CA1069353A - Swept jet oral irrigator - Google Patents

Abstract

SWEPT JET ORAL IRRIGATOR
ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE
An improved oral irrigation technique is characterized by an oscillatory swept water jet issued to sweep back and forth at high frequencies across the user's gums and teeth. High frequency operation is achieved by oscillating the jet itself rather than the jet-issuing body. The high frequency sweeping jet effects faster cleaning action and more effective gum massage than prior art pulsed jet irrigators having lower effective operating frequencies.

Description

" 1~0~93~3 BACICGROUND OF TIIE INVENTION
Th~ present invention relates to improvements in oral irxigation and, more particularly, to a novel method and apparatus for employing water under pressure to cleanse and massage the user's oral cavity.
Oral irrigators are well known in the prior art. One such apparatus, as described in U.S. Patent No. 3,227,158 to Mattingly, issues a pulsed water jet through a nozzle under the ~ driving action of an electrically-operated pump. The pulses act `~ 10 to massage the user's gums and loosen food particles lodged between the teeth and between the teeth and gums. In order to provide an effective gum massage, the repetition rate of the pulses is selected to permit the user's gums to rebound from their depressed state between successive pul~es. Typically, thi~
repetition rate is on the order of 1000 to 1600 pul~es per minute.
Subsequent developments recognized certain disadvantages in the Mattingly approach and set out to provide improvements.
For example, U.S. Patent No. 3,542,017 to Adams points out the shock hazard involved in using an electrically-operated pump and the cumbersome nature of the overall apparatus. To this end, Adams employs a fluidic oscillator to supply the pulsating water jet, the oscillator requiring no moving part~, whereby the requirement for an electrically-operated pump is eliminated.
25 Adams makes no mention of the pulse repetition rate in his patent: however, in view of Mattingly's analysis, for effective .

~ 9353 massage the pulsed jet repetition rate must be on the order of 1000 to 1600 pulses per minute in order to permit the gum to rebound between pulses. There is a major practical disadvantage associated with the Adams irrigator. Specifically, the oscillating power stream in the fluidic oscillator must be oscillated between one outlet passage which feeds the outlet tube and a second outlet passage whlch serves as a vent. The venting wastes half of the applied water, a factor which is an anathema to present day stress on water conservation.
! Still another prior art approach is illustrated in U.S. Re-issue Patent No. RE 26,589 to Murov et al. The oral irrigator disclosed in that patent also avoids the use of ~, :
electricity by using the pressure of the water to reciprocate the irrigator outlet tube. As a consequence, liquid is , ~
translated back and forth across the gums as the outlet tube reciprocates. The reciprocating drive mechanism in this device renders the device somewhat bulky and subject to failure because of the wear and tear between moving parts. Moreover, there is a practical limit to the frequency at which the outlet tube can be reciprocated.
~ It is therefore an object of the present invention to .:~
¦~ provide an oral irrigator which is operat~d solely by the applied ¦~ tap water and has minimal pressure loss downstream of the , ~, .
l~ oscillator, and utilizes all of the applied water in the .:
irrigating flow.
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It is another object of the present invention to provide an oral irrigator which can operate at substantially Z

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:10~93S3 higher frequencies than prior art devices without sacrificing any effectiveness in its gum massaging action.
It is also an object of the present inven~ion to provide a method of oral irrigation wherein tap water serves as the sole power source, pressure loss downstream of the oscillatory member is minimized and water waste is eliminated.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a method of oral irrigation wherein operating frequencies ;~ ~ far in excess of those employed in the prior art can be used without sacrificing effective g~m massaging.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
We have found that an oscillating water jet can be swept back and forth over the user's teeth and gums at relatively ; high frequency with superior cleaning results and ma~3aging effects as compared to prior art devices. The sweeping jet breaks up into multiple droplets which successively impinge upon adjacent gum location~s. The recess created in the gum by one impacting droplet is forced back to its initial contour by the next droplet as it recesses the adjacent location. The overall effect may be viewed~
as an undulat~ing wave along the gum surface wherein each droplet recesses the gum at its point of impact but forces the gum to rebound in the immediately surrounding areas. Since rebound time or the gum is not limited by the gum's own elasticity, high sweep .
;~ ~ frequencies may be employed. In fact, sweep frequencies on the order af 20,000 cyc1es per minute have been tested and found to provide effective massaging act1on along with a more qensually ~ , :
: :

1~0~93S3 pleasurable effect on the user than is obtained with prior art devices. In addition, the high frequency swept water jet acts to sweep food particles out of lodged positions whereby the prior art pulsed jet sometimes forces the particles deeper between the teeth or between the gums and teeth, a characteristic which many dentists find objectionable. Thus, where the swept jet continuously moves of and by itself, the pulsed jet must be moved by the user to avoid the aforementioned problem and to have any real effect.
In order to achieve the high frequency sweeping action, the jet itself is oscillated rather than the irrigator stem.
Further, oscillation is effected at the head of the irrigator ~

stem whereby the sweeping jet is issued directly into the user's oral cavity from the oscillating means without experiencing pressure drops in the irrigator stem. The oscillating means is powered by the applied water pressure alone and may be a fluidic oscillator, a vibratable reed, a self-oscillating flexible tube, or the like.
The irrigator may be modified to include bristle - ~ ~0 members on the head which take advantage of the vibrations set : ::
up in the stem by the sweeping means to effect a high frequency brushing action. Alternatively, an oscillator may be employed at some brushing frequency while the sweeping means operates at some higher irrigating frequency.

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11)~i93:j3 The lrrigator is further characterized by a control valve in the handle and a diverter valve in the tube attaching to the water spigot. These valves, in combination with the faucet valves on the spigot itself, permit the following functions to be achieved: (1) setting the desired water tempera-ture, independently of pressure, with the faucet valves (2) coarsely setting the desired water pres~ure, independently of temperature, with the diverter valve; and (3) finely adjusting the pressure, and also permitting testing of the temperature without the necessity for passing water through the irrigator.
BRIEF DESCRIPTIO~ OF THE DRAWINGS
~: The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed des~ription of specific ;
embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a view in elevation showing an oral ; irriqator according to the present invention in its operative .: .
. ~ condition attached to a faucet feature :, ' : ~ 20 FIGURES 2 and 3 are bottom and side sectional views, respectively, in plan of a diverter valve employed with the ~ irrigator of the present invention;
: ~ FIGURES 4 and 5 are top and side plan views, respectively, of the handle of the irrigator of the present invention;
FIGURE 6 is a side view in plan of a control ~alve employed in the handle of Figures 4 and 5, the valve being ~hown in the~on posit1on;

~LO~;93~3 FIGURE 7 is a side view in plan of the control valve of Figure 6 shown in the off position FIGURES 8, 9 and 10 are side, end and top plan views, respectively of the head portion of a preferred embodiment of the oral irrigator of the present invention;
FIGURE 11 is a diagrammatic illustration of an ; : alternative jet sweeping arrange~ent for the head of the oral ~ .
irrigator:
FIGURE 12 is a plan view of an oral irrigator head ,~ 10 employing the jet sweeping arrangement of Figure 11; and FIGURE 13 is a plan view of an oral irrigator head : employing still another alternative jet sweeping arrangement.

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~ : 7 " 10~93S3 DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring in detail to Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings, an oral irrigator apparatus is connected to the spigot 10 of a sink faucet fixture having a hot water control valve 11 ~ 5 and a cold water control valve 12. The irrigator apparatus is -j attached to the spigOt by a threaded adaptor 13, if necessary, to which a diverter valve 14 is secured. A flexible conduit or hose 15 directs water flow from diverter valve 14 to the inlet :;, .
end of a handle member 16. A stem 17 is removably secured at one end to the outlet end of handle 16. The other end of stem 17 terminates in a sweep head 18. Water delivered by conduit 15 to the handle 16 is passed through the handle under the control ~ r.~
of a control valve 19 to sweep head 18 where the water flow is caused to oscillate in a manner to be described subsequently.
The oscillating stream is issued from head 18 in a sweeping pattern which diverges in a downstream direction. Stem 17, with head L8 attached, may be lnterchanged with other stems 90 that each member of a family may have a separate stem and head ~or use with a common handle and hose.
In use, the head~18 is inserted into the oral cavity of the user so that the sweeping water jet may impinge upon the . $` ;~ teeth and gums. In 80 doing the jet e~fectively sweeps away food and dirt particles lodged between teeth and between the teeth and gums. In addition, the sweeping~jet provides a therapeutic ,, ~
`~ ~ 25 and sensually pleasing massaging action on the gums. One rea~on ~ for the sensua}ly pleasing effect is the sen ation of sweeping . ~

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' across the gum surface as compared to a repetitive pounding of the same location as occurs in oral irrigators of the pulsed jet type. Another reason for the sensually pleasing effect is the higher frequency of operation permitted by a sweeping jet massage than is possible for a pulsed jet massage. Specifically, a pulsed jet oral irrigator is limited in its useful repetition rate by the elasticity of gum tissue. The pulses must be sufficiently spaced in time to permit the tissue to rebound from a depression caused by each pulse. If the tissue is not permitted to rebound, successive pulses produce minimal blood circulation and, in some instances, cause significant pain. As a practical matter, therefore, pulsed jet oral irrigators are ~; designed to operate at repetition rates below 2000 pulses per minute. With the sweeping jet, however, the jet breaks up into discrete droplets which successively impinge upon adjacent gum locations. As each droplet depresses the gum at its point of .;
impact, it also forces the adjacent area, including the previously recessed point, back to its unrecessed position. Thi~ forcing :'~
~ of the gum back to its normal position increases the rebound -~ 20 time;by at least an order of magnitude over the normal or unaided rebound time. Consequently, the sweeping jet can be swept at considerably higher frequencies than the repetition rates usable in pulsed jet irrigators. By way of example, whereas pulsed jet oral irrigators are limited to repetition rates below 2000 pul~es per minute, our ~wept jet oral irrigator is operable at 20,000 cycles per minute. At this higher `` 101~93~;~

frequency, the swept jet oscillator rapidly undulates the gum surface to produce a more effectiv~ blood circulation and massaging action; it also sweeps away food particles more rapidly than the slower frequency pulsed jet device.
Referring to Figures 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, diverter valve 14 includes a hollow generally cylin-drical body member 21 which is internally threaded at its open upper end 22 to engage either a suitable adapter or spigot.
The interior opening 24 of body member 21 converges in discrete steps in a longitudinal direction to form an internal orifice 25 positioned about the longitudinal axis of body 21. A bore 23 is defined diametrically through body 21, with orifice 25 terminat-ing at the bore sidewalls. A first egress opening 26 is de~ined through the opposite sidewall of bore 23 but displaced from the longitudinal axis of body 21. Egress opening 26 and orifice 25 , are arranged such that no part of either one is in longitudinal alignment with any part of the other. Egress opening 26 communicates with openings 27 in the bottom end 28 of body 21.
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A second egress opening 29 is defined through the sidewall of bor,e 23 at a location 90 di~placed from orifice 25 ":
and egress opening 26. In addition, egress op~ning 29 is dis-placed to the opposite ~ide of the longitudinal axis of body 21 from egress opening 26. One end of a connector 30 extends transversely through body member 21 into sealod flow communica-tion with egress opening 29; the other end of connector 30 term mates in a fitting 31 to which hose 15 ~see Fig. 1) may be secured.
i 10~ 3~3 A generally cylindrical shuttle ~ember 32, which is longer than the diameter of body 21, is captured within bore 23 by a retainer ring 33. Shuttle member 32 has two end section~
34, 35 of diameter substantially equal to that of bore 23. A
middle section 36 of shuttle 32 has a substantially s~aller diameter. The length of section 36 is such to per~it flow com-munication between orifice 25 and egress opening 26 in one ex-treme position of the shuttle and to penmit flow communication between orifice 25 and egress opening 29 in the othor extr~e `
~; 10 position of the shuttle. Flow from orifice 25 to either of~gress openings 26 and 29 may therefore be blocked depending upon the shuttle position.
When flow is to egress through opening 26 only, wat0r from the faucet falls into the sink and its temperature ~ay be easily detenmined by the user. Thereafter, the u~ar may shift the shuttle until the roughly de ired flow rate i8 achieved through egress opening 29 and ~he irrigator.
~; Referring to Figures 4 and 5 of the acco~panying draw-ings, the handle 16 of tho oral irrigator includes an elongated body m~mber 41 having a bore 42 terminates at the inlet end of ths body 41 and receives hose or conduit 15 which extends entirely through the bore. Control valve 19, d~scribed in greater detail ~; with respect to Figures 6 and 7, is rotatable to controllably crimp hose 15 within bore 42.
A collar 43 is secured to the outlet end of body 41.
Collar 43 is an elongat~d hollow me~ber having an interior ~O~9;~S3 annular shoulder adapted to abut the end of the body member. The body 41 and collar 43 are secured to one another by suitable adhesive or the like. A hose-to-stem adapter 44 fi~s in and is secured to the interior of collar 43. One end of adapter 44 i~
in the form of a barbed fitting 45 which extends into bore 42 to engage the end of hose 15. The othsr end of adapter 44 serves as a receptacle which receives stem 17 in a snap-fit engage~ent.
A liquid flow path exists from hose 15 through adapter 44 to stem 17, the flow in said path being controllable by control valve 19. Hose 15, in turn, includes a longitudinal bore which delivers the liquid to spray head 18.
A hole 40 is deined through one side of body me~ber 41 and c~mmunicates with bore 42. Control valve 19 extends into hole 40 where it engages and controllably crimps hose 15 in a manner best illustrated in Figures 6 and 7 to which refsrence is now made. Control valvs 19 includes a knob 51 reoiding outside ` body me~ber 41 and an operative section extending into body member 41 and across bore 42. The operative saction of the control valve incIudes a first cylindrical section 52 adjacent knob 51 and having a diameter substantially agual to that o$
hole 40 in which cylindrical section S2 resides, An inter~ediate ` section 53 of substantially narrower dia~eter than section 52 i extsnds longitudinally from section 52 but longitudinally off-csnter relative to th- longitudinal axis of section 52. Another cylindrical section 54 o~f the same general diameter as qection 52 extends longitudinally from section 53, and a stub ~ection 55, 10~93~3 disposed coaxially with sections 52 and 54, extends from ~ection 54. Hole 40 in the handle body includes an annular shoulder adapted to abut section 54 of the valve so that stub 55 is journaled in a reduced diameter portion of the hole.
Hose 15 extends through valve 19 between sections 52 and 54. The diameter of valve section 53 i9 such that hose 15 may extend thereby in bore 42 without being crimped, as illustrated in Figure 6. However, if the valve is rotated 180, the eccentric or off-axis nature of section 53 permits it to crimp and entirely block liquid flow through the 40se. Intermediate position~ , (between 0 and 180) of the valve provide partial crimping of the hose so that liquid flow can be controlled over a continuous range.
It is noted that valve 19 is actually held in place by its engagement of hose 15. During a~sembly, valve 19 i8 inserted into hole 4Q and hose 15 is then 3naked through bore 42 with valve 19 in its open position.
Referring ~pecifically to Figures 8, 9 and 10, the ~; rigid plastlc oral irrigator stem 17 terminates in a ~we p head 18. The ~w-ep head includes a main body portion 81, including a downwardly projecting annular sleeve adapted to receive and be bonded or otherwise secured to the end of stem 17. The upper surface 80 of body 81 has a fluidic oscillator element defined therein a~ be t illustrated in Figure 10. A ~lat cover 82 i~ bonded to surface 80 to seal the fluidic oscillator channeLs defined in that surface. A lid member 83 fits over 10~93S3 and is bonded to cover 82 and extends down along the sides of body member 81 to which it is also bonded.
The fluidic oscillator comprises a plurality of flow passages and fluid interaction areas in the form of channels defined in surface 80 of body member 81. The oscillator is preferably the same oscillator which is the subject of Canadian Application Serial No.235,845 filed September 19, 1975, by Ronald Stouffer and Harry Bray, and entitled "Improvements ~ in Controlled Fluid Dispersal Techniques". Although - 10 described hereinbelow to some extent, the oscillator and its operation are more fully described in the aforementioned patent application which is incorporated herein by reference.
The fluidic oscillator includes a power nozzle 90 adapted to receive pressurized liquid from the bore in stem 17 through a suitably provided passage 84 defined through body member 81. Power nozzle 90 issues a power stream of the pressurized liquid into the upstream end of an interaction region 91. The interaction region is open at its upstream end to receive the power stream and has an open throat 92 at its downstream end through which the power stream egresses. Throat 92 is axially aligned with power nozzle 90. The sides of interaction region 91 are bounded by left sidewall 93 and right sidewall 94.These sidewalls first diverge from power nozzle 90 in a downstream direction and then converge toward throat 92.
An outlet region 95 is loc~ted downstream of throat 92 and is bounded by left and right outlet walls 96 and 97, ilD~353 respectively. Th~se outlet walls diverge in a downstream direction from throat 92 over the entire length of the outlet region. A left control passage 98 is defined between an open-ing 99 in left outlet wall 96 and a left control port 101 de-fined through left sidewall 93 at the upstrea~ end of inter-action region 91. Similarly, a right control passage 102 is defined between an opening 103 in right outlet wall 97 and a right control port 104 defined through the right sid~wall 94 at ; the upstream end of the interaction region. The sections of outlet walls 96, 97 which are~downstream of openings 99 and 103 diverge at a so~ewhat smaller angle than the outlet wall sections upstream of the~e openings. Ihe raason for this i8 described subsequently.
The oscillator is sy~metr~cal about an i~agin~ry longitudinal axis extending through ~he centors of power ` nozzle 90 and throat ~2. In other words, 3idewalls 93 and 94 ;~ are mirror images of one another, as are control pa~sage~ 102, ,, 98 and outlet walls 96 and 97.
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The throat 92 is praferably ~ust ~light wider than tho width of the power nozzle 90 at its narrowost point. Ths width of the control passages 98 and 102 i5 s~aller than that of nozzle 90 and preferably on the order of one h2lf the power nozzle I width~ The distance be~ween the power nozzle 90 and throat 92 is ; short compared to conventional oscillators. If the width of power nozzle 90 at its narrowest point ia W, ~f the width of throat 92 at its narrowest point is T, if the distance betwe~n the narrowest points of nozzle 90 and throat T is D, and if the width of the S;~

control passage is X, then the following relationqhips are suitable, although not exclusive, for an operable oscillator:
T = l.lW to 1.5W
D = 5W to 8W
X < 0.75W
In an actual embodiment which was tested and operated satis-factorly, W = 1.1 mm, T = 1.35 mm, D = 7.3 mm, X = 0.65 ~m, ~ and the depth of all channels in surface 80 was 0.5 mm. It :: is understood for the for~going dimensions that the channel dapth is assumed to be constant ~hroughout the entire oscilla-tor; however, channel depth may vary throughout the oscillator and the width~ can be changed accordingly to provide equivalent cross-sectional areas.
The operation of the fluidic oscillator is such ~hat the power jet alternately flows along left sidowall 93 and right sidewall 94,~much the sa~e as in ~any conventional prior art fluidic oscillators. However, th-re are significant distinctive ~ operating featursY of this osclllator. Speci~ically, because of;~` the relatively narrow throat 92, the oscillating power jot acts :.
~ 20 to seal the interaction region 91 off from static pro~ure con-~. ~
ditions in thc outlet region 92. In addition, the ro~atively short interaction region 9L and th~ relatively narrow control passag-s 98 and 102~co~ ine with tho sealing effect to produce a static pressur- at t~e upstream end of the intaraction region which is positive relative to the static pressure in outlat region 92. As a conseguence of this pres~ure difference, water tends to flow through control passages 98 and 102 in a direction `` 10~9353 from the interaction region 91 toward outlet region 95. In fact, control passages 98 and 102 remain filled with water during the entire operation of the oscillator. More partic-ularly, if it is initially assumed that the power jet is flowing along left sidewall 93, the jet is directed generally toward the right outlet wall 97 as it exits from throat 92. The power jet acts to entrain water from control passage 102 as ` the jet passes opening 103, and the relatively positive static pressure in the region of control port 104 continues to supply water to passage 102 for such entrainment. This relatively positive static pressure is also present at control port 101;
however, since the power stream does not entrain liquid from passage 98 at this time, a convex meniscus of liquid tends to bulge outwardly from opening 99, the passage 98 remaining filled with liquid. Due to the entrainment of liquid by the power stream at opening 103 and the absence of such entrainment at opening 99, a differential pressure is created across the power jet at control ports 101 and 104 in a sense to deflect the jet to flow along right sidewall 94. A similar operation ensues with the power jet now entraining liquid from control passage 98 and a liquid meniscus developing at outlet opening 103 of liquid-filled passage 102. The differential pressure between the control ports 101 and 104 reverses and oscillation of the power stream ensues.
An interesting phenomenon of the oscillator relates to the ~5 action of the meniscus on the power jet as it sweeps across the outlet region. Specifically, as the sweeping jet approaches the meniscus, the latter tends to break up and the liquid therefrom 10~9353 merges with the jet. The flow from the control passage which thus merges with the power jet prevents the jet from impinge-ing against the outlet wall. As a consequ~nce, there is no shearing of the jet by the outlet wall with the result that droplets from the sweeping jet remain relatively large as com- ;
pared to the finely particulated droplets produced by shearing effects.
The fact that neither liquid nor air flows into the interaction region via control passages 98 and 102 is particularly lO ~ advantageous for an oral irrigator. This characteristic pre-vents ingestion of food particles from the user's mouth into .
the oscillator, which partlcles might tend to clog the osciIlator and impair its operation.
It has been observed that the meniscus tends to become concave at outlet openings 99, 103 if the dynamic pressure of - ~ the power jet is increased beyond some pres ure level. This does not affect the operation as5described, however, since the liquid ; in the control pa~sage still~flows out to merge with the power et in the outlet region when the jet flows past the correspond-: ~
ing outlet opening 99, 103.
The sweeping jet is issued from outlet region 95 into the oral cavity of the uaer. There is no restrictive passageway or any other element downstream of the oscillator which can introduce pressure drops in the jet. The issued jet has been found to break up into droplets of uniform size, which droplets are distributed in a uniform pattern. The uniform droplet size ` lC~9353 assures that each droplet produces a similar depression and effect as it impacts upon the user's gums; that is, successive droplets create identical effects on adjacent gum portions. The uniform pattern assures that the droplets are equally distributed along the impact path of the sweeping jet so that some locations in the swept path are not impacted to a greater or lesser degree than other locations. The overall effect of this uniformity of droplet size and spray pattern has been found to produce a more pleasurable feeling than pulsed jets and has been shown to remove dirt particles from teeth and gums at a significantly faster rate than pulsed jets. Specifically, in tests of the two types of oral irrigators, users were asked to eat the same food before using each irrigator and continue irrigation until the mouth felt clean. Results showed that the spray jet irrigator of the present invention cleans oral cavities 30%
faster than a commonly available pulsed jet irrigator.
Although uniformity of spray pattern achieves desirable effects it is not crucial for satisfactory oral irrigator opera- -tion. Consequently, the oscillator may be operated in other modes, wherein the spray pattern lS not necessarily uniform or evenly distributed, as taught in the aforementioned Canadian Patent Application Serial No.235,845, by Stouffer and Bray.
As noted, an important feature of the oral irrigator of the present invention is the fact that sweeping of the jet is effected in the irrigator head 18 just prior to issuance of the jet from the irrigator. While the oscillator described i93~

above is particularly advantageous for reasons already mentioned, there are nu~erous other ways to achieve the desired sweeping action within the scope of the present invention. For example, substantially any fluidic oscillator may be so employed, as ~s long as it is located in irrigator head 18 and its outlet is con-figured as a diyerging outlet region rather than as plural dis-~; crete outlet passages. Examples of such oscillators are those ,~ -; described in U.S. Patent No. 3,563,462 (Bauer), U.S. Patent o. 3,432,102 (Turner et al), U.S. Patent No. 3,185,166 (Horton ~ 10 et al), U.S. Patent No~ 3,016,066 (Warren et al), etc. Each '"', ~
of these oscillators may be appropriately sized to conform to a head 18 which readily fits and can be operatively moved in a .~'"f, ~ user's mouth.
In add~ition to fluidic oscillators, other ~weeping 15~ arrangements may be employed~. ~For example,;reference is made , ;"
to Figure 11 wherein there is illustrated a portion o a rigid stem member 110 having a central fluid conducting bore 111 defined therein. The bore termlnates at the outlet end of the stém wher~ -it~receives a flexible tube 112.~ One~end of the tubè is~bonded~or~otherwise secured~ in the bore~lLl; the other end of the tobe lS freely suspended, Water~flow through the bore~ and tube 112~causes the outlet end of the~tube~to react by whipplng aroond. If thio~whipping motion is con~trained to~a~single plane, the tube sweeps bock and forth at a frequency

2~5 dètermined-by the water préssure.
In Figure ~12, the sweeping arrangement of Figure 11 is , illustrated as part of an oral irrigator head 120. ~Specifically ~ 20-~, : :

1 10~9;~53 ~, ~ ~ flexible tube 121 is fixedly mounted at one end 122 where it `~ ~ receives water under pressure. The other end of the tube i~
suspended. A bottom wall 123 and top wall (not shown) constrain the tube so that it moves only in a plane parallel to these two walls. Water issued by tube 121 is in the form of a jet which respectively sweeps back and forth as the tube shif~sback and forth within head 120.
Still another sweep arrangement is illustrated in Figure 13 wherein a vibrating reed type oscillator is incorporated in a~
oral irrigator head 130. The oscillator includes a generally heart-shaped interaction region 131 which is open at it-Q pointed or down stream end to provide an outlet 135 for a water jet. An outlet region 136 is located downstream of outlet 135 and is bounded by diverging outlet walls 137, 138. Inlets 132, 133 for pressurized water are located in respective lobes of heart-shaped chamber 131 and are arranged to receive pressurized water from an irrigator stem (no~ shown) in the manner described in relation to the fluidic oscillator head of Figures 8-10. Interaction region~
131 is formed as a channel in one plate of head 130 and~is covered and sealed by another plate not shown.
A vibratable reed 134 extends longitudinally through chamber 131 and is fixed to ~he upstream end of the chamber. The other end of reed 134 is freely suspended and extends into outlet region 136. The width of the reed (i.e. - the dimension per-pendicular to the plane of the drawing~ is just slightly smallerthan the depth of the channel from which the interaction region 131 is formed. The reed thus divides interaction region 131 into two sub-chambers 139, 140.

In operation, the reed 134 is alternately driven from side to side in the interaction ~y the alternating and oppositely phased build up and relaxation of pressure on both ~ides of the reed. For example, in the position of the reed shown in solid sidP of Figure 13, wherein the reed is against outlet wall 138, sub-chamber 139 is sealed off from outlet 135 by the reed.
Consequently the pressure builds up within sub-chamber 139.
Sub-chamber 140 on the other hand has complete access to outlet 135 so that outflow from sub-chamber 140 avoids pressure build-up ~ 10 therein. The differential pressure between the two sub-chambers ;~ deflects the reed again. Oscillation of the reed continues in ~` this manner.
Outflow from the interaction region is in the form of a . ~
~ water jet directed in accordance with the position of the reed.
~ , ~s~ 15 For example, when the reed is against outlet wall 138, outflow from sub-chamber 140 is directed by the reed and by the sub-chamber sidewall to flow along the reed. A~ the reed begins deflecting toward outlet wall 137, ~low from sub-chamber 140 remains directed along the reed, the directivity being aided ~20 by the boundary layer attochment or Coanda effect along the reed. In addition, as the reed moves from outlet wall 138, outflow begins and gradually increases from sub-chamber 139.
This outflow is also guided by the reed and by the curvature of the sidewall in sub-chamber 139. The individual jets from the two sub-chambers merge just downstream of the ter-mination of reed 134 due to the low pressure region created ~ at ~ ~reed tip by the aspiration action of the flowing stream~.

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~0~5 3~3 - ~ The merging of the two streams forms a single jet which is thus swept by the reed as it oscillates back and forth.
Depending upon the material and dimensions of the reed and upon the pressure of the water, high frequencies may be readily achieved.
Numerous other jet-sweeping arrangements are feasible within the scope of the present invention. The important feature is that the jet itself be swept, not the irrigator head. By sweeping the jet and not the head, higher sweep frequencies can be attained and it is the high sweep frequencies which bring about faster cleaning rates and more effective and pleasurable gum massaging than is obtained with the pulsed jet oral irrigator.
~, As an adjunct to the present invention it is possible to combine brushing and irrigating functions in the ~ame device.
For example, rigid bristles may be secured to the head about outlet opening 95 in the oscillator of Figure 9. Such bristles tend to vibrate ~ue to vibrations set up in the head by the oscillations of the jet. ~he bristle vibrationc may be used both for cleaning and massaging functions. Of course, the user of such a device may also move the head and bristles to effect tooth brushing in a conventional manner.
In summary, the swept jet oral lrrigator of the preæent invention provides fast cleaning and pleasurable gum massagîng functions. The sweeping of the jet itself permits higher pressure delivery than in irrigators which require pulsed jets to traverse long ~tems after the oscillating 10~j9353 function is performed. In addition, the unit i9 capable of continued sweeping while submerged in water so that operation continues even if the user's mouth is closed about the head.
While we have described and illustrated one specific embodiment of our invention, it will be clear that variations of the details of cohstruction which are specifically illustrated and described may be resorted to without departing from the true :~ spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended : claims.

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Claims (5)

WHAT I CLAIM IS:

1. An oral irrigator comprising:
fluid conduit means adapted to receive and conduct pressurized liquid;
handle means including an internal fluid passage arranged to receive pressurized liquid from said fluid conduit means; and a head member adapted to receive pressurized liquid from said fluid passage, said head member being of a size suitable for insertion into the oral cavity of a user of said oral irrigator, said head member including:
jet-defining means responsive to pressurized liquid received by said head member for defining a jet of said liquid;
cyclical sweep means for cyclically sweeping said jet over a prescribed path at a frequency in excess of 2000 cycles per minute; and outlet means for issuing the cyclically swept jet in a sweeping pattern;
wherein said cyclical sweep means comprises a fluidic oscillator including:
an interaction region having an upstream end, a downstream end, and left and right sidewalls which first diverge from said upstream end and then converge toward said downstream end to define an exit throat at said downstream end, the space between said sidewalls being completely open to provide a direct and unobstructed flow path between said upstream and said exit throat;
a power nozzle positioned to direct said jet into said interaction region through said upstream end;
an outlet region corresponding to said outlet means, located downstream of said exit throat and defined between left and right outlet walls which diverge from said throat; and left and right control passages extending between said outlet region and the upstream end of said interaction region, said left control passage opening into said interaction region through said left sidewall and said outlet region through said left outlet wall, said right control passage opening into said interaction region through said right sidewall and into said outlet region through said right outlet wall.

2. The oral irrigator according to claim 1 wherein said fluidic oscillator is further characterized in that for a power nozzle width of W at its narrowest point, said throat has a width on the order of 1.1W to 1.5W, the distance between said nozzle and throat at their narrowest points is on the order of 5W
to 8W, and the control passages are substantially narrower than W whereby during normal operation of the oscillator the static pressure at the upstream end of said interaction region becomes positive relative to the static pressure at said outlet region.

3. The oral irrigator according to claim 1 wherein said fluidic oscillator is further characterized in that said exit throat is only slightly larger than said power nozzle in order that the jet exiting said interaction region may seal off said interaction region from said outlet region, wherein said interaction region is sufficiently short and the cross-section of said control passages are sufficiently small to create a positive static pressure at the upstream end of said intereaction region relative to the static pressure in said outlet region whereby said control passages remain filled with said liquid and flow through control passages is in a direction toward said outlet region during operation of the oscillator.

4. The oral irrigator according to claim 1 including means for creating a positive static pressure at the upstream end of said interaction region relative to the static pressure at said outlet region during operation of said irrigator during operation of the oscillator to cause liquid to flow through said control passages in a direction toward said outlet region.

5. The oral irrigator according to claim 1 wherein said internal fluid passage in said handle means includes a bore extending through said handle means, wherein said fluid conduit means extends into said bore, further comprising a control valve including means for selectively crimping said fluid conduit means in said bore.