Light Emitting Oral Care Implement

Abstract

An oral care product array includes a handle component and multiple refill components therefor. The handle component includes a power source. A first refill component includes a first light generating module which emits light in a first spectrum from the first refill component. A second refill component includes a second light generating module which emits light in a second spectrum from the second refill component. Each refill component has a coupled state, when coupled to the handle component, and a decoupled state, when decoupled from the handle component. When the first refill component is in the coupled state, the first light generating module is powered by the power source to emit light in the first spectrum. When the second refill component is in the coupled state, the second light generating module is powered by the power source to emit light in the second spectrum.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oral care product array comprising:
 a handle component comprising:
 a power source; and 
 a light generating module operably coupled to the power source and configured to generate light across a spectral range; 
   a first refill component comprising:
 a first light guide having a light receiving end and a light emitting end; and 
 a first light filter operatively coupled to the first light guide to spectrally limit light emitted from the light emitting end of the first light guide to a first spectrum; and 
   a second refill component comprising:
 a second light guide having a light receiving end and a light emitting end; and 
 a second light filter operatively coupled to the second light guide to spectrally limit light emitted from the light emitting end of the second light guide to a second spectrum, the second spectrum being different than the first spectrum; 
   wherein the spectral range comprises both the first and second spectrums;   the first refill component alterable between: (1) a decoupled state in which the first refill component is separated from the handle component; and (2) a coupled state in which the first refill component is mounted to the handle component and the receiving end of the first light guide receives light generated by the light generating module; and   the second refill component alterable between: (1) a decoupled state in which the second refill component is separated from the handle component; and (2) a coupled state in which the second refill component is mounted to the handle component and the receiving end of the second light guide receives light generated by the light generating module.   
     
     
         2 . The oral care product array according to  claim 1 , further comprising a package, each of the handle component, the first refill component, and the second refill component disposed in the package. 
     
     
         3 . The oral care product array according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the handle component comprises a gripping section; and   each of the first and second refill components being a toothbrush refill head comprising a head portion and a plurality of tooth cleaning element extending from a front surface of the head portion.   
     
     
         4 . The oral care product array according to  claim 3 , wherein the handle component further comprises a stem portion extending from a distal end of the gripping section, the stem portion terminating in a sealed distal end; and each of the first and second refill components further comprises a sleeve portion having an inner surface defining a sleeve cavity, the head portion coupled to a distal end of the sleeve portion. 
     
     
         5 . The oral care product array according to  claim 4  wherein the sleeve cavity extends along a longitudinal axis from a blind top end to an open bottom end located at a proximal end of the sleeve portion; and wherein in the coupled state, the stem portion of the handle component is disposed within the sleeve cavity. 
     
     
         6 . The oral care product array according to  claim 3 , wherein the light emitting end of the first light guide emits light from the head portion of the first refill component; and wherein the light emitting end of the second light guide emits light from the head portion of the second refill component. 
     
     
         7 . The oral care product array according to  claim 3 , wherein for the first refill component, at least one of the plurality of tooth cleaning elements forms a portion of the first light guide and comprises the light emitting end of the first light guide; and wherein for the second refill component, at least one of the plurality of tooth cleaning elements forms a portion of the second light guide and comprises the light emitting end of the second light guide. 
     
     
         8 . The oral care product array according to  claim 1 , wherein the light generating module comprises a light emitting diode emitting light across the spectral range. 
     
     
         9 . The oral care product array according to  claim 1 , wherein the light generating module comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes, each of the light emitting diodes emitting light in a different spectrum than the other ones of the light emitting diodes, the spectral range comprising the combined spectrums of the plurality of light emitting diodes. 
     
     
         10 . An oral care implement comprising:
 a handle component comprising:
 a gripping section; 
 a power source; 
 a light generating module operably coupled to the power source and configured to generate light across a spectral range; and 
 an actuator operably coupled to the light generating module, the actuator configured to spectrally limit light generated by the light generating module to a selected spectrum within the spectral range; and 
   a refill head comprising:
 a head portion; 
 a plurality of tooth cleaning elements extending from a front surface of the head portion; and 
 a light guide having a light receiving end and a light emitting end; 
   the refill head alterable between: (1) a decoupled state in which the refill head is separated from the handle component; and (2) a coupled state in which the refill head is mounted to the handle component and the receiving end of the light guide receives the selected spectrum of light for emission from the refill head.   
     
     
         11 . The oral care implement according to  claim 10 , wherein the handle component comprises a stem portion extending from a distal end of the gripping section, the stem portion terminating in a sealed distal end; and the refill head comprising a sleeve portion having an inner surface defining a sleeve cavity, the head portion coupled to a distal end of the sleeve portion. 
     
     
         12 . The oral care implement according to  claim 11 , wherein the sleeve cavity extends along a longitudinal axis from a blind top end to an open bottom end located at a proximal end of the sleeve portion; and wherein in the coupled state, the stem portion of the handle component is disposed within the sleeve cavity. 
     
     
         13 . The oral care implement according to  claim 10 , wherein the light emitting end of the light guide emits light from the head portion of the refill head. 
     
     
         14 . The oral care implement according to  claim 10 , wherein at least one of the plurality of tooth cleaning elements forms a portion of the light guide and comprises the light emitting end of the light guide. 
     
     
         15 . The oral care implement according to  claim 10 , wherein the light generating module comprises a light source configured to generate light across the spectral range and a light filter module comprising a plurality of light filters, each of the plurality of light filters configured to spectrally limit light generated by the light generating module when activated; and wherein the actuator is operably coupled to the light filter module to selectively activate a selected light filter from among the plurality of light filters. 
     
     
         16 . The oral care implement according to  claim 15 , wherein the light filter module comprises a rotatable filter plate comprising a plurality of sections, each of the sections comprising one of the plurality of light filters. 
     
     
         17 . The oral care implement according to  claim 16 , further comprising:
 wherein the actuator comprises a programmable controller operably coupled to a servo motor, the servo motor configured to rotate the rotatable filter plate; wherein the programmable controller is configured to actuate the servo motor to selectively activate the selected light filter; and   wherein the actuator comprises a user input device operably coupled to the programmable controller; wherein the programmable controller is configured to actuate the servo motor based on a user input received from the user input device to selectively activate the selected light filter.   
     
     
         18 . The oral care implement according to  claim 10 , wherein the refill head comprises a selection indicator feature and the handle component comprises a selection identifier which interact with the selection indicator feature when the refill head is in the coupled state; wherein the actuator is configured to spectrally limit light generated by the light generating module to the selected spectrum within the spectral range based on an input received from the selection identifier when the refill head is in the coupled state. 
     
     
         19 . The oral care implement according to  claim 10 , wherein the light generating module comprises a light emitting diode emitting light across the spectral range. 
     
     
         20 . The oral care implement according to  claim 10 , wherein the light generating module comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes, each of the light emitting diodes emitting light in a different spectrum than the other ones of the light emitting diodes, the spectral range comprising the combined spectrums of the plurality of light emitting diodes, wherein the actuator is configured to spectrally limit light generated by the light generating module to the selected spectrum within the spectral range by activating fewer than all of the plurality of light emitting diodes.