GB2519307A

GB2519307A - Hairbrushes, hairbrush bristles and hairbrush bristle cartridges and methods of manufacture therefore

Info

Publication number: GB2519307A
Application number: GB1318264.7A
Authority: GB
Inventors: William King
Original assignee: King of Shaves Co Ltd
Current assignee: King of Shaves Co Ltd
Priority date: 2013-10-15
Filing date: 2013-10-15
Publication date: 2015-04-22
Also published as: GB201318264D0

Abstract

A hairbrush 1, hairbrush bristles 4 or a hairbrush cartridge 2 comprises: a body made from a polymer material and comprising an outer surface wherein at least part of the body is coated with a low friction material; the low friction material is preferably hydrophilic material, and may be formed from an acrylamide; the hairbrush 1, hairbrush bristles 4 or hairbrush cartridge 2 may include or be fixed to a handle (2, fig 2) which includes a relatively higher friction gripping surface; the outer surface of a hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge may be formed with undulations.

Description

HAIRBRUSHES, HAIRBRUSH BRISTLES AND HAIRBRUSH BRISTLE

CARTRIDGES AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURE THEREFORE

This invention relates to improved hairhrushes, hairbrush bristles and hairbrush bristle cartridges and methods of manufacture therefore.

The purpose of a hair brush is to grip and direct individual hair strands to straighten and untangle the hair body and also to transfer the natural hair oils and any applied substances,s uch as lotions, evenly along the whole length of the hair strands. Often a user's hair is so tangled that it is very difficult to move the bristles through the hair without causing the user discomfort and pain.

In the case of young children or in very severely tangled hair a normal hair brush can take a very long time to untangle the hair with significant discomfort.

is One solution is to use a brush head with bristles which are more widely spread.

In this case the untangling effects of the brush are reduced and often only r reduce tangling rather than eliminating it, or extending the period during which 0) brushing is required to an impractical extent.

Brushing also produces unwanted static which causes singular strands of hair to become separated from the main body of hair which is undesirable.

There are a number of known prior art devices which endeavour to solve this problem. For example US 4610925 assigned to Du Pont describes an improved monofilament suitable for use as a hairbrush bristle which provides an outstanding combination of antistatic performance and the tensile properties needed for a hairbrush bristle.

Specifically, the instant invention provides an oriented sheath-core monofilament suitable for use as a hairbrush bristle having a diameter of at least about 0.25 mm and a body of polymer selected from the group consisting of nylon and polyester in which the polyester is at least about 60 weight percent polyhutylene terephthalate and the balance of the polyester selected from polyethylene terephthalate and cyclohexane dimethanol terephthalate, and (B) a sheath adhered to the body, comprising about 10-40 weight percent of the group consisting of nylon 11, nylon 12, nylon 610, nylon 612 and copolyetherester, the sheath polymer having a melting point no greater than that of the body, and the sheath containing about from 20 to 30 weight percent carbon, uniformly admixed with the sheath polymer. the monofilament having a resistance of less than about 4 megaohms per cm and a Tensile Coefficient as to defined therein of about from 0.3 to 5.0. polymer is applied to the plastic or metal part and is cured.

In US 5213887 by 3M a further attempt is made to provide an anti-static effect whilst retaining the desired tensile properties. A solution of a chitosan-acid salt ii is coated over a layer of a dried anionic inorganic metal oxide colloidal suspension on the surface of a polymeric material. The resulting substantially r optically clear and transparent coating comprising the inorganic metal oxide 0) layer bonded to a chitosan polymer overcoat layer is an effective and stable antistatic protection layer.

GB 2327878 to Kerry Garner discloses a colour change temperature sensitive coating which indicates when the hairbrush is at the desired temperau.tre for styling, but this does not address the issues of entanglement and static.

It is an objective of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages of the above devices and to provide a hairbrush, hairbrush bristles and hairbrush cartridges which reduces entanglement and the discomfort associated with removing entanglement and reduces the force required to brush through the hair.

It is an objective of the present invention to provide hairbrush, hairbrush bristles and hairbrush cartridges and methods of manufacture therefore in which the anti static and disentanglement properties do not become ineffective before the normal fife of the brush has expired.

It is a further objective of the present invention to provide improved hairbrush, hairhrush bristles and hairbrush cartridges and methods of manufacture therefore in which the anti static and disentanglement properties remain effective during the different use patterns and hair types of the user. to

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge including a body made from a first polymer material and comprising an outer surface wherein at least part of the outer surface is coated with a low friction material. tS

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a hairbrush, r hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge including a body made from a 0) polymer material and comprising an outer surface wherein at least part of the body is coated with a hydrophilic material, and wherein the coating is formed from an acrylamide The hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or hairbrush cartridge may include or he fixed to a handle which includes a relatively higher friction gripping surface.

The outer surface of a hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge may be formed with undulations having a length dimension, a width dimension and a height dimension. The height is defined by a lower trough surface and an upper crest surface joined by intervening side walls.

By means of the intervening side walls the undulations preferably provide an increased contact surface area between the first polymer and the coating such that for a given thickness the amount of coating is greater than would be the case for a flat surface.

Preferably the coating is applied at a thickness which extends higher than the height of the undulations such that the troughs are completely filled with coating material. The coating may extend in thickness beyond the top of the crests of the undulations and may form a flat outer surface having a thickness above the crests corresponding to the depth of the troughs.

to The depth dimension between the top of the crests and the bottom of the troughs may be within the range 0.01 to 1.0 mm and may advantageously be 0.05 to 0.5 mm, and is preferably within the range 0.1 to 0.2mm.

The width dimension of the undulations may be non uniform, that is to say that ii the width of the crest or ridge may be different to the width of the trough or the gap between ridges. r

C) The width of the crest or ridge may he within the range 0.0! to I.0 mm and may advantageously be 0.05 to 0.5 mm, and is preferably within the range 0.1 to 0.2mm.

The trough width or gap between the ridges may he within the range 0.01 to 1.0 mm and may advantageously be 0.05 to 0.5 mm, and is preferably within the range 0.1 to 0.2mm.

The coating has a thickness which extends beyond the top of the crest or ridge and this coating thickness may be within the range 0.01 to 1.0mm and may advantageously be 0.Olto 0.5 mm, and is preferably within the range 0.005 to 0.2mm. All thickness values are dry film thickness (DFT).

The undulations may be formed in a straight configuration. or alternatively they may he curved or circular.

The polymer material for the body maybe any suitable polymer as currently used to make hairbrushes or hairbrush cartridges including bristles such as acrylonitrile hutadiene styrene ABS. hut also may he any vinyl polymers, nylons, hytrel, carbonate polymers, aliphatic polymers or the like, thermoplaslic elastomers such as polyamides.

In the case of a hairbrush or hairbrush cartridge the body may be made of a co-moulding of a first polymer and a second separate and different polymer. The second co-moulded polymer may be a polymer to which the low friction coating does adhere very well whereas the first co-moulded polymer may be a ct polymer to which the low friction coating does not adhere very well.

04 The first co-polymer is preferably a glass-filled nylon hut also may he any r vinyl polymers, nylons, hytrel, carbonate polymers, aliphatic polymers or the C) like. The second co-polymer is preferably a TPU or TPE.

According to a further aspect of the invention there is provided a method of manufacture of a hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge including the steps of moulding the desired form of the hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or hairbrush cartridge from polymeric material; subsequently activating the hair engaging surface of the polymer using either physical or chemical means to make the hair engaging surface receptive to the covalent grafting of a monomer, and then grafting a functional group onto the surface.

Preferably the functional group is an acrylamide, such as N-Isopropylacrylamide.

The physical activation means may be acid-etching or surface roughening or the Uke. PreferaHy the chemical activation means plasma treatment or may he exposing the surface to any medium to produce oxygen centred radicals in its surface; such as by exposure to ozone or a peroxidant such as peroxydis&phate in an aqueous solution.

A number of embodiments on the invention will now he descrihed with reference to the figures in which: to Fig 1 is a perspective view of the front side of a first embodiment of a hair brush of the invention, Fig 2 shows a perspective view of the side of the hair brush of Fig. 1.

Fig 3 shows a front view of a second embodiment of a hair brush of the invention, ii Fig 4 shows a transverse side view of the hair brush of Fig. 3, Fig 5 shows a transverse side view of a bristle cartridge as used in the hair r brush of Fig 3, C) Fig 6 shows a perspective view of the brisile cartridge of Fig 5.

Fig 7 shows a transverse side view of the bristle cartridge of Fig 5, and Fig 8 shows an enlarged portion of the transverse side view of the bristle pad of Fig 5.

In a first embodiment of the invention, shown in Fig 1 and Fig 2, a hair brush 1 includes a bristle cartridge 2 including bristles 4. In this embodiment the hair brush is dome shaped allowing the user to grip the brush with the palm of the hand by gripping means 3.

In Fig 5, the cartridge 2 is moulded from Hytrel. Hytrel is a very commonly used and commercially available polymer from Dupont. It will be appreciated that any other suitable polymer having the required properties of a hair brush cartridge may be used. The cartridge 2 and bristles 4 are moulded together by injection moulding and then treated to form a highly lubricious hydrophilic coating which has a very low friction or drag effect on the user's hair and skin, when wet.

In alternative embodiments of the invention the material selected for the bristle cartridge and bristles is an elastomeric material, preferably selected from one of the materials: Texin RxT9OA, a tradename of Bayer Material Science AG to Hardness 30D (Scale D Rockwell hardness) Tensile strength 40.7 MPA Flexural Modulus 41.4 MPA Type: TPU (Thermoplastic polyurethane), polyether based.

ii Pearlthane D16N6OD, a tradename of Merquinsa.

Hardness: 63D r Tensile Strength: 40 MPA 0) Type: TPU, Polyester Based Pearlthane 1 1t65D, a tradename of Merquinsa Hardness: 64D Tensile Strength: 35 MPA Type: TPIJ, Polycaprolactone copolyester based Pehax 7033, a tradename of Arkema Hardness 69D (Scale D Rockwell hardness) Tensile strength 57.2 MPA Flexural Modulus 462 MPA Type: TPE, Made from flexible polyether and rigid polyamide.

Pehax 7233 Hardness 72D (Scale D Rockwell hardness) Tensile strength 63.5 MPA Rexura Modubs 738 MPA Type: TPE, made from flexible polyether and rigid polyamide.

Pehax 5533 Hardness 50-54 Shore D Tensile strength 52 MPa 1iexura modifius 170 MPa Type TPE, made from flexible polyether and rigid polyamide Texin HM1206 Hardness 85D (Scale D Rockwell hardness) Tensile strength 76 MPA is Flexural Modulus 2321 MPA Type: TPU, Polyester Based r C) Before assembly of the bristle cartridge 2 to the bnish handle 3, the bristles and bristle cartridge are provided with a coating 5 by a suitable process such as weakly ionised plasma activation. This weakly ionised oxygen plasma treatment is a known technique for the activation of polymers in general and is used for example in the chrome plating of plastics for example for the car industry.

Following activation, the low friction coating is grafted on by exposure to the low friction coating material. A suitable coating material is N- Isopropylacrylamide -97%, which is commercially available from Sigma-Aldrich under product number 415324. N-Isopropylacrylamide has the

following specification:

Specification of N-Isopropylacrylamide -97%:

Formula: C6H1 I NO Appearance: powder or crysta's or flakes Colour(APHA): white to off-white or faint yeflow.

Solubility (5% in toluene): clear.

This coating is highly lubricious wetted with water. So when the users pre-wets the brush before grooming or begins to groom with the brush when the hair is wet, then the surface coating wifl become highly uhricious. The user to will then find that the brush glides through the hair smoothly and any entanglement of the hair is significantly reduced.

Although not shown in the figures, the bristles 4 or the housing part of the ct bristle cartridge 2 may comprise an array of undulations comprising crests or ii ridges and intervening troughs or gaps.

r The undifiations have a ength dimension, a width dimension and a height C) dimension and in this embodiment they extend ongitudinaBy and paraild to each other and having a significantly greater length than the height and width.

The height of the undulations is defined the distance by a lower trough surface and an upper crest surface joined by intervening side walls.

By means of the intervening side walls the undulations preferably provide an increased contact surface area between the first polymer and the coating polymer.

The coating may be applied at a thickness which extends higher than the height of the undulations such that the troughs are completely filled with coating material. The coating may extend in thickness beyond the top of the crests of the undulations and forms a flat outer surface having a thickness above the crests and a greater thickness above the troughs corresponding to the depth of the troughs. In this way the coating is effectively anchored to the polymer substrate which improves the resistance to wearing off of the coating during use of the brush.

The depth dimension between the top of the crests and the bottom of the troughs in this embodiment is uniformly 0.15 mm, but maybe within the range 0.01 to 1.0mm and may advantageously he 0.05 to 0.5 mm, and is preferably within the range 0.1 to 0.2mm.

to The width of the crest or ridge in this embodiment is uniformly 0.15 mm, but may be within the range 0.01 to 1.0mm and may advantageously be 0.05 to 0.5 mm, and is preferably within the range 0.1 to 0.2mm.

ct The trough width or gap between the ridges in this embodiment is uniformly ii 0.15 mm but may be within the range 0.01 to 1.0mm and may advantageously he 0.05 to 0.5 mm. and is preferably within the range 0.1 to 0.2mm. r

C) The coating has a thickness which extends beyond the top of the crest or ridge and this coating thickness in this embodiment is uniformly 0.15 mm, but may be within the range 0.005 to 1.0 mm and may advantageously be 0.01 to 0.5 mm, and is preferably within the range 0.01 to 0.2mm. All thickness values are dry film thickness (DFT).

The width dimension of the undulations may be non-uniform that is to say that the width of the crest or ridge may he different to the width of the trough or the gap between ridges and the ridge or gap width, height, and thickness may vary on different portions of the hair contacting surface.

The coated cartridge 2 is then inserted into a pre-formed handle 3 to form the completed hair brush ready for use. The bristle cartridge 2 is retained fixedly in position by means of mutual resilient retaining means 7 on the handle part 3 and the cartridge 2. Figs 3 and 4 show the bristle cartridge 2 in cross section A-A with the handle attaching arms 8 to attach the cartridge 2 to the handle 3.

The bristle cartridge shown in Figs 2 and 6 comprises a removal lip 6 which enables the user to lever the bristle cartridge away from the brush handle 3.

The user may wish to do this when the coating has worn and to replace the worn bristle cartridge with a new one, whilst retaining the handle. This would be particularly desirable for handles which are made of more valuable and longer lasting materials. Alternatively the cartridge can he permanently located to in the brush handile 3 and not be intended to be replaced by the user. but the whole brush disposed of when the coating is worn.

An alternative embodiment to the hair brush shown in the figures is one in ct which the brush handle on the one hand and bristle cartridge and bristles on the ii other, are made from first and second materials in a two shot moulding process.

The first material being relatively less receptive to the subsequent coating r process than the second material. In this embodiment a first material is made 0) from a polymer such as nylon, which is less responsive to the activation and grafting stages described above and results in its surface becoming coated with a lower thickness of the low friction material, whereas the second material is made from a polymer such as Pebax 5533, which is more responsive to the subsequent activation and or grafting stages its surface becomes coated with a greater amount of the low friction polymer coating.

Texin HM 1206 Hardness 85D (Scale D Rockwell hardness) Tensile strength 76 MPA Flexural Modulus 2321 MPA Type: TPU, Polyester Based The bristles 4 and bristle cartridge 2 being co-moulded with the handle part 3 to form to form the complete brush 1. Any suitable material may he chosen for the first material as an alternative to hytrel provided it has sufficient rigidity and provided it is less receptive to the subsequent low friction coating than the second material. Suitable materials for the second material are polymers which bond to the first material and which are more receptive to the subsequent low friction polymer coating than the first material, such as Pehax 5533 and other TPUs and TPEs. This low friction coating, and others of the invention, perform particularly well when the hair is wet. to

As an alternative to using a two shot co-moulded housing, it also would be possible to mask those parts of the hair brush that aren't desired to be treated ct either from the activation stage. or the grafting stage. or both. tS

04 Consequently selected parts of the hair brush are coated with hydrophilic r coating, which are usefully, although not exclusively, the hair engaging parts. C)

Referring once more to the figures, it will be appreciated that it is also possible for there to be bristles which are moulded separately and fixed to the bristle cartridge or brush handle part directly by other means known in the art.

Furthermore throughout this description reference has been made to brushes and brush bristles, in this case it is perfectly possible within the scope of the present invention for the coating to he applied to combs.

In this case of the brush or comb handle which is a co-moulded of two polymers it would be essential that the only one of the two parts will be subject to activation and grafting of the low friction coating of the present invention.

The other part remaining untreated and preferably made from a highly gripable polymer. A brush made entirely of treated polymer would cause difficulties in the user being able to grip and hold the brush or comb handle elTectively.

Further embodiments include alternative methods for the activation stage which include corona discharge or ozone treatment or chemical activation means such as peroxy disulphates. Depending on the activation means an additional drying step may he required before the grafting stage.

Additionally further embodiments include the grafting of alternative vinyl to monomers with similar suitable highly hydrophilic properties such as any acrylamide, or a mixture of other monomers copolymerizable with the acrylamide.

It will be appreciated that the lateral arrays of undulations on the hair ii contacting surfaces may have any suitable shape or pattern from a wide variety of shapes and patterns in addition to those described herein and still achieve the r objects of the invention. The term undulations is to he understood to mean in 0) its very general sense any textured surface which a series of higher and lower portions in the dimensions reterred to herein in any array either unitornily or randomly arranged.

In the above specific embodiments the undulations are formed by moulding of the brush or comb handle part but the required undulations or textured surface could be formed by other suitable means such as etching or by the process to prepare the surface for grafting of the low friction coating.

Every document cited herein, including any cross referenced or related patent or patent application is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited. The citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone, or in any combination with any other reference or references, teaches, suggests or discloses any such invention. Further. to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference, the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it would he obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can he made without departing from the spirit and to scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention. (4 r a)

Component List: 1-HairBrush 2 -Bristle Pad 3 -Brush Handle 4 -Bristles -Surface Coating 6 -Removal Tab 7 -Attaching Grooves 8 -Handle attaching arm I'-.-15 (4 r a)

Claims

Claims -A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge including a body made from a polymer material and comprising an outer surface wherein at least part of the outer surface is coated with a. low friction material.
2. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 1, characterised in that, the body made from a polymer material and comprises an outer surface wherein at least part of the body is coa.ted with a. hydrophilic material.
3. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 1 and wherein the coating is formed from an acrylamide.
4. A hairbrush according to claim I, characterised in that it includes a gripping handle which includes a relatively higher friction gripping surface.
5. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a. hairbrush cartridge according to claim 1, characterised in that the outer surface a hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or hairbrush cartridge is formed with undulations.
6. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 5, characterised in that the coating is applied at a thickness which extends higher than the height of the undulations.
7. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 5, characterised in that the heights of the undulations is within the range 0.Ot to 1,0 mm.
8. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 5, characterised in that a. width dimension of the undulations, is non uniform that is to say that the width of a crest or ridge of the undulation is different to the width of a trough of the undulation.
9. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 5, characterised in that a width of the crest or ridge may be within the range 0.01 to 1.0 mm.
10. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 5, characterised in that a trough width is within the range 0.01 to 1.0 mm.
ll.A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 1, characterised in that the coating has a thickness which is be within the range 0.005 to 1.0 mm.
12. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 1, characterised in that the polymer material for the body is selected from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ABS, vinyl polymers, nylons, hyirel, carbonate polymers, aliphatic polymers or the like.
13.A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 1, characterised in that the body is made of a co-moulding of a first polymer and a second separate and different polymer.
14. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 13, characterised in that the first co-moulded polymer is a polymer to which the low friction coating does not adhere very well whereas the second co-mo ulded polymer is a polymer to which the low friction coating does adhere very well.
15. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 14, characterised in that the first co-polymer is selected from: a glass filled nylon, any vinyl polymers, nylons, hytrel, carbonate polymers. alipha.tic polymers.
16. A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a. hairbrush cartridge according to claim 1.characterised in that the polymer is a TPU or IPE.
17.A hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or hairbrush cartridge according to claim 13, characterised in that the second co-moulded polymer is a TPIJ or IPE.
18. A method of manufacture of a. hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge induding the steps of moulding the desired form of the hairbrush, hairbrush brisdes or hairbrush carüidge from polymeric material; subsequently activating the hair engaging surface of the polymer using either physical or chemical means to make the hair engaging surface receptive to the covalent grafting of a monomer, and then grafting a functional group onto the surface.
19. A method of manufacture of a hairbrush, hairbrush bristles or a hairbrush cartridge according to claim 18, characterised in that the functional group is an acrylamide.