JP2000004944A - Tooth brush - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To give a tooth brush positive flexure in the grip to make the tooth brush to have elasticity to make the cleanability suitable without harming the gum and comfortably operable abutting on a tooth and the gum part for good use feeling and high utility. SOLUTION: This tooth brush has a handle with a head part 2 with a bristle planted part 1 equipped on a grip part 4 via a neck part. The which is an elastic handle composed of a thermoplastic resin material 6 and a thermoplastic elastomer material 7. At least the section shape of a part of the grip part of the handle is made into an almost U-shape with an opening part facing toward the bristle planted part side of the head part 2. Through holes 9, 10, 11 penetrating through the surface to the back side of the handle are provided on the opening dent part 8 and a cover part made of a thermoplastic elastomer material 7 filled in the through holes 9, 10, 11 and made to cover the handle along the whole periphery of the handle bridging continuing from the surface to the back side is provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toothbrush having a synthetic resin handle provided with a covering portion of a different kind of material, which is easy to use and has a good feeling in use.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a handle of a toothbrush is provided with a non-slip portion made of a different material such as synthetic rubber on the handle to prevent slippage and to properly perform brushing operation for brushing, and a grip portion. Various toothbrushes having a configuration in which the amount of deflection is adjusted have been proposed and known. Conventionally, in order to make the elasticity of the handle moderate, through-holes penetrating front and back are formed near the front end on the neck side of the handle base and the tail end side as disclosed in JP-A-7-327737. And a toothbrush having a slip portion by injecting a rubber material into these and a ring-shaped concave portion is proposed, or Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 6-61135 proposed by the present applicant, JP-A-5-1541
There is a toothbrush in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 0 or JP-A-8-70932 in which the amount of deflection displacement when a load is applied to the neck or head of the handle grip is specified. And recently, it is recommended to brush the teeth with a light force and brush the teeth gently and gently for each tooth, so the toothbrush handle has a thinner neck to give elasticity. It is designed to prevent excessive effort. In addition, the handle grip portion is formed by two-color molding using a thermoplastic elastomer material to prevent slippage of fingers during brushing and to achieve a beautiful handle.

[0003]

However, in order to provide a sufficient elasticity only at the neck in order to prevent excessive application of force during the brushing operation in consideration of making the elasticity of the handle moderate, the neck is made too thin. In addition, the mechanical strength of the neck is reduced, the toothbrush that bends greatly only at the neck is not easy to use, and when the handle is gripped with the palm grip, the fingertips from the little finger to the middle finger are supported by the thumb and forefinger. There was a problem that the grip was firmly grasped after the center of the handle wrapped around, and the elasticity of the grip portion was not considered, resulting in a poor feeling of use and unsatisfactory usability. The present invention is intended to eliminate these conventional disadvantages, positively imparts the amount of bending to the grip portion of the handle, has elasticity, and the cleaning force is appropriately suppressed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a highly usable toothbrush which can be gently touched to teeth and gums without damage to the gums, can be operated comfortably, and has a remarkably good use feeling.

[0004]

According to the present invention, a head portion having a flocked portion has a handle provided on a grip portion via a neck portion, and the handle portion is made of a thermoplastic resin material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. A toothbrush for a resilient handle, wherein at least a part of a grip portion of the handle is formed in a substantially U-shape that opens toward a side having a flocked surface of a head portion, and a handle is provided in the opening concave portion. A through hole is provided on the front and back surfaces, and a covering portion of a thermoplastic elastomer material that fills the through hole and straddles the front and back surfaces of the handle and extends over the entire outer periphery of the handle is provided along the handle. The present invention also provides a toothbrush for a resilient handle in which a head portion having a flocked portion has a handle provided on a grip portion via a neck portion, and the handle portion is made of a thermoplastic resin material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. So,
The grip of the handle has a minimum value of 10 to 10 of the cross-sectional area ratio between the thermoplastic resin material and the thermoplastic elastomer material.
70%, preferably 10 to 50%. Further, according to a feature of the present invention, a head portion having a flocked portion has a handle provided on a grip portion via a neck portion, and the handle portion has a resilient handle made of a thermoplastic resin material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. A toothbrush, wherein the grip of the handle is fixedly supported at a position on the tail end side 45 mm from a boundary between the neck and the grip,
The displacement at the load point when a load of 500 g is applied to the center of the flocked portion is 12 to 26 mm.

[0005]

In the toothbrush according to the first aspect of the present invention, the handle portion is a multicolor molded handle made of a thermoplastic resin material (primary material) and a thermoplastic elastomer material (secondary material). At least on the grip of the handle,
The cross-sectional shape of the primary material is formed into a substantially U-shape opening toward the side having the flocked surface of the head portion, and is simply a horizontal rectangular cross-section or an H-shaped cross-section having a connection portion at the center. In comparison, the cross-sectional area of the primary material is reduced while maintaining the mechanical strength against the downward bending caused by brushing,
In addition to allowing the handle to flex sufficiently even in the grip portion (finger rest), a through-hole is provided in a part of the opening to penetrate the front and back of the handle so that the secondary material flows in a balanced manner on the front and back of the handle during injection molding. The secondary material is 1
In order to obtain elasticity by reducing the ratio of the primary material in the grip section of the product shape, and to touch the secondary material no matter in which direction the finger is applied, it is configured to cover the entire circumference of the secondary material It is made to be hard to slip.

In the toothbrush according to the second aspect, the grip portion of the handle reduces the proportion of the primary material in the cross-sectional area of the handle to 70%, more preferably 50%, thereby exhibiting elasticity. I let it. Also, at least 1
The strength and formability of the primary material were ensured by reducing the content to 0% and using the remainder as a secondary material. For example, assuming a grip, width 9
In order to cover the entire circumference of the primary material having a flat round section with a thickness of about 7 mm and a thickness of about 7 mm, if the flow path thickness is secured about 1 mm in consideration of the flowability and moldability of the secondary material, the primary material And 2
The ratio of the cross-sectional area of the primary material to the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the secondary material is about 65 to 70%. If the cross-sectional shape of the primary material is made substantially U-shaped in consideration of elasticity, the thickness is reduced, or a through-pass is provided in consideration of the formability of the secondary material, the proportion of the primary material Is smaller. The material is not limited by the strength of the primary material and the secondary material used. For example, when the primary material is PP and the secondary material is a polypropylene-based elastomer material containing EPDM as a rubber component, In order to maintain the strength of the toothbrush, the primary material is preferably in a ratio of 10% or more.

[0007] In the toothbrush according to the third aspect, in consideration of brushing when gripping with a palm grip, the actual grip fulcrum is:
Demonstrated how far from the boundary between the neck and the grip part to the tail end side, when the 45 mm position was restrained, the elasticity from the grip part to the flocking part, and when actually brushing It has been found that there is an extremely good correlation between the feelings of the handle elasticity, and the elasticity was set so that the usability would be high when restrained at a position of 45 mm. That is, in order to improve the usability, when a load of 500 g is applied to the center of the flocked portion, the center of the head is displaced downward by 12 to 26 mm, more preferably 18 to 22 mm.

[0010] In the toothbrush according to the fourth aspect, the primary material on the handle surface side (flocked surface side) is formed as a concave portion having a curved edge surface extending in the longitudinal direction of the handle, and further, the cross-sectional area of the primary material is reduced. In addition to obtaining the elasticity at the time of brushing by reducing, the shape is not parallel to the surface (product shape) formed of the secondary material covering the portion, regardless of the appearance design shape of the secondary material toothbrush Sufficient elasticity is given. Also, a part of the grip on the grip side is reduced in cross-sectional area of the primary material and covered with the secondary material over the entire circumference, so that elasticity is imparted to the neck and the neck is bent. The stress is distributed to both the grip and neck, providing a safer design.

Further, in the toothbrush according to the fifth aspect, the appearance of the secondary material of the handle portion near the boundary between the grip portion of the handle and the neck portion is substantially a bellows-shaped portion, the movement of the neck portion is flexible, and the product of the toothbrush is provided. It gives a visually elastic image. In this configuration, by bringing the injection position of the secondary material closer, making the material highly fluid, or filling it with a higher pressure, the secondary material reaches a sufficiently high temperature to reach the neck, and the primary material and It is preferred that the secondary material be sufficiently pseudo-bonded. When the adhesive strength of the portion is set so that the force required to peel the secondary material vertically is 400 g or more, even when an impact force is applied to the flocking portion, an impact is applied to the secondary material. It transmits smoothly, and the impact resistance is improved, resulting in a preferred embodiment.

[0010] The toothbrush according to the sixth aspect of the present invention provides a handle tail end portion for preventing slipping and improving the feel of a portion supported by the little finger to the middle finger or a portion in contact with the palm when the handle is gripped by the palm grip. However, since the entire circumference is covered with the secondary material, the primary material handle is securely held in the secondary material mold during the molding of the secondary material, and the front and back surfaces of the handle are improved to improve the moldability. A convex portion for supporting the primary material in the secondary material molding die is provided, and the primary material handle can be firmly held in the secondary material molding die to prevent rampage due to the injection pressure. . The secondary material at the tail end and the secondary material at the finger pad and the neck are connected by a flow path on the surface of at least one handle interconnecting each other. ) Is preferably filled by injection molding of the secondary material, and the protrusions for holding the primary material on the front and back sides of the handle tail end (flocked surface side) are rhombic figures and other figures, product names and the like. Use as a logo representing a company name or the like is one of preferred embodiments.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. A head portion 2 having a flocked portion 1 has a handle 5 provided on a grip portion 4 via a neck portion 3, and the handle portion is provided. A portion of a resilient handle toothbrush composed of a thermoplastic resin material 6 and a thermoplastic elastomer material 7, wherein at least a part of the grip portion 4 of the handle 5, for example, a portion near a boundary between the neck portion 3 and the grip portion 4 Then, the cross-sectional shape of the region of the grip portion 4 is formed in a substantially U-shape which opens toward the side having the flocked surface of the head portion 2, and through holes 9, 10, 11 are formed in the opening recess 8 on the front and back of the handle. And through holes 9, 1
It is filled with 0,11 and proud of the front and back of the handle 5,
The toothbrush is provided with a coating of a thermoplastic elastomer material 7 extending along the entire periphery of the handle along the handle 5.

In this embodiment, the thermoplastic resin material 6 (1
The entire periphery near the boundary between the grip portion 4 and the neck portion 3 of the handle 5 is covered with a thermoplastic elastomer material 7 (secondary material), and the outer peripheral surface is formed into a substantially bellows-shaped portion 14. The grip portion 4 of the handle 5 has a minimum value of the cross-sectional area ratio of the thermoplastic resin material 6 and the thermoplastic elastomer material 7 of 10 to 70%, preferably 10 to 50%.
%. Further, a finger contact portion 15 having a slightly concave surface is formed near the neck portion in the grip portion 4 so as to give an appropriate elasticity in consideration of a fulcrum when actually gripping the handle.

In this case, the handle 5 is fixedly supported at a position 45 mm on the tail end side from the boundary between the neck portion 3 and the grip portion 4, and a load when a load of 500 g is applied to the center of the flocking portion. An elasticity with a point displacement of 12 to 26 mm is provided, and both the rolling and scrubbing methods are designed so that the feeling of use during brushing is appropriate.

As for the handle 5, the entire periphery of the tail end is covered with a thermoplastic elastomer material 7, and the protrusions 1 of the thermoplastic resin material 6 are provided on both sides of the handle.
2, 13, for example, a figure or a character projection is provided,
The front and back surfaces of the thermoplastic elastomer material 7 are preferably arranged along the front and back surfaces of the thermoplastic elastomer material 7 so as to form a smooth non-slip grip portion 4 having no steps.

Further, the toothbrush in the embodiment is inclined or curved in advance so that the tip of the toothbrush from the neck and the head is located above the horizontal surface of the grip portion. It is preferable that the relative positional relationship between the head portion and the handle does not largely deviate from the center line of the handle, so that a configuration in which the usability is prevented is prevented.

The thermoplastic resin material 6 as the primary material of the handle 5 includes polyolefin (polypropylene, polyethylene, etc.), polyester (polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, etc.), polycarbonate (including a blend with polyester), poly Materials such as arylate (including a blend with polyester), polyoxymethylene, AS resin, ABS resin, cellulose propionate, polyamide, and PMMA resin can be used. As a secondary material of the thermoplastic elastomer material 7, a polyolefin-based TPE (TP
E: thermoplastic elastomer), polystyrene-based TPE, polyurethane-based TPE, polyester-based TPE, 1,2-
Polybutadiene-based TPE, ethylene-vinyl acetate-based TP
Various TPEs such as E, polyvinyl chloride-based TPE, natural rubber-based TPE, fluorine-based rubber TPE, and trans-polyisoprene-based TPE can be used. An actual handle is used by appropriately combining these primary materials and secondary materials, but it is preferable to use polypropylene and polyolefin-based TPE in consideration of physical properties, price, and mutual compatibility required for a toothbrush material. . For example, as the polyolefin-based TPE, one obtained by selecting EPDM (ethylene-propylene-diene terpolymer) as a rubber component and polypropylene as a hard component, blending them, and partially or entirely cross-linking them is used.

Next, the results of a panel test of the feeling of use of the toothbrush according to the present invention are shown in Table 1. Each prototype of the present invention is constructed as in the embodiment of the present invention, using polypropylene as the primary material of the handle, and injecting and filling the secondary material of the olefin-based TPE into the handle. Samples were produced which were completely identical and differed only in the elasticity from the grip to the flocking. A toothbrush having a handle made of only polypropylene without TPE and having a similar shape is compared as a comparative product.
The results were as shown in Table 1 regarding the easiness of polishing at the average point of the 7-point absolute evaluation.

[0018]

[Table 1]

[0019]

According to the present invention, there is provided an elastic handle in which a head portion having a flocked portion has a handle provided on a grip portion via a neck portion, and the handle portion is made of a thermoplastic resin material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. A cross-sectional shape of at least a part of the grip portion of the handle is formed in a substantially U-shape that opens toward the side having the flocking surface of the head portion, and through holes are formed in the opening concave portion on the front and back of the handle. Along with being provided, the through hole is filled and straddles the front and back of the handle,
In addition, by providing a thermoplastic elastomer material coating along the entire circumference of the handle along the handle, the handle is positively flexed, and the handle is elastic and the cleaning force is appropriate. Therefore, the teeth and gums can be gently touched and comfortably operated without damaging the gums, and the feeling of use can be remarkably improved to provide a highly usable toothbrush.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a toothbrush according to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein (a) is a plan view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a rear view.

2 shows a handle made of the primary material of the example of FIG. 1,
(A) is a plan view thereof, and (b) is a longitudinal sectional view taken along line aa.

3 (a) is a rear view, FIG. 3 (b) is an end view along line bb, FIG. 3 (c) is an end view along line cc, FIG. Is an end view taken along the line d-d, and (e) is an e-
End view at e-line, (f) is end view at ff line, (g)
Is an end view at gg, (h) is an end view at hh line,
(I) is an end view along line ii, and (j) is an end view along line JJ.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Flocked part 2 Head part 3 Neck 4 Grip part 5 Handle 6 Thermoplastic resin material 7 Thermoplastic elastomer material 8 Opening concave part 9,10,11 Through hole 12,13 Convex part 14 Bellows-shaped part

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Takao Kato 1-37 Honjo, Sumida-ku, Tokyo F-term in Lion Corporation (reference) 3B202 AA06 AB15 CA05 CA10 DB01

Claims (6)

[Claims] A head portion having a flocked portion has a handle provided on a grip portion via a neck portion, and the handle portion is a resilient handle toothbrush made of a thermoplastic resin material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. A cross-sectional shape of at least a part of the grip portion of the handle is formed into a substantially U-shape that opens toward the side having the flocked surface of the head portion, and a through hole is provided in the opening concave portion on the front and back of the handle, A toothbrush comprising a thermoplastic elastomer coating along the handle, which is filled in the through hole, straddles the front and back of the handle, and extends over the entire outer periphery of the handle. 2. A resilient handle toothbrush comprising a head portion having a flocked portion and a handle provided on a grip portion through a neck portion, the handle portion being made of a thermoplastic resin material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. A toothbrush characterized in that the grip portion of the handle has a minimum value of a cross-sectional area ratio of the thermoplastic resin material and the thermoplastic elastomer material of 10 to 70%, preferably 10 to 50%. 3. A head portion provided with a flocked portion has a handle provided on a grip portion through a neck portion, and the handle portion is a resilient handle toothbrush made of a thermoplastic resin material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. The grip of the handle is located at the tail end side 4 from the boundary between the neck and the grip.
It is fixed and supported at a position of 5 mm, and weighs 500 g at the center of the planted part.
The displacement of the load point when applying a load of 12 to 26 mm
A toothbrush characterized by the following. 4. The handle is configured such that a thermoplastic resin material on a surface side (flocked surface side) of the handle is formed into a concave portion having a curved edge surface extending in a longitudinal direction, and the concave portion is coated with a thermoplastic elastomer material. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein
Or the toothbrush according to 3. 5. An entire periphery near a boundary between a grip portion and a neck portion of the handle is covered with a thermoplastic elastomer, and an outer peripheral surface is formed in a substantially bellows-shaped portion.
5. The toothbrush according to 2, 3, or 4. 6. The handle covers the entire periphery of the tail end side with a thermoplastic elastomer material, and has protrusions made of a thermoplastic resin material on both front and back surfaces of the handle, and the front and back of the protrusions are made of a thermoplastic elastomer. The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, wherein the toothbrush is arranged along the front and back of the material.