KR20070017098A - Flexible toothbrush head - Google Patents

Abstract

A toothbrush head comprising the outer periphery formed of a hard material and a method of manufacturing the same. Hard materials are suitable for causing the head to be ultrasonically welded. The head also includes a bristle bundle field located within the outer perimeter. The bristle bundle field is formed of a flexible elastomer. The bristle bundle field defines one or more holes to include one or more bristle bundles. The head is ultrasonically welded and placed on the toothbrush.

Head, brush, brush head, bristle bundle, handle

Description

Flexible Toothbrush Head {FLEXIBLE TOOTHBRUSH HEAD}

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to toothbrushes, and more particularly to toothbrushes formed using an anchor free tufting (AFT) process.

Toothbrushes are good for oral hygiene. Toothbrushes, for example, help remove plaque and food debris to prevent tooth decay and disease. Toothbrushes help whiten teeth by removing mottled films from the tooth surface. Also, during brushing, the bristles massage the gum tissue to stimulate the gum tissue to make it healthy.

The toothbrush head provides adequate support for the bristles and should be flexible enough to allow the bristles to conform to the shape of the user's mouth or teeth during brushing. Furthermore, the construction technique must be inexpensive, versatile and consistent.

To meet this principle, a process known as anchor free bundles has been used in the manufacture of toothbrush heads. In anchor free bundle fixation, the headboard which holds the bristles and ultimately is inserted into the toothbrush body is usually made of hard plastic, which is advantageous for ultrasonic welding. The head plate is formed from a solid periphery and defines a field of holes of varying shapes and sizes within the periphery. The fibers forming the bristle bundles are placed in the holes in the field of the headboard, and the rear of the bristle bundles melt together and are held in position with respect to each other.

Thereafter, the head plate on which the toothbrush bundle is formed is inserted into a predetermined receiving portion of the head portion of the toothbrush handle and then ultrasonically welded and fixed. The toothbrush is then rounded at the end and packaged for sale like a conventional toothbrush.

However, this manufacturing process results in toothbrushes with very hard heads that do not easily adapt to the user's physical properties during brushing. Thus, it is desirable to provide a toothbrush that can be conveniently manufactured by the above manufacturing process but which provides the desired flexibility of the head of the toothbrush during brushing.

In order to improve the user's general feeling of brushing, the inventors of the present invention have determined that a softer, more flexible head is preferred. Such heads can be wheeled in a general brushing condition. The anchor free bunching process can be used to fix the relative position of the bristles to provide a commercially attractive toothbrush. However, the inventor of the present invention considered that such a head plate formed of elastomeric material could not be ultrasonically welded to the head portion of the handle. This is because the elastomeric material absorbs and disperses vibrational energy added to the head plate during ultrasonic welding.

Thus, in order to overcome this drawback, the present invention is directed to a toothbrush head plate formed of two materials. The first hard material is used to form the periphery of the head plate. Such materials, for example materials such as polypropylene, are easily ultrasonically welded. The bristle bundle field is formed of a flexible elastomer (preferably having a Shore hardness of 90 or less) that is acceptable to the field, so that the head plate and the bristles can be moved or flexed under the pressure of a common tooth brush. Thus, this head plate can be bent so that the bristle bundle field and bristle can move in a general brushing state while providing a periphery with structural strength that can be ultrasonically welded.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of forming a head for use in a toothbrush, the method comprising forming an outer periphery formed of a rigid hard material that enables the head to be ultrasonically welded; Positioning a bristle bundle field in said outer periphery formed of a flexible elastomer and defining one or more holes to receive at least one bristle bundle; Positioning the bristle bundle in one or more corresponding holes in the bristle bundle field; Welding a portion of the bristle in the bristle bundle to secure the bristle bundle to a hole in the bristle field; And ultrasonically welding the bristle bundle field to the toothbrush.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Thus, the present invention encompasses some of the above steps and how these steps relate to other steps, the arrangement of parts and the combination and construction of components that implement the above steps, and examples in the detailed description set forth below. All that is taken and the scope of the invention will appear in the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS To understand the present invention more fully, the following description and the accompanying drawings have been described.

1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush including a head constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a plan view of the head of FIG.

1 and 2, an example of a toothbrush comprising a head plate according to the present invention is shown and indicated by the numeral 100.

The toothbrush 100 includes a handle 102 at the base of the toothbrush and a brush region 104 defined at the distal end of the toothbrush and defined by a neck 110 terminating at the head 120. The handle 102 includes a neck end 106 opposite the free base end 108. The neck portion 110 typically includes a first end 114 and a second end 116, the first end 114 being located at the neck end 106 of the handle 102 and the second end 116. ) Is located at the head 120. That is, the neck 110 is the portion of the toothbrush 100 that extends between the handle 102 and the head 120. The head 120 is usually preferably aligned with the longitudinal axis x-x of the toothbrush 100.

By making the neck portion 110 integral with the handle 102 at the neck end 106 of the handle 102, the neck portion 110 and the handle 102 may be composed of a single member, or the neck end ( It may be formed to be separated from the handle 102 in 106. In this separable embodiment, the combined neck 110 and head 120 may be removed from the handle 102, such that the handle 102 or the combined portion of the neck 110 and the head 120 may be combined. Part (the brush area 104 may be cleaned, maintained or exchanged. Once the neck part 110 is able to be separated from the handle 102, the first neck end 114 is handled using conventional techniques. It is preferable to include a connecting connection (not shown) that can be detachably connected to 102. Further, the point where the head 120 is separated so that the head 120 can be replaced, i. It can be appreciated that there may be between 120 and neck 110.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the illustrated shapes of handle 102 and neck portion 110 are merely exemplary and that handle 102 and / or neck portion 110 may be formed to have a number of different shapes. The shape of the handle 102 and neck 110 is ergonomically comfortable to the user of the toothbrush 100, it is desirable to provide a toothbrush that is easily gripped and easily operated in the hand. For example, the handle 102 can include a slightly concave finger region 118, which is formed in the handle 102. This concave finger area 118 accommodates the thumb of one hand to help properly position the toothbrush 100 in the user's hand. The concave finger area 118 may include ribbed ribs or other shaped roughened surfaces to help grip the toothbrush in the concave finger area 118. Of course, other forms of construction that provide concave finger regions can also be used.

The head plate of the toothbrush is formed by a solid perimeter and defines a field of holes of various sizes and shapes within the perimeter. The fibers forming the bristle bundles are located in holes in the field of the head plate, and the rear of the bristle bundles melt together and are fixed to each other.

The head with the bristle bundle formed is then inserted into a predetermined receiving portion of the head portion of the toothbrush handle and fixed by ultrasonic welding. The toothbrush is then rounded and packaged for sale like a regular toothbrush.

1 and 2 of the present invention, a head plate 150 is provided and secured by ultrasonic welding to the head 120 of the toothbrush 100, where other attachment techniques may be used. The head plate 150 is formed of at least two materials. The first hard material is used to form the periphery 152 of the head plate. Such materials, for example materials such as polypropylene, are easily ultrasonically welded. The bristle bundle field 154 is formed of a flexible elastomer (preferably having a Shore hardness of 90 or less).

In forming the head 150 a process known as anchor free bundle is used. In this anchor free bundle step, the head plate 150 is used so that the bristles of the toothbrush are properly oriented and fixed. Once the bristles are properly oriented and positioned through corresponding holes in the head plate 150, the head plate 150 is positioned in a cavity of the head plate formed on the front face of the head region 104 of the brush so that it can be inserted into the toothbrush. do.

As best shown in FIG. 2, the head plate 150 is formed with a solid perimeter to define a field in which holes of various sizes and shapes are formed in the field 154 of the flexible elastomer bristle bundle. The fibers forming one or more bristle bundles 158 are then located in the holes in the field 154 of the head plate 150, and the rear of the bristle bundles 158 melt together and are held in position with respect to each other. Thus, this head plate can bend, thereby providing a periphery with structural stiffness that can be ultrasonically welded while still allowing the field and bristles of the bristle bundle to move in the general brushing state. Thus, the head plate and bristles can be moved or flexed under the pressure exerted on a common tooth brush. Although bristle 158 is shown, an elastomeric member may also be used in place of such bristle bundles. Furthermore, while the field form of a particular bristle bundle is shown, any desired field form of a bristle bundle can be used. Furthermore, the bristle material does not have to be the same for all bristle bundles, and in fact, the materials can be varied to show the remaining life or the color of performance in the toothbrush head, and these materials can be used alone, but they can Can also be used.

Toothbrushes according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be made from a number of materials suitable for use in oral care products. For example, many of the components included in toothbrushes are made of plastic material. Thus, the handle and head of the powered toothbrush can be molded from polyolefins such as polypropylene and polyethylene, polyamides such as nylon, and polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalic acid. Other suitable materials include polymethylmethacrylate, styrene acryl nitrate and cellulose esters such as, for example, cellulose propion esters.

If the tooth protection components are in the form of a bundle of bristles, the bristle bundles may be made of a flexible material suitable for dental hygiene. Usually, suitable materials for bristles include polyamides such as nylon to polyesters such as polybutylene terephthalate. If the dental care components are in the form of an elastomeric member, it may be made of a suitable elastomeric material, such as a block copolymer. Preferred block copolymers include styrene (eg styrene ethylene butadiene styrene, or styrene butadiene styrene), polyolefins (eg polypropylene / ethylene propylene diamine modification system (ie synthetic rubber)), polyamides (eg , Polyamide 2 or polyamide 6), polyester (e.g., polyester ester or polyether ester), polyurethane (e.g., polyesterurethane, polyetherurethane or polyesteretherurethane) .

Accordingly, among the objects apparent from the foregoing description, the above-mentioned object can be effectively achieved, and any changes can be made in implementing the above-described configuration and the method without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. It should be understood that all matters set forth above and shown in the accompanying drawings are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

In addition, it is to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all aspects of the general and characteristic features of the invention described herein, and to include all expressions as to the scope of the invention, which is within the scope of the invention as a matter of language.

Claims (16)

An outer periphery formed of a hard material to enable the head to be ultrasonically welded; A bristle bundle field located within said outer periphery and formed of a flexible elastomer, The bristle bundle field defines one or more holes to receive one or more bristle bundles, and the head is ultrasonically welded to the toothbrush. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein the hard material comprises polypropylene. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein the flexible elastomer has a Shore hardness of 90 or less. The head of claim 1, wherein both the bristle bundle field and the one or more bristle bundles are movable during brushing. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein the bristle bundle field is bent during brushing. The toothbrush head of claim 1, wherein the bristle bundle field bends when pressure is applied. The head of claim 1, wherein the one or more bristle bundles are secured in respective corresponding holes in the bristle field by melting the bristle portions forming each of the bristle bundles. 8. The toothbrush head of claim 7, wherein the bristle bundle is melted adjacent to a rear face of the bristle field located on the face of the toothbrush. Forming an outer periphery formed of a hard material that enables the head to be ultrasonically welded; Positioning a bristle bundle field in said outer periphery formed of a flexible elastomer and defining one or more holes to receive at least one bristle bundle; Positioning the bristle bundle in one or more corresponding holes in the bristle bundle field; Welding a portion of the bristle in the bristle bundle to secure the bristle bundle to a hole in the bristle field; And ultrasonically welding the bristle bundle field to a toothbrush to form a head for a toothbrush. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the hard material comprises polypropylene. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the flexible elastomer has a Shore hardness of 90 or less. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein during brushing, both the bristle bundle field and the one or more bristle bundles are movable. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the bristle bundle field is bent during brushing. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the bristle bundle field bends when pressure is applied. 10. The toothbrush of claim 9, further comprising the step of securing the at least one bristle bundle in each corresponding hole in the bristle field by melting the bristle portions forming each of the bristle bundles. How to form the head. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the bristle bundle is melted adjacent to a rear surface of the bristle field located on the face of the toothbrush.

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