WO2008072798A2

WO2008072798A2 - Brush toothpick and manufacturing method thereof

Info

Publication number: WO2008072798A2
Application number: PCT/KR2006/005413
Authority: WO
Inventors: Seung Nam Park
Original assignee: Seung Nam Park
Priority date: 2006-12-12
Filing date: 2006-12-12
Publication date: 2008-06-19
Also published as: WO2008072798A3

Abstract

A brush toothpick (1) is comprised of a bundle of hairs (10) that are constituted of a brush (11) which is made by a purality of synthetic resin thin hairs, and one end or tip of the bundle of hairs (10) that is exposed from a cover (20), and a cover for surrounding the part of the bundle of hairs (10) by the extrusion, the cover made by synthetic resin. A manufacturing method of brush toothpick (1) is comprised of coating the whole bundle of hairs (10) by the cover (20), peeling off the one end of the cover at a length, and exposing the one end of the bundle of hairs, thereby constructing the brush. The continous manufacturing can be possible at single process. Its production cost can be reduced, which contributes on the reability, safety and cost reduction of the toothpick.

Description

BRUSH TOOTHPICK AND MANUFACTURING METHOD

THEREOF

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates generally to a brush toothpick, and more particularly a brush toothpick and manufacturing method thereof for picking the food remaining between the teeth using the exposed brush that is formed at one end of the bundle of the thin hairs, in which the exterior of the bundle of the hairs are coated with a synthetic resin in an extrusion molding process, thereby effectively picking the food remains and also considerably reducing the damage to teeth and the gums. Background Art

[2] As the food is ingested, the shattered food is set in the gap between teeth during chewing. The food remains in the mouth for a while, which occurs frequently. To remove the food remaining, immediate tooth brushing is done after eating, which will cause no problem. But, in the case that the immediate toothbrushing can not be done, teeth can easily rot. It causes teeth decay and gum trouble, and it gives a bad effect to the teeth health. Furthermore, it can lead to bad breath and the inconvenience of foreign substance can be felt.

[3] Therefore, it trys to remove the food remaining in the gap between the teeth, when finished eating. Normally, most people use a toothpick to pick the food remaining. The toothpick is made from wood or synthetic resin. The toothpick has a point at one end.

[4] However, a conventional stick type toothpick has an excessively sharp tip which is inserted into the gap between the teeth. As the sharp tip is considerably thick compared with the gap between the teeth, when picking the food remaining, the sharp tip pricks the gum enough to bleed. Frequent use of the toothpick makes the gap between the teeth widen. It often damages the teeth and the gums.

[5] Recently, to solve this problem, the use of dental floss which is used to clean between the teeth is needed. In respect of application and storage method, the dental floss is not easy to use in public. Also, it often causes the damage to the gums.

[6] On the other hand, Japanese Utility Model Registration No. 3094495 is prior art to the present invention, which describes the brush toothpick having a brush made of a resin and is disposed at one end.

[7] However, in this prior art, the resin brush is provided at the one end of the long handle made of wood or plastic. A cover is put on the joint portion. The brush hair about 0.1D in diameter should be secured on the grip 2~3D in diameter, which brings difficulty to manufacturing. The disadvantage is the increase of product cost. [8] Furthermore, the grip and the brush must be manufactured separately in its current configuration. The brush should be secured on the grip. Therefore, a continuous process can not be achieved in a single production line. It can not help increasing the burget costs.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem

[9] It is the object of the present invention to provide a brush toothpick for picking the food remaining between the teeth using the exposed brush that is formed at one end of the bundle of the thin hairs, in which the exterior of the bundle of the hairs are coated with a synthetic resin in an extrusion molding process, thereby effectively picking the food remains and also considerably reducing the damage to teeth and the gums and reducing the production cost in a simple manufacturing way.

[10] It is other object of the present invention to provide a manufacturing method for brush toothpick being suitable to the brush toothpick mentioned above. Technical Solution

[11] In order to accomplish the object the present invention, the brush toothpick is comprised of a bundle of hairs that are constituted of a brush which is made by a plurality of synthetic resin thin hairs, and one end or tip of the bundle of hairs that is exposed from a cover, and a cover for surrounding the part of the bundle of hairs by the extrusion, the cover made by a hard synthetic resin, wherein coating the whole bundle of hairs by the cover, peeling off the one end of the cover at a length, and exposing the one end of the bundle of the hairs, thereby constructing the brush. Advantageous Effects

[12] Further, it has another characteristic in that pits are provided on the cover by the pressing process, whereby preventing the rush from coming out from the cover when physical force is applied to the brush.

[13] Furthermore, the method of the brush toothpick has characteristic in which; supplying many synthetic thin hairs in a bundle continuously, coating a hard synthetic cover on the bundle of the hairs by the extrusion, cutting the bundle of the hairs having the cover thereon a rod at a length, peeling off one end of the rod at a length so that the exposed end of the rod is used as the brush, and grinding the exposed brush into a configuration.

[14] Further, it has another characteristic in that wherein the peeling off step is comprised of the following steps, the rod is rotated on its own axis and transferred, the scriber is formed at a depth on the circular exterior of the cover, and one end cover of the rod is snapped and the cover on the one end of the rod is separated.

[15] Further, it has another characteristic in that wherein a pit process is further included, by which the pit are applied by the press process on the cover of the bundle of hairs, and prevents the brush from being separated, and many pressurizing protrusions are formed on the circumference of the roller before the cutting step, a pair of rollers doubles as the extrusion function for the bundle of the hairs that is coated by the cover.

[16] According to the present invention, the food remains set in the gap between the teeth is picked using the exposed brush at the one end of cover. The food remains can be effectively picked and also the damage to teeth and the gum can be reduced considerably.

[17] Further, the exposed brush that is formed at one end of the bundle of the thin hairs, in which the exterior of the bundle of the hairs are coated with a synthetic resin in an extrusion molding process, and the continuous manufacturing can be possible in a single process, it is manufactured in a simple way. Its production cost can be reduced.

[18] The present invention has superior effect to contribute to the reliability, safety and cost reduction of the toothpick.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[19] The above and other objects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [20] Fig. 1 is a partial enlarged perspective view of the brush toohpick according to the present invention; [21] Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the brush toothpick according to the present invention;

[22] Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line IH-III of Fig. 2;

[23] Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of Fig. 2;

[24] Figs. 5 and 6 are extractive perspective views showing other configuration of the brush of the inventive toothpick; [25] Fig. 7 is an extractive perspective view showing other configuration of brush holding means of the toothpick; [26] Fig. 8 is a block diagram illustrating manufacturing method of the inventive toothpick; [27] Fig. 9 is an extractive cross-sectional view showing process method of brush holding means of the toothpick;

[28] Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view along line IX-IX of Fig. 9;

[29] Figs. 11 to 13 are extractive views illustrating method of peel of one end covering from the inventive brush toothpick; and [30] Fig. 14 is a plan view showing grinding method of exposed brush of the inventive toothpick. Mode for the Invention

[31] This invention will be described further by the way of exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[32] In Figs. 1 to 4, a brush toothpick 1 is comprised of a bundle of hairs 10 that are constructed into a brush 11 which is made of several synthetic resin hairs and a cover 20 for surrounding the circumference of the bundle of hairs 10 except the brush 11. One end or tip of the bundle of hairs 10 that is comprised of the brush 11 is exposed from the cover 20 and is used for removing the remaining of the food.

[33] The brush 11 of the bundle of hairs 10 that is exposed from the cover 20 is the portion that can pick the food remaining from the tooth and the gum. It is preferred that it has been made of adequate elastic and strength material and also required to be smooth to prevent the gum from being damaged.

[34] To achieve the requirement, the bundle of hairs 10 being comprised of the brush 11 can employ the material that can continuously sustain the physical stability and the softness, for instance, the Nylon, PET and PBT etc.

[35] Preferably, the size of the hair being constructed into the brush 11 is about 0.2 ~ 0.3

D in diameter, and the quantity of the hair 10 is about 30 ~ 40.

[36] This is for easy insertion into the gap between the teeth contrary to typical tooth brush, because of the nature of the brush toothpick. If the size of the hair is excessively smaller and quantity thereof is too few, its strength is weaker and it is difficult for the brush to pick the food remaining from the gap between the teeth. On the contrary, if the size of the hair is excessively larger and quantity thereof is too many, its strength is relatively stronger and it is difficult for the brush to insert into the gap between the teeth and also is possible to cause damage to the gum.

[37] It makes no difference that the brush 11 is constituted of several thin hairs which can be made from the round braid. Preferably, one end of the hair can take the conical shape so that the food remaining between teeth can be easily picked.

[38] In case of the pointed conical shape of the brush 11, the farther toward the circumference from the center of the brush 11, the shorter the exposed length is. Thus, the stiffness of the brush 11 that is composed of thin and soft hair is increased, by which the pick of the food remaining can be achieved effectively.

[39] Even when the material having the same physical characteristic, the longer the length of protrusion from the supporting point (the restricted end of the brush 11), the more it is easily bent. On the contrary, the shorter the length thereof, the harder it is to bend. Since the brush 11 is configured as a cone, going toward the circumference of the brush 11 from the center of the brush 11, the exposed length of the brush 11 gets shorter. The farthest free end of brush 11 having the longest length can be easily bent. In contrast, as it goes farther away from the free end of the brush 11 toward the supporting point, it is harder to bend.

[40] Therefore, when the inventive brush 11 is touched with the teeth, the bent apex of the brush 11 has stronger resiliency than the conventional brush having same exposed length of the hair. It can certainly pick the remaining of food in the gap between the teeth.

[41] As shown in Fig. 5, the brush 11 is configured similar to a recessed screw driver, of which the configuration is a triangle. Front and rear thereof are flat, and each side edge of the flat portion is pointed. Otherwise, as shown in Fig. 6, the brush 11 is shaped as a circular truncated cone, of which the top plane has ball point shape.

[42] The cover 20 surrounds the circumference of the bundle of hairs by an extrusion.

The cover 20 acts as the body of the inventive brush toothpick 1.

[43] The cover 20 must sustain the solid form that can securely hold the bundle of hairs

10, and may not be bent by any exterior force. It is preferred to be made of a hard synthetic resin, for instance, ABS, PP and PET etc.

[44] In the case that the cover 20 is made of a soft material, the body (cover portion) of the tooth brush may be easily bent by the physical force when it is used to pick the remaining of food in the gap between teeth. Thus, it is very difficult to effectively pick the food remaining. It is desirable for the cover 20 to be made by the hard synthetic resin that is hard to bend by an exterior force.

[45] On the other hand, in the production of the inventive brush toothpick 1, the cover

20 can wrap only a part of the bundle of hair 10 so as to form the brush 11 at one end of the bundle of hairs 10. Preferably, all round the bundle of hairs can be wrapped by the covering, and one end of the bundle of hairs is stripped at a predetermined length. Only one end of the bundle of hairs is exposed so as to form the brush 11.

[46] It is designed to provide convenience to manufacturing. It is intended for the brush toothpick to be continuously manufactured in a single process line.

[47] That is, the brush toothpick 1 is configured so that the bundle of hairs is constructed from many thin braids, and almost the entire circumference of the bundle of hairs is wrapped with the cover 20. When the bundle of hairs 10 are covered except the apex, the continuous extrusion manufacturing of the hairs 10 can not be achieved in its characteristics, and the hairs 10 must be produced by a single item base. Thus, the bundle of hairs 10 are covered in a continuous manner across the whole length and it has been cut to a predetermined length. The cover 20 is then peeled at one end of the piece.

[48] Furthermore, many pits 30 are provided on the cover 20 of the brush toothpick 1 by the pressing process. It prevents the brush 11 from coming out from the cover 20 when physical force is applied to the brush 11.

[49] Such a pit 30 can be made in various shapes. For instance, as shown in Fig. 4, two pits 30 are indented in opposite directions toward the center of the cover 20, and press a part of the cover 20 so that a portion of the cover 20 is compressed toward the bundle of the hairs 10.

[50] The pit 30 is protruded toward the center of the cover 20 and securely compresses the bundle of hairs 10 at several points of a predetermined distance. The bundle of hairs 10 can not come loose from the cover 20 even if the brush 11 is excessively pulled.

[51] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 7, rolling is applied on the perimeter of the cover 20 so that the grooves 30 are formed on the circumference of the cover 20. However, it is a disadvantage in the view of continuous manufacturing by the protrusion.

[52] The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to the invention will be described with reference to Figs. 8 to 14.

[53] Fig. 8 is a block diagram roughly illustrating the product process for the tooth brush.

[54] First, at step 110, each synthetic hair wound on the respective bobbins is lead to the tension controller through the guider.

[55] At step 120, the tension controller is in control of the tension force of several hairs to keep the force constant. The hairs are braided into a bundle of hairs 10 having a predetermined shape, e.g. a round shape.

[56] At step 130, the bundle of the braided hairs 10 are passed through the extruding machine. At the same time, the thermoplastic cover material such as ABS etc. is placed into the extruding machine, and the circumference of the bundle of hairs 10 is coated with the cover 20.

[57] The coating process will be illustrated in more detail. The coating material is put into the hopper provided in the extrusion machine, and is transferred by the screw rotating in the cylinder. The coating material is melted by the heat from the heater attached on the exterior of the cylinder and is supplied into the dies. As the braided hairs 10 approach the dies and come out from the nozzle, the coating material is applied on the exterior of the bundle of the hairs 10.

[58] As well known, the extruding machine is a machine mainly for manufacturing a cable such as a coated wire. Comparing with injection molding, the extrusion is less expensive for the installation cost, and also is cheaper in the processing cost approximately half.

[59] The exterior configuration of the cover 20 varies depending on the shape of the nozzle. Its configuration is generally round. It is suitable that the thickness of the cover 20 is about 0.5D.

[60] At step 140, the bundle of hairs coated by the extrusion machine is passed through the cooling tank containing cool water, and should be cooled. Since the bundle of hairs just leaving the extrusion machine is still hot, and not completely hardened, the coated hairs should go through the cooling tank at a predetermined length, thereby the cover 20 can completely harden. It prevents the cover 20 from being deformed and damaged in the next process.

[61] The bundle of hairs 10 passing through the cooling tank with cool water is dried in step 150 by the dryer. The heater is adapted to the drying process, or the hot air can be used in the drying process.

[62] In step 160, several pits 30 are applied by the press process on the cover 20 of the bundle of hairs 10 passing through the dryer. The pits 30 prevent the hairs constructing the brush 11 from coming out. The process of the pit 30 is not necessary, but is adapted to prevent the brush from being separated.

[63] The pit 30 can be manufactured in various methods. As shown in Figs. 9 and 10, it is preferred that many pressurizing protrusions 41 are formed on the circumference of the roller 40, and the bundle of hairs 10 passes through the gap between the pair of rollers 40.

[64] The pit 30 dented by the pressurizing protrusions 41 is formed on the cover 20 of the bundle of the hairs 10 coming out from the pair of rollers 40. The pit 30 presses spontaneously on the bundle of the hairs 10 surrounded by the cover 20, thus the hairs won t come out with any exterior force.

[65] The coating process on the bundle of the hairs 10 is continuously performed by transferring the bundle of the hairs 10 coated at the extrusion machine forward. To easily do the transfer of the bundle of the hairs, a pair of extruding rollers is provided at the rear of the dry machine. The bundle of hairs 10 is inserted into the gap between the extruding rollers, and is pulled at a constant force. Exterior appearance, outer diameter and offset value regarding the cover 30 are kept in constant manner. The above mentioned function of the extrusion roller is performed with the pit process at the same time.

[66] The extrusion roller is normally applied to the extrusion procedure. The roller 40 for the pit process can be arranged instead of the extrusion roller. As well during the transferring of the bundle of the hairs 10, the pit 30 can be formed on the exterior of the cover 20.

[67] At step 170, the bundle of hairs 10 being transferred with the pit 30 formed on the exterior of the cover 20 is cut continuously into the rod at a predetermined length by the cutting machine, in which each rod can be used as the brush toothpick.

[68] At step 180, the cover 20 can be peel off at the one end of the rod that is cut at the predetermined length, and the one end of the rod is exposed so as to be used as the brush 11. [69] At the peel process, as shown in Fig. 11, the brush rod Ia is rotated on its own axis and is transferred by the conveyor 50. Next, as shown in Fig. 12, the scriber 2 is formed at a predetermined depth on the exterior of the cover 20 at certain distance from the one end of the brush rod Ia by the rotary cutter 51.

[70] At this time, it is preferred that the depth of the scriber 2 is more than 1/2 of the thickness of the cover 20 to get a definite cut.

[71] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 13, a protrusion of the rotary blade 52 is contacted with an one end cover 21 of the brush rod Ia having the scriber 2. As the rotary blade 52 further rotates, the one end cover 21 of the brush rod Ia is snapped and separated. One end cover 21 comes out from the brush rod Ia due to the abrasion force of the rotary blade 52.

[72] Herein, due to the rotary of the brush rod Ia, the scriber Ia can be formed around the cover 20 when the rotating brush rod Ia passes by the rotary cutter 51. The rotating of the brush rod Ia enables the brush rod Ia to be twisted when the brush rod Ia contacts with the rotary blade 52. Thus, the one end of the brush rod Ia can easily come off.

[73] Finally, at step 190, after the one end 21 of the cover is come off at the previous step, the exposed brush 11 of the brush rod Ia is grinded into the predetermined configuration so as to easily pick the food remaining in the gap between the teeth.

[74] The ideal configuration of the brush toothpick must have a shape to be readily inserted into the gap between the teeth, and also easily pick the food resident set deep in the gap between the teeth. Any one of many shapes, for instance, a cone, a flat screw driver and a spherical shape can be chosen.

[75] The method of grinding the conical shape that can be considered the most ideal shape will be explained in reference to Fig. 14. The brush rod Ia having the exposed brush at one end of the brush rod Ia rotates on its axis. The conveyor transfers the rotating brush rod Ia. The brush 11 can contact with the rotating grinder 60.

[76] It is desired to gradually grind the brush 11 from its tip rather than to grind the brush 11 into the conical shape at one time. The grinder 60 is placed along the moving direction of the brush rod Ia, and the position of the grinder 60 can be adjusted in an up/down and a front/rear direction. The brush rod Ia moves along the axis direction of the grinder 60. The brush 11 is gradually grinded from the tip of the brush 11 toward the brush rod Ia.

[77] The rotation direction of the grinder 60 is matched with the longitudinal direction of the brush rod Ia. It is preferred that the grinder 60 rotates from the cover 20 to the tip of the brush 11 so as to get smooth grinding and a neat brush.

[78] On the other hand, all process mentioned above are achieved automatically and continuously in single in-line. The bundle of hairs coated by the extrusion is cut, the cut brush rod is transferred by the conveyor. The elimination of cover and the grinding of the brush are accomplished one after another. The toothpick can be manufactured continuously.

[79] The toothpick finished the grinding of the brush is then moved to the packing machine to be wrapped in a certain quantity. Industrial Applicability

[80] As illustrated as above, in the brush toothpick and the method thereof according to the present invention, the brush having plural thin hairs is used when the food remains set in the gap between the teeth should be picked. The food remains can be effectively picked and also the damage to teeth and the gum can be reduced considerably.

[81] Since the continuous manufacturing can be possible in a single process, it is manufactured in a simple way. Its production cost can be reduced. The coherence force between the brush and the cover is increased, thus is reliable to use.

[82] The present invention has superior effect to contribute to the reliability, safety and cost reduction of the toothpick.

Claims

[ 1 ] L A brush toothpick comprising : a bundle of hairs that are constituted of a brush which is made by a plurality of synthetic resin thin hairs, and one end or tip of the bundle of hairs that is exposed from a cover, and a cover for surrounding the part of the bundle of hairs by the extrusion, the cover made by a hard synthetic resin, wherein coating the whole bundle of hairs by the cover, peeling off the one end of the cover at a length, and exposing the one end of the bundle of the hairs, thereby constructing the brush. [2] 2. The brush toothpick according to claim 1, wherein pits are provided on the cover by the pressing process, whereby preventing the rush from coming out from the cover when physical force is applied to the brush. [3] 3. The brush toothpick according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bundle of hairs is made of any one of PET, PBT and Nylon [4] 4. The brush toothpick according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cover is made of any one of ABS, PP and PET. [5] 5. The brush toothpick according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one end of the brush has any one configuration of a recessed screw driver, a cone and a ball point. [6] 6. A method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick comprising the following process:

Supplying many synthetic thin hairs in a bundle continuously, coating a hard synthetic cover on the bundle of the hairs by the extrusion, cutting the bundle of the hairs having the cover thereon a rod at a length, peeling off one end of the rod at a length so that the exposed end of the rod is used as the brush, and grinding the exposed brush into a configuration. [7] 7. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 6, wherein the peeling off step is comprised of the following steps, the rod is rotated on its own axis and transferred, the scriber is formed at a depth on the circular exterior of the cover, and one end cover of the rod is snapped and the cover on the one end of the rod is separated. [8] 8. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 6, wherein a pit process is further included, by which the pit are applied by the press process on the cover of the bundle of hairs, and prevents the brush from being separated. [9] 9. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 8, wherein many pressurizing protrusions are formed on the circumference of the roller before the cutting step, a pair of rollers doubles as the extrusion function for the bundle of the hairs that is coated by the cover. [10] 10. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 6, wherein the brush rod exposed at the one end of the brush, and the brush rod is rotated on its own axis and transferred, and the grinder rotates toward the tip of the brush. [11] 11. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 10, wherein the rotation of the grinder is matched with the longitudinal direction of the brush rod, and the brush is gradually grinded from the tip of the brush toward the brush. [12] 12. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 6, wherein in peel off step, the one end of the exposed brush is grinded into any one configuration of a recessed screw driver, a cone and a ball point. [13] 13. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 6, wherein the bundle of hairs are made of any one of PET, PBT and Nylon. [14] 14. The method of manufacturing for the brush toothpick according to claim 6, wherein the cover is made of any one of ABS, PP and PET.