Device with light up timer for improving oral hygiene

Abstract

The oral care assistance device includes first, second, and third activation buttons attached to an outer surface of a base of a bottle holder. The oral care assistance device further includes one light emitting diode positioned within or adjacent to each of the first, second, and third activation buttons and a battery electrically connected to the first, second, and third activation buttons and the light emitting diodes. The oral care assistance device further includes a timer circuit electrically connected to the first, second, and third activation buttons and the light emitting diodes. The timer circuit causing the respective light emitting diode to illuminate when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed and to turn off when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed again or when a preselected time has elapsed.

Description

DEVICE WITH LIGHT UP TIMER FOR IMPROVING ORAL HYGIENECROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit and priority of United States Provisional Application Serial Number 63 / 623,167, filed on January 19, 2024, entitled “Bottle Holder with Light Up Timer,” the contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND

[0002] Oral hygiene has become a priority for both adults and children. Many dentists are now recommending brushing, flossing, and mouthwash as basic routine for maintaining good oral hygiene. Both adults and children sometimes don’t know how much time to allocate for each hygiene task. Also, some adults and children would like an efficient and easy way to monitor their brushing, flossing, and mouthwash successes. Hence, there is a need for a device, system and method to assist both adults and children to improve oral hygiene.SUMMARY

[0003] An oral care assistance device including a base having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a first bottom surface. The inner surface and the first bottom surface are configured to contact a bottle, and the base is formed in the shape of a cylinder. The oral care assistance device further includes first, second, and third activation buttons attached to the outer surface of the base and formed in a horizontal line or a vertical line. The oral care assistance device further includes one light emitting diode positioned within or adjacent to each of the first, second, and third activation buttons and a battery electrically connected to the first, second, and third activation buttons and the light emitting diodes. The oral care assistance device further includes a timer circuit electrically connected to the first, second, and third activation buttons and the light emitting diodes,the timer circuit causing the respective light emitting diode to illuminate when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed and to turn off when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed again or when a preselected time has elapsed, each of the first, second, and third activation buttons having a different preselected time.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a light up timer oral care device with a light configured to light up for a predetermined amount of time to inform, monitor or instruct an adult or a child as to how long to brush, floss, and / or rinse with mouthwash according to an aspect of the present invention.

[0005] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the bottle snugly fit into the base of the bottle holder with a light up top rim or top surface according to an aspect of the present invention.

[0006] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing the bottle spaced apart from the base of the bottle holder with a light up top rim or top surface, the one or more LEDs, the timer activation buttons, and the timer circuit according to an aspect of the present invention.

[0007] FIG. 4 shows an inside view of the base according to an aspect of the present invention.

[0008] FIG. 5 is a top view of a slap band with a light up top rim or top surface, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs), a battery, one or more timer activation buttons, a timer circuit, and electrical wiring or connections according to an aspect of the present invention.

[0009] Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present invention will be or will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following figure and detailed description.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a light up timer oral care assistance device 100 (e.g., a bottle holder 100) with a light 103 configured to light up for a predetermined amount of time (e.g., 1-5 minutes) to inform, monitor or instruct an adult or a child as to how long to brush, floss, and / or rinse with mouthwash according to an aspect of the present invention. The oral care assistance device 100 includes one or more of the following: a base or body 107, a light panel 101, a light up top rim or top surface 102, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 103, a battery 104, one or more timer activation buttons 105, a timer circuit 106, and electrical wiring or connections 108. The lights 101, 102, 103, the battery 104, the one or more timer activation buttons 105, and the timer circuit 106 are all connected to one another via the electrical wiring or connections 108.

[0011] The base or body 107 can be formed in the shape to fit a bottle 110. The base 107 is sized and shaped to fit completely around a base or a bottom portion of the bottle 110 (as shown). The bottle 110 can be a plastic, glass, or metal bottle, can, container, or other apparatus that is capable of holding a liquid (e g., a mouthwash). As an example, the base 107 can be formed in the shape of a cylinder when the bottle 110 is formed in the shape of a cylinder. The base 107 can be formed in the shape of a cylinder with a height Hl, which is typically between about 2 centimeters (cms) and 6 cms. Preferably, the height Hl is about 4.75 cm. In various aspects, the height Hl is between about 10-25% of a height H2 of the bottle 110. The base 107 has an inside diameter D I of between about 5 cm and 15 cm. Preferably, the inside diameter D I is about 6 cm. The inside diameter DI of the base 107 is sized to fit snugly around the bottle 110. That is, the inside diameter DI of the base 107 is slightly larger than an outer diameter or surface of the bottle 110. The base 107 can have a thickness T of about 1 millimeter to about 50 millimeters, and preferably about 2-4 millimeters.

[0012] In various embodiments, the bottle holder 100 is a cylinder without a top and bottom base or surface so that a base or a bottom portion of the bottle 110 can contact or rest on a surface or can be placed on a surface, such as a counter or a table. Hence, the top and bottom bases or surfaces can be missing from the bottle holder 100. Alternatively, the bottle holder 100 can have a bottom surface 109 (as shown) such that the bottle 110 can rest on the bottom surface 109 when the bottle 110 is in the bottle holder 100. As shown, the base 107 has a bottom surface 109 that is used to rest the bottle 110 on.

[0013] In an aspect, the bottle holder 100 can include one or more lights such as the light panel 101, the light up top rim or top surface 102, and / or the one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 103 on or within the one or more timer activation buttons 105. The one or more LEDs 103 are shown to be separate from the one or more timer activation buttons 105 for illustrative purposes, however, one LED 103 can be behind each button 105, for a total of 3 buttons and 3 LEDs 103 where one LED 103 illuminates when the corresponding button 105 is pushed.

[0014] In various examples, the light panel 101, the top rim 102, and / or the selected button 105 of the bottle holder 100 can all light up simultaneously or sequentially. The advantage of the selected button 105 lighting up (when the LED 103 is inside the button 105) is that the user is able to easily determine which button 105 was selected and for how many minutes the LED 103 will illuminate. Otherwise, the user may forget or will not know how long the LED 103 will illuminate for if someone else pushes the selected button 105. When the LED 103 is inside or behind the button 105, the covering or the button 105 is a clear, plastic button so that the light from the LED 103 can be seen through the button 105. The LED 103 can flash or be constantly on for a specified time period (e.g., 1 minute, 2 minutes, 3 minutes, 4 minutes, or 5 minutes) based on the timer activation buttons 105. As an example, the first timer activation button 105a can display a “2” for2 minutes of activation time, the second timer activation button 105b can display a “3” for 3 minutes of activation time, and the third timer activation button 105c can display a “5” for 5 minutes of activation time. The light panel 101 is a light up surface containing one or more lights and / or LEDs that cover and light up the entire or a substantial portion of the outer surface of the bottle holder 100.

[0015] In various aspects, the bottle holder 100 can include a light up rim or top surface 102 covering a top portion of the bottle holder 100. The light up rim or top surface 102 can flash or be constantly on for the specified time period (e.g., preselected time) based on the timer activation buttons 105. The light up rim or top surface 102 is a light up surface containing one or more lights and / or LEDs that cover and light up the entire rim or top surface 102 of the bottle holder 100.

[0016] In various aspects, the bottle holder 100 can include one or more LEDs 103 spaced around the bottle holder 100. The one or more LEDs 103 can flash or be constantly on for the specified time period based on the timer activation buttons 105. In various aspects, there may be between 3 and 8 separate LEDs 103 spaced on or around the bottle holder 100.

[0017] The bottle holder 100 may include one or more batteries 104 for powering the light panel 101, the light up rim or top surface 102 and / or the one or more LEDs 103. The one or more batteries 104 are connected to the light panel 101, the light up rim or top surface 102 and / or the one or more LEDs 103 for providing power to illuminate the one or more lights. The one or more batteries 104 may be positioned underneath the bottom surface 109 of the base 107. If the base 107 is flipped over, the one or more batteries 104 can be removed and replaced.

[0018] The bottle holder 100 may include one or more timer activation buttons 105a, 105b, and 105c that are positioned on an outer surface of the base 107 along a vertical line or axis. As an example, if the first timer activation button 105a is depressed by a user, the light panel 101, thelight up rim or top surface 102 and / or the one or more LEDs 103 may be activated for about 2 minutes. Similarly, if the second timer activation button 105b is depressed by a user, the light panel 101, the light up rim or top surface 102 and / or the one or more LEDs 103 may be activated for about 3 minutes. Also, if the third timer activation button 105c is depressed by the user, the light panel 101, the light up rim or top surface 102 and / or the one or more LEDs 103 may be activated for about 5 minutes. If one of the activation timer buttons 105a, 105b or 105c is depressed when the light panel 101, the light up rim or top surface 102 and / or the one or more LEDs 103 are on or activated, the light(s) will turn off or shut off. Each timer activation button 105 may have a numeric indicator thereon to display a number of minutes the one or more LEDs 103 will illuminate. For example, a “2” on the timer activation button 105 indicates that the one or more LEDs 103 will illuminate for 2 minutes. Similarly, a “3” on the timer activation button 105 indicates that the one or more LEDs 103 will illuminate for 3 minutes. After the time has lapsed, the corresponding light will turn off.

[0019] The timer circuit 106 is connected to the light panel 101, the light up rim or top surface 102, the one or more LEDs 103, the one or more batteries 104, and / or the timer activation buttons 105. Depending on which button 105 is pushed, the timer circuit 106 will activate the light(s) for the specified time period. The label on the button 105 indicates a time period in minutes for activation.

[0020] As an example, the bottle 110 can contain mouthwash, and the cap 111 can be used to fill the mouthwash. The user can push one of the buttons 105 to indicate how long the user should have the mouthwash in his / her mouth. This allows the user to be consistent and maintain good hygiene. The timer activations buttons can also be used to assist the user in brushing, flossing or other time monitoring activities.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view showing the bottle 110 snugly fit into the base 107 of the bottle holder 100 with a light up top rim or top surface 102 according to an aspect of the present invention. The rear perspective view shows that the light up top rim or top surface 102 can be around the entire base 107.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a front perspective view showing the bottle 110 spaced apart from the base 107 of the bottle holder 100 with a light up top rim or top surface 102, the one or more LEDs 103, the timer activation buttons 105a, 105b, 105c, and the timer circuit 106 according to an aspect of the present invention. The base 107 includes an inner or inside surface 301 defining a cavity 300 for snugly fitting the bottle 110. The base 107 may include one or more timer activation buttons 105a, 105b, and 105c that are positioned on an outer surface of the base 107 along a horizontal line or axis. If the base 107 is flipped over, the one or more batteries 104 can be removed and replaced.

[0023] FIG. 4 shows an inside view of the base 107 according to an aspect of the present invention. The bottom surface 109 is about 3 cms below the light up top rim or top surface 102. In one aspect, the one or more batteries 104 are located below or underneath the bottom surface 109. If the base 107 is flipped over, the one or more batteries 104 can be removed and replaced. The one or more batteries 104 and the timer circuit 106 can be located in a small compartment between the first bottom surface 109 and a second bottom surface positioned parallel to and spaced apart and below by about 0.5-1.0 cm from the first bottom surface 109. The first bottom surface 109 and the second bottom surface are similar in shape and size. The base 107 includes an inner or inside surface 301 defining a cavity 300 for snugly fitting or holding the base of the bottle 110.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a top view of a slap band 500 with a light up top rim or top surface 102, one or more light emitting diodes (LEDs) 103, a battery 104, one or more timer activation buttons 105,a timer circuit 106, and electrical wiring or connections 108 according to an aspect of the present invention. FIG. 5 includes similar features as those described herein but is a slap band 500 which allows for the placement on any size bottle, user’s wrist, hand, or body part or any other object. The battery 104, the timer circuit 106, and the electrical wiring or connections 108 can be embedded into the slap band 500 so the user doesn’t see these components.

[0025] The slap band 500 is a flexible member that can bend and twist and be wrapped around any size bottle, user’s wrist, hand, or body part or any other object. When the slap band 500 is placed on a user’s hand, the slap band 500 curls or forms the shape of a circle or cylinder and acts like a thick bracelet. The different components can be embedded into, secured to or placed on top of the slap band 500. The arrangement of the components is shown as exemplary.

[0026] Exemplary aspects and embodiments of the devices / methods / systems have been disclosed in an illustrative style. Accordingly, the terminology employed throughout should be read in a non-limiting manner. Although minor modifications to the teachings herein will occur to those well versed in the art, it shall be understood that what is intended to be circumscribed within the scope of the patent warranted hereon are all such embodiments that reasonably fall within the scope of the advancement to the art hereby contributed, and that that scope shall not be restricted, except in light of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

CLAIMSWhat is claimed is:

1. An oral care assistance device, comprising: a base having an inner surface, an outer surface, and a first bottom surface, the inner surface and the first bottom surface configured to contact a bottle, and the base being formed in the shape of a cylinder; first, second, and third activation buttons attached to the outer surface of the base and being formed in a horizontal line or a vertical line; one light emitting diode positioned within or adjacent to each of the first, second, and third activation buttons; a battery electrically connected to the first, second, and third activation buttons and the light emitting diodes; and a timer circuit electrically connected to the first, second, and third activation buttons and the light emitting diodes, the timer circuit causing the respective light emitting diode to illuminate when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed and to turn off when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed again or when a preselected time has elapsed, each of the first, second, and third activation buttons having a different preselected time.

2. The oral care assistance device of claim 1 , wherein the battery is positioned below the first bottom surface of the base.

3. The oral care assistance device of claim 1, further comprising a second bottom surface ofthe base positioned parallel to and spaced apart and below by about 0.5-1.0 cm from the first bottom surface.

4. The oral care assistance device of claim 1, further comprising a light panel powered by the battery, positioned on the outer surface of the base, and configured to illuminate when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed and to turn off when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed again or when a preselected time has elapsed.

5. The oral care assistance device of claim 4, wherein the light panel and the light emitting diode light up simultaneously.

6. The oral care assistance device of claim 4, wherein the light panel and the light emitting diode light up sequentially.

7. The oral care assistance device of claim 1, further comprising a light up rim or top surface of the base, powered by the battery, and configured to illuminate when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed and to turn off when the first, second, or third activation button is depressed again or when a preselected time has elapsed.

8. The oral care assistance device of claim 7, wherein the light panel and the light emitting diode light up simultaneously.

9. The oral care assistance device of claim 7, wherein the light panel and the light emittingdiode light up sequentially.

10. The oral care assistance device of claim 1, wherein the light emitting diodes flash or are constantly on for the preselected time based on the activation button depressed.

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