Integrated Oral Care Dispenser with Elevator Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing oral care products, such as tooth whitening agents, face issues with saliva enzymes degrading peroxides and moisture affecting composition stability, and tray-based systems are cumbersome and inconvenient for storage and portability.
Innovation Solution
A portable oral care system that integrates a toothbrush with a detachable fluid dispenser, allowing for easy access and storage, featuring a mechanism with a drive component and resilient arms to dispense fluid while preventing rotation in one direction, ensuring efficient application and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If tray-based systems are used for oral care product application, then the product can be applied effectively, but the system becomes cumbersome and requires extra storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the oral care product container and the application brush into a single integrated unit. The brush is stored within the container, eliminating the need for separate storage of tray and product, thereby reducing storage space requirements and improving portability while maintaining effective product application.
Solution Approach 2:
The brush is nested within the container in a retracted position, allowing the application tool to be stored inside the product housing. This nesting arrangement enables the system to occupy minimal storage space while providing both storage and application functions in a compact form factor.
2Ease of operation
If brush is repeatedly dipped into the bottle during application, then the product can be applied to teeth, but saliva catalase degrades the peroxide in the bottle
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the brush from the bottle during the application process. The brush is held in a retracted position within the container and only extended when needed for application, minimizing contact between the product and saliva-containing environment, thereby preventing catalase from degrading the peroxide.
Solution Approach 2:
The container acts as an intermediary barrier between the peroxide solution and the oral environment. The controlled dispensing mechanism allows product transfer without direct exposure of the bulk peroxide to saliva, preventing enzyme-catalyzed decomposition while enabling effective application.
3Ease of operation
If brush is washed after use, then hygiene is maintained, but moisture from wet bristles enters the bottle and decomposes peroxide
Solution Approach 1:
The brush is completely extracted from the bottle after application and can be removed for washing. The detachable design allows the brush to be separated from the peroxide-containing container, enabling hygiene maintenance through washing without risking moisture contamination of the peroxide composition.
4Reliability
If anhydrous whitening composition is used, then product stability is improved, but moisture from saliva or wet brush decomposes the peroxide
Solution Approach 1:
The container serves as a protective intermediary that prevents moisture from saliva or external sources from contacting the anhydrous peroxide composition. The controlled dispensing system allows transfer of the moisture-sensitive product without exposing it to humid environments, maintaining composition stability.
Data Source
AI summary
An oral care system comprising a toothbrush and a dispenser is disclosed. In one embodiment, the dispenser comprises a housing having a longitudinal axis and an internal reservoir containing an oral care material; a drive component rotatably disposed within the housing and comprising a drive screw, the drive component being axially retained relative to the housing through mechanical interference; and an elevator coupled to the drive screw so that rotation of the drive component in a first rotational direction causes the elevator to axially advance along the drive screw in a first axial direction to dispense the oral care material from a dispensing orifice.