ORAL CARE SYSTEM, IMPLEMENT, AND/OR KIT
An oral care device having a head with cleaning elements and a handle coupled to the head. The handle may include a selectively rotatable ring arranged between the head and a distal end of the handle that is configured to allow a user to select a desired mode of operation of the oral care device. The handle may include a selectively illuminated light that is configured to display at least one color that visually indicates that certain behaviors, patterns, and/or consistent habits have been performed successfully. The handle may include a processor configured to track a duration of a user's brushing session, a light ring on a bottom surface of the handle, and a pressure sensor. Respective portions of the light ring may be selectively illuminated by the processor to visualize progress toward achieving a predetermined brushing routine time and/or to visualize an over-pressure condition sensed by the pressure sensor.
1 .- 50 . (canceled)
51 . An oral care implement comprising:
a handle comprising a bottom end and a top end;
a head comprising an oral care tool, the head being coupled to the top end of the handle;
an illumination ring at the bottom end of the handle;
a control circuit comprising, in operable cooperation:
a power source;
a timer unit configured to track time during performance of an oral care session using the oral care implement; and
a time indicator unit that is configured to illuminate the illumination ring; and
the control circuit configured to activate the time indicator unit to illuminate the illumination ring in a manner that informs the user, during the oral care session, of intervals of time that have passed during performance of the oral care session.
52 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the time indicator unit in a manner that sequentially illuminates segments of the illumination ring.
53 . The oral care implement according to claim 52 wherein the time indicator unit comprises one or more light sources, the control circuit being configured to:
activate the one or more light sources in a manner that illuminates a first quadrant segment of the illumination ring during a first time period;
activate the one or more light sources in a manner that illuminates the first quadrant segment and a second quadrant segment of the illumination ring during a second time period;
activate the one or more light sources in a manner that illuminates the first quadrant segment, the second quadrant segment, and a third quadrant segment of the illumination ring during a third time period; and
activate the one or more light sources in a manner that illuminates the first quadrant segment, the second quadrant segment, the third quadrant segment, and a fourth quadrant segment of the illumination ring during a fourth time period.
54 . (canceled)
55 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 wherein the illumination ring is formed from a transparent material and the time indicator unit comprises one or more light sources that are configured to illuminate the illumination ring.
56 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 wherein the illumination ring comprises an outer surface that is flush with an outer surface of a gripping portion of the handle and an inner surface that defines a through-hole.
57 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 wherein the handle comprises a bottom surface, and wherein at least a portion of the illumination ring protrudes beyond the bottom surface of the handle.
58 . (canceled)
59 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 wherein the control circuit is configured to illuminate the illumination ring in a first color during the oral care session to inform the user of the intervals of time that have passed during performance of the oral care session.
60 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 further comprising:
a pressure sensor configured to determine whether an amount of pressure being applied during the performance of the oral care session exceeds a pressure threshold;
a pressure indicator unit that is configured to illuminate the illumination ring; and
wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the pressure indicator unit to illuminate the illumination ring in a manner that informs the user, during the oral care session, that the amount of pressure being applied exceeds the pressure threshold.
61 . The oral care implement according to claim 60 wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the time indicator unit to illuminate the illumination ring in a first color to inform the user of the intervals of time that have passed during performance of the oral care session, and wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the pressure indicator unit to illuminate the illumination ring in a second color during the oral care session to inform the user that the amount of pressure being applied exceeds the pressure threshold.
62 . (canceled)
63 . The oral care implement according to claim 60 wherein the control circuit is configured to activate only one of the time indicator unit and the pressure indicator unit at a time, and wherein the activation of the pressure indicator unit takes precedence over the activation of the time indicator unit.
64 . The oral care implement according to claim 60 wherein the control circuit is configured to alter from activating the time indicator unit to inform the user of intervals of time that have passed during performance of the oral care session to activating the pressure indicator unit to inform the user that the amount of pressure being applied exceeds the pressure threshold in all instances during the oral care session when the amount of pressure being applied exceeds the pressure threshold.
65 . The oral care implement according to claim 64 wherein upon the amount of pressure being applied being reduced to no longer exceed the pressure threshold, the control circuit is configured to alter from activating the pressure indicator unit to activating the time indicator unit.
66 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 wherein the time indicator unit comprises a plurality of light sources and the control circuit is configured to sequentially illuminate the plurality of light sources to inform the user of the intervals of time that have passed during the performance of the oral care session.
67 . The oral care implement according to claim 51 wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the time indicator unit to illuminate the illumination ring in a flashing sequence to inform the user that a predetermined brushing time for the oral care session has been reached.
68 . An oral care implement comprising:
a handle comprising an illumination ring;
a head comprising an oral care tool, the head being coupled to the handle;
a control circuit comprising, in operable cooperation:
a power source;
a timer unit configured to track time during performance of an oral care session using the oral care implement;
a time indicator unit that is configured to illuminate the illumination ring;
a pressure sensor configured to determine whether an amount of pressure being applied during the performance of the oral care session exceeds a pressure threshold;
a pressure indicator unit that is configured to illuminate the illumination ring;
wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the time indicator unit to illuminate the illumination ring in a manner that informs the user, during the oral care session, of intervals of time that have passed during performance of the oral care session; and
wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the pressure indicator unit to illuminate the illumination ring in a manner that informs the user, during the oral care session, that the amount of pressure being applied exceeds the pressure threshold.
69 . The oral care implement according to claim 68 wherein the control circuit is configured to activate only one of the time indicator unit and the pressure indicator unit at a time, and wherein the activation of the pressure indicator unit takes precedence over the activation of the time indicator unit.
70 . The oral care implement according to claim 68 wherein the illumination ring is located at a bottom end of the handle.
71 . The oral care implement according to claim 68 wherein activation of the time indicator unit illuminates the illumination ring in a first color and activation of the pressure indicator unit illuminates the illumination ring in a second color that is different than the first color.
72 . The oral care implement according to claim 68 wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the time indicator unit in a manner that sequentially illuminates segments of the illumination ring, and wherein the control circuit is configured to activate the pressure indicator unit in a manner that illuminates all of the segments of the illumination ring simultaneously.
73 . The oral care implement according to claim 68 wherein the activation of the pressure indicator unit overrides the activation of the time indicator unit when, during the oral care session, the amount of pressure being applied exceeds the pressure threshold.
74 .- 91 . (canceled)