Oral care appliance and method of operating thereof
AssigneeWillo 32 SAS
InventorDavid Aurélien Barlet
Life of this patent
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Abstract
This disclosure relates to an oral care appliance and a method for use in oral care for cleaning the teeth of one or two arches using a mouthpiece forming a closed or nearly closed cavity. The mouthpiece is adapted to deform in response to pressure variations inside the cavity and create an action on the teeth. This disclosure includes a description of depression chambers and associated methods that can contribute to the operation of the oral care appliance by affecting the aforementioned pressure variations.
Claims31
-37. (canceled)
An oral care appliance comprising:
- a mouthpiece comprising a flexible membrane configured to deform in response to pressure variations generated in a cavity resulting in volume changes of the cavity;
- a depression chamber having a plurality of apertures and configured to generate the pressure variations in the cavity;
- a first pump:
- (i) engaged with a first aperture of the depression chamber;
- and (ii) configured to generate a vacuum in the depression chamber;
- and
- a second aperture of the depression chamber connected to the mouthpiece through a connecting line.
A method of operating an oral care appliance in a brushing cycle comprising the steps of:
- generating a vacuum in a depression chamber with a first pump attached to a first aperture of the depression chamber;
- opening a first valve coupled to a connecting line between a mouthpiece and a second aperture of the depression chamber to create a pressure difference in the mouthpiece to facilitate a contraction of the mouthpiece and thereby aspirate a fluid out from the mouthpiece to the depression chamber through the connecting line;
- and
- closing the first valve to facilitate a relaxation of the mouthpiece wherein vacuum is again created in the depression chamber using the first pump.
An oral care appliance comprising:
- a mouthpiece comprising a flexible membrane configured to deform in response to pressure variations generated in a cavity resulting in volume changes of the cavity;
- a depression chamber having a plurality of apertures and a means for generating pressure variations in the cavity;
- a first pump:
- (i) engaged with a first aperture of the depression chamber;
- and (ii) configured to generate a vacuum in the depression chamber;
- and
- a second aperture of the depression chamber connected to the mouthpiece through a connecting line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.