CN101484042A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

An oral hygiene implement, generally a toothbrush, having an oral hygiene element made of a thermoplastic elastomer material having a hardness in the range of 20-50 Shore A, the composition of which comprises 100-200 parts of a thermoplastic elastomer base material, and 10-100 parts of a plasticizer comprising a mixture of plasticizing oil and lipophilic flavoring substances, wherein the flavoring substances include menthol and/or derivative flavoring substances, and the lipophilic flavoring substances account for the mixture 5-15% by weight.

Description

toothbrush

The present invention relates to oral hygiene devices.

In particular, the invention relates to toothbrushes of the type comprising elastic foils on the surface of their heads opposite the surface from which the bristles protrude. The flakes described above are provided primarily to clean the tongue, ie to gently remove deposits that may cause bad breath from the tongue.

Toothbrushes of this type are known, for example see GB-A-2391462, which discloses a toothbrush whose head has bristles protruding from one surface of the head, and bristles protruding from the opposite surface. Thermoplastic elastic sheets, and these elastic sheets may contain a fragrance. Such toothbrushes, although not having the flavor contained in their elastic sheets, are being marketed by the applicant, for example under the registered trademark Dr. BEST ^™ Duo Protekt.

There remains a need to provide an improved form of this toothbrush, and it is an object of the present invention to provide such an improvement.

According to the invention there is provided an oral hygiene implement having at least one elastic oral hygiene element made of a thermoplastic elastomer material having a hardness in the range Shore A 20-50 and having a composition comprising 100-200 parts thermoplastic elastomer base material and 10-100 parts of a plasticizer comprising a mixture of plasticizing oil and lipophilic flavoring substances, said flavoring substances comprising menthol and/or derivatives thereof, wherein the lipophilic flavoring substances account for 5-15% by weight of the mixture.

The improvement provided by the present invention is an enhanced oral experience provided by a pleasant aroma due to the presence of lipophilic aromatizing substances.

Such oral hygiene implements preferably comprise a handle portion of plastics material on which one or more oral hygiene elements are fitted. Suitable plastic materials include those from which toothbrushes are made, typically polypropylene.

Preferably, the oral hygiene implement is a toothbrush comprising a gripping handle and an integral or replaceable head with bristles extending from a surface of the head. Preferably, the at least one elastic oral hygiene element comprises thermoplastic elastic sheets extending from opposite surfaces of the head. Such flakes may be of known shape. For example, such flakes may be in the shape of a strip having a length direction perpendicular to the head-handle length direction of the toothbrush, a width direction perpendicular to the opposing surface, and a thickness parallel to the head-handle direction. direction. Typical shapes of such flakes are those known from Dr. BEST ^™ Duo Protekt toothbrushes.

Alternatively, the oral cleaning implement may be a tongue cleaning device other than a toothbrush. An example of such a device is eg disclosed in PCT/EP06/000181 and DE-G-202005004291.9, which relate to the "Zungen Reiniger" tongue cleaning device marketed under the trademark "DrBEST ^™ ".

Thermoplastic elastomer materials are well known materials which combine the features of both thermoplastics on the one hand and elastomers on the other. A variety of thermoplastic elastomeric base materials are known for use in the oral hygiene implements of the present invention, such as styrenic block copolymers. Suitable base materials are those used as the base thermoplastic elastomer material for the tongue cleaning wafers of the AQUAFRESH DUO CLEAN ^™ toothbrush marketed by the applicant. Examples of such materials are thermoplastic elastomer materials of the Thermolast K ^™ class available from the German supplier Gummiwerk Kraiburg GmbH & Co. KG, eg material TF3AAH. They are all based on hydrogenated styrene block copolymers.

Preferably, the hardness range of the present thermoplastic elastomer material is Shore A 30±3.

Preferably, the thermoplastic elastomer material contains 20-80 parts of plasticizer. The compositional range of the plasticizer, ie 5-15% by weight of lipophilic flavoring substance in the plasticizer mixture, has been shown to be important in optimizing the taste perceived by the user of the oral hygiene implement of the present invention. A preferred ratio is 10±2%. For example, it is generally found that if a ratio of less than 5% is used, little benefit in taste may be experienced, while if a ratio of greater than 15% is used, the taste may be off-putting.

The term "plasticizing oil" as used herein is intended to include any oil capable of plasticizing thermoplastic elastomeric materials. The term "oil" as used herein is intended to include any organic liquid having a plasticizing function, including paraffinic liquids, hydrocarbons and ester-based oils. The above-mentioned oils may have a viscosity intermediate between that of a fluid liquid and that of a wax. For use in toothbrush heads, the oil must be of a non-toxic, orally acceptable type, and a suitable plasticizing oil is what is commonly known as medicinal white oil. Medical white oil is a known plasticizing oil for thermoplastic elastomeric materials, and it is preferred. Generally, medical white oils comprise highly refined mineral oils meeting the quality requirements of British and US Pharmacopoeias. Generally, the above-mentioned oils meet the quality requirements of "Mineral Hydrocarbons in Food Regulations" 1996; (S.I.No. 1073), and United States F&D.A Regulations No. 178.3620(a) and 172.878. Generally, the aforementioned oils have the following properties:

ISO15 ISO68

Relative density @60℉ 0.850 0.880

Viscosity@20℃(cS) 25.0 235

Viscosity@40℃(cS) 15.0 69.0

Suitably, the lipophilic flavoring substance comprises 70% by weight or more, preferably 80% by weight or more of menthol and/or derivatives thereof. For use in the head of a toothbrush, the derivative must be of a non-toxic orally acceptable type. Many such nontoxic orally acceptable compounds derived from the menthol nucleus are known. Suitable derivatives may include esters of menthol, for example, C _1-5 alkanoate, ether and ketone derivatives in which the hydroxyl group of the menthol ring is replaced by a carbonyl moiety or cyclized to an ether, such as furan. Preferably the lipophilic flavoring substance comprises 40-60% by weight of menthol, preferably mixed with 20-35% by weight of menthone, preferably mixed with 5-8% by weight of one or more menthyl esters. ), especially menthyl acetate (menthyl acetate) mixed, preferably mixed with 1-5% by weight of menthyl furan. An example of the aforementioned substances is peppermint oil. Peppermint oil usually consists of:

Minimum Quantity Maximum Quantity

Total Menthol 52% by weight 56% by weight

Menthone 22% by weight 30% by weight

Menthyl esters 5.8% by weight 7.8% by weight

Menthol furan 1.7% by weight 3.7% by weight

Generally, menthofuran is the (R)-(+)-isomer in peppermint oil. A further component of peppermint oil is the menthol derivative (R)-(+)-menthone.

Besides being pleasant, the scent of menthol and its derivatives imparts a mouth-freshening sensation and can help overcome any bad breath problems.

The lipophilic flavoring material can be mixed with a plasticizing oil to form a plasticizer, and this mixture is then mixed with a thermoplastic elastomer. Alternatively, lipophilic flavoring substances and plasticizing oils may be mixed separately with the thermoplastic elastomer.

The oral hygiene implement with its oral hygiene elements can be manufactured according to any known method for manufacturing the aforementioned implements. A typical method of manufacture involves co-molding the appliance from a plastic material and a thermoplastic elastomer material. In the above method, the above-defined thermoplastic elastomer material used in the present invention can be co-molded by methods similar to those used for conventional materials. An example of the above co-molding method is disclosed in WO-A-2005/084487.

In a further aspect, the present invention therefore provides a method for manufacturing an oral hygiene implement comprising a handle portion of plastics material and an oral hygiene element, comprising co-molding the handle portion of plastics material and the oral hygiene element of thermoplastic elastomeric material , the hardness range of the thermoplastic elastomer material is Shore A 20-50, and its composition comprises 100-200 parts of thermoplastic elastomer base material, and 10-100 parts of a mixture comprising plasticizing oil and lipophilic flavoring substance A plasticizer, the flavoring substance includes menthol and/or its derivatives, and the lipophilic flavoring substance accounts for 5-15% by weight of the mixture.

Alternatively, the method may generally be conventional. Generally, such a method first comprises making the plastics material part of the toothbrush in a first injection mould, then enclosing (enclosing) the plastics material part thus made in a second injection mould, having a cavity defining the shape of the elastic oral hygiene element , the thermoplastic elastomer material is then injected into the second mold under conditions to obtain a bond between the plastic material and the thermoplastic elastomer. Common plastic materials are known in the field of toothbrush manufacture, such as those from which the plastic material portion of the Dr. BEST ^™ Duo Protekt toothbrush is made, and include polypropylene.

The oral hygiene implements of the present invention are preferably provided for sale in some suitable packaging, eg, foam packaging. It has been found that some lipophilic flavoring substances, especially those containing menthol, can adversely affect pigments used in packaging, especially blue pigments, and the present invention further addresses this problem.

This problem is solved by a packaging comprising a packaging layer having on it a surface of a printed substance comprising pigments, the printed substance being covered with a barrier layer comprising at least one layer each of polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene , wherein the barrier layer is located between the printed substance and the oral hygiene implement.

Further, there is provided a product comprising an oral hygiene implement as defined above enclosed in a package, wherein the package comprises a packaging layer having a surface on which is a printed substance comprising a pigment, and the The printed substance is covered with a barrier layer comprising at least one layer each of polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene, wherein the barrier layer is positioned between the printed substance and the oral hygiene implement.

It has been found that interposing such a barrier layer between the oral hygiene element and the printed matter helps to prevent the adverse effect of fragrances on the general color of the printed matter used in the packaging.

Suitably, the packaging layer may comprise a paperboard-aluminum foil laminate, the printed substance being printed on the surface of the aluminum foil layer. Preferably, the barrier layer comprises two polyethylene layers sandwiching an intermediate layer of polyvinyl alcohol between the two layers.

The invention will now be described by way of embodiments with reference only to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows an overall side view of the oral hygiene implement (toothbrush) of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows an overall side view of a package for the oral hygiene implement of Figure 1 .

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged cross-sectional view of the configuration of the packaging portion of FIG. 2 .

Reference is made to Figure 1 which shows an oral hygiene implement (which is a toothbrush) 1 in its entirety comprising a grip handle 2 and an integral head 3 with bristles 4 protruding from one surface 5 of the head 3 of the toothbrush. The handle 2 and head 3 are made of a known polypropylene material such as Moplen EP 548 T ^™ for the manufacture of toothbrushes.

On the head 3 a resilient oral hygiene element 6 is provided, wherein a thermoplastic elastomer sheet protrudes from the opposite surface 7 of the head 3 from which the bristles 4 protrude. The flakes 6 are structurally identical to those of the known Dr. BEST ^™ Duo Protekt toothbrushes, ie protrude about 2 mm from the surface 7 and their bottoms in contact with the surface 7 have a width of about 1 mm. The sheet 6 is integrally formed as a piece with an elastomeric cover 8 on the head 3 .

The sheet 6 and cover 8 are made of a thermoplastic elastomer material having a hardness of Shore A30, comprising 100-200 parts of a thermoplastic elastomer base material (eg Thermolast K ^™ TF3AAH), and 10-100 parts of a plasticizer . Specifically, a thermoplastic elastomer material comprising 120 parts of a thermoplastic elastomer base material and 20 parts of a plasticizer; and a thermoplastic elastomer material of 200 parts of a thermoplastic elastomer base material and 100 parts of a plasticizer, respectively, were used.

In each composition of these thermoplastic elastomer materials, the plasticizer comprises a mixture of medicinal white oils that comply with "Mineral Hydrocarbons in Food Regulations" 1996; (S.I.No. 1073), and United States F&D.A Regulations No. The quality requirements of 178.3620(a) and 172.878, which have the following properties:

ISO15 ISO68

Relative density @60℉ 0.850 0.880

Viscosity@20℃(cS) 25.0 235

Viscosity@40℃(cS) 15.0 69.0

This oil is mixed with peppermint oil which has the following composition:

Minimum Quantity Maximum Quantity

Total Menthol 52% by weight 56% by weight

Menthone 22% by weight 30% by weight

Menthyl esters 5.8% by weight 7.8% by weight

Menthol furan 1.7% by weight 3.7% by weight

In the mixture, peppermint oil constituted 10% by weight of the medicinal white oil-peppermint oil mixture.

The plastic material parts of the toothbrush, namely the handle 2 and the head 3 are manufactured by conventional injection moulding. This portion of plastics material is then encapsulated in an injection molding (not shown) having a cavity (not shown) defining the shape of the sheet 6 , the thermoplastic elastomer material of the above composition being injection molded to form the sheet 6 . The process is exactly the same as the known method using the same medical white oil (without peppermint oil) as a plasticizer composed of elastomeric materials, i.e. with the same flakes as the known Dr.BEST ^™ Duo Protekt toothbrush Methods. This is advantageous in that the thermoplastic elastomer material of the known Dr. BEST ^™ Duo Protekt toothbrush can be replaced 1:1 with peppermint oil comprising the above mentioned material. It was found that a proportion of 10% by weight of peppermint oil in the plasticizer was optimum in obtaining a taste that was pleasing to the consumer.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3, there is shown a package 10 generally suitable for the toothbrush 1 above. The package comprises a polyethylene terephthalate blister 11 having a thickness of 250 micrometers, which defines a typical blister cavity 12 suitable for enclosing a toothbrush 1 . The blister 12 is closed by a packaging layer 13 comprising a laminate of paperboard 13A-aluminum foil 13B, wherein a printed substance 14 is printed on the surface of the aluminum foil layer 13B. The encapsulation layer 13 is typically 300-400 microns thick, for example about 350 microns thick. The printed substance 14 is covered by a barrier layer 15 comprising two layers of polyethylene 15A, 15B between which an intermediate layer of polyvinyl alcohol 15C is sandwiched. Barrier layer 15 is typically 40-60 microns thick, typically about 50 microns thick.

Claims (12)

1. Oral hygiene implement having at least one elastic oral hygiene element made of a thermoplastic elastomer material, wherein said thermoplastic elastomer material has a hardness in the range Shore A 20-50, the composition of which comprises 100-200 parts of thermoplastic elastomer Base material, and 10-100 parts of plasticizer comprising a mixture of plasticizing oil and lipophilic flavoring substance comprising menthol and/or derivatives thereof, the lipophilic flavoring substance accounting for 5% of the mixture -15% by weight. 2. The oral hygiene implement according to claim 1, which is a toothbrush, comprising a gripping handle and an integral or replaceable head, bristles protruding from a surface of its head, and said at least one elastic mouth The sanitary element includes a thermoplastic elastomeric sheet extending from the opposite surface of the head. 3. The oral hygiene implement according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the plasticizing oil comprises medicinal white oil. 4. The oral hygiene implement according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the lipophilic flavoring substance accounts for 10±2% of the plasticizer. 5. The oral hygiene implement according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the lipophilic flavoring substance comprises 70% by weight or more of menthol and/or one or more derivatives thereof. 6. The oral hygiene appliance according to claim 5, wherein the lipophilic flavoring substance comprises 40-60% by weight of menthol, one of 20-35% by weight of menthone, 5-8% by weight or Various menthyl esters, especially menthyl acetate, are mixed with 1-5 wt. of menthyl furan. 7. The oral hygiene implement according to claim 6, wherein the lipophilic flavoring substance comprises the following composition: Minimum Quantity Maximum Quantity Total Menthol 52% by weight 56% by weight Menthone 22% by weight 30% by weight Menthyl esters 5.8% by weight 7.8% by weight Menthol Furan 1.7% by weight 3.7% by weight. 8. The oral hygiene implement according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the lipophilic flavoring substance comprises peppermint oil. 9. A method of manufacturing an oral hygiene implement comprising a handle portion of plastics material and an oral hygiene element comprising co-molding the handle portion of plastics material and the oral hygiene element of a thermoplastic elastomer material having a hardness in the range of Shore A20-50, its composition contains: 100-200 parts of a thermoplastic elastomer base material, and 10-100 parts of a plasticizer comprising a mixture of plasticizing oil and lipophilic flavoring substances comprising menthol and/or derivatives thereof, the lipophilic Flavoring substances constitute 5-15% by weight of the mixture. 10. An article comprising an oral hygiene implement according to any one of claims 1-8 provided in a package comprising a packaging layer having a surface on which is a printed matter comprising a pigment, Also the printed matter is covered with a barrier layer comprising at least one layer each of polyvinyl alcohol and polyethylene, the barrier layer being located between said printed matter and the oral hygiene implement. 11. The article of claim 10, wherein the barrier layer comprises two polyethylene layers sandwiching an intermediate polyvinyl alcohol layer therebetween. 12. An article according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the thickness of the barrier layer is 40-60 microns.

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