CN116456864A - Bench for an oral care implement, oral care implement system including the bench, and related methods - Google Patents

Abstract

A stand for an oral care implement, an oral care system including an oral care implement and a stand, and a method of separating a replacement head from a handle with a stand. The stand may include a support feature for supporting the oral care implement in an upright orientation and an engagement feature for engaging the replacement head when the user separates the handle from the replacement head. The support feature may be a recess or cavity formed in the pedestal and the engagement feature may be one or more recesses or indentations formed in a top edge of the pedestal.

Description

Bench for an oral care implement, oral care implement system including the bench, and related methods

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The present application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application serial No. 63/114,107 filed 11/16 in 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background

Personal hygiene activities are notoriously difficult for people who may experience loss of mobility due to birth defects, arthritis, age, and other potential health problems. For example, users with reduced dexterity may have difficulty holding and manipulating toothbrushes because the user needs to tightly grasp the handle of the toothbrush and quickly move back and forth in order to adequately clean the teeth. In addition, many toothbrushes are sold with a handle and a replacement head that can be removed so that the replacement head can be replaced while the user can continue to use the same handle. This may save the cost of the user by allowing the user to replace only the replacement head and not the handle. However, a person with reduced dexterity may have difficulty separating the replacement head from the handle. Thus, there is a need for a device that assists the user in separating the replacement head from the handle while also providing other functions.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates to a stand for an oral care implement, an oral care system comprising an oral care implement and a stand, and a method of separating a replacement head from a handle with a stand. The stand may include a support feature for supporting the oral care implement in an upright orientation and an engagement feature for engaging the replacement head when the user separates the handle from the replacement head.

In one aspect, the invention may be a stand for an oral care implement having a handle component and a replacement head component detachably coupled to the handle component, the stand comprising: a support feature configured to support the oral care implement in an upright orientation when the stand is positioned on a horizontal surface; and an engagement feature configured to engage the replacement head component such that the replacement head component separates from the handle component when a user applies a force to the handle component.

In another aspect, the invention may be an oral care system comprising an oral care implement and a stand as described above.

In yet another embodiment, the invention can be a method of separating a replacement head component of an oral care implement from a handle component, the method comprising: a) Removing the oral care implement from the stand supporting the oral care implement in an upright position, the replacement head component being detachably coupled to the handle component; b) Engaging the abutment with the replacement head member; and c) applying a pulling force to the handle component until the replacement head component is separated from the handle component.

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.

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 an oral care system including an oral care implement and a stand;

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the stand of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front view of the stand of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the pedestal of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the oral care system of FIG. 1 with the oral care implement supported by the stand in an upright orientation;

FIG. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5;

fig. 7 is a perspective view of the oral care system of fig. 1 illustrating the separation of the oral care implement from the stand;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the oral care system of FIG. 1 illustrating the replacement head component of the oral care implement positioned in a horizontal position and engaged by the engagement features of the stand;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the oral care system of FIG. 8 wherein a force is applied to a handle component of an oral care implement to separate a replacement head component from the handle component; and

fig. 10 is a perspective view of a stand according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

The description of illustrative embodiments in accordance with the principles of the present invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely for convenience of description and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. Relative terms such as "lower," "upper," "horizontal," "vertical," "above," "below," "upward," "downward," "top" and "bottom" as well as derivatives thereof (e.g., "horizontally," "downwardly," "upwardly," etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing figures in the discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless specifically indicated to the contrary. Terms such as "attached," "connected," "coupled," "interconnected," and the like refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or stationary attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise. Furthermore, the features and benefits of the invention are described with reference to the exemplary embodiments. Thus, the invention obviously should not be limited to such exemplary embodiments showing some possible non-limiting combinations of features that may be present alone or in other combinations of features; the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims.

Referring to fig. 1, an oral care system 1000 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. The oral care system 1000 generally includes an oral care implement 100 and a stand 200. As will be described herein, the stand 200 is configured to support the oral care implement 100 in an upright orientation when the oral care implement 100 is not in use and to support the oral care implement 100 in a horizontal orientation for purposes that will become apparent from the description below.

The oral care implement 100 generally includes a handle component 110 and a replacement head component 120. The replacement head 120 is detachable from the handle 110 (see, e.g., fig. 9) such that the replacement head 120 may be replaced and a new replacement head may be attached to the handle 110 for use. In all embodiments, the exact manner of attachment between the replacement head component 120 and the handle component 110 is not limiting to the invention, and may include mechanical connection features, friction fits, snap fits, detents/recesses, interlocking engagement features, threaded engagement, locking protrusions, locking members, and the like. The engagement features of the replacement head 120 and the handle 110 can have any structure or configuration so long as the replacement head 120 can be attached to the handle 110 and remain attached during brushing management while enabling the replacement head 120 to be detached from the handle 110 when desired. It should be ensured that the replacement head component 120 does not separate from the handle component 110 during normal use of the oral care implement 100.

In an exemplary embodiment, the oral care implement 100 is a manual toothbrush. However, the present invention is not so limited in all embodiments, and in still other embodiments, the oral care implement 100 may be an electric toothbrush. In other embodiments, the oral care implement 100 may be other sanitary tools for treating the oral cavity, such as tongue scrapers, gum and soft tissue cleaners, tooth irrigators, interproximal devices, tooth polishers, specially designed, handled implements having tooth engaging elements, or any other type of implement commonly used for oral care. In still other embodiments, the oral care implement 100 may be a personal care implement rather than an oral care implement. Examples of such personal care appliances include hair brushes, shavers, body washes, skin treatment devices, and the like. Accordingly, it should be understood that the inventive concepts discussed herein may be applied to any type of oral care implement or personal care implement unless a particular type of implement is specified in the claims. Structural and functional details of the oral care implement 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be provided below.

The handle component 110 forms the portion of the oral care implement 100 that is gripped by a user during a brushing session. Thus, the handle component 110 may have various contours designed to enhance user comfort. The handle member 110 may be formed entirely of a rigid material such as wood, plastic, metal, etc., or the handle member 110 may include a base formed of a rigid material and a grip formed of an elastic material such as a thermoplastic elastomer, thermoplastic polyurethane, or other rubber-like elastic material. The thickness, diameter, width, and profile of the handle component 110 may be modified according to that shown in the figures to increase user comfort, and different types of oral care implements 100 may be used with the stand 200 as part of the system 1000 described herein.

In an exemplary embodiment, the replacement head 120 includes a sleeve portion 121, the sleeve portion 121 designed to facilitate coupling between the handle 110 and the replacement head 120 and head 122. Further, in the exemplary embodiment, oral care implement 100 is a toothbrush. Accordingly, replacement head 120 includes a plurality of tooth cleaning elements 123 extending from head portion 122. The plurality of tooth cleaning elements 123 can include bristle tufts, filament bristles, fiber bristles, nylon bristles, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) bristles, spiral bristles, rubber bristles, elastomeric protrusions, flexible polymer protrusions, flakes, combinations thereof, and/or structures comprising such materials or combinations. In some embodiments, any combination of these elements may be used to form one or more of the tooth cleaning elements 123. Further, where bristles are used for one or more of tooth cleaning elements 123, such bristles may be tapered, rounded-ended, helical, or the like. Tooth cleaning elements 123 may be coupled to head portion 122 using any known technique, such as stapling, anchor-free tufting, in-mold tufting, PTT, injection molding, and the like. A plurality of tooth cleaning elements 123 are disposed in a tooth cleaning element region 124.

Referring simultaneously to fig. 1-4, the pedestal 200 will be further described. The stand 200 includes a body 210, the body 210 including an upstanding wall 211 extending from a bottom end 212 to a top end 213. In an exemplary embodiment, the upstanding wall 211 is an annular wall. Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, upstanding wall 211 has a rounded or circular transverse cross-sectional shape, however, the shape may be modified in other embodiments. Further, the stand 200 includes a support feature 201 configured to support the oral care implement 100 in an upright orientation when the stand 200 is positioned on a horizontal surface and an engagement feature 202 configured to engage the replacement head component 120 to assist a user in separating the replacement head component 120 from the handle component 110. The support feature 201 and the engagement feature 202 will be described in more detail below.

In an exemplary embodiment, the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211 is planar. Furthermore, the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211 is aligned in a horizontally oriented plane. In other embodiments, the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211 may be aligned on a plane oriented at an angle relative to the horizontal. In still other embodiments, the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211 may be contoured such that the top end may not be planar in all embodiments.

The upstanding wall 211 may be formed from a variety of different materials including plastic, wood, metal, hard rubber, or combinations thereof. The upstanding wall 211 should be sufficiently rigid so that a downward force exerted thereon by a user does not cause the upstanding wall 211 to collapse. While some degree of flexibility or movement of the upstanding wall 211 may be allowable and will not negate the function of the stand 200 described herein, the significant flexibility in the upstanding wall 211 may render it incapable of performing the support and engagement functions as described herein. In some embodiments, the entire body 210 is formed of an elastomeric gripping material. In other embodiments, a portion of the body 210 is formed of an elastomeric gripping material. In some embodiments, the body 210 may include an inner layer formed of a rigid plastic and an outer layer formed of an elastomeric material. Thus, variations in materials are possible within the scope of the invention set forth herein.

In some embodiments, the pedestal 200 may be weighted. That is, the material used to form the pedestal 200 may be weighted, or the pedestal 200 may include a cavity region within which the weighted material may be placed to weight the pedestal 200. As described herein, weighting the stand 200 helps to maintain the stand in its upright orientation during all uses of the stand.

The body 210 includes a bottom surface 214 at the bottom end 212. The bottom surface 214 is preferably formed of rubber or elastomeric material. Alternatively or additionally, one or more rubber or elastomeric pads may be attached to the bottom surface 214 of the body 210. The purpose of using rubber for the bottom surface 214 or along the bottom surface 214 is to ensure that the stand 200 remains in contact with and does not slide along the horizontal support surface during the replacement head 120 removal process, as described in more detail below with reference to fig. 8 and 9.

The upstanding wall 211 of the body 210 includes an outer surface 215 and an inner surface 216 opposite the outer surface 215. The inner surface 216 defines a recess 217 and surrounds the recess 217, the recess 217 having an open top end 218 at the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211. The recess 217 is a cavity formed in the body 210 and extending from a floor 219 (see fig. 6) to an open top end 218. The recess 217 extends along a central axis A-A from the floor 219 to an open top end 218. The support feature 201 includes a recess 217. As will be discussed below with particular reference to fig. 5 and 6, the recess 217 is configured (i.e., sized and shaped) to receive a portion of the handle component 110 of the oral care implement 100 to support the oral care implement 100 in an upright orientation when the stand 200 is positioned on a horizontal surface.

In addition, the stand 200 also includes an engagement feature 202, and in the exemplary embodiment, the engagement feature 202 includes a first recess 220 in a top edge 213 of the upstanding wall 211 of the body 210 and a second recess 221 in the top edge 213 of the upstanding wall 211 of the body 210. However, the invention is not so limited in all embodiments, and in some embodiments, the engagement feature 202 may comprise a single recess. In still other embodiments, the engagement feature 202 may comprise a separate feature extending from the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211 and defining a recess or pocket within which a portion of the replacement head 120 may be received. Accordingly, the engagement feature 202 is not limited to the exact structural embodiment as shown, and modifications may fall within the scope of the claimed invention.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 are notches extending downward from the top edge 213 of the upright wall 211. In an exemplary embodiment, each of the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 is defined by an arcuate shaped floor 222. However, in other embodiments, the bottom panel may be square, rectangular, triangular, etc. The recesses 220, 221 are identical in the exemplary embodiment, but need not be identical in all embodiments. In particular, in various other embodiments, the recesses 220, 221 may have different depths, widths, heights, etc., so long as they are configured to receive different portions of the replacement head 120 as described below. Thus, the width W1 of the recesses 220, 221 should be sufficiently large in size so that a portion of the replacement head 120 may be received therein. The first recess 120 and the second recess 121 are aligned with each other along an axis B-B orthogonal to the central axis A-A of the recess 217. Further, the pedestal 200 has an outer diameter OD measured along the tip end portion 213 of the upright wall 211 between the first recess 120 and the second recess 121. The outer diameter OD is measured from the outer surface 215 of the upstanding wall 211 and thus includes the diameter of the recess 217 and the thickness of the upstanding wall multiplied by two. The relationship between the outer diameter OD and the length of a portion of the replacement head 120 will be discussed below.

As can be seen in fig. 3, the bottom surface 214 of the body 210 of the stand 200 is oriented orthogonal to the central axis A-A of the recess 217. This allows stand 200 to be positioned upright on a horizontal surface (e.g., table, counter, sink surface, etc.) such that bottom surface 214 of stand 210 is in contact with the horizontal surface and central axis A-A extends vertically and perpendicular to the horizontal surface.

In the embodiment of the stand 200 shown in fig. 1-4, the outer surface 215 of the upstanding wall 211 has a convex shape. The present invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments, the standing wall 211 may be cylindrical. For example, fig. 10 shows a stand 200a including a body 210a, the body 210a including a cylindrical upstanding wall 211a. Further, the stand 200a of fig. 10 further includes a flange structure 230a attached to the bottom end portion of the body 210 a. Flange structures 230a extend radially outward from upstanding walls 211a to provide additional support to maintain stand 200a upright when positioned on a horizontal surface. In other respects, the stand 200a is identical to the stand 200, and the details of the stand 200 described above are applicable to the stand 200a.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6, an oral care system 1000 is illustrated in which an oral care implement 100 is supported within a recess 217 of a support feature 201 of a stand 200. Specifically, the bottom portion 115 of the handle section 110 is embedded within the recess 217 of the pedestal 200, and the remainder of the handle section 110 protrudes from the open top end 218 of the recess 217 at the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211. As can be seen in fig. 6, the bottom portion 115 of the handle member 110 is tightly nested within the recess 217 such that the inner surface 216 of the upstanding wall 211 is in direct contact with the outer surface of the handle portion 110 along the bottom portion 115 of the handle member 110. This direct contact between the inner surface 216 of the upstanding wall 211 and the outer surface of the handle portion 110 ensures that the oral care implement 100 remains in the upstanding orientation as shown in fig. 5 and 6.

As described above, the body 210 may be formed of an elastomeric gripping material. In such embodiments, when the bottom portion 115 of the handle section 110 is inserted into the recess 217 of the pedestal 200, the body 210 may flex outwardly and exert an inward force on the bottom portion 115 of the handle section 110 to tightly hold the handle section 110 in place. Thus, in some embodiments, the body 210 may be formed of a compressible material. As shown in fig. 6, the bottom surface 214 of the stand 210 rests on top of the horizontal support surface 10, and the stand 210 holds the oral care implement 100 in an upright orientation. The bottom portion 115 of the handle portion 110 may be nested within the recess 217 of the stand 200, with the proximal-most end 116 of the handle member 110 (which also forms the proximal-most end of the oral care implement 100) resting on top of the floor 219 of the recess 217 and in direct contact with the floor 219 of the recess 217.

Referring to fig. 6, replacement head 120 extends from proximal end 130 to distal end 131. The proximal end 130 of the replacement head component 120 is the end adjacent the handle component 110, and the distal end 131 of the replacement component 120 is the end furthest from the handle component 110 and also forms the distal end of the oral care implement 100. As described above, the tooth cleaning elements 123 are disposed in the cleaning element region 124. The cleaning element region 124 extends from a proximal end 125 to a distal end 126. The proximal end 125 of the cleaning element region 124 is the portion of the cleaning element region closest to the proximal end 130 of the replacement head 120. The distal end 126 of the cleaning element region 124 is the portion of the cleaning element region 124 closest to the distal end 131 of the replacement head 120. The replacement head 120 includes a length L1 measured from a proximal end 130 of the replacement head 120 to a proximal end 125 of the cleaning element region 124. As will be noted below, the length L1 of the replacement head 120 from the proximal end 130 to the cleaning element region 124 is greater than the outer diameter OD of the stand 200 measured along the top end 213 of the upstanding wall 211 of the stand 200.

With sequential reference to fig. 7-9, a method of separating the replacement head component 120 from the handle component 110 of the oral care implement 100 using the stand 200 will be described. First, fig. 7 shows the oral care implement 100 removed from the recess 217 of the stand 200. In particular, if the oral care implement 100 is nested within the recess 217 of the stand 200 as shown in fig. 5, the user will have to pull the oral care implement 100 relative to the stand 200 to remove the oral care implement 100 from the recess 217 of the stand 200. Depending on any compressive force applied to the oral care implement 100 by the body 210 of the stand 200, a user may need to apply a degree of force to the oral care implement 100 relative to the stand 200 to achieve the separation shown in fig. 7. However, such forces should be minimized, particularly because the system 1000 described herein is intended for use by people suffering from arthritis and other mobility-related problems. In some embodiments, the body 210 may not apply such a compressive force to the oral care implement 100, and the user may remove the oral care implement 100 from the recess 217 of the stand 200 simply by lifting the oral care implement 100 upward in the direction of arrow X.

Referring next to fig. 8, the oral care implement 100 is positioned such that the replacement head 120 is nested within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the engagement feature 202 of the stand 200. In particular, the user will orient the oral care implement 100 horizontally and then translate the oral care implement 100 downward until the portion of the replacement head component 120 adjacent the handle component 110 is embedded within the first recess 220 and the portion of the replacement head component 120 adjacent the cleaning element region 124 is embedded within the second recess 221. Accordingly, the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 should have a sufficient width or size so that portions of the replacement head 120 may fit and nest in the recesses as shown in fig. 8.

In some embodiments, the oral care implement 100 may not rest horizontally on its own in the position shown in fig. 8 without continuing to apply a force Z to the replacement head 120 in the direction of the stand 200. In particular, because more than half of the weight of the oral care implement 100 may be located in the handle component 110, if the user ceases to apply the force Z to the replacement head component 120, the oral care implement will pivot such that the bottom portion 115 of the handle component 100 moves toward the floor, which will remove the replacement head component 120 from the first recess 220 and the second recess 221. Thus, when the replacement head 120 is nested within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the stand 200, the user will continue to apply the force Z to the replacement head 120 until the task of separating the replacement head 120 from the handle 110 is completed.

When the oral care implement 100 is supported by the engagement feature 202 (in the exemplary embodiment, the engagement feature 202 includes a first recess 220 and a second recess 221), the oral care implement 100 is in a horizontal orientation. In particular, the longitudinal axis C-C of the oral care implement 100 is oriented orthogonal or perpendicular to the central axis A-A of the recess 217 of the stand 200. Also, the stand 200 should be formed of a material that is sufficiently rigid such that the stand 200 substantially retains its shape and integrity even when a force Z is applied to the replacement head 120 and the replacement head 120 is nested within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221.

As described above, the replacement head assembly 120 includes a length L1 measured from the proximal end 130 of the replacement head assembly 120 to the proximal end 125 of the cleaning element region 124 formed by the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 123. Further, the pedestal 200 has an outer diameter OD measured along the tip end portion 213 of the pedestal 200. The length L1 is greater than the outer diameter OD. This is important because it ensures that the plurality of tooth cleaning elements 123 are positioned outside the confines of the stand 200 when portions of the oral care replacement head 120 are nested within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the stand. Accordingly, when the replacement head 120 is nested within the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 of the stand 200, the proximal portion 135 of the replacement head 120 and the distal portion 136 of the replacement head 120 (the distal portion 136 comprising the tooth cleaning elements 123) protrude from the outer surface 215 of the body 210 of the stand 200.

Finally, referring to fig. 9, with continued application of force Z to the replacement head 120, a pulling force Y is applied to the handle 110 to separate the replacement head 120 and the handle 110 from each other. The force Z creates a compressive contact between the replacement head 120 and the platform 200. When a sufficient pulling force Y is applied to the handle member 110 while maintaining a force Z applied to the replacement head member 120, the handle member 110 will separate from the replacement head member 120. It should be noted that the pressing contact is achieved by applying a pressing force (i.e. force Z) in a first direction and the pulling force Y is achieved by directly pulling the handle member 110 in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. After the handle member 110 and the replacement head member 120 have been separated as shown in fig. 9, the replacement head member 120 may be disengaged from the first recess 220 and the second recess 221 by pulling the replacement head member 120 away from the stand 200, and the handle member 110 may be positioned back into the recess 217 in the stand 200, if desired.

Fig. 9 illustrates a handle component 110 comprising a grip portion 116 and a stem portion 117. The stem portion 117 is the portion that engages the replacement head 120 when the handle 110 and the replacement head 120 are coupled together. Accordingly, the stem portion 117 may include a coupling feature 118 to facilitate replacement of such coupling between the head component 120 and the handle component 110. In the present embodiment, the coupling feature 118 is a protrusion, but, as described above, the present invention should not be limited thereto.

As described above, in some embodiments, the user will apply a compressive force Z to the replacement head 120 and simultaneously apply a tensile force Y to the handle 110 to separate the replacement head 120 from the handle 110. By applying a pressing force Z to the replacement head 120 during this process, it can be ensured that the stand 200 does not move or slide along the horizontal support surface during this process. In addition, by forming the bottom surface 214 of the stand 200 from an elastomeric material or including a rubber gasket on the bottom surface, this will also prevent the stand 200 from sliding during the removal process. In still other embodiments, the bottom surface 214 of the stand 200 may include suction cups, temporary adhesives, electrostatically adhering vinyl material, etc., to help prevent the stand 200 from sliding along a horizontal support surface when the replacement head component 120 is removed from the handle component 110.

As used throughout, ranges are used as shorthand for describing each and every value that is within the range. Any value within the range can be selected as the end of the range. In addition, all references cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In the event that a definition in the present disclosure conflicts with a definition of the cited reference, the present disclosure controls.

While the invention has been described with respect to specific examples including presently preferred modes of carrying out the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that there are numerous variations and permutations of the above described systems and techniques. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the spirit and scope of the invention should be construed broadly as set forth in the appended claims.

Claims (17)

1. A stand for an oral care implement having a handle component and a replacement head component detachably coupled to the handle component, the stand comprising:

a support feature configured to support the oral care implement in an upright orientation when the stand is positioned on a horizontal surface; and

an engagement feature configured to engage the replacement head such that the replacement head is in a horizontal orientation such that when a user simultaneously applies a downward force to the replacement head and an axial force to the handle, the handle is separated from the replacement head and the replacement head remains supported in the horizontal orientation by the engagement feature of the stand.

2. The pedestal of claim 1, further comprising:

a body; and is also provided with

Each of the support feature and the engagement feature is formed in the body.

3. The stand of claim 2, wherein the support feature comprises a recess having an open top end, the recess sized and shaped to receive a bottom portion of the handle component.

4. A stand according to claim 3, wherein the recess is defined by an annular upstanding wall of the body.

5. The stand of claim 4, wherein the engagement feature comprises at least one recess in a top edge of the upstanding wall of the body.

6. The stand of claim 5, wherein the engagement feature comprises a first recess in the top edge of the upstanding wall of the body and a second recess in the top edge of the upstanding wall of the body, the first and second recesses being aligned with each other along an axis orthogonal to a central axis of the recess.

7. The pedestal of claim 6, wherein the body comprises a bottom surface orthogonal to the central axis of the recess.

8. The stand of any of claims 2-7, wherein the body is formed of an elastomeric gripping material.

9. An oral care system comprising:

an oral care implement having a handle component and a replacement head component detachably coupled to the handle component; and

a pedestal according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The oral care system according to claim 9, further comprising:

a replacement head comprising a proximal end and a plurality of tooth cleaning elements disposed in a tooth cleaning element region, the replacement head having a length measured from the proximal end of the replacement head to a proximal end of the tooth cleaning element region; and is also provided with

Wherein the stand comprises a body comprising a tip portion and first and second recesses in the tip portion configured to receive a portion of the replacement head member, and wherein the stand has an outer diameter measured along the tip portion that is less than the length of the replacement head.

11. The oral care system according to claim 10 wherein the replacement head component is configured to be nested within the first and second recesses in the top end portion of the stand while a proximal and distal portion of the replacement head component protrude from an outer surface of the stand, the distal portion of the replacement head comprising the plurality of tooth cleaning elements.

12. A method of separating a replacement head component of an oral care implement from a handle component, the method comprising:

a) Removing the oral care implement from a stand that supports the oral care implement in an upright position, the replacement head component being detachably coupled to the handle component;

b) Engaging the pedestal with the replacement head member; and

c) A pulling force is applied to the handle component until the replacement head component is separated from the handle component.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein step b) further comprises pressing the replacement head member into contact with the pedestal.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step c) further comprises maintaining the replacement head member in pressurized contact with the pedestal during the application of the pulling force.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pressing contact is achieved by applying a pressing force in a first direction substantially orthogonal to the pulling force.

16. The method of any of claims 12 to 15, further comprising:

d) Positioning the handle member back into the stand in the upright position.

17. The method of any of claims 12-16, wherein step b) comprises inserting the replacement head component into one or more recesses formed in a top edge of an annular wall of the pedestal.