JP2001161720A - Tongue cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a tongue cleaner to be used for cleaning the center or depth of the tongue without a user feeling nausea, remove fur or food remainder completely only by washing with water after the use, and to securely remove fur and food remainder not only on the surface of the tongue papillae but also between the papillae and at the root of the tongue. SOLUTION: The tongue cleaner comprises a head part 1 and a neck part 2 and a handle 3 continued from the head part. The head part 1, formed flat and thin, has plural brush bodies 4 and 5 on the surface. The brush bodies 4 and 5 are disposed with a prescribed interval in-between in a straight line or in an arc in the direction orthogonally crossing the longitudinal direction x-x of the handle. At least one brush body 5 of the plural brush bodies is made of bristles, and the other brush body 4 is made of synthetic resin whose section is wave-shaped with the tips curled up toward the handle. The contour of the top surface of each brush body 4 and 5 seen from the top of the head part is such a shape as along the surface of the section of the tongue.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a tongue cleaner for efficiently removing tongue coating adhering to the surface of a tongue.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 3-176046 discloses an apparatus for preventing bad breath, in which a flat cleaning member made of nonwoven fabric, sponge, absorbent cotton or the like is attached to the tip of a rod-shaped gripping portion. In the case of this bad breath prevention device, if only the tip of the tongue is cleaned, the vomiting reflex does not occur even if a large flat cleaning member as shown in the drawing is put into the mouth, but this will cause Vomiting reflexes occur when trying to clean inside, making it difficult to use. In addition, the device for preventing bad breath is disposable and wastes resources.

In Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-13109, a brush is attached to one surface of a support formed at the tip of a handle, and a sponge is attached to the other surface. A raised tongue cleaning device is disclosed. In the case of this tongue cleaning device, a vomiting reflex occurs when an attempt is made to clean the central portion or the back of the tongue, as in the case of the aforementioned bad breath prevention device. In addition, since the brush body is a sponge, tongue coating and saliva from the sponge after being removed enter the sponge and cannot be completely removed even after washing after use.

Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 4-123122 discloses a brush for removing tongue coating, in which a loop pile fabric having a pile surface of a multifilament yarn is fixed to a rod-like body. The upper surface of the tongue is not smooth, but has many small tongue papillae. In general, the upper surface of the tongue papillae can be cleaned with a loop-shaped brush, but the space between the tongue papillae and the base is difficult to reach with the loop-shaped brush, and cleaning is difficult.

[0005] By the way, the size of the Japanese tongue is length:
Male 7.3cm, Female 7.2cm, Width: Male 4.9c
m, female 4.5 cm, thickness: male 2.2 cm, female 2.
1cm (by Kunitomo). On the upper surface (back of the tongue), there is a shallow tongue median groove running in the front-rear direction at the center. The surface of the upper surface (dorsal spine) and side surfaces have many small tongue papillae, so the surface of the tongue surface is rough and rough. There are four types of tongue papillae: filamentous papillae, mushroom-shaped papillae, circumscribed papillae, and leaf-shaped papillae, and the filamentous papillae widely distributed on the upper surface (back of the tongue). The length of the tongue papillae is about 0.5 mm to 3 mm, and the tip is keratinized (Source: Nihon University Encyclopedia, published by Shogakukan).

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and can be used without causing nausea even when cleaning the central part and the back of the tongue.
Tongue that can easily remove tongue coating and food residue simply by washing after use, and also remove tongue coating and food residue not only on the upper surface of the tongue papillae but also between and at the base of the tongue papillae It is intended to provide a cleaner.

[0007]

According to the present invention, there is provided a tongue cleaner comprising a head portion, a neck portion and a grip portion, wherein the head portion is formed to be flat and thin. A plurality of brushes are arranged on the surface of the portion at a desired interval and arranged in a straight line or an arc in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the gripping portion, and at least one of the plurality of brushes is printed. The brushes are made of brushes, and the other brushes are made of synthetic resin with a cross-sectional waveform curled toward the gripper side. The contour line shape is a shape along the surface of the tongue cross section.

[0008] In the case of the tongue cleaner having such a configuration, the tip end surface of the brush body fits exactly on the tongue surface,
The tongue moss and food residue adhering to the surface of the tongue papillae can be cleaned without leaving any residue. In addition, not only the tongue surface is strongly brushed by the synthetic resin brush having excellent strength, but also at least one brush is made of brush, so that the filament constituting the brush brush is formed. Can easily reach the base of the tongue nipple and the space between them, and an extremely high cleaning effect and a soft feeling of use can be obtained.
In addition, since the brush body is composed only of synthetic resin and brush, tongue coating and food residue adhering to the brush body can be easily removed just by washing with water, and it is always kept in a clean state and kept clean. Can be used repeatedly in any condition.

[0009]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show a tongue cleaner according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a plan view of the tongue cleaner according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a left side view thereof, FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. In the figure, 1 is a head portion, 2 is a neck portion, and 3 is a grip portion.

In the case of the first embodiment, a flat, arc-shaped head 1 having a constant width is formed integrally with the tip of a neck 2 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction xx of the gripping portion 3. Along the two front and rear edges of the front side of the head portion 1, two elongated brushes 4, 4 made of synthetic resin are arranged in a circular arc and protruded. Numerous synthetic resin fibers (filaments) between the stencils 4 and 4
The brush-made brush body 5 is planted in an arc shape.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the synthetic resin brush 4 and the brush brush 5 have contours of the brush body tip surfaces 4a and 5a viewed from the tip side of the head 1. As shown in FIG. The shape is a shape along the surface of the tongue cross-section, that is, a shape that is high at the central portion corresponding to the median tongue groove, becomes lower on both sides, and becomes higher on both sides.
This contour line shape is designed in consideration of the above-described cross-sectional shape of the Japanese tongue, and the brush body tip surfaces 4a, 5a
When a is applied to the tongue surface, the brush body tip surfaces 4a and 5a simultaneously fit into the tongue median groove portion, the left and right raised portions, and the following tongue side surface, and the entire tongue surface is simultaneously formed. It is designed to be completely brushed.

The cross-sectional shape of the synthetic resin brush 4 is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 4, the tip has a wavy shape curled toward the grip portion 3, and is designed so that the ability to scrape tongue coating and food residues attached to the tongue surface is further enhanced.

A brush body 4 made of synthetic resin and a brush body 5 made of brush
Is about 1 mm with the upper surface of the head 1 as a reference plane.
A range of 10 to 10 mm is preferable. If it is too high, a vomiting reflex may occur during use, and if it is too low, the scraping effect is reduced. Further, it is preferable that the length of the synthetic resin brush body 4 and the brush brush body 5 in the arc direction be a length capable of covering the entire width of the tongue. For adults, about 7-8cm
The degree is preferable, and in the case of children, it is shorter according to the physique.

Each of the synthetic resin brush body 4 and the brush brush body 5 may have a linear shape in plan view. However, as shown in the figure, the shape of the brush body 4 is curved toward the neck 2 toward the outside. An arc shape is preferable from the viewpoint of the brushing effect since there is no tongue coating or food residue left behind.

As a material for the cleaner fleet except for the brush-made brush body 5, a thermoplastic synthetic resin which can be integrally formed by injection molding is desirable. Among them, polyethylene, polyamide, cellulose propionate, silicone rubber, styrene / isoprene rubber, etc., which are relatively soft and flexible and have no problem in safety, are preferable.

As the filament constituting the brush-made brush body 5, polyamide fiber or the like can be used. The thickness is 1 from the balance of usability, safety and cleaning effect.
About 100 denier is good. When the brush-made brush body 5 is formed using the filament having such a thickness, each of the filaments can easily reach the base of the tongue papillae and the space between the tongue papillae, so that an extremely high cleaning effect and a soft feeling of use can be obtained. Can be.

In order to implant the brush-made brush body 5 in the head portion 1, the head portion 1, the neck portion 2, the grip portion 3, and the synthetic resin brush body 4 are integrally injection-molded by a mold, The filament may be implanted on the surface of the head portion by using a known flat-line type flocking method or the like, and may be implanted simultaneously with injection molding by using a known in-mold method or heat fusion method. .

The head 1 preferably has a slightly longer dimension than the synthetic resin brush 4 and the brush brush 5 in accordance with the length in the arc direction. The thickness of the head portion 1 is preferably as thin as possible in order to eliminate the vomiting reflex. However, the thickness is required to be about 0.3 mm or more in consideration of the strength as a tongue cleaner and the implantation of filaments.

The neck portion 2 and the grip portion 3 are inclined or curved with respect to the head portion 1 as shown in FIG. 2 in order to easily put the entire head portion 1 into the oral cavity for cleaning. Better. By giving such inclination or curvature, the head portion 1 and the brushes 4 and 5 can be easily inserted into the inside of the oral cavity, and the operability is improved.

The cross section of the neck 2 has a thickness of φ2 to 5
A circular shape of about mm or a rectangular shape of the same degree is preferable. In the case of a rectangular cross section, a tongue cleaner having no problem in strength can be manufactured even if the minimum dimension of one side is about 0.5 mm.

The tongue cleaner having the above structure is used as follows. That is, the grip portion 3 is held by hand, and the entire head portion 1 is inserted into the oral cavity so that the synthetic resin brushes 4 and 4 and the brush brush 5 face downward. , 4 and the brush brush 5 are applied to the tongue surface along the contour of the tongue surface, and the entire tongue cleaner is reciprocated finely or largely in the front-rear direction.

As a result, the tongue surface and the food residue adhering to the tongue surface, that is, the tongue papillae surface, are scraped off at the tip surfaces of the synthetic resin brushes 4 and 4 and the brush brush 5 and the entire tongue is removed. We can clean neatly. And at this time,
The surface of the tongue nipple is not only strongly wiped off by the synthetic resin brushes 4 and 4 having excellent strength, but also each of the filaments constituting the brush brush 5 is used at the base of the tongue nipple or the like. Since the brush penetrates into the space for cleaning, an extremely high cleaning effect and a soft feeling of use can be obtained.

After cleaning the tongue surface, it is only necessary to wash the head portion or the entire tongue cleaner with water. In the tongue cleaner of the present invention, since only the synthetic resin and the brush are used as the brush, the tongue moss adhered to the synthetic resin brushes 4, 4 and the brush brush 5 only by washing with water. Food residues, saliva, etc. can be easily removed, and can always be kept in a clean state.

FIGS. 6 to 9 show a second embodiment of the tongue cleaner according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a plan view of a tongue cleaner according to the second embodiment, FIG. 7 is a left side view thereof, and FIG.
6 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. The same or equivalent parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, the head portion 1 has a racket frame shape in plan view, and a single elongated composite portion is formed on the surface 1a of the head portion 1 on the front end side of the frame portion having the racket frame shape. The resin brush 4 and one elongated brush brush 5 are arranged in an arc along the edge of the frame. In the case of the tongue cleaner having such a configuration, the elasticity of the head portion 1 is further increased, and the degree of contact with the tongue surface when the tongue cleaner reciprocates in the oral cavity is improved. Can be.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made in accordance with the gist of the invention. For example, in the first embodiment, three brushes are used by using two synthetic resin brushes 4, 4 and one brush brush 5.
In the second embodiment, a case where two rows of brushes are arranged using one synthetic resin-like convex portion 4 and a single brush-made brush body 5 in the second embodiment. Although illustrated, the invention is not limited to this, and the number and arrangement order can be freely selected according to design specifications.

[0027]

As described above, when the tongue cleaner of the present invention is used, the tip end surface of the brush body fits snugly on the tongue surface, so that the tongue coating and food residue adhering to the tongue surface are thoroughly cleaned without leaving any residue. can do. In addition, not only does the tongue coating and food residue attached to the tongue surface by the synthetic resin brush with excellent strength strongly scrape off,
Since at least one brush body is made of brush, each filament constituting the brush brush body penetrates into the base of the tongue papillae and between the tongue papillae, and the tongue coating and the like that penetrate between them. Food residues can also be removed,
An extremely high cleaning effect and a soft feeling of use can be obtained.

Further, since the brush body is composed only of a synthetic resin and a brush, tongue coating and food residues adhering to the brush body can be easily removed only by washing with water, and the brush body is always kept in a clean state. And it can be used repeatedly in a clean state.

Further, since the head portion is made flat and thin, the volume of the entire head portion including the brush body can be reduced. Can be cleaned.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a first embodiment of a tongue cleaner according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a left side view of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line AA in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a tongue cleaner according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a left side view of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line DD in FIG. 6;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head part 2 Neck 3 Grip part 4 Synthetic resin brush body 4a Tip surface of synthetic resin brush body 5 Brush brush body 5a Tip surface of brush brush body

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tongue cleaner comprising a head portion, a neck portion and a grip portion following the head portion, wherein the head portion is formed to be flat and thin, and a plurality of brushes are arranged on a surface of the head portion at a desired interval. And protrudingly arranged in a straight line or an arc shape in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the grip portion, and at least one of the plurality of brushes is made of a brush and the other brushes. As for, the tip of the brush is made of synthetic resin with a cross-sectional waveform curled toward the gripping part, and the contour of the tip face of each brush body viewed from the tip of the head is shaped along the surface of the tongue section Characterized by a tongue cleaner.