Spring-Actuated Valve Toothbrush Preventing Clogging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing toothbrushes with internal reservoirs for oral care materials often experience clogging issues, leading to inadequate delivery of these materials to the user's oral cavity, requiring time-consuming unclogging and inefficient application.
Innovation Solution
A toothbrush design featuring a spring-actuated valve system within the head, allowing oral care materials to be dispensed through a combination of direct pressure and rotational motion, ensuring consistent and effective application to oral surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a delivery mechanism with channels is used to transport oral care material from reservoir to head, then the oral care material can be delivered to the user's oral cavity, but the channels may become clogged leading to inadequate delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the problematic delivery channels from the system. Instead of transporting oral care material through channels from the reservoir to the head, the material is dispensed directly from the reservoir at the location where it is needed, eliminating the clogging issue entirely while maintaining reliable delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a valve mechanism as an intermediary component between the reservoir and the external environment. This valve controls the direct dispensing of material without requiring long delivery channels, allowing reliable delivery while preventing clogging by minimizing the transport path
2Productivity
If a pump is used to force fluid from reservoir through opening in head, then oral care material can be delivered, but the system becomes more complex and may still clog
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a spring-actuated valve that uses the elastic potential energy stored in the compressed spring to automatically force the oral care material from the reservoir through the opening. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external pumps or complex power sources, maintaining high delivery efficiency while minimizing system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-compressed during assembly or initial use, storing elastic potential energy in advance. This preliminary action allows the valve to automatically dispense the oral care material without requiring additional power sources or complex control systems during operation
3Ease of operation
If capillary action is used to flow oral care material from reservoir to head, then no pump is needed, but the flow may be inconsistent and channels can still clog
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for capillary channels by implementing direct dispensing from the reservoir. The spring-actuated valve creates a direct path for material flow, removing the intermediate capillary structures that are prone to clogging while maintaining operational simplicity
Solution Approach 2:
The spring is pre-compressed to store elastic potential energy that drives consistent material flow. This preliminary energy storage ensures reliable and consistent dispensing without relying on capillary action, while keeping the system simple to operate
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The spring-actuated valve system ensures reliable and efficient delivery of oral care materials, preventing clogging and enhancing user experience by providing a seamless application process.
Implementation Method 1
a spring member (220a-c) biasing the sealing element into a closed non-dispensing position
Implementation Method 2
upon applying a pressing force against the sealing element wherein oral care material is dispensed from the internal cavity
Data Source
AI summary
An oral care implement with product application. In one embodiment, the implement is a fluid dispensing toothbrush having a body comprised of a handle, a head, and an internal cavity containing an oral care material. The head includes tooth cleaning elements and an applicator in fluid communication with the internal cavity. In one embodiment, the applicator includes at least one spring-actuated valve operable to dispense the fluidic oral care material upon engagement with a user's oral tissue. The oral care material is delivered from the internal cavity upon applying a pressing force to a moveable sealing element of the valve. In certain embodiments, a pressurizer may be provided to pressurize the oral care material for positive dispensing. In one embodiment, the applicator is disposed in a soft tissue cleaner on the toothbrush head.