JP6512703B2 - toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a toothbrush.

  In general, the toothbrush comprises a handle body having a bar-like handle portion, a neck portion extending from the tip of the handle portion, and a head portion provided at the tip of the neck portion, and a plurality of implanted in the head portion. And a hair bundle. In a general toothbrush, the handle body is formed of a hard resin so as to suppress excessive bending of the handle portion at the time of brushing and apply sufficient force from the hair bundle to the teeth.

  In the toothbrush, in order to provide a non-slip effect, it is also proposed to form a soft part by soft resin on the surface of the handle part formed with hard resin (patent documents 1 and 2). Also in the toothbrush, in order to secure sufficient rigidity as the entire handle body, the ratio of the hard resin in the handle portion is made higher than the ratio of the soft resin.

JP, 2006-202, A Patent No. 3162573

  However, although such a toothbrush has high rigidity of the handle body and is hard to bend, it has excellent operability, but the hard surface tends to reduce the contact area between the handle portion and the hand when the handle portion is gripped with the hand. is there. As a result, during brushing, fingers may slip and the operation of the toothbrush may be erroneous.

  The present invention is to provide a toothbrush which is excellent in fit and easy to grip firmly, while ensuring excellent operability, when the handle is gripped with a hand, the portion touched by the finger in the handle portion follows the finger and deforms. With the goal.

The present invention has the following configuration.
[1] A handle body, a neck portion extended at the tip of the handle portion, and a handle body integrally formed with a head portion provided at the tip of the neck portion, and implanted on the flocked surface of the head portion In the toothbrush provided with the plurality of hair bundles, the handle portion is a bar-like handle core portion formed of a hard resin having a Shore A hardness of greater than 90, and the handle core portion outside the hard resin. A soft portion formed of a soft resin having a low Shore A hardness, and a ratio (V _B / V _A ) of a volume V _B of the soft portion to a volume V _A of the handle core portion in the handle portion is 1 Super toothbrush.
[2] In the axial direction of the handle portion, the portion where the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the handle core portion to the total cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axial direction of the handle portion is the smallest is the portion where the ratio is the largest The toothbrush according to [1], which is also located on the rear end side.
[3] The toothbrush according to [1] or [2], wherein the handle core portion is narrowed from the neck portion side toward the rear end.

  The toothbrush of the present invention has excellent operability, and when held by a hand, the portion touched by the finger in the handle portion follows the finger and deforms, so that it has a good fit and is easy to grip firmly.

It is the top view which showed an example of the toothbrush of this invention. 2A is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A, FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B, and FIG. 2C is a cross-sectional view taken along the line C-C It is. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views of the toothbrush of FIGS. 1 and 2, wherein FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view (cross-sectional view) taken along the line DD of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line E-E of FIG. FIG. It is the enlarged view which expanded the vicinity of the handle part and neck part in the toothbrush of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of the handle portion and the neck portion of another example of the toothbrush of the present invention. It is sectional drawing which showed the other example of the toothbrush of this invention, Comprising: FIG. 6 (A) is a cross-sectional view, FIG.6 (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. It is sectional drawing which showed the other example of the toothbrush of this invention, Comprising: FIG. 7 (A) is a cross-sectional view, FIG.7 (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view. It is sectional drawing which showed the other example of the toothbrush of this invention, Comprising: FIG. 8 (A) is a cross-sectional view, FIG.8 (B) is a longitudinal cross-sectional view.

Hereinafter, an example of the toothbrush of this invention is shown and demonstrated.
The toothbrush 1 of this embodiment is provided with the handle body 10 and several hair tress 12 planted by the handle body 10, as shown to FIGS.

[Handle body]
The handle body 10 is extended at the rod-like handle portion 14 and at the tip of the handle portion 14, and is provided at the neck portion 16 thinner than the handle portion 14 and at the tip of the neck portion 16. And a head portion 18 to be
The handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16 in this example are curved lines having inflection points a and b where the outer edges 15a and 15b on both sides in a plan view of the boundary portion thereof gradually approach from the handle portion 14 to the neck portion 16 It is integrally formed so that it may become a shape. Thus, at the boundary between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16, the width gradually decreases from the handle portion 14 to the neck portion 16.

(Handle part)
The handle portion 14 is a portion gripped by hand at the time of brushing, and includes a bar-like handle core portion 20 and a soft portion 22 formed on the surface of the handle core portion 20. The handle core portion 20 is formed of hard resin. The soft portion 22 is formed of a soft resin.
In the present invention, the hard resin means a resin having a Shore A hardness of more than 90. The soft resin means a resin having a Shore A hardness lower than that of a hard resin, that is, a resin having a Shore A hardness of 90 or less.

The handle portion 14 in this example is in the form of a column in which the cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction (longitudinal direction) is rectangular with rounded corners.
The thickness and length of the handle portion 14 can be appropriately designed according to the subject who uses the toothbrush 1. The thickness of the handle portion 14 in this example is substantially constant in the axial direction except that the diameter of the end portion on the neck portion 16 side is gradually reduced and the rear end is rounded.
The cross-sectional shape of the handle portion is not limited to the above-described shape, and may be, for example, a rectangular shape, a circular shape, or the like.

The handle core portion 20 in this example has a rectangular cross-sectional shape perpendicular to the axial direction, with rounded corner portions being notched, and has a columnar shape in which the diameter gradually decreases from the neck portion 16 side toward the rear end There is.
The thickness and length of the handle core portion 20 can be appropriately designed in accordance with the thickness and length of the handle portion 14. The handle core 20 in this example is formed from the front end to the rear end of the handle 14.

The cross-sectional shape of the handle core portion is not limited to the above-described shape, and may be, for example, a rectangular shape, a circular shape, or the like.
The axial length of the handle core portion is not particularly limited as long as the effects of the present invention are not impaired.

The outer peripheral surface of the handle core portion 20 is entirely covered with the soft portion 22. As described above, in the present invention, it is preferable that the entire outer peripheral surface of the handle core portion be covered with the soft portion. As a result, when grasped by hand, the shape of the soft portion touched by the finger at the handle portion follows the finger and deforms, and the effect of firmly grasping is easily obtained. In addition, if it is a range which does not impair the effect of this invention, the part which is not covered by the soft part may exist in the outer peripheral surface of a handle core part.
In this example, the rear end of the handle core portion 20 is covered by the soft portion 22. In the present invention, the rear end of the handle core may be exposed. Even if the rear end of the handle core portion is exposed, the effect of the present invention is not adversely affected.

In the present invention, the ratio (V _B / V _A ) of the volume V _B of the soft portion to the volume V _A of the handle core portion in the handle portion is greater than one. As a result, when the grip portion is held by the hand, the shape of the soft portion touched by the finger in the handle portion follows the finger and is deformed, so that the handle portion can be gripped firmly. In addition, because the handle portion is highly flexible, even if an excessive force is applied when grasping the handle portion, the force is absorbed by the depression of the soft portion, so the hair bundle of the head portion is given to the teeth. It can relieve the power. Therefore, it is possible to suppress that an excessive force is applied to the teeth accidentally at the time of brushing.
More than 1 and 10 or less are preferable and 1 or more and 7 or less of V _B / V _A are more preferable. If V _B / V _A is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the fit when holding the handle portion with a hand is improved. If V _B / V _A is below the upper limit value, the operability of the toothbrush at the time of brushing is improved.

In the present invention, as in the present embodiment, in the case where the boundary portion between the handle portion and the neck portion is formed smoothly in a curvilinear manner and the boundary between the handle portion and the neck portion can not be clearly distinguished, The handle portion is defined, and the volume V _A of the handle core portion and the volume V _{B of the} soft portion are respectively measured.

The toothbrush 1 is demonstrated to an example. As shown in FIG. 4, the axial direction of the handle body 10 is taken as an x-axis. At this time, the x-axis has a positive direction from the front end to the rear end of the handle body 10.
Further, a width direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the handle body 10 in plan view is taken as a y-axis. At this time, with respect to the respective outer edges 15a and 15b in a plan view of the boundary portion between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16, the y axis has a positive direction away from the central axis of the handle body 10. That is, with regard to the outer edge 15a on the upper side of the boundary portion between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16 in FIG. 4, the y-axis is determined such that the upward direction is positive. As for the outer edge 15b below the boundary between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16 in FIG.

Thus, the x-axis and y-axis are determined, and in the boundary portion between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16, each of the outer edges 15a and 15b on both sides has a positive rate of change (first derivative) in the width direction with respect to the axial direction An area where / dx> 0) and the change rate (second derivative) of the change rate is negative (d ² y / d ² x <0) is used as a handle portion. That is, in the boundary portion between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16, a portion where the first derivative is positive (dy / dx> 0) and the second derivative is 0 (d ² y / d ² x = 0) at the outer edge 15a. The most rear end position and the most rear end position of the portion where the first derivative is positive (dy / dx> 0) and the second derivative is 0 (d ² y / d ² x = 0) for the outer edge 15 b And a straight line connecting the two is a boundary between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16.

In the handle body 10 of the present embodiment, at the boundary between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16, an inflection point a (dy / dx> 0 and d ² y / d ² x = 0) of the outer edge 15a in plan view A straight line L connecting the inflection points b (dy / dx> 0 and d ² y / d ² x = 0) of the outer edge 15 b is taken as the boundary between the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16. The rear end side than the straight line L in the boundary portion of the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16, for any edge 15a and the outer edge 15b, the dy / dx> 0 and ^{d 2 y / d 2 x <} 0.

When the handle portion and the neck portion of the toothbrush of the present invention can be clearly distinguished, the handle portion as described above in the measurement of the volume V _B of the volume V _A and the soft part of the handle core provisions are not necessary. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 5, when bending points c and d are formed at the outer edges on both sides of the boundary portion of the handle portion 14 and the neck portion 16 in plan view, a line connecting these bending points is used as a handle It can be a boundary between the part and the neck.

  In the present invention, when the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the handle core portion to the total cross-sectional area of the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the handle portion is a ratio Q, the portion where the ratio Q is minimum in the axial direction of the handle portion is the ratio Q It is preferable to be located at the rear end side than the portion where the value of. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the handle portion 14 is substantially the same in the axial direction, and the handle core portion 20 gradually reduces in diameter from the neck portion 16 side toward the rear end. Therefore, in the toothbrush 1, the ratio Q is maximized at the end of the handle portion 14 on the neck portion 16 side, and the ratio Q is minimized at the rear end of the handle portion 14.

With such a form of the handle portion, it is easy to increase the flexibility of the portion near the rear end of the handle portion while maintaining high rigidity of the portion near the neck portion in the handle portion. The operability of the toothbrush at the time of brushing is improved by pinching a portion near the neck portion of the rigid handle portion with the index finger and the thumb and operating the toothbrush with the portion as a fulcrum. This makes it easier to adjust the orientation and angle of the toothbrush. In addition, by grasping the highly flexible rear end portion with the remaining fingers, the portion touched by the fingers is sufficiently recessed, and the rear end side of the handle portion is sufficiently bent, whereby The feeling of entrapment is improved, and a better fit can be obtained. In this way, the operability and fit of the toothbrush can be made more compatible with each other.
In addition, the high flexibility of the portion near the rear end in the handle portion allows the force to be sufficiently absorbed by the depression of the soft portion even if an excessive force is applied when gripping that portion, The effect of reducing the force applied from the hair bundle to the teeth is higher. Therefore, it is possible to further suppress the application of an excessive force to the teeth accidentally at the time of brushing.

As an aspect of positioning the portion where the ratio Q is minimum at the rear end side of the portion where the ratio Q is maximum in the axial direction of the handle portion, as in this example, the handle core portion is the rear end from the neck portion side The aspect which becomes thin toward is preferable. This makes it easy to obtain the effect of achieving a high degree of compatibility between the operability and the fit of the toothbrush. In this case, the handle core may be gradually narrowed from the neck portion toward the rear end, and the handle core may be gradually narrowed from the neck portion toward the rear end. May be Among them, an embodiment in which the handle core portion gradually narrows from the neck side toward the rear end is more preferable.
When the portion where the ratio Q is minimum is located on the rear end side of the portion where the ratio Q is maximum in the axial direction of the handle portion, the portion Q is closer to the rear end than the portion where the ratio Q is minimum There may be a portion where the ratio Q is larger than the minimum value.

In the present invention, when the handle portion is divided into three in the axial direction, and the neck side area, the middle area, and the rear end side area, the ratio Q _A of the portion where the ratio Q is maximum in the neck side region is 70 to 100. % Is preferable, and 75 to 90% is more preferable. If the ratio Q _A is less than the lower limit, the force applied to the handle portion is improved operability of the toothbrush for efficiently transmitted to the bristles portion during brushing. If the ratio Q _A is less than the upper limit value, when gripped by the hand, fingers and the soft resin is fit is improved for contacting.
The ratio and Q _A is 100% means that the handle core is exposed over the entire circumferential direction at that portion.

Rate _{Q B} of the portion ratio Q becomes the maximum in the intermediate region is preferably 10% to 80%, more preferably 20 to 70%. If the ratio Q _B is equal to or higher than the lower limit value, thereby improving the operability of the toothbrush during brushing. If the ratio Q _B is not more than the upper limit, thereby improving the fit when gripped by hand.

Rate _{Q C} of the portion ratio Q becomes the maximum at the rear end region is preferably 0-50%, more preferably 10-40%. If the ratio Q _C is less than the lower limit, thereby improving the operability of the toothbrush during brushing. If the ratio Q _C is less than the upper limit, the handle is improved feeling fit follow the curvature of the ring finger and little finger when yelling grasps the handle by hand.
The ratio Q and _C is 0%, and its part means that the handle core is formed only by the soft portion does not exist.

<Material>
As a hard resin which forms a handle core part, resin whose Shore A hardness is more than 90 can be used. Specific examples of the hard resin include, for example, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polycyclohexylene dimethylene terephthalate, polyacetal, polystyrene, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin, cellulose propionate, poly arylate, polycarbonate, acrylonitrile styrene Among copolymer resins and the like, resins having a Shore A hardness of more than 90 can be mentioned. Among them, polypropylene, polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate, polyacetal, and polybutylene terephthalate having a Shore A hardness of 90 or more are preferable from the viewpoint of securing the quality of the toothbrush.
As hard resin, 1 type may be used independently and you may use it in combination of 2 or more type.

  The handle core portion may be formed of a foamed resin in which a soft resin is mixed with a foaming agent and foamed. The blowing agent is not particularly limited, and known chemical blowing agents and physical blowing agents can be used.

As soft resin which forms a soft part, resin softer than hard resin, ie, resin whose Shore A hardness is 90 or less, can be used. Specific examples of the soft resin include, for example, resins having a Shore A hardness of 90 or less among elastomer resins such as polyolefin elastomers, styrene elastomers, and polyester elastomers. The soft resin preferably has a Shore A hardness of 30 to 70 from the viewpoint of fit to the hand when using a toothbrush and the quality as a resin.
In addition, Shore A hardness means the hardness measured based on JISK 7215.
As the soft resin, one type may be used alone, or two or more types may be used in combination.

  The soft portion may be formed of a foamed resin obtained by blending a foaming agent with a soft resin and foaming. The blowing agent is not particularly limited, and known chemical blowing agents and physical blowing agents can be used.

(Neck, head)
The neck portion 16 has a cylindrical shape which is thinner than the handle portion 14, and the rear end portion gradually expands in diameter toward the handle portion 14 and the tip end portion gradually expands in diameter toward the head portion 18. .

The head portion 18 is a portion provided at the tip of the neck portion 16 for implanting a plurality of hair bundles 12. The upper surface of the head portion 18 is a flocked surface 18 a on which the hair bundle 12 is implanted. The shape of the head portion 18 is in the form of a plate in which rectangular corner portions which are long in the axial direction in a plan view are cut away.
The length, width, and thickness of the head portion 18 are not particularly limited, and can be appropriately designed according to the subject who uses the toothbrush 1.

The neck portion 16 and the head portion 18 are formed of hard resin. As a hard resin which forms the neck part 16 and the head part 18, the same thing as what was mentioned as hard resin which forms the handle core part 20 is mentioned, for example. As hard resin which forms the neck part 16 and the head part 18, 1 type may be used independently and you may use combining 2 or more types.
The hard resin forming the neck portion 16 and the head portion 18 is preferably the same as the hard resin forming the handle core portion 20. The hard resin forming the neck portion 16 and the head portion 18 may be different from the hard resin forming the handle core portion 20.

[Hair bundle]
The hair bundle 12 is not particularly limited, and any known hair bundle can be employed. The hair bundle 12 may be cylindrical or prismatic. The hair length and thickness of the hair bundle 12 can be determined in consideration of the hair waist and the like required for the hair bundle 12.

It does not specifically limit as hair for which the hair bundle 12 is comprised, A well-known hair can be employ | adopted and the taper hair in which the hair tip was sharpened may be sufficient, It faces to the hair tip from the flocked surface 18a. It may be straight hairs having substantially the same diameter. The cross-sectional shape of the bristles is not particularly limited, and may be circular, polygonal or the like.
The material of the bristles is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include polyamide (such as 6-12 nylon), polyester (such as polyethylene terephthalate), and polyolefin (such as polypropylene).
The thickness of the bristles can be determined in consideration of the material and the like, and in the case of a circular cross section, for example, 6 to 9 mil (1 mil = 1/1000 inch = 0.025 mm).

  The mode in which the hair bundle 12 is implanted on the flocked surface 18 a of the head portion 18 is not particularly limited. In this example, two hair bundles 12 are implanted in the width direction respectively near the front end and the rear end of the flocked surface 18a, and three hair bundles 12 are arranged in the width direction in the region between them, Twelve hair bundles 12 are implanted so that four hair bundles 12 are arranged in the axial direction.

[Production method]
The manufacturing method of the toothbrush of this invention is not specifically limited, A well-known method is employable.
As a method of manufacturing the handle body, for example, the handle core portion, the neck portion and the head portion are integrally molded by injection molding of a hard resin using a primary mold, and the molded product is disposed in the secondary mold In the state, a method of injecting a soft resin and molding a soft part to obtain a handle body may be mentioned.
As a method of planting a hair bundle in the head part of a handle body, a flat wire type flocking method, a heat welding type flocking method, an in-mold method etc. are mentioned, for example.

In the toothbrush of the present invention described above, since the handle core portion formed of hard resin is provided, excellent operability is secured. In the toothbrush of the present invention, the soft part formed of soft resin is provided on the outside of the handle core and V _B / V _A is more than 1, so that the finger at the handle can The soft part being touched follows the fingers and is sufficiently deformed, so it has a good fit and is easy to hold firmly. Thus, in the toothbrush of this invention, the outstanding operativity and the outstanding feeling of fit are made compatible.

Further, in the present invention, the soft portion is formed on the outside of the handle core portion so that V _B / V _A is more than 1 and therefore, even when an excessive force is applied when gripping the handle portion, the dent of the soft portion Since the force is relieved by this, it is also possible to suppress an excessive force being applied to the teeth accidentally at the time of brushing. Therefore, the toothbrush of the present invention is effective also for the user who had a sickle-like defect and gingival regression as a result of cleaning with a high brushing pressure customarily.

Further, in the toothbrush of the present invention, a flexible portion is formed on the outside of the handle core so that V _B / V _A is more than 1 to provide a bendable structure in the neck portion or the handle portion, or the handle The above-described effect can be obtained without excessively thinning the core. Therefore, it is also possible to suppress the decrease in usability due to large deformation or breakage of the handle body at the time of brushing.

The toothbrush of the present invention is not limited to the above-described toothbrush 1.
For example, the toothbrush of the present invention may be the toothbrush 2 illustrated in FIG. The parts in FIG. 6 that are the same as in FIG. The toothbrush 2 is the same as the toothbrush 1 except that the handle portion 14A is provided with a handle core portion 20A instead of the handle core portion 20. The handle core portion 20A is the same as the handle core portion 20 except that the axial length thereof is 2⁄3 of the axial length of the handle portion 14A.
Also in the toothbrush 2, by providing the handle portion 14A in which the soft portion 22 is formed so that V _B / V _A is more than 1 on the outside of the handle core portion 20A, excellent operability and excellent fit can be obtained. It is compatible.

The toothbrush of the present invention may be the toothbrush 3 illustrated in FIG. The parts in FIG. 7 that are the same as in FIG. The toothbrush 3 is the same as the toothbrush 1 except that it comprises a handle portion 14B provided with a handle core portion 20B instead of the handle core portion 20. The handle core portion 20B is the same as the handle core portion 20 except that the axial length thereof is 1/3 of the axial length of the handle portion 14B.
Also in the toothbrush 3, excellent operability and an excellent feeling of fit can be obtained by providing the handle portion 14B in which the soft portion 22 is formed so that V _B / V _A is more than 1 outside the handle core portion 20B. It is compatible.

The toothbrush of the present invention may be the toothbrush 4 illustrated in FIG. The parts in FIG. 8 that are the same as in FIG. The toothbrush 4 is the same as the toothbrush 1 except that it has a handle portion 14C provided with a handle core portion 20C instead of the handle core portion 20. The handle core portion 20C has the same width in plan view from the neck side to the rear end in the axial direction, and the thickness gradually decreases from the neck side to the rear end, and as the rear end approaches the rear end It is the same as the handle core 20 except that it is thick. The rear end face of the handle core 20C is exposed.
Also in the toothbrush 4, by providing the handle portion 14C in which the soft portion 22 is formed on the outside of the handle core portion 20C so that V _B / V _A is more than 1, excellent operability and an excellent feeling of fit are obtained. It is compatible.

1 to 4 toothbrushes 10 handle body 12 hair bundle 14, 14A to 14C handle portion 16 neck portion 18 head portion 18a flocked surface 20, 20A to 20C handle core portion 22 soft portion

Claims (3)

A handle body, a neck portion extended at the tip of the handle portion, and a handle body integrally formed with a head portion provided at the tip of the neck portion, and a plurality of members implanted on the flocked surface of the head portion In the toothbrush provided with
The handle portion is a bar-like handle core portion formed of a hard resin having a Shore A hardness of 90 or more, and a soft portion formed of a soft resin having a Shore A hardness lower than that of the hard resin outside the handle core portion. And
Ri ratio _(V B / _{V A)} is greater than 1 der volume _{V B} of the soft part to the volume _{V A} of the handle core in said handle portion,
In the axial direction of the handle portion, the portion where the ratio Q of the cross-sectional area of the handle core portion to the total cross-sectional area of the cross section perpendicular to the axial direction of the handle portion is the smallest is the portion where the ratio Q is the largest Located at the rear end side,
The handle core narrows from the neck side toward the rear end at least from the portion where the ratio Q is maximum in the handle to the rear end of the handle core, and the thickness of the soft portion The toothbrush is thicker toward the rear end from the neck side . When dividing into three in the axial direction of the handle portion and forming a neck side area, an intermediate area, and a rear end side area, a ratio Q of a portion where the ratio Q in the rear end side area is maximum Q _C The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein is 0 to 50%. The handle core becomes thinner from the front end to the rear end,
Ratio Q of the portion where the ratio Q is the largest in the neck side region _A The toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein is 70 to 100%.

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