Actuation assembly for an oral irrigator

Abstract

An actuation assembly (122, 322) for an oral irrigator (100) includes a bezel (166, 366) secured to or formed as part of a housing (103) of the oral irrigator (100), an actuator (162, 362) operably connected to the bezel (166, 366) and moveable relative thereto, and an augmentation fluid (300, 500) positioned between the bezel (166, 366) and the actuator (162, 362). The augmentation fluid (300, 500) modifies a frictional relationship between the bezel (166, 366) and the actuator (162, 362) to provide a predefined resistance force between the actuator (162, 362) and the bezel (166, 366) as theactuator (162, 362) is rotated relative to the bezel (166, 366).

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 302,565, entitled "Actuation Assembly for an Oral Irrigator," filed March 2, 2016, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . technical field [0003] The present disclosure relates generally to health and personal hygiene devices, and more specifically, to oral irrigators. Background technique [0004] Oral irrigators are typically used to clean a user's teeth and gums by discharging a pressurized stream of fluid into the user's oral cavity. The fluid hits the teeth and gums to remove debris. Many oral irrigator units include a reservoir connected to a base unit that houses a pump and other internal components. Fluid stored in the reservoir is drawn into the pump and pressurized to deliver the fluid to the tip of the handle. These units typically include buttons, knobs, or other mechanisms that are actuated by the user to cha...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, conventional buttons and knobs for oral irrigators are made of plastic, can be difficult to actuate when wet, and provide no tactile feedback to the user when actuated

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