Attachment for an oral care device handle

Abstract

An oral care device attachment for being coupled to an oral care device handle having an essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end. The attachment has an outer attachment tube having a coupling end for being detachably secured at a housing of the device handle. A carrier is mounted for driven motion at the outer attachment tube. A motion transmitter is disposed inside the outer attachment tube and has a first end coupled with the carrier and a second end arranged for coupling with the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end. The second end has a coupling unit having a top plate and at least one at least partly deformable and essentially cylindrical wall element extending from the top plate, or at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements extending from the top plate, respectively. Each of the elastic or deflectable wall elements extends over a portion of a virtual receiver cylinder, so that an essentially cylindrical receiver receptacle is defined by the top plate and the one at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or by the top plate and the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oral care device attachment for being coupled to an oral care device handle having an essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end, the attachment comprising:
 an outer attachment tube having a coupling end that is intended for being detachably secured at a housing of the oral care device handle;   a carrier being mounted for driven motion at the outer attachment tube;   a motion transmitter being disposed inside of the outer attachment tube, the motion transmitter having a first end coupled with the carrier and a second end being arranged for coupling with the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end, the second end comprising a coupling unit having a top plate and at least one at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element extending from the top plate or at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements extending from the top plate, respectively, where each of the elastic or deflectable wall elements extends over a portion of a virtual receiver cylinder so that an essentially cylindrical receiver receptacle is defined by the top plate and the one at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or by the top plate and the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements.   
     
     
         2 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element is at least partly made from a thermoplastic elastomer or a natural rubber. 
     
     
         3 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements are at least partly made from a thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         4 . The attachment of  claim 3 , wherein the top plate is made from a thermoplastic material, preferably wherein the top plate and the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements are realized as a single piece, integral unit. 
     
     
         5 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements are at least partly made from sheet metal, in particular from non-magnetic sheet metal, preferably wherein the sheet metal has a thickness of not more than about 250 micrometer, further preferably of not more than about 150 micrometer. 
     
     
         6 . The attachment of  claim 5 , wherein the top plate is made from a thermoplastic material and the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements are connected with the top plate by at least one connection technology from the group of welding, snapping, riveting, gluing and/or screwing. 
     
     
         7 . The attachment of  claim 5 , wherein the top plate is made from metal, in particular a non-magnetic metal, and the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements are connected with the top plate by at least one connection technology from the group of welding, snapping, caulking, gluing, screwing and/or overmolding. 
     
     
         8 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or at least one of the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements comprises an inwards projecting protrusion. 
     
     
         9 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein a spring is arranged between the outer attachment tube and the motion transmitter so that the motion transmitter is biased into a position towards the coupling end of the outer attachment tube. 
     
     
         10 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements is biased against the motion transmitter into a rest or clamping position by a spring providing a biasing force and wherein the biased elastic or deflectable wall element is pivotable around a pivot axis when a force acts on the biased elastic or deflectable wall element against the biasing force, preferably wherein the biasing spring is realized together with the biased elastic or deflectable wall element as a single piece element. 
     
     
         11 . The attachment of  claim 1 , wherein the coupling unit is or is part of a separable adaptor, preferably wherein at least a part of the motion transmitter and the separable adaptor are coupled by a separable coupling such as a separable ball joint. 
     
     
         12 . An oral care device comprising an attachment of  claim 1  and an oral care device handle having an essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end that is coupled with the attachment, wherein the attachment is coupled with the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end such that at least a portion of the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end is received in the essentially cylindrical receiver receptacle. 
     
     
         13 . The oral care device of  claim 12 , wherein the attachment is coupled with the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end such that the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end is completely received in the essentially cylindrical receiver receptacle, preferably wherein an inwards projecting protrusion realized at the at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element extending from the top plate or at least at one of the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements extending from the top plate is extending underneath the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end. 
     
     
         14 . The oral care device of  claim 12 , wherein between the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end and a portion of a housing of the oral care device handle a circumferential gap of less than about 1 mm, preferably of less than about 0.8 mm, further preferably of less than about 0.6 mm exists. 
     
     
         15 . A kit comprising:
 at least one attachment comprising an outer attachment tube having a coupling end that is intended for being coupled with the oral care device handle, a carrier mounted for driven motion at the outer attachment tube, and a motion transmitter disposed inside of the outer attachment tube, the motion transmitter has a first end coupled with the carrier and a second end comprising a first side of a separable joint; and   an adaptor for being coupled to a drive shaft of an oral care device handle having an essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end and for being coupled to the attachment, the adaptor comprising a first end comprising a second side of the separable joint and a second end comprising a coupling unit having a top plate and at least one at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element extending from the top plate or at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements extending from the top plate, respectively, where each of the deflectable wall elements extends over a portion of a virtual receiver cylinder so that an essentially cylindrical receiver receptacle is defined by the top plate and the one at least partly deformable essentially cylindrical wall element or by the top plate and the at least two elastic or deflectable wall elements.   
     
     
         16 . An oral care device attachment for being coupled to a drive shaft of an oral care device handle having an essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end, the attachment comprising:
 an outer attachment tube having a coupling end that is intended for being secured at the oral care device handle;   a carrier mounted for driven motion at the outer attachment tube;   a motion transmitter disposed inside of the outer attachment tube, the motion transmitter has a first end coupled with the carrier and a second end arranged for being coupled with the essentially cylindrical drive shaft coupling end, the second end comprising a coupling unit having a top plate;   wherein a spring is arranged between the outer attachment tube and the motion transmitter so that the motion transmitter is biased into a position towards the coupling end of the outer attachment tube.