Hydraulically Operated Hand Appliance For Personal Hygiene

Abstract

A unitary hand appliance, driven by a source of liquid pressure pulses, alternatively oscillates an appliance head such as a toothbrush head or supplies liquid pressure pulses to an appliance head such as a water jet head. The appliance is controlled for either type of operation by a manually operated control ring at the front end thereof which controls valve means toward the rear of the appliance. Advantageously a two-tube recirculating appliance is employed, and the control means is designed so that the appliance can also be turned on and off by the front control ring. The control mechanism and appliance heads may be designed to insure proper positioning of the control ring for each type of appliance head.

Parent Case Text

This is a continuation, of U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 117,466, filed Feb. 22, 1971 now abandoned.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Power driven toothbrushes and water jet devices are now well known for oral hygiene, and supplement each other for proper care of the teeth and gums. Most commonly, at the present time, separate devices are used for the purpose. Thus electric toothbrushes and hydraulic water jet devices are widely known, the latter utilizing a pump unit which delivers water pressure pulses to a jet tip which is inserted in the mouth.

Water-powered toothbrushes are known, and also separate toothbrush and water jet appliances which may be attached through suitable fittings to a pump unit. The latter are inconvenient for toothbrush use, since they require attaching a separate handle device containing an hydraulic motor to the pump unit by means of an adaptor fitting, as well as inserting a toothbrush stem. Such devices commonly require turning the apparatus on and off at the pump unit to avoid splashing, both when using an attachment and when changing attachments, and require a separate purging operation when using a toothbrush attachment in order to eliminate air from the hydraulic system.

In U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,065 a unitary hand appliance is described which can be permanently attached to a pump unit and is adapted for either toothbrush or water jet operation by simply changing the appliance head and actuating valves in the hand appliance. This greatly simplifies the use of the appliance for both purposes. Also, preferably a two-tube connection between the pump and hand appliance is employed, so that water can be recirculated back to the pump unit, thereby permitting operation of the hand appliance to be turned off at the appliance itself while the pump unit is running, and also eliminating the need for a separate purging operation when using the toothbrush stem.

The present invention is an improvement on the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,065 and is particularly designed to simplify operation for the user. Certain features are applicable to single-tube as well as two-tube appliances, although two-tube recirculating appliances are preferred.

Although especially designed for toothbrush and water jet operation, the invention can be employed with other types of appliance heads requiring, alternatively, an oscillating drive and liquid pressure pulses.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the invention, alternative control for oscillation and water jet uses is provided by a control member mounted at the front end of the appliance handle, so as to enable convenient actuation by the forefinger and thumb, while the handle remains gripped by the remaining fingers and palm. The control member actuates valve means which is located considerably rearward in the handle so as to control the water pulse supply near its point of entry. Advantageously the control member is a ring encircling the front end of the handle casing and arranged for longitudinal sliding to its various positions.

Preferably a two-tube recirculating system is employed and the control means is designed so that the appliance can be turned "off" by the control member, thereby enabling control of all three operations by a single, conveniently positioned control member.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention, means are provided so that one or both of the toothbrush and water jet heads establish the proper position of the control member for the operation of that head.

Also, positive detents are provided for water jet operation so that the water jet head is held axially in place but allowed manual rotation thereof, while at the same time means are provided for positively oscillating a toothbrush head.

Provision can also be made to permit varying the pressure of the liquid pulses by the control member, thereby avoiding the need to adjust pressure at the pump unit. Other features of the invention will be apparent from the description of the specific embodiments given hereinafter.

Although particularly designed for use with toothbrush and water jet heads, the appliance could be used with other types of attachments requiring an oscillating drive or liquid pressure pulses.

Although water will commonly be referred to hereinafter, it will be understood that other liquids such as antiseptic solutions could be employed if desired.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates overall apparatus utilizing a hand appliance of the invention with a toothbrush head attached thereto, and FIG. 1(a) illustrates rotational oscillation thereof;

FIG. 2 illustrates the hand appliance with a water jet attachment in place;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show a one-tube embodiment of the invention, partially in cross-section, with toothbrush and water jet heads attached thereto, respectively;

FIGS. 3(a), 3(b), 3(c) and 3(e) are cross-sections along the lines a--a, b--b, c--c and e--e of FIG. 3, respectively, and FIGS. 3(d) and 3(f) are details of parts of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a water jet attachment suitable for the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4;

FIGS. 6 and 7 show another one-tube embodiment of the invention with toothbrush and water jet attachments, respectively, and FIG. 6(a) is a detail of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8-10 illustrate, mostly in cross-section, a two-tube embodiment of the invention in water jet, toothbrush and "off" positions, respectively;

FIGS. 11-13 illustrate another two-tube embodiment of the invention, mostly in cross-section, showing water jet, toothbrush and "off" positions, respectively;

FIGS. 14-16 illustrate another two-tube embodiment of the invention, mostly in cross-section, in water jet, toothbrush and "off" positions, respectively.

FIGS. 14(a)-14(f) are cross-sections taken along respective lines a--a through f--f of FIG. 14;

FIG. 15(a) is a cross-section taken along the line a--a of FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a partial cross-section of the head of a hand appliance adapted for use with a combination toothbrush and water jet attachment, and FIG. 17(a) is a cross-section along the line a--a of FIG. 17; and

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a combination toothbrush and water jet appliance usable with the arrangement of FIG. 17.

DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIG. 1, a pump unit generally designated as 10 is connected to a hand appliance generally designated as 11 by flexible conduit means, here shown as a pair of flexible tubes 12 and 13. The pump unit has a water reservoir 14 and the lower part 15 contains a pump and drive motor for supplying liquid pressure pulses to outlet tube 12. Tube 13 serves as a return line. The pump unit may be provided with means for regulating the water pressure, controlled by knob 16, a power switch 17, and an indicator light 18. In some embodiments described hereinafter, only a single tube is employed, and tube 13 may be omitted. Suitable pump units are known in the art and need not be described specifically.

Hand appliance 11 is elongated so that it can readily be grasped, and is shown with a toothbrush head 21 attached at the front end thereof. A manually actuable control member 22 is mounted at the front end of the hand appliance so that it can conveniently be actuated by the forefinger and thumb, while the appliance is grasped by the other fingers and palm.

The hand appliance 11 contains a hydraulic motor driven by pressure pulses from line 12 and designated to oscillate the toothbrush 21 under the control of member 22. Preferably rotational oscillation is produced, as illustrated in FIG. 1a.

FIG. 2 shows hand appliance 11 with a water jet head 24 attached thereto. By suitably moving control member 22, the hydraulic motor is stopped, and the pressure pulses from tube 12 supplied through conduit means in hand appliance 11 to the jet head 24.

Referring now to FIGS. 3, 3a-e and 4, a hand appliance is shown using only one tube 12 for receiving liquid pressure pulses from the pump unit 15, and having two operating positions of the control member 22. FIGS. 3 and 4 show operation with toothbrush and water jet heads 21 and 24, respectively. In most of the hand appliance the parts have rotational symmetry, and departures therefrom will be evident from the difference in the figures.

Insofar as practical, parts which are separately formed for convenience of manufacture, but fastened together in use, have cross-section lines extending across the line whereat the parts are joined, so as to facilitate understanding. Departures from this will be evident from the description.

Elongated casing 31 forms a handle, and tube 12 is connected at the rear of the casing to an axially extending conduit 32 which connects with an hydraulic motor comprising a hollow piston 33 longitudinally reciprocating in a cylinder having a rear section 34 and a forward section 35. The diameter of the rear section 34 is somewhat larger than that of the piston, leaving an annular space 36 through which water may flow to a series of circumferentially spaced apertures 37 in the wall of the rear cylinder section 34. The annular space 36 is closed at its forward end by a seal 38.

Flow through apertures 37 is controlled by control member 22 mounted at the front end of the casing. Member 22 is ring shaped and profiled on the outside for convenient finger operation. It is connected through a cylindrical sliding sleeve 39 to a rotationally symmetrical valve section 41 near apertures 37. A seal 42 prevents rearward water flow. Compression spring 40 bears against casing 31 and seal 42 to urge the control assembly to its forward position. The outer lip 22' extends over the front end of casing 31, and the recess between 22' and sleeve 39 serves to limit rearward movement of the control member, as seen in FIG. 4.

An O-ring seal 43 abuts against an enlargement 34' of the rear cylinder section 34. Consequently, in the forward position of control member 22 shown in FIG. 3, valve section 41 presses against ring-seal 43 and no water flows thereby. Thus apertures 37 are effectively closed and the full pressure of the incoming pressure pulses is applied to piston 33.

Each pressure pulse forces piston 33 forward. Compression spring 44, bearing against abutments on piston 33 and forward cylinder section 35, provides a return force to cause the piston to reciprocate. A bushing 45 serves to join rear and forward cylinder sections 34' and 35, and extends forwardly thereof as seen in FIG. 4. A sleeve 46 is rotatably mounted in the forward part of bushing 45. Pin 47 is mounted in the forward end of piston 33 and projects into a longitudinal slot 48 in bushing 45 which prevents rotation of the piston. Pin 47 passes through a helical slot 49 in sleeve 46 (see FIG. 3d) so that longitudinal reciprocation of piston 33 produces rotational oscillation of sleeve 46.

The forward end of sleeve 46 forms a socket for receiving appliance heads. The axially inner portion 51 of the socket has a smaller internal diameter, the axially intermediate portion 52 has a larger internal diameter, and the axially forward portion 53 has an intermediate internal diameter. The forward portion 53 has an axial slot 54 for the reception of a pin 55 of an appliance head requiring a rotationally oscillating drive.

FIG. 3 shows a toothbrush head 21 inserted in the socket. A hollow protecting shank portion 56 of the attachment fits into inner portion 51 of the socket and is sealed therein by O-ring 57. An intermediate diameter portion 58 of the attachment abuts against the step in the socket between sections 51 and 52 to limit the degree of insertion. Pin 55 enters slot 54 in the forward section of the socket, and therefore the toothbrush is rotationally oscillated by the socket.

Referring to FIG. 4, the control member 22 is shown in its rearward position, and valve member 41 has been moved rearward to open apertures 37. A cylindrical channel 61 extends forwardly from outside O-ring 43 and between the sliding sleeve 39 and fixed bushing 45. The forward end of channel 61 is closed by a seal 60.

The forward end of bushing 45 has circumferentially arranged apertures 62 (FIG. 3f) and a larger internal diameter so that water from channel 61 flows through apertures 62 and circumferentially arranged apertures 63 in sleeve 46 to the interior of the sleeve. The front end of sleeve 46 is open so that liquid pressure pulses are discharged therethrough in this rearward position of the control ring 22 and valve 41.

In this position of valve 41, the input pressure pulses from conduit 32 are bypassed around the piston 33, so that insufficient pressure is applied to the piston to drive the hydraulic motor mechanism.

In FIG. 4, a portion of a jet nozzle 24 is shown inserted in the front socket of the appliance handle. The construction of the nozzle is shown in FIG. 5. The shank tubular portion 64 fits into stocket section 51 and passage of water around the outside thereof is prevented by O-ring 57. Accordingly the pressure pulses pass into the internal passage 62 to the jet tip.

The jet nozzle has a pair of diametrically spaced detents 66 on spring arms 67 radially spaced from tubular portion 64. Thus, when the nozzle is inserted, the detents 66 engage in the larger diameter axially intermediate section 52 of the socket, so as to prevent the nozzle from being ejected by the water pressure pulses. However, the nozzle can be freely rotated by hand by grasping sections 68 thereof. The shank portion 64 may be somewhat enlarged at 64' to bear against socket portion 51 and serve as a stop when inserting the nozzle. To remove the nozzle, the spring arms are moved inward by pressing on projections 69 to disengage the detents 66.

In this embodiment the forward position of control member 22 corresponds to toothbrush action, and the rearward position to jet action. Shoulder 71 of the jet nozzle attachment is axially positioned relative to detents 66 so that, if control member 22 is in its forward position, the insertion of the jet nozzle will automatically move the control member to its jet operating position. Also, inasmuch as the control member is urged forwardly by spring 40, the detents 66 hold the control member in its rearward position, thereby making it unnecessary for the operator to do so. This not only eliminates an awkward and somewhat tedious effort on the part of the user, but also frees his forefinger and thumb to rotate the jet nozzle as desired. Upon removal of the jet nozzle, spring 40 automatically moves control ring 22 forward to stop flow of water through the front socket.

It is possible to eliminate spring 40 by designing the bypass channel so that equal forward and rearward pressures are applied to the control assembly. Thus if the radial projection of the forward face of valve section 41 is equal to the radial projection of the sealing ring 60 at the forward end of channel 61, the pressure will approximately balance and the spring 40 can be eliminated, if desired. Small co-operating projections and indentations between the casing and the sliding sleeve could be used to establish the two positions of the control member.

When operating with a toothbrush appliance head, it may be necessary to eliminate air from the hydraulic system before proper operation is obtained, as is well known in hydraulic systems. Thus, in FIG. 3 if purging of air is necessary, control member 22 may be pulled back momentarily to open valve 41 and allow water to flow through the central passage 72.

Referring to FIGS. 6, 6a and 7, a modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4 is shown, still employing a single tube connection to the pump unit. Here the seals 38, 42 and 60 are replaced by O-rings 38', 42' and 60'. Also, fixed O-ring 43 in FIG. 3 is replaced by an O-ring 81 which is secured in sliding valve member 41', and apertures 37 have shallow forward extensions 37'. Thus, as the valve assembly starts to move rearwards, at first only small pressure pulses are supplied to the forward parts of the water channel. This may be useful in purging air from the hydraulic system while maintaining sufficient pressure on piston 33 to start oscillating the toothbrush as soon as air has been eliminated, and also helps to avoid washing paste from the toothbrush bristles.

The socket at the front end for receiving a toothbrush head here uses a different radial asymmetry to drive the toothbrush. Instead of a pin and slot connection, the portion of the socket designated 82 is made with an internal square configuration, and the corresponding section of the shank of the toothbrush head has a square cross-section (FIG. 6). Further, the retaining annular groove 83 for receiving the detents 66 of the jet nozzle shank is here made a part of the control ring 22, to form an outer portion of the socket (FIG. 7). Thus, if the control member 22 is in its forward position when inserting the jet nozzle head, there is no tendency to rotate the head during the insertion.

As seen in FIG. 6, the toothbrush shank has a sufficient clearance with respect to the walls of groove 83 to allow free oscillation thereof.

The differences pointed out above may be incorporated in the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. An additional modification is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Instead of a longitudinal sliding movement of the control members, the longitudinal or axial movement is produced by a pin 84, fixed in casing 31, and riding in a helical groove 84 at the rear of the valve section 41'. This allows a fine adjustment of pressure of the jet spray directly at the handle, without readjustment of pressure at the pump.

The preceding embodiments require turning operation on and off at the pump unit, as by switch 17 in FIG. 1. This may be awkward and require care to avoid splashing. Also, the need for purging air from the system when operating the hydraulic motor is a nuisance, and may wash paste from the toothbrush before it is used.

In subsequent embodiments these disadvantages are eliminated while retaining advantages of the preceding embodiments.

Referring to FIGS. 8-10, a two-tube recirculating appliance is shown, utilizing both supply and return tubes 12,13 as specifically illustrated in FIG. 1. Provision is made for an "off" position at the handle, as well as toothbrush and jet spray positions, all operated by a single control member at the front of the handle. Many of the parts are similar to those of the previous figures, although differing in detail, and will be given similar designations preceded by a "1." The description will be confined largely to significant differences. The conversion of longitudinal reciprocation to rotational oscillation is similar to that previously described, and is contained between the broken lines.

FIG. 8 shows the forward position of the control ring 122, which in this embodiment corresponds to jet spray operation. Outlet tube 13 is connected through conduit 191 to aperture 192 in the rear cylinder section 134. O-rings 142 and 181, mounted in the sliding valve section 141, are axially spaced so they can span apertures 137 and 192 (FIG. 10). In the position shown in FIG. 8, the water pulses pass by O-ring 181 into the forwardly extending annular conduit 161, thence through passages 163 to the interior of sleeve 146, and out to the conduit 165 in the jet nozzle. The jet nozzle is axially retained in position by detents 166, but allowed free manual rotation, as before.

It will be noted that in this embodiment the outer surface of the inner portion 151 of the socket has a stepped up region 193 against which O-ring 160 firmly presses in the jet spray position, so that no water can leak thereby.

FIG. 9 shows the mid-position of the control ring 122, with a toothbrush attachment in place. In this position, apertures 137 are blocked on each side by O-rings 142, 181, so that full pulse pressure is applied to piston 133 and oscillation of the toothbrush head is produced. With the toothbrush stem inserted in the socket, the pin and slot connection 155, 154 insures that the toothbrush will oscillate with the socket. In this embodiment it is unnecessary to provide for purging through the toothbrush head, and the inner channel 72 of the toothbrush stem shown in FIG. 3 is omitted. Inasmuch as no water need flow to the front in this operation, it is unnecessary for the shank 156 of the toothbrush stem to extend past O-ring 157, although it may do so if desired. The O-ring 160 has stepped off the enlarged region 193 of the socket, thereby reducing resistance to oscillation.

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary view showing the rear position of the control members. Here pressure pulses from inlet conduit 132 can flow through apertures 137 and 192 to the outlet conduit 191. This bypassing action results in insufficient pressure to operate the hydraulic motor, and water is prevented from flowing forward through annular channel 161. Consequently, the appliance head is effectively "off," even though the pump unit 15 is "on."

In operation, the pump unit can be turned on, with the control member 122 of the hand appliance in its rearward "off" position, and either appliance head attached. The continuous circulation of water back to the pump effectively removes any air from the hydraulic system so that no purging is necessary at the handle, and the hydraulic motor is ready to go immediately upon moving the control member 122 to its mid-position. With a jet nozzle in place, the control member is moved to its forward position. Thus full control at the handle is provided, thereby making the appliance very convenient to use. Note that if the control member is in its forward position when the toothbrush head is inserted, the control member will automatically be pushed back to its mid-position.

FIGS. 11-13 show an embodiment similar to that of FIGS. 8-10 and similar parts are similarly labeled, but using an initial digit "2." Here O-rings 242, 281 are mounted on the exterior surface of fixed members 234 and 234' rather than on the sliding valve section 241, and an additional O-ring 293 is mounted on 234' intermediate the other two. An internally enlarged section 294 is formed in the valve section 241. This facilitates construction and assembly and in general provides better operation. Apertures 237 are located more rearwardly than in FIG. 8.

In the forward jet spray position of control member 222, as shown in FIG. 11, O-rings 242 and 293 close off the outlet port 292, whereas enlarged section 294 registers with O-ring 281 and allows passage of water pulses thereby to cylindrical channel 261.

In the mid-position of the control member, for toothbrush operation, shown in FIG. 12, O-rings 242, 293 still close off outlet port 292, but O-rings 293 and 281 now span enlarged section 294 and block passage of water from ports 237 to channel 261. Thus full magnitude pressure pulses are applied to piston 233 to produce oscillation of the front socket.

In the rear position of the control member, shown in FIG. 13, enlarged section 294 spans ports 237 and 292, thereby recirculating the pressure pulses back to the pump unit and stopping operation of the piston. O-ring 281 blocks passage of water to channel 261. Thus the appliance head is effectively "off."

At the forward end, O-ring 260 is now mounted on the external surface of socket portion 251 and, in the forward jet spray position of control ring 222 (FIG. 11), bears firmly against an internal projection 295 on the sliding control sleeve 239. This prevents water leakage in the jet spray position. In the mid-position of the control ring for toothbrush operation, as seen in FIG. 12, O-ring 260 does not engage the control sleeve projection 295, and reduces resistance to socket rotation.

The embodiment of FIGS. 11-13 functions similarly to that of FIGS. 8-10.

Referring now to FIGS. 14, 14a-g, 15 and 16, an embodiment is shown which functions overall like that of FIGS. 8 and 11, but differs considerably in construction. Generally similar parts will be similarly numbered, using an initial digit "3," with certain differences pointed out, and additional numerals will be used as required.

In this embodiment provision is made to prevent the jet spray tip from oscillating when pushing the control member through the brushing position to the jet position, which may be confusing to the user. Also, the force required to actuate the control member has been reduced and a more powerful spray jet has been provided. These and other advantages will be apparent as the description proceeds.

The inlet conduit 332 supplies incoming pressure pulses to the hydraulic motor much as before, but the apertures 337 have been redesigned and relocated so that they are at the rear of cylinder section 334 adjacent the head of piston 333 (see FIG. 14b). Also, the recirculation to the outlet line 13 is now a ring-shaped channel 401 connected to outlet conduit 391 through a pair of transverse channels 402. This arrangement provides a low resistance to recirculation.

In the jet spray position shown in FIG. 14, control ring 322 is forward and thus valve section 341 is forward. Water pulses pass around O-ring 381 between the enlarged section 394 of the control valve section and the rear cylinder section 334, as in FIG. 11. However, the outer periphery of valve section 341 and the control sleeve 339 joined thereto, are spaced from the inside of casing 331 so as to reduce friction in operating the control mechanism. Also, in this embodiment the forward flow of water is directed inwardly, so there is no water pressure against the control sleeve which would press it against the casing and increase the friction of operation. To guide the sleeve while allowing water flow thereby, the rear portion of cylinder section 335 has alternate steps of larger and smaller diameter as shown in FIG. 14c. Also, the control sleeve 339 has an axially extending slot into which an axially extending ridge 400 on cylinder section 335 projects, to allow the control sleeve to slide back and forth but prevent rotation thereof.

Instead of continuing the water channel between the outside of cylinder section 335 and control sleeve 339, here the water channel passes inward through circumferentially spaced apertures 403 (FIG. 14d) to the tapering space 404 between the piston and cylinder section 335.

In this embodiment rotation of piston 333 is prevented by a pair of outwardly projecting wings 405 on the piston, which ride in axial slots 406 in cylinder section 335 (see FIG. 14e), and the portion of the piston ahead of wings 405 not only accommodates return spring 344 but also provides an annular space 407 for the forward flow of water.

Instead of using a driving pin and helical slot as a motion converter, as in previous embodiments, here the known equivalent reverse arrangement is used. Thus sleeve 346 is rotationally oscillated by a helical cam screw 408 at the end of the piston, the cam screw riding in a helical cam nut in the rear wall of sleeve 346. As seen in FIG. 14f, the cam nut has two pairs of cam recesses 409, whereas cam screw 408 has only two flutes. Thus one pair of cam recesses 409 are open for water flow therethrough without excessive resistance to flow.

The water pulses pass through the interior of sleeve 346 to an axial passage in tubular drive member 411. Member 411 is preferably of metal and provided with small sawtooth sections 412 which form a press fit into sleeve 346 so as to rotate therewith. The mid-portion 413 of drive member 411 is round on its exterior surface so as to receive shank 414 of a jet nozzle attachment. The forward portion 415 has a square exterior surface, or in general a radial non-symmetrical surface, for driving a toothbrush attachment.

A jet spray attachment is axially retained in place, while allowing manual rotation, by a circumferential groove 416 which receives a detent 417 of the jet spray attachment. Only a single spring detent member on the jet spray head is here employed. In this embodiment groove 416 is formed in a stationary socket member 418 press-fit into cylinder section 335. Thus, as the control member 332 passes through the brushing position, the square front portion 415 of driving member 413 may oscillate without oscillating the jet tip. Also the internal diameter of the shank of the jet attachment is slightly greater than section 413 of the driving member, so there is no tendency to oscillate the jet tip at this point.

O-ring 419 is held between an inwardly projecting shoulder on socket member 418 and a fixed sleeve 421 whose rear end bears against a washer 422 to provide proper spacing. The inner cylindrical surface of spacer sleeve 421 guides rotational sleeve 346.

FIG. 15 shows the control member 322 in its mid-position with a toothbrush attachment in place. O-rings 393 and 381 block the passage of water thereby so that full pulse pressure is applied to the piston 333 and sleeve 346 oscillates. The shank of the toothbrush attachment has an initial round section fitting section 413 of the driving member but spaced from O-ring 419 to avoid friction in rotating. The mid-portion of the shank has a square cross-section fitting section 415 of the drive member so as to oscillate the toothbrush. In this embodiment the toothbrush attachment is also provided with a detent 423 to hold it in place axially, while allowing rotational oscillation.

FIG. 16 shows the control member 322 in its rear or "off" position. Here O-ring 381 blocks forward passage of water, but flow is allowed from apertures 337 around O-ring 393 to annular passage 401, and thence to outlet conduit 391.

Referring now to FIGS. 17, 17a and 18, a modification is shown in which a single attachment may serve alternatively as a toothbrush or as a water jet. Only the front part of the appliance handle is shown, and is an adaptation of the embodiment of FIGS. 3-4, although other embodiments described hereinbefore could be suitably adapted.

As shown in FIG. 18, the attachment has a tubular shank 490 with an axial hole 491 therein leading to a jet outlet 492. Beyond the outlet is brush 493. Two similar spring members 494, 494' have at their free ends detents 495 provided with a series of serrations 496 on the peripheral surfaces thereof. Intermediate shoulders are shown at 497, and rear manually operable shoulders at 498. The attachment also has enlarged sections 499 between the spring sections.

In FIG. 17, circumferential recesses 501 in rotatable driving socket 451 are serrated to correspond to those at 196 in FIG. 18. Here the control ring 422 extends farther forward of the socket than in FIG. 3 and has a large diameter recess 502 and smaller diameter recess 503.

With the attachment inserted and the control ring 422 in its forward position as shown in full lines, the recess 502 receives the intermediate shoulders 497 of the attachment and allows the spring members 494 to spring outwardly sufficiently to allow serrations 496 of the attachment to engage serrations 501 of the socket and cause rotational oscillation of the attachment as the socket 451 oscillates.

If, now, control member 422 is moved backward, as indicated in dotted lines, recess 503 forces intermediate shoulders 497 of the attachment inward and disengages the serrated surfaces as indicated in FIG. 17a. This supplies the water pulses to the conduit 491 of the attachment and the attachment operates as a jet spray. The dimensions are selected so that the inward movement of the spring members 494 by recess 503 does not move detents 495 fully out of recess 501, so that the attachment is axially retained in position but allowed to be manually rotated.

Removal of the attachment is accomplished by manually pressing the spring members further inwards by shoulders 498, to disengage the detents fully from recess 501.

Most of the parts of the hand appliances described hereinbefore, and also the toothbrush and water jet heads, will be made of suitable plastics as is common in the art. Certain elements subject to wear in use are advantageously of metal, for example, the tubular drive member 411 and stationary socket member 418 of FIG. 14. However, simple cross-sectioning lines have been used herein since the scale of the drawings would make plastic-sectioning unduly confusing.

It will be understood that many modifications and changes may be made in the specific embodiments described, within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

We claim:

1. A hand appliance for personal hygiene, for use with appliance heads requiring alternatively an oscillating drive and liquid pressure pulses, and driven by a source of liquid pressure pulses, said hand appliance comprising

a. an elongated casing forming a handle,

b. flexible conduit means for connecting said casing with said source of liquid pressure pulses,

c. an output member mounted near the front end of said casing for oscillating an appliance head attached thereto and having an opening for supplying liquid pressure pulses to an appliance head attached thereto,

d. an hydraulic motor in said casing actuable by liquid pressure pulses for oscillating said output member,

e. conduit means in said casing for delivering liquid pressure pulses to said output member,

f. control valve means in said casing positioned substantially rearwardly of the front end of the casing and controllable to supply liquid pressure pulses from said flexible conduit means alternatively to actuate said hydraulic motor and to supply the pressure pulses to said conduit means in the casing,

g. a manually actuable control member mounted at the front end of said appliance and adapted for longitudinal movement relative thereto,

h. and a connecting member within the casing connecting said control member and control valve means for actuation of the valve means to alternative positions thereof in response to actuation of the control member.

2. A hand appliance according to claim 1 in which said control member and connecting member are slidably mounted for longitudinal movement with respect to said casing.

3. A hand appliance according to claim 2 including a forwardly opening socket at the front end of said appliance having an internal groove for receiving detent means of an appliance head and retaining the head against forward axial displacement.

4. A hand appliance according to claim 3 in which said socket is fixed with said casing, and said output member includes a hollow axially projecting tubular member having at least a portion of the outside thereof radially non-symmetrical for rotationally oscillating an appliance head fitting therewith.

5. A hand appliance according to claim 1 in which said hydraulic motor includes a longitudinally extending piston cylinder and a piston reciprocating therein, and including a conduit in said casing for connecting said flexible conduit means to the head of said piston cylinder, said control valve means including a port extending laterally through the wall of said piston cylinder, an annular valve section encircling the wall of said cylinder in the region of said port, and a pair of longitudinally spaced annular sealing members for sealing said valve section and cylinder wall, said valve section being movable longitudinally to alternatively seal off liquid flow through said port and allow flow from said port to said conduit means delivering liquid pressure pulses to said output member.

6. A hand appliance according to claim 5 in which said manually actuable control member is an annular control member mounted at the front end of said appliance, and a generally cylindrical sleeve slidable between the wall of the casing and said piston cylinder and joining said annular control member and said annular valve section.

7. A hand appliance according to claim 1 in which said flexible conduit means includes a discharge conduit for discharging liquid from said casing, and including a return conduit in said casing connected to said discharge conduit, said control valve means including means for returning liquid pressure pulses from said source to said return conduit.

8. A hand appliance according to claim 5 in which said flexible conduit means includes a return conduit for returning liquid pressure pulses to said source, and including a return conduit in said casing connected to the return conduit in said flexible conduit means and having a return port extending laterally through the wall of said piston cylinder, said valve section being movable longitudinally to connect the first-mentioned port to said return port to thereby recirculate incoming liquid pressure pulses back to said source.

9. A hand appliance in accordance with claim 3 in combination with a combined toothbrush and water jet attachment having a spring member with a detent near the shank end thereof, said internal groove and said detent having matching serrated surfaces for oscillating said attachment, a second internal groove in said control member and an external projection on said spring member designed and adapted to hold said attachment in said socket with said serrated surfaces in engagement, and a third smaller internal diameter groove in said control member engageable with said external projection upon sliding said control member for disengaging said serrated surfaces while retaining the detent in the first-mentioned groove, and shoulder means on said attachment for depressing said spring member to disengage said detent from the first-mentioned groove and allow withdrawal of the attachment.

10. A hand appliance according to claim 1 in which said output member includes a hollow axially projecting tubular member having at least a portion of the outside thereof radially non-symmetrical for rotationally oscillating an appliance head fitting therewith, and annular means radially spaced from said tubular member and fixed with respect to said casing for cooperating with detent means of an appliance head and retaining the head against forward axial displacement.

11. A hand appliance according to claim 7 in which said control valve means is designed and adapted to return said liquid pulses to said return conduit in the rearward position of said control member, to actuate said hydraulic motor in the intermediate position of the control member, and to supply pressure pulses to said conduit means for delivering pulses to the output member in the forward position of the control member.

12. A hand appliance according to claim 11 in which said output member includes a hollow axially projecting tubular member having at least a portion thereof radially non-symmetrical, and annular means radially spaced from said tubular member and fixed with respect to said casing for cooperating with detent means of an appliance head and retaining the head against forward axial displacement.

13. The combination of a hand appliance according to claim 12 and a toothbrush head attachment having detent means cooperating with said annular means, said toothbrush attachment having a radially extending shoulder positioned for abutment by said manual control member in the intermediate position thereof and prevent movement to the forward position thereof.

14. The combination of a hand appliance according to claim 12 and a jet nozzle attachment having detent means cooperating with said annular means, said jet nozzle attachment having an internal bore of larger diameter than said projecting tubular member to avoid engagement thereby.

15. A hand appliance for personal hygiene for use with appliance heads requiring alternatively a rotational oscillation and liquid pressure pulses, and driven by a source of liquid pressure pulses, said hand appliance comprising

a. an elongated casing forming a handle,

b. flexible conduit means including supply and return conduits for connecting said casing with said source of liquid pressure pulses,

c. an output member mounted near the front end of said casing and including a hollow axially projecting tubular member having at least a portion thereof radially non-symmetrical,

d. annular means radially spaced from said tubular member and fixed with respect to said casing for cooperating with detent means of an appliance head and retaining the head against forward axial displacement,

e. means for rotationally oscillating said output member including a longitudinally extending piston cylinder and a piston reciprocating therein,

f. an input conduit in said casing for connecting said flexible supply conduit to the head of said piston cylinder,

g. a return conduit in said casing connected to said flexible return conduit,

h. conduit means in said casing for delivering liquid pressure pulses to said output member,

i. an annular valve section encircling the wall of said piston cylinder,

j. longitudinally spaced rear, intermediate and forward valve ports cooperating with said annular valve section and connected respectively with said return conduit, the interior of said piston cylinder, and said conduit means for delivering liquid pressure pulses to said output member,

k. said valve section being movable longitudinally to alternatively connect said rear and intermediate ports, seal off liquid flow through said intermediate port, and connect said intermediate and forward ports in respective rear, intermediate and forward positions thereof,

l. and a manually actuable annular control member encircling the front end of said appliance and connected with said valve section for moving the valve section to respective positions thereof.

16. The combination of a hand appliance according to claim 15 and a toothbrush head attachment having detent means cooperating with said annular means, said toothbrush attachment having a radially extending shoulder positioned for abutment by said manual control member in the intermediate position thereof and prevent movement to the forward position thereof.

17. The combination of a hand appliance according to claim 15 and a jet nozzle attachment having detent means cooperating with said annular means, said jet nozzle attachment having an internal bore of larger diameter than said projecting tubular member to avoid engagement thereby.