means being mount-ed in said body portion and having the output shaft ex-tending therefrom.
13. A personal health care attachment having an operative end and a securing end for use with a power drive module having an externally accessible power drive means, said attachment comprising:
a) means for removably affixing the secur-ing end of said attachment to the power drive module;
b) drive means mounted for rotation about a first axis at an angle to the axis of said power drive means and operatively coupled thereto;
c) driven means mounted in an operative end of said attachment for rotation about a second axis at an angle to the axis of said power drive means;
d) an elongated rigid link coupled to said drive means a first distance from said first axis and coupled to said driven means a second distance from said second axis, said first distance being less than said second distance whereby rotation of said drive means imparts an oscillatory motion to the rotation of said driven means;
e) engaging means affixed to said driven means and extending outwardly of the operative end of said attachment for receiving an appliance thereon.
a) means for removably affixing the secur-ing end of said attachment to the power drive module;
b) drive means mounted for rotation about a first axis at an angle to the axis of said power drive means and operatively coupled thereto;
c) driven means mounted in an operative end of said attachment for rotation about a second axis at an angle to the axis of said power drive means;
d) an elongated rigid link coupled to said drive means a first distance from said first axis and coupled to said driven means a second distance from said second axis, said first distance being less than said second distance whereby rotation of said drive means imparts an oscillatory motion to the rotation of said driven means;
e) engaging means affixed to said driven means and extending outwardly of the operative end of said attachment for receiving an appliance thereon.
14. The attachment of claim 13 wherein at least a portion of said operative end is angled from the body portion of said attachment.
15. The attachment of claim 14 wherein said engaging means extends outwardly of the angled portion of said operative end.
16. The attachment of claim 15 wherein said engaging means comprises an expanded diameter end for removably receiving an appliance thereon.
17. The attachment of claim 16 further compris-ing sealing means coupled between said engaging means and the operative end of said attachment.
18. The attachment of claim 17 wherein said sealing means is a flexible sleeve frictionally engaging the operative end of said attachment and said engaging means.
19. The attachment of claim 18 wherein said elongated rigid link is non-planar and comprises first and second end segments substantially parallel with the drive means and the driven means respectively and a con-necting segment therebetween.
20. The attachment of claim 15 further com-prising a bearing means affixed to the angled portion of said operative end for rotatably receiving a portion of said engaging means therein.
21. The attachment of claim 20 wherein said bearing means comprises a section of reduced diameter and said engaging means has a section of reduced diameter, said sealing means being frictionally coupled to said sections of reduced diameter and extending therebetween.
22. The attachment of claim 21 wherein the elongated rigid link comprises first and second end seg-ments substantially parallel to the drive means and the driven means respectively and a connecting segment there-between.
23. The attachment of claim 22 wherein said first and second axes are non-parallel with respect to each other.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000437589A CA1191003A (en) | 1983-09-26 | 1983-09-26 | Personal health care device |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000437589A CA1191003A (en) | 1983-09-26 | 1983-09-26 | Personal health care device |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1191003A true CA1191003A (en) | 1985-07-30 |
Family
ID=4126170
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000437589A Expired CA1191003A (en) | 1983-09-26 | 1983-09-26 | Personal health care device |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1191003A (en) |
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6360395B2 (en) | 1998-09-30 | 2002-03-26 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Electric toothbrush |
| US6564940B2 (en) | 1998-09-30 | 2003-05-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Electric toothbrush |
| US7322066B2 (en) | 2003-07-16 | 2008-01-29 | Church & Dwight Co., Inc. | Electric toothbrushes having movable, intermittently movable, and fixed bristles |
| US7356866B2 (en) | 2002-06-11 | 2008-04-15 | Church & Dwight Co., Inc. | Modular electric toothbrushes |
| US7748070B2 (en) | 2003-09-09 | 2010-07-06 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Electric toothbrush comprising an electrically powered element |
| US7845039B2 (en) | 2003-09-09 | 2010-12-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Toothbrush with severable electrical connections |
-
1983
- 1983-09-26 CA CA000437589A patent/CA1191003A/en not_active Expired
Cited By (6)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6360395B2 (en) | 1998-09-30 | 2002-03-26 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Electric toothbrush |
| US6564940B2 (en) | 1998-09-30 | 2003-05-20 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Electric toothbrush |
| US7356866B2 (en) | 2002-06-11 | 2008-04-15 | Church & Dwight Co., Inc. | Modular electric toothbrushes |
| US7322066B2 (en) | 2003-07-16 | 2008-01-29 | Church & Dwight Co., Inc. | Electric toothbrushes having movable, intermittently movable, and fixed bristles |
| US7748070B2 (en) | 2003-09-09 | 2010-07-06 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Electric toothbrush comprising an electrically powered element |
| US7845039B2 (en) | 2003-09-09 | 2010-12-07 | The Procter & Gamble Company | Toothbrush with severable electrical connections |
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