CN1859859A - Toothbrush having a uniform, smooth and continuous wall of bristles - Google Patents

Abstract

A toothbrush, either manual or powered, including an elongated member with a head at one end and a handle at the other end. The toothbrush is generally aligned along a central longitudinal axis. The head having a brush face including a brush cavity from which a plurality of bristles extend. The bristles being arranged in a plurality of bristle tufts so as to extend generally perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis. The toothbrush also includes a plurality of lateral support members extending upwardly from a base of the brush cavity. The bristles are attached to the toothbrush by an attachment device provided in the brush cavity. The attachment device engages at least one of the tufts and secures the tuft between adjacent lateral support members. The attachment device includes a bottom edge and a top edge. Each of the lateral support members extend to a predetermined height from the base of the brush cavity so as to reach at least the height of the bottom edge of said attachment device in the brush cavity.

Description

A toothbrush with a uniform, smooth and continuous brush head

technical field

The present invention relates to a toothbrush having bristles joined in such a way as to form a uniform smooth and continuous wall of bristles. Specifically, it relates to a toothbrush with a mechanism for supporting the bristles, which can use the traditional bristle nail connection method to obtain a uniform, smooth and continuous bristle wall.

Background technique

A very continuous smooth bristle strip is not new in the prior art (see US Patent 6,276,021), but it can only be achieved through new manufacturing techniques that do not use staples. New manufacturing technologies, such as IMT, fusion splicing and AFT, are more complex, resulting in high costs and long lead times. Accordingly, it has been found that it is desirable to be able to form a continuous smooth strip of bristles by conventional staple technology because of its lower overall cost.

Attempts have been made in the past with limited success to achieve a smooth bristle strip using conventional nailing techniques. Similar bristle bars have been obtained, for example, by using a single square tuft holder, positioned very close to each other to reduce the space between the tufts. An example of this fabrication technique is given in US Patent 5,446,940, owned by the same assignee as this patent application. A similar technique is presented in US Patent Publication No. 2001/0023516, which provides "transverse walls" between the tufts.

A disadvantage of the above mentioned prior art US Patent 5,446,940 is the requirement of small plastic "bridges" between the individual tufts. This "plastic bridge" is flush with the upper surface of the brush face, causing the bristles to leave the tuft holes to form a small gap A (see Figure 1). The result is that the bristles do not form a uniform continuous smooth bristle wall as the bristles converge from the tuft holes. It has thus been found that the bristles of a toothbrush desirably form a uniform bristle bar with no gaps where the bristles exit the brush face.

The "transverse walls" of the manufacturing technique of US Patent Publication No. 2001/0023516 are necessary to keep the bristles in an approximately upright position so that subsequent tufts can be inserted without obstructing their access to their respective tuft holes. As shown in Figure 2, if the transverse walls are simply removed and the bristles are stapled into the forming cavity, the bristles forming tufts in the cavity would disadvantageously tend to fall sideways into the cavity due to the lack of lateral support. An additional problem arises when inserting subsequent bristles because the non-perpendicular tufts block the tuft holes. Furthermore, the use of transverse walls creates the aforementioned gaps which prevent the formation of a uniform continuous smooth bristle wall.

US Patent Publication No. 2001/023516 also discloses a method of using additional components to form lateral walls in the bristle structure, which suggests the use of metal nails or metal pieces. Accordingly, it has been found that it is desirable to provide a toothbrush which utilizes a single molded part for the tuft slot configuration. Such a structure results in a stronger assembly, which can be produced at a higher rate and at a lower cost.

In light of the foregoing, it has been found desirable to provide a toothbrush with a uniform, smooth continuous wall of bristles which, using conventional low-cost peg technology, ensures that once inserted, the bristles remain in a substantially upright perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. The position can ensure the timely insertion of subsequent bristles.

Contents of the invention

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush which overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush which, using conventional nail technology, produces a uniform, smooth and continuous wall of bristles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a toothbrush having a uniform and smooth continuous wall of bristles at relatively low production costs.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush having suitable lateral supports forming tufts in the bristle pockets.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a toothbrush that uses conventional low cost nailing technology to form a uniform, smooth and continuous bristle wall that ensures that once inserted, the bristles remain substantially perpendicular to the toothbrush, allowing subsequent bristles to be inserted.

Still another object of the present invention is to make the bristles of the toothbrush form a uniform bristle strip with minimal gaps after the bristles leave the brush surface.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush which utilizes a single molded piece of bristle slot structure.

Various other objects, advantages and features of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description, and the appended claims define novel characteristics.

The present invention proposes a toothbrush with a uniform smooth and continuous wall of bristles. The toothbrush of the present invention has a handle portion at one end thereof and a head portion at the other end. The brush head part includes a brush face and a bristle cavity, and has a plurality of lateral support members extending upward from the bristle cavity to provide lateral support for a plurality of upwardly extending bristles arranged in tufts. In Applicant's toothbrush at least one spike engages at least one tuft and secures at least one tuft between at least two transverse supports. In order to prevent gaps between the bristles after leaving the bristle pockets, one side of the transverse support extends from the bottom of the bristle pockets in the direction of the brush surface to at least the bottom edge of the nails. The nail-engaged bristle structure on the transverse support allows the bristles of the tufts to engage each other at a point below the brush surface in the bristle pocket. As a result, the plurality of tufts so engaged form a substantially uniform and continuous layer of bristles extending from the brush face.

According to another embodiment of the present invention there is provided a toothbrush having an elongated member with a head at one end and a handle at the other end, generally aligned along a longitudinal centerline, the head having a brush surface comprising a plurality of The bristle hole that bristle extends; The plurality of bristles is arranged in a plurality of tufts, extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal centerline; a plurality of transverse supports extending upwardly from the bottom of the bristle hole; the connecting mechanism is arranged in the bristle hole, and can engage at least one The tufts secure at least one tuft between adjacent transverse supports, and the connecting mechanism has a bottom edge and a top edge. Wherein, each transverse support extends from the bottom of the bristle cavity to a predetermined height in the bristle cavity, and is located between the bottom edge of the connecting mechanism and the height of the brush surface.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electric toothbrush comprising an elongated member having a brush head at one end and a handle at the other end, generally aligned along a longitudinal centerline, the head having a brush surface comprising a plurality of bristle extensions a bristle cavity; a plurality of bristles arranged in a plurality of tufts extending perpendicularly to the longitudinal centerline; a plurality of transverse supports extending upwardly from the bottom of the bristle cavity; a connecting mechanism arranged in said bristle cavity to engage at least one tuft , fixing the tufts between adjacent transverse supports, the connecting mechanism having a bottom edge and a top edge. Wherein each transverse support extends from the bottom of the bristle pocket to a predetermined height, at least up to the height of the bottom edge of said connecting mechanism in the bristle pocket.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the toothbrush is provided with a transverse support for holding the bristles to the toothbrush, which has a substantially U-shaped structure in the bristle pocket of the toothbrush, at least one side of the U-shaped structure extending to the side of the fixed bristles to the toothbrush. The point between the bottom edge of the nail and the brushed surface.

The tufts according to the invention may be joined by placing staples between the individual transverse supports and the sides of the bristle pockets. Additionally, the transverse support may extend to a point between the brush surface and the bottom edge of the nail.

The presence of the nails creates an outward force, preferably such that the height of the transverse support wall exceeds the bottom edge of the nails. But in order to ensure full contact (without gaps) of the bristles between adjacent tufts before leaving the bristle holes, the transverse support walls should be lower than the top surface of the brush face. The final meeting point of these bristles is governed by the width of the very top of the transverse support wall, the distance between the top of the wall and the brush face, and the angle formed by the sides of the wall.

Description of drawings

The following detailed description by way of example should not be used to limit the invention to the specific embodiments described, and the detailed description is best understood with reference to the following drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art method for connecting bristles to a bristle hole, which method is disclosed in U.S. Patent Application No. 2001/0123516;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a method for connecting bristles to a bristle hole without a support in the prior art;

Figure 3 is a front perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention;

Figure 4 is an enlarged top view of the head of the toothbrush shown in Figure 3 without bristles;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the installation and process of setting a uniform and smooth continuous bristle wall in the bristle hole of the toothbrush of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is the cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment of the installation and process of setting a uniform and smooth continuous bristle wall in the bristle hole of the toothbrush in Fig. 3 according to the present invention;

7 is a cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment of the installation and process of setting a uniform and smooth continuous bristle wall in the bristle hole of the toothbrush in FIG. 3 according to the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of another preferred embodiment of the installation and process of setting a uniform and smooth continuous bristle wall in the bristle hole of the toothbrush in Fig. 3 according to the present invention;

Figure 9 is a top view of another preferred embodiment of the installation and process according to the present invention, which can be used to provide a uniform and smooth continuous bristle wall in a toothbrush bristle pocket with curved transverse support walls.

Detailed ways

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like numerals represent like features throughout the several views, a preferred embodiment of a toothbrush according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 . Figures 3 to 6 relate to a toothbrush with a uniform smooth and continuous wall of bristles. However, toothbrush designs other than those disclosed to provide an approximate uniform smooth continuous wall of bristles are still within the scope of the present invention.

Referring now to Figure 3, there is provided a manual toothbrush 1 comprising an elongated handle 2 at one end, and a brush head 10 at the other end. The shape of the handle 2 is conventional, including features such as ergonomic size, gripping features, curvature and trim, as desired by the designer. The brush head 10 of FIG. 3 is shown to have an octagonal shape, but other shapes including circular, oval, square, etc. may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention. A plurality of bristles 18 extend from the brush head 10 substantially normal to the longitudinal axis 3 of the toothbrush 1. The bristles forming a uniform smooth continuous wall will be described in more detail below.

FIG. 4 shows a top view of the brush head 10 . The brush head 10 includes bristle pockets 12 . A plurality of transverse supports 14 are provided in the bristle pocket 12 , which is formed by a rim 26 forming the periphery of the bristle pocket 12 . The transverse support 14 preferably has a U-shape, but other shapes may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.

The brush head 10 also includes a brush face 16 which constitutes the uppermost surface of the brush head 10 . The bristles 18 extend generally substantially normal to the longitudinal axis 3 of the toothbrush 1 from the bottom 34 of the bristle pocket 12 to a point above the brush face 16, as shown in FIG.

In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 5 , spikes 22 are used to secure bristles 18 . A plurality of separate bristles 18 are preferably combined to form tufts 20 . The tufts 20 are inserted into the bristle pocket 12, between the two sides 23, 25 of adjacent transverse supports 14, or between the edge 26 and a side of the bristle pocket 12, and the tufts are secured to the brush by the nails 22. Head 10. The nail includes a top edge 30 and a bottom edge 28 . The bristles are preferably double bent substantially at the center point of the bristles so that the bent portion is inserted into the transverse support 14 . The number of bristles 18 combined to form tufts 20 is preferably sufficient to form a close fit with cross support 14. The outer bristles 18 of such tufts 20 have a radius of curvature substantially similar to the radius of the transverse support 14 .

The base 28 of the peg 22 forms the center of the radius of curvature of the bristles 18 as shown in FIG. 5 . The presence of the spikes 22 creates an outward force, and the height of the transverse support 14 preferably exceeds the bottom edge 28 of the spikes 22 . However, in order to ensure that the bristles between adjacent tufts 20 leave the bristle pocket 12 after sufficient contact, the sides 23, 25 of the transverse support 14 must be shorter than the brush surface 16. However, the rim 26 forming part of the transverse support still extends to the level of the brush face 16 . The lateral support 14 has no meeting point on the side of the rim 26 and, therefore, the rim 26 preferably extends from the base 34 to the brush surface 16 .

The final meeting point of the bristles 18 is controlled by the uppermost width of the transverse support 14, specifically by the width of the sides 23 and 25, the distance between the top of the transverse support 14 and the brush surface 16, the side 23 of the transverse support 14 Or 25 relative to the angle θ control of the base 34.

As shown in Figure 5, the sides 23, 25 of the transverse support member 14 are relatively thick and maintain a substantially constant thickness. In this embodiment, the height of the transverse support 14 is substantially less than the height of the surface of the brush face 16 and does not extend near the brush face 16 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 . As a result, the confluence point 32 of the bristles 18 in the bristle pocket 12 of the embodiment of FIG. 5 is lower.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment in which a plurality of transverse supports 14 are formed along the bottom 34 of the bristle wells 12 . The transverse support 14 forms at least one side 23a and a substantially concave base 24a. The transverse support may comprise a second side 25a, or edge 26 of the bristle pocket 12 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the side edges 23 a , 25 a extend to approximately the same height as the top edge 30 of the nail 22 .

As shown in Figure 6, when the transverse support is inclined so that the side 23a or 25a is relatively thick at the base and gradually decreases in thickness towards the surface of the brush face 16a, the transverse support 14 extends to a width greater than that of Figure 5. The position of the support is closer to the surface of the brush face 16a. This results in a higher position of the confluence point 32 in the bristle pocket 12 . In this embodiment, the confluence point 32 remains below the surface of the brush face 16a.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of the invention in which the transverse support 14 extends beyond the top surface 30 of the nail 22 towards the brush face 16 , but below the level of the brush face 16 . As in the example shown in FIG. 6 , the meeting points in the bristle pockets 12 are higher.

Figure 8 shows another aspect of the invention. The top surface of the transverse support may be non-planar oriented. The height of the sides 23 allows for greater stability of the bristles 18 . The non-planar positioning also increases the uniformity and smoothness of the toothbrush if the bristles extend beyond the brush face 16 compared to having a straight transverse support 14 extending substantially to the same height as shown in FIG. 8 . This effect is caused by the lowering of the meeting point 32 of the bristles between the sides 23 of the non-planar portion of the transverse support 14 .

Although the previous examples have been discussed with respect to a transverse support having a substantially straight configuration and arranged longitudinally substantially on the axis 3, other arrangements are within the scope of the invention. For example, FIG. 9 shows a portion of a toothbrush head 10 having a curved transverse support 14 .

It will be appreciated that the above achieved object can also be achieved by a structure that increases the thickness of the brush head 10 perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 3 of the toothbrush 1 . This results in an increase in the depth of the bristle pocket 12 , which in turn leads to an increase in the height of the rim 26 around the bristle pocket 12 . The increased height effectively ensures that the meeting point of the bristles remains below the brush surface, thus reducing the gap A created using the prior art method of FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, the rim 26 extends from the base 34 a minimum to the point of junction 32 with the adjacent tuft 20 . The lateral support 14 may extend beyond the top edge 30 of the nail 22 but not to the brush face 16 . This results in uniform, smooth and continuous bristles 18 on the brush face 16 of the toothbrush.

However, while this approach can be used, in the preferred embodiment the thickness of the brush head 10 is not increased, as this results in a more suitable toothbrush which requires less material and results in a more compact and easy-to-use toothbrush.

Preferred materials for the toothbrush 1 of the present invention include various moldable or injection moldable plastics, such as thermoplastics. Preferably the toothbrush and head are molded as a single thermoplastic piece. Or form multiple pieces of plastic that are joined together after forming. The lateral supports 14 are preferably integrally formed with the brush head 10 during molding thereof.

Alternatively, the transverse support 14 may form part of the handle 2 and be integrated with the brush head 10 when the components are assembled. Also, the cross support 14 can be formed separately and then attached to the toothbrush as a component.

In yet another embodiment of the invention, the brush head 10 is provided on an electric toothbrush (not shown). As a result, the brush head 10 fixed at one end of the electric toothbrush has a uniform smooth and continuous bristle wall, and the handle is arranged at the other end of the electric toothbrush. Typically, the handle includes a power mechanism that actuates the brush head 10 of the electric toothbrush. The resulting motion can be vibration, rotation, reciprocation, or simple vibration, or a combination of motions. The brush head 10 can be removed from the powered handle, or can be formed as a single complete unit if desired.

The desired objectives of the present invention are achieved by using low cost conventional nail technology and by providing a brush head 10 with a uniform, smooth continuous wall of bristles. This is achieved by controlling the height of the sides 23 , 25 of the transverse support 14 . The height of the limiting sides is lower than the edge 26 of the bristle pocket, effectively reducing the gaps between tufts extending beyond the brush face. In addition, sufficient transverse supports are provided to ensure that the bristles extend substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush when conventional nailing methods are used, making it easier to insert subsequent bristle tufts,

Although the present invention has been specifically shown and described with reference to some preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (20)

1. toothbrush comprises:

Elongate articles, the one end is a brush, the other end is a handle, center line alignment longitudinally usually, described brush has brush finish, includes the bristle cave that many bristles extend; Described many bristles are arranged to a plurality of tufts, are orthogonal to longitudinal centre line usually and extend;

A plurality of lateral support member extend upward from the bottom in bristle cave;

Bindiny mechanism is arranged on described bristle cave, is adapted to couple to few tuft, and described tuft is fixed between the adjacent lateral support member, and described bindiny mechanism has base and top margin; With

Wherein, each lateral support member extends to predetermined altitude from the bottom in bristle cave, arrives the height on the described bindiny mechanism base in the described bristle cave at least.

2. toothbrush according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described lateral support member extends to the predetermined altitude between described bindiny mechanism base and the described brush finish.

3. toothbrush according to claim 1 is characterized in that, at least one tuft is fixed between the side in a lateral support member and described bristle cave by bindiny mechanism.

4. toothbrush according to claim 1 is characterized in that described bindiny mechanism is a peg.

5. toothbrush according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described lateral support member is U-shaped substantially.

6. toothbrush according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described lateral support member makes and a bit contacts with each other below the brush finish of bristle in the bristle cave of a plurality of tufts.

7. brush part according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described bindiny mechanism has formed the basic evenly continuous layers of brush bristles of extending from described brush finish.

8. toothbrush according to claim 1 is characterized in that described lateral support member has non-planar upper surface.

9. toothbrush according to claim 1 is characterized in that, described lateral support wall is an arc.

10. electric toothbrush comprises:

Elongate articles, the one end is a brush, the other end is a handle, center line alignment longitudinally usually, described brush has brush finish, includes the bristle cave that many bristles extend; Described many bristles are arranged to a plurality of tufts, are orthogonal to longitudinal centre line usually and extend;

A plurality of lateral support member extend upward from the bottom in bristle cave;

Bindiny mechanism is arranged on described bristle cave, engages a tuft at least, and described tuft is fixed between the adjacent lateral support member, and described bindiny mechanism has base and top margin; With

Wherein, each lateral support member extends to predetermined altitude from the bottom in bristle cave, arrives the height on the described bindiny mechanism base in the described bristle cave at least.

11. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described lateral support member extends to the predetermined altitude between described bindiny mechanism base and the described brush finish.

12. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, at least one tuft is fixed between the side in a lateral support member and described bristle cave by bindiny mechanism.

13. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described bindiny mechanism is a peg.

14. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described lateral support member is U-shaped substantially.

15. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described lateral support member makes bristle a bit contacting with each other below the brush finish in the bristle cave of a plurality of tufts.

16. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described bindiny mechanism forms the basic uniformly continuous layers of brush bristles of extending from described brush finish.

17. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described lateral support member has non-planar upper surface.

18. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described lateral support wall is an arc.

19. toothbrush according to claim 10 is characterized in that, described lateral support member extends to the predetermined altitude between the top surface of described bindiny mechanism top margin and described brush finish.

20. a lateral support member that keeps bristle in toothbrush, it comprises:

The basic U-shaped structure that in the bristle cave of toothbrush, forms, at least one side of U-shaped structure extend to the base of nail and fasten bristles between the toothbrush brush finish of toothbrush a bit.

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