Method for increasing cleaning efficacy

Abstract

In one example, a method of operating an oral irrigator includes determining, a first input characteristic of the oral irrigator; determining, a first output characteristic of the oral irrigator associated with the first input characteristic; determining, based on the first input characteristic and the first output characteristic, a path from the first output characteristic to a second output characteristic, wherein the second output characteristic is associated with a second input characteristic. The second output characteristic may be configured to be closer to a goal cleaning efficacy than the first output characteristic.

Description

METHOD FOR INCREASING CLEANING EFFICACYTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to health and personal hygiene equipment and more particularly, to oral irrigators and electrical toothbrushes.CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application is related to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 622,317 entitled “METHOD FOR INCREASING FLOSSING EFFICACY,” filed January 18, 2024, U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 637,279 entitled “METHOD FOR INCREASING FLOSSING EFFICACY," filed April 22, 2024, and to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 652,896 entitled “METHOD FOR INCREASING FLOSSING EFFICACY” filed on May 29, 2024, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.BACKGROUND

[0003] Oral irrigators, also called water flossers, typically are used to clean a user’s teeth and gums by discharging a pressurized fluid stream into a user’s oral cavity. The fluid impacts the teeth and gums to remove debris. Often, the oral irrigator includes a fluid supply, such as a reservoir, fluidly connected by a pump to an oral irrigator tip. In many cases, users may use the oral irrigator at a pressure that results in less than a recommended cleaning performance. For example, a user may use an oral irrigator at a low pressure setting that results in less cleaning than a higher-pressure setting would. This low pressure may be used because users with oral tissue unaccustomed to high-pressure oral irrigation may experience pain or discomfort with the use of an oral irrigator. Users may have oral health impacts from the inefficient cleaning due to lower-than-recommended pressure settings.BRIEF SUMMARY

[0004] In some embodiments, a computer-readable medium on which computer-executable instructions are stored to implement a method for operating an oral irrigator includes: determining, a first input characteristic of the oral irrigator; determining, a first output characteristic of the oral irrigator associated with the first input characteristic; determining, based on the first input characteristic and the first output characteristic, a path from the firstoutput characteristic to a second output characteristic, wherein the second output characteristic is associated with a second input characteristic.

[0005] Optionally, in some embodiments, first input characteristic or the second input characteristic includes at least one of a pressure, flow rate, or pulsation of a fluid.

[0006] Optionally, in some embodiments, the first output characteristic or the second output characteristic includes a cleaning efficacy.

[0007] Optionally, in some embodiments, the oral irrigator further includes a fluid reservoir, a pump, and a tip in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir via the pump; and the first input characteristic includes at least one of a fluid pressure, fluid flow, or fluid pulsation in the tip.

[0008] In some embodiments, the path includes increasing a value of the first output characteristic over a period of time to reach the second output characteristic. This may also include modifying a value of two or more output characteristics over a period of time to reach a value of two or more second output characteristics.

[0009] In some embodiments, the period of time is defined as at least two separate uses of the oral irrigator.

[0010] In some embodiments, an oral irrigator includes a pump, a housing enclosing the pump, a reservoir coupled to the housing, a tip in fluid communication with the reservoir and the pump, and cleaning efficacy improvement module configured to operate the oral irrigator along a path between a starting point and a goal point.

[0011] In some embodiments, an oral irrigator includes a pump; a housing enclosing the pump; a reservoir coupled to the housing; a tip in fluid communication with the reservoir and the pump; and a cleaning efficacy improvement module configured to ramp a pressure output over time based on an initial setting and a clinical goal.

[0012] Optionally, a method of operating an oral irrigator is disclosed. The method includes determining a first output characteristic associated with a first user setting, determining a path from the first output characteristic to a second output characteristic over a period of time, based on the path, increasing during a first operation of the oral irrigator the first output characteristic to an intermediate output characteristic, and based on the path increasing during a second operation of the oral irrigator the intermediate output characteristic to the second output characteristic.

[0013] In some embodiments, increasing the first output characteristic to the intermediate output characteristic comprises modifying a first input characteristic by an intermediate amount.

[0014] In some embodiments, generating a user feedback to indicate that the second output characteristic has been reached.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first output characteristic comprises a value of one of a fluid unit diameter, a fluid unit volume, a fluid unit velocity, and / or a fluid unit frequency, wherein the fluid unit is output by the oral irrigator. Also, second output characteristic comprises one of a change to value of the at least one of the fluid unit diameter, the fluid unit volume, the fluid unit velocity, and / or the fluid unit frequency.

[0016] Optionally, in some embodiments, the path comprises incremental changes between the first output characteristic and the second output characteristic.

[0017] In some embodiments, the first output characteristic is a first value of a fluid pressure and the second output characteristic is a second value of the fluid pressure that is higher than the first value.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first output characteristic comprises a mechanical characteristic and an electrical characteristic.

[0019] Optionally, in some embodiments, a method of cleaning using an oral irrigator comprising configuring the oral irrigator to generate a first set of output characteristics, operating the oral irrigator for a period of time under the first set of output characteristics, modifying the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate a second set of output characteristics, wherein the second set of output characteristics is closer to a goal set of output characteristics than the first set of output characteristics, and after a predetermined period of time, modifying the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the goal set of output characteristics.

[0020] In some embodiments, generating a user notification regarding the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics and generating a user notification regarding the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the goal set of output characteristics.

[0021] In some embodiments, the predetermined period of time comprises a predetermined number of uses of the oral irrigator by a user. In other embodiments, the predetermined period of time is a number of days, weeks, or months.

[0022] In some embodiments, the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics of based on a path determined by a processing element between the first set of output characteristics and the goal set of output characteristics.

[0023] In some embodiments, the path determines a predetermined amount of time and in some embodiments it determines a time and a scaling factor to reach the goal set of output characteristics.

[0024] Optionally, in some embodiments, the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics comprises modifying by a processor one or more operational characteristics of the oral irrigator. In some embodiments, the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics comprises replacing a tip of the oral irrigator by a user based on a notification to the user generated by a processor of the oral irrigator.

[0025] Optionally, in some embodiments, a method of operating an oral cleansing device is disclosed that includes receiving a user input to a first control button to activate the oral cleansing device; operating the oral cleansing device to generate a first set of output characteristics; receiving a user input to a second control button to activate a coach mode configuration of the oral cleansing device; generating a modified set of output characteristics that are different than the first set of output characteristics, wherein the modified set of output characteristics are scaled relative to the first set of output characteristics based on a scaling factor; and receiving a user input to the first control button to deactivate the oral cleansing device

[0026] In some embodiments, generating a user notification regarding the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics and generating a user notification regarding the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the goal set of output characteristics.

[0027] In some embodiments, the predetermined period of time comprises a predetermined number of uses of the oral irrigator by a user.

[0028] In some embodiments, the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics is based on a path determined by a processing element between the first set of output characteristics and the goal set of output characteristics.

[0029] In some embodiments, the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics comprises replacing a tip of the oral irrigator by a user based on a notification to the user generated by a processor of the oral irrigator.

[0030] In some embodiments, a method is disclosed that includes a method of operating an oral cleansing device. The method comprises receiving a user input to a first control button to activate the oral cleansing device; operating the oral cleansing device to generate a first set of output characteristics; receiving a user input to a second control button to activate a coach mode configuration of the oral cleansing device; generating a modified set of output characteristics that are different than the first set of output characteristics, wherein the modified set of output characteristics are scaled relative to the first set of output characteristics based on a scaling factor; and receiving a user input to the first control button to deactivate the oral cleansing device.

[0031] In some embodiments, a method may further include receiving a user input to the first control button to activate the oral cleansing device for another cleaning session; and generating a goal set of output characteristics that are different from the modified set of output characteristics based on the coach mode configuration; and operating the oral cleansing device at the goal set of output characteristics.

[0032] In some embodiments, a processing element generates the modified set of output characteristics.

[0033] In some embodiments, the modified set of output characteristics are closer to achieving a goal efficacy for the oral cleansing device as compared to the first set of output characteristics.

[0034] In one embodiment, an oral cleansing device is disclosed that includes a handle, a tip coupled to the handle, a drive assembly positioned within the handle and configured to create output characteristics of the tip, and a coach mode module in communication with the drive assembly. The coach mode module is configured to determine a path from an initial set of output characteristics based on a user setting to a goal set of output characteristics and increase the output characteristics of the drive assembly over a period of time from the initial set of output characteristics to the goal set of output characteristics.

[0035] In one embodiment, the drive assembly includes a pump and a motor and the oral cleansing device is an oral irrigator. In another embodiment, the drive assembly includes a motor and an output shaft and the cleansing device is a toothbrush.

[0036] In one embodiment, the coach mode module modifies the path based on a feedback from the user.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] FIG. 1A illustrates a front elevation view of an example of an oral irrigator.

[0038] FIG. IB illustrates a rear perspective view of the oral irrigator of FIG. 1A.

[0039] FIG. 1C illustrates a bottom plan view of the oral irrigator of FIG. 1A.

[0040] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of another example of an oral irrigator.

[0041] FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic of portions of the oral irrigators of FIG. 1A-FIG. 2.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic of a cleaning efficacy improvement module of the oral irrigators of FIG. 1A - FIG. 2.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram showing an example output of a method of controlling a cleaning efficacy improvement module of the oral irrigators of FIG. 1A-FIG. 2.

[0044] FIG. 6 is a flow chart of an example of a method for operating the oral irrigators of FIG. 1A-FIG. 2, including the cleaning efficacy improvement module.

[0045] FIG. 7 is a flow chart of an example of a method for operating the oral irrigators of FIG. 1A-FIG. 2, including the cleaning efficacy improvement module.

[0046] FIG. 8 is a view of an embodiment of a control panel for an oral health device including an embodiment of a user interface display thereof.

[0047] FIG. 9 is a detailed view of a portion of the user interface of FIG. 8.

[0048] FIG. 10A is a view of a transition of the user interface of FIG. 8 in a first configuration.

[0049] FIG. 10B is a view of a transition of the user interface of FIG. 8 in a second configuration.

[0050] FIG. 11A is a view of a transition of the user interface of FIG. 8 in a first configuration.

[0051] FIG. 1 IB is a view of a transition of the user interface of FIG. 8 in a second configuration.

[0052] FIG. 11C is a view of a transition of the user interface of FIG. 8 in a third configuration.

[0053] FIG. 1 ID is a view of a transition of the user interface of FIG. 8 in a fourth configuration.

[0054] FIG. 12 is a view of the control panel of FIG. 8 including an embodiment of a user interface display thereof.

[0055] FIG. 13A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0056] FIG. 13B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 13A, in a second configuration.

[0057] FIG. 13C is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 13 A, in a third configuration.

[0058] FIG. 14A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0059] FIG. 14B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 14A, in a second configuration.

[0060] FIG. 14C is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 14A, in a third configuration.

[0061] FIG. 15A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0062] FIG. 15B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 15 A, in a second configuration.

[0063] FIG. 15C is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 15 A, in a third configuration.

[0064] FIG. 16A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0065] FIG. 16B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 16A, in a second configuration.

[0066] FIG. 17A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0067] FIG. 17B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 17A, in a second configuration.

[0068] FIG. 18 is a detailed view of a portion of the control panel or user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12.

[0069] FIG. 19 is a detailed view of a portion of the control panel or user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12.

[0070] FIG. 20 is a detailed view of a portion of the control panel or user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12.

[0071] FIG. 21A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0072] FIG. 21B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 21 A, in a second configuration.

[0073] FIG. 22A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 8 or FIG. 12 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0074] FIG. 22B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 1A or FIG. 5 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 22A, in a second configuration.

[0075] FIG. 23A is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 1 A or FIG. 5 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion thereof, in a first configuration.

[0076] FIG. 23B is a detailed view of the user interface of FIG. 1A or FIG. 5 showing a portion thereof or a transition of the portion of FIG. 23 A, in a second configuration.

[0077] FIG. 24A is a view of the control panel of FIG. 8 including an embodiment of a user interface display thereof in a first configuration.

[0078] FIG. 24B is a view of the control panel of FIG. 8 including the user interface display of FIG. 24A in a second configuration.

[0079] FIG. 25A is a detailed view of the user interface display of FIG. 24A in a third configuration.

[0080] FIG. 25B is a detailed view of the user interface display of FIG. 24A in a fourth configuration.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0081] Some examples of the present disclosure include an oral health device, such as an oral irrigator, toothbrush, or combination toothbrush and irrigator, having a cleaning efficacy improvement or pressure enhancement module. The cleaning efficacy improvement module varies one or more characteristics of a fluid stream (e.g., pressure, flow rate) or other output setting (e.g., brush movement) to create an output (e.g., fluid flow) that improves cleaning performance over time as compared to an original setting or input characteristic. The cleaning efficacy improvement module may also enhance a user’s experience (e.g., perceived comfort) as the user cleans his or her teeth or gums. It should be noted that although many examples are discussed with respect to oral irrigators, the embodiments disclosed can be applied to other types of oral health devices, such as electrically driven toothbrushes and / or combination toothbrushes and irrigators. As such, the discussion of any particular example is meant as illustrative only.

[0082] In embodiments including an oral irrigator, it includes a motor and a pump connected to and controlled by the motor. The pump is fluidly connected to a fluid supply and pumps fluid from the supply to an outlet (such as a tip). The cleaning efficacy improvement module is configured to vary one or more output characteristics (or set of output characteristics) of the device based on a cleaning optimization, which may be specific to particular users (e.g., scaled based on user comfort, usage, and the like) and / or to specific devices. The cleaning efficacy module may be in communication with the motor and provide one or more control signals to the motor to vary one or more characteristics of the motor, such as speed, acceleration, power, or torque. Because the motor is connected to the pump, as the cleaning efficacy improvement module varies the speed or other characteristics of the motor, the output characteristics of the pump may be correspondingly varied, e.g., increasing the motor speed will result in an increased flow rate.

[0083] The oral irrigator may have one or more output characteristics modified by one or more input characteristics or sets of input characteristics. An output characteristic directly impacts cleaning efficacy of the oral irrigator. For example, output characteristics include a diameter of a fluid unit or “slug” output by the irrigator at a given time, a volume of the fluid unit, a speed of the fluid unit, and / or a frequency of the fluid unit. The input characteristics are those features, both mechanical and electrical, that have an impact or otherwise modify one or more output characteristics. Examples of input characteristics may include physical features of the oral irrigator, such as an orifice size of the outlet or tip, nozzle length or shape, reservoirsize (and thus fluid capacity and run time), tip angle, drive train or motor characteristics, etc. Other examples of input characteristics may include operating characteristics such as the pressure, pump stroke, stroke speed and acceleration (e.g., linear or non-linear cycles), flow rate, pump frequency, and / or pulsations imparted to the fluid by the motor and pump within the conduit that supplies the fluid to the tip.

[0084] The cleaning efficacy improvement module may modify one or more input characteristics over time, e.g., to ramp up pressure for the user during a time period or ramp down over a period of time, or include intervals. Additionally, or alternately, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may prompt the user to modify one or more characteristics, e.g., suggest a recommended setting for cleaning that may be increased over the initial user setting. The cleaning efficacy improvement module may increase the pressure and / or flow of fluid through the tip during a cleaning session, or between cleaning sessions. In another example, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may prompt the user (e.g., via a notification or feedback) to modify mechanical input characteristics, such as to replace a smaller orifice tip with a tip having a relatively larger orifice. For example, a processing element may illuminate an indicator such as a light emitting diode (LED) to indicate to a user to swap the installed tip out for another one. In another example still, the output characteristics of the pump may be varied based on a fluid flow that may “massage” a user’s gums at various frequencies, such as a pulsed output whereby the fluid pulses (i.e., the flow intermittently turns on an off) and optionally at longer intervals and / or lower pressures than a cleaning mode.

[0085] In some examples, the oral irrigator may include a cleaning or normal mode and a coach mode (e.g., an efficacy or enhancement mode, guidance mode, or user training mode). During the normal mode, the oral irrigator may include a relatively steady fluid flow or may include a fluid flow having a slight pulse (e.g., due to mechanical characteristics of the pump). In normal mode, the output characteristics may be set by the user through a user interface. During the coach mode, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may vary one or more input characteristics of the irrigator, such as fluid pressure, flow, and / or pulse length, period, frequency, or duty cycle, which in turn varies one or more output characteristics. For example, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may vary a control signal to selectively vary the power level provided the motor. In a specific implementation, the power may be selectively increased, which may cause the motor to move the pump to cause increased pressure, flow, pulsations, and / or other output characteristics.

[0086] In one example of the coach mode, an output characteristic, such as the pressure of the output fluid may be increased over time to efficaciously remove more debris, plaque, and / or other contaminants from a user's oral cavity compared to a lower pressure. Additionally or alternately, the pressure may be increased to a level known to supply a therapeutic effect to a user's gums and other oral tissue.

[0087] In one example, the output characteristics created by the cleaning efficacy improvement module may be longer fluid pulses or fluid units or breaks in the fluid stream as compared to the manual operation. The increase in pulse length or lengths between fluid units causes the fluid stream to massage a user’s gums, enhancing blood flow and providing an enjoyable experience to the user. The pulses may be timed with capillary recovery of the gum tissues (i.e., timed to allow blood to flow back into the tissue between each fluid pulse), and provides therapeutic benefits to the gums.

[0088] The coach mode may vary one or more characteristics of the control signal based on user input. For example, the user may select the coach mode and may then vary the frequency, magnitude, or shape of the control signal, such as changing the shape of a voltage waveform or its frequency. In other examples, the coach mode may apply a predetermined signal to the motor. For example, a control signal may be determined for the coach mode and when the coach mode is activated by the user, the stored signal may be applied. In these examples, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may include a plurality of control signals that may correlate to different coach modes.

[0089] In yet other examples, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may include stored signals that may be selected by a user for a predetermined pulsing effect and may vary one or more signals to allow the user to dynamically vary the pulsing effect. In some examples, the coach mode takes a user input setting or preference and scales it over time to reach a desired performance level (e.g., cleaning performance). The scaling may be done with regular interval increases (e.g., one step with each use of the irrigator) or irregular (e.g., moving from pressure an initial pressure to one-and-a-half times the initial pressure may be fast but a slower transition from one-and-a-half times to two times the initial pressure since that may be more likely to be uncomfortable to users). See, e.g., the discussion with respect to FIG. 5 and the paths 502 and 504. Other types of scalings may be implemented as desired. Further, a scaling or other modifier may be altered due to user feedback. For example, if a user indicates that the scaling is too fast or aggressive, the processing element in the irrigator may slow down theprogression of the scaling, reverse it, or otherwise make the scaling less aggressive. For example, the processing element may, with user feedback, decrease the scaling from twice an initial pressure setting to one and three-quarters times the initial pressure setting.

[0090] In addition to providing a coach mode, the cleaning efficacy improvement module or another processing element of the oral irrigator may vary one or more output characteristics of the oral irrigator to provide feedback to a user. As a first example, the coach mode may be activated automatically one or more times during normal mode to indicate to a user to move to a different tooth or portion of the mouth. As a second example, the coach mode may be activated after a predetermined time period in order to alert the user that a cleaning time (which may be set by the user or be predetermined) has expired. As a third example, the coach mode may be activated automatically for certain time periods, e.g., for every 30 seconds of normal mode, the coach mode may be activated for a period of time to provide increased cleaning efficacy interspersed with manual cleaning, i.e., the coach mode may increase pressure at selected intervals during a cleaning time period and / or may be active during the entire cleaning time.

[0091] In other examples, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may be used with other irrigating devices. For example, the coach mode may be implemented in a nasal irrigator and may vary the fluid flow rate and pressure to massage the user’s nasal tissues. In these examples, the pulse rate and control signal may be varied as compared to the oral irrigator, but may still provide a therapeutic effect.

[0092] In yet other examples, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may be used with other oral instruments to provide enhance cleaning. For example, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may be incorporated into an electrically driven toothbrush. In this example, the cleaning efficacy improvement module may vary the motor speed or power to vary vibrations or bristle movement or oscillation.

[0093] With reference to FIGS 1A-2, the oral irrigator 100 includes a reservoir 104 with a lid operably connected to the base 102. In one example, the lid 120 is attached via a prow to the base 102 such that the reservoir 104 may be removed from the base 102 while the lid 120 remains connected to the base 102. However, the lid may be coupled in many other ways, such as being completely detachable or coupling to a portion of the reservoir 104. The reservoir 104 is adapted to contain a fluid 186, such as water or mouthwash. The fluid 186 may have a fluid level 188 that decreases over time as the oral irrigator 100 expels the fluid 186 from the tip114. Removal of the reservoir 104 from the base 102 may be independent of the removal of the lid 120 from the base 102. In these embodiments, a user can open the lid 120 to remove the reservoir while the lid 120 remains secured to the base 102, which helps to prevent the lid 120 from becoming misplaced or damaged when the reservoir 104 is removed, such when it is removed to be refilled.

[0094] The lid may include one or more venting apertures. The venting apertures allow the reservoir 104 to have airflow so that air can circulate into the reservoir 104 and storage compartments. For example, the venting apertures may be configured to enhance evaporation for a storage compartment, to allow accessories stored therein to dry, as well as to help any fluid 186 leaks from the reservoir 104 into the storage compartment to evaporate. The lid may further include one or more mechanisms, such as stops, that interact with the prow (or other coupling element) to limit rotation of the lid in one or more directions. These stops may be used to prevent the lid from rotating into the prow when the reservoir 104 is removed from the base, which may help prevent damage to the lid and / or prow. Further, the rotational limits on the lid may be used to assist a user as they replace the reservoir 104 on the base after it has been removed, as the lid may not have to be lifted by the user in order to fit the reservoir 104 between the lid and the top surface of the base.

[0095] The oral irrigator may further include a storage compartment for receiving accessories, such as, but not limited to, tips or brushes for the handle. In one embodiment, the storage compartment is defined by a sidewall of the reservoir 104 and a sidewall of the prow. In this embodiment, the prow may further include one or more accessory mounts that removably connect the accessories to the base. As one example, the accessory mounts may be apertures similarly shaped and sized as a tip receiving aperture for the handle. The storage compartment may be shielded by portions of the base 102 and the reservoir 104 to protect the accessories stored therein from debris and particles within the environment.

[0096] The oral irrigator may also include a drainage system including a drain outlet 138 to help fluids 186 that leak from the reservoir 104 or drip from the accessories to be drained out of the oral irrigator or be evaporated. As one example, the oral irrigator 100 may include a drain channel defined in a top surface of the base that interfaces with the bottom of the reservoir seats. The drain channel is in fluid communication with a drain outlet that allows fluid 186 from the storage compartment and / or other areas of the base 102 to drain out. The drainagesystems helps to prevent fluid due to leaks, splashes, spills, or the like from pooling in certain areas of the base 102 or storage compartment.

[0097] The oral irrigator 100 may include a base 102, a reservoir 104, which may be removable, and a handle 106. The base 102 may provide support for the reservoir 104 and the handle 106, as well as house many of the drive and power assembly components of the oral irrigator 100. For example, the base 102 may house a pump, control circuitry, and / or motor, discussed in more detail herein.

[0098] The base 102 may include a lower base 128 and an upper base 130. The lower base 128 forms a platform or tray that sits within the upper base 130. The lower base 128 provides support for one or more of the internal components of the oral irrigator 100. The upper base 130 encloses those components to conceal them, as well as provide protection for those components. The base 102 may include a plurality of feet 132a, 132b, 132c, and 132d to support the base 102 on a surface, such as a countertop or the like.

[0099] The base 102 may also include a clamp 134 or other structure to releasably support the handle 106. In some examples, the clamp 134 may be a C-clamp; however, other attachment mechanisms are envisioned. The base 102 may also include a hose cavity 136 or hose box that may receive and support the hose 118 in a collapsed position. Although not shown, in some examples, the hose cavity 136 may include one or more arms on which the hose 118 may be wrapped. The hose cavity 136 may be recessed into the upper base 130, may be flush with the upper base body, or may extend outwards from the upper base body. The hose cavity 136 may be defined by a removable back wall connected to the base 102. The base 102 may include a vent 144 and / or a vent 146 to allow for air circulation with in the base 102 such as to promote heat rejection or drying within the base 102. The lid 120 may also include one or more vents, such as the vent 150 that may also promote drying, heat rejection, or to allow air to enter the reservoir 104 as the fluid 186 level is drawn down.

[0100] The oral irrigator 100 illustrated in FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C is a countertop irrigator. However, in some examples, the oral irrigator may be a handheld irrigator, an example of which, oral irrigator 100' is shown in FIG. 2 in a front perspective view. With reference to FIG. 2, in examples where the oral irrigator 100' is a handheld unit, the reservoir 104 and handle 106 may be connected together. The reservoir 104 may include a removable cavity that can be filled by a user and then reattached to the handle 106. Additionally, in these examples, the internal components of the oral irrigator 100', such as the motor, pump, and control circuitry, may beincluded within the handle 106 rather than a base unit. The description of the oral irrigator described herein is generally directed to the oral irrigators 100 and 100' illustrated for example in FIG. 1 A - FIG. 1 C. However, it should be noted that the description is equally applicable to the oral irrigator 100' shown in FIG. 2, with the exception that the internal components of the base are included in the handle 106.

[0101] With reference again to FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C, the oral irrigator 100 includes a lid 120 for the reservoir 104. The lid 120 is operably connected to the base 102, and is rotatable relative thereto. The lid 120 covers the reservoir 104 when the reservoir 104 is connected to the base 102. The reservoir 104 is removable from the base 102 allowing the reservoir to be refilled. The reservoir 104 may be substantially any size or shape and may be modified as desired, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 where the reservoir is included as a cavity attached to the handle.

[0102] The handle 106 is removable from the base 102 and is in fluid communication with the reservoir 104. For example, a hose 118 is fluidly connected to the reservoir 104 via a hose connector, which allows the hose 118 to fluidly connect the reservoir 104 to the handle 106 and tip 114. In examples where the reservoir 104 may be incorporated into the handle 106 (e.g., the oral irrigator 100'), the hose 118 may be internal to the handle 106 or may be omitted (e.g., a fluid pathway may be defined through a housing of the handle rather than a tube). In some examples, the handle 106 may include a plurality of internal components, such as a check valves, bypass valves, pause buttons, or the like. In these examples, the handle 106 may be used to vary one or more characteristics of the fluid 186 flow output by the tip, separate from or in addition with the features for controlling the fluid output within the base 102. As mentioned above, although a number of components, such as the pump, reservoir, etc., are discussed herein as being incorporated into the base 102, in certain examples these components may be included with the handle 106. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a handheld oral irrigator 100' may include a portable reservoir 104 attached to the handle 106 with a pump internal the handle 106. Accordingly, the discussion of any particular example for the handle and base is meant as illustrative only.

[0103] The tip 114 is selectively removable from the handle 106. For example, an eject button 126 can selectively release the tip 114 from the handle 106. The tip 114 defines a fluid pathway fluidly connected to the hose 118. The tip 114 includes an outlet 122 from which fluid 186 from the reservoir 104 is expelled into a user’s mouth from the oral irrigator 100 and / or the oralirrigator 100'. The tip 114 generally is configured to be inserted into a user’s mouth and to expel the fluid 186 against a user’s teeth, gums, tongue, etc. In some examples, the outlet 122 portion of the tip 114 may be shaped as a nozzle or may include a nozzle or may be formed in other configurations depending on the desired cleaning function (e.g., tongue scraper). Although a tip 114 is shown, in other embodiments, the oral irrigator may include other accessories, such as a brush head, a nozzle with one or more bristles or cleaning elements, or the like. Accordingly, the discussion of the tip 114 as an outlet 122 for the oral irrigator 100 is meant as illustrative only. The outlet 122 includes a diameter that may be used to determine a diameter of the fluid unit or fluid pulse as the fluid unit exits the outlet 122 and typically expands to fill the entire outlet 122 area. The outlet 122 also defines a shape of the fluid unit, which further can be used to adjust the output characteristics of the fluid units.

[0104] With reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the oral irrigators disclosed herein, such as the oral irrigator 100 and / or the oral irrigator 100' include a control assembly 180 that may include a cleaning efficacy improvement module 172. The control assembly further may include one or more of a power source 116 and motor 142 and a pump 178. The motor and pump may form portions of a drive assembly for when the cleaning device is an irrigator or may include a drive assembly for creatin motion in a tip (e.g., via a drive shaft or output shaft) in embodiments where the cleaning device is a toothbrush.

[0105] In some embodiments, the control assembly includes one or more input buttons, such as the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, and / or the second control actuator 124. The first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, or other buttons or actuators may be arranged on a control face plate 121 disposed on, coupled to, or formed integrally with, the base 102. FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram of the control assembly illustrating the electrical (solid lines) and / or mechanical (dashed lines) communication between select components.

[0106] With reference to FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, a power source 116, which may be a power cable, battery, inverter, rectifier, or other power converter, capacitor, or other source of electrical power in communication with a cleaning efficacy improvement module 172, the motor 142, and optionally, one or more of the activation buttons such as the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, and / or the second control actuator 124. For example, the activation button 112 may be in communication with a switch module incommunication with the control assembly 180 and / or power source 116 to selectively activate the motor 142.

[0107] In some examples, the control assembly 180 may be a printed circuit board including one or more traces or connective lines that transmit signals between the cleaning efficacy improvement module 172, the motor 142, and / or the power source 116.

[0108] The cleaning efficacy improvement module 172 selectively controls input characteristics, such by controlling the motor 142, to vary one or more characteristics of the oral irrigator 100 or the oral irrigator 100'. As shown for example in FIG. 4. The cleaning efficacy improvement module 172 includes a signal generator 166 as well as one or more processing elements 170. The processing element 170 may include one or more processors or control chips that process and execute instructions. The signal generator 166 is substantially any type of component that creates voltage signals to control one or more characteristics of the motor 142. For example, the signal generator 166 may create one or more repeating or nonrepeating electronic signals (e.g., voltage waveforms) applied to the motor 142. In a particular implementation, the signal generator 166 may be a function generator that produces electrical waveforms over a range of frequencies. Exemplary waveforms include sinusoidal waves, square waves, sawtooth waves, triangular waves, and so on. Additionally, the signal generator 166 may be configured to create modified waves that include characteristics of two or more waveforms (i.e., combination waves) and can be configured to change the speed and acceleration of the pump. For example, the processing element 170 may be configured to apply a non-linear signal, such as a waveform or changing waveform, to the motor to change the acceleration of the pump at certain points within the cycle. Continuing with this example, the motor may be a brushless motor, and the control signal varies the voltage at select portions of the pump cycle to create a non-linear pump cycle, e.g., the force at the vacuum stage, when fluid is pulled from the reservoir, is less than the force at the expulsion stage when fluid is expelled from the pump.

[0109] The control assembly 180 may include a memory 182. The memory 182 is used by the control assembly 180 to store instructions (e.g., software code) for the processing element 170, as well as store data, such as user preference data, input characteristics (e.g., one or more or sets of input characteristics), output characteristics (e.g., one or more or sets of output characteristics), control programs, etc. The memory 182 may be, for example, magneto-opticalstorage, read-only memory, random access memory, erasable programmable memory, flash memory, or a combination of one or more types of memory components.

[0110] FIG. 4 is a simplified circuit diagram of an example of the cleaning efficacy improvement module 172. The signal generator 166 may be in communication with an amplifier 174 and a gate 176 or switch. The signal generator 166 may be in communication with the processing element 170, which determines the signals generated by the signal generator 166. In some examples, the signal generator 166 is incorporated into the processing element 170, such that the processing element 170 performs the functions of the signal generator 166 to create and apply signals to the motor 142.

[0111] The amplifier 174 amplifies the signals generated by the signal generator 166 prior to applying the signal to the motor 142. For example, the amplifier 174 may be an operational amplifier or a differential amplifier. The amplifier 174 may be in communication with the motor 142 as well as the signal generator 166. In some examples, the amplifier 174 may be configured to receive feedback from its output to provide a more consistent output signal. However, it should be noted that the configuration of the amplifier 174, as well as the type of amplifier and inputs used may vary based on the type of motor 142 and signal generator 166. Additionally, depending on the output voltage of the signal generator 166 and / or other system characteristics, the amplifier 174 may be omitted. In these instances, the signal may be directly or indirectly applied to the motor 142without being amplified.

[0112] The amplifier 174 may be in communication with a gate 176 or switch. The gate 176 selectively provides the output of the amplifier 174 to the motor 142. For example, when the gate 176 is deactivated, the motor 142 may not receive a signal from the signal generator 166, but instead may receive a constant power signal. As another example, when the gate 176 is deactivated, the motor 142 is isolated from any signal or power source, preventing the motor 142 from being activated. In this example, the gate 176 provides power to the motor 142 and the signal produced by the signal generator 166 varies the signal transmitted through the gate 176. Continuing with this example, during normal mode the motor 142 receives a constant voltage signal and during coach mode the motor 142 may receive a variable signal. As yet another example, the activation voltage for the gate 176 can be varied to control the current transmission to the motor 142. In particular, in examples where the gate 176 is a transistor, the gate 176 may be slightly activated during one mode allowing a reduced amount of current to travel between its source and drain and then may be fully activated to allow full current flow.The variation in current may be used to increase or decrease the flow and / or pressure of the fluid 186 in the tip 114 by controlling the speed and / or torque of the pump 178. The variation in current may be used to pulse the signal to the motor or may be used to slow the motor 142 down to affect the output performance of the pump 178.

[0113] The gate 176 may be a switch or other selectively activated component. In one example, the gate 176 may be a transistor, such as a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), such as an N-channel MOSFET. However, other types of transistors or gates are also envisioned, as well as other components that may be used to selectively provide communication between two or more components. In some embodiments, the signal generator, amplifier 174, the gate 176, and / or other components that drive the motor may be included in a controller. The controller may also be included with the processing element 170 is some embodiments.

[0114] The cleaning efficacy improvement module 172 and other control circuitry of the oral irrigator may be implemented in a number of different manners, which may vary as desired. As such, the schematics illustrated in FIG. 3 to FIG. 4 are meant as illustrative and not limiting.

[0115] FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram showing an example output 500 of a method of controlling a cleaning efficacy improvement module (e.g., output of the method 600 and / or the method 700, discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7). For brevity, the description of the output 500 refers to the oral irrigator 100, but it is understood that the method applies equally to the oral irrigator 100' and other devices disclosed herein. In one example, the processing element 170 of the oral irrigator 100 may control one or more input characteristics 514 to modify one or more output characteristics such as cleaning efficacies 516 (e.g., modifying from a first output characteristic to a second output characteristic and / or to a goal output characteristic). For example, the oral irrigator 100 may begin operation with an input characteristic starting point 506. For example, the input characteristic starting point 506 may be an initial pressure setting for the oral irrigator 100. The input characteristic starting point 506 may be associated with a cleaning efficacy or goal output characteristic starting point 512. For example, when combined with one or more input characteristics such as an orifice size, pulsation frequency, and / or flowrate, the input characteristic starting point 506 (e.g., pressure) may result in an output characteristic that enables a desired cleaning efficacy of the oral irrigator 100 (e.g., a goal output characteristic or goal set of output characteristics that results in the desired cleaning efficacy). The oral irrigator 100 may store or receive a cleaningefficacy goal point 510 generally associated with enhanced oral cleaning as compared to the cleaning efficacy starting point 512.

[0116] The cleaning efficacy goal point 510 may be associated with one or more output characteristics, such as the outlet 122 orifice size, pulsation frequency, and / or flowrate. Like the cleaning efficacy starting point 512, the cleaning efficacy goal point 510 may be associated with an input characteristic goal point 508, such as a pressure, fluid unit diameter, fluid unit volume, fluid unit speed, and / or fluid unit frequency. In many embodiments, the input characteristic goal point 508 may be a higher pressure than the input characteristic starting point 506. The oral irrigator 100 may, such as via a method executed by the processing element 170, execute one or more paths such as the path 502 and / or path 504 between a starting point 518 (e.g., the input characteristic starting point 506 / cleaning efficacy starting point 512 intersection) and a goal point 520 (e.g., the input characteristic goal point 508 / cleaning efficacy goal point 510 intersection).

[0117] In the example of the path 502, the processing element 170 may increase the input characteristic 514 at a relatively slow rate (e.g., over a period of time, such as a predetermined number of uses by the user or over a length of time) and slowly increasing the cleaning efficacy 516 over a period of time, e.g., ramp up over multiple uses of the irrigator. An advantage of the path 502 may be that the user is more accepting or tolerant of the change of input characteristic 514 and experiences less discomfort than if the input characteristic 514 were increased more quickly (e.g., as in path 504) as the user may have more time to build tolerance over time. In the path 504, the processing element 170 may increase the input characteristic 514 more rapidly than for example in the path 502. An advantage of the path 504 may be that the cleaning efficacy goal point 510 is reached more quickly for the user, achieving better oral health outcomes more quickly, relative to the path 502. The example paths 502 and path 504 (or other generated intervals) are describes as examples only. Any number of different paths may be defined. Some paths may be linear, exponential, periodic, random, or follow any suitable mathematical function that may describe the ramp, slope, or angle of the path as being steep, shallow, or variable. The paths may also ramp up, ramp down, and ramp back up again as needed for user comfort and tolerance (e.g., the paths may be in the form of steadily increasing intervals).

[0118] In some examples, the path may include providing a user alert to change the tip, this may come in addition to or separate from the electronic input characteristic changes. Othermechanical input characteristics may include other types of user alerts or notifications, such as a display icon, an audible output, and / or visual output to the user.

[0119] A method for operating the oral irrigator 100 and / or an oral irrigator 100' including the cleaning efficacy improvement module 172 will now be discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 6. For brevity, the method 600 description refers to the oral irrigator 100, but it is understood that the method applies equally to the oral irrigator 100' and other devices disclosed herein. Although the example method depicts a particular sequence of operations, the sequence may be altered without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, some of the operations depicted may be performed in parallel or in a different sequence that does not materially affect the function of the method. In other examples, different components of an example device or system that implements the method may perform functions at substantially the same time or in a specific sequence. Relatedly, many operations may be done by the processor or processing element of the oral irrigator making changes, such as to a configuration of the oral irrigator (e.g., modifying input characteristics) automatically and / or generating notifications to a user to allow manual changing of the input characteristics. However, some operations, such as a user manually swapping tips with different orifice sizes to change an input characteristic, may be done manually, but often at the prompt generated by the processing element.

[0120] FIG. 6 is a method 600 for activating the coach mode discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 7. The method 600 may begin with operation 602 and the oral irrigator 100 may be activated. For example, the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, the second control actuator 124, etc. may be selected by a user to turn on the oral irrigator 100. Once the oral irrigator 100 is activated, the method 600 may proceed to operation 604. In operation 604, the processing element 170 may determine whether coach mode has been activated. For example, the processing element 170 may determine whether a user has provided an input to one of the actuators or buttons 110, 112, 113, 124, etc. to select the coach mode. In a specific implementation, a switch associated with the first control actuator 110, activation button 112, the control actuator 113, and / or second control actuator 124 may provide an input to the processing element 170 when the respective button / actuator is pressed or otherwise activated. As another example, the coach mode may be activated automatically after a select time period of activation of the oral irrigator 100, e.g., after 30 seconds of operation, the coach mode may be automatically activated.

[0121] If the coach mode is not activated, the method may proceed to operation 614, which will be discussed in more detail herein. However, if in operation 604 the coach mode is activated, the method 600 may proceed to operation 606. In operation 608, the signal generator 166 may generate a control signal 184. The control signal 184 may be selected from a predetermined signal or may be generated based on one or more user inputs, or other factors, for example as discussed in more detail with respect to FIG. 7.

[0122] Once the signal generator 166 has generated the control signal 184, the method 600 may proceed to operation 608. In operation 608, the control signal 184 may be applied to the motor 142. For example, the gate 176 may be activated to provide the control signal 184 from the signal generator 166 to the motor 142. As the control signal 184 is applied to the motor 142, the motor 142 may drive a mechanical coupling coupled to the motor 142, such as a drive shaft, belt, pulley, etc. based on the signal. For example, the motor 142 may selectively speed up, slow down, or stop rotation of the mechanical coupling and / or may decrease or reduce the torque produced by the mechanical coupling. The variations in the drive shaft movement may create related changes in the pump 178, thus varying the output of the pump 178, changing the input characteristic 514 (e.g., pressure, flow rate, pulsations, etc.) of the fluid 186 flow from the tip 114, thereby changing the cleaning efficacy 516, for example as discussed with respect to FIG. 5 - FIG. 7. For example, the input characteristic 514 may be based on a path 502, a path 504, or another path between the starting point 518 and the goal point 520.

[0123] After operation 608, the method 600 may proceed to operation 610. In operation 610, the processing element 170 may determine whether to end coach mode. For example, the user may provide a second input to the oral irrigator 100, e.g., by selecting one of the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, and / or the second control actuator 124, to indicate that he or she wishes to resume normal mode. As another example, the oral irrigator 100 may have a predetermined time period for coach mode (e.g., 1 minute, or the like), and the processing element 170 may determine to end coach mode once the allotted time has passed.

[0124] In operation 610, if coach mode is not terminated, the method 600 may proceed to operation 612. In operation 612, the processing element 170 may determine whether the same control signal 184 should be applied to the motor 142 or whether a different signal should be applied. If the control signal 184 is to remain the same, the method 600 may return to operation 608 and the control signal 184 may continue to be applied to the motor 142. However, inoperation 612 if a new signal is desired, the method 600 may return to operation 606 and the signal generator 166 may generate a new control signal 184. For example, a user may wish to vary pressure, flow rate, pulse rate, or the transition between pulses during coach mode, or disable coach mode altogether. In these instances, the processing element 170 may receive a user input to vary the control signal and may instruct the signal generator 166 to create a new control signal or vary the current control signal. This is described in more detail with respect to operation 716 of the method 700.

[0125] With continued reference to FIG. 6, if in operation 610 coach mode is terminated, the method 600 may proceed to operation 614. In operation 614, the processing element 170 may provide a constant control signal 184 to the motor 142. In other words, the normal mode signal may be applied to the motor 142, and in some instances, the normal mode signal may be substantially constant. As the motor 142 receives the normal mode signal, movement of they be constant, and any pulses in the fluid 186 output may be due to the reciprocating nature of the pump 178, rather than variable movement in the motor 142.

[0126] After operation 614, the method 600 may proceed to operation 616. In operation 616, the processing element 170 may determine whether more cleaning is desired. For example, the processing element 170 may determine whether the user has deactivated the power activation button 112 or another button or switch. As another example, the oral irrigator 100 may be configured to have an activation time corresponding to a predetermined “cleaning” length and once the time length has expired, the oral irrigator 100 may automatically shut off.

[0127] If more cleaning is desired, the method 600 may return to operation 604. However, if no additional cleaning is desired, the method 600 may proceed to operation 618. In operation 618, the processing element 170 may deactivate the motor 142. As one example, the processing element 170 may switch off a connection between the power source 116 and the motor 142. After operation 618, the method 600 may proceed to an end state in operation 620. It should be noted that in many instances, the coach mode features may be configured to ramp up the output characteristics over time and so the method may repeat across multiple uses of the oral irrigator (e.g., different cleaning sessions by a user). In this manner, the coach mode activation at any given cleaning session may have changed output characteristics from the last cleaning session, but the output characteristics during such a cleaning session may remain consistent during the session. In other words, the increase of pressure, for example, may occur at the start of newcleaning sessions, rather than in the middle of any session. In other examples, however, the increase may begin to occur during a first session and fully ramp up in a second session.

[0128] FIG. 7 illustrates an example method 700 for controlling the cleaning efficacy improvement module 172 (e.g., coach mode). For brevity, the method 700 description refers to the oral irrigator 100, but it is understood that the method applies equally to the oral irrigator 100’ and other devices disclosed herein. Although the example method depicts a particular sequence of operations, the sequence may be altered without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, some of the operations depicted may be performed in parallel or in a different sequence that does not materially affect the function of the method. In other examples, different components of an example device or system that implements the method may perform functions at substantially the same time or in a specific sequence.

[0129] According to some examples, the method 700 includes receiving an input characteristic at operation 702. For example, in the operation 702, the processing element 170 may receive a pressure setting from a user input such as the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, the second control actuator 124 or the like. In another example, the input characteristic may be stored in a memory 182 associated with the processing element 170, and may be retrieved from the memory 182 by the processing element 170.

[0130] According to some examples, the method 700 includes receiving a cleaning efficacy goal or setting at operation 704. For example, in the operation 702, the processing element 170 may receive a cleaning efficacy goal from a user input such as the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, the second control actuator 124, or the like. In another example, the cleaning efficacy goal may be stored in a memory 182 associated with the processing element 170, and may be retrieved from the memory 182 by the processing element 170. In some examples, the cleaning efficacy goal may be determined by a clinical study that studies the effects of various input characteristics (e.g., orifice size, pulsation frequency, pressure, and / or flow) on oral health effects from one or more output characteristics of the oral irrigator. The cleaning efficacy goal may be determined based on a user characteristics, including age, gender, and / or medical history, etc.

[0131] According to some examples, the method 700 includes determining a path from the starting point 518 to the goal point 520 at operation 706. For example, in the operation 706, the processing element 170 may select a path, such as the path 502 and / or the path 504, or another suitable path between a starting point and a goal point. In some examples, the path may beretrieved from the memory 182. In other examples, the path may be received via a user input, such as the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, and / or the second control actuator 124. In some examples, a user may select from one or more predetermined paths stored in the memory 182.

[0132] In some examples, the paths or settings over time may be determined algorithmically based on user inputs (e.g., pressure setting and feedback) and stored in the memory 182 and actuated by a controller or processing element 170. In other instances, the information can be generated via a machine learning model or algorithm used to select different paths for a particular set of inputs. In some embodiments, the paths can be stored in the memory 182 and the user selects a path from a stored option (e.g., the memory 182 may include three path options for a user to choose from). In some examples, the processing element 170 may select a path based on a user’s demographic data such as age, race, dental history, medical history, gender, etc. In some examples, the oral irrigator may be in wired or wireless communication (e.g., Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) with another device (e g., a server, smart phone, tablet, etc.) and the paths may be dynamically updated and rendered based on real time inputs and user feedback. In some examples, the oral irrigator may send usage data and user inputs to the server and the server may send updated or modified paths back to the irrigator to execute.

[0133] According to some examples, the method 700, at operation 708 includes increasing an input characteristic 514 per the path selected or received in the operation 706. For example, the processing element 170 may increase one or more input characteristics 514 consistent with a selected path (e.g., the path 502, the path 504, etc.). The input characteristic(s) 514 may be selected or controlled to achieve a desired cleaning efficacy 516 according to the selected path. In another example, the processing element 170 may prompt a user, such as by illuminating the indicator 117a or the indicator 117b, which may be light emitting diodes, or other lights, to change an input parameter such as the installed tip 114 for one with a larger or smaller orifice or other feature.

[0134] According to some examples, in operation 710 the processing element 170 determines whether the cleaning efficacy 516 goal has been achieved (e.g., whether the input characteristic 514 been adjusted sufficiently such that the cleaning efficacy 516 is close to or the same as the cleaning efficacy goal point 510 or the goal point 520). If the goal has been achieved, the method 700 may proceed to the operation 712 and the processing element 170 may store theinput characteristic 514 in the memory 182. If the goal has not been achieved, the method 700 may proceed to the operation 716 and the processing element 170 may receive user feedback.

[0135] According to some examples, in operation 712 of the method 700, the processing element 170 may store the input characteristic that achieved the cleaning efficacy goal point 510, such as in the memory 182.

[0136] According to some examples, the method 700 ends at operation 714 and subsequent uses of the oral irrigator 100 may use the input characteristic 514 stored in the operation 712 without executing the method 700. For example in the operation 6060 of the method 600. The processing element 170 may retrieve the stored input characteristic from the memory and generate the signal 184 based thereon.

[0137] In the operation 702, the processing element 170 may receive user feedback such as via one or more inputs (e.g., the first control actuator 110, the activation button 112, the control actuator 113, and / or the second control actuator 124). For example, a user may indicate that the input characteristic 514 is too high and would prefer a lower value of the input characteristic (e.g., pressure of fluid 186 in the tip 114). In another example, the user may indicate that the input characteristic 514 is too low, and that a higher value is preferred. In some examples of the method 700, the operation 716 is optional.

[0138] According to some examples, in the operation 718, the processing element 170 determines if the feedback received in the operation 716 is contrary to the path determined in the operation 706. If the feedback is contrary to the path, the method 700 may return to the operation 706 and the processing element 170 may select a different or altered path. For example, if the initial path selected in the operation 706 was a relatively aggressive path, such as the path 504, and the user indicated in the operation 716 that the input characteristic 514 (e.g., pressure) is too high, the processing element 170 may, on returning to the operation 706, the processing element 170 may select a relatively more gentle path, such as the path 502, e.g., with a smaller increase between set points and the set points are spread out further in time.

[0139] If, in the operation 718, the user feedback received is not contrary to the path (or no feedback is received), the method 700 may return to operation 708 and may continue to change the input characteristic 514 along the selected path.

[0140] In many examples, loops of execution of the method 700 may be separated by discrete use sessions of the oral irrigator 100. For example, the method 700 may be executed where the processing element 170 changes the input characteristic 514 in the operation 708 once per use(e.g., once per day). In other examples, the method 700 may change the input characteristic 514 over the course of days, weeks, or months. Such relatively staged implementation of the method 700 may have the benefit of allowing a user to become acclimatized to the increasing input characteristic 514 with minimal discomfort, while achieving the cleaning efficacy goal point 510 within a reasonable time and with good user tolerance.

[0141] Turning to FIG. 8 to FIG. 25B, embodiments of a control panel 800 with a user interface display 808 are shown. As shown for example in FIG. 8, FIG. 12, FIG. 24A, and FIG. 24B, the control panel 800 may include one or more physical buttons or switches suitable to receive a user input. The display 808 may be any device that can dynamically display symbols, letters, numbers, etc. to form a user interface. In some embodiments, the display 808 may be a liquid crystal display, light emitting diode display, or the like. The display 808 may be backlit or may not include a backlight. The display may be in communication with the processing element to allow dynamic changes in icons or other display elements, such as to represent current status or provide feedback to the user during use. Various features (e g., icons or other outputs visible on the display 808) can be configured to have aesthetic features, e.g., be aesthetically pleasing to the user, as well as convey information to the user.

[0142] The physical buttons of the control panel 800 may operate one or more functions of any oral irrigator disclosed herein. For example, the control panel may include a power button 802 that turns the power to the oral irrigator on or off. The control panel 800 may include a profile button 804 that selects between two or more users who may have customized user preferences stored in the memory of the device. The control panel 800 may also include a mode button 806. The mode button may enable a or switch between a “coach” mode disclosed herein and a regular flossing mode. The control panel 800 may also include one or more pressure adjustment controls 810, 812 that cause the device to increase or decrease the fluid pressure or flowrate delivered by the oral irrigator.

[0143] The user interface display 808 may include one or more portions that display various data, e.g., to provide user feedback on the device configuration, operating parameters, profile, and / or mode selected. For example, the display 808 may include a profile display portion 814 that displays an active profile of the device, for example, as selected by the profile button 804. The display 808 may include a profile selection portion 816 that displays a number or other identifier associated with a profile of the device (e.g., an active profile). In some embodiments, the profile selection portion 816 may include one or more alpha-numeric displays such as a twosegment or seven segment display capable of showing numbers, letters, or other symbols correlated to a user profile of the oral irrigator. The display 808 may include a pressure selection portion 818 that includes an alpha-numeric display capable of showing numbers, letters, or other symbols correlated to a pressure level, flow level, or “flossing power” of the oral irrigator. The display 808 may include a timer portion 824 that indicates an elapsed or pending flossing time. For example, as shown in FIG. 11 A to FIG. 1 ID, all or a portion of the timer portion 824 may flash, blink, or progress to indicate that flossing is active. The display 808 may include one or more mode portions 820, 822. Either of the mode portions 820, 822 may be adapted to show a mode of the oral irrigator (e.g., a selected by the mode button 806). For example, the mode portion 820 may show a “coach” icon when the oral irrigator is in “coach” mode, and may hide the coach icon when the oral irrigator is not in “coach” mode . Similarly, the mode portion 822 may display a flossing icon when the oral irrigator is in a regular flossing mode, and may hide the flossing icon when the oral irrigator is not in regular flossing mode.

[0144] The control panel 800 and or display 808 may include additional controls, buttons, icons, or inputs. Some of the illustrated controls., buttons, icons, or inputs may be optional and / or may be arranged in a fashion or with a shape other than as shown.

[0145] With reference to FIGs. 25A and 25B, in one example, the display 808 may include an icon representative of a user, e.g., a person, such as in the form of a human outline or other configuration. Specifically, in one embodiment, the icon includes a first circular shape representative of a human head and a second half-circle shape representative of human shoulders, however, other aesthetic representations are envisioned. The display 808 in some instances may have limited shape configuration options and so by utilizing simplistic but representative shapes the messaging to the user may be clear, without requiring an expensive or complicated display screen or animation.

[0146] In various embodiments, such as those including a human representative icon, the icon may transition from a first state, such as a blank state or sad face to a second state, such as a smiley face or other emotional representation. In these embodiments the icon may convey human emotion states to indicate compliance with the flossing time or other cleaning program. It should be noted that although FIGs. 25A and 25B illustrate a human representative icon, other icon shapes can be used, including character shapes and the like.CONCLUSION

[0147] The foregoing description has broad application. For example, while examples disclosed herein may focus on a coach mode for oral irrigators, it should be appreciated that the concepts disclosed herein may equally apply to other motor driven devices where a variation in motion may be desired. Similarly, although the cleaning efficacy improvement module is discussed with respect to a coach mode, the devices and techniques disclosed herein are equally applicable to modifying the pulse rate or pressure of an outlet fluid for other applications (e.g., creating a faster pulse rate, higher pressure, and / or higher flow for quicker or more effective cleaning). Accordingly, the discussion of any example is meant only to be exemplary and is not intended to suggest that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples.

[0148] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred examples, persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention is limited only by the scope of the following claims.

[0149] All directional references (e.g., upper, lower, upward, downward, left, right, leftward, rightward, top, bottom, above, below, vertical, horizontal, clockwise, and counterclockwise) are only used for identification purposes to aid the reader’s understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, and do not create limitations, particularly as to the position, orientation, or use of the invention unless specifically set forth in the claims. Joinder references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, joined, and the like) are to be construed broadly and may include intermediate members between a connection of elements and relative movement between elements. As such, joinder references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and in fixed relation to each other.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. A computer-readable medium on which computer-executable instructions are stored to implement a method for operating an oral irrigator comprising: determining, a first input characteristic of the oral irrigator; determining, a first output characteristic of the oral irrigator associated with the first input characteristic; determining, based on the first input characteristic and the first output characteristic, a path from the first output characteristic to a second output characteristic, wherein the second output characteristic is associated with a second input characteristic.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first input characteristic and the second input characteristic comprises at least one of a pressure, flow rate, or pulsation of a fluid.

3. The computer readable medium of any of the preceding claims, wherein the first output characteristic and the second output characteristic comprises a cleaning efficacy.

4. The computer readable medium of any of the preceding claims, wherein: the oral irrigator further comprises: a fluid reservoir, a pump, and a tip in fluid communication with the fluid reservoir via the pump; and the first input characteristic comprises at least one of a fluid pressure, fluid flow, or fluid pulsation in the tip, or an orifice size of an outlet of the tip.

5. The computer-readable medium of any of the preceding claims, wherein the path comprises increasing a value of the first output characteristic over a period of time to reach the second output characteristic.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the period of time comprises at least two separate uses of the oral irrigator.

7. An oral irrigator comprising: a pump; a housing enclosing the pump; a reservoir coupled to the housing; a tip in fluid communication with the reservoir and the pump; and a cleaning efficacy improvement module configured to operate the oral irrigator along a path between a starting point and a goal point.

8. The oral irrigator of claim 7 further comprising a control panel or user interface display described herein.

9. A method of operating an oral irrigator comprising: determining a first output characteristic associated with a first user setting; determining a path from the first output characteristic to a second output characteristic over a period of time; based on the path, increasing during a first operation of the oral irrigator the first output characteristic to an intermediate output characteristic; and based on the path, increasing during a second operation of the oral irrigator the intermediate output characteristic to the second output characteristic.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein increasing the first output characteristic to the intermediate output characteristic comprises modifying a first input characteristic by an intermediate amount.

11. The method of any of claims 9-10, comprising generating a user feedback to indicate that the second output characteristic has been reached.

12. The method of any of claims 9-11, wherein the first output characteristic comprises a value of one of a fluid unit diameter, a fluid unit volume, a fluid unit velocity, and / or a fluid unit frequency, wherein the fluid unit is output by the oral irrigator.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the second output characteristic comprises one of a change to value of the at least one of the fluid unit diameter, the fluid unit volume, the fluid unit velocity, and / or the fluid unit frequency.

14. The method of any of claims 9-13, wherein the path comprises incremental changes between the first output characteristic and the second output characteristic.

15. The method of any of claims 9-13, wherein the first output characteristic is a first value of a fluid pressure and the second output characteristic is a second value of the fluid pressure that is higher than the first value.

16. The method of any of claims 9-13, wherein the first output characteristic comprises a mechanical characteristic and an electrical characteristic.

17. A method of cleaning using an oral irrigator comprising: configuring the oral irrigator to generate a first set of output characteristics; operating the oral irrigator for a period of time under the first set of output characteristics; modifying the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate a second set of output characteristics, wherein the second set of output characteristics is closer to a goal set of output characteristics than the first set of output characteristics; after a predetermined period of time, modifying the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the goal set of output characteristics.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating a user notification regarding the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics and generating a user notification regarding the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the goal set of output characteristics.

19. The method of any of claims 17 and 18, wherein the predetermined period of time comprises a predetermined number of uses of the oral irrigator by a user.

20. The method of any of claims 17-19, wherein the modification of the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics is based on a path determined by a processing element between the first set of output characteristics and the goal set of output characteristics.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the path determines the predetermined amount of time.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics comprises modifying by a processor one or more operational characteristics of the oral irrigator.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the configuration of the oral irrigator to generate the second set of output characteristics comprises replacing a tip of the oral irrigator by a user based on a notification to the user generated by a processor of the oral irrigator.

24. A method of operating an oral cleansing device comprising: receiving a user input to a first control button to activate the oral cleansing device; operating the oral cleansing device to generate a first set of output characteristics; receiving a user input to a second control button to activate a coach mode configuration of the oral cleansing device; generating a modified set of output characteristics that are different than the first set of output characteristics, wherein the modified set of output characteristics are scaled relative to the first set of output characteristics based on a scaling factor; and receiving a user input to the first control button to deactivate the oral cleansing device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: receiving a user input to the first control button to activate the oral cleansing device for another cleaning session; and generating a goal set of output characteristics that are different from the modified set of output characteristics based on the coach mode configuration; and operating the oral cleansing device at the goal set of output characteristics.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein a processing element generates the modified set of output characteristics.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the modified set of output characteristics are closer to achieving a goal efficacy for the oral cleansing device as compared to the first set of output characteristics.

28. An oral cleansing device comprising: a handle; a tip coupled to the handle; a drive assembly positioned within the handle and configured to create output characteristics of the tip; a coach mode module in communication with the drive assembly, wherein the coach model module is configured to determine a path from an initial set of output characteristics based on a user setting to a goal set of output characteristics and increase the output characteristics of the drive assembly over a period of time from the initial set of output characteristics to the goal set of output characteristics.

29. The oral cleansing device of claim 28, wherein the drive assembly comprises a pump and a motor and the oral cleansing device is an oral irrigator.

30. The oral cleaning device of claim 28, wherein the coach mode module modifies the path based on feedback from the user.

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