A stand for an oral care implement, an oral care implement system comprising the stand, and related methods

Abstract

A stand for an oral care implement, an oral care system comprising an oral care implement and a stand, and a method of separating a refill head from a handle portion using a stand. The stand can comprise a support feature for supporting the oral care implement in an upright orientation and an engagement feature for engaging the refill head when a user separates the handle portion from the refill head. The support feature can be a recess or cavity formed in the stand and the engagement feature can be one or more recesses or notches formed in a top edge of the stand.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 114,107, filed November 16, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0003] Personal hygiene is notoriously difficult for people who may experience a loss of dexterity due to birth defects, arthritis, age, and other underlying health problems. For example, users with reduced dexterity may find it difficult to hold and operate a toothbrush, as they need to grip the handle tightly and move it back and forth rapidly to thoroughly clean their teeth. Furthermore, many toothbrushes are sold with a handle and a replaceable head that can be removed, allowing the replaceable head to be replaced while the user continues to use the same handle. This can save users money by allowing them to replace only the replaceable head, not the handle. However, people with reduced dexterity may find it difficult to detach the replaceable head from the handle. Therefore, there is a need for devices that assist users in detaching the replaceable head from the handle while also providing other functionalities. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention relates to a stand for an oral care appliance, an oral care system including an oral care appliance and a stand, and a method for separating a replacement head from the handle using the stand. The stand may include a support feature for supporting the oral care appliance in an upright orientation and an engagement feature for engaging the replacement head when the user separates the handle from the replacement head.

[0005] In one aspect, the invention can be a stand for an oral care appliance having a handle portion and a replacement head portion detachably connected to the handle portion, the stand comprising: a support feature configured to support the oral care appliance in an upright orientation when the stand is positioned on a horizontal surface; and an engagement feature configured to engage the replacement head portion such that the replacement head portion detaches from the handle portion when a user applies force to the handle portion.

[0006] In another aspect, the present invention can be an oral care system comprising the oral care appliances and base as described above.

[0007] In another embodiment, the present invention may be a method for separating a replacement head component of an oral care appliance from a handle component, the method comprising: a) removing the oral care appliance from a pedestal in which the oral care appliance is supported in an upright position, wherein the replacement head component is detachably connected to the handle component; b) engaging the pedestal with the replacement head component; and c) applying a pulling force to the handle component until the replacement head component is separated from the handle component.

[0008] Other applicable areas of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided below. It should be understood that while the detailed description and specific examples indicate preferred embodiments of the invention, they are intended for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Attached Figure Description

[0009] The invention will be more fully understood through a detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:

[0010] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional diagram of an oral care system, including oral care appliances and bases;

[0011] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional view of the pedestal from below;

[0012] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Front view of the pedestal;

[0013] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Top view of the pedestal;

[0014] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of an oral care system, in which the oral care appliances are supported by a pedestal and are oriented vertically;

[0015] Figure 6 It is along Figure 5 A partial cross-sectional view taken from line VI-VI;

[0016] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of an oral care system, illustrating the separation of oral care appliances from their base;

[0017] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A three-dimensional diagram of an oral care system, illustrating that the replacement head component of an oral care appliance is positioned horizontally and engaged by the engagement features of a base.

[0018] Figure 9 yes Figure 8A three-dimensional diagram of an oral care system, wherein force is applied to the handle component of an oral care appliance to detach a replacement head component from the handle component; and

[0019] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of a pedestal according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following description of preferred embodiments is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or its uses.

[0021] The description of illustrative embodiments of the invention is intended to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which will be considered an integral part of the entire written description. Any references to directions or orientations in the description of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are intended only for convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “upward,” “downward,” “top,” and “bottom,” and their derivatives (e.g., “horizontally,” “downward,” “upward,” etc.) should be understood to refer to orientations as shown in the drawings described later or discussed. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require the device to be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly stated otherwise. Terms such as “attach,” “connect,” “join,” “link,” “interconnect,” and similar words refer to a relationship in which structures are directly or indirectly fixed or attached to each other, and an attachment or relationship in which both are movable or fixed, unless otherwise explicitly stated otherwise. Furthermore, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated by reference to exemplary embodiments. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to such exemplary embodiments that illustrate some possible non-limiting combinations of features that may exist alone or in combination with other features; the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

[0022] Reference Figure 1 The illustration shows an oral care system 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The oral care system 1000 generally includes an oral care appliance 100 and a pedestal 200. As will be described herein, the pedestal 200 is configured to support the oral care appliance 100 in an upright orientation when it is not in use and to support it in a horizontal orientation for purposes that will become apparent from the description below.

[0023] The oral care appliance 100 generally includes a handle part 110 and a replaceable head part 120. The replaceable head part 120 is detachable from the handle part 110 (see, for example, see...). Figure 9This allows the replacement head component 120 to be replaced, and the newly replaced replacement head component to be attached to the handle component 110 for use. In all embodiments, the exact attachment method between the replacement head component 120 and the handle component 110 is not limited to the invention, and the attachment method may include mechanical connection features, friction fits, snap-fit ​​fits, pawls / recesses, interlocking engagement features, threaded engagements, locking protrusions, locking members, etc. The engagement features of the replacement head component 120 and the handle component 110 can have any structure or configuration, as long as the replacement head component 120 can be attached to the handle component 110 and remain attached during brushing management, while allowing the replacement head component 120 to be detached from the handle component 110 when needed. It should be ensured that the replacement head component 120 does not detach from the handle component 110 during normal use of the oral care appliance 100.

[0024] In an exemplary embodiment, the oral care appliance 100 is a manual toothbrush. However, the invention is not so limited in all embodiments, and in other embodiments, the oral care appliance 100 may be an electric toothbrush. In other embodiments, the oral care appliance 100 may be other hygiene tools for treating the oral cavity, such as tongue scrapers, gum and soft tissue cleaners, water flossers, interdental devices, tooth polishers, specially designed handle appliances with tooth engagement elements, or any other type of appliance commonly used in oral care. In other embodiments, the oral care appliance 100 may be a personal care appliance rather than an oral care appliance. Examples of such personal care appliances include hairbrushes, razors, body washers, skin treatment devices, etc. Therefore, it should be understood that the inventive concept discussed herein can be applied to any type of oral care appliance or personal care appliance, unless a particular type of appliance is specified in the claims. Structural and functional details of an oral care appliance 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention will be provided below.

[0025] The handle portion 110 forms the part of the oral care appliance 100 that is gripped by the user during brushing. Therefore, the handle portion 110 can have various profiles designed to enhance user comfort. The handle portion 110 can be formed entirely of a rigid material such as wood, plastic, metal, etc., or the handle portion 110 can include a base formed of a rigid material and a gripping portion formed of an elastic material such as thermoplastic elastomer, thermoplastic polyurethane, or other rubber-like elastic materials. The thickness, diameter, width, and profile of the handle portion 110 can be modified as shown in the accompanying drawings to increase user comfort, and different types of oral care appliances 100 can be used with the base 200 as part of the system 1000 described herein.

[0026] In an exemplary embodiment, the replacement head component 120 includes a sleeve portion 121 designed to facilitate connection between the handle component 110 and the replacement head component 120 and the head portion 122. Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, the oral care appliance 100 is a toothbrush. Therefore, the replacement head component 120 includes a plurality of dental cleaning elements 123 extending from the head portion 122. The plurality of dental cleaning elements 123 may include bristle tufts, filamentous bristles, fiber bristles, nylon bristles, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) bristles, spiral bristles, rubber bristles, elastomer protrusions, flexible polymer protrusions, sheets, combinations thereof, and / or structures including such materials or combinations. In some embodiments, any combination of these elements may be used to form one or more dental cleaning elements 123. Furthermore, when bristles are used for one or more dental cleaning elements 123, such bristles may be tapered, rounded, spiral, etc. The dental cleaning element 123 can be attached to the head portion 122 using any known technique such as pinning, anchorless tufting, in-mold tufting, PTT, injection molding, etc. Multiple dental cleaning elements 123 are arranged in the dental cleaning element area 124.

[0027] Simultaneously refer to Figures 1 to 4 The pedestal 200 will be further described below. The pedestal 200 includes a body 210, which includes an upright wall 211 extending from a bottom end portion 212 to a top end portion 213. In an exemplary embodiment, the upright wall 211 is an annular wall. Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, the upright wall 211 has a rounded or circular transverse cross-sectional shape; however, this shape may be modified in other embodiments. Additionally, the pedestal 200 includes a support feature 201 and an engagement feature 202. The support feature 201 is configured to support the oral care appliance 100 in an upright orientation when the pedestal 200 is positioned on a horizontal surface, and the engagement feature 202 is configured to engage a replacement head component 120 to assist the user in separating the replacement head component 120 from the handle component 110. The support feature 201 and the engagement feature 202 will be described in more detail below.

[0028] In an exemplary embodiment, the top portion 213 of the upright wall 211 is planar. Furthermore, the top portion 213 of the upright wall 211 is aligned in a horizontally oriented plane. In other embodiments, the top portion 213 of the upright wall 211 may be aligned in a plane oriented at an angle relative to the horizontal plane. In still other embodiments, the top portion 213 of the upright wall 211 may be wavy, such that the top portion may not be planar in all embodiments.

[0029] The upright wall 211 can be formed from a variety of different materials, including plastic, wood, metal, hard rubber, or combinations thereof. The upright wall 211 should be rigid enough that downward forces applied by a user do not cause it to collapse. While a degree of flexibility or movement in the upright wall 211 may be permissible and will not negate the function of the pedestal 200 described herein, significant flexibility in the upright wall 211 may prevent it from performing the support and engagement functions described herein. In some embodiments, the entire body 210 is formed of an elastomeric gripping material. In other embodiments, a portion of the body 210 is formed of an elastomeric gripping material. In some embodiments, the body 210 may include an inner layer formed of rigid plastic and an outer layer formed of an elastomeric material. Therefore, variations in materials are possible within the scope of the invention set forth herein.

[0030] In some embodiments, the pedestal 200 may be weighted. That is, the material used to form the pedestal 200 may be weighted, or the pedestal 200 may include a cavity region in which weighted material may be placed to weight the pedestal 200. As described herein, weighting the pedestal 200 helps to keep the pedestal in its upright orientation throughout all use of the pedestal.

[0031] The body 210 includes a bottom surface 214 located at the bottom end 212. The bottom surface 214 is preferably formed of a rubber or elastomeric material. Alternatively or additionally, one or more rubber or elastomeric pads may be attached to the bottom surface 214 of the body 210. The purpose of using rubber on or along the bottom surface 214 is to ensure that the pedestal 200 remains in contact with the horizontal support surface and does not slide along the horizontal support surface during the removal process of the replacement head component 120, as referenced below. Figure 8 and Figure 9 A more detailed description.

[0032] The upright wall 211 of the body 210 includes an outer surface 215 and an inner surface 216 opposite to the outer surface 215. The inner surface 216 defines a recess 217 and surrounds the recess 217, which has an open top end 218 at the top end 213 of the upright wall 211. The recess 217 is formed in the body 210 and extends from the bottom plate 219 (see...). Figure 6 The cavity extends to the open top portion 218. The recess 217 extends along the central axis AA from the base plate 219 to the open top portion 218. The aforementioned support feature 201 includes the recess 217. As will be specifically referred to below... Figure 5 and Figure 6The recess 217 discussed is configured (i.e., sized and shaped to) receive a portion of the handle part 110 of the oral care appliance 100 to support the oral care appliance 100 in an upright orientation when the pedestal 200 is positioned on a horizontal surface.

[0033] Furthermore, the pedestal 200 also includes a engagement feature 202, which in an exemplary embodiment includes a first recess 220 located in the top edge 213 of the upright wall 211 of the body 210 and a second recess 221 located in the top edge 213 of the upright wall 211 of the body 210. However, the invention is not so limited in all embodiments, and in some embodiments, the engagement feature 202 may include a single recess. In other embodiments, the engagement feature 202 may include a separate feature extending from the top end 213 of the upright wall 211 and defining a notch or recess in which a portion of the replacement head member 120 may be received. Therefore, the engagement feature 202 is not limited to the exact structural embodiment shown, and various modifications may fall within the scope of the claimed invention.

[0034] In an exemplary embodiment, the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 are notches extending downward from the top edge 213 of the upright wall 211. In an exemplary embodiment, each of the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 is defined by an arc-shaped base plate 222. However, in other embodiments, the base plate may be square, rectangular, triangular, etc. Recesses 220 and 221 are identical in the exemplary embodiment, but need not be identical in all embodiments. In particular, in various other embodiments, recesses 220 and 221 may have different depths, widths, heights, etc., as long as they are constructed to receive different portions of the replacement head member 120 as described below. Therefore, the width W1 of the recesses 220 and 221 should be large enough that a portion of the replacement head member 120 can be received within the recess. The first recess 120 and the second recess 121 are aligned with each other along an axis BB orthogonal to the central axis AA of the recess 217. Furthermore, the pedestal 200 has an outer diameter OD measured along the top end 213 of the upright wall 211 between the first recess 120 and the second recess 121. The outer diameter OD is measured from the outer surface 215 of the upright wall 211 and therefore includes the diameter of the recess 217 and the thickness of the upright wall multiplied by two. The relationship between the outer diameter OD and the length of a portion of the replacement head member 120 will be discussed below.

[0035] like Figure 3As can be seen, the bottom surface 214 of the body 210 of the pedestal 200 is oriented orthogonally to the central axis AA of the recess 217. This allows the pedestal 200 to be positioned upright on a horizontal surface (e.g., a table, countertop, sink surface, etc.) such that the bottom surface 214 of the pedestal 210 is in contact with the horizontal surface, and the central axis AA extends vertically and is perpendicular to the horizontal surface.

[0036] exist Figures 1 to 4 In the embodiment of the pedestal 200 shown, the outer surface 215 of the upright wall 211 has a convex shape. The invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the upright wall 211 may be cylindrical. For example, Figure 10 A pedestal 200a is shown, including a body 210a, which includes a cylindrical upright wall 211a. Furthermore, Figure 10 The pedestal 200a also includes a flange structure 230a attached to the bottom end of the body 210a. The flange structure 230a extends radially outward from the upright wall 211a to provide additional support to keep the pedestal 200a upright when positioned on a horizontal surface. In other respects, the pedestal 200a is the same as the pedestal 200, and the details of the pedestal 200 described above can be applied to the pedestal 200a.

[0037] Reference Figure 5 and Figure 6 The illustration shows an oral care system 1000, in which an oral care appliance 100 is supported within a recess 217 of a support feature 201 of a base 200. Specifically, the bottom portion 115 of the handle member 110 is fitted into the recess 217 of the base 200, and the remainder of the handle portion 110 protrudes from the open top portion 218 of the recess 217 at the top portion 213 of the upright wall 211. Figure 6 As can be seen, the bottom portion 115 of the handle component 110 is tightly nested within the recess 217, such that the inner surface 216 of the upright wall 211 directly contacts the outer surface of the handle portion 110 along the bottom portion 115 of the handle component 110. This direct contact between the inner surface 216 of the upright wall 211 and the outer surface of the handle portion 110 ensures that the oral care appliance 100, as described above, provides a secure fit. Figure 5 and Figure 6 It remains in an upright orientation as shown.

[0038] As described above, the body 210 can be formed of an elastomeric gripping material. In such an embodiment, when the bottom portion 115 of the handle member 110 is inserted into the recess 217 of the base 200, the body 210 can flex outward and apply an inward force to the bottom portion 115 of the handle portion 110 to hold the handle portion 110 firmly in place. Therefore, in some embodiments, the body 210 can be formed of a compressible material. Figure 6As shown, the bottom surface 214 of the base 210 rests on the top of the horizontal support surface 10, and the base 210 holds the oral care appliance 100 in an upright orientation. The bottom portion 115 of the handle portion 110 can be fitted into the recess 217 of the base 200, wherein the proximal end portion 116 of the handle portion 110 (which also forms the proximal end portion of the oral care appliance 100) rests on the top of the base plate 219 of the recess 217 and is in direct contact with the base plate 219 of the recess 217.

[0039] Reference Figure 6 The replacement head component 120 extends from a proximal end 130 to a distal end 131. The proximal end 130 of the replacement head component 120 is the end adjacent to the handle component 110, and the distal end 131 of the replacement head component 120 is the end furthest from the handle component 110 and also forms the distal end of the oral care appliance 100. As described above, a dental cleaning element 123 is disposed in a cleaning element region 124. The cleaning element region 124 extends from a proximal end 125 to a distal end 126. The proximal end 125 of the cleaning element region 124 is the portion of the cleaning element region closest to the proximal end 130 of the replacement head component 120. The distal end 126 of the cleaning element region 124 is the portion of the cleaning element region 124 closest to the distal end 131 of the replacement head component 120. The replacement head component 120 includes a length L1 measured from the proximal end 130 of the replacement head component 120 to the proximal end 125 of the cleaning element region 124. As will be noted below, the length L1 of the replacement head part 120 from the proximal end 130 to the cleaning element region 124 is greater than the outer diameter OD of the pedestal 200 measured along the top end 213 of the upright wall 211 of the pedestal 200.

[0040] Refer to in sequence Figures 7 to 9 The method for separating the replacement head component 120 from the handle component 110 of the oral care appliance 100 using the base 200 will be described. First, Figure 7 This illustrates the removal of the oral care appliance 100 from the recess 217 of the base 200. Specifically, if the oral care appliance 100 is removed as... Figure 5 As shown, if the oral care appliance 100 is embedded in the recess 217 of the base 200, the user must pull the oral care appliance 100 relative to the base 200 to remove it from the recess 217. Depending on any compressive force applied to the oral care appliance 100 by the body 210 of the base 200, the user may need to apply a certain amount of force relative to the base 200 to the oral care appliance 100 to achieve this. Figure 7The separation is shown. However, such forces should be minimized, especially since the system 1000 described herein is intended for use by people suffering from arthritis and other flexibility-related problems. In some embodiments, the body 210 may not apply such compressive forces to the oral care appliance 100, and the user may simply remove the oral care appliance 100 from the recess 217 of the pedestal 200 by lifting it upwards in the direction of arrow X.

[0041] Next, refer to Figure 8 The oral care appliance 100 is positioned such that the replacement head component 120 is fitted into the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the engagement feature 202 of the base 200. Specifically, the user will orient the oral care appliance 100 horizontally and then slide it downwards until the portion of the replacement head component 120 adjacent to the handle component 110 is fitted into the first recess 220 and the portion of the replacement head component 120 adjacent to the cleaning element area 124 is fitted into the second recess 221. Therefore, the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 should have sufficient width or size so that the portions of the replacement head component 120 can be fitted into the second recess 221. Figure 8 As shown, it is assembled and fitted into the recess.

[0042] In some embodiments, the oral care appliance 100 may not rest horizontally on its own without a continuous force Z applied to the replacement head component 120 in the direction of the pedestal 200. Figure 8 In the indicated position. Specifically, because more than half the weight of the oral care appliance 100 may be located in the handle component 110, if the user stops applying force Z to the replacement head component 120, the oral care appliance will pivot, causing the bottom portion 115 of the handle component 100 to move toward the base plate. This will remove the replacement head component 120 from the first recess 220 and the second recess 221. Therefore, while the replacement head component 120 is being fitted into the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the base 200, the user will continue to apply force Z to the replacement head component 120 until the task of separating the replacement head component 120 from the handle component 110 is completed.

[0043] When the oral care appliance 100 is supported by the engagement feature 202 (which, in an exemplary embodiment, includes a first recess 220 and a second recess 221), the oral care appliance 100 is horizontally oriented. Specifically, the longitudinal axis CC of the oral care appliance 100 is oriented orthogonal to or perpendicular to the central axis AA of the recess 217 of the pedestal 200. Similarly, the pedestal 200 should be formed of a sufficiently rigid material such that even when a force Z is applied to the replacement head component 120 and the replacement head component 120 is fitted within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221, the pedestal 200 substantially maintains its shape and integrity.

[0044] As described above, the replacement head assembly 120 includes a length L1 measured from the proximal end 130 of the replacement head assembly 120 to the proximal end 125 of the cleaning element region 124 formed by a plurality of dental cleaning elements 123. Furthermore, the base 200 has an outer diameter OD measured along the top portion 213 of the base 200. The length L1 is greater than the outer diameter OD. This is important because it ensures that when the portions of the oral care replacement head 120 are fitted within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the base, the plurality of dental cleaning elements 123 are positioned outside the boundaries of the base 200. Therefore, when the replacement head assembly 120 is fitted within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the base 200, the proximal portion 135 and the distal portion 136 (which includes the dental cleaning elements 123) of the replacement head assembly 120 protrude from the outer surface 215 of the body 210 of the base 200.

[0045] Finally, refer to Figure 9 While a force Z is continuously applied to the replacement head component 120, a pulling force Y is applied to the handle component 110 to separate the replacement head component 120 and the handle component 110 from each other. Force Z creates a pressurized contact between the replacement head component 120 and the base 200. When sufficient pulling force Y is applied to the handle component 110 while force Z is simultaneously maintained on the replacement head component 120, the handle component 110 will separate from the replacement head component 120. It should be noted that the pressurized contact is achieved by applying a pressing force (i.e., force Z) along a first direction, and the pulling force Y is achieved by directly pulling the handle component 110 along a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. When the handle component 110 and the replacement head component 120 have been... Figure 9 After separation as shown, if necessary, the replacement head component 120 can be released from the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 by pulling the replacement head component 120 away from the base 200, and the handle component 110 can be positioned back into the recess 217 in the base 200.

[0046] Figure 9The illustration shows a handle member 110 including a gripping portion 116 and a rod portion 117. The rod portion 117 is the portion that engages with the replacement head member 120 when the handle member 110 and the replacement head member 120 are connected together. Therefore, the rod portion 117 may include a connecting feature 118 to facilitate this connection between the replacement head member 120 and the handle member 110. In this embodiment, the connecting feature 118 is a protrusion; however, as described above, the invention should not be limited thereto.

[0047] As described above, in some embodiments, the user applies a pressing force Z to the replacement head component 120 and a pulling force Y to the handle component 110 to separate the replacement head component 120 from the handle component 110. By applying the pressing force Z to the replacement head component 120 during this process, it can be ensured that the pedestal 200 does not move or slide along the horizontal support surface during this process. Furthermore, by forming the bottom surface 214 of the pedestal 200 with an elastic material or including a rubber pad on the bottom surface, this also prevents the pedestal 200 from sliding during the removal process. In other embodiments, the bottom surface 214 of the pedestal 200 may include a suction cup, a temporary adhesive, an electrostatically adhesive vinyl material, etc., to help prevent the pedestal 200 from sliding along the horizontal support surface when the replacement head component 120 is removed from the handle component 110.

[0048] As used throughout, "range" is used as a shorthand to describe each value within the range and individual values. Any value within the range may be chosen as the endpoint of the range. Furthermore, all references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In the event of any conflict between definitions in this disclosure and those in the cited references, the definitions in this disclosure shall prevail.

[0049] Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples including the currently preferred mode of implementation, those skilled in the art will recognize that various variations and substitutions exist for the systems and techniques described above. It should be understood that other embodiments can be utilized, and structural and functional modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Therefore, the spirit and scope of the invention should be interpreted broadly as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A base for an oral care appliance, the oral care appliance having a handle portion and a replaceable head portion detachably connected to the handle portion, the base comprising: The body includes an annular upright wall extending from the bottom end to the top end; The support feature includes a recess having an open top end, the recess being sized and shaped to receive the bottom portion of the handle component to support the oral care appliance in an upright orientation when the pedestal is positioned on a horizontal surface, wherein the recess is defined by the annular upright wall of the body. and The engagement feature includes at least one recess located at the top edge of the annular upright wall of the body, the recess being configured to engage the replacement head component such that the replacement head component is in a horizontal orientation, such that when a user simultaneously applies a downward force to the replacement head component and an axial force to the handle component, the handle component disengages from the replacement head component, and the replacement head component remains in the horizontal orientation supported by the engagement feature of the pedestal.

2. Pedestal according to claim 1, wherein The joining feature includes a first recess located in the top edge of the upright wall of the body and a second recess located in the top edge of the upright wall of the body, the first recess and the second recess being aligned with each other along an axis orthogonal to the central axis of the recess.

3. Pedestal according to claim 2, wherein The body includes a bottom surface orthogonal to the central axis of the recess.

4. Pedestal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The body is formed of an elastomeric gripping material.

5. An oral care system, comprising: An oral care appliance having a handle component and a replaceable head component detachably connected to the handle component; and The pedestal according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The oral care system according to claim 5, further comprising: A replacement head component, the replacement head component including a proximal end and a plurality of dental cleaning elements disposed in a dental cleaning element region, the replacement head component having a length measured from the proximal end of the replacement head component to the proximal end of the dental cleaning element region; and The pedestal includes a body, the body including a top portion and a first recess and a second recess located in the top portion, the first recess and the second recess being configured to receive a portion of the replacement head component, and wherein the pedestal has an outer diameter measured along the top portion, the outer diameter being smaller than the length of the replacement head component.

7. The oral care system according to claim 6, wherein, The replacement head component is configured to be embedded in the first and second recesses in the top portion of the base, while the proximal and distal portions of the replacement head component protrude from the outer surface of the base, and the distal portion of the replacement head component includes the plurality of dental cleaning elements.

8. A method for separating a replacement head component of an oral care appliance from a handle component, the method comprising: a) Remove the oral care appliance from the recess of the pedestal according to any one of claims 1 to 4; b) Position the oral care appliance in a horizontal orientation such that a portion of the replacement head component is fitted into at least one recess in the top edge of the annular upright wall of the body; as well as c) Apply a pressing force to the replacement head component to press it into contact with the base, while applying a pulling force to the handle component until the replacement head component separates from the handle component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, Step b) also includes pressing the replacement head component into contact with the pedestal.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, Step c) also includes maintaining the replacement head component in pressurized contact with the pedestal during the application of the tension.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The pressurized contact is achieved by applying the pressing force in a first direction that is substantially orthogonal to the tensile force.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 11, further comprising: d) Position the handle component back into the pedestal in an upright position.

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