TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to oral hygiene products, and more particularly to a removable fluid connection fitting for an oral irrigator.

BACKGROUND

Harmful bacteria often grows deep between teeth and below the gum line. Traditional toothbrush and flossing often cannot reach these areas to remove the bacteria and food debris from these areas. To overcome the limitations of toothbrushes and flossers, a dental water jet may provide a pressurized water stream to remove trapped debris and harmful bacteria from areas not easily reached by a toothbrush or flosser. Such a dental jet unit typically consists of a pump supplying pressurized water from a water reservoir to a tip. The tip has an opening that permits the pressurized water stream to be directed to the desired locations within the mouth.

However, in many such dental water jets, the reservoir holding the water to be pressurized and provided to the tip must be mated with a base of the water jet unit by inverting the reservoir and attaching the base thereto. This is typically so because the opening by which the reservoir is filled doubles as the opening through which water may exit the reservoir to be moved by the pump.

The pumps used in dental jet units for providing the necessary water pressures to effectively remove food debris and bacteria are often noisy. Although the noise does not affect the dental jet's effectiveness at removing food debris and bacteria, it is often unpleasant for the user.

Further, many dental water jets may not provide any visual indication when a tip is properly seated or mated with the dental water jet (typically within a handle). Similarly, many dental water jets may not visually indicate when the tip is properly removed. Thus, users of such dental water jets may not fully seat the tip, leading to ineffective or weakened oral irrigation. Additionally, the water may leak into the atmosphere between the interface of the improperly-seated tip and the handle. Further, users of such water jets may experience difficulty fully removing the tip from the handle.

Although some dental water jets permit a user to adjust the flow of fluid from the reservoir to the tip, many do not provide fine fluid flow control. Others have discrete settings as opposed to permitting a user to fine-tune fluid flow.

For these and other reasons, there is room in the art for an improved dental water jet.

SUMMARY

In one implementation, an apparatus for providing a pressurized water stream for cleaning gums and teeth is disclosed. The implementation includes a base unit defining a cavity. The cavity contains a pump, which may move pressurized water from a reservoir to a tip in fluid communication with the pump. The reservoir may be supported on the base unit and in fluid communication with the pump. The pump may be connected to an electrical power source in order to power the pump. The pump may be turned on and off using a switch. A flow control knob may be turned to selectively adjust the water pressure supplied by the tip between a minimum and a maximum value. The reservoir may be removed from the base unit so that it may be filled with a fluid, such as water, from a fluid source (such as a water faucet). The reservoir may support a container for storing tips or other items.

Fluid may flow from the reservoir, through the base supporting the reservoir, along a tube, from the tube into the handle, and into the tip. The fluid may be propelled by a motive source, such as a piston, to facilitate this flow. Fluid may ultimately be ejected from the tip and into the mouth of a user (for example) to provide oral irrigation and/or cleaning of the teeth, gums, and tongue.

Another implementation takes the form of an apparatus for adjusting a fluid pressure supplied by a pump to a tip, including a pump body defining a fluid chamber, a flow control rotatably connected to the pump body, a flow regulation conduit at least partially defined by the flow control, a bypass valve in fluid communication with the fluid chamber and the flow regulation conduit, and a fluid passage between the fluid chamber and the tip. In such an implementation, the pump body and the flow control together define a return channel in fluid communication with the flow regulation conduit. Further, the depth of the fluid regulation conduit proximate the bypass valve may be varied by selectively moving the flow control relative to the pump body. Additionally, varying the depth of the fluid regulation conduit varies a fluid pressure within the fluid passage.

Another implementation takes the form of a dental water jet unit including a base unit defining a cavity, a reservoir in fluid communication with a pump contained within the cavity and connected to the base unit by at least one vibration reduction mount, and a tip operative to deliver a stream of pressurized fluid and in fluid communication with the pump.

Yet another implementation takes the form of a container for storing items, including a container base including a surface operative to be received within a reservoir, a lid connected to and movable relative to the container base, at least one first aperture defined on the container base, and at least one second aperture defined on the lid, wherein the container base and the lid define for at least one movable position a substantially enclosed volume for storing at least one item.

Still another implementation is a water dental jet handle including a housing defining a cavity, a tip attachment mechanism operationally attached to the housing, a visual indicator operationally attached to the housing, the visual indicator visually indicating when the tip is attached to the housing and further visually indicating when the tip is detached from the housing, a pause button, and a stop plunger attached to the pause button and at least partially received within the cavity. In such an implementation, depressing the pause button halts a fluid flow through the cavity and to the tip. Additionally, an audible indication that the tip is properly attached may be provided. For example, a click, bell or whistle may be heard when the tip is seated. The audible indication may be mechanically or electronically generated.

A further implementation takes the form of a water dental jet unit including a base unit defining a cavity, a plurality of footings attached to the base unit and operative to elevate the base unit above a surface supporting the base unit, a reservoir in fluid communication with a pump contained within the cavity, and a tip operative to deliver a stream of pressurized fluid and in fluid communication with the pump.

Yet a further implementation takes the form of a dental water jet unit pump including a pump chassis, an eccentric end plate movably connected to the pump chassis, a first alignment shaft connected to the pump chassis, a second alignment shaft connected to the eccentric end plate, a first gear rotating around a longitudinal axis of the first alignment shaft, and a second gear engaging the first gear and rotating around a longitudinal axis of the second alignment shaft. In such an implementation, selectively moving the eccentric end plate relative to the pump chassis selectively moves the second gear relative to the first gear.

Still a further implementation takes the form of a dental water jet unit including a base unit defining a cavity, a reservoir in fluid communication with a pump contained within the cavity, a tip in fluid communication with the pump, and a reed valve located within the base unit. In such an implementation, the reed valve regulates a flow of a fluid from the pump to the tip. Further, the reed valve prevents the fluid from flowing from the tip to the pump.

An additional implementation takes the form of a dental water jet unit including a base unit having a basin for receiving a reservoir, a reservoir valve initially biased to a closed position and operationally attached to the reservoir, and a tube projection connected to the base unit and opening the valve when the reservoir is received within the basin. In such an implementation, the basin and the reservoir are configured to guide the reservoir valve adjacent to the tube projection.

A further implementation takes the form of an oral irrigator including a base unit with an opening formed therein, an oral irrigator handle including a handle inlet, a fitting removably coupled to the base unit and seated within the opening formed in the base unit, and a tube in fluid communication with the fitting and the handle. The fitting may include a fitting inlet and a fitting outlet with the fitting inlet in fluid communication with the base unit. The tube may be in fluid communication with the fitting outlet and the handle outlet. Fluid from the base unit may flow through the fitting inlet, to the fitting outlet, into the tube, and into the handle inlet.

Yet another implementation takes the form of an oral irrigator including a base unit with a pump body, a handle with an oral irrigator tip, a tube fluidly connecting the handle to the base unit, a fitting removably seated within an opening formed in the pump body, and a valve assembly fluidly connected to a fluid inlet of the fitting. The tube may be secured to a fluid outlet of the fitting to removably connect the tube to the pump body. The valve assembly may limit fluid flow from the fitting to the pump body.

Still another implementation takes the form of an apparatus for coupling an oral irrigator handle to an oral irrigator base unit. In such an implementation, the apparatus includes a support structure configured to secure the fitting to the oral irrigator base unit, a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, a cylindrical wall extending from the support structure, a groove defined in the cylindrical wall, and a seal at least partially received in the groove. The cylindrical wall may include an exterior surface and an interior surface defining a fluid path between the fluid inlet and the fluid outlet. The groove may be defined in the exterior surface of the cylindrical wall.

Another implementation takes the form of an oral irrigator including a base unit defining a recess, a reservoir supported by the base unit, a handle support attached to the base unit above the recess, an oral irrigator handle supported by the handle support, and a tube attached to the handle and in fluid communication with the reservoir and the handle such that fluid from the reservoir flows through the tube into the handle. In such an implementation, the tube includes a coiled portion that is received in the recess defined by the base unit when the handle is supported by the handle support.

These and additional implementations, embodiments, features, and operations of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following disclosure.

