UA71961C2 - Toothbrush with controlled movement of the head (variants) and a method of positioning the head of the toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a toothbrush (12) having a handle (18) formed of interlocking opposed S-curved sections, the first (26) being relatively rigid and the second (28) relatively resiliently flexible, the opposed S-curved sections forming a generally elongated figure 8, having a transverse aperture (30, 32) within each segment of the figure 8, such that during brushing the user can manipulate the relatively rigid and resiliently flexible section to position the bristle bearing face (13) of the toothbrush to conform to the arcuate configuration of the dentiture.

Description

Description of the invention

This invention relates to toothbrushes, in particular toothbrushes in which the position of the head can be controlled by pressing certain segments of the toothbrush handle.

Conventional toothbrushes have uniform tufts of bristles, each having a first end that is held in a fixed position in the brush head and a second end that is free and used for brushing.

The free ends of the various tufts form an encircling surface which is slightly deformed due to the bending of the bristles when they come into contact with the surface to be cleaned, but which is not able to precisely adapt to the surface having a complex shape so as to conform to it. Such a complex surface is observed in the oral cavity, where the teeth in the upper and lower jaws lie on generally C-shaped curves, so each row of teeth has a convex outer curve and a concave inner curve.

When brushing the teeth, the desire of users to force the bristles to adapt to the shape of the tooth surface is expressed by pressing on the brush to appropriately deform the bristles according to the arc-shaped 72 contours of the teeth. Such forced pressing of the brush against the teeth simply leads to excessive wear of the tooth surfaces and gums, without ensuring the adequate adaptation of the brush to the teeth, which is desirable for effective cleaning.

Toothbrushes are known from the prior art, which have a flexible neck located between the brush head, on which the bristles are placed, and the handle, in order to ensure adaptation of the brush to the contours of the teeth. Examples of such flexible neck toothbrushes include the toothbrushes disclosed in US Patent Nos. 759,490 and 4,520,526.

US Patent No. 759,490 provides neck flexibility by inserting a flexible elastic material between the rigid brush head and the handle, and this flexible elastic material may be reinforced with a second material of a similar type. US Patent No. 4,520,526 ensures the flexibility of the neck with the help of various options - either by removing part of the material from the top and bottom of the neck part of the brush, or by making an oval-shaped depression in the neck that goes from one side to the other. Such flexible and elastic necks of toothbrushes allow the head of Ge) with bristles, when the user applies excessive force, to deviate relative to the handle, due to which the danger of damage to the teeth and gums is reduced. However, such flexible means do not allow the user to control the contour of the brush head according to the particular arc of the oral surface that he is cleaning, in order to avoid the need to apply excessive force in the first place. --

US Patent No. 4,333,199 discloses a toothbrush whose head is mounted on a helical spring above (Te) a lower handle so that the head is able to pivot and tilt when pressed against the teeth. Although this flexible action allows the brush head to generally follow an arcuate shape about the oral surface being cleaned, it does not provide direct user control over the motion, tilt, and rotation of the toothbrush head. 3o International Application UUO 89/10076 discloses a toothbrush that has the ability to change the angle between the brush head and the handle to position the brush head parallel to the arcuate profile of the teeth. Application UUO 89/10076 discloses a toothbrush having a handle hinged to the head, wherein the handle is formed by a pair of spaced apart rigid segments, upper and lower, and these segments are movably connected to each other. "F, one with the possibility of longitudinal movement relative to each other. In an alternative version, spaced from each other rigid upper and lower segments can be connected by means of an elastic intermediate layer, which also allows them to move in the longitudinal direction relative to each other. The use of such

With" hinged handle and head controlled by the longitudinal movement of rigid toothbrush segments, precise control of the position of the toothbrush head is as difficult, if not worse. The difficulty of precise control is due to the fact that a joint that lacks rigidity or resistance will move the head excessively, while in an alternative use, with an elastic layer, the mobility of the head 7 is limited in proportion to the degree of elasticity of this layer. - Therefore, there is a need for a toothbrush in which the user can more precisely control the position of the toothbrush head in order to position the head according to the arch configuration of the teeth. The present invention provides a toothbrush having a user-controllable head and an elongated handle having a longitudinal axis, an upper side, and a lower side, the handle comprising a first relatively stiff, generally C-shaped rod part and opposite to it the second elastic-flexible in general C-shaped curved part, and the first generally 5-shaped curved part expands at one end, with the formation of the base of the brush, and at the other end passes into the neck part with a flattened head, which has an upper working surface with a plurality of tufts of bristles extending therefrom, and said opposing 8-shaped curved portions 29 form an elongated figure "8" having a through upper opening and a lower opening.

GF) During brushing, the user can press the upper relatively rigid 5-shaped bent rod section or the opposite elastic-flexible elastomeric section while pressing the opposite rigid o or elastomeric section to control the position of the working surface of the toothbrush with bristles, to adapt to the arched configuration of the teeth. 60 Fig. 1 is a longitudinal perspective view showing a first embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention with an arbitrarily curved bristle surface, a sufficiently transparent elastomer around the handle, which extends to the beginning of the neck, so that a 5-shaped relatively rigid rod is visible through it , and an extended base.

Fig. 1A is a perspective view of the toothbrush shown in Fig. 1, to which vertical and horizontal planes have been added; the vertical plane is perpendicular to the working surface of the toothbrush and passes through the longitudinal axis A-A.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section showing a second embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and an expanded base.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section showing a third embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and an expanded base.

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section showing a fourth embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and an extended base.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the toothbrush shown in Fig. 1, shown from the side of the expanded 7/0 base to the head, with an arbitrary shape of the bristle surface.

Fig is a longitudinal section showing a fifth embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and an expanded base.

Fig.7 is a longitudinal section showing a sixth embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and an expanded base.

Fig.8 is a longitudinal section showing a seventh embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and an expanded base.

Figure 9 is a longitudinal section showing an eighth embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and an expanded base.

Fig.10 is a longitudinal section showing a ninth embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention, with a conventional flat bristle surface and a conventional tapered base of the toothbrush.

Turning now to the drawings, where the same or similar elements are indicated by the same positions in the different figures, and particularly to Fig. 1, which shows a toothbrush 12. Fig. 1 is a general view of the toothbrush of the present invention, rotated about the longitudinal axes A-A. The toothbrush has an upper side 13, an opposite lower side 15, a head 14, which is made continuous with the neck 16 and comes out of it; the neck is made in one piece with the handle 18 and comes out of it, specified, the handle is made in one piece with the base 24 and comes out of it. The head 14 has a working surface 20 on its upper side 13, from which rows of tufts of bristles 22 emerge, i) transverse to the longitudinal axis A-A.

According to the present invention, the head 14 can be bent relative to the handle 18 in the vertical plane indicated by the letter "M" in Fig. 1A, but is substantially rigid relative to the handle in the horizontal plane "-" indicated by the letter "H" in Fig. 1A. Such flexibility is due to the fact that the handle 18 is folded, so that its parts are formed from at least two materials that have elastic moduli that are significantly different from each other, i.e. one part is made of a relatively rigid plastic, and the second part is made of elastic -flexible (made of elastomer. The relatively rigid plastic part is a generally 5-shaped longitudinal rod 26, which goes from the neck of the toothbrush to its expanded base 24. The elastic-flexible elastomer part (77 28 is also made in a generally Z-shaped of the curved element and is located opposite the rod 26, so that the slope of the rod 26 is closed by the elastomeric part 28. Together, the 5-shaped longitudinal rod 26 and the generally 5-shaped curved elastic-flexible elastomeric part 28 opposite to it form a generally elongated figure-of-eight shape. The crossed 5-shaped parts, which form an overall figure-eight shape of the handle, limit two holes, the upper hole 30, the location , and a lower opening 32 is located on the side of the base 24. In the preferred embodiment, both openings are approximately equal in cross-sectional area. . The holes 30 and 32 have sufficiently large cross-sectional areas, so that when the user applies more force to the relative to the rigid rod part 26 near the upper opening 30 than to the opposite relatively elastic-flexible part 28 near the upper opening ZO or to the opposite relatively rigid rod part near the lower opening 32, the head 14 with the bristles will change its position, deflecting in the direction -I of the upper side 13 toothbrush. The effort applied by the user during this operation is shown in Fig.1 by opposite arrows directed at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis A-A. Accordingly, the user can - apply a greater force, at the desired angle, to the relatively elastic-flexible part 28 near the upper opening

Ge) ZO than to the rigid rod 26 near the upper opening 30, so that the head 14 with the bristles will change position, Deviating in the opposite direction, that is, back from the upper side 13 of the toothbrush.

Me, The crossed 5-shaped curved parts of the handle are shown in Fig. 17 essentially equally spaced from the longitudinal axis A-A; however, in alternative embodiments of the present invention, the crossed 5-shaped parts can be offset forward from the longitudinal axis AA, as in Fig.2, or backward from the longitudinal axis AA, as in Fig.3. In addition, although in Fig. 1, holes 30 and 32 are generally oval and have a relatively small transverse axis of the oval compared to the longer longitudinal axis, and this longer longitudinal axis can be parallel to the longitudinal axis A-A of the toothbrush or under a sharp

F) at an angle to it, these holes can be more rounded, with a much longer length of the transverse axis compared to the length of their longitudinal axis, as shown in Fig.2. Alternatively, these holes 30 and 32 can be made in the shape of a crescent, as shown in Fig.8. According to the present invention, the head 14, the neck 16, the Z-shaped rod 26 and the base 24 of the brush are molded under pressure as a single piece of relatively rigid polypropylene or other plastic with a similar relatively rigid structure, for example, polyamide, i.e. nylon; or a complex polyester or complex co-polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or acid-modified polycyclohexylene-dimethylterephthalate (PCTA); or from plastic based on cellulose derivatives; or a copolymer of styrene and 65 acrylonitrile (ZAM) or acrylonitrilebutadienestyrene (AB5). Polypropylene or other hard plastic will preferably have a Shore A hardness in the range of 40 to 110, more preferably 60 to 110, most preferably 80 to 100. Suitable polypropylene is marketed by Nipiztap Sogrogayop Corporation (I Opomie, Texas 75603), under under the trade name Nypiztap Roiurgoruipe P4АС372-039.

The relatively elastic-flexible elastomeric C-shaped part 28 can be molded under pressure from various elastomeric materials, especially thermoplastic elastomers (TPE). Acceptable TRE materials for the relatively elastic-flexible Z-shaped elastomer part 28 include styrene block copolymers of the styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymer (5EB5) type, such as styrene-butadiene-styrene, styrene-isoprenestyrene and related copolymers, as well as thermoplastic polyurethane (TRI ) or thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPM), which consists of a mixture of polypropylene and EROM (ternary 7/0 ethylene-propylene rubber with diene comonomer), which is available on the market under the trade name

Zapiorgepe, described in US patent No. 5,393,796; or Mugat (trade name), another TRU, which consists of a mixture of polypropylene and natural rubber, and Zapiorgepe and Mugat are elastomers, which are supplied to the market by the company Admapsaid EIavioteg Zuvietv I R (Akgop, Opio 44311). Another preferred FIFA is

Bupayeh (36713 (trade name)) marketed by SI 5 Sogrogayop Corporation (Sagu, Shipoiv 60013). 7/5 These and other suitable elastomers typically have a Shore A hardness of from about 1 to about 94, with hardness from about 15 to 60, with the greatest preference being from about 15 to 40.

A flexible elastomeric material can be welded to the handle 18, as shown in Fig.4 in section, forming an elastomeric welded region. The elastic-flexible elastomeric 5-shaped curved part is shown in Fig. 4 as two zones 38 and 40, which are separated in the section shown as a whole C-shaped 2 by a curved elongated relatively rigid rod 26. The degree of flexibility of both parts is relative to the rigid rod part 26 and of the elastic-flexible elastomeric 5-shaped part (areas 38 and 40) can be further adjusted by varying their thickness to provide more or less flexibility.

If it is desired that the relatively stiff portions of the toothbrush be substantially transparent, these portions, namely the toothbrush head 14, the neck 16, the relatively stiff 5-shaped bent rod portion 26, and the base 24 may be made of a complex polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate , or complex word polyester, such as complex polyester PCTA or ZAM, or plastic based on cellulose derivatives, such as acetopropionate and) cellulose (SAP). If practical transparency is desired for the flexible elastomeric components of the toothbrush, i.e. for the flexible elastomeric 5-shaped part 28, some TPE or

TROZ materials, or copolymer of ethylene and vinyl acetate (EMA). Preference is given to practically transparent TRE, which is supplied to the market by the company Tekpog Arekh Sotrapu (Rauliskei, Rode IzIapa 02861), under the trade designation 96-EO807А-ОЗМТ УМАТ СИ Кк. X,

Alternative versions of the implementation of the present invention can have in the upper and lower segments of the handle (du 18 in the general shape of a figure of eight not only two holes, which were discussed above, but also inside each segment one hole or a group of several holes, that is, three, four, five or six holes In both cases - -- of one hole or group of holes in the handle 18 - a relatively stiff rod forms the first side of each hole or group of holes, and a relatively flexible elastic elastomer forms the second side of each hole or group of holes.

The aperture or apertures may be generally crescent shaped, generally oval or generally circular, and have their longitudinal axis generally parallel or inclined at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush

A-A. Such several holes can be located all practically near the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush or on any side of it. Illustrative images of such alternative embodiments are shown in Fig. b, with Fig. 7 and Fig. 9.

І Since the embodiment of the present invention, which includes an extended base in combination with a general і? two-piece construction, significantly increases the weight of a typical toothbrush, the base can be hollow to minimize additional weight. As shown in Figure 5, such a hollow base can be formed from an injection-molded relatively rigid polypropylene shell 34 surrounded by a flexibly elastic -I elastomeric material 36, which includes an elastic-flexible elastomeric material. Alternatively, as shown in Fig. 10, this invention may include a tapered base typical of toothbrushes, which will reduce additional weight.

Ge) The folded toothbrushes of the present invention can be molded by conventional injection molding techniques well known in the art. For example, according to this invention, a part of elastic-flexible elastomer

Me, the material can be deposited around the handle 18 in the second stage of injection, after the first stage

Kk injection molding of the body or frame, which includes a hard head 14 for stuffing bristles, a neck 16, a relatively rigid rod part 36 of the handle and a base 24. In this second stage of injection, the body is installed in a second mold, into which the elastic- flexible elastomeric material around the handle 18 of the body; more specifically, around the relatively stiff core portion 26 that extends from the base 24 to the base of the neck 16. (F) Implementation of the two-stage injection molding of the toothbrushes of the present invention can be accomplished by using two-component molds. Two-component molds can be purchased from many suppliers, including Maspipez Voyspegie M.M. from the city of Isegem (Iledet) in Belgium; Apiop bo iHapogapvku btrN 8 Sotrapu from the city of Todtnau (Todipay) in Germany; or Vgashp Roppepra StrN from the city

Balingen (Vapiiipdep) in Germany; such molds can be mounted on typical injection molding machines to implement a two-stage injection process; such machines, including the 300-ton two-component injection molding machines supplied to the market by Epde! Megierzdezeivspai otrnN from the city of Schwertberg (Zspugepbrego) in Austria and MeyviaI-Mazspipep AS from the city of Nefels (Mayei!v) in Switzerland. 65 The toothbrush bristles can be packed into the working tooth 20 of the toothbrush either by conventional wired attachment technology or by using more advanced wireless technology, such as that disclosed in US patents MoMo 4635313, 4637660, 4954305, 5045267, 5609890, 5390984, 55337916 and 35823 Such wireless technologies include processes in which the bundles of bristles 22 are fused into the toothbrush head 14 by heating both the bundles of bristles 22 and the toothbrush head 14, which are then joined in the melting process; or those in which the ends of the bundles of bristles 22 are pre-positioned in a mold prior to the introduction of toothbrush material into it, and this toothbrush material is then injected into the area around the ends of the bundles of bristles 22, locking the bundles of bristles 22 in place in the head 14 of the toothbrush. 2 ste ey yuyu" EE 7 ; 15

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Claims (25)

The formula of the invention p. 29 1. A toothbrush having a head, the position of which can be controlled by the user, as well as an elongated handle, which (U has a longitudinal axis, an upper side and a lower side, and this handle includes the first relatively rigid overall 5- similarly curved rod part and opposite to it a second elastic-flexible generally 5-shaped curved part, and the first generally C-shaped curved part expands at one end, forming the base of the brush, and at the other end turns into a neck with a flattened head, which has an upper working surface 30 with a plurality of tufts of bristles extending therefrom, and said opposing C-shaped curved portions Ge) form an elongated figure "8" having a through upper opening and a lower opening. 2. The toothbrush according to claim 1, which differs in that the cross-sectional areas of the upper and lower holes are practically the same. h 3. The toothbrush according to claim 1, which is characterized by the fact that the upper and lower openings have a generally oval shape. 35 4. The toothbrush according to claim 1, which is characterized in that the upper and lower openings have a generally round shape. - 5. A toothbrush according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper and lower openings have a shape close to a crescent. 6. The toothbrush according to claim 1, which is characterized by the fact that the Z-shaped curved rod has a hardness according to Shore A in the range from 40 to 110. 7. The toothbrush according to claim 1, which is characterized by the fact that the relatively elastic-flexible elastomeric 5-way curved Z 40 datin has a hardness according to Shore A in the range from 1 to 94. c 8. A toothbrush having a user-controllable head and an elongated handle having a longitudinal axis, an upper side and a lower side, the handle including a relatively rigid rod portion that defines a first side of the opening , and an elastic-flexible elastomeric part opposite to it, which limits the other side of said hole, and said hole has a longitudinal axis practically parallel to the longitudinal axis 45 of the handle, and a relatively rigid rod part at one end passes into the base of the brush, and at the other end - passes in a neck with a flattened head, which has an upper working surface with multiple tufts of bristles coming out of it. 9. A toothbrush according to claim 8, which is characterized by the fact that the opening has a generally oval shape and its longitudinal axis forms an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. Ge) 20 10. The toothbrush according to claim 8, which is characterized in that the hole has a generally round shape. cheek 11. The toothbrush according to claim 8, which is characterized by the fact that the hole has a shape close to a crescent. 12. A toothbrush according to claim 8, which is characterized by the fact that the relatively rigid rod part has a Shore A hardness in the range of 40 to 110. 13. The toothbrush according to claim 8, which is characterized in that the relatively elastic-flexible elastomeric part has a hardness according to Shore A in the range of about 1 to 94. GF) 14. A toothbrush having a user-controllable head and an elongated handle having a longitudinal axis, an upper side, and a lower side, the handle including a first relatively rigid generally 5-shaped bent rod portion and opposite to it, a second elastic-flexible generally 5-shaped curved part, and the first generally C-shaped curved part expands at one end to form the base of the brush, and at the other end it turns into a neck with a flattened head, which has an upper working surface with a plurality of tufts of bristles extending therefrom and said opposite C-curved portions forming an elongated figure "8" having an upper and a lower portion, one of said portions having a single opening and the other having multiple openings. 15. The toothbrush according to claim 14, which is characterized by the fact that the holes have a generally oval shape and their major axes are practically parallel to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. 16. A toothbrush according to claim 14, characterized in that the holes are generally oval in shape and their major axes form an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. 17. The toothbrush according to claim 14, which is characterized in that the holes have a generally round shape. 18. A toothbrush according to claim 14, which is characterized by the fact that the relatively rigid rod part has a Shore A hardness in the range of 40 to 110. 19. The toothbrush of claim 14, wherein the relatively resilient elastomer portion has a Shore A hardness in the range of about 1 to 94. 20. A toothbrush having a user-controllable head and an elongated handle, 7/0 having a longitudinal axis, an upper side and a lower side, the handle including a first relatively rigid generally 5-shaped curved rod part and opposite to it the second elastic-flexible generally 5-shaped curved part, and the first generally C-shaped curved part expands at one end, forming the base of the brush, and at the other end turns into a neck with a flattened head, which has an upper working a surface with a plurality of tufts of bristles extending therefrom and said opposite C-shaped curved portions 7/5 form an elongated figure "8" having an upper and a lower portion, each having a plurality of openings. 21. The toothbrush according to claim 20, which is characterized in that the holes have a generally oval shape and their major axes are practically parallel to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. 22. A toothbrush according to claim 20, which is characterized in that the openings are generally oval in shape and their major axes form an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. 23. A toothbrush according to claim 20, which is characterized by the fact that the relatively rigid rod part has a Shore A hardness in the range of 40 to 110. 24. The toothbrush of claim 20, wherein the relatively resilient elastomeric portion has a Shore A hardness of between about 1 and 94. 25. A method of positioning a toothbrush head, which includes injection molding of a toothbrush with an elongated handle having a longitudinal axis, an upper side and a lower side, and this handle includes a first relatively rigid generally C-shaped curved rod part and opposite to it, the second elastic-flexible in general C-shaped curved part, and the first generally 5-shaped curved part expands at one end, with the formation of the base of the brush, and at the other end passes into a neck part with a flattened head, which has an upper a working surface with a plurality of tufts of bristles emanating from it, and said opposite - where the 5-shaped curved parts form an elongated figure "8" having a through upper hole and a lower hole, and changing the position of the toothbrush head by pressing on the first relative rigid 5-shaped) curved part near the upper opening with simultaneous pressing of the opposite second relatively elastic-flexible C-shaped curved part or instead of pressing the second relatively elastic-flexible Z-shaped curved part, press the opposite part of the first relatively rigid Z-shaped (8-7 of 5) curved part near the lower opening. Official Bulletin "Industrial Property". Book 1 "Inventions, useful models, topographies of integrated microcircuits", 2005, M 1, 15.01.2005. State Department of Intellectual Property of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. " - and? -i - se) (o) - ime) 60 b5