CN101480296B

CN101480296B - Toothbrush

Info

Publication number: CN101480296B
Application number: CN2009100063315A
Authority: CN
Inventors: D·J·霍尔贝因
Original assignee: Colgate Palmolive Co
Current assignee: Colgate Palmolive Co
Priority date: 2003-06-20
Filing date: 2004-06-18
Publication date: 2012-10-10
Anticipated expiration: 2024-06-18
Also published as: CN1809301A; BRPI0411546A; CO5630014A2; KR20060019592A; CN100471417C; MXPA05013009A; CN1809299A; KR101217422B1; KR20060033731A; BRPI0411546B1; MY169521A; CO5650211A2; MY144162A; CN1809301B; MXPA05012998A; KR101185653B1; KR101122892B1; KR20110101251A; CN101480296A; AU2010249146A1

Abstract

A toothbrush includes a brush head and multiple cleaning elements for enhanced tooth cleaning. The cleaning elements include ring-shaped cleaning elements for better retention of tooth powder or toothpaste; a central cleaning element disposed within the ring arrangement; two opposing arc-shaped cleaning elements disposed on either side of the ring arrangement; peripheral cleaning elements with stepped and inclined structures; and elongated distal and proximal cleaning elements.

Description

A kind of toothbrush

The application is that the PCT application number is the dividing an application for the application for a patent for invention of " a kind of toothbrush " that PCT/US2004/019851 (its application number that gets into country's stage is 200480017045.4), the applying date be on June 18th, 2004, denomination of invention.

Technical field

The present invention relates to a kind of toothbrush, it has the cleaning brush of reinforcement.

Background technology

Toothbrush is through coming cleaning teeth from dental surface removing dental plaque and residue.Conventional toothbrushes is provided with the bristle edging on plane, has so just limited the ability of its suitable tooth curved surface, is difficult to get between interdental tooth the district and removes dental plaque and residue and clear up along gum line.In addition, such toothbrush only has the ability that limited maintenance tooth powder or toothpaste carry out cleaning of teeth.In the process of brushing teeth, tooth powder or toothpaste slide through bristle tuft usually, break away from bristle and interdental contact zone.Consequently, tooth powder or toothpaste are dispersed in the oral cavity usually, rather than focus on the contact zone of bristle and tooth.Therefore, the efficient of cleaning course reduces.

Summary of the invention

The present invention relates to a kind of toothbrush, it has novel cleaning device arranges, and the cleaning of teeth of reinforcement can be provided.

In one aspect of the invention, toothbrush comprises: handle; Brush is connected to said handle; With, a plurality of tooth cleaning members that extend from said brush.Said tooth cleaning member comprises a pair of arc cleaning device, has concave surface that faces one another and the center cleaning device that is provided with in about center of arc cleaning device.

In another aspect of this invention, toothbrush comprises: handle; Be connected to the brush of said handle, it comprises longitudinal axis, matrix surface and a pair of opposed side edges; With, from the outward extending a plurality of tooth cleaning members of said matrix surface.Said a plurality of tooth cleaning member comprises inner tooth cleaning member; With at least one group of periphery tooth cleaning member; Said side along said brush; Each said peripheral tooth cleaning member surpasses cleaning inside spare from the distance that said matrix surface extends, and each peripheral tooth cleaning member of said group comprises at least three adjacent peripheral cleaning devices, a development length that surpasses the peripheral cleaning device on both sides from the development length of matrix surface in the middle of the adjacent peripheral tooth cleaning member.

Description of drawings

Through with reference to the explanation of doing below in conjunction with accompanying drawing, can more comprehensively understanding be arranged to the present invention and advantage thereof, the identical characteristic of similar mark representative in the accompanying drawing, in the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is the perspective view according to the toothbrush of one or more aspects of the embodiment that is shown;

Fig. 2 is the amplification front elevation of the brushhead portion of Fig. 1 toothbrush;

Fig. 3 is the enlarged side view of the brushhead portion of Fig. 1 toothbrush;

Fig. 4 is the sectional view along the brushhead portion of the section 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is the partial section of the brushhead portion of similar Fig. 4, is clearly shown that the tooth cleaning member of keeping apart;

Fig. 6 is the partial section that is similar to the brushhead portion of Fig. 4, has clearly illustrated another tooth cleaning member of keeping apart;

Fig. 7 is the distal end view of the brushhead portion of toothbrush shown in Figure 1.

The specific embodiment

Fig. 1 to 7 shows the toothbrush 100 with supporting mass 101, and supporting mass comprises handle 103 and brush 105, and the tooth cleaning member 200 of cleaning user tooth.Handle 103 makes the user hold easily and handles toothbrush 100 that handle can form many different shapes and various different structure.Brush 105 is ends of supporting mass, is provided with tooth cleaning member 200 on it.Tooth cleaning member can be connected to the matrix surface 109 of brush 105 through any known mode.

In preferred structure, matrix surface 109 is provided with at least one group of cleaning device 209, forms circulus 214 jointly, can keep tooth powder or toothpaste better among tooth cleaning member 200, especially between the contact zone of cleaning device and tooth.Although loop configuration is preferably circular, also can have various closed circular, include but not limited to oval, square and irregularly shaped.Believe that the interior concave wall surfaces of using in the ring-type can keep better and mobile tooth powder or toothpaste in tooth, especially move when brushing teeth with the roundlet of hope when toothbrush.In addition, can also use other shapes.Ring-type can form basic closing structure simply, to keep tooth powder or toothpaste.

In order to keep tooth powder or toothpaste better, each circulus is preferably formed by the cleaning device that elastomeric wall members is formed.Although circulus can form through the elongated bristle tuft of close installation, compare with elastomeric wall members, it is more to be arranged so that like this tooth powder or toothpaste break away from.In addition, preferably closed basically although circulus can be complete closing structure, form by a plurality of independently flexible piece 209a-d.In this way, cleaning device can provide limited and controlled tooth powder or toothpaste to flow in outer cleaning device, and keeps enough flexibilities, makes the user feel more comfortable, improves the cleaning action of cleaning device 209.In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, each circulus is formed by four elastomeric wall members 209a-d, and each wall shape spare forms the arcuation part, is similar to 1/4 circle.As stated, the arcuation part of closing on is spaced apart, forms gap 212, allows the limited ground of tooth powder or toothpaste outwards to flow out, and allows each wall shape spare independently to carry out deflection.The gap also can be flow through ring-type through water and helps clean cleaning device 209.It is tiny that but the gap preferably keeps, with the disengaging of restriction tooth powder or toothpaste.Although demonstrated four parts that form ring-type, other quantity also can adopt.The available any known elastomeric material that can be used as tooth cleaning member of wall shape spare forms.At last, though arch section cleaning device independently preferably, ring-type can also be formed by single-piece, but groove is set to form the cleaning device 209a-d of gap 212 and independent deflection on it.

Know demonstration like Fig. 2, preferred embodiment comprises three ring-type 214a-c, is provided with from front to back along longitudinal axis a-a respectively.Can keep major part to be applied to the tooth powder or the toothpaste of tooth cleaning member in this way, with cleaning user's tooth.Yet, can use one, two or more than three ring-types.In addition, ring-type can other pattern setting, comprise that non-alignment is arranged or off-axis a-a is provided with.

In preferred construction, center cleaning device 207 is arranged on the center of each ring-type 214.Although also can when using big ring-type, be arranged on each ring center place more than a center cleaning device 207.Through such setting, tooth powder or toothpaste carry out effective cleaning be retained in the end of cleaning device 207 in the operating period of brushing teeth near.In preferred structure, the concave nature of the inner surface of cleaning device 209a-d at the brush of brush 105 during the moving or vibration guiding tooth powder or toothpaste to cleaning device 207a-c.

Center cleaning device 207 is preferably formed by bristle tuft, with cleaning teeth effectively.But can use one or more elastic components to form distal cleaning elements, come extra setting or replace using bristle.

The bristle of cleaning device 203 and the most handy nylon material of other bristle tuft that below will discuss are processed, and can buy the nylon material of commodity Brilliance by name from Dupont company.But, also can use other materials.The bristle of toothbrush 100 preferably has circular section shape, also other cross sectional shapes can be arranged.Circular bristle can use the nylon material that can be called TYNEX from the commodity that Dupont company has bought.The diameter of circular bristle is preferably 0.007 inch to 0.008 inch, or has other sizes, and this depends on the bristle cleaning action of hope.Tooth cleaning member uses the manufacturing approach of known oral care product to be connected to toothbrush.

With reference to figure 1 and Fig. 2, additional outer ring cleaning device 211a, 211b is arranged on the central region of brush 105, is arranged to the arc setting around the cleaning device 209a-d of more intermediate annular 214b usually.These outer arcuate cleaning devices 211a-d is preferably formed by two relative arc cleaning devices, and arcuate member generally is symmetrical, is positioned at the both sides of the longitudinal axis a-a of brush 105.As shown in Figure 2, outer cleaning device 211a-b is around the ring-type cleaning device 209a-d of brush 105 centers, to use this space of brush effectively.In a preferred embodiment, general concentric being arranged among the outer cleaning device 211a-b of the ring-type cleaning device 209a-d of center.The tooth powder or the toothpaste that flow through the gap 212 on the ring-type 214b side will be utilized by outer cleaning device 211.And outer arcuate cleaning device 211a, the most handy elongated bristle tuft of b forms, with cleaning teeth effectively.Can replace bristle or form with one or more elastic components extraly.

Fig. 4 to 6 is sectional views of brush 105, has shown cleaning device 207,209 and 211 preferred length characteristic.In this preferred construction, being shorter in length than of center cleaning device 207a and 207c forms ring-type 214a, and the cleaning device 209 of 214c can help to keep ring-type 214a, and tooth powder among the c or toothpaste are strengthened the cleaning to the lingual surface and the face of tooth.Cleaning device 207a, first height H 1 of c is preferably in about 0.20-2.0 millimeter with the difference in height of second height H 2 of cleaning device 209, also other variations can be arranged.The aspect ratio of center cleaning device 207b forms cleaning device 209 height of center ring-type 214b, the bizet that can help to clean between cog better and clean molar.Difference in height between the 3rd height H 3 of cleaning device 207b and second height H 2 of cleaning device 209 preferably is approximately 0.20 to 2.0 millimeter, also can adopt other variations.Although this structure is preferred,, if desired, also can adopt other height change of cleaning device can optimize each surperficial cleaning in the oral cavity.For example, center cleaning device 207 can have equal height mutually, and has equal height with ring-type cleaning device 209, or it is higher or lower than the ring-type cleaning device highly by different way.In another example, in the staple structure of toothbrush 100, the height of center cleaning device 209 can be higher than ring-type cleaning device 209.

Brush 105 also comprises the distal cleaning elements 203a-b that is positioned at free end 107.In preferred construction, two adjacent distal cleaning elements 203a, 203b strides across longitudinal axis a-a, although also can or form more than two cleaning devices by one.Distal cleaning elements 203a-b surpasses the end of other toothbrush cleaning devices from matrix surface 109 outstanding height.The end of each bristle tuft 203a-b forms outermost clean surface 204 jointly, and the matrix surface 109 of its relative brush 105 tilts.In by way of example, the preferably relative matrix surface 109 of cleaning face 204 forms about 30 degree angle φ, also can be in the scope of 10 to 50 degree.Will be appreciated that, can form other angle.The extension of the clean surface 204 of distal cleaning elements 203a-b and angle preferably make user's tooth of oral cavity cleaning back better.Cleaning device 203a-b can also be used to get into space and entering molar bizet between the tooth.At last, as shown in Figure 7, the clean surface 204 of outermost is preferably to side downward-sloping (forming crown surface), to help from the cleaning of teeth residue.

Periphery cleaning device 205a-c is positioned near the free end, along each side 108 of brush 105.These peripheral cleaning device 205a-c are preferably formed by a plurality of bristle tuft, and the usually relative longitudinal axis a-a of bristle tuft is symmetrical set.Cleaning device 205a-c is positioned at back and the side of distal cleaning elements 203a-b.Similarly, peripheral cleaning device 215a-c also is that relative axis a-a is symmetrical set, near the near-end 111 of brush 105 and along each side 108.Two groups of cleaning device 205a-c, 215a-c become mirror image usually mutually, but also can have other structures.Far-end and proximal end perimeter cleaning device 205a-c, the structure of 215a-c can make the user clean and be directed against interdental space along gum line usually and clean.In the embodiment that is shown, each organizes peripheral cleaning device 205a-c, and 215a-c has three bristle tuft.But these groups also can be used some more or less bristle tuft.In addition, one or more elastic components also can be used to form peripheral cleaning device, replace bristle or therewith use.

As shown in Figure 3, the end of peripheral cleaning device 205a-c and 215a-c surpasses the length of cleaning inside spare 207,209,211 from matrix surface 109 outstanding length.In a preferred embodiment, two groups of periphery cleaning devices 205,215 108 are provided with along the both sides of brush 105.Each is organized peripheral cleaning device and comprises that three are generally concordant bristle tuft, although the bristle tuft of other quantity also can be used.Each organizes the center tuft cleaning device 205b of peripheral bristle tuft, and 215b is from outwards outstanding other pieces 205a, 205c, 215a, the 215c of surpassing of matrix surface 109.Be provided with like this and make

cleaning device

205b, 215b can engage facing more deeply along gum line, uses cleaning device 205a simultaneously, 205c, and 215a, 215c stimulates gum.In addition, each pieces has the end 206,216 of inclination, to improve between tooth the district and along the cleaning of gum line.

Near-end cleaning device 213a-b is positioned near the near-end 111 of brush 105.A pair of bristle tuft preferably strides across longitudinal axis a-a, but one or more than two cleaning devices also can be formed at the near-end of brush.These near-end cleaning devices 213a, b is preferably formed by bristle tuft, but also can comprise or form one or more elastic components.

The characteristic of each side of the present invention can be applicable to manual toothbrush or electric toothbrush.In the operation, the characteristic that the front is introduced can be individually and/or is improved the clean-up performance of toothbrush with compound mode.These advantages also can realize through various cleaning devices and synergistic effect.Although the various characteristic actings in conjunction of toothbrush 100 can realize the advantage that the front is introduced, will be appreciated that single characteristic can be used for obtaining some above-mentioned advantage with these combination of features, and needn't adopt all characteristics.The specific combination of element can realize abnormal cleaning effect in the head space of miniaturization.

Although the present invention introduces with reference to specific embodiment, wherein specific embodiment comprises the preference pattern of embodiment of the present invention, and the those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the system and the technology of top introduction.Therefore, the spirit and scope of the present invention will be understood that it is broad sense, like that claim limits enclosed.

Claims

1. A toothbrush, comprising:

handle;

a brush head attached to said handle; and

a plurality of tooth cleaning elements extending from the head, the tooth cleaning elements comprising:

a plurality of outer arc-shaped cleaning parts, the outer arc-shaped cleaning parts are formed by bundles of elongated bristles;

A plurality of elastic arc-shaped cleaning elements, the plurality of elastic arc-shaped cleaning elements have concave surfaces facing each other so as to jointly form an annular structure, and the plurality of elastic arc-shaped cleaning elements are generally concentrically arranged on the plurality of elastic arc-shaped cleaning elements. in an outer curved cleaning piece; and

A central cleaning element disposed approximately at the center of the annular structure formed by the plurality of resilient arcuate cleaning elements.

2. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein the plurality of resilient curved cleaning elements comprises four resilient wall elements.

3. The toothbrush according to claim 2, wherein each of the elastic wall members forms an arc-shaped portion approximately 1/4 circle.

4. The toothbrush according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of outer arc-shaped cleaning elements comprise two opposite continuous bristle bundles, and the two opposite continuous bristle bundles are generally symmetrically located at the on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis of the brush head.

5. The toothbrush of claim 1, wherein said tooth cleaning elements further comprise at least one set of peripheral cleaning elements along each side of said head.

6. The toothbrush of claim 5, wherein each peripheral cleaning element is a tuft of bristles with angled ends.

7. The toothbrush of claim 6, wherein each set of peripheral cleaning elements comprises at least three adjacent peripheral cleaning elements, wherein a middle one of the adjacent peripheral cleaning elements protrudes from the brush head by a length of Exceeds the length of the perimeter cleaner on either side of it.