CN1897844A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

A high quality toothbrush capable of preventing defective hair implantation such as cracking, whitening, warpage, and flat plate extraction from occurring at a head part in hair implanting though it is of a flat plate implanting type formed by densely implanting hair bundles in the head part , comfortably touching flexibly to teeth and gums, and easily advanced into small clearances. In this toothbrush, the hair bundles (5) formed by binding a plurality of pieces of brush hairs (6) are folded into two parts and implanted in implanting holes (3) in the implanted surface (2) of the head part (1) by using flat plates (4). The thickness (t) of the flat plate (4) is 0.10 to less than 0.22 mm, the width (h) thereof is 0.9 to 2.5 mm, the quantity of implanted hair bundles (5) per unit implant area is 25 to 80 bundles/cm<2>, and the total sum of the cross sections of the brush hairs (6) implanted for each implant hole (1) in a folded state is 1.0 mm<2> or less.

Description

toothbrush

technical field

The invention relates to a flat-line hair-planting toothbrush which bundles a plurality of brush hairs into bundles, folds them in half with flat lines, and plants the hairs into the hair-planting holes on the hair-planting surface of the head.

Background technique

In the past toothbrushes, considering the production efficiency and the ease of flocking, in the flocking holes formed at intervals of more than 1.0 mm on the flocking surface of the toothbrush head, there will be an average of 16 to 60 bristles in each hole. 32 to 120 bristles with a total cross-sectional area of 1.0 mm ² or more are used to drive the coarse bristles into bundles and fix them with flat wires. In the case of such a toothbrush, since the bristle bundles are thick and have high rigidity, the toothbrush has a characteristic of particularly high plaque removal power on a smooth surface or an occlusal surface.

However, because the bristles are thick, the bristles that make up the bristles will support each other, and the inherent softness of the bristles cannot be exerted. It is suitable for the narrow parts of oral disease-prone parts such as the neck of the teeth, the interdental part, and the triangle between the teeth. In general, the tip of the hair is difficult to reach, and because the hair bundle is thick and hard, it causes too much irritation to soft tissues such as gums.

In addition, as far as the head and the handle are concerned, the product differentiation can be realized by studying the shape, material, color, etc. Almost all of them are similar in style, and the difference in appearance is low. As a toothbrush, it lacks novelty.

The flat wire of the flat wire hair-planting toothbrush adopts a long dimension slightly larger than the diameter of the hair-planting hole. When it is driven into the hair-planting hole, its two ends are embedded in the head resin around the hole, so that the hair bundles are folded in half and fixed in the hair-planting hole. middle. Like this, hair bundle can not be pulled out from the hair-planting hole, can be fixed on the hair-planting surface of head. Usually, the length of the flat wire is 1.9 mm to 2.3 mm, the vertical width, that is, the width in the direction of the penetration depth, is 1.3 mm to 2.0 mm, and the thickness is about 0.25 mm. Brass is generally used as a material.

In the case of flat-wire hair-planted toothbrushes, due to the thin-walled hair-planting holes, the interval between adjacent hair bundles becomes narrower, and the flat wires are densely packed. The head resin between the wires may be cracked or whitened, and the head may be bent due to stress deformation when the flat wire is driven in, which may damage the appearance of the toothbrush. In addition, when there are cracks or cracks in the head during hair transplantation, it will lead to a decrease in product yield and negatively affect production efficiency. In addition, the fatigue of the material during long-term use can cause problems such as breakage of the head. In the process of brushing teeth, if the toothbrush is damaged, there is a risk of injury to fingers or the inside of the mouth.

In order to prevent this type of thing from taking place, the following technical scheme is proposed: the length ratio (with reference to Patent Document 1: JP 8-19423 bulletin) from the bottom surface of the planting pore to the head below the thickness of the relative head is stipulated; Research on the entry angle (refer to Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-314231); arrange the hair bundles of the flat wire hair transplant and the hair bundles of the adhesive hair transplant alternately (refer to Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-360343) ; Form a bulge on the flocking surface of the closest part of the flat wire (refer to Patent Document 4: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 10-257922) and the like.

On the other hand, in order to prevent the two major dental diseases of periodontal disease and tooth decay, it is particularly important to remove tartar. Therefore, it is desired to obtain a brush that can clean every corner of the oral cavity and remove tartar in the prone parts of oral cavity. Toothbrush which brushes teeth comfortably.

Generally speaking, in a toothbrush with a flat-line hair-planting type, when the number of hair-planted hair bundles decreases, the distance between the hair bundles becomes larger, and the tartar cannot be fully removed. Due to the softening effect of the hair bundles, the penetration between the teeth is drastically reduced. In addition, when the hair bundles are thick, the rigidity of the hair bundles is too high, which not only makes it difficult to enter between teeth or small gaps, but also increases the damage to teeth or gums. On the contrary, when the hair bundle becomes thinner, the strength of the hair shaft becomes weaker, which not only reduces the feeling of brushing, but also reduces the ability to remove tartar in the parts prone to tooth decay, and also reduces the durability of the toothbrush. Therefore, conventionally, the hair bundles having a thickness of approximately 1.6 to 2.0 mm in diameter have been transplanted so that the number of hair bundles per unit area of hair transplantation is about 20 bundles/cm ² .

In view of this, the following toothbrush has been proposed: as a toothbrush that is good in touch and can carefully clean every corner of the oral cavity, a toothbrush that is planted with a few and thin hair bundles with a few bristles (referring to Patent Document 5: Special Table Flat 11-500946 communiqué, Patent Document 6: Japanese Unexamined Publication No. 2000-342334) or a toothbrush that appropriately adjusts the brushing force of the tufts by shortening the diameter of the tufts in the longitudinal direction of the toothbrush (refer to Patent Document 7: registered utility model Publication No. 2549935, Patent Document 8: JP-A-10-327930, Patent Document 9: JP-A-10-327931) and the like.

In recent years, toothbrushes having small hair-planting holes of about 1.0 mm, which look like electric toothbrushes, have also been disclosed. Since the electric toothbrush has a small hair-planting frame, it has been studied to reduce the diameter of the hair bundle and perform hair-planting as much as possible (refer to Patent Document 10: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. Hei 11-508168).

In addition, with the improvement of oral hygiene awareness in recent years, there is a strong desire to brush the corners of the oral cavity such as the molars, and therefore, a toothbrush that utilizes polyacetal to realize a thin-walled head has been proposed (refer to Patent Document 11 : Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-143914), etc.

Patent Document 1: JP-A-8-19423 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-314231 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 3: JP-A-2002-360343 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 4: JP-A-10-257922 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-500946 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 6: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-342334 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 7: Registered Utility Model No. 2549935 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 8: JP-A-10-327930 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 9: JP-A-10-327931 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 10: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-508168 (all pages, all drawings)

Patent Document 11: JP-A-7-143914 (all pages, all drawings)

Conventional toothbrushes have thick bristle bundles and strong tartar-removing power on the occlusal surface. However, the bristle tips may not be able to reach areas prone to oral diseases such as the neck, interdental, and interdental triangles. In light of this, while attempts have been made to address these issues by implanting fine tufts at high densities, little insight has been gained regarding the most appropriate tuft thickness or spacing.

In addition, by implanting hair bundles at a high density, there will be problems such as narrowing of the flat wire interval, cracking, whitening, and bending of the head. On the other hand, when the flat thread is shortened for the purpose of preventing cracks or whitening, problems such as reduction in the strength of the bundle of hairs and the strength of one hair falling out arise.

As mentioned above, in order to prevent the occurrence of cracks or whitening and the bending of the head, although various toothbrushes have been proposed, due to the constraints of the shape of the head, the shape of the hair transplantation hole, the angle of the flat line, etc., it is not necessary Can be applied to a toothbrush as a purpose.

As a solution to cracks or whitening, there are methods such as increasing the distance between the hair bundles and changing the type of resin. However, when the distance between the hair bundles is enlarged, it is difficult to obtain sufficient functions as a toothbrush. drug resistance or price, in which case it is difficult to come up with an informed choice.

On the other hand, as the basic function of a toothbrush, it is strongly required to obtain a toothbrush that can clean every corner of the oral cavity, and will not damage the teeth or have no harm to the gums and a good touch. A method of transplanting hair bundles composed of a small number of bristles at a high density or a method of reducing the thickness of the head, but there is still a problem that the head resin between adjacent flat wires will crack or bloom when the hair is transplanted. Problems that need to be solved such as whiteness, or bending of the head.

Contents of the invention

The present invention is proposed in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a high-quality toothbrush that does not have hair-planting failures such as cracks or whitening, bending, and flat lines that do not fall off on the head during hair planting.

Further, another object of the present invention is to provide a flat-wire hair-planting toothbrush with high-density hair-planting of hair bundles, and to provide a hair-planting head without cracking or whitening, bending, and flat wires that do not fall off. In addition, it is a high-quality toothbrush that is soft, has a good touch to teeth or soft tissues in the oral cavity, and has good penetration into fine gaps.

In order to achieve the above object, the toothbrush of the technical scheme 1 is to use a flat wire to fold the hair bundle bundled into bundles with a plurality of bristles and plant the hair into the hair-planting hole on the hair-planting surface of the head. It is characterized in that the thickness of the above-mentioned flat wire is 0.10 More than mm and less than 0.22mm.

The toothbrush according to claim 2 is the toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the flat wire has a width of 0.9 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less.

The toothbrush of technical scheme 3 is in technical scheme 1 or 2, and the number of the hair bundles of the above-mentioned hair-planting per unit hair-planting area is more than 25 bundles/cm ² and less than 80 bundles/cm ² , and the hairs are planted in every 1 hair-planting hole The sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles of the hole in the folded state is 1.0 mm ² or less.

In addition, the number of hair bundles per unit hair-planted area refers to a value obtained by dividing the total number of hair bundles (=total number of hair-planted holes) on the hair-planted surface of the head by the hair-planted area (cm ² ). In addition, so-called tufting area is obtained based on the regulation of JIS S3016, and as shown in Fig. 1 (a), refers to the outside of the tufting hole 3 that is arranged side by side on the tufting surface 2 outer periphery of head 1 with the part inside that connects with straight line Area S (the part enclosed by the dotted line).

The toothbrush of technical scheme 4 is in technical scheme 1 or 2, the above-mentioned head is made of resin, and on at least a part of the above-mentioned hair-planting hole, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles constituting the hair bundles planted in the hair-planting hole is 1.0mm ² or less, and at the same time, the distance between at least any one of the hair-planting holes and the closest other hair-planting hole is set to be 1.0 mm or less.

Like the toothbrush of the present invention, when the flat wire is used to fix the hair bundle, the resin near the hair-planting hole will be destroyed when the flat wire is driven in, and stress will be generated on the resin. In the past, although the thickness of the flat wire used was more than 0.25 mm, since the flat wire was dense in the case of thin-walled hair-planting holes or a large number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area, resin around the hair-planting holes was generated. Larger stress will cause cracks or whitening on the head resin between adjacent flat wires. In addition, even if the flat wires are juxtaposed in a straight line, cracks or whitening may occur.

If a flat wire with a thickness of about 0.25 mm or more is used, bending of the head, whitening, cracking, etc. tend to occur. For example, when a hard, hard-to-bend resin with a bending strength of 600kg/cm ² or more and 750kg/cm ² or less is used as the head material, when a flat wire with a thickness of 0.25mm is used to plant hair, it will also occur on the head. bending. In view of this, when the present invention uses a flat wire with a thickness of 0.10-0.22mm for hair transplantation, the bending of the head can be reduced, and almost all problems in actual use can be eliminated.

On the other hand, when using a soft and relatively easy-to-bend resin with a resin bending strength of 150kg/ ^cm2 or more and 600kg/ ^{cm2 or} less, such as polyolefin resin such as polypropylene, as the head material, if the thickness For a flat wire with a diameter of 0.25mm, due to the extreme bending of the head, the hair transplantation hole is misaligned from the normal position, and it is impossible to continuously insert the flat wire. In view of this, when a flat wire with a thickness of 0.10 to 0.22 mm is used in the present invention, the head hardly bends when the hair is planted, and the flat wire can be driven in smoothly. In this way, in the case of relatively easy-bending resins such as polyolefin resins with a bending strength of 150 kg/cm ² or more and 600 kg/cm ² or less, the effect of reducing bending due to the thinning of the flat wire can be seen. Especially remarkable. In addition, the bending strength here is the value measured based on JISK6758.

In addition, it is obvious that when the thickness of the flat wire is less than 0.10 mm, the rigidity of the head resin is insufficient, and the flat wire is deformed during hair transplantation, making hair transplantation itself difficult.

Further, in order to improve the operability in the oral cavity, it is desirable that the thickness of the head be thinner. However, when the thickness of the head is greater than 5.0 mm, the operability in the oral cavity will be reduced. In the case of a thin head, although the operability can be improved, the amount of resin supporting the hair bundle is reduced, which inevitably reduces the strength of the head. When using a flat wire with a normal thickness, there is a possibility that bending, cracks, and whitening may occur. and so on. In addition, when the head is too thin, the hair-planting holes become shallow, making hair-planting difficult. In view of this, when the thickness of the head is more than 2.5mm and less than 5.0mm, when using flat wires of various thicknesses for hair planting experiments, it can be concluded that if the thickness is more than 0.10mm and less than 0.22mm, it is best to use Flat wires with a thickness of more than 0.13mm and less than 0.22mm are less prone to bending, cracking, and whitening.

In the present invention, based on the above-mentioned various experimental results, the thickness of the flat wire is set to be 0.10 mm to less than 0.22 mm, preferably 0.13 mm to less than 0.22 mm.

Regarding the width of the flat wire in the depth direction, when the width is increased, since the contact area of the flat wire relative to the head resin is increased, the flocking strength can be improved without increasing the biting amount of the flat wire. Therefore, when the head material is a relatively soft resin with low flocking strength such as polypropylene resin (PP), it is effective to increase the width of the flat wire as much as possible to increase the flocking strength. However, according to experiments by the inventors of the present invention, when the width of the flat wire is greater than 2.5mm, the flat wire protrudes from the hair-planted surface, and when the hair-planted surface is viewed from the tip side of the head, the flat wire can be seen, which will bring about an appearance. Unsightly results.

On the other hand, when the head material is polyacetal resin (POM) or saturated polyester resin (such as polycytidylic acid polyvinyl to phenylene polymer (PCTA, polycyclohexylene ethylene terephthalate copolymer) changed by acid, ethylene glycol becomes In the case of relatively hard resins with high hair-planting strength such as polycytidylic acid polyvinyl-to-phenylene polymer (PCTG), polycyclohexyleneethylenecopolymer), sufficient hair-planting strength can be obtained even if the width of the flat wire is small. Therefore, if the width of the flat wire is small and the depth of the hair transplantation hole is shallow, the thickness of the head can be reduced, and operability can also be improved. However, when the width of the flat wire is too small, the flocking strength will be lowered, causing a practical problem. According to the experiment of the present invention, it can be concluded that when the width of the flat wire is less than 0.9mm, the flocking strength will be significantly reduced. In view of this, in the present invention, the width of the flat wire is set to be 0.9 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less.

Generally, in the case of a toothbrush with a flat wire flocking type, although the number of bristle bundles per unit flocking area is about 20 bundles/cm ² and the sum of the cross-sectional area of the bristles is about 1.1 to 2.5 mm ² , according to this In the experiment of the invention, it can be concluded that if the number of hair bundles per unit of hair-planting area is more than 25 bundles/ ^cm2 and less than 80 bundles/ ^cm2 , and the bristles of each hole of the hair-planting hole are folded If the sum of the cross-sectional areas is 1.0mm ^or less, the performance with a good touch to the teeth or gums can be obtained, and the interdental penetration and plaque removal function are also excellent.

The sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles in the folded state of the tufts planted in one tufting hole is preferably 1.0 mm ² or less, but it is more preferably in the range of 0.10 to 0.70 mm ² . At this time, for example, when the cross-sectional shape of the bristles is round, there are about 5 to 14 bristles in each hole in the 7mil (0.178mm) bristles, which is equivalent to 10 to 28 bristles when folded. However, this is the design These root numbers can be set arbitrarily according to the designed toothbrush style and bristle diameter, cross-sectional shape, etc.

When the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles in the folded state is greater than 1.0 ^mm when the hair is planted in each hole in the hair planting hole, the hair bundle loses flexibility, and the reachability of the hair bundle to a small gap deteriorates, and sufficient Brush inside of mouth. In addition, even if the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles is ^below 1.0 mm, when the number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area is greater than 80 bundles/cm ² , the gaps between the hair bundles become very narrow, which not only causes teeth The penetration of the brush is deteriorated, and the range of free movement of the hair bundles is also limited. Therefore, it is difficult to clean the fine brushing parts such as the neck of the teeth. In addition, toothpaste remains between the hair bundles, causing extreme deterioration in dryness after use, and also poses a big problem in terms of hygiene. In addition, even if the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles is ^below 1.0 mm, if the number of hair bundles per unit area of bristles is less than 25 bundles/ ^cm2 , not only the appearance is particularly ugly, but also the strength of the waist of the bristles becomes weak, The cleaning of the tooth surface is also difficult, and the durability of the toothbrush is also reduced.

In addition, when the hair bundle is transplanted with a flat wire type hair transplanter, in the auxiliary device of the flat wire type hair transplanter, when the folded hair bundle returns to a straight line, a restoring force is generated, and a large reaction is exerted on the flat wire. force. According to the experiments of the present invention, in the case of a hair bundle with a diameter of 1.6 to 2.0 mm (a cross-sectional area of 2.0 to 3.1 cm ³ ), although a flat wire with a thickness of about 0.25 mm is usually used to drive the hair bundle, the present invention In the case of using a thin flat wire with a thickness of 0.10mm or more and less than 0.22mm, the flat wire cannot withstand the restoring force of the hair bundle, and the flat wire falls out from the hair bundle, staggers, etc., and there is a very high incidence of poor hair implantation. high case. In this case, it was found that by using a hard metal such as stainless steel as the material of the flat wire, the rigidity of the thin flat wire can be increased, and the incidence of poor hair implantation can be reduced.

On the other hand, the result of the present inventor's pursuit of the thickness of the tufts that meets the requirements of both the scrubbing performance and the thin flat wire is that the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles in the folded state is 1.0 mm ^or less, preferably 0.1 mm ² or more and 0.7 mm ² or less hair bundles, as a high-density hair-planted toothbrush, it is possible to obtain a toothbrush that can sufficiently withstand the restoration force of the hair bundles during hair-planting while maintaining high scrubbing properties.

In addition, the distance between at least any one of the hair-planting holes and the nearest other hair-planting holes (the distance between the nearest hair-planting holes) is preferably 1.0 mm or less, more preferably in the range of 0.25 mm or more and 0.75 mm or less. When the distance between the hair bundles is too narrow, the bristles cannot enter between the teeth, thereby reducing the interdental penetration performance. On the other hand, when the interval is too large, the difference in appearance and the feeling of brushing are reduced. In addition, when the interval is too large, the reaction force of the bristles becomes stronger with the movement of brushing teeth, which increases the feeling that the bristles are not soft when brushing, which not only reduces the feeling of use, but also cannot exert the slippery movement of each bristle. The tartar removal effect is also reduced.

In the past mainstream flat wire tufting toothbrushes, in order to ensure the tufting strength stipulated in the JIS standard, while using a tufting hole with a circular cross-section with a diameter of 1.5 to 2.2mm, it is set as the amount of occlusion of the flat line to the edge of the tufting hole Around 0.25mm. Even in a toothbrush having a plurality of hair-planting holes with few hair bundles, some degree of hair-planting strength can be ensured by increasing the thickness of the flat wire or the amount of bite, but there are limitations due to cracking or whitening.

In view of this, the present inventor has carried out experiments and researches earnestly, and the result obtained is that, in the tufts with few tufts, the tuft strength does not depend on the filling factor PF=(the sum of the cross-sectional area of the bristles)/(the tuft hole area-flat line The cross-sectional area of the hair-planting hole occupied)×100% (=the density of the hair-planting hole with respect to an average hair bundle), the length of the flat wire, the type of handle resin, and the volume of the handle resin that the flat wire destroys (resin damage volume) are closely related. Moreover, the results of further repeated studies show that the most suitable range of resin failure volume is in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 mm ³ , preferably in the range of 0.15 to 0.3 mm ³ . When it is less than 0.1 mm ³ , as a toothbrush, the necessary physical properties of flocking strength cannot be obtained. In addition, when it exceeds 0.4 mm ³ , problems such as bending of the head or whitening of the resin of the head may occur.

As the material of the toothbrush handle including the head, polystyrene resin (PS), polypropylene resin (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylonitrile-butadiene-benzene Vinyl resin (ABS), cellulose propionate resin (CP), polyarylate resin, polycarbonate resin (PC), saturated polyester resin (PCTA, PCTG, etc.), acrylonitrile-styrene resin (AS), Polyacetal (POM), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) and other materials are used alone or in combination. In addition, multi-color molded handles combined with thermoplastic elastomers and the like may also be used. In addition, the handle material is not limited to the above-mentioned resins. In addition, the shape, size, or design of the toothbrush handle including the head are not limited in any way.

The material of the flat wire is preferably metal such as brass or stainless steel with good strength. In addition, hard plastics such as biodegradable plastics can also be used. It is also possible to set grooves on the outer surface of the flat wire vertically relative to the direction in which the flat wire is driven in, so as to improve the strength of the hair planting.

As mentioned above, although a flat wire with a thickness of about 0.25 mm is used in an ordinary toothbrush, in the past, as a flat wire made of metal, it is technically necessary to make it thinner than this flat wire. very difficult. In other words, although a metal wire called a round wire can be rolled to produce a flat wire, usually, the thick round wire is stretched into a thin The round wire used for thin flat wire is thinner than ordinary round wire, so it is difficult to obtain uniform thickness in one process.

However, recently, by improving the manufacturing technology of the flat wire, the drawing process is divided into several stages, and the drawing is carried out gradually to obtain a round wire of the desired thickness. Furthermore, when the round wire is rolled, if the force of clamping the round wire with normal size rollers is too strong, there will be unsuitable phenomena such as waving of the flat wire, which will become the cause of poor flocking. Extrusion calendering can produce thin flat wire. As a result, a thin flat wire having a thickness of 0.10 mm to less than 0.22 mm and a width of 0.9 mm to 2.5 mm for use in the present invention can be produced.

Since the thickness and length of the flat wire are directly related to the volume of the head resin destroyed by the flat wire, it is best based on the shape and size of the hair transplant hole, the amount of flat wire occlusion relative to the edge of the hole, and the penetration depth of the flat wire. And set the thickness and length so that the above-mentioned resin fracture volume is not less than 0.1 mm ³ and not more than 0.4 mm ³ .

The shape of the hair-planting hole is more suitable for regular polygons such as common circles or squares, but it can also be oval, gold coin-shaped, rectangular, etc., and it can also be a shape with a long diameter (long side) and a short diameter (short side). . In addition, by combining the orientation of the holes, it is possible to obtain a design suitable for the desired interdental penetration, the touch of the bristles, and the feeling of brushing. In addition, in the case of a hair-planting hole having a long diameter (long side) and a short diameter (short side), when the short diameter (short side) is arranged in parallel with the outer edge of the head, when the head is viewed from the side, it can be seen that The side of the short diameter (short side) where the width of the hair-planted hair bundle is narrow, looks thinner compared with a circular hair bundle composed of the same number of bristles, and can improve the difference in appearance.

The hole arrangement of the hair-planting holes is generally arranged in a grid pattern, but in order to avoid interference between adjacent flat wires and realize a high-density hole arrangement, it may also be arranged in a zigzag shape. In addition, depending on the situation, by changing the direction in which the flat wires are driven in, the hair bundles on the outermost side of the head can also be made to look thinner, which can improve the difference in appearance.

When the flat wire is driven into the long-diameter direction of the hair-planting hole, the bristles are juxtaposed along the flat wire, so that the strength of the hair-planting can be improved. The shape of the hair-planting hole at this time is preferably roughly rectangular in order to reduce the gap between the hair bundle and the hair-planting hole. In addition, when the flat wire is driven in the short diameter direction, by making the short diameter direction of the circumscribed circle corresponding to the cross section of the hair bundle consistent with the short diameter direction of the hair transplant hole, the gap between the hair transplant hole and the hair bundle can be reduced, and the hairs can be made upright. Hair-planted part with excellent performance. At this time, when the cross-section of the bristles to be used is circular, the shape of the tuft-planting hole is preferably approximately oval or approximately oblong.

As the material of the bristles (filaments) constituting the hair bundle, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polytrimethylene terephthalate ( Polyesters such as PTT), polyamides such as nylon 6-10, nylon 6-12, and nylon 12, polyolefins such as polystyrene and polypropylene, and polyvinyl halides such as polyfluorinated polyvinylidene chloride, etc. Melt spinning However, in terms of usability and durability, nylon and polytrimethylene terephthalate are the best. In addition, these resins can be used to make bristles with a double core structure, and the inner and outer sides can be made of different materials or surface conditions, etc., and can also be combined depending on the purpose.

The thickness of the bristles is 3-10mil (0.076-0.254mm), preferably 5-8mil (0.125-0.203mm). Considering factors such as usability, brushing feeling, cleaning effect, durability, etc., within these ranges, the best It is best to use a combination of bristles with different thicknesses. In particular, when a plurality of tufting holes are arranged in a high-density pattern, the strength of the waist of the bristles from the outer tufts towards the central tufts is higher; or the thickness, material, length, color, and cross-sectional shape of the bristles Such changes are beneficial to the feeling of use or the difference in appearance.

As the type of bristles, round hair (bristles with a round tip), tapered hair (bristles made into a tapered shape), diamond-shaped hair (bristles with a diamond-shaped cross section), and feather hair (bristles with a feather tip) can be used. Bristles divided into shapes), other cross-section hairs (bristles whose cross-sectional shape is not round), multi-grained hairs (bristles kneaded with abrasives), spiral fountain hairs (bristles formed with spiral grooves) Various bristles such as bristles for indicators (bristles having a double-core structure with colored outer layers, and the bristles with which the replacement time can be known from the wear of the outer layers), but are not limited thereto.

As the shape (contour) of the bristle cutting at the tip surface of the bristle, any shape such as a single plane shape, a mountain-cut groove shape, a concavo-convex shape, or the like can be adopted. Furthermore, the outer side and inner side of the hair-implanted surface of the head, and the tip side and the rear end side may have different hair cutting shapes.

In addition, the category of the toothbrush of the present invention is not limited to manual toothbrushes, but also includes electric toothbrushes.

In the toothbrush according to claim 1, the thickness of the flat wire is 0.10 mm or more and less than 0.22 mm. Therefore, when the flat wire is inserted, the head resin around the hair transplant hole does not crack or become white, and the head does not bend.

In the toothbrush according to claim 2, the width of the flat wire is 0.9 mm or more and 2.5 mm or less. Therefore, the thinner flat wire can be used without damaging the appearance of the hair-planted part, and the strength of the hair-planted part can be fully ensured.

In the toothbrush of technical scheme 3, the number of hair bundles per unit of hair-planting area is more than 25 bundles/ ^cm2 and less than 80 bundles/ ^cm2 , and the cross-section of the bristles of each hole in the hair-planting hole in a folded state The sum of the areas is 1.0 mm ² or less. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a toothbrush that has a good feel to the teeth or gums, and is excellent in interdental penetration and tartar removal ability. In addition, since the thickness of the flat wire is more than 0.10 mm and less than 0.22 mm, it is possible to obtain a high-density hair-planted toothbrush with the number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area of more than 25 bundles/cm ² and 80 bundles/cm ² , and Provides a high-quality toothbrush that does not cause cracks or whitening of the head resin around the hair transplantation hole when the flat wire is inserted, and does not bend the head. Further, because the sum of the cross-sectional area of the bristles in the folded state of the bristles of each hole in the tufting hole is 1.0 mm ^or less, even if the thickness is more than 0.10 mm and less than 0.22 mm, an extremely thin flat wire, Planting the hair bundle can also withstand the elastic recovery force of the folded and punched hair bundle, and the flat thread will not fall off from the hair bundle, and will not cause position staggering, which can reduce the incidence of poor hair transplantation.

In the toothbrush of technical scheme 4, at least in a part of the hair-planting holes, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles constituting the hair bundles planted in the hair-planting holes is set to be 1.0 mm ^or less, and at the same time, at least any one of the hair-planting holes is the closest to the other The distance between the hair-planting holes is set to be 1.0 mm or less. Therefore, it has a good touch to the teeth or the soft tissue in the oral cavity, and the hair tip reaches the neck of the tooth, the interdental part, the triangle between the teeth and other oral disease-prone parts. Cracks can ensure sufficient hair-planting strength.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 (a)～Fig. 1 (c) show the 1st embodiment of toothbrush of the present invention, Fig. 1 (a) is the schematic plan view of head, Fig. 1 (b) is driven into the schematic perspective view of the flat wire of tuft, Fig. 1(c) is a schematic explanatory diagram of a state in which a hair bundle is folded in half with a flat wire and driven in.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention, and is a schematic plan view of the head of the electric toothbrush.

3( a ) to 3( f ) are plan views showing other examples of tufting holes and bristle cross-sectional shapes, respectively.

Fig. 4 (a) ~ Fig. 4 (c) show the 3rd embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention, Fig. 4 (a) is to show the schematic perspective view of hair bundle and flat wire relation, Fig. 4 (b) is its schematic plan view, Fig. 4 (c) is a partially enlarged plan view of the hair transplantation hole on the head.

Fig. 5 (a) ~ Fig. 5 (c) are explanatory diagrams illustrating the resin destruction volume of the present invention, Fig. 5 (a) is the rough plan view of the hair bundle and the flat wire that are planted in the hair planting hole, Fig. 5 (b) is Its longitudinal sectional view, Fig. 5 (c) is a side sectional view.

Fig. 6 (a) ~ Fig. 6 (c) show the head shape that is used for the toothbrush of evaluation test, Fig. 6 (a) is the head schematic plan view of A type toothbrush, Fig. 6 (b) is the head of B brush type toothbrush Part outline plan view, Fig. 6 (c) is the head outline plan view of C type toothbrush.

7( a ) to 7 ( c ) are schematic explanatory views of the curvature and thickness of the head.

Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view of the head showing an embodiment of the toothbrush according to the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic plan view of the head showing another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.

Fig. 10 is a schematic plan view of the head showing another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.

Fig. 11 is a schematic plan view of the head showing another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.

Fig. 12 is a schematic plan view of the head showing another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.

Fig. 13 is a schematic plan view of the head showing another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is a schematic plan view of the head showing another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention.

Fig. 15 (a) and Fig. 15 (b) show another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention, Fig. 15 (a) is the overall plan view of the toothbrush handle omitting the tuft hole, Fig. 15 (b) is the expanded plan view of head.

Fig. 16 (a) and Fig. 16 (b) show another embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention, Fig. 16 (a) is the overall plan view of the toothbrush handle that has omitted the hair planting hole, Fig. 16 (b) is the expanded plan view of head.

Fig. 17 is a schematic plan view of the head of another embodiment of the toothbrush according to the present invention.

Symbol Description

1 is the head, 2 is the flocking surface, 3 is the flocking hole, 4 is the flat wire, 5 is the hair bundle, 6 is the bristle, B is the penetration depth of the flat wire, C is the biting amount of the flat wire, Dmin is the closest The distance of any hair-planting hole (the distance from the nearest grafting hole), h is the width of the flat line, L is the length of the flat line, m is the parting line, n is the bending of the head, P is the intersection point, S is the area of the hair-planting, t is the flat line Thickness, T is the thickness of the head, and V is the resin volume of the head damaged by the flat wire (resin destruction volume).

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

In Fig. 1 (a) ~ Fig. 1 (c), the 1st embodiment of toothbrush of the present invention is shown, and this 1st embodiment represents the example of the situation of applying the present invention to manual toothbrush, Fig. 1 (a) It is a schematic plan view of the head, Fig. 1(b) is an enlarged perspective view of a flat wire, and Fig. 1(c) is a schematic explanatory view of a state in which a hair bundle is folded in half with a flat wire and driven in. In addition, for the convenience of observation, the bristles planted in the hair-planting holes are omitted for illustration in FIG. 1( a ).

In the figure, 1 is the head of the toothbrush, 2 is the hair-planting surface of the head 1, 3 is the hair-planting hole formed on the hair-planting surface 2, and 4 is the flat wire that the hair bundle 5 is folded in half and driven into the hair-planting hole 3, 6 is the bristle that constitutes the hair bundle 5, and the number of hair bundles 5 per unit hair transplanting area in the hair transplantation hole 3 of the head 1 hair-planting surface 2 is set as 25 bundles/cm ² or more and 80 bundles/cm ² or less; Simultaneously, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the average 1 hole in the folded state of the bristles 6 in the tufting hole 3 is less than ^1.0 mm; the thickness t of the flat wire 4 is more than 0.10 mm and less than 0.22 mm; the width of the flat wire 4 (Width in the driving depth direction when the flat wire 4 is driven into the hair-implantation surface 2) h is not less than 0.9 mm and not more than 2.5 mm. In addition, symbol L in the drawing represents the length of the flat wire 4 .

If it is set to the above-mentioned hair-planting style, even if the flat wire 4 is used to fold the hair bundle 5 in half and drive it into the hair-planting hole 3, since the flat wire 4 is relatively thin, the impact of its insertion will not cause the hair-planting hole of the head 1. 3The surrounding resin is cracked or whitened. Also, the head does not bend. Further, when folding in half, the flat thread 4 will not leave the hair bundle 5 by virtue of the elastic restoring force of the hair bundle 5 returning to a straight line, and will not cause positional displacement.

Fig. 2 shows a second embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention. This second embodiment shows an example in which the present invention is applied to an electric toothbrush, and the head of the electric toothbrush is shown in the figure. Even in the case of this electric toothbrush, as in the case of the above-mentioned manual toothbrush, the number of bristles per unit bristle area of the bristles 5 in the bristle hole 3 of the head 1 bristle surface 2 is set to 25 bundles/ More than cm ² and less than 80 bundles/cm ² ; at the same time, the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the average hole 6 in the folded state of the bristles 6 in the hair-planting hole ³ is 1.0 mm or less; the thickness t of the flat wire 4 is 0.10 mm More than, less than 0.22mm; width h is more than 0.9mm and less than 2.5mm.

In addition, the shape of the tufting hole 3 and the bristle 6 used in this invention is not limited to the example of illustration, For example, as shown in FIG. 3(a) - FIG. 3(f), various shapes can be employ|adopted. Fig. 3 (a) is the example that shows circular hair planting hole and circular section bristle, and Fig. 3 (b) is the example that shows circular tufting hole and rectangular section bristle, and Fig. 3 (c) and Fig. 3 (d) are shown The example of oblong hair-planting hole and circular section bristle, Fig. 3 (e) is the example that represents rectangular hair-planting hole and circular section bristle, Fig. 3 (f) is the rectangle planting hair and diamond section (diamond section) that represent radius ) examples of bristles.

4(a) to 5(c) show a third embodiment of the present invention.

In this third embodiment, in the toothbrush in which the hair bundle 5 bundled with a plurality of bristles 6 is folded in half with a flat wire 4 and implanted in the hair-planting hole 3 of the hair-planting surface 2 of the head 1, the structure is planted in the toothbrush. The sum of the bristle 6 sections of the hair bundle 5 of the tuft hole 3 is set as 1.0mm ^or less, and in addition, the closest distance (distance between the tuft holes) Dmin of the nearest random tuft hole 3 is set as less than 1.0mm, Furthermore, the volume V of the head 1 resin broken by the flat wire 4 is set to be 0.1 mm ³ or more and 0.4 mm ³ or less.

Here, the so-called "summation of the cross-sectional area of the bristles 6 constituting the hair bundle 5" as shown in Figure 4 (b) refers to the addition of the cross-sectional areas of the hair bundle 5, that is, all the bristles 6 that are planted in the hair-planting hole 3. value. In addition, so-called "the distance (the nearest grafting hole distance) Dmin of the closest arbitrary hair-planting hole 3 ", as shown in Figure 4 (c), refers to the distance between the nearest hair-planting holes in a plurality of hair-planting holes 3 distance.

In addition, the "volume V of the resin destroyed by the flat wire 4" refers to the volume V (mm ³ ) ≈The value obtained from the formula of flat wire thickness t(mm)×flat wire penetration depth B(mm)×flat wire engagement amount C(mm)×2.

In addition, in the case of the circular tuft hole 3 shown in Fig. 5 (a) ~ Fig. 5 (c), since the part of the biting amount C of the flat wire 4 is bounded by the arc-shaped hole wall of the tuft hole 3, therefore, Although the value of the resin destruction volume (mm ³ ) is an approximate value obtained by the above formula, as shown in FIG. Since the occlusal amount of the flat wire 3 is partially defined by the linear wall portion of the tufting hole 3, the resin fracture V (mm ³ )=flat wire thickness t(mm)×flat wire penetration depth B can be accurately obtained (mm)×flat wire bite amount C(mm)×2. It is also possible to obtain the approximate value or the correct value in the case of the vesicle hole having other cross-sectional shapes.

According to the above-described embodiment, since the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles 6 constituting the hair bundle 5 implanted in the hair transplantation hole 3 is set to be 1.0 mm ^or less, soft hair bundles with a good touch to the teeth or soft tissues in the oral cavity can be obtained. . In addition, since the distance Dmin of the closest arbitrary hair-planting hole 3 is set to be 1.0 mm or less, it has an appropriate density of hair bundles, and makes the penetration between teeth and the feeling of brushing good. Furthermore, since the volume V of the head 1 resin damaged by the flat wire 4 is set to be 0.1 mm ³ or more and 0.4 mm ³ or less, appropriate hair-planting strength can be obtained, and head bending and whitening of the head resin can be prevented. or split etc. As a result, the above-mentioned effects are mutually synergistic, and it is possible to obtain a good touch to the teeth or the soft tissues in the oral cavity, excellent performance in reaching the necks of the teeth, interdental parts, and interdental triangles, etc. Toothbrushes that are bent, whitened or cracked in the resin, and have sufficient flocking strength.

1. Quality characteristic evaluation test

The quality characteristic evaluation test was performed using the toothbrush of the 1st and 2nd embodiment of this invention, and the toothbrush of a conventional design. The results are shown in Table 1. In addition, the A-C type toothbrushes in Table 1 are toothbrushes each having the following shapes and specifications.

(i) Type A

Head shape: Figure 6(a);

Hair planting hole shape: rectangular (short side 1.35mm x long side 1.8mm);

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 19 bundles/cm ² ;

The sum of the cross-sectional area of bristles per hole: 1.52mm ² ;

Flat wire length L: 2.2mm.

(ii) Type B

Head shape: Figure 6(b);

Hair planting hole shape: round (diameter 1.3mm);

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 28 bundles/cm ² ;

The sum of the cross-sectional area of bristles per hole: 0.78mm ² ;

Flat wire length L: 1.8mm.

(iii) Type C

Head shape: Figure 6(c);

Hair planting hole shape: oblong (short axis 0.64mm x long axis 1.52mm);

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 44 bundles/cm ² ;

The sum of the cross-sectional area of bristles per hole: 0.39mm ² ;

Flat wire length L: 1.8mm.

The test results in Table 1 show that the toothbrush of the present invention (Examples 1 to 22) can confirm the state of hair implantation, bending of the head, cracking, whitening, and hair implantation in the toothbrush of the present invention (Examples 1 to 22) compared with conventional toothbrushes (Comparative Examples 1 to 12). Any one of strength is good.

〔Table 1〕

Quality characteristic evaluation test head material Head thickness (mm) Flat wire thickness t(mm) Flat wire width h(mm) Flocking state bending cracked white Flocking strength intraoral operability Overview Type A Example 1 PP 4.5 0.20 1.8 ○ ◎ ◎ ◎ ○ ◎ Example 2 PCTA 4.5 0.20 1.5 ○ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ Comparative example 1 PP 4.5 0.25 1.8 △ x △ ◎ ○ x Comparative example 2 PCTA 4.0 0.25 1.0 x △～× △～× ○ ◎ x Type B Example 3 PP 4.5 0.20 1.8 ○ ◎ ◎ ◎ ○ ◎ Example 4 PCTA 4.5 0.20 1.5 ○ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ Comparative example 3 PP 4.5 0.27 1.8 ○ x △～× ◎ ○ x Comparative example 4 PCTA 4.0 0.27 1.0 x △ △～× ◎ ◎ x Type C Example 5 PP 4.5 0.12 1.3 △ ◎ ◎ △ ○ ○ Example 6 PP 4.5 0.12 1.8 △ ◎ ◎ △ ○ ○ Example 7 PP 4.5 0.12 2.5 △ ○ ◎ ○ ○ ○ Example 8 PP 4.5 0.15 1.3 ○ ◎ ○ ○ ○ ○ Example 9 PP 4.5 0.15 1.8 ○ ○ ○ ◎ ○ ○ Example 10 PP 4.5 0.15 2.5 ○ ○ ○ ◎ ○ ○ Example 11 PP 4.5 0.20 1.3 ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ○ ◎ Example 12 PP 4.5 0.20 1.8 ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ○ ◎ Example 13 PP 4.5 0.20 2.5 ◎ ○ △ ◎ ○ ○ Example 14 PCTA 4.5 0.12 1.5 △ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ○ Example 15 PCTA 4.2 0.12 1.2 △ ◎ ◎ △ ◎ ○ Example 16 PCTA 3.9 0.12 0.9 △ ◎ ◎ △ ◎ ○ Example 17 PCTA 4.5 0.15 1.5 ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Example 18 PCTA 4.2 0.15 1.2 ○ ◎ ○ △ ◎ ○ Example 19 PCTA 3.9 0.15 0.9 △ ◎ ○ △ ◎ ○ Example 20 PCTA 4.5 0.20 1.5 ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ○ ◎ Example 21 PCTA 4.2 0.20 1.2 ○ ○ ○ ◎ ◎ ◎ Example 22 PCTA 3.9 0.20 0.9 △ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ○ Comparative Example 5 PP 3.8 0.20 0.7 x ○ ○ x ◎ x Comparative example 6 PP 4.5 0.20 2.7 x △ △ ○ ○ x Comparative Example 7 PP 4.5 0.08 1.5 x ○ ○ △ ○ x Comparative Example 8 PP 4.5 0.28 1.5 ○ x x ○ ○ x Comparative Example 9 PCTA 3.8 0.20 0.7 x ○ ○ x ◎ x Comparative Example 10 PCTA 4.5 0.20 2.7 x △ ○ ○ ○ x Comparative Example 11 PCTA 4.5 0.08 1.5 x ○ ○ △ ○ x Comparative Example 12 PCTA 4.5 0.28 1.5 ○ x △ ○ ○ x

In Table 1, the so-called bending refers to the point of intersection of the parting line m before the hair transplantation and the tip of the head 1 shown in Figure 7(a) as P, and the point after the hair transplantation shown in Figure 7(b). The distance n between the extension line of profile line m and the above intersection point P. In addition, the head thickness refers to the thickness T of the thinnest part of the head 1 as shown in FIG. 7( c ) (the same applies to the following tests).

In addition, each evaluation in Table 1 was based on the following criteria.

(1) Flocking status

◎: The bristles are not messy,

○: Less messy bristles, good appearance,

△: The degree of disorder of the bristles is within the limit,

×: The bristles are messy and the appearance is not good;

(2) Head bending

◎: no bending (n=0mm),

○: More than 0mm and less than 0.1mm,

△: 0.1mm or more and less than 0.5mm,

×: 0.5mm or more;

(3) Cracks and whitening (discoloration of the head resin around the flat wire)

◎: No cracks and whitening at all,

○: Almost no cracking and whitening,

△: Slightly whitish,

×: Cracks or whitening;

(4) Hair planting strength

The measurement of the hair-planting strength is carried out according to the method stipulated in the JIS S3016 standard.

◎: Average over 25N,

○: More than 15N and less than 25N on average,

△: More than 8N and less than 15N on average,

×: less than 8N on average;

(5) Comprehensive evaluation

◎: Very good,

○: Good,

△: Inconclusive,

X: not good.

2. Sensory evaluation test

The sensory evaluation test of the toothbrush of the present invention was conducted by 30 special panel members in the applicant company. The average value of 30 members of the special panel was used as the evaluation result. The results are shown in Table 2. As can be seen from Table 2, compared with conventional toothbrushes (Comparative Examples 13-16), the toothbrush of the present invention (Examples 23-26) can be confirmed in any aspect of good touch, penetration between teeth, and brushing feeling. is excellent.

〔Table 2〕

sensory evaluation test The number of hair bundles per unit of hair-planting area (bundles/cm ² ) Sum of cross-sectional area of bristles planted in 1 hole (mm ² ) Flat wire thickness t(mm) Flat wire width h(mm) Good touch interdental penetration Swipe Reality Overview Example 23 44 0.8 0.20 1.8 ○ ○ ◎ ◎ Example 24 50 0.2 0.20 1.5 ○ △ ○ ○ Example 25 35 0.5 0.15 1.3 ○ △ ○ ○ Example 26 50 0.3 0.15 1.8 ○ ○ ○ ○ Comparative Example 13 40 1.8 0.18 1.5 x x ◎ x Comparative Example 14 20 0.8 0.15 1.3 △ x x x Comparative Example 15 twenty two 1.2 0.20 1.4 △ △ △ △ Comparative Example 16 twenty two 0.6 0.16 1.3 △ △ △ △

In addition, the above sensory evaluation is based on the following criteria.

(1) good touch

◎: Very good, ○: Good, △: Inconclusive, ×: Not good;

(2) Interdental penetration

◎: Very good, ○: Good, △: Inconclusive, ×: Not good;

(3) Scrub real feeling

◎: very feeling, ○: feeling, △: inconclusive, ×: no feeling;

(4) Comprehensive evaluation

◎: Very good, ○: Good, △: Inconclusive, ×: Not good.

3. Head bending test using different resins

Head bending tests using different resins were performed. The results are shown in Table 3. As shown in Table 3, even in any case of PP resin and PCTA resin, it can be confirmed that the toothbrushes of the specifications of the present invention (thickness of flat wire 0.15mm, 0.20mm) are different from those of the conventional design (thickness of flat wire 0.25mm). Compared with the toothbrush, it is difficult to produce the bending of the head.

〔table 3〕

                                                                   

Also, head bending is based on the benchmarks below.

◎: no bending (n=0mm),

○: More than 0mm and less than 0.1mm,

△: 0.1mm or more and less than 0.5mm,

×: More than 0.5 mm.

4. Head bending test with different head thickness

Tests were conducted on the relationship between head thickness and bending in the case of the present invention and the conventional design. The results are shown in Table 4. As shown in Table 4, in the case of the toothbrush of the present invention, compared with the toothbrush of the conventional design, it can be confirmed that the curvature is small for a wide range of head thickness.

〔Table 4〕

                                                                 

In addition, the evaluation of head bending was based on the following criteria.

◎: no bending (n=0mm),

○: More than 0mm and less than 0.1mm,

△: 0.1mm or more and less than 0.5mm,

×: 0.5 mm or more.

In addition, toothbrushes (Test Examples 27 to 38) according to the third embodiment of the present invention and conventional toothbrushes (Comparative Test Examples 17 to 24) were produced, and the strength of flocking, the shedding strength of one root, the bending of the head, and the cracking and flooding were compared. The evaluation of the quality characteristics of white; and the sensory evaluation of good touch, penetration between teeth, and brushing feeling were carried out, and a comparative test was carried out, and the results are shown in Table 5. As shown in Table 5, it can be confirmed that the toothbrush of the design of the present invention is superior to any conventional toothbrush in terms of overall evaluation.

〔table 5〕

Quality characteristics and sensory evaluation test Resin destruction volume (mm ² ) The distance between the nearest hair-planting holes (mm) Sum of cross-sectional area of bristles (mm ² ) Evaluation results Flocking strength 1 shedding strength bending cracked white Good touch interdental penetration Brush real feeling Overview Example 27 0.16 0.4 0.4 △ △ ◎ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ○ Example 28 0.20 0.4 0.4 ○ ○ ◎ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ Example 29 0.30 0.4 0.4 ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ Example 30 0.40 0.4 0.4 ◎ ◎ △ △ ◎ ○ ○ ○ Example 31 0.10 0.6 0.4 △ △ ◎ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ○ Example 32 0.20 0.6 0.4 ○ ○ ◎ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ Example 33 0.30 0.6 0.4 ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ Example 34 0.40 0.6 0.4 ◎ ◎ △ △ ◎ ○ ○ ○ Example 35 0.10 0.6 0.8 △ △ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ○ Example 36 0.20 0.6 0.8 ○ ○ ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ◎ ◎ Example 37 0.30 0.6 0.8 ◎ ◎ ○ ○ ○ ○ ◎ ◎ Example 38 0.40 0.6 0.8 ◎ ◎ △ △ ○ ○ ◎ ○ Comparative Example 17 0.03 0.6 0.4 x x ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ x Comparative Example 18 0.08 0.6 0.4 x x ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ x Comparative Example 19 0.45 0.6 0.4 ◎ ○ x x ○ ○ ○ x Comparative Example 20 1.0 0.6 0.4 ◎ ○ x x ○ ○ ○ x Comparative Example 21 0.20 1.5 0.4 ○ ○ x x △ x ○ x Comparative Example 22 0.20 1.5 0.8 ○ ○ ○ ○ △ △ x x Comparative Example 23 0.30 1.5 0.8 ◎ ○ x x △ x ○ x Comparative Example 24 0.30 1.5 0.4 ◎ ○ ○ ○ △ △ x x

In addition, each evaluation in Table 5 was based on the following criteria.

1. Quality characteristic evaluation test

(1) Flocking strength

The hair-planting strength was measured in accordance with the method stipulated in JIS S3016.

◎: Average over 25N,

○: More than 15N and less than 25N on average,

△: More than 8N and less than 25N on average,

×: less than 8N on average;

(2) 1 shedding strength,

◎: Average above 5N,

○: more than 3N and less than 5N on average,

△: More than 1.5N and less than 3N on average,

×: less than 1.5N on average;

(3) Head bending

◎: no bending (n=0mm),

○: More than 0mm and less than 0.1mm,

△: 0.1mm or more and less than 0.5mm,

×: 0.5mm or more;

(4) Cracks and whitening (discoloration of the head resin around the flat wire)

◎: No cracks and whitening at all,

○: Almost no cracking or whitening,

△: Slightly whitish,

×: There are cracks or whitening.

2. Sensory evaluation test

The average value of the evaluations of 30 panelists in the company was taken as the evaluation result.

(1) good touch

◎: Very good, ○: Good, △: Inconclusive, ×: Not good;

(2) Interdental penetration

◎: Very good, ○: Good, △: Inconclusive, ×: Not good;

(3) Scrub real feeling

◎: very feeling, ○: feeling, △: inconclusive, ×: no feeling;

(4) Comprehensive evaluation

◎: Very good, ○: Good, △: Inconclusive, ×: Not good.

Next, specific design examples of the toothbrush of the present invention are shown below.

Fig. 8 shows an embodiment 39 of a concrete example of the toothbrush of the present invention. In this Example 39, the specifications of each part are set as follows.

Head material: Polypropylene (PP)+Santoplen (trademark "Santoplen", a rare elastomer manufactured and sold by Adobanst Elastoma One System);

Hair planting holes: roughly rectangular holes (short side 0.64mm x long side 1.32mm x depth 3.8mm), and 71 holes;

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 41 bundles/cm ² ;

Bristles: nylon straight bristles, diameter 8mil (0.203mm), 6 pcs/1 hole (number of folded 12 pcs/1 hole);

The sum of the cross-sectional area of bristles per hole: 0.388mm ² ;

Flat wire: brass (thickness 0.17mm x length 1.6mm x width 1.5mm).

Figure 9 shows an embodiment 40 of a concrete example of the toothbrush of the present invention. In this embodiment 40, the design of each part is set as follows.

Head material: saturated polyester (PCTA);

Hair planting hole: oblong hole (short axis 0.64mm x long axis 1.52mm x depth 3.0mm), and 79 holes;

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 44 bundles/cm ² ;

Bristles: nylon straight bristles, diameter 8mil (0.203mm), 6 pcs/1 hole (number of folded 12 pcs/1 hole);

The sum of the cross-sectional area of bristles per hole: 0.388mm ² ;

Flat wire: brass (thickness 0.15mm x length 1.8mm x width 1.3mm).

Fig. 10 shows Embodiment 41 of a concrete example of the toothbrush of the present invention. In Example 41, the design of each part is set as follows.

Head material: polyacetal (POM);

Hair planting holes: roughly rectangular holes (short side 0.64mm x long side 1.32mm x depth 2.5mm), and 64 holes;

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 45 bundles/cm ² ;

Bristles: tapered hairs of polyethylene terephthalate (PBT), root diameter: 8mil (0.203mm), 6 pcs/1 hole (number of folded 12 pcs/1 hole);

The sum of the cross-sectional area of bristles per hole: 0.388mm ² ;

Flat wire: stainless steel with groove (thickness 0.2mm x length 1.8mm x width 1.5mm).

Fig. 11 shows Embodiment 42 of a concrete example of the toothbrush of the present invention. In this embodiment 42, the design of each part is set as follows.

Head material: polyacetal (POM);

Hair planting holes: roughly rectangular holes (short side 0.64mm x long side 1.52mm x depth 2.0mm), and 74 holes;

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 41 bundles/cm ² ;

Bristles: Polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) tapered hairs, root diameter 8mil (0.203mm), 6/1 hole (number of folded roots is 12/1 hole);

The sum of the cross-sectional area of bristles per hole: 0.388mm ² ;

Flat wire: outside = brass with bumps (thickness 0.2mm x length 1.8mm x width 2.0mm),

Inside = Brass with bumps (thickness 0.2mm x length 0.8mm x width 2.0mm).

Fig. 12 shows Embodiment 43 of a concrete example of the toothbrush of the present invention. In Example 43, the design of each part is set as follows.

The material of the head: saturated polyester (PCTA) + プリマロイ (the trademark "プリマロイ", a polyester elastomer manufactured and sold by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation);

Hair planting holes: the total number of holes is 72,

(1) Round hole (diameter 0.8mm×depth 3.5mm), and 2 holes,

(2) circular holes (diameter 1.0mm×depth 3.5mm), and 24 holes,

(3) Roughly rectangular holes (short side 0.64mm×long side 1.30mm×depth 3.80mm), and 46 holes;

The number of hair bundles per unit hair planting area: 42 bundles/cm ²

Bristles: (1) Nylon straight bristles, diameter 8mil (0.203mm), 4 pcs/1 hole (number of folded 8 pcs/1 hole),

(2) Nylon straight hair, diameter 8mil (0.203mm), 7 pcs/1 hole (number of folded 14 pcs/1 hole),

(3) Polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) straight hair, diameter 6mil (0.152mm), 19 strands/1 hole (the number of folded strands is 38 strands/1 hole);

The sum of the bristle cross-sectional area per 1 hole:

(1)0.259mm ² ,

(2)0.454mm ² ,

(3) 0.693mm ² ;

Flat wire: (1) stainless steel with groove (thickness 0.13mm x length 1.2mm x width 1.3mm),

(2) Stainless steel with groove (thickness 0.13mm×length 1.4mm×width 1.5mm),

(3) Stainless steel with groove (thickness 0.13mm x length 0.8mm x width 1.5mm).

Fig. 13 shows Embodiment 44 of a concrete example of the toothbrush of the present invention. In Example 44, the design of each part is set as follows.

Material of the head: Polypropylene (PP) + Milastomaichi (trademark "Milastomaichi", a rare elastomer manufactured and sold by Mitsui Chemicals Co., Ltd.);

Hair planting hole: roughly rectangular hole (short side 0.65mm x long side 1.30mm x depth 3.2mm), with 69 holes;

The number of hair bundles per unit hair-planting area: 40 bundles/cm ² ;

Bristles: Nylon spiral flower tube hair,

(1) The tip of the head = diameter 9mil (0.229mm), 5 pieces/1 hole (the number of folded pieces is 10 pieces/1 hole),

(2) Other parts = diameter 7mil (0.178mm), 7 pieces/1 hole (number of folded pieces is 14 pieces/1 hole);

The sum of the bristle cross-sectional area per 1 hole:

(1)0.412mm ² ,

(2) 0.348mm ² ;

Flat wire: stainless steel (thickness 0.2mm x length 1.5mm x width 2.3mm).

Fig. 14 shows Embodiment 45 of a concrete example of the toothbrush of the present invention. In Example 45, the design of each part is set as follows.

Head material: polyethylene naphthalene (FEN) + plating treatment;

Hair planting hole: (1) circular hole (diameter 1.0mm×depth 3.0mm), and 2 holes,

(2) roughly rectangular holes (short side 0.65mm x long side 1.30mm x depth 3.2mm), and 39 holes;

The number of hair bundles per unit hair planting area: 26 bundles/cm ² ;

Bristles: Nylon Straight,

(1) Diameter 6mil (0.152mm), 13 pieces/1 hole (number of folded pieces is 26 pieces/1 hole),

(2) Diameter 6mil (0.152mm), 25 pieces/1 hole (number of folded pieces is 50 pieces/1 hole);

The sum of the bristle cross-sectional area per 1 hole:

(1)0.472mm ² ,

(2) 0.901mm ² ;

Flat wire: (1) stainless steel (thickness 0.14mm x length 1.3mm x width 2.3mm),

(2) Stainless steel (thickness 0.14mm x length 1.3mm x width 2.3mm).

Figure 15(a) and Figure 15(b) show Embodiment 46, which is a specific example of the toothbrush of the present invention. Specific dimensions of each part are illustrated.

Fig. 16(a) and Fig. 16(b) show Example 47, which is a specific example of the toothbrush of the present invention, and illustrate specific dimensions of each part.

In Table 6, yet another specific embodiment of the toothbrush of the present invention is shown.

In the table, Examples 48 to 54 show examples of manual toothbrushes, and Example 55 shows an example of electric toothbrushes. Any of these toothbrushes is all with above-mentioned condition of the present invention, in other words, according to constituting the summation of the cross-sectional area of the bristles of the hair bundle that is set in the hair-planting hole is ^1.0mm Below, at least any one of the hair-planting holes and the most A form in which the distance between the nearest hair-planting holes (the distance between the closest hair-planting holes) Dmin is 1.0 mm or less, and the volume of resin destroyed by the flat wire (resin destruction volume) V is 0.1 mm ³ or more and 0.4 mm ^{3 or} less, Set the style of each part.

[Table 6]

The style of the toothbrush Example Flocking style other styles The distance between the closest hair planting holes (mm) Sum of cross-sectional area of bristles (mm ² ) Resin destruction volume(mm ³ ) 1) head material 2) tufting hole (shape, size ^*1 , number) 3) bristles (material, shape, diameter, number) 4) flat wire (thickness x length x width, material) Example 48 (Figure 8) 0.50 0.388 0.37 1) PP+サントプレン^*2 2) Roughly rectangular 0.64×1.32×3.8mm 71 holes 3) Nylon straight hair 8mil 6 folded 4) 0.15×1.60×2.0mm brass Example 49 (Figure 9) 0.50 0.388 0.16 1) PCTA2) Oval 0.64×1.52×3.0mm 79 holes 3) Nylon straight hair 8mil 6 folded 4) 0.20×1.8×1.3mm brass Example 50 (Figure 10) 0.60 0.388 0.13 1) POM2) Roughly rectangular 0.64×1.32×2.5mm 64 holes 3) PBT tapered hair 8mil 6 folded 4) 0.15×1.70×1.0mm stainless steel with groove Example 51 (Figure 11) 0.49 0.388 (a) 0.17 (outside) (b) 0.07 (inside) 1) POM2) Oval 0.64×1.52×3.0mm 74 holes 3) PTT tapered hair 8mil 6 folded 4) 0.20×1.80×2.0mm with concave-convex brass (outside) 0.15×0.80×2.0mm with concave-convex Brass (the inside) Example 52 (Figure 12) 0.28 (a) 0.259 (b) 0.454 (c) 0.693 (a) 0.16 (b) 0.16 (c) 0.24 1) PCTA+プリマロイ^*3 2) (a) round 0.8mmφ×3.5mm 2 holes (b) round 1.0mmφ×3.5mm 24 holes (c) roughly rectangular 0.64×1.32×3.8mm 46 holes 3)(a) Nylon straight hair 8mil 4 pieces folded (b) nylon straight hair 8mil 7 pieces folded (c) PTT straight hair 6mil 19 pieces folded 4) (a) 0.13×1.2×1.3mm stainless steel with groove (b) 0.13×1.4×1.5mm Stainless steel with groove (c) 0.13×0.80×1.5mm Stainless steel with groove Example 53 (Figure 13) 0.50 (a)0.412 (b)0.348 0.12 1) PP+ミラストマ- ^*4 2) Roughly rectangular 0.65×1.30×3.2mm 69 holes 3) (a) Nylon spiral hair 9mil 5 folded (tip) (b) Nylon spiral hair 7mil 7 folded (other )4)0.20×1.5×2.3mm stainless steel Example 54 (Figure 14) 0.65 (a)0.472 (b)0.901 (a)0.11 (b)0.11 1) PEN + plating treatment 2) (a) round hole 1.0mmφ×3.0mm 2 holes (b) approximately rectangular 0.70×2.0×3.0mm 39 holes 3) (a) nylon straight hair 6mil 13 folded (b) nylon Straight hair 6mil 25 folded 4) (a) 0.14×1.3×2.3mm stainless steel (b) 0.14×2.3×2.3mm stainless steel Example 55 (Figure 17) 0.50 0.837 0.11 1) Polyacetal 2) Round hole 1.3mmφ×3.0mm 32 holes 3) Nylon straight hair 8mil 12 folded 4) 0.14×1.6×2.3mm stainless steel

Note) ^* 1 Minor axis x major axis x depth, or diameter x depth.

^* 2 is a trademark "Santoplen", which is a vinyl elastomer manufactured and sold by Advanced Elastomer Systems, Inc. (Advanced Elastomer Systems, LP).

^* 3 is a trademark of "Prima Roi", a polyester elastomer manufactured and sold by Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation.

^* 4 The trademark is "Milastomaichi", which is a vinyl elastomer manufactured and sold by Mitsui Chemicals, Ltd.

Claims (4)

1. a kind of toothbrush, will utilize the hair bundle that bundles with a plurality of root bristles, utilize flat wire to fold in half and implant in the hair-planting hole of head hair-planting surface, it is characterized in that, The thickness of the flat wire is more than 0.10 mm and less than 0.22 mm. 2. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the flat wire has a width of not less than 0.9 mm and not more than 2.5 mm. 3. The toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, the number of hair bundles per unit of the hair-planting area is more than 25 bundles/cm ² and less than 80 bundles/cm ² , and the hairs are planted in the hair-planting hole. The sum of the cross-sectional areas of the bristles per one hole in the folded state is 1.0 mm ² or less. 4. The toothbrush according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the head is made of resin, and on at least a part of the hair-planting hole, the bristle cross-sectional area of the hair bundle constituting the hair-planting hole The sum is below 1.0 mm ² , and at the same time, the distance between at least any one of the hair-planting holes and the nearest other hair-planting hole is set as below 1.0 mm.

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