JP2009028529A - Tongue cleaner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a safe and efficient tongue cleaner, scraping off glossal moss of the tongue without damaging the tongue and without repeating scraping operation on the tongue several times. <P>SOLUTION: This tongue cleaner for cleaning the tongue includes: a grip bar and a cleaning part made of synthetic resin, which is disposed at the edge of the grip bar, wherein an abut part of the cleaning part abutted on the tongue is formed like a recess to be recessed toward the central part. The abut part is provided with a small projecting part, and the rising angle of inclination of the small projecting part is an obtuse angle of about 100°-135° to the reference planes of the grip bar and the cleaning part, seen from the scraping direction of the grip bar, and the vertical thickness of the cleaning part is gradually decreased as it goes toward the tip. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a tongue cleaner that scrapes and cleans tongue coating produced by the growth of bacteria on the surface of a human tongue. More specifically, the present invention relates to an improved tongue cleaner that can easily and reliably clean tongue coating.

  The surface of the human tongue has a long and thin tissue called a papilla. Chronic white and thick tongue coating on the tongue causes halitosis. The residue of food tends to stay on the surface of the tongue coating, and bacteria can propagate and sulfur compounds that cause odors are easily generated. If the tongue is rubbed with force to remove this moss, it may damage the filiform nipple and cause taste disorders.

In order to clean and remove the tongue coating, various types of tongue cleaning devices have been proposed. For example, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 64-6916 shows a “tongue cleaner” provided with handle portions 1 and 5a, cleaning frames 3 and 5, and scraping portions 3a and 5b.
Japanese Patent No. 3014086 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-294688) shows a tongue cleaner 10 including a cleaner portion 11, a stainless bar 12, a handle 13, and a tongue scraping portion 14.
In all such conventional tongue cleaning devices, the envelope surface of the contact portion of the device that directly contacts the tongue is not a curved surface but a completely flat surface. On the other hand, the tongue of a person has an upwardly convex curved surface. When the tongue surface is scratched against the convex curved surface of the tongue with the contact envelope plane of a conventional tongue cleaning device, the convexity of the tongue Since the abutting flat surface of the instrument comes into contact with a narrow range of the shaped portion, there is a problem that the convex portion of the tongue is easily damaged.

  In order to alleviate such a problem, in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent No. 3014086, the cleaner portion 11 is provided with a tongue scraping portion 14 of “blade shape like a wiper of an automobile”, and the tip of the tongue scraping portion 14 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the tongue surface 16 is slid back and moved. However, since the height of the thin wall body is constant over the entire circumference, a problem remains that force is applied only to a narrow range of the convex portion of the tongue, and the tongue is apt to be damaged. Further, when the blade of the synthetic resin tongue scraping portion 14 is cured with the passage of time, the surface of the tongue is easily damaged. Moreover, since the narrow range of the device is in contact with the tongue, in order to clean the entire surface of the tongue, the tongue scraper 14 must be reciprocated several times on the surface of the tongue unless the tongue scraper 14 is reciprocated several times on the surface of the tongue. Since the surface cannot be cleaned, there is a problem that it takes time to clean the tongue.

Japanese Utility Model No.64-6916 Japanese Patent No. 3014086 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-294688)

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a new ergonomic technology that can solve the above-mentioned problems of conventional instruments.

In order to achieve the above object, a tongue cleaner according to claim 1 includes a gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on an edge of the gripping rod, The abutting portion is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually dented from the left and right of the abutting portion toward the central portion so as to substantially abut over a wide range of the shape of the outer surface of the tongue convex upward.

  The tongue cleaner according to claim 2 includes a gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on an end edge of the gripping rod and having a hardness of about 70 to 95, and a tongue of the cleaning portion. The abutting portion to be abutted has a small protrusion, and the rising inclination angle of the small protrusion is seen from the scraping direction of the gripping rod or from the center point of curvature such as an arc shape of the abutting portion. As seen, it has a rising inclination angle of about 100 degrees to 135 degrees with respect to the reference plane of the gripping rod and the cleaning portion.

Furthermore, the tongue cleaner according to claim 3 includes a gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on an edge of the gripping rod, and the contact portion that contacts the tongue of the cleaning portion is located upward. In order to substantially contact the shape of the outer surface of the convex tongue over a wide range, it is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually recessed from the left and right of the contact portion toward the center portion. The upper and lower ends are respectively provided with small protrusions, and the rising angle of each of the small protrusions is viewed from the scraping direction of the gripping rod, or Seeing from a center point of curvature such as an arcuate shape of the abutting part, each of the small protrusions has a rising inclination angle of about 100 degrees to 135 degrees with respect to a reference plane of the gripping rod and the cleaning part. The rising inclination angles of the portions are different.

  Furthermore, the tongue cleaner according to claim 4 is provided with attachment protrusions to which the cleaning deposits of the tongue are attached between the contact parts provided at the upper and lower ends of the cleaning part. .

The tongue cleaner according to claim 5 includes a gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on an end edge of the gripping rod and having a hardness of about 70 to 95, and a tongue of the cleaning portion. The abutting portion to be abutted is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually dented from the left and right of the corresponding contact portion toward the center so as to substantially contact the shape of the outer surface of the upwardly convex tongue. The portion includes a small protrusion, the small protrusion rises substantially perpendicular to the reference plane of the gripping rod and the cleaning portion, and the wall thickness of the rising portion of the small protrusion is about 0.01 to 1. Mm
The tip of the small protrusion is formed with a predetermined curvature that allows the tongue coating to be scraped and does not damage the tongue surface, or the tip of the small protrusion is heated and melted into the mold of synthetic resin. It is thin as it is.

  Further, in the tongue cleaner according to claim 6, the shape of the synthetic resin cleaning portion according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 is a ring shape or a hollow polygonal shape.

  The tongue cleaner according to claim 7 is characterized in that the shape of the synthetic resin cleaning portion in claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 is a ring shape or a polygonal shape, and the ring-shaped portion or Is formed such that the thickness of the hollow polygonal portion in the vertical direction becomes thinner from the gripping rod side toward the tip opposite to the gripping rod side.

The tongue cleaner of the present invention has a contact portion that comes into contact with the tongue of the cleaning portion made of a soft synthetic resin such as an elastomer so that the contact portion is substantially in contact with the shape of the outer surface of the tongue that protrudes upward. Since it is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually recessed from the left and right of the contact part toward the center part, even if a force is applied to the cleaning part, the force is applied to the tongue over a wide range, so that the tongue is not damaged, Moreover, since a wide range of the tongue can be cleaned by one scraping, the cleaning of the tongue can be achieved efficiently in a short time. In addition, the contact portion that contacts the tongue of the cleaning portion is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually recessed without unevenness from the left and right sides of the contact portion. There is no fear of damaging the tongue at all even if it is moved left and right on the surface of the tongue.

In addition, the abutting portion that abuts against the tongue of the synthetic resin cleaning portion having a hardness of about 70 to 95 includes a small protruding portion, and the rising inclination angle of the small protruding portion is viewed from the scraping direction of the gripping rod. Or an obtuse angle of about 105 ° to 135 ° with respect to a reference plane of the gripping rod and the cleaning portion made of a hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, as seen from the center point of the arcuate curvature of the contact portion. When the surface of the tongue is scraped off by the cleaning unit, the scraping strength of the tongue coating is determined by the rising tilt angle, and the degree of scraping of the tongue coating can be adjusted only by changing this angle. Therefore, even if the synthetic resin cleaning part is cured over time, the scraping strength of tongue coating remains almost unchanged. At this time, since the hardness of the synthetic resin cleaning part is also related, the rising inclination angle is adjusted while actually scraping the surface of the tongue.

  Furthermore, contact portions that contact the tongue of the cleaning portion made of synthetic resin are provided on each of the upper and lower ends of the cleaning portion, and the contact portions on the upper and lower ends respectively have small protrusions, and both the small protrusions The rising inclination angle of each of the parts is relative to the reference plane of the gripping bar and the cleaning part when viewed from the scraping direction of the gripping bar or from the center point of the arcuate curvature of the contact part. In addition, the obtuse angle has a rising inclination angle of about 100 degrees to 135 degrees and can be formed so that the inclination angles of the respective small protrusions are different, so that the wider the inclination angle, the softer the scraping feel, that is, the softness, If the angle of inclination is narrow, the scratching feel will be hard, that is, it will be hard, these two types of usage can be realized according to people's preference, and two types of usage can be done with one cleaner, which is extremely convenient .

  When the attachment protrusions to which the cleaning deposits of the tongue are attached are provided between the contact parts provided at the upper and lower ends of the cleaning part, the scraped tongue moss is collected by this protrusion part. Tongue can be removed very easily.

  Further, the small protrusion of the contact part rises substantially perpendicular to the reference plane of the gripping rod and the cleaning part, and the wall thickness of the rising part of the small protrusion is about 0.01 to 1 millimeter, The tip of the small protrusion is formed with a predetermined curvature that allows the tongue coating to be scraped off and does not damage the tongue surface, or the tip of the small protrusion is heated and melted into the mold of synthetic resin. In the case where the thin protrusion is formed as it is, the small protrusion rises substantially vertically and the wall thickness of the protrusion of the small protrusion is about 0.01 to 1 mm. The scraping strength of tongue coating can be determined only by the shape, and the mold can be easily manufactured.

  Further, since the synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed at the edge of the gripping rod is ring-shaped or hollow polygonal, the structure of the cleaning portion is strengthened and the appearance is improved from the viewpoint of design.

Furthermore, the shape of the synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on the edge of the gripping rod is a ring shape or a hollow polygonal shape, and the vertical portion of the ring-shaped portion or the polygonal portion is formed. Since the thickness is formed so as to decrease from the gripping rod side to the tip opposite to the gripping rod side, the degree of elasticity is improved, and when the cleaning unit comes into contact with the tongue, the tip of the cleaning unit is bent and cheap. .

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1A is a plan view of the tongue cleaner of the present invention. FIG. 1 (b) is a view of the gripping rod 1 as viewed from the right (Q1-Q2), and FIG. 1 (c) shows the horizontal direction (DD) on the central axis (mm) of the cleaning unit 2. ) Is a partial cross-sectional view, and a view seen from the direction opposite to the arrow (DD) is also shown. FIG. 1 (d) is a partial cross-sectional view at (EE) of the cleaning unit 2. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the central axis (mm) of FIG. 1 viewed from the horizontal direction. 2 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (AA), FIG. 2 (c) is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (BB), and FIG. ), And FIG. 2E is a cross-sectional view seen from the horizontal direction of the central axis (mm) of the cleaning unit 2. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG.

  Next, the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The gripping rod 1 is made of a hard synthetic resin such as polypropylene, and the cleaning portion 2 is made of a soft synthetic resin such as an elastomer having a hardness of about 70 to 95. In the present embodiment, the cleaning unit 2 uses an elastomer having a hardness of 80. A small-diameter cylindrical protrusion 6 having a smaller diameter than the periphery provided at one end of the cleaning portion 2 is inserted into a cylindrical notch hole (shown by a broken line) 1a provided in the substantially central portion of the gripping rod 1. The gripping rod 1 and the cleaning part 2 are fixed, and the cleaning part 2 surrounds the small-diameter cylindrical protrusion 6 of the cleaning part 2 made of a soft material with a notch hole 1a of the gripping bar 1 made of a hard material. It is difficult to leave.

  The shape of the cleaning unit 2 is configured to be easily handled with fingers when the cleaning unit 2 scrapes the tongue surface. That is, the cleaning unit 2 has a substantially triangular ring shape, and the gripping rod 1 is disposed at a position corresponding to the apex of the triangular shape. Then, the shape of the opposite side that is substantially opposite to the gripping rod 1, that is, the shape of the contact part 3 of the cleaning unit 2 is closer to the central axis from both ends of the opposite side, as shown in FIG. It is formed in a concave shape so as to be recessed. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1 (c), the thickness (W1) of the right end of the contact portion 3 is thicker than the thickness (W2) of the central portion. It is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually concave toward the central portion.

FIG. 8 is a view showing this state more clearly, and the shape of the abutting portion 3 of the cleaning portion 2 is from the left and right ends toward the center so that the outer surface 8a of the tongue 8 abuts over a wide range. It is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually concave.
Thus, since the shape of the contact part 3 of the cleaning part 2 on the opposite side is formed in a concave shape as it approaches the central axis, when the contact part 3 of the cleaning part 2 contacts the tongue, It will abut a wide range on the shape of the outer surface of the convex tongue. Therefore, the tongue coating is completely cleaned by the scraping operation of the cleaning unit 2 once or twice.

Further, the abutting portion 3 that abuts against the tongue of the cleaning portion 2 includes small projecting portions 4a and 4b. As shown in FIGS. 2 (e) and 3, the small projecting portions 4a and 4b are provided. The rising inclination angle is formed at two different angles of 40 degrees and 60 degrees around a plane (nn) perpendicular to the central axis (mm) of the gripping rod 1 and the cleaning part 2. A person with a steep rise angle of 40 degrees gives a sharp feeling when touching the tongue, that is, a hard feeling, and a person with a slow rise angle of 60 degrees is soft when touching the tongue. Gives a feeling, that is, a soft feeling.
In the above description, the central portion near the central axis (mm) of the small protrusions 4a and 4b has been considered. However, for example, in the case of a point R away from the central portion, the curvature of the arc of the contact portion 3 When viewed from the center point P, the angle is 40 degrees or 60 degrees with respect to a horizontal plane (that is, a reference plane) passing through the central axis (mm) of the gripping rod 1 and the cleaning unit 2.

In the above description, the rising angle of each of the small protrusions 4a and 4b is considered centering on a plane (nn) perpendicular to the central axis (mm) of the gripping rod 1 and the cleaning unit 2. However, considering the horizontal plane (that is, the reference plane) passing through the central axis (mm) of the gripping rod and the cleaning unit, that is, the above-described 40 degrees and 60 degrees with respect to the gripping bar and the reference plane of the cleaning unit The rising inclination angle is an obtuse angle of 110 degrees and 120 degrees as viewed from the scraping direction of the gripping rod.

  Further, when the surface of the tongue is scraped off by the cleaning unit 2, the scraping strength of the tongue coating is determined by the rising inclination angle of the small protrusions, so that the level of scraping of the tongue coating can be adjusted only by changing this angle. Therefore, even if the synthetic resin cleaning part is cured with aging, the characteristic that the scraping strength of tongue coating hardly changes is obtained. At that time, since the hardness of the synthetic resin cleaning part is also related, the rising inclination angle is adjusted while actually scraping the surface of the tongue. According to the experiment by the present inventor, when the hardness of the cleaning portion 2 made of synthetic resin is about 70 to 95, it is appropriate that the rising inclination angle of the small protrusion is about 105 to 130 degrees.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.2, the attachment protrusion part 5 to which the cleaning deposit | attachment of a tongue attaches is provided between the contact parts 3 and 3 provided in the up-and-down both ends of the cleaning part 2. As shown in FIG. Since the tongue coating scraped off is collected by the protruding portion 5, the tongue coating can be removed very easily from the cleaning portion. Since the soft synthetic resin-made cleaning portion 2 disposed at the edge of the gripping rod has a ring shape or a hollow polygonal shape, the structure of the cleaning portion is strengthened and the appearance is improved from the viewpoint of design.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (e) and FIG. 3, the thickness (d1) (d2) in the vertical direction of the cleaning portion 2 having a hollow triangle shape is determined from the gripping rod 1 side. The tip of the cleaning portion is formed so as to gradually become thinner toward the tips (4a) and (4b) of the abutting portion 3 opposite to the side, and the degree of elasticity is improved and the cleaning portion abuts the tongue. Bends along the shape of the tongue, making it cheaper and further reducing the risk of damaging the tongue.

  4 and 5 show another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the shape of the cleaning portion 2 is substantially circular, and the other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment. 4A is a plan view of the tongue cleaner of the present invention. 4B is a view of the gripping rod 1 as viewed from the left direction, and FIG. 4C is a partial cross-sectional view of the central axis (mm) of the cleaning portion 2 as viewed from the horizontal direction. The figure seen from the opposite direction to the arrow (DD) is also shown. FIG. 4D is a cross-sectional view taken along line E-E of the cleaning unit 2. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the contact portion 3 viewed from the horizontal direction on the central axis (mm) of FIG. 5 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (AA), FIG. 5 (c) is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (BB), and FIG. 2E is a cross-sectional view seen from the horizontal direction on the central axis (mm) of the cleaning unit 2.

  In the first and second embodiments, the small protrusions 4a and 4b are attached to both ends of the contact part 3. However, when the contact part is attached only to one side, only one small protrusion part is provided. Needless to say.

6 is a view showing another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG.
In this embodiment, the small protrusion 4a of the cleaning part 2 rises substantially perpendicular to the reference plane of the gripping rod 1 and the cleaning part 2, and the wall thickness of the rising part of the small protrusion 4a is about 0.01. ~ 1 millimeter. The tip of the small protrusion 4a is formed with a predetermined curvature 7 that can scrape off the tongue coating and does not damage the tongue surface. Alternatively, the tip of the small protrusion 4a may be formed thin so that the heat-smelted synthetic resin flows into the narrow mold and naturally stops flowing.

The figure which shows the tongue cleaner which shows embodiment of this invention. Fig. 1 (a) is a plan view of the tongue cleaner of the present invention, Fig. 1 (b) is a view of the gripping rod 1 as viewed from the right, and Fig. 1 (c) is the central axis (mm) of the cleaning portion 2. FIG. 1D is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line EE of the cleaning unit 2. Sectional drawing which passes along the central axis (mm) of FIG. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view seen from the horizontal direction on the central axis (mm) of FIG. 2 (b) is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (AA), FIG. 2 (c) is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (BB), and FIG. CC) is a cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2E is a cross-sectional view of the cleaning unit 2 viewed from the horizontal direction on the central axis (mm). The expanded sectional view of Drawing 2 (e). The figure which shows the tongue cleaner which shows other embodiment of this invention. Fig. 4 (a) is a plan view of another tongue cleaner of the present invention, Fig. 4 (b) is a view of the gripping rod 1 of Fig. 1 (a) viewed from the left, and Fig. 4 (c) is the same drawing. 4 (a) is a partial cross-sectional view seen from the horizontal direction on the central axis (mm) of the cleaning part 2 in FIG. 4 (a), and FIG. Sectional drawing seen from the horizontal direction in the central axis (mm) of Fig.4 (a). 5B is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (AA), FIG. 5C is a cross-sectional view of the gripping rod 1 at (BB), and FIG. CC), and FIG. 5 (e) is a cross-sectional view seen from the horizontal direction of the central axis (mm) of the cleaning portion 2. FIG. Sectional drawing which shows the tongue cleaner which shows other embodiment of this invention. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged sectional view of FIG. 6. The figure which shows typically the relationship between the product of embodiment of this invention, and a tongue.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Grip stick 1a Cylindrical notch 2 Cleaning part 3 Contact part 4a, 4b Small protrusion part 5 Protrusion protrusion part 6 Small diameter cylindrical protrusion part 7 Curvature
8 Tongue 8a Tongue outer surface

Claims (7)

A gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on an edge of the gripping rod, and a contact portion that comes into contact with the tongue of the cleaning portion has a shape of the outer surface of the convex tongue A tongue cleaner characterized by being formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually recessed from the left and right of the corresponding contact portion toward the central portion so as to substantially contact over a wide range. A gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on an edge of the gripping rod and having a hardness of about 70 to 95, and a contact portion that contacts the tongue of the cleaning portion includes a small protrusion. The rising inclination angle of the small protrusion portion is determined by the gripping rod and the cleaning portion when viewed from the scraping direction of the gripping rod or from the center point of the curvature of the arc of the corresponding contact portion. An obtuse angle of about 100 degrees to 13 with respect to the reference plane
A tongue cleaner characterized by having a rising inclination angle of 5 degrees. A gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed on an edge of the gripping rod, and the contact portion that contacts the tongue of the cleaning portion has a wide range of shapes on the outer surface of the convex tongue In addition to being formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually recessed from the left and right of the corresponding contact portion toward the center portion, the corresponding contact portion is provided at each of the upper and lower ends of the cleaning portion and Each of the contact portions has a small protrusion, and the rising inclination angle of each of the small protrusions is the center of the curvature of the contact portion when viewed from the scraping direction of the gripping rod or the arc of the corresponding contact portion. From the point of view, with respect to a reference plane of the gripping bar and the cleaning unit, the obtuse angle has a rising inclination angle of about 100 degrees to 135 degrees,
In addition, a tongue cleaner characterized by different rising inclination angles of the small protrusions. The tongue cleaner according to claim 3, wherein attachment protrusions to which cleaning deposits of the tongue are attached are provided between contact portions provided at both upper and lower ends of the cleaning portion. A gripping rod and a synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed at an edge of the gripping rod and having a hardness of about 70 to 95, and the contact portion that contacts the tongue of the cleaning portion is convex upward It is formed in a concave shape so as to be gradually recessed from the left and right of the corresponding contact portion toward the central portion so as to substantially contact the shape of the outer surface of the tongue over a wide range. The protruding portion rises substantially perpendicular to the reference plane of the gripping rod and the cleaning portion, and the thickness of the rising portion of the small protruding portion is about 0.01 to 1 millimeter which is extremely thin. The tip is formed with a predetermined curvature that can scrape off the tongue coating and does not damage the tongue surface, or the tip of the small protrusion is formed thinly as it rises into the mold of the synthetic resin that has been heated and melted. Tongue cleaner characterized by being. The tongue cleaner according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the synthetic resin cleaning portion disposed at the edge of the gripping bar is a ring or a hollow polygon. The shape of the synthetic resin cleaning part disposed at the edge of the gripping rod is a ring or hollow polygonal shape, and the vertical thickness of the ring-shaped part or polygonal part is gripped. The tongue cleaner according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein the tongue cleaner is formed so as to become thinner from a stick side to a tip opposite to the gripping stick side.

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