HK1115724B - Toothbrush and method for production of such a toothbrush - Google Patents

Description

Toothbrush and method of manufacturing such a toothbrush

The invention relates to a split application of the original application with the application number of CN02826142.9, wherein the international application date of the original application is 12 and 20 days in 2002, the date of entering the China is 6 and 25 days in 2004, and the invention is named as 'toothbrush and a method for manufacturing the toothbrush'.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a toothbrush and a manufacturing method thereof.

Background

From WO00/64307 and WO01/21036 toothbrushes are known with conventional bristle tufts consisting of bristle strands consisting of, for example, Polyamide (PA) or Polyester (PBT) and an additional flexible and elastic structure. Here, the common bristles are used for general tooth cleaning, and the flexible and elastic structure may satisfy various functions such as palate massage, buffering of brushing motion, tartar removal, tooth surface polishing, elastic suspension of bristles, and/or sealing of unwelded portions. WO00/64307 discloses a toothbrush with a bar-shaped flexible cleaning element having approximately the same length as a bundle of ordinary bristles and arranged on the periphery of the head of the toothbrush. In WO01/21036 the elastic cleaning elements are planar, for example designed in an undulating manner, and are arranged within conventional bristle tufts. In WO00/64307 a number of flexible cleaning elements are interconnected by material arches consisting of the same material. The cleaning element is produced from bristles of a toothbrush head with conventional bristles by casting the head around. The disadvantage here is that the bristle filaments must be finished before the production of the flexible structure, for example by rounding the bristle tufts or by producing a defined relief contour. It must then be replaced in the injection mold to produce the flexible and resilient structure. At this time, the bundle of bristles may be damaged or contaminated. The shapes in which the flexible elastic structure can be made are limited due to demolding techniques.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a toothbrush having common bristles and a flexible and resilient structure, which can be easily manufactured. A corresponding production method is also to be provided.

This object is achieved by a toothbrush and a method for producing such a toothbrush characterized in the following.

The toothbrush according to the invention comprises: a handle and a head with bristle filaments and a flexible structure, wherein the flexible structure is arranged on a dish-shaped base element having a front side and a rear side; providing apertures in the base element and/or the flexible resilient structure through which the bristles pass; the base element consists of a hard material and the flexible structure consists of a soft material, and the base element is attached to the head with the back facing the head; wherein the bristle filaments pass through the holes through which the bristles pass and the rear end of the bristle filaments, which in the case of use faces the toothbrush head, is welded, soldered or glued to a base plate or a flexible elastic structure.

According to the invention, the method for producing the above-described toothbrush is characterized in that at least one flexible cleaning element is fastened to a base element made of a hard material, which is connected to the head of the toothbrush.

The toothbrush according to the invention comprises: a handle and a head with bristle filaments and a flexible structure, wherein the flexible structure is composed of a soft component and is arranged on a dish-shaped base element having a front side and a rear side; providing apertures in the base element and/or the flexible resilient structure through which the bristles pass; the base element consists of a hard material and the flexible structure consists of a soft material, and the base element is attached to the head with the back facing the head; wherein the base element and the flexible-resilient structure are formed by two-component injection moulding in order to produce a non-detachable connection between the flexible-resilient structure and the stiffer base element; and the bristle filaments pass through the holes through which the bristles pass, and the rear end of the bristle filaments, which in the case of use faces the toothbrush head, is welded, soldered or glued to the base plate or the flexible elastic structure.

The toothbrush according to the invention comprises: a handle and a head with bristle filaments and a flexible structure, wherein the flexible structure is arranged on a dish-shaped base element having a front side and a rear side; providing apertures in the base element and/or the flexible resilient structure through which the bristles pass; the base element consists of a hard material and the flexible structure consists of a soft material, and the base element is attached to the head with the back facing the head; wherein the bristle filaments pass through the holes through which the bristles pass and the rear ends of the bristle filaments, which in the case of use face the toothbrush head, are welded, soldered or glued to a base plate or a flexible elastic structure; and the boundary region between the head and the base element is covered by a soft material which seals the cavity between the head and the base element against the ingress of water.

An excellent improved structure is obtained from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

In a toothbrush of the type mentioned at the outset, according to the invention, at least one flexibly elastic structure, for example a cleaning element, is provided on the base element consisting of a hard material. The base element is connected to the head. Such a toothbrush is advantageous in terms of production, since the auxiliary part, i.e. the base element provided with the flexible and resilient structure, can be produced separately and can be connected to the head in a simple manner.

The connection of the base element to the head can be established mechanically by clamping or riveting, chemically by gluing, by ultrasonic welding or thermodynamically by welding or other heat input. The base element is preferably composed of the same material as the head in terms of the manufacturing process, since in this case only one hard component for producing the toothbrush has to be prepared, without having to pay attention to the mutual material compatibility. This is advantageous in particular in the case of ultrasonic welding.

The arrangement of the flexible elastic structure on the base element consisting of a hard material has the following advantages: the auxiliary portion may be manufactured separately from the rest of the toothbrush body consisting of the handle and the head, and is ready for the end use. The base element is connected to the head in a simple subsequent step, wherein all of the above-described connecting processes can be used, while the hard base element is in particular formed in a manner adapted thereto. For example, the base element can be shaped in such a way that it grips around the head in a later joining process. The auxiliary part, due to the hard base element, is easier to handle than an auxiliary part made entirely of a soft elastic material.

The auxiliary portion is smaller than the rest of the toothbrush. The required moulds are also small and economical. The toothbrush base body and the bristles can also be produced later with different auxiliary parts using standard moulds. In order to produce toothbrushes with different auxiliary parts, only the auxiliary part or the corresponding mold has to be replaced for this purpose, which can be carried out easily and economically.

Another advantage of manufacturing the auxiliary portion and the basic body separately is that it is possible to realize a flexibly elastic cleaning element of any shape, for example one that crosses, contacts or squeezes ordinary bristles when the auxiliary portion is mounted. Demolding of the flexible elastic structure is not a problem due to the separate manufacturing. Injection molding makes it possible to produce geometries which can be released only with great effort when the cleaning element is arranged directly on the bristle-implanted head.

The flexible elastic structure has hitherto been produced from the same material as the flexible elastic component possible on the handle, for reasons of the production process. By means of the invention a greater freedom is obtained for the material of construction, so that for example another hardness can be used.

The auxiliary part is prevented from falling off during use by the non-detachable connection of the auxiliary part to the head, eliminating the risk of swallowing.

The conventional bristles are, for example, fastened directly to the head, to a bristle plate which acts as a further base element or to a base element for the flexible cleaning element, all of which have advantages. When the bristles are fixed to the head or bristle plate, the flexible elastic structure and the ordinary bristles can be prepared for later use independently of each other before being combined with the head and the auxiliary part, thereby preventing mutual damage or contamination.

The mounting of both the conventional bristles and the flexible structure on the base element has the advantage that the two components can be arranged in any desired spatial arrangement. Such a pre-prepared base element can be combined with different toothbrush bases in a final product, so that a large number of different toothbrushes can be realized with a small number of bases.

If the two components are provided on the base element, the flexible structure is preferably first produced, including the possible cleaning elements, and then the base element is provided with bristles which can be passed through holes in the soft or hard components, for example.

The production of the secondary part, i.e. the base element with the one or more soft and elastic cleaning elements, is preferably carried out by two-component or multi-component injection molding. Here, a non-detachable connection between the two components is preferably established.

The flexible elastic structure is preferably also arranged on the side of the base element, for example injection-molded on, wherein it laterally aligns with or protrudes beyond the outer contour of the head in the assembled state. It is used, for example, to seal unwelded areas, to massage the palate, for example by injection molding a less-distant elastic element thereon, or as a collision-avoidance measure during brushing.

The flexible cleaning element is preferably composed of a thermoplastic elastomer, for example natural or synthetic rubber. The base element is preferably made of a material for the toothbrush base, in particular polypropylene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, polyester, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) or an anisotropic plastic(Isoplast). The soft component preferably has a Shore A hardness of less than 90, particularly preferably less than 50.

The base element is particularly preferably provided with bristles by the AFT (Anker-Free-Tufting) process. In which a substrate plate of a hard material with a flexible and elastic structure is first manufactured, in particular by a two-component injection molding process. The bristle filaments then pass through the holes in the base plate and/or the flexible structure and are fixed to the base plate or the flexible structure by welding or gluing, in the application case, toward the rear end of the toothbrush head, which has the advantage that a completely arbitrary bristle configuration, in particular a planar bristle configuration, can be achieved. The base element is connected to the head, in particular by means of ultrasonic welding, as described, for example, in DE 20006311U.

Since rubber-elastic materials, in particular thermoplastic elastomers, can only be subjected to a limited ultrasonic welding because of their high damping properties against ultrasonic vibrations, the weld surface between the base element and the head is preferably at least partially free of the flexurally elastic component. For this purpose, the injection point of the soft component is preferably selected on the side of the base element carrying the bristles, so that no material arch of the soft component reduces the welding surface, and for the case in which the soft elastic element is to be arranged in the region of the welding surface, its position is preferably selected laterally to the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush. The unwelded region is thus also produced on the side of the base element, while the longitudinal front and rear regions between the base element and the head can be welded, so that a good fixing of the base element is ensured, since the front and rear regions are mainly stressed by the brushing movement and the corresponding lever forces, while the side regions are less stressed. It is also possible to use spot welding with unwelded portions, as required, whereby the brush head and the base element can be moved relative to each other, so that a certain flexibility of the entire brush head is achieved.

The flexible elastic structure can additionally be used to seal off the non-welded region in the form of a sealing lip. The cavity between the base element and the head is thereby advantageously sealed against the ingress of water. So that no bacteria accumulate in this area and the toothbrush is more hygienic. In order to achieve a suitable sealing action, the soft component preferably has a Shore A hardness of less than 50.

Drawings

Examples of the invention are shown in the drawings and described below. The figures represent, completely schematically:

FIGS. 1a-d are views of a toothbrush according to the invention in different assembled states, wherein the auxiliary part is fixed to the head by riveting;

FIGS. 2a-e are views of another toothbrush with auxiliary sections secured by rivets;

figures 3a-e are views of a toothbrush with its auxiliary parts fixed by welding;

FIGS. 4a-e are views of a toothbrush with its auxiliary parts secured by a snap-lock connection;

FIGS. 5a-e are views of another toothbrush with its auxiliary parts secured by a snap-lock connection;

FIGS. 6a-f are views of a toothbrush with its auxiliary parts secured by clamping;

FIGS. 7a-e illustrate the manufacture of a toothbrush using the AFT method;

FIGS. 8a-e are views of yet another toothbrush having its auxiliary portions secured by a snap-lock connection;

FIGS. 9a-f are views of another toothbrush having its auxiliary section secured to the head with clearance;

FIGS. 10a-j illustrate an alternative toothbrush made by the AFT process;

figures 11a-c are views of a toothbrush with a side border comprised of a flexible elastomeric material.

Detailed Description

All toothbrushes shown have a base body with a head 1 and a handle 2, only a part of which is shown. The auxiliary portion 4 is connected to the head 1 in the finished toothbrush together with a number of differently shaped flexible cleaning elements 6 connected to a likewise differently shaped base element. The head 1 is furthermore provided directly (fig. 1 to 5) or indirectly (fig. 6) with bristle tufts 3 consisting of conventional bristle filaments. The material and layout of the bristle bundles 3 may be different. Only the features of the various embodiments will be described below. In which elements that are equivalent to each other are indicated by the same graphic symbols.

Fig. 1a, c show a toothbrush whose head 1 has been provided with bristle tufts 3. The auxiliary part 4 shown in fig. 1b has a base element 5 with a U-shaped cross section, which consists of a hard material, in particular the same plastic material used for the manufacture of the head 1 or of the entire base. A flexible cleaning element 6, here in the form of a straight rod, is fixedly connected to the base element 5. The cleaning elements 6 are inclined slightly away from the vertical towards each other and at an angle of 5 ° to 30 ° to the vertical. In this way the flexible cleaning element 6 is brought into contact with the normal bristle tuft 3 (fig. 1a) and may even intersect it (not shown). This structure can only be realized by complicated extrusion processes with conventional manufacturing methods.

The base element 5 is matched in its shape to a recess 9, which can be seen in fig. 1c, in the region of the head 1 facing away from the bristle tufts 3. In this region, pins 7 are also provided, which can be passed through openings 8 in the base element 5. The pin 7 is cold or hot formed and is thereby permanently fixed in the hole 8. Figure 1a shows a top view of a completed toothbrush.

The hole 8 or the entire lower region of the head 1 can be covered for aesthetic or hygienic reasons with a protective layer 22 of soft plastic (see fig. 2 d). The boundary region between the base element 5 and the head 1 is likewise preferably covered with a soft plastic. As a material for this, for example, a soft material for a toothbrush handle is used. In particular, the protective layer is already injection-molded on during the production of the handle by the multicomponent injection molding method. The plastic layer can also be formed directly on the base element.

Another example of a toothbrush whose auxiliary portion 4 is connected to the head 1 by a riveted connection is shown in fig. 2 a-e. The auxiliary part here consists of a disk-shaped base element 5 to which a flat, flexible cleaning element 6 is connected in a quincunx manner. The base element 5 has a pin 7 ' with which the auxiliary part 4 is inserted through a correspondingly prepared hole 8 ' in the front end of the head and can be fixed by deformation of the pin 7 '. A flexible cleaning element 6 is located in the region of the tip of the head 1. The bristle field adjoins the individual bristle tufts 3 in the direction of the handle 2. The protective layer 22 covers the area of the hole 8'.

Fig. 3a-e show another example of a toothbrush, which terminates similarly to the toothbrush according to fig. 2. The auxiliary portion 4 with the disk-shaped base element 5 and the quincunx-shaped soft elastic cleaning element 6 is connected in the described case to the head 1 by means of a welded connection. For this purpose, the front region of the head 1 has a dish-shaped recess, in which the base element 5 is permanently embedded by means of ultrasonic welding due to the correspondingly configured bottom surface 5 a. Fig. 3d shows a side view of the finished toothbrush, and fig. 3e shows a top view of the composite bristle tufts comprising normal bristle tufts 3 and flexible cleaning elements 6.

The auxiliary part 4 of the toothbrush shown in fig. 4a-e is fixed in the center of the head 1 by means of a snap-lock connection. The auxiliary part 4 comprises a rectangular base element 5, which is provided at its corners with blade-like, flexibly elastic cleaning elements 6, and two rod-shaped cleaning elements 6 (fig. 4b, c) on the base element 5. As shown in fig. 4a, the head 1 has a central opening 8 ″ for the passage of the elastically designed projections 11 of the base element 5. The auxiliary part 4 and the head 1 are connected to one another by a snap-on connection, which cannot be disengaged without difficulty due to the enlarged cross section at the lower end 11a of the projection 11. The bristle tufts of the common bristle tufts 3 are grouped in such a way that the blade-shaped cleaning elements 6 are located between the common bristle tufts 3, as shown in fig. 4a and 4 e. The auxiliary part 4 is manufactured separately and then the head 1 with the prepared bristle tufts is loaded in. This makes it possible to achieve a structure of the flexible cleaning elements 6 that penetrates the normal bristle tufts, such as the blade-shaped elements in fig. 4b-e that are arranged at the corners, or the fan-shaped bar-shaped cleaning elements in fig. 8 that are oriented in different spatial directions. The underside of the head 1 is covered by a layer 22 of a flexible elastic material for hygienic or aesthetic reasons.

Fig. 5a-e show a further example of a snap-lock connection between the auxiliary part 4 and the head 1 of the toothbrush according to the invention. The head 1 has a prepared area 13 for the attachment of the auxiliary part 4 in a bristle tuft consisting of normal bristle tufts 3. This region 13 consists of a depression, on the edge of which a groove 12 is arranged in each case perpendicularly to the direction of the shank 2, which together with the grooves 12' distributed over the lateral edge of the head gives the head 1a certain elasticity or spring effect. The prepared region 13 is slightly smaller than the underside of the base element 5, so that the base element can be inserted into the region 13 in a form-fitting manner. As can be seen from the top view in fig. 5e, the auxiliary portion has both a rod-like and a planar cleaning element arranged perpendicularly to the direction of the shank 2.

Figs. 6a-f illustrate another example of a toothbrush of the present invention, here a plug-in toothbrush, which is an electric toothbrush. The tufts of normal bristles 3 are fixed to a separate bristle plate 18, which in the assembled state is connected to the associated toothbrush head 1 or to a disk 23 which is fixed rotatably or pivotably on the head. The flexible cleaning element 6, here in the form of a rod, is attached to a base element 5 which is slightly curved in plan view and has a planar projection 16 which is arranged substantially perpendicular to the orientation of the cleaning element 6. The auxiliary part 4 can be inserted with the projection 16 into a correspondingly shaped groove 14 in the disc 23. A circular recess 15 is provided in the centre of the head 1 and the groove 14, into which a corresponding counter-element 17 on a boss 16 of the secondary part 4 engages. Thereby bringing the auxiliary portion 4 and the head 1 into mating and clamping connection. The bristle plate 18 has a groove 19 at its lower end, with which the bristle plate 18 can be fixed to the disk 23 or its lateral projection 23. In the embodiment shown, the auxiliary part 4 is carried along by a disk 23. Alternatively, the auxiliary portion 4 may be fixed directly to the head 1 without following the rotation.

Fig. 7a-e show an example of a toothbrush manufactured by means of the AFT-process. Fig. 7a-c show a sectional view of the base element 5 at different process stages, and before the provision of the flexible cleaning element 6 and the tufts 3 of normal bristles (fig. 7a), after the application of the flexible material (fig. 7b) and after the application of the bristles (fig. 7 c). The base element 5 is matched in its outer shape to a prepared region 13 in the shape of a planar recess in the toothbrush head 1. The base element 5 has a number of pre-prepared areas 20. The flexible cleaning element 6 is inserted into this region, in particular cast therein. The base element 5 furthermore has recesses 24 which are completely or partially filled with the flexible elastic material 6', see fig. 7e for a partial view. The base element 5 is then provided with holes 21 through which the bristle tufts 3 pass and are fixed to the back by melting of their rear ends 3 a. The elastomeric region 6 'has further holes 21' which are likewise used for the mounting of bristle tufts 3 and which are fixed in the same manner. The material section 6' can be fitted with one or more bristle tufts 3. The bristle bundles 3 held in the elastomeric material 6' are therefore anchored or cantilevered particularly elastically. The other bristle tufts 3 are fixed directly to the base element 5. The base element 5 provided with the bristle tufts and the flexible elastic structure 6, 6' is then inserted into the prepared region 13.

In the use case, the edge 20 of the base element 5 facing the bottom of the recess 13 is designed as a point, as in the example in fig. 10 and 11. This tapered edge 30 serves as an energy concentrator for the liquefied material and as a material container for the material during the ultrasonic welding for connection to the head 1.

The AFT process differs from anchors or clips used to secure bristle filaments, which are instead welded directly to a base plate. The width of the bristle bundles is therefore not determined by the anchors, so that a thinner structure, in particular a planar bristle arrangement, can be achieved.

In terms of technology, the bristle filaments can also be prepared for use before being attached to the base plate in the AFT method. However, it is currently the case that the bristles are treated only after they have been mounted on the base plate.

Figures 8a-e illustrate a variation of the toothbrush of figure 4. The bristle tufts, which consist of normal bristle tufts 3, correspond to those of fig. 4. The auxiliary portion 4 has a number of rod-shaped cleaning elements 6 spread in a star shape, which are passed through the normal bristle tufts 3 (fig. 8a, e). The fastening means correspond to fig. 4. A layer 22 of a flexible elastomeric material covers the underside of the head and handle 1, 2.

Figures 9a-f illustrate yet another example of a toothbrush of the present invention. The head 1 has a region 13 prepared beforehand for the base element 5 of the secondary part 4, which is larger than the base element 5 itself. The area 13 is, for example, a hole which penetrates completely through the head 1, see cross-sectional views 9b, d, e. The area 13 has two lateral grooves 13a, the shape of which matches the shape of the two lateral projections 5b of the base element 5. The base element is inserted into the head 1 and latched there. Due to the play of the base element 5 in the region 13, which allows lateral deflection and/or pivoting about an axis defined by the projection 5b, a particular elastic or spring effect of the auxiliary part 4 is obtained, the back of the head 1 can likewise be covered with a soft material layer.

FIGS. 10a-j illustrate yet another example of a toothbrush made by AFT. Fig. 10a-c correspond to fig. 7a-c and show the base plate 5 in different process stages, respectively. Fig. 10d-f show a cross section of the same base plate 5 along the line I-I indicated in fig. 10 a. The centrally disposed flexible elastic element 6 is plane or sail shaped and in top view (fig. 10h) undulated. As shown in fig. 10e + f, the flexibly resilient structures comprise laterally generated regions 6 ″ which, in the assembled state (fig. 10h), laterally surround the toothbrush head 1 and fit almost flush with the outer contour of the head. They are used, for example, as an anti-collision measure and/or as an additional massage for the palate. The region 6 ″ likewise has holes 21' for receiving the bristle tufts 3, whereby the bristle tufts are resiliently cantilevered and are particularly soft during brushing.

The base element 5, provided with the normal bristles 3 and the flexible and resilient structures 6, 6', 6 ", is accommodated in a recess 13 of the toothbrush head 1. In fig. 10g + j the toothbrush head 1 is shown without the base element 5, and in fig. 10h + i the toothbrush head with the base element 5 enclosed is shown in a different view. The toothbrush head 1 or the recess 13 has lateral holes 25 on its side edges, which are matched to the lateral flexible zones 6 ″ previously injection-molded on the base element 5.

The base element 5 is connected to the toothbrush head 1 by means of ultrasonic welding. The weld face 26 is shown in phantom. For welding, the base element has a welding edge 26' on its lower edge, which, during assembly, rests on the bottom of the recess 13, the contact surface defining the welding surface 26. The welding edge 26' melts under the influence of the ultrasonic waves, so that the two parts 5 and 1 are bonded to one another.

Since the rubber-elastic material can only be welded to the toothbrush in a conditioned manner, the welding surface 26 is kept free of rubber-elastic material as much as possible, for example, like the toothbrush in fig. 7, or with only a small interruption, as in the case of the toothbrush in fig. 10. The aim is that the cavity 28 between the base element 5 and the head 1 is completely sealed against the ingress of water and bacteria in both cases. Furthermore, the injection points of the soft elastic material on the bristled front side of the base element 5 are preferably selected such that no unnecessary material bridges are present, so that the welding surface 26 is reduced, and if further soft elastic elements are present on the head 1, in particular on the rear side thereof, the position thereof is selected such that it does not reduce the welding surface 26. For example, the other elements and the corresponding injection points are located completely inside the region of the rear side of the head 1 (not shown) defined by the welding surface 26. The entire contact surface between the head 1 and the base element 5 is preferably welded for at least 25%, particularly preferably along the head periphery (line 26).

In the example of fig. 10, the flexible zone 6 ″ interrupts the welding surface 26, so that an unwelded region 27 is formed there. These points are advantageously arranged on the side of the head 1, while the base element 5 is fixedly connected to the head 1 in the longitudinal front and rear regions. This ensures that the base element 5 is securely fixed, since the front and rear regions are subjected to the greatest load due to the brushing movement and the corresponding lever forces.

The unwelded region 27 is sealed primarily by the flexible elastic region 6 ″ in the form of a sealing lip, so that no or only little water can enter the cavity 28. It is preferable to select a material having a shore a hardness of 50 or less for a good sealing function. It is also possible to use the unwelded portion between the head and the base element as required in order to achieve a certain flexibility between the two hard components.

Figure 11 shows in a different view another example of a toothbrush made by the AFT method with two sail-shaped flexible cleaning elements 6. The base element 5 is completely covered on its outer periphery with a flexible elastic material 6', which completely surrounds the head 1 in the assembled state (top view in fig. 11 a) on the outer periphery of the upper side of the head 1 and serves as a crash protection, the soft material serving as a support for the side bristle bundles 3 in the region 6 ″ which pass through the flexible elastic material 6 ″.

As can be seen from fig. 11c, the hard components, the base element 5 and the head 1, contact one another in the region 6' along the surface 26 below the soft component and can be welded together here by means of ultrasound. The welding surface 26 is interrupted by the side area 6 ", but here, as described above, a sufficient fixing effect is achieved. The cavity 28 below the base element 5 is sealed by the flexibly resilient region 6 "and the welded area along the surface 26.

The welding and sealing of the components described above with reference to figures 10 and 11 may also be used to advantage with other toothbrushes.

Claims (33)

1. A toothbrush, comprising:

a handle and a head with bristle filaments and a flexible structure, wherein the flexible structure is arranged on a dish-shaped base element having a front side and a rear side, wherein the head comprises a recess, to which the base element is matched in terms of its shape, and wherein the base element is fitted into the recess with the rear side of the base element facing the head, and wherein the base element is connected to the head in a non-detachable manner;

providing apertures in the base element and/or the flexible resilient structure through which the bristles pass;

the base element consists of a hard material and the flexible structure consists of a soft material;

wherein the base element and the flexible-elastic construction are formed by a two-component injection molding method in order to produce a non-detachable connection between the soft flexible-elastic construction and the harder base element, the base element provided with the flexible-elastic construction forming the auxiliary part, the flexible-elastic construction comprising at least one flexible-elastic cleaning element;

wherein the bristle filaments pass through holes in the secondary part through which the bristles pass, and the rear end of the bristle filaments, which in the case of use faces the toothbrush head, is welded, soldered or glued to the base element or the flexible elastic structure.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the base element is composed of the same material as the head.

3. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the non-detachable connection between the base element and the head is produced by clamping, latching, riveting, gluing, welding or heat input.

4. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the material of the base element is polypropylene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer, polyurethane or polyester.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the flexible and elastic structure is composed of natural or synthetic rubber.

6. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the flexible elastic structure is composed of a thermoplastic elastomer.

7. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the flexibly resilient structure has a shore a hardness of less than 90.

8. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the base element has a number of pre-prepared areas in which the flexible cleaning element is cast.

9. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the flexible elastic element arranged in the middle is plane or sail shaped.

10. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: at least one of the holes through which the bristles pass is arranged in the flexible structure and provided with bristle filaments which are anchored in an elastic manner to the flexible structure.

11. The toothbrush of claim 10 further comprising apertures disposed directly in the base member through which said bristles extend, the apertures being provided with bristle filaments.

12. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the boundary region between the head and the base element is covered by a soft material.

13. The toothbrush of claim 12, wherein: the soft material seals the cavity between the base element and the head against ingress of water.

14. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the flexible elastic structure comprises regions which are arranged laterally on the base element and which, in the assembled state, terminate laterally with or project beyond the outer contour of the head.

15. The toothbrush of claim 14, wherein: said region seals the contact between the head and the base element against the ingress of water.

16. The toothbrush of claim 14, wherein: the toothbrush head has lateral holes on its side edges, which are matched to lateral flexible zones previously injection-molded onto the base element.

17. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the head has a prepared area for mounting the auxiliary part in a bristle tuft composed of a bundle of normal bristles, the area is composed of a pit, the edge of the base element facing the bottom of the pit is designed as a tip in the use situation, and the edge designed as the tip is used as an energy concentrator and a material container for the liquefied material in the ultrasonic welding for connecting with the head.

18. The toothbrush of claim 17, wherein: the weld surface between the base element and the head remains free of rubber-elastic material.

19. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the injection points for producing the flexible elastic structure are located on the front side of the base element.

20. The toothbrush of claim 1 further comprising a cavity between the base member and the head.

21. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the flexible elastic structure includes a laterally generated region.

22. The toothbrush of claim 13 further comprising a cavity between the base member and the head.

23. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein: the rear end is welded to the back of the base element and/or the flexible elastic structure.

24. A method of manufacturing a toothbrush according to any one of the preceding claims,

when the base element provided with the flexibly elastic structure is manufactured separately as an auxiliary part, at least one flexibly elastic cleaning element is fixed on a base element composed of a hard material;

the bristle filaments then pass through the holes in the flexible structure of the auxiliary part and/or in the base element and are welded, soldered or glued by their rear ends, which in the case of use face the head, to the base element or the flexible structure, and

in a next step, the base element is inserted into a recess of the head, which recess is matched to the base element in terms of its shape and the base element is connected to the head of the toothbrush in a non-detachable manner,

wherein the flexible elastic structure and the base element are formed by two-component injection molding, and wherein a non-detachable connection is produced between the flexible elastic structure and the base element.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein: the base element is connected to the head by clamping, latching, riveting, gluing, welding or heat input.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein: the bristle filaments are fixed to the head or a bristle plate and are cut open and/or rounded before the base element is fixed.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising: the bristle filaments are prepared before they are mounted on the base plate.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising: injection points of a flexible and elastic material are provided on the front side of the base element.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising: the area for mounting the auxiliary part is prepared in advance for the head in the bristle tuft composed of a bundle of normal bristles, and this area is composed of a depression, and the edge of the base element facing the bottom of the depression is designed as a pointed edge, which serves as an energy concentrator for the liquefied material and as a material container during the ultrasonic welding for connecting to the head.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising: the contact area between the head and the base element is welded to the extent of at least 25% of the contact area.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising: the head and base elements are welded together in the front and rear regions with respect to the longitudinal direction of the head, and the lateral regions are left unwelded.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising: spot welding with an unwelded portion, whereby the toothbrush head and the base element can be moved relative to each other, so that a certain flexibility of the entire toothbrush head is achieved.

33. The method of claim 24, further comprising: the boundary region between the head and the base element is sealed with a soft material.