JP3128238U - Toothbrush bristle material and toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a bristle material for a toothbrush that has an excellent brushing force and is excellent in interdental penetration, and a toothbrush using the same.
A filament 3 having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and a single concave slit 3a extending in the extending direction of the filament 3 on the outer surface of the filament 3 are provided. A toothbrush bristle material in which the ratio A / B between the area A and the cross-sectional area B of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter d of the filament 3 is 0.02 to 0.35.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush bristle material and a toothbrush, and more particularly to a toothbrush bristle material and a toothbrush that have a high brushing force and excellent interdental penetration.

Conventionally, various types of toothbrush bristle materials have been proposed.
For example, Patent Document 1 describes a monofilament for a toothbrush that is a multi-leaf cross-sectional body having point symmetry and a bending recovery rate of 60% or more.
Patent Document 2 describes a toothbrush in which a thermoplastic polyester monofilament is formed by forming a sharpened portion by chemical treatment.
Patent Document 3 proposes a toothbrush using a synthetic monofilament having a tapered tip, an uneven surface on the surface of the tapered portion, and an increased force for scraping off the taper brush.
Further, Patent Document 4 proposes a toothbrush in which a brush whose front end side is branched into a plurality of pieces and each branched hair is sharply tapered is planted.
JP-A-60-88110 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-15834 JP 2001-178543 A JP 2003-144229 A

However, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 4, it has been required to further improve the brushing force.
More specifically, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, protrusions of each leaf are provided. However, if the space between the protrusions is increased, sufficient fur waist and brush durability cannot be obtained. Thus, there is a problem that a sufficient brushing force cannot be obtained, and if the space portion is made small, it becomes almost the same as the brushing feeling of a circular cross-section filament conventionally used.

Further, since the toothbrush described in Patent Document 2 uses a tapered brush, the toothbrush has excellent interdental property as compared with a normal circular cross-section filament. There was a problem that both strengths were low and it was difficult to obtain a sufficient cleaning effect.
Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 3, since the unevenness is provided on the surface of the taper portion, it is possible to increase the force for scraping off the dirt on the taper brush. It was difficult to obtain a balanced brush.
In the technique described in Patent Document 4, since each branched hair has a sharp taper shape, it cannot be said that the brushing feeling and the tooth surface brushing force are sufficient. Further, in the technique described in Patent Document 4, since the base cross-sectional shape of the brush is a shape in which a plurality of unit cross-sectional elements are connected, the brush is likely to be blocked, causing defects such as hair loss and difficult to mass-produce. there were. Furthermore, the technique described in Patent Document 4 has a problem that the branched hair tip is easily torn or torn, and the durability is poor compared to a brush that is not branched.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a toothbrush bristle material that has excellent tooth surface brushing power and is excellent in interproximal part entry ability, and a toothbrush using the same. Objective.

  In order to solve the above problems, a bristle material for a toothbrush of the present invention includes a filament having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape, and one concave slit extending on the outer surface of the filament in the extending direction of the filament. The ratio A / B of the maximum cross-sectional area A of the slit and the cross-sectional area B of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter of the filament is in the range of 0.02 to 0.35. .

Since the bristle material for toothbrushes of the present invention has a concave slit extending in the extending direction of the filament on the outer surface of the filament, if a material containing an abrasive as a toothpaste is used, the slit is polished. The agent enters. For this reason, the bristle material for toothbrush of this invention can hold | maintain a large amount of abrasive | polishing agent compared with the filament in which the slit is not formed. Therefore, by setting it as the toothbrush using the bristle material for toothbrushes of the present invention, it is possible to improve the polishing effect by the abrasive of the dentifrice and improve the brushing power.
Moreover, the bristle material for toothbrushes of the present invention has a tapered shape at least at one end, so that the penetration property of the bristles between teeth can be enhanced as compared with a filament that is not tapered.

Moreover, since the bristle material for toothbrushes of the present invention has a concave slit extending in the extending direction of the filament, the friction on the outer surface is large compared to a filament in which no slit is formed, High brushing power can be obtained. Moreover, in the toothbrush bristle material of the present invention, there is one slit, and the ratio A / B between the maximum sectional area A of the slit and the sectional area B of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter of the filament is 0. Since it is in the range of 0.02 to 0.35, sufficiently strong fur and brush durability and sufficient holding effect of the abrasive can be obtained.
For example, when two or more slits are provided, a sufficiently strong bristle cannot be obtained, a toothbrush with a low brushing feeling is obtained, and sufficient brush durability cannot be obtained. Further, when two or more slits are provided, brush blocking tends to occur, resulting in a filament having poor flocking suitability.
Here, the blocking of the brush means a state where the brush is caught by the picker of the flat wire type hair transplanter and the brush does not flow smoothly to the brush supply portion. When the blocking of the brush occurs, the amount of the brush to be planted may become smaller than the design (becomes hairless).

Moreover, in the bristle material for toothbrushes of the present invention, the filament may be a cut bristle having a length of 7 to 35 mm, and at least one end thereof may be tapered.
By using such a toothbrush bristle material, it is possible to improve the penetration of the hair tip between teeth, so that in addition to sufficiently strong fur and brush durability, sufficient abrasive holding effect, tapered hair It has a characteristic high interdental penetration.

  Further, in the above toothbrush bristle material, the cut bristle has a slit region in which the slit is provided and an unslit region in which the slit is not provided, and the non-slit region is the taper. It can be set as the range of the distance of 1-8 mm in the extension direction of a filament from the front-end | tip of a shape edge part.

By setting it as such a toothbrush bristle material, the outer surface of a slit area | region will reach | attain a tooth surface easily because the toothbrush bristle material will be bent by the stress at the time of tooth surface brushing. Therefore, in such a toothbrush bristle material, it can be effectively wiped by utilizing a large friction between the outer surface of the slit region and the tooth surface.
The non-slit region is preferably in the range of a distance of 1 to 8 mm in the filament extending direction from the tip of the tapered end. By setting the non-slit region to the above range, it is possible to prevent the tapered end from branching into a plurality of portions. When the tapered end portion is branched into a plurality of ends, the branched hair ends are easily broken, which may result in a toothbrush having poor durability. Further, by setting the unslit area to the above range, when the toothbrush bristle material is damaged by the stress at the time of tooth surface brushing, the outer surface of the slit area easily reaches the tooth surface, and the slit is The effect of improving the cleaning force due to the formation is sufficiently obtained.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the toothbrush of the present invention is characterized in that the toothbrush bristle material described in any one of the above is implanted in at least a part of the flocked portion.
According to the toothbrush of the present invention, a sufficiently strong bristle and brush durability, an excellent brushing force due to a sufficient abrasive retention effect can be obtained, and an interdental penetration property is excellent. Become.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the bristle material for toothbrushes which was able to obtain the outstanding brushing force and was excellent in interproximal part penetration property can be provided. In addition, a toothbrush having a high brushing force in which the bristle material for toothbrushes of the present invention is planted on at least a part of the planted part can be realized.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.
FIG. 1 is a side view for explaining an example of the toothbrush of the present invention. 2 is an enlarged schematic view showing one of the filaments constituting the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner, FIG. 2 (a) is a sectional view, and FIG. 2 (b) is a side view. FIG.

  The toothbrush 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a long handle portion 11 and a flocked portion 2 integrally formed with the handle portion 11 at the tip of the handle portion 11. The handle part 11 is a part that the user holds. In addition, a hair bundle composed of a plurality of filaments 3 is planted in the hair transplant section 2.

    The material of the handle 11 is not particularly limited. For example, polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate, saturated polyester resin, polymethyl methacrylate, cellulose propionate, polyurethane, polyamide, ABS (acrylonitrile, butadiene, styrene), etc. The synthetic resin material can be used. Of these, polypropylene is preferably used in terms of cost, and saturated polyester resin is preferably used in terms of transparency.

The hair bundle is planted in a flock hole provided on one surface (flock surface) 2a of the flocked portion 2 with a plurality of filaments 3 bundled and folded in two, with a retaining material called a flat wire interposed therebetween. .
As shown in FIG. 1, the hair bundles may have all the hair lengths of the filaments 3 or may be uneven. In addition to the shape in which the tip of the hair bundle is pruned flat by so-called flat cutting, the hair tip contour shape (hair cutting shape) of the hair bundle, for example, is a shape in which the tip of the hair bundle is pruned into irregularities by so-called mountain cutting. Alternatively, the hair bundle may be formed into a shape that is pruned into a convex shape or a concave shape with a predetermined curvature as a whole.

  In the present embodiment, the filament 3 (toothbrush bristle material) shown in FIG. 2 is used. The material of the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2 is not particularly limited, and commonly used polyamide (eg, nylon 6-12, nylon 6-10, 12 nylon, etc.), polyester (eg, polyethylene terephthalate). -Polypropylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, etc.), polypropylene and the like can be used, and polybutylene terephthalate is more preferred from the viewpoint of processability and usability.

The filament 3 has a circular cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 2 (a), and extends on the outer surface in the extending direction of the filament 3 as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). One arc-shaped concave slit 3a is provided.
The ratio A / B between the maximum cross-sectional area A of the slit 3a and the cross-sectional area B of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter d of the filament 3 is in the range of 0.02 to 0.35. When the ratio A / B is less than 0.02, the holding effect of the abrasive compounded in the dentifrice becomes insufficient, and a sufficient brushing effect cannot be obtained. Moreover, when said ratio A / B exceeds 0.35, sufficient bristle waist will not be obtained and it will become the toothbrush 1 with a low brushing feeling.

  The maximum diameter d of the filament 3 is 3 to 15 mil (1 mil = 1/1000 inch, 0.076 to 0.381 mm), preferably 5 to 10 mil (0.127 to 0.254 mm). If the maximum diameter d of the filament 3 is too thick, the hair is too strong and the feeling of use becomes worse. On the other hand, if the maximum diameter d of the filament 3 is too thin, the bristle will be too weak and the toothbrush 1 will have a low feeling of brushing. The thickness of the filaments 3 constituting the toothbrush 1 may be all the same, or may be used by mixing different ones. Different ones can be appropriately selected and used.

  Although the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2 is not particularly limited, the filament 3 can be manufactured by extrusion molding of resin, and when performing extrusion molding, the shape of the die used in the process of extruding molten resin into water By obtaining a shape corresponding to the cross-sectional shape of 3, it can be easily obtained.

  The toothbrush 1 of this embodiment is desirably used with a dentifrice containing an abrasive. Here, since the toothbrush 1 of this embodiment uses the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2, the abrasive enters the slit 3 a, and a larger amount of abrasive than the general filament in which no slit is formed. Can be held. Therefore, the polishing effect of the dentifrice abrasive can be enhanced, and an excellent brushing force can be obtained.

  Moreover, since the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with the concave slit 3a extending in the extending direction of the filament 3, the friction on the outer surface is large as compared with a filament in which no slit is formed, High brushing power is obtained. Moreover, the filament 3 of the present embodiment has one slit 3a, and the ratio A / B between the maximum sectional area A of the slit and the sectional area B of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter d of the filament 3 is 0. Since it is in the range of 0.02 to 0.35, sufficiently strong fur and brush durability and sufficient holding effect of the abrasive can be obtained. Moreover, since the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2 is provided with the slit 3a, compared with the filament in which the slit is not formed, the penetration property of the hair tip between teeth becomes high.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, For example, it may replace with the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2, and may use the bristle material (filament 31) for toothbrushes shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. .
FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing another example of one of the filaments constituting the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner, and FIG. 3 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the maximum diameter portion. FIG. 3B is a side view of one end.

The filament 31 shown in FIG. 3 has the same cross-sectional shape as the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2, but unlike the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2, the filament 31 shown in FIG. 3 has a length of 7 to 35 mm. It is a cut bristle, and both ends are tapered. By setting the length of the filament 31 in the above range, the length is suitable for manufacturing a toothbrush using the filament 31 shown in FIG.
Also in the filament 31 shown in FIG. 3, as in the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2, the ratio A / of the maximum cross-sectional area A of the slit 3a and the cross-sectional area B of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter d of the filament 3 B is in the range of 0.02 to 0.35.

The filament 31 shown in FIG. 3 has a slit region 31b in which the slit 31a is provided and an unslit region 31c in which the slit 31a is not provided. The slit region 31b is the most part of the filament 31 and is located at the central portion in the length direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the non-slit region 31c is in a range of a distance D from 1 to 8 mm in the filament extending direction from the tip 31d of the tapered end.
If the distance D from the tip 31d, which is the range of the non-slit region 31c, is less than 1 mm, the tip 31d at the end may be branched into a plurality due to the formation of the slit 31a. When the tip of the tapered end portion is branched into a plurality, the branched hair ends are easily broken, and there is a possibility that the toothbrush with poor durability is formed. Further, when the distance D from the tip 31d, which is the range of the non-slit region 31c, exceeds 8 mm, the outer surface of the slit region 31b becomes the tooth surface even if the toothbrush bristle material is broken by the stress at the time of tooth surface brushing. The effect of improving the brushing force due to the formation of the slits 31a may not be sufficiently obtained.

  In order to manufacture the filament 31 shown in FIG. 3, for example, the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2 is cut into a cut bristle having a length of 7 to 35 mm, and both ends thereof are immersed in a solution such as acid or alkali. Thus, it is obtained by a method in which both ends are tapered.

By making it the toothbrush using the filament 31 shown in FIG. 3, the penetration property of the hair tip between teeth can be improved. Even when the filament 31 shown in FIG. 3 is used, as in the case where the filament 3 shown in FIG. 2 is used, a sufficiently strong bristle and brush durability and a sufficient abrasive holding effect are obtained. High brushing power can be obtained.
Moreover, since it is possible to realize a soft hit feeling by using the toothbrush using the filament 31 shown in FIG. 3, the toothbrush is preferably cleaned and massaged. Conventionally, a brush with a tapered tip has a drawback that it has a lower brushing force than a brush of the same diameter, but according to the present invention, an abrasive compounded in a toothpaste is incorporated into the slit 31a. Since it is held, a sufficient brushing force can be exhibited.

  Further, in the filament 31 shown in FIG. 3, the non-slit region 31c is in the range of a distance D from 1 to 8 mm in the filament extending direction from the tip end 31d of the tapered end portion, and therefore shown in FIG. As described above, when the filament 31 is bent by the stress at the time of brushing the tooth surface 4, the outer surface of the slit region 31 b easily reaches the tooth surface 4. Therefore, a large friction is generated between the outer surface of the slit region 31 b and the tooth surface 4. Therefore, a high brushing effect can be obtained.

Further, the shape of the slit can be an arc-shaped concave portion as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, but any other shape may be used, for example, a slit 32a shown in FIG. Alternatively, a concave portion having a fan-shaped cross section concentric with the filament 32 may be used, or a concave portion formed with a constant width from the outer surface of the filament 33 in the central axis direction, such as a slit 33a shown in FIG. It may be.
Further, when the slit is an arc-shaped recess as in FIGS. 2 and 3, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the center of the circle constituting the arc constituting the inner wall of the slit 3a is It may overlap with a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter of the filament 3 in cross-section, or the center of a circle constituting an arc constituting the inner wall of the slit 34a is the filament as in the slit 34a shown in FIG. It does not have to overlap with a perfect circle having a maximum diameter of 34 as a diameter in cross section.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.
"Example 1 to Example 5, Comparative Example 1 to Comparative Example 6"
The toothbrushes of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6 were obtained using the bristle tip shape, the area ratio, and the number of slits of toothbrush bristle materials shown in Table 1.

In the area ratio (A / B) in Table 1, A is the maximum cross-sectional area of the slit, and B means the cross-sectional area of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter of the filament.
In Table 1, the tip length means the distance from the tip of the non-slit region when the end is tapered.

With respect to the toothbrushes of Examples 1 to 5 and Comparative Examples 1 to 6 obtained in this manner, the “brushing feeling”, “brush durability”, “interdental penetration”, “ A test of “flocking aptitude” was conducted and evaluated as shown below.
The results are shown in Table 1.

"A feeling of brushing"
Ten professional panelists used and judged by the following four-step evaluation.
◎ Very feel ○ Well feel △ Don't feel much × Not feel at all

"Brush durability"
Ten professional panelists used it for one month, and judged by the following four-step evaluation based on the opening of the hair tips and the degree of pain.
◎ No change from new condition ○ The tip of the hair is not torn off, but a slight opening of the hair is seen △ The tip of the tip is torn off and a slight opening of the hair is seen × The hair opening is remarkable (the state of the tip of the hair is not questioned)

Interdental penetration
Ten professional panelists used and judged by the following four-step evaluation.
◎ Very good ○ Well good △ Not very good × Not good at all

"Flocking aptitude"
The flocking suitability was determined by the following four-step evaluation based on the occurrence rate of hair loss, using a general flat wire type flocking machine.
◎ Less than 5% ○ 5% or more but less than 10% △ 10% or more but less than 20% × 20% or more

"Comprehensive evaluation"
The evaluation of each evaluation item was comprehensively determined by a four-step evaluation.
◎ Very good ○ Well good △ Not very good × Not good at all

As shown in Table 1, in Example 1 to Example 5 in which there is one slit and the area ratio (A / B) is in the range of 0.02 to 0.35, the overall evaluation is ま た は or ○. It was.
In Examples 2 to 5 in which the hair tip shape is tapered, in Example 2 in which the tip length is 3.0 mm and in Example 3 in which the tip length is 4.0 mm, the tip length It was confirmed that the brush durability or the brushing feeling was excellent as compared with Example 4 in which the length was 0.5 mm and Example 5 in which the tip length was 9.0 mm.

On the other hand, in Comparative Examples 1 to 6, the overall evaluation was Δ or ×.
Further, in Comparative Example 1 where the area ratio (A / B) is less than 0.02, the brushing feeling and interdental penetration were Δ. Further, in Comparative Example 2 in which the area ratio (A / B) is less than 0.02, the feeling of cleaning was x.
Moreover, in Comparative Example 3 and Comparative Example 4 in which the area ratio (A / B) exceeds 0.35, the brushing feeling, the brush durability, and the flocking aptitude were x.
In Comparative Example 5 having two slits, both interdental penetration and flocking aptitude were Δ.
Further, in Comparative Example 6 in which the area ratio (A / B) exceeded 0.35 and there were two slits, both the brushing feeling and the flocking aptitude were x.

FIG. 1 is a side view for explaining an example of the toothbrush of the present invention. 2 is an enlarged schematic view showing one of the filaments constituting the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner, FIG. 2 (a) is a sectional view, and FIG. 2 (b) is a side view. is there. FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view showing another example of one of the filaments constituting the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner, and FIG. 3 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the maximum diameter portion. FIG. 3B is a side view. FIG. 4 is an enlarged schematic view for explaining a state in which the filament shown in FIG. 3 is formed by stress at the time of brushing the tooth surface. FIG. 5 is an enlarged schematic view showing another example of one of the filaments constituting the toothbrush shown in FIG. 1 in an enlarged manner, and is a cross-sectional view of the maximum diameter portion.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Toothbrush, 2 ... Flocking part, 2a ... Flocking surface, 3, 31 ... Filament, 3a, 31a ... Slit, 11 ... Pattern part, 31b ... Slit area | region, 31c: unslit area, 31d: tip.

Claims (4)

A filament having a substantially circular cross-sectional shape;
On the outer surface of the filament, a single concave slit extending in the extending direction of the filament,
Toothbrush bristles, wherein the ratio A / B between the maximum cross-sectional area A of the slit and the cross-sectional area B of a perfect circle whose diameter is the maximum diameter of the filament is in the range of 0.02 to 0.35 Wood.   2. The bristle material for toothbrushes according to claim 1, wherein the filament is a cut bristle having a length of 7 to 35 mm, and at least one end thereof is tapered. The cut bristle has a slit region where the slit is provided and an unslit region where the slit is not provided,
The bristle material for a toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein the non-slit region is in a range of a distance of 1 to 8 mm in a direction in which the filament extends from a tip end of the tapered end portion.   A toothbrush in which the bristle material for a toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is implanted in at least a part of a flocked portion.

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