Water jet unit and handle

Abstract

An apparatus for providing a pressurized water stream for cleaning gums and teeth. The embodiment 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. 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 the fluid. The reservoir may support a container for storing tips or other items. Fluid may flow from the reservoir and ultimately into the tip to provide oral irrigation and/or cleaning of the teeth, gums, and tongue.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is related to the concurrently-filed U.S. design application entitled “Water Jet Base” and filed on Feb. 24, 2006 with Express Mail Label No. EV 759 036 018 US, as well as to the concurrently-filed U.S. design application entitled “Water Jet Handle” and filed on Feb. 24, 2006 with Express Mail Label No. EV 759 036 035 US, each naming Brian Boyd, Brian R. Williams and Kurt M. Taylor as inventors.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] a. Field of the Invention [0003] The present invention relates generally to oral hygiene products, and more particularly to a dental water jet unit. [0004] b. Background Art [0005] 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 remo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0019] Still a further embodiment of the present invention 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 embodiment, 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.

Problems solved by technology

Traditional toothbrush and flossing often cannot reach these areas to remove the bacteria and food debris from these areas.

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.

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