Oral hygiene apparatus

Claim 2

Oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a hand-held unit including aa. an electric motor, bb. means to supply electrical energy to said motor, cc. a pulsating pump in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, and dd. a pressure regulator that receives pressurized liquid from the pump, said regulator having means being adjustable within set limits to control the maximum peak liquid output pressure within those limits and expelling liquid from the hand-held unit equal to the liquid displacement of the pump regardless of the adjusted maximum peak liquid output pressure.

Claim 3

Oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a hand-held unit including aa. an electric motor, bb. means to supply electrical energy to said motor, cc. a pulsating pump in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, and dd. a pressure regulator that receives pressurized liquid from the pump, said regulator having means being adjustable within set limits to control the maximum peak liquid output pressure within those limits and expelling liquid from the hand-held unit equal to the liquid displacement of the pump regardless of the adjusted maximum peak liquid output pressure.

Claim 4

Oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a hand-held unit including aa. an electric motor, bb. means to supply electrical energy to said motor, cc. a pulsating pump in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, and dd. a pressure regulator that receives pressurized liquid from the pump, said regulator having means being adjustable within set limits to control the maximum peak liquid output pressure within those limits and expelling liquid from the hand-held unit equal to the liquid displacement of the pump regardless of the adjusted maximum peak liquid output pressure.

Claim 5

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 1 wherein the liquid reservoir is separate from the hand-held unit and a transfer conduit delivers the liquid from the reservoir to the pump.

Claim 6

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 1 wherein the means to supply electrical energy to said motor is a battery.

Claim 7

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 3 wherein the battery is rechargeable.

Claim 8

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 1 wherein the pump means is a pump assembly having a chamber, an inlet port and an outlet port for said chamber, and a reciprocating piston driven diaphragm for applying pressure to liquid in said pump chamber.

Claim 9

Oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a hand-held power and pumping unit including a casing, said casing having a liquid inlet, an outlet, and containing aa. an electric motor, bb. means to supply electrical energy to said motor, cc. a pulsating pump in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, said pump having a chamber, an inlet port in communication with the casing inlet and an outlet port, dd. a pressure regulator that receives pressurized liquid from the pump, said regulator having means being adjustable within set limits to control the maximum peak liquid output pressure within those limits and expelling liquid from the hand-held unit equal to the liquid displacement of the pump regardless of the adjusted maximum peak liquid output pressure, and c. transfer means for delivering liquid from the reservoir to the casing inlet.

Claim 10

Oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a hand-held power and pumping unit including a casing, said casing having a liquid inlet, an outlet, and containing aa. an electric motor, bb. means to supply electrical energy to said motor, cc. a pulsating pump in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, said pump having a chamber, an inlet port in communication with the casing inlet and an outlet port, dd. a pressure regulator that receives pressurized liquid from the pump, said regulator having means being adjustable within set limits to control the maximum peak liquid output pressure within those limits and expelling liquid from the hand-held unit equal to the liquid displacement of the pump regardless of the adjusted maximum peak liquid output pressure, and c. transfer means for delivering liquid from the reservoir to the casing inlet.

Claim 11

Oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a unit including aa. an electric motor bb. means to supply electrical energy to said motor, cc. pump means in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, dd. a pressure regulator receiving pressurized liquid from the pump comprising; i. a housing, ii. a walled chamber within the housing, iii. a flexible diaphragm bounding a portion of the chamber to vary the volume of said chamber, iv. means exerting force against the diaphragm outside said chamber, v. adjustable control means to vary the amount of force exerted by said force exerting means against the diaphragm, vi. an inlet to admit pressurized liquid into the chamber, and vii. a constantly open outlet through which pressurized liquid is expelled from the chamber.

Claim 12

Oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a unit including aa. an electric motor bb. means to supply electrical energy to said motor, cc. pump means in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, dd. a pressure regulator receiving pressurized liquid from the pump comprising; i. a housing, ii. a walled chamber within the housing, iii. a flexible diaphragm bounding a portion of the chamber to vary the volume of said chamber, iv. means exerting force against the diaphragm outside said chamber, v. adjustable control means to vary the amount of force exerted by said force exerting means against the diaphragm, vi. an inlet to admit pressurized liquid into the chamber, and vii. a constantly open outlet through which pressurized liquid is expelled from the chamber.

Claim 13

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 7 wherein the means to supply electrical energy to said motor is a battery.

Claim 14

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 8 wherein the battery is rechargeable.

Claim 15

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 9 wherein a separate battery recharger is provided.

Claim 16

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 10 wherein the battery recharger is of the inductive type.

Claim 17

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 7 wherein the liquid reservoir is separate from the hand-held unit and transfer means delivers the liquid frOm the reservoir to the pump.

Claim 18

An oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a hand-held power and pumping unit containing aa. an electric motor bb. a rechargeable battery to supply electrical energy to the motor, cc. a pulsating pump in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, said pump having a chamber, a reciprocating piston, an inlet port in liquid communication with said reservoir and having a flapper-type check valve, and an outlet port, dd. a pressure regulator that receives pressurized liquid from the pump comprising; i. a housing ii. a walled chamber within the housing, iii. a flexible diaphragm bounding a portion of the chamber to vary the volume of said chamber, iv. means exerting force against the diaphragm outside said chamber, v. adjustable control means to vary the amount of force exerted by the force exerting means against the diaphragm, vi. an inlet with a flapper-type check valve to admit pressurized liquid into the chamber, and vii. a constantly open outlet through which pressurized liquid is expelled from the chamber, and c. a battery recharging unit.

Claim 19

An oral hygiene apparatus comprising: a. a liquid reservoir, b. a hand-held power and pumping unit containing aa. an electric motor bb. a rechargeable battery to supply electrical energy to the motor, cc. a pulsating pump in driven connection with said motor for pressurizing liquid, said pump having a chamber, a reciprocating piston, an inlet port in liquid communication with said reservoir and having a flapper-type check valve, and an outlet port, dd. a pressure regulator that receives pressurized liquid from the pump comprising; i. a housing ii. a walled chamber within the housing, iii. a flexible diaphragm bounding a portion of the chamber to vary the volume of said chamber, iv. means exerting force against the diaphragm outside said chamber, v. adjustable control means to vary the amount of force exerted by the force exerting means against the diaphragm, vi. an inlet with a flapper-type check valve to admit pressurized liquid into the chamber, and vii. a constantly open outlet through which pressurized liquid is expelled from the chamber, and c. a battery recharging unit.

Claim 20

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 13 wherein the regulator diaphragm is a flexible elastomeric diaphragm.

Claim 21

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 14 wherein the regulator diaphragm, and flapper type check valves are formed in a one-piece sheet of elastomeric material.

Claim 22

The oral hygiene apparatus of claim 15 wherein the reciprocating piston operates an elastomeric flexible rolling-type diaphragm to change the volume of the pump chamber.