JPS6338830Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a toothbrush, and relates to a toothbrush that allows the user to easily know the time spent brushing the teeth and to brush the teeth sufficiently.

[Conventional technology]

Although the time for brushing teeth with a toothbrush is determined solely by the judgment of the toothbrush user, it is necessary to brush for a certain amount of time in order to sufficiently brush each part of the teeth. but,
In actual brushing, the brushing time is so short that the brushing is often insufficient. To solve this problem, a thermosetting liquid crystal is embedded in a part of the toothbrush handle, and by changing or fading with the user's body temperature, we can objectively measure the time spent brushing. It has been proposed to develop a toothbrush that can make judgments.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

By the way, this toothbrush uses something called liquid crystal ink, but since liquid crystal ink uses micro-encapsulated liquid crystals, it is sensitive to pressure, so liquid crystal ink is used in the toothbrush handle. When attaching to a toothbrush, first apply liquid crystal ink to a part of the surface of the molded toothbrush handle, then insert the coated handle into the mold again and apply transparent or translucent paint to the surface of the part where the liquid crystal ink was applied. If a synthetic resin cover is molded under high pressure, problems arise such as the encapsulated liquid crystal being damaged by the high pressure during cover molding. Therefore, conventionally, the cover to be formed on the surface of the area where liquid crystal ink has been applied is separately molded using another mold, and then attached to the handle using adhesive or the like. Currently, this requires a lot of effort. Furthermore, the brushing time that can be determined using the toothbrush can only be used to determine whether or not the brushing time has reached a certain period of time, and there is also a drawback that it is not possible to determine the length of the brushing time step by step.

[Means for solving problems]

This proposal was made in view of the current situation, and the purpose is to provide a toothbrush that allows the brushing time to be recognized and is easy to manufacture. The purpose is to provide a toothbrush that can be learned step by step.

In order to achieve this objective, this proposal does not use liquid crystal ink, which is sensitive to pressure, as a heat-sensing material, but instead uses thermochromic resin, which is resistant to pressure, and a transparent or semi-transparent material that is attached on top of the thermochromic resin. The transparent synthetic resin cover used had a thickness that varied in the thickness direction of the handle.

The gist of this toothbrush is that a cutout is formed on the surface of the handle body made of synthetic resin, etc.
A cover portion made of transparent or translucent synthetic resin or the like and having a shape suitable for the cutout portion is fixed to the cutout portion, and the thickness of the cover portion is varied in the thickness direction of the handle body. , the gist is that a thermochromic resin layer is interposed between the surface of the cutout part and the inner surface of the cover part.

(Function) When brushing using a toothbrush with such a configuration, the body temperature of the palm that grips the handle body is gradually transferred to the thermochromic resin through the cover part, causing the thermochromic resin to change color. , you can visually understand the brushing time. Furthermore, since the thickness of the cover portion changes in the thickness direction of the handle, it is also possible to know the length of brushing time step by step. In addition, in this case, a thermochromic resin that is resistant to pressure is used as the heat sensor, so after attaching the thermochromic resin to the surface of the cutout formed in the handle body, the cover is placed on top of it under high pressure. It can be directly molded, simplifying the manufacturing process.

〔Example〕

Next, the toothbrush of the present invention will be described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings. Reference numeral 1 denotes a rod-shaped handle made of synthetic resin. This is a rod-shaped handle body 2,
A cutout 3 is provided on both sides of the handle body 2 in the length direction, and a transparent or translucent synthetic resin cover 4 is attached to the cutout 3 so that the surface of the cutout 3 and the inner surface of the cover 4 are connected. It has a structure in which a thermochromic resin 7 is interposed therebetween. By changing the thickness of the cover portion 4 in the thickness direction of the handle 1, the time required for body temperature to be transmitted from the palm during brushing is varied. Reference numeral 5 denotes a flocked part continuously formed at one end of the handle 1, on which bristles 6 made of synthetic fiber or the like are planted.

Other forms of the cutout portion 3 may also be adopted. For example, in the example of FIG. 2, steps are formed at each of the four corners of the rod-shaped main body 2, and in the example of FIG. However, in this example, the surfaces of the cutout portions 3 are each formed into a straight line. The cover portion 4 provided in each cutout portion 3 is made of transparent or translucent synthetic resin, and the thickness of the cover portion 4 varies in the circumferential direction of the handle. The thickness of each cover part 4 in FIGS. 2 and 3 is thinner at both ends and thicker at the center, but this configuration is optional, and if there are thinner and thicker parts. good.

FIG. 4 shows still another example, in which a cutout 3 having an arcuate cross section is formed in the center of the handle 1 in the width direction, and the cutout 3 is thin at both ends and thick at the center. The cover portion 4 is attached in a filling manner.

The thermochromic resin layer 7 interposed between the facing surfaces of the cutout part 3 and the cover part 4 is formed by coating or printing a liquid thermochromic resin, or by using a thermochromic resin tape. It is possible to use one with something like affixed to it. And this thermochromic resin is
When heated, something that is one color becomes colorless or changes color from one color to another.
When the temperature drops, it returns to its original color. Therefore, the temperature of the thermochromic resin layer 7 is set so that it changes color at or near the human body temperature and does not change color at lower temperatures, such as air temperature.

The toothbrush of the present invention is produced, for example, as follows.

A handle body 2 having a cutout 3 in the previous mold
The molded handle body 2 is taken out from the mold, a thermochromic resin layer 7 is fixed on the surface of the cutout 3 of the handle body 2, and then the handle body 2 is put back into the mold. A cover 4 made of a transparent or translucent synthetic resin is press-fitted under high pressure with a thermochromic resin layer 7 interposed between the cutout portion 3. However, a pre-formed cover portion 4 may be fixed to the cutout portion 3 with an adhesive or the like. Since the cover part 4 is transparent or semi-transparent, it is possible to see the color of the resin layer 7 through it.

In this example, the cutout part 3 is formed over almost the entire length of the handle 1, but it can also be formed only in the part of the handle 1 that can be held by the hand.

The present toothbrush is used in the same way as known toothbrushes by grasping its handle 1 with the hand. While brushing, the part of the handle 1 that is held in your hand gets heated by the heat of your hand, so if you continue brushing for a certain amount of time, the temperature of the cover part 4 will reach a temperature close to your body temperature.
The thermochromic resin layer 7 is heated by the heat, and when the temperature reaches the set temperature for color change, the colored resin layer 7 becomes colorless or changes to another color, and time has passed. represents. Therefore, when the resin layer 7 is seen through the cover 4 after brushing is finished, if there is little change in color, the time spent holding the handle 1, in other words, the time of brushing. Because the brushing time was too short, it can be determined that the heating of the thermochromic resin layer 7 was insufficient.On the other hand, if the resin layer 7 was sufficiently discolored, the brushing time was too long and the heating of the thermochromic resin layer 7 was insufficient. It can be judged that 7 was sufficiently heated. In this way, the brushing time can be visually confirmed by the change in color of the thermochromic resin layer 7.

Therefore, by adjusting the thickness of the cover part 7 as appropriate, the time required for the thermochromic resin layer 7 to change color due to the body temperature transmitted through the cover part 7 during brushing, and the time required to brush all parts of the teeth can be reduced. If the brushing time is approximately the same as the brushing time, it is possible to easily recognize whether the brushing time was insufficient or almost sufficient just by looking at the state of discoloration of the resin layer 7.

Moreover, in this case, since the thickness of the cover 4 is changed in the circumferential direction of the handle 1, the thickness of the cover 4 is changed in the circumferential direction of the handle 1.
Since the thin portions of the cover 4 are heated more quickly and the thicker portions are heated later, the state of discoloration of the resin layer 7 also differs depending on the thickness of the cover 4. Therefore, depending on the state of discoloration of the resin layer 7, it is possible to display the brushing time in a more detailed step-by-step manner, such as, for example, that the brushing time is short, almost sufficient, or sufficient. Due to the discolored state of the resin layer 7,
You can judge your brushing more clearly.

In particular, as in the example shown in Fig. 2, the surface of the cutout 3 is shaped like a step, and the inner surface of the cover part 4 is also shaped like a step to correspond to the surface of the cutout 3, and its thickness is changed. If this is done, there will be a relatively clear difference in the temperature rise due to the difference in the thickness of the cover 4, and a clear difference will also occur in the discoloration state of the thermochromic resin layer 7 at each step of the cutout part 3. The length of the time elapsed can be known in detail by determining which stepped portion has changed color, making it easier to determine the length of the brushing time.

Since the properties of the thermochromic resin layer 7 of the present invention do not change even when subjected to pressure, etc., it is possible to fix the synthetic resin cover 4 at the same time as molding it as described above. The efficiency of molding and fixing of the cover 4 can be improved, and the entire surface of the cover 4 and the resin layer 7 can be brought into close contact with each other.
Compared to the case where the cover is molded separately and placed on top of each other,
Since the color of the resin layer 7 can be displayed more clearly and can also serve as a decoration, it can also contribute to improving the commercial value.

[Effect of idea]

Since the toothbrush according to the present invention has the above-described configuration, the time required for brushing can be easily determined by looking at the state of discoloration of the thermochromic resin. Moreover, since the thickness of the cover portion changes in the thickness direction of the handle, it is also possible to know the length of the brushing time step by step. or,
Since a thermochromic resin is used as a heat sensor that is highly resistant to pressure, when manufacturing toothbrushes, the thermochromic resin is attached to the surface of the cutout formed in the handle body, and then the cover section is placed on top of the thermochromic resin. The toothbrush can be directly molded under high pressure, simplifying the manufacturing process, and thus making it possible to provide this toothbrush at a low cost.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 1 is a front view;
FIGS. 2, 3, and 4 are sectional views of different examples, and FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view of the main parts. 1: Handle, 2: Handle main body, 3: Deleted part, 4: Cover part, 7: Thermochromic resin layer.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] (1) A cutout is formed on the surface of the handle body made of synthetic resin, etc., and the cutout is made of transparent or translucent synthetic resin, etc. A cover portion having a shape suitable for the handle body is fixed, and the thickness of the cover portion is varied in the thickness direction of the handle body, and a thermochromic resin layer is interposed between the surface of the cutout portion and the inner surface of the cover portion. toothbrush. (2) The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the surface of the cutout part and the inner surface of the cover part facing the cutout part are stepped.