Toothbrush suction apparatus and method
AssigneesRutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute of Technology
InventorsMaxine Strickland, Vivek Ashok Kumar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suction assembly, toothbrush, and method are provided that suction fluids and debris resulting from brushing. The suction assembly includes a housing configured to couple to the toothbrush so that a portion extends around sides and a back of the toothbrush head and is spaced from the toothbrush head by a gap. The suction assembly further includes a vacuum pump, a collection reservoir, and one or more conduits that couple the vacuum pump, suction head portion, and collection reservoir to apply a suction around the toothbrush head through the gap and deposit suctioned material in the collection reservoir.
Claims15
A suction apparatus for a toothbrush having a body including a head, a neck, and a handle, the suction apparatus comprising:
- a housing configured to couple to the toothbrush, the housing including a suction head portion sized to extend around sides and a back of the toothbrush head and be spaced from the toothbrush head by a gap;
- a vacuum pump;
- a collection reservoir;
- one or more conduits coupling the vacuum pump, suction head portion, and collection reservoir to apply a suction around the toothbrush head through the gap and deposit suctioned material in the collection reservoir;
- and
- a one-way valve configured to prevent back flow of the suctioned material from the collection reservoir;
- wherein the one or more conduits include a vacuum tube fluidly coupling the vacuum pump to the collection reservoir and a waste tube fluidly coupling the suction head portion to the collection reservoir;
- and
- wherein the one-way valve comprises at least one of:
- the waste tube extending to a position adjacent a bottom wall of the collection reservoir and the vacuum tube extending to an intermediate position within the collection reservoir;
- or the vacuum and waste tubes flexibly coupling the collection reservoir to the toothbrush such that the collection reservoir hangs in an upright configuration.
A method for suctioning material from and adjacent to a head of a toothbrush, the method comprising:
- creating suction with a vacuum pump;
- applying the suction via one or more conduits to a gap between the toothbrush head and a suction head portion of a housing coupled to the toothbrush, the suction head portion of the housing extending around sides and a back of the toothbrush head and spaced from the toothbrush head by the gap;
- and
- transferring suctioned material to deposit the suctioned material in a collection reservoir through the one or more conduits, the one or more conduits including a vacuum tube fluidly coupling the vacuum pump to the collection reservoir and a waste tube fluidly coupling the suction head portion to the collection reservoir;
- and
- preventing back flow of the suctioned material from the collection reservoir with a one-way valve by:
- extending the waste tube to a position adjacent a bottom wall of the collection reservoir and extending the vacuum tube to an intermediate position within the collection reservoir;
- or
- flexibly coupling the collection reservoir to the toothbrush with the vacuum and waste tubes such that the collection reservoir hangs in an upright configuration.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.