Oral care dispenser and oral care system implementing the same

An oral care system comprising:

• a toothbrush comprising a longitudinal axis, a handle, and a head supported by the handle and including a plurality of tooth engaging elements extending transversely to the longitudinal axis from a front surface of the head oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis;
• a dispenser detachably coupled to the toothbrush, the dispenser comprising:
• a housing having a longitudinal axis and an internal reservoir containing an oral care material;
• a collar comprising an axial passageway, the collar non-rotatably disposed within the housing;
• a drive component rotatably disposed within the housing, the drive component comprising a drive screw, a post at least partially disposed within the axial passageway of the collar, and at least one flange that, through mechanical interference with the collar, axially retains the drive component relative to the housing;
• and
• an elevator threadedly coupled to the drive screw by an extension member having a threaded proximal end and a distal end inserted into an annular groove in a lower surface of the elevator so that rotation of the drive component in a first rotational direction causes the elevator to axially advance along the drive screw in a first axial direction to dispense the oral care material from a dispensing orifice while the drive screw does not axially translate relative to the housing, the annular groove formed between an inner annular wall of the elevator and an outer annular wall of the elevator, the inner annular wall extending axially from the lower surface of the elevator and the outer annular wall extending axially from the lower surface of the elevator, the inner annular wall opposing the outer annular wall, the outer annular wall located radially between the housing and the distal end of the extension member so that the outer annular wall surrounds the distal end of the extension member, the distal end of the extension member located radially between the inner annular wall and the outer annular wall, and the distal end of the extension member having a retention feature extending radially outward which engages a retention groove formed into the outer annular wall of the elevator.

An oral care system comprising:

• a toothbrush comprising a longitudinal axis, a handle, and a head supported by the handle and including a plurality of tooth engaging elements extending transversely to the longitudinal axis from a front surface of the head oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis;
• a dispenser detachably coupled to the toothbrush, the dispenser comprising:
• a housing having a longitudinal axis and an internal reservoir containing an oral care material;
• a drive component rotatably disposed within the housing and comprising a drive screw;
• and
• an elevator coupled to the drive screw by an extension member having a threaded proximal end and a distal end inserted into an annular groove in a lower surface of the elevator so that rotation of the drive component in a first rotational direction causes the elevator to axially advance along the drive screw in a first axial direction to dispense the oral care material from a dispensing orifice while the drive screw does not axially translate relative to the housing, the annular groove formed between an inner annular wall of the elevator and an outer annular wall of the elevator, the inner annular wall extending axially from the lower surface of the elevator and the outer annular wall extending axially from the lower surface of the elevator, the inner annular wall opposing the outer annular wall, the outer annular wall located radially between the housing and the distal end of the extension member so that the outer annular wall surrounds the distal end of the extension member, the distal end of the extension member located radially between the inner annular wall and the outer annular wall, and the distal end of the extension member having a retention feature extending radially outward which engages a retention groove formed into the outer annular wall of the elevator.