EP-4736709-A2 - TOOTH WHITENING APPARATUS

EP4736709A2EP 4736709 A2EP4736709 A2EP 4736709A2EP-4736709-A2

Abstract

A tooth whitening apparatus which includes a container having a cavity containing a tooth whitening composition and an applicator assembly which includes a cap, a rod member coupled to the cap and protruding from a bottom end of the cap and having a longitudinal axis, an outer surface, and a distal portion, and an applicator tip coupled to the distal portion of the rod member. The applicator assembly is alterable between: (1) an attached state whereby the cavity of the container is sealed; and (2) a detached state whereby the applicator assembly is separated from the container to apply the tooth whitening composition onto a user's teeth. The outer surface of the rod member includes at least one vent groove that is elongated in a direction of the longitudinal axis to reduce a pressure in the cavity of the container when altering the applicator assembly into the attached state.

Inventors

DAVIES-SMITH, LEIGHTON

Assignees

Colgate-Palmolive Company

Dates

Publication Date: 20260506
Application Date: 20230822

Claims (15)

An applicator apparatus comprising: a container comprising a first set of screw threads and a cavity containing a composition; an applicator assembly comprising: a cap comprising an inner surface that defines a cap cavity, the inner surface comprising a second set of screw threads that are configured to engage with the first set of screw threads to detachably couple the cap to the container to seal the cavity; a rod member coupled to the inner surface of the cap and protruding from a bottom end of the cap, the rod member comprising a longitudinal axis and an outer surface having at least one groove that is elongated in a direction of the longitudinal axis along a majority of a length of the rod member; and an applicator tip coupled to the rod member and configured to apply the composition onto a portion of a user when the applicator assembly is detached from the container.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rod member terminates at a distal end, and wherein the at least one groove comprises a plurality of grooves that extend from the distal end of the rod member towards the cap.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a portion of the at least one groove is located within the cap cavity of the cap.
The applicator apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the rod member has a proximal end, a distal end, and a first length measured between the proximal and distal ends, and wherein each of the at least one groove has a second length, wherein the second length is between 60% and 90% of the first length.
The applicator apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 further comprising a wiper component comprising a flange portion that abuts a top end of the container and a body portion extending from the flange portion to a distal end, wherein the distal end of the wiper component is transversely aligned with a portion of the at least one groove when the cap is attached to the container, and wherein the rod member is in abutting contact with the flange portion of the wiper component to seal the cavity when the cap is attached to the container.
The applicator apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the plurality of grooves are circumferentially spaced apart from one another along the outer surface of the rod member.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of grooves are equidistantly spaced along the outer surface of the rod member.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of grooves consists of three grooves that are spaced approximately 120° apart from one another along the outer surface of the rod member.
The applicator apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rod member comprises a head portion that is coupled to the inner surface of the cap and an elongated rod portion that extends from the head portion.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the head portion comprises a downwardly facing shoulder that surrounds the elongated rod portion.
The applicator apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the applicator tip comprises an attachment rod coupled to the rod member and a tip member coupled to the attachment rod.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the tip member comprises a foam material configured to absorb the composition.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 11 or claim 12, wherein the attachment rod comprises a first portion received within a hollow interior of the rod member.
The applicator apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the attachment rod is fixed within the hollow interior of the rod member by deformation of the rod member material to form at least one mechanical interference feature.
The applicator apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the composition is configured to be applied to skin, lips, gums, teeth, or hair of the user.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of priority to United States Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63/401,759, filed August 29, 2022, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Tooth whitening is an increasingly popular treatment and dentists and patients alike are searching for techniques that are both convenient and comfortable while also being effective. Typically, to whiten a user's teeth a composition containing hydrogen peroxide is applied to the teeth and allowed to remain in contact with the teeth to be bleached for a period of time. Existing systems and apparatus for whitening teeth suffer from deficiencies, such as product effectiveness, whitening composition clumping on the applicator, issues related to priming of the application device, and consistent application onto the teeth. Thus, a need exists for a tooth whitening apparatus which remedies the deficiencies in existing products. BRIEF SUMMARY The present invention is directed to a tooth whitening apparatus which includes a container having a cavity containing a tooth whitening composition and an applicator assembly which includes a cap, a rod member coupled to the cap and protruding from a bottom end of the cap and having a longitudinal axis, an outer surface, and a distal portion, and an applicator tip coupled to the distal portion of the rod member. The applicator assembly is alterable between: (1) an attached state whereby the cavity of the container is sealed; and (2) a detached state whereby the applicator assembly is separated from the container to apply the tooth whitening composition onto a user's teeth. The outer surface of the rod member includes at least one vent groove that is elongated in a direction of the longitudinal axis to reduce a pressure in the cavity of the container when altering the applicator assembly into the attached state. In one aspect, the invention may be a tooth whitening apparatus comprising: a container comprising a first engagement feature and a cavity containing a tooth whitening composition; an applicator assembly comprising: a cap comprising a second engagement feature; a rod member coupled to the cap and protruding from a bottom end of the cap, the rod member comprising a longitudinal axis, an outer surface, and a distal portion; and an applicator tip coupled to the distal portion of the rod member; wherein the applicator assembly is alterable between: (1) an attached state whereby at least a portion of the rod member and the applicator tip are located within the cavity of the container and the second engagement feature of the cap engages with the first engagement feature of the container to couple the applicator assembly to the container and seal the cavity; and (2) a detached state whereby the applicator assembly is separated from the container and the applicator tip is configured to apply the tooth whitening composition onto a user's teeth; and wherein the outer surface of the rod member comprises at least one vent groove that is elongated in a direction of the longitudinal axis to reduce a pressure in the cavity of the container when altering the applicator assembly into the attached state. In another aspect, the invention may be a tooth whitening apparatus comprising: a container comprising a first set of screw threads and a cavity containing a tooth whitening composition; an applicator assembly comprising: a cap comprising an inner surface that defines a cap cavity, the inner surface comprising a second set of screw threads that are configured to engage with the first set of screw threads to detachably couple the cap to the container to seal the cavity; a rod member coupled to the inner surface of the cap and protruding from a bottom end of the cap, the rod member comprising a longitudinal axis and an outer surface having a plurality of grooves that are elongated in a direction of the longitudinal axis along a majority of a length of the rod member; and an applicator tip coupled to the rod member and configured to apply the tooth whitening composition directly to a user's teeth when the applicator assembly is detached from the container. Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tooth whitening apparatus including a container and an applicator assembly with the applicator assembly in an attached state in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the tooth whit