IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,551,323
Granted Patent B2
US 12,551,323 · App. 17/604,398 · Granted Feb 17, 2026

Fluid based tooth cleaning system

Inventors: Paulus Cornelis Duineveld (Drachten, NL); Maaike Cornelia Johanna Wilhelmina Van Hulten (Waalre, NL); Joldert Maria Boersma (Zuidhorn, NL); Pieter Horstman (Weert, NL); Lutz Christian Gerhardt (Eindhoven, NL); Bart Gottenbos (Budel, NL); Mark Thomas Johnson (Arendonk, BE)
Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
A61C17/0202A61C15/00A61C17/221
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,551,323
App. No.
17/604,398
Granted
Feb 17, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A fluid based tooth cleaning system includes a holdable body configured to be coupled to a head, a fluid delivery unit configured to be coupled to a nozzle within the head for emitting fluid, at least one sensor configured to provide information relating to the head with respect to a user's teeth, wherein the at least one sensor has a movement sensor for determining velocity information relating to a velocity of the head with respect to the user's teeth, and a control unit configured to utilize the velocity information from the movement sensor to enable the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle onto the user's teeth, and stop the fluid delivery unit from emitting fluid from the nozzle when a velocity of the head is greater than a first threshold level and/or is less than a second threshold level.

Claims (22)

1 . A fluid based tooth cleaning system comprising:

a holdable body configured to be coupled to a head;

a fluid delivery unit configured to be coupled to a nozzle for emitting fluid, the nozzle being comprised within the head;

at least one sensor configured to provide information relating to the head with respect to a user's teeth, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a movement sensor for determining velocity information relating to the velocity of the head with respect to the user's teeth, and the information comprises the velocity information; and

a control unit configured to utilize the velocity information from the movement sensor to: enable the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle onto the user's teeth; and stop the fluid delivery unit from emitting fluid from the nozzle when a velocity of the head is greater than a first threshold level and/or is less than a second threshold level.

2 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein the system comprises a user interface unit, and wherein the control unit is configured to control the user interface unit to output information to the user regarding movement of the head.

3 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 2 , wherein the information output by the user interface unit comprises an output of information that the velocity of the head is greater than the first threshold level and/or is less than the second threshold level.

4 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to utilize the information relating to the head with respect to the user's teeth to stop the fluid delivery unit from emitting fluid from the nozzle when the head is located at a position such that the fluid would be directed to hit a surface of the user's teeth.

5 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to enable the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle with one or more adapted parameters of: speed of fluid jet, frequency of fluid jet, and duration of fluid jet.

6 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein the holdable body comprises the fluid delivery unit, the at least one sensor, and the control unit, wherein the control unit is configured to utilize the information to enable the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle when the nozzle is at one location out of one or more specific locations with respect to the user's teeth.

7 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein the head comprises bristles.

8 . A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored

a computer program element for controlling a fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 1 , which when executed by a processor is configured to carry out the steps of:

receiving the information from the at least one sensor relating to the head with respect to the user's teeth,

wherein the information comprises the velocity information from the movement sensor and relating to the velocity of the head with respect to the user's teeth; and utilizing the velocity information to enable the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle onto the user's teeth; and

stop the fluid delivery unit from emitting fluid from the nozzle when the velocity of the head is greater than the first threshold level and/or is less than the second threshold level.

9 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a position sensor configured to determine positional information relating to the head with respect to the user's teeth.

10 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 9 , wherein the positional information comprises information relating to when the head is located at a position such that the nozzle is located adjacent to an interdental space of the user's teeth.

11 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 10 , wherein the control unit is configured to enable the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle when the head is located at a position such that the fluid is directed to hit an interdental space of the user's teeth.

12 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 9 , wherein the positional information comprises information relating to when the head is located at a position such that the nozzle is located adjacent to a gum line of the user's teeth, and the control unit is configured to utilize the information to enable the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle when the head is located at a position such that the fluid is directed to hit locations adjacent to the gum line of the user's teeth.

13 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to utilize the positional information to determine a position of a first interdental space, and utilize the velocity information to determine when the head having moved away from that position returns to that position, and wherein the control unit is configured to activate the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle when the head has returned to the position of the first interdental space.

14 . The fluid based tooth cleaning system according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to utilize the positional information to determine a position of a first interdental space, and utilize the velocity information to determine when the head has moved to a position of a second interdental space adjacent to the first interdental space, and wherein the control unit is configured to activate the fluid delivery unit to emit fluid from the nozzle when the head is located at the second interdental space.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 18, 2021
From: DUINEVELD, PAULUS CORNELIS; VAN HULTEN, MAAIKE CORNELIA JOHANNA WILHELMINA; BOERSMA, JOLDERT MARIA; HORSTMAN, PIETER; GERHARDT, LUTZ CHRISTIAN; GOTTENBOS, BART; JOHNSON, MARK THOMAS
To: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
Reel/Frame 057825/0773 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 19169537 · Apr 16, 2019 · regional
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220192805A1 · Jun 23, 2022
References Cited (29)
US 8844177B2 · De Vries et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 9333060B2 · Hunter · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 9814302B2 · Follows et al. · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 9987109B2 · Sokol et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10010388B2 · Gharib et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10064711B1 · Richter · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 10130452B2 · Baragona et al. · 2018 [cited by applicant]
US 10426254B2 · Hardeman et al. · 2019 [cited by applicant]
US 10595626B2 · Jeanne et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10624449B2 · Zijlstra et al. · 2020 [cited by applicant]
US 10874493B2 · Vetter · 2020 [cited by examiner]
US 10952528B2 · Jeanne et al. · 2021 [cited by applicant]
US 11278384B2 · Serval · 2022 [cited by examiner]
US 20070248932A1 · Gharib · 2007 [cited by examiner]
US 20090092949A1 · Duineveld · 2009 [cited by applicant]
US 20130125427A1 · De Vries et al. · 2013 [cited by applicant]
US 20140127641A1 · Hilscher et al. · 2014 [cited by applicant]
US 20150265384A1 · Intlekofer et al. · 2015 [cited by applicant]
US 20160331117A1 · Follows · 2016 [cited by applicant]
US 20170116665A1 · Alzahrani · 2017 [cited by applicant]
US 20180368567A1 · Buil · 2018 [cited by examiner]
US 20200202520A1 · Joyce · 2020 [cited by examiner]
CN 106880416A · 2017 [cited by applicant]
GB 258301A · 1926 [cited by applicant]
GB 2538301A · 2016 [cited by applicant]
JP 6152604B1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
WO WO2017002012A1 · 2017 [cited by applicant]
International Search Report and Written Opinion Dated Jun. 30, 2020 for International Application No. PCT/EP2020/059970, Filed Apr. 8, 2020. [cited by applicant]
Cense. “A spray based method for biofilm removal” by A. Cense (Eindhoven University, 2005, sponsored by Philips Research. [cited by applicant]