JP4923310B2 - toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush, and more particularly to a toothbrush in which the shape of a grip portion is improved.

  A toothbrush is known in which a rod-like gripping part is extended through the neck behind the head on which the brush is implanted. As this type of toothbrush, a gripping part is generally flattened in a direction orthogonal to the brush planting direction (Patent Document 1), and the gripping part is in the same direction as the brush planting direction. In addition, a flat shape is also known (Patent Documents 2 to 5).

JP-A-10-215949 Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model No. 49-095731 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-24576) Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model No. 49-119923 (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 51-46564) Microfilm of Japanese Utility Model No. 62-26569 (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 63-133117) JP 2002-85157 A

  To hold the toothbrush, the palm grip method that uses five fingers and the palm to wrap the gripping part, and the pen grip method that uses the thumb, index finger, and middle finger to hold the pen. It is. In a general toothbrush, the gripping portion has a flat shape, and when trying to grip it, it is a natural action to pinch the flat gripping portion from the front and back. That is, in the palm grip method, the flat grip portion is sandwiched from the front and back by the thumb and forefinger, and in the pen grip method, the flat grip portion is sandwiched from the front and back by the thumb and the index finger / middle finger.

  However, in a general toothbrush, as described above, the gripping portion is flat in a direction orthogonal to the brush implantation direction. Therefore, when the palm grip method is adopted, the direction of the force for gripping the grip portion coincides with the direction in which the brush abuts on the tooth surface or gingiva, and it is easy to apply excessive force when gripping the toothbrush. The toothbrush pressure against the symptom is likely to be excessive. In addition, excessive toothbrush pressure contributes to faster toothbrush wear.

  On the other hand, the muscles that move the fingertips are concentrated and used in the direction of gripping the gripping part, so it is difficult to adjust the movement in the other direction, that is, the direction of rubbing the tooth surface, and the movement of the toothbrush also increases. It was apt. As a result, there was a risk of scratching the gingiva and causing a neck neck scar (dummy defect) as a long-term side effect. Further, since the movement of the toothbrush is large, the brush tip does not fit on the tooth surface having a fine curve, and it is extremely difficult to remove plaque from the cervical part, interdental part, and gingival crevice.

  In addition, when the pen grip method is adopted, the toothbrush pressure is reduced compared to the palm grip method, but the gripping force embedded in the finger is transmitted directly to the tooth surface and gums, so the toothbrush pressure becomes stronger than necessary. . In the pen grip method, the force of the three fingers to be gripped concentrates on a part of the handle, and the horizontal and vertical positions of the toothbrush become unstable. Therefore, if it is intended to strictly adjust the movement, it is necessary to increase the toothbrush pressure after all. Furthermore, in principle, the pen grip method is a method of cleaning the dentition part on the side opposite to the hand on the side of gripping, and it is difficult to cope with the dentition part on the same side.

  On the other hand, in the known art toothbrushes described in Patent Documents 2 to 5 in which the gripping portion is flat in the same direction as the brush installation direction, the problem of excessive toothbrush pressure on at least the tooth surface and gums is solved. Is done. However, in these cases, the toothbrush as a whole tends to swing in the contact and separation directions with respect to the tooth surface and gingiva with the point picked by the fingertip as a fulcrum. The problem was insufficient to produce microvibration.

  In either case, the wrist was apt to get tired when brushing, and the concentration was lost when brushing was continued for about 3 minutes or more, and the movement of the toothbrush was likely to be rough. This was not in line with the current state of plaque control in which brushing for about 5 to 15 minutes was recommended in order to make periodontal disease prevention effective.

  This invention was created for the purpose of providing a toothbrush that solves the above-mentioned problems, and in a toothbrush in which a rod-shaped gripping part is extended through the neck behind the head in which the brush is implanted, The front area of the gripping part is flattened in the same direction as the brush planting direction, and the rear area of the gripping part is flattened in a direction perpendicular to the brush planting direction, and the front area An intermediate region having a tapered surface raised obliquely rearward is provided between the rear region and the rear region.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the toothbrush of the present invention grips the tip of the front region 4 of the gripping portion flattened in the same direction as the brush planting direction with the thumb and forefinger from the left and right sides, and at the same time holds the middle finger at the center of the front region. Attaching the ring finger to the surface from the nearby side, the ring finger to the tapered surface 6A of the intermediate region 5, the little finger to the surface near the center of the rear region 8, and the back surface near the end of the rear region to the palm of the little finger For use.

Therefore, this invention has the following specific effects.
(1) When the tip of the front area of the gripping part flattened in the same direction as the brush planting direction is picked from the left and right sides with the thumb and index finger, the middle finger is moved from the side surface near the center of the front area to the surface at the same time. Since the brush will naturally be positioned at a right angle to the tooth surface when placed in a horizontal position, the toothbrush will become natural when the palm is gripped with the palm facing the face. At an angle, it can be gripped easily and stably.
(2) The gripping part is held from the left and right with five fingers and at the same time the back surface near the edge of the rear area is received by the palm of the little finger, so the toothbrush stays in the palm even if the finger is removed There is no loss. As a result, it is easier to change the direction of the toothbrush and change the way it is held, it becomes easy to give the toothbrush horizontal and vertical angle changes, and brushing from all angles becomes possible.
(3) For the same reason, it is easy to balance the power of the toothbrush using five fingertips and palm. Further, since the force for gripping the handle of the toothbrush and the direction of the toothbrush pressure with respect to the tooth surface and gingiva are orthogonal, there is no change in the toothbrush pressure even if the handle is gripped strongly. From these things, the toothbrush pressure can be adjusted to the minimum necessary, and there is no risk of scratching the gums or causing damage to the cervix (simulated defect), and the consumption of the toothbrush can be reduced. .
(4) For the same reason, the curved deformation of the brush is limited to be small, the brush is always in an upright state, and the hair tip can maintain a high plaque removal function.
(5) For the same reason, even if brushing is performed for a long time, there is little fatigue of hands and arms, and long-time brushing for realizing plaque control can be performed without difficulty.
(6) From the above effects, in the present invention, the toothbrush can be moved while taking advantage of the sensation of the fingertip while stably grasping the toothbrush and hardly moving the elbow of the arm. ) Rub the toothbrush with the tip of the toothbrush standing upright on the tooth surface (scrub method), (B) Move it so as to draw a small vibration and a small circle with a diameter of about 5 mm, (C) Move the hair tip into the gingival crevice It is possible to easily realize operations such as inserting and applying minute vibration (Bus method), (D) inserting hair tips between teeth and applying minute vibration (Gottlieb method). Furthermore, as an application of the toothbrush method performed by themselves, it is also suitable as a toothbrush method when a parent finishes an infant and cleans the tooth surface of a care recipient.

  Hereinafter, specific examples of the toothbrush of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 to 6 show a first embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention, and FIGS. 8 and 9 show a gripping method. The toothbrush of the present invention has a basic configuration in which a rod-like gripping part is extended through a neck part 3 behind a head 1 in which a brush 2 is implanted. Reference numeral 4 in the figure denotes a front region of the gripping portion, and this front region is flattened in the same direction as the brush 2 implantation direction. Here, “flat” refers to a shape having different dimensions in the width direction and the height direction in the cross section, and the front and back surfaces are not necessarily flat. In this embodiment, in the vicinity of the front X of the front region that is expected to be picked by the thumb and the index finger during use, the four sides have a cross-sectional shape close to a flat rectangle (see the AA end face in FIG. 6). In the vicinity of the center Y where the contact is expected, the cross-sectional shape is rounded (see the BB end face in FIG. 6), and the thickness in the direction perpendicular to the brush planting direction is thin. It is said.

  Reference numeral 8 in the figure denotes a rear region of the gripping portion, and this rear region has a flat shape in a direction orthogonal to the planting direction of the brush 2 (see the DD end surface in FIG. 6). The little finger is expected to contact the surface near the center of the rear region 8, and the palm on the little finger side is scheduled to contact the back surface near the end of the rear region.

  Reference numeral 5 in the figure denotes an intermediate region that connects the front region 4 and the rear region 8, and is provided with a tapered surface that protrudes obliquely rearward. The tapered surface is a portion where the ring finger is expected to abut during use. In this case, since the ring finger, the middle finger, and the little finger are positioned in the front-rear direction on the left side of the gripping portion when the toothbrush is gripped with the right hand, the tapered surface must be formed so as to protrude obliquely to the right. . On the other hand, when the toothbrush is gripped with the left hand, the positional relationship is opposite to the above, and the tapered surface must be formed so that the tapered surface protrudes diagonally to the left. In this embodiment, a toothbrush that can be gripped by either the right hand or the left hand is assumed, and a taper surface 6A that protrudes diagonally right rear and a taper surface 6B that protrudes diagonally left rear are surfaces of the intermediate region 5. It is formed in a symmetrical mountain shape. Further, in this embodiment, for example, when brushing the back side of a tooth, it is assumed that the toothbrush can be turned over and gripped, and when turned upside down, a tapered surface 7A that protrudes diagonally right rear and diagonally left rearward The taper surface 7B which protrudes toward the back is formed in the left-right symmetrical mountain shape in the back surface of the intermediate | middle area | region 5 (refer CC end surface of FIGS. 3-5 and FIG. 6).

  FIG. 8 shows a state when the toothbrush of the above embodiment is gripped with the right hand, and FIG. 9 shows a state when the toothbrush is gripped with the left hand. Here, the tip of the front region 4 of the gripping part flattened in the same direction as the brush 2 is placed with the thumb and forefinger from the left and right sides, and at the same time, the middle finger is moved from the side surface near the center of the front region to the surface. Are attached to the tapered surface 6A (6B) of the intermediate region 5, the little finger is attached to the surface near the center of the rear region 8, and the back surface near the end of the rear region is applied to the palm on the little finger side. In this case, the ring finger abuts against the tapered surface 6A (6B), so that the toothbrush picked up by the thumb and the index finger functions as a stopper for rotating in the direction of the index finger. By abutting from the surface to the surface, a force is generated to rotate the toothbrush so as to press it against the palm of the little finger, and the gripping of the toothbrush is stabilized. In this case, as in this embodiment, the front region 4 has a cross-sectional shape with rounded corners (see the BB end face in FIG. 6) in the vicinity of the center Y where the middle finger is expected to contact, and the brush By making the thickness in the direction orthogonal to the planting direction thinner than that near the top X, the above-described action becomes more remarkable. As shown in the figure, it is also effective to form a spherical recess corresponding to the shape of the fingertip on the tapered surface 6A (6B).

Next, the dimension example (a unit is all millimeters) of each part of the toothbrush in the above Example is described below. In addition, a dimension is an example and it cannot be overemphasized that this invention is not limited to this.
Toothbrush total length 182
Head 1 (length x width x thickness) 20 x 8 x 4
Brush 2 (length x height) 18 x 10.5
Neck 3 (length x width) 35 x 5
Front area 4 (length) 70
Front area XX (width x thickness) 8 x 14
Front area YY part (width x thickness) 6 x 11
Intermediate region ZZ (width x thickness) 18 x 15
Rear area 8 (length x width x thickness) 57 x 16 x 12

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a second embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention. In this embodiment, the surface of the rear region 8 of the gripping part is made of a material that can be elastically deformed, so that the feeling of the little finger attached to the surface near the center of the rear region is lightened, The effect | action that a holding part fits moderately can be acquired.

  The elastically deformable material may be molded integrally with the gripping portion, but here, the rear region 8 is covered with a sheath-like member 9 made of a separate elastomer material. In this case, if the sheath-like member 9 can be moved back and forth with respect to the rear region 8, the length of the grip portion can be adjusted, and the difference in the size of the hand can be covered.

  10 and 11 are views showing a third embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention. Here, a toothbrush exclusively for the right hand is assumed, and in a toothbrush in which a rod-like gripping part is extended via a neck part 13 behind the head 11 in which the brush 12 is implanted, the front region 14 of the gripping part is placed on the brush. The shape is flat in the same direction as the planting direction, and the rear region 18 of the gripping part is flat in the direction orthogonal to the brush planting direction, between the front region and the rear region. An intermediate region 15 having a tapered surface 16 that protrudes obliquely rearward to the right is provided.

  12 and 13 are views showing a fourth embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention. Here, a toothbrush exclusively for the left hand is assumed, and in a toothbrush in which a rod-like gripping part is extended via a neck part 23 behind the head 21 in which the brush 22 is implanted, the front region 24 of the gripping part is defined as the brush part. The shape is flat in the same direction as the planting direction, and the rear region 28 of the grip portion is flat in the direction orthogonal to the brush planting direction, and between the front region and the rear region. An intermediate region 25 having a tapered surface 26 that protrudes obliquely rearward to the right is provided.

The side view of 1st Example of the toothbrush of this invention. Same as above, front view. The partially notched perspective view which observed the holding part from the front area to the back area. The partially notched perspective view which observed the holding part from the back area to the front area. The EE sectional view taken on the line of FIG. 3 same as the above. The end view which shows the end surface shape of each part as above. The partially notched front view of 2nd Example of the toothbrush of this invention. The front view which shows the holding method with the right hand of 1st Example of the toothbrush of this invention. The front view which shows the holding | grip method with a left hand same as the above. The front view of 3rd Example of the toothbrush of this invention. Same as above, side view. The front view of 4th Example of the toothbrush of this invention. Same as above, side view.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Head 2 Brush 3 Neck part 4 Front area | region (of grip part) 5 Intermediate | middle area | region 6A Tapered surface 6B Tapered surface 7A Tapered surface 7B Tapered surface 8 (Back part of grip part)

Claims (9)

  In a toothbrush in which a rod-shaped gripping part is extended through the neck behind the head on which the brush is implanted, the front area of the gripping part is flattened in the same direction as the brush implantation direction and gripped. The rear region of the part is flattened in a direction orthogonal to the brush planting direction, and an intermediate region having a tapered surface protruding obliquely rearward is provided between the front region and the rear region. Toothbrush characterized by.   The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a taper surface protruding obliquely rightward is formed on a surface of the intermediate region.   The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a tapered surface protruding obliquely leftward is formed on a surface of the intermediate region.   The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein a tapered surface that protrudes obliquely in the right direction and a tapered surface that protrudes obliquely in the left direction are formed in a symmetrical mountain shape on the surface of the intermediate region.   The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the taper surface that protrudes obliquely in the right direction and the taper surface that protrudes obliquely in the left direction are formed in a symmetrical mountain shape on the front and back surfaces of the intermediate region, respectively.   The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a front region of the grip portion has a cross-sectional shape with rounded corners at least near the center.   The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the front region of the grip portion, the thickness in the direction orthogonal to the brush planting direction is thinner in the vicinity of the center than in the vicinity of the head.   The toothbrush according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein a spherical recess is formed on the tapered surface. The toothbrush in any one of Claim 1 to 8 which comprised the surface of the back area | region of a holding part with the raw material which can be elastically deformed.