JP2013000336A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a toothbrush which gives both a soft contact feel and a comfortable fit.SOLUTION: A plurality of bristle bundles 30 formed by bundling a plurality of bristles are implanted on the implant face 20 of the head part 2 of the toothbrush 1. An arbitrary bristle bundle 30 is structured by randomly mixing primary bristles 32 long enough to reach its tip end face 31 and secondary bristles 34 whose length does not exceed 90% of the length from the implant face 20 to the tip end face 31. It is desirable that a ratio of the secondary bristles 34 expressed by (number of secondly bristles)/(total number of bristles making up an arbitrary bristle bundle)×100 of the bristle bundle 30 is at least 10% and not more than 50%.

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush.

  In the toothbrush that is an intraoral cleaning device, in order to enhance the plaque removal effect, which is the most necessary function, the arrangement of the hair bundles bundled with the hair, the shape of the hair, the hair cutting shape of the hair bundle, etc. Has been made.

In recent years, due to an increase in hygiene orientation, toothbrushes are required to further improve the effect of removing plaque. In response to the demand for improved plaque removal effect, for example, a toothbrush in which a needle-like brush is folded into an asymmetrical U-shape and exposed at different lengths in the range of 0.5 to 2 mm is proposed. (For example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, a toothbrush in which a hair bundle having a height difference between one side and the other side sandwiching a flat wire is implanted in at least a part of the flock holes, and the tip of the hair bundle has an undulating shape has been proposed ( For example, Patent Document 2).
According to the inventions of Patent Documents 1 and 2, the effect of removing plaque is improved by facilitating the entry of the hair ends into narrow portions such as interdental portions and tooth neck portions.

In addition, a toothbrush in which the hair bundle is inclined with respect to the flocked surface of the head portion has been proposed.
For example, in a toothbrush provided with a plurality of bristles on the head that are inclined with respect to the flocked surface of the head and are formed in a chevron shape by bringing the ends of each bunch together, There has been proposed a toothbrush provided as a triangular pyramidal bristles formed in a triangular pyramid shape by bringing the tips of hairs toward each other toward the center of each of the three adjacent bristles (for example, Patent Document 3).
Alternatively, at least a part of the hair bundles stands up from the flocked surface, and the peripheral hairs that incline and extend from a position that is planted so as to surround the center hair bundle to a position that contacts the upper part of the center hair bundle. There is proposed a toothbrush in which a composite hair bundle group is constituted by the bundle, and the tip of the central hair bundle protrudes from the tip of the peripheral hair bundle (for example, Patent Document 4).
According to the inventions of Patent Documents 3 to 4, the hair removal tip is easy to enter the narrow portion, and an appropriate pressure is applied to the occlusal surface, the smooth surface, etc. of the teeth, thereby improving the plaque removal effect.

By the way, a person suffering from periodontal disease tends to prefer a toothbrush with a touching feeling that does not irritate the gums as much as possible in order to avoid pain and bleeding at the time of cleaning. In order to prevent irritation to the gums, it is common to use thin and soft hair with thick hair bundles, and the hair bundles are densely planted (close hair specifications), and the brushing pressure is distributed. is there.
When the hair bundles are densely planted, adjacent hair bundles interfere with each other from the proximal end to the distal end, the distal end portion is less likely to bend, and the contact area between the hair tip of the hair and the portion to be cleaned tends not to expand. .
To solve such a problem, a toothbrush has been proposed in which the inclination of the flat line between adjacent hair bundles is reversed in the length direction and width direction of the head portion (for example, Patent Document 5).

JP-T-2006-514854 International Publication No. 09/084637 Pamphlet Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 08-164025 JP 2008-142371 A International Publication No. 09/078463 Pamphlet

However, in a toothbrush with dense hair, if the hair bundle itself is easily bent, the elasticity of the hair bundle is insufficient, and the bristles are sufficient for unevenness in the oral cavity (for example, the interdental part, the boundary between the teeth and gums, etc.). The contact cannot be made with pressure, and a good fit cannot be obtained. On the other hand, if the elasticity of the hair bundle itself is increased, the flexibility of the hair ends is lost and a soft contact feeling cannot be obtained. That is, it has been difficult to achieve both a good fit and a soft contact feeling in a toothbrush with dense hair specifications.
Then, this invention aims at the toothbrush which can make a good fit and soft contact feeling compatible.

Conventionally, efforts have been made to align the length of the hair in accordance with the shape of the front end surface of the hair bundle in order to sufficiently exert the effect of the hair transplantation pattern, the shape of the hair or the shape of the hair cut.
As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors surprisingly formed a hair that does not reach the end face of the hair bundle, like so-called shaggy cut, so that a good fit and a soft contact feeling are achieved. As a result, the present invention has been found.

That is, the toothbrush of the present invention is a toothbrush in which a plurality of bristles in which a plurality of bristles are bundled are planted on the flocked surface of the head portion. The secondary hair having a length of 90% or less of the length from the flocked surface to the tip surface is randomly mixed.
In the arbitrary hair bundle, the ratio of the secondary hair represented by [number of secondary hairs] / [total number of secondary hairs constituting the optional hair bundle] × 100 is 10% or more and less than 50%. Preferably, the hair bundle diameter of the arbitrary hair bundle is preferably 2 mm or more, and the total cross-sectional area of all the hair bundles is preferably 50% or more with respect to the area of the flocked region, It is preferable that the surface connecting the front end surfaces of the hair bundle is a curved surface that bulges toward the center in the width direction of the head portion.

According to the toothbrush of the present invention, the regular hair having a length reaching the tip surface and the secondary hair having a length of 90% or less of the length from the flocked surface to the tip surface are randomly mixed. By providing the hair bundle, it is possible to achieve both good fit and soft contact feeling.
According to the toothbrush of the present invention, the ratio of secondary hair represented by [number of secondary hairs] / [total number of secondary hairs constituting an arbitrary hair bundle] × 100 is 10% or more and less than 50%. Therefore, the fit becomes better and the hit feeling becomes softer.
According to the toothbrush of the present invention, since the hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle having the auxiliary hair is 2 mm or more, the degree of dense hair is increased, and the contact feeling becomes softer.
According to the toothbrush of this invention, since the sum total of the cross-sectional area of all the hair | bristle bundles is 50% or more with respect to the area of a flocked area | region, a contact feeling becomes softer.
According to the toothbrush of this invention, since the surface which connected the front end surface of the hair | bristle bundle is a curved surface which bulges toward the center of the width direction of a head part, a contact feeling becomes softer.

It is a top view of the toothbrush concerning a first embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the toothbrush concerning 1st embodiment of this invention. It is an enlarged plan view of the hair | bristle bundle in the toothbrush of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the toothbrush concerning 2nd embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the toothbrush concerning 3rd embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the toothbrush used for the Example. It is a top view of the toothbrush used for the comparative example.

(First embodiment)
The toothbrush concerning 1st embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIGS. 1-2 below.
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the toothbrush 1 of the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the toothbrush 1 includes a head portion 2 and a long handle portion 3 (hereinafter, the head portion and the handle portion are referred to as a handle body) extending from the head portion 2. A plurality of substantially true columnar hair bundles 30 are implanted on the flocked surface 20 of the head portion 2.
In the figure, reference numeral O1 is an axis of the handle body that connects the distal end (head portion distal end) 21 of the head portion 2 and the head portion proximal end and passes through the center of the head portion 2. The head base end means the boundary between the head part 2 and the handle part 3.

The head portion 2 has a substantially rectangular shape in plan view with the direction of the axis O1 as a longitudinal direction.
The head portion 2 and the handle portion 3 are integrally formed in a long shape as a whole, and are obtained, for example, by injection molding using a resin as a material.
The resin constituting the handle body can be determined in consideration of the rigidity and mechanical characteristics required for the toothbrush 1, and examples thereof include a high-hardness resin having a flexural modulus (JIS K7203) in the range of 500 to 3000 MPa. Examples of such high-hardness resins include polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate (PCT), polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile / butadiene / styrene resin (ABS), and cellulose propio. Nate (CP), polyarylate, polycarbonate, acrylonitrile / styrene copolymer resin (AS), and the like. These can be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.
The handle portion 3 may be partially or entirely covered with a flexible resin such as an elastomer.

 The size of the head portion 2 can be determined in consideration of the operability in the oral cavity, for example, the width is 10 to 15 mm, and the thickness is 4 to 8 mm.

In the head portion 2, flocking holes 23 that open to the flocked surface 20 are formed in a so-called zigzag pattern, and in each flocked hole 23, a hair bundle 30 is planted.
On the flocked surface 20, six hair bundles 30 are implanted on the axis O <b> 1 to form a central hair bundle row 24. On both sides of the central hair bundle row 24 in the width direction of the head portion 2 (that is, the direction orthogonal to the axis O1), five hair bundles 30 are planted along the axis O1 to form the outer hair bundle row 26. ing.

The thickness (hair bundle diameter) R1 (FIG. 2) of the hair bundle 30 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 2 mm or more, and more preferably 2 to 3 mm. If it is more than the said lower limit, the space | interval of the front end surfaces 31 will become narrow, the degree of dense hair will increase, and it will become a softer contact feeling. If it is below the said upper limit, the strength reduction of the head part 2 can be suppressed. In particular, when the hair bundle 30 is planted by a flat-wired planting described later, if the hair bundle diameter R1 is too thick, the head portion 2 is likely to be whitened or cracked.
The hair bundle diameter R <b> 1 is a diameter of a cross section obtained by cutting the hair bundle 30 at the flocked surface 20.

50% or more is preferable and 60% or more is more preferable as the hair transplantation rate represented by [the sum total of the cross-sectional areas of all the hair | bristle bundles 30] ÷ [area of the hair transplantation area] × 100. In such a toothbrush with dense hair specifications, the effect of the present invention is remarkably exhibited.
The flocked region 22 is a region surrounded by a tangent line that connects the outer edges of the hair bundle 30 located on the outermost periphery.

 As shown in FIG. 2, the front end surface 31 of the hair bundle 30 is a flat surface that is substantially parallel to the flocked surface 20, and the surface (brush surface) connecting the front end surfaces 31 is a substantially flat surface. The length H1 from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 31 can be determined in consideration of the hair bundle diameter, the type of hair, and the like, and is, for example, in the range of 6 to 13 mm.

The hair bundle 30 has regular hair 32 that reaches the tip surface 31 and secondary hair 34 that is shorter than the length from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 31. The length H2 of the auxiliary hair 34 is 90% or less of the length H1 from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 31, and preferably 80% or less. If it is below the above upper limit value, the vicinity of the tip of the regular hair 32 is easily bent, and a soft contact feeling can be obtained. Although the lower limit of length H2 is not specifically limited, 50% or more of length H1 is preferable and 60% or more is more preferable. If it is more than the said lower limit, the hair | bristle bundle 30 exhibits moderate elasticity and a favorable fit is obtained.
The lengths of the auxiliary hairs 34 may all be the same, or two or more different lengths. If the lengths of the auxiliary hairs 34 are all the same, even when mass-produced, the toothbrush 1 can be obtained in which there is no individual difference in touch and the soft contact feeling is stable. When two or more secondary hairs 34 having different lengths are used, the hair bundle 30 gradually weakens from the proximal end to the distal end, and can exhibit a natural feeling.

As shown in FIG. 3, the hair bundle 30 is a mixture of primary hairs 32 and secondary hairs 34 randomly. Here, “random” means that there is no regularity in the arrangement of the primary hair 32 and the secondary hair 34.
As long as the primary hair 32 and the secondary hair 34 are randomly mixed, for example, the secondary hair 34 may be adjacent to the other secondary hair 34, or the secondary hair 34 may be the other secondary hair 34. Only the regular hair 32 may be adjacent without being adjacent to the hair 34. From the viewpoint of increasing the soft contact comfort, it is preferable that the secondary hair 34 is disposed not adjacent to the other secondary hair 34 but only adjacent to the primary hair 32. More preferably, it is dispersed substantially uniformly. Here, “substantially uniform” is a state where it is recognized that there is no bias of the auxiliary hair 34 in plan view.

 The ratio of the secondary hair 34 in the hair bundle 30, that is, the secondary hair ratio represented by [number of secondary hairs] / [total number of hairs constituting any hair bundle] × 100 is 10% or more. Less than 50% is preferable, and 20 to 30% is more preferable. If it is more than the said lower limit, the front-end | tip part vicinity of the regular hair 32 will become easy to bend, and a soft contact feeling will be obtained. If it is less than the said upper limit, the hair | bristle bundle 30 exhibits moderate elasticity and a favorable fitting feeling is obtained.

  The types of regular hair 32 include hairs (taper hairs) that gradually decrease in diameter toward the hair tips, and hairs (straight hairs) that have substantially the same outer diameter except for the rounded portion of the hair tips. It is done.

The material of the regular hair 32 is, for example, polyamide such as 6-12 nylon or 6-10 nylon, PET, polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polybutylene. Synthetic resin materials such as polyester such as phthalate (PBN), polyolefin such as PP, elastomer such as olefin elastomer and styrene elastomer can be used.
These resin materials may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
Further, the regular hair 32 may have a multi-core structure having a core portion and at least one or more sheath portions provided outside the core portion.

 The cross-sectional shape of the bristles 32 is preferably a circle, but is not necessarily limited to a circle, and can be any shape depending on the intended use of the toothbrush 1. For example, the shape may be an ellipse, a polygon (for example, a triangle, a quadrangle, a pentagon, a hexagon, or the like), an irregular shape (for example, a star shape, a three-leaf clover shape, a four-leaf clover shape, or the like).

The thickness of the regular hair 32 is not particularly limited. For example, when the cross section is circular, it is preferably 8 mil (1 mil = 1/1000 inch = 0.025 mm) or less, and more preferably 7 mil or less. If it exceeds the above upper limit, the hair of the hair bundle 30 is too strong, and there is a possibility that a soft contact feeling cannot be obtained. Although the lower limit of the thickness of the regular hair 32 is not specifically limited, 4 mil or more is preferable. If it is less than the above lower limit value, the hair of the hair bundle 30 becomes too weak and a good fit may not be obtained.
The hair bundle 30 may be composed of all the hairs having the same thickness, or may be composed of two or more hairs having different thicknesses.
The thickness of the hair is the diameter of a circle inscribed by the cross section cut by the flocked surface 20.

The type of the secondary hair 34 is the same as the type of the primary hair 32, and the material of the secondary hair 34 is the same as the material of the primary hair 32.
The cross-sectional shape of the secondary hair 34 is the same as the cross-sectional shape of the primary hair 32, and the thickness of the secondary hair 34 is the same as the thickness of the primary hair 32.

An example is given and demonstrated about the manufacturing method of the toothbrush 1 of this embodiment.
First, after shaping the handle body, a hair bundle having an arbitrary length is implanted on the flocked surface 20 of the handle body. The method for flocking the hair bundle is, for example, a flat wire type flocking in which the hair bundle is planted by folding the hair bundle in half and driving a flat wire sandwiched between them into the flock hole, and the lower end of the hair bundle becomes the flocked portion. Examples include a heat fusion method in which the molten resin is press-fitted and fixed, an in-mold method in which the lower end of the hair bundle is heated to form a molten lump, and then the molten resin is injected into the mold to mold the flocked portion. .

Next, shaggy cutting is performed at an arbitrary position of the hair bundle thus planted, and a part of the hair is used as the secondary hair 34. As a method for performing shaggy cutting, for example, there is a method in which an arbitrary position of a hair bundle is processed with a scissors (senning scissor) used for hair conditioning.
Thus, the shaggy cut is performed, so that a hair bundle 30 in which a part of cut hair becomes a secondary hair 34 and a hair that has not been cut becomes a regular hair 32 is formed. And in the hair | bristle bundle 30, the primary hair 32 and the secondary hair 34 will be mixed together at random.

 Alternatively, as another manufacturing method, there is a method in which hairs having different lengths are bundled to form a hair bundle 30, and this is then planted on the flocked surface 20. Examples of the method for flocking the hair bundle 30 include a flat wire type flocking method, a thermal fusion method, and an in-mold method.

According to the present embodiment, the regular hair having a length that the hair bundle reaches the tip surface and the secondary hair having a length of 90% or less of the length from the flocked surface to the tip surface are randomly mixed. Therefore, in the position above the secondary hair, there is less interference between the primary hairs, and they will bend easily. For this reason, a soft hit feeling is given to a user at the time of cleaning in the oral cavity.
In addition, at positions equal to or less than the length of the auxiliary hair, the primary hair and the auxiliary hair interfere with each other to form a strong fur. For this reason, when cleaning the inside of the oral cavity, the hair bundle acts to restore with an appropriate elasticity, and the tip of the hair bundle comes in contact with the unevenness in the oral cavity, so that a good fit is given.

(Second embodiment)
The toothbrush concerning 2nd embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 4 below.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the toothbrush 100 of the present embodiment, and is a cross-section at the same position as in FIG. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted. The differences from the first embodiment are mainly described. That is, the difference from the first embodiment is that the surface connecting the front end surfaces of the hair bundle is a curved surface that bulges toward the center in the width direction of the head portion.

 As shown in FIG. 4, in the toothbrush 100, the hair bundle 130 is planted on the axis O <b> 1 to form a center hair bundle row, and the axis O <b> 1 is formed on both sides of the center hair bundle row in the width direction of the head portion 2. The hair bundles 140 are planted along the outer side to form an outer hair bundle row.

 The front end surface 131 of the hair bundle 130 is a curved surface that becomes higher toward the center in the width direction of the head portion 2. All the hairs 132 constituting the hair bundle 130 reach the distal end surface 131, that is, all are regular hairs.

 The front end surface 141 of the hair bundle 140 is a curved surface that becomes higher toward the center in the width direction of the head portion 2, and the surface connecting the front end surface 131 and the front end surface 141 as a whole is in the center in the width direction of the head portion 2. It is a curved surface that bulges as it goes.

The hair bundle 140 is composed of regular hair 142 having a length reaching the distal end surface 141 and subsidiary hair 144 having a length of 90% or less of the length from the flocked surface 20 to the distal end surface 141.
Here, the length from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 141 means the length from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 141 at the position where the auxiliary hair is planted. That is, the auxiliary hair 144 has a length of 90% or less with respect to the length when it reaches the distal end surface 141.
For example, the length H5 of the auxiliary hair 144a is 90% or less of the length H3 from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 141 at the position where the auxiliary hair 144a is implanted, and the length H5 of the auxiliary hair 144b is , 90% or less of the length H4 from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 141 at the position where the auxiliary hair 144b is flocked.

 The hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 130 is the same as the hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 30, and the length of the hair bundle 130 is the same as the length of the hair bundle 30.

 The hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 140 is the same as the hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 30, and the length of the hair bundle 140 can be determined in consideration of the length of the hair bundle 130.

The type of the bristle 132 is the same as the kind of the regular hair 32, and the material of the bristle 132 is the same as the material of the regular hair 32.
Similar to the length of the regular hair 32, the length of the hair 132 can be appropriately determined within a range of 6 to 13 mm, for example. The thickness of the hair 132 is the same as the thickness of the regular hair 32.

The kind of the regular hair 142 is the same as the kind of the regular hair 32, and the material of the regular hair 142 is the same as the material of the regular hair 32.
The length of the regular hair 142 can be determined in consideration of the length of the hair bundle 130, and the thickness of the regular hair 132 is the same as the thickness of the regular hair 32.

 The type of the secondary hair 144 is the same as the type of the secondary hair 34, and the material of the secondary hair 144 is the same as the material of the secondary hair 34. The length of the auxiliary hair 144 is the same as the length of the auxiliary hair 34, and the thickness of the auxiliary hair 144 is the same as the thickness of the auxiliary hair 34.

 The relationship between the thickness of the hair 132, the thickness of the primary hair 142, and the thickness of the auxiliary hair 144 can be determined in consideration of the material and thickness of each hair. For example, when the thicknesses of all the hairs constituting one hair bundle are the same, the thickness of each hair is preferably hair 132> primary hair 142 = sub hair 144. Since the hair bundle 140 is shorter than the hair bundle 130, the hair is likely to be strong. For this reason, the bristle diameter of the primary bristle 142 and the secondary bristle 144 can be narrowed, and the contact comfort of the entire toothbrush 100 can be made soft.

 The secondary hair ratio in the hair bundle 140 is the same as the secondary hair ratio in the hair bundle 30.

  According to the present embodiment, the surface connecting the front end surfaces of the hair bundle is a curved surface that bulges toward the center in the width direction of the head portion, and has a so-called dome shape as a whole. The hair bundle preferentially cleans the narrow part such as the interdental part, the neck part, and the boundary between the tooth and the gum, and the brush surface has a dome shape. It becomes softer.

(Third embodiment)
The toothbrush concerning 3rd embodiment of this invention is demonstrated with reference to FIG. 5 below.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the toothbrush 200 of the present embodiment, and is a cross-section at the same position as in FIG. The same components as those in the first or second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, description thereof is omitted, and differences from the first and second embodiments are mainly described. That is, the difference from the first and second embodiments is that the number of hairs is gradually reduced toward the tip surface of the hair bundle.

 The front end surface 231 of the hair bundle 230 is a curved surface that becomes higher toward the center in the width direction of the head portion 2. The hair bundle 230 is composed of primary hair 232, first secondary hair 244, and second secondary hair 246 that is shorter than the first secondary hair 244.

 The front end surface 241 of the hair bundle 240 is a curved surface that becomes higher toward the center in the width direction of the head portion 2, and the surface connecting the front end surface 231 and the front end surface 241 is located at the center in the width direction of the head portion 2 as a whole. It is a curved surface that bulges as it goes.

The hair bundle 240 is composed of regular hair 242 having a length that reaches the distal end surface 241, first secondary hair 244, and second secondary hair 246 that is shorter than the first secondary hair 244. Thus, the number of hairs is gradually reduced toward the tip surface 241.
The length H7 of the first auxiliary hair 244 is 90% or less of the length H6 from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 241 at the position where the auxiliary hair 244 is implanted. The length H9 is 90% or less of the length H8 from the flocked surface 20 to the distal end surface 241 at the position where the second auxiliary hair 246 is implanted.

 The hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 230 is the same as the hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 30, and the length of the hair bundle 230 is the same as the length of the hair bundle 30.

 The hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 240 is the same as the hair bundle diameter of the hair bundle 30, and the length of the hair bundle 240 can be determined in consideration of the length of the hair bundle 130.

The kind of the regular hair 232 is the same as the kind of the regular hair 32, and the material of the regular hair 232 is the same as the material of the regular hair 32.
The length of the regular hair 232 is the same as the length of the regular hair 132, and the thickness of the regular hair 232 is the same as the thickness of the regular hair 32.

The kind of the regular hair 242 is the same as the kind of the regular hair 32, and the material of the regular hair 242 is the same as the material of the regular hair 32.
The length of the regular hair 242 can be determined in consideration of the length of the hair bundle 230, and the thickness of the regular hair 232 is the same as the thickness of the regular hair 32.

 The type of the first auxiliary hair 244 is the same as the type of the auxiliary hair 34, and the material of the first auxiliary hair 244 is the same as the material of the auxiliary hair 34. The length of the first secondary hair 244 can be determined in consideration of the length of the primary hair, and the thickness of the first secondary hair 244 is the same as the thickness of the secondary hair 34.

The type of the second auxiliary hair 246 is the same as the type of the auxiliary hair 34, and the material of the second auxiliary hair 246 is the same as the material of the auxiliary hair 34. The length of the second auxiliary hair 246 may be 90% or less of the length from the flocked surface 20 to the tip surface 141 and shorter than the first auxiliary hair 244. For example, the first auxiliary hair 246 60 to 90% of the length of 244 is preferred. If it is in the said range, a hair | bristle bundle will bend more flexibly and soft touch feeling and a feeling of fitting can be raised more.
The thickness of the second auxiliary hair 246 is the same as the thickness of the auxiliary hair 34.

 The relationship between the thickness of the hair constituting the hair bundle 230 and the thickness of the hair constituting the hair bundle 240 can be determined in consideration of the material and thickness of each hair. For example, when the thicknesses of all the hairs constituting one hair bundle are the same, the thickness of each hair may be the hair constituting the hair bundle 230> the hair constituting the hair bundle 240. preferable.

The secondary hair ratio in the hair bundle 230 is the same as the secondary hair ratio in the hair bundle 30, and the secondary hair ratio in the hair bundle 240 is the same as the secondary hair ratio in the hair bundle 30.
The “number of secondary hairs” in the present embodiment is the total of the first secondary hair 244 and the second secondary hair 246.

  The ratio of the first auxiliary hair 244 and the second auxiliary hair 246 per one hair bundle (number of first auxiliary hairs / number of second auxiliary hairs) is not particularly limited. For example, 1-3 are preferable and 1.5-2.5 are more preferable. If it is in the said range, a hair | bristle bundle will bend more flexibly and soft touch feeling and a feeling of fitting can be raised more.

 According to the toothbrush of the present embodiment, since the number of hairs gradually decreases toward the distal end surface, the bristles gradually weaken from the proximal end to the distal end, and feels natural. Can demonstrate.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment.
For example, in the first to third embodiments, the hair bundles are arranged in a staggered manner, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the hair bundles are arranged in a so-called lattice shape (a grid pattern). It may be.

 In the first to third embodiments, all the hair bundles have a substantially true cylindrical shape. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the hair bundle may have an elliptical column shape, a triangular prism shape, or a square shape. It may be a polygonal columnar shape such as a columnar shape, or a combination thereof.

 In the first to third embodiments, three rows of hair bundles are formed, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, two rows or four or more rows. Good.

In the first to third embodiments, the central hair bundle row is formed by six hair bundles, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of hair bundles forming the central hair bundle row is 5 or less. It may be seven or more.
In the first to third embodiments, the outer hair bundle row is formed by five hair bundles, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of hair bundles forming the outer hair bundle row is four or less. There may be six or more.

 In 1st and 3rd embodiment, although all the hair | bristle bundles are comprised by the regular hair and the secondary hair, this invention is not limited to this, It is comprised by the regular hair and the secondary hair. The hair bundle may be planted only in part.

 In the second embodiment, the hair bundle forming the central hair bundle row is composed only of regular hair, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the hair bundle forming the central hair bundle row is the secondary hair bundle. You may have hair. Or the hair | bristle bundle which forms a center hair | bristle bundle row | line | column may have a secondary hair | bristle, and the hair | bristle bundle which forms an outer side hair | bristle bundle row | line | column may be comprised only by the regular hair.

 In the third embodiment, one hair bundle has two types of secondary hairs, but the present invention is not limited to this, and one hair bundle has three or more types of secondary hairs. You may have hair.

  In addition, the hair | bristle bundle of the toothbrush of this invention may have the hair for the length of 90% or more of the length from the planted surface to a front end surface shorter than the regular hair.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, although an Example is shown and this invention is demonstrated in detail, this invention is not limited by the following description. In the table, “S” as the hair type indicates straight hair, and “T” indicates tapered hair.

Example 1
According to the specifications of Table 1, a toothbrush similar to the toothbrush 100 of FIG. 4 was obtained. In this toothbrush, the distance between the flock holes is 0.6 mm, and the surface (brush surface) connecting the tips of the bristles is a curved surface (dome shape) that bulges toward the center in the width direction of the head portion. It is a thing.
The hair bundle forming the central hair bundle row has a length on both sides in the head portion width direction of 10.5 mm and a length of the central portion of 12 mm. The hair bundle constituting the outer hair bundle row has a length of 9 mm on the side of the head portion side edge and a length of 10.5 mm on the center side of the head portion.
In the toothbrush of this example, shaggy cut is applied to the hair bundle forming the outer hair bundle row, and the secondary hair ratio of the hair bundle is set to 20%.
About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 2)
According to the specifications of Table 1, a toothbrush similar to the toothbrush 200 of FIG. 5 was obtained. In this toothbrush, the distance between the flock holes is 0.6 mm, and the brush surface is dome-shaped.
The hair bundle forming the central hair bundle row has a length of 10.5 mm on both sides in the width direction of the head portion and a length of the central portion of 12 mm. The hair bundle constituting the outer hair bundle row has a length of 9 mm on the side of the head portion side edge and a length of 10.5 mm on the center side of the head portion.
The toothbrush of this example performs shaggy cutting on the hair bundle forming the central hair bundle row and the hair bundle forming the outer hair bundle row at a position of 6 mm from the flocked surface and a position of 10 mm from the flocked surface. The secondary hair ratio is 45%. One hair bundle has 15% of 6 mm secondary hair (based on the number) and 30% of 10 mm secondary hair (based on the number).
About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 3)
A toothbrush was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the bristles in the central bristle bundle were tapered. About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

Example 4
A toothbrush was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the hair bundle forming the outer hair bundle row was randomly shaggy cut at a position of 7 to 10 mm from the flocked surface. About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 5)
A toothbrush was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the auxiliary hair ratio was changed to 5%. About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 6)
A toothbrush was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the secondary hair ratio was 50%. About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 7)
According to the specifications of Table 1, a toothbrush similar to the toothbrush 1 of FIG. 1 was obtained. In this toothbrush, the bristles forming the central bristles row and the bristles forming the outer bunch rows are the tip surfaces that are substantially parallel to the flocked surface, and the brush surface is substantially flat. is there.
In the toothbrush of this example, a shaggy cut is applied to the hair bundle forming the outer hair bundle, the secondary hair ratio of the hair bundle is 20%, and all the hair bundles forming the central hair bundle are regular hairs. It is configured. The distance between the flock holes is 0.6 mm.
About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Example 8)
According to the specifications in Table 2, a toothbrush similar to the toothbrush 300 of FIG. 6 was obtained. This toothbrush 300 has two bristle bundle groups 330 arranged in the direction of the axis O1. In the hair bundle group 330, six second hair bundles 332 are annularly arranged around the first hair bundle 331. The distal end surface of the first hair bundle 331 is a curved surface that bulges toward the distal end, and the distal end surface of the second hair bundle 332 has a shape that becomes higher as it approaches the first hair bundle 331. Thus, the front end surface of the hair bundle group 330 is a curved surface (dome shape) that bulges toward the front end of the first hair bundle 331.
In addition, the third hair bundle 333 is provided on both sides of the position where the hair bundle groups 330 are closest to each other, and the third hair bundle 333 is the shortest regular use of the second hair bundle 332. It is the same length as hair. That is, the toothbrush 300 has two domed shapes as a whole in the surface where the front end surfaces of the bristles are connected.
In this example, the distance between the flock holes is 0.6 mm, and the first hair bundle 331 has a central portion length of 12 mm and a peripheral edge length of 10.5 mm. In the second hair bundle 332, the length of the portion adjacent to the first hair bundle 331 is 10.5 mm, the length of the portion located at the periphery of the hair bundle group 330 is 9 mm, and the length of the flocked surface 20 is 8 mm. A shaggy cut is applied at the position, and the secondary hair ratio is 20%. The third hair bundle 333 has a length of 9 mm, is shaggy cut at a position 8 mm from the flocked surface 20, and has a secondary hair ratio of 20%.
About the obtained toothbrush, fit feeling, hit feeling and cleaning feeling were evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Example 1)
According to the specifications of Table 1, a toothbrush similar to the toothbrush 900 of FIG. 7 was obtained. In this toothbrush, the distance between the flock holes is 0.6 mm, and the brush surface has a shape (stepped shape) protruding stepwise toward the center in the head width direction.
The hair bundle 930 forming the central hair bundle row has a length of 12 mm. The hair bundle 940 constituting the outer hair bundle is bent by shifting the end of the hair bundle by 1 mm, and planted by flat-line type flocking, and the length of the hair 944 on the side edge of the head part is 9 mm, The length of the hair 942 on the central side of the head is 10 mm.
About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Comparative Example 2)
A toothbrush was obtained in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the hair bundle forming the outer hair bundle was not subjected to shaggy cutting.
About the obtained toothbrush, a fit feeling, a hit feeling, and a cleaning feeling are evaluated, and the results are shown in Table 1.

(Evaluation method)
<Fit feeling>
Ten monitors used the toothbrush of each example, and evaluated the fit to a narrow part according to the following evaluation criteria. The average score of 10 monitors is “◎” if the average score is 2.5 or higher, “◯” if the average score is 2.0 or higher and lower than 2.5, and “△” if the average score is 1.5 or higher and lower than 2.0. The average score of less than 1.5 was designated as “x”.

≪Evaluation criteria≫
3 points: A feeling of touching the hair bundle with moderate elasticity according to the unevenness in the oral cavity is very felt.
2 points: Feels the hair bundle touching with moderate elasticity according to the unevenness in the oral cavity.
1 point: According to the unevenness | corrugation in an oral cavity, the touch which a hair | bristle bundle contacts with moderate elasticity does not feel much.
0 point: The hair bundle is not touched by moderate elasticity according to the unevenness in the oral cavity.

<Hit comfort>
Ten monitors used the toothbrush of each example, and evaluated the hit feeling to a gum according to the following evaluation criteria. The average score of 10 monitors is “◎” if the average score is 2.5 or higher, “◯” if the average score is 2.0 or higher and lower than 2.5, and “△” if the average score is 1.5 or higher and lower than 2.0. The average score of less than 1.5 was designated as “x”.

≪Evaluation criteria≫
3 points: There is no pain in the gums and the contact feeling is very soft.
2 points: No gum pain and soft touch
1 point: Feels weak pain in gums.
0 point: Strong pain in the gums.

<Clean feeling>
Ten monitors used the toothbrush of each example, and evaluated the cleaning feeling of the clearance gap between a tooth and a gum on the following evaluation criteria. The average score of 10 monitors is “◎” if the average score is 2.5 or higher, “◯” if the average score is 2.0 or higher and lower than 2.5, and “△” if the average score is 1.5 or higher and lower than 2.0. The average score of less than 1.5 was designated as “x”.

≪Evaluation criteria≫
3 points: I feel the feeling that the dirt in the gap between the teeth and gums has been removed.
2 points: Feels that the dirt in the gap between the teeth and gums has been removed.
1 point: There is not much feeling that the dirt in the gap between the tooth and the gum has been removed.
0 point: Feels that the dirt in the gap between the teeth and gums has been removed.

As shown in Tables 1 and 2, in Examples 1 to 8 to which the present invention was applied, the evaluation of fit and hit feeling was “◯” or “◎”. Among them, Examples 2 and 4 in which hair bundles having two or more types of auxiliary hairs were used were excellent in contact feeling. In addition, Example 3 in which the hair bundle of the central hair bundle row was configured with tapered hairs was excellent in cleaning feeling. This is because taper hair is used, the degree of freedom of movement of the hair is further increased in the vicinity of the tip of the hair bundle of the central hair bundle row, and the taper hair with the sharpened tip is more likely to enter the narrow portion. It is thought that it became.
On the other hand, in Comparative Example 1 in which the brush surface has a stepped shape, the evaluation of the hit feeling was “Δ”. Further, in Comparative Example 2 using only the hair bundle having no auxiliary hair, the evaluation of the hit feeling and the evaluation of the cleaning feeling were “x”.
From these results, it was found that the toothbrush to which the present invention was applied can achieve both a good fit and a soft contact feeling.

1, 100, 200, 300 Toothbrush 2 Head part 20 Flocked surface 22 Flocked area 23 Flocked hole 30, 130, 140, 230, 240, 331, 332, 333 Hair bundle 31, 131, 141, 231, 241 Tip surface 32, 142, 232, 242 Regular hair 34, 144, 144a, 144b, 242 and 246 Secondary hair 132 Hair

Claims (5)

In a toothbrush in which a plurality of bristles bundled with a plurality of bristles are planted on the flocked surface of the head part,
Any of the above-mentioned hair bundles is a random mixture of regular hair having a length reaching the tip surface and secondary hair having a length of 90% or less of the length from the flocked surface to the tip surface. A toothbrush that is configured.  In the arbitrary hair bundle, the ratio of the secondary hair represented by [number of secondary hairs] / [total number of secondary hairs constituting the optional hair bundle] × 100 is 10% or more and less than 50%. The toothbrush according to claim 1.  The toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a hair bundle diameter of the arbitrary hair bundle is 2 mm or more.   The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the total cross-sectional area of all the hair bundles is 50% or more with respect to the area of the flocked region.  The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a surface connecting the front end surfaces of the hair bundle is a curved surface that bulges toward the center in the width direction of the head portion.

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