Oral-care implement having color-communicative element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10098447-B2
Application number	US-201414331662-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2014
Priority date	Jul 15, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

An oral-care implement comprises a mounting surface having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and a plurality of filaments outwardly extending from the mounting surface in at least one direction not parallel to either one of the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis, each filament having a free end terminating with a tip. At least some of the filaments possess at least one functional characteristic selected from the group consisting of filament's structure, composition, cross-sectional shape, tip geometry, and any combination thereof. A plurality of filament tips comprises a working surface that includes at least a first color and a second color different from the first color. The at least first color forms at least one scaled-up image graphically replicating the at least one functional characteristic, thereby visually communicating to a consumer that the oral-care implement includes filaments having certain functional characteristic(s)—and that the oral-care implement possesses superior efficacy attributable to said filaments.

First claim

We claim:

1. An oral-care implement comprising:
a mounting surface having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis perpendicular to the longitudinal axis;
a plurality of filaments outwardly extending from the mounting surface in at least one direction not parallel to either one of the longitudinal and transverse axes, each filament having a free end terminating with a filament tip, a plurality of the filament tips forming an overall working surface;
wherein at least some of the filaments possess at least one functional characteristic selected from the group consisting of filament's structure, composition, cross-sectional shape, tip geometry, and any combination thereof;
wherein the overall working surface comprises at least a first color and a second color different from the first color;
wherein the at least first and second colors form, in combination, at least one scaled-up image disposed on the overall working surface and graphically replicating the at least one functional characteristic, thereby visually communicating to a consumer that the oral-care implement includes filaments having said at least one functional characteristic,
wherein the at least one functional characteristic comprises a filament's tip surface including at least one island comprising a depression, and the at least one scaled-up image disposed on the overall working surface comprises at least one area having the first color.

2. The oral-care implement of claim 1 , wherein the at least one functional characteristic comprises a filament's tip surface including a plurality of islands selected from the group consisting of protrusions, depressions, and any combination thereof, and the at least one scaled-up image comprises a plurality of discrete areas having the first color, wherein a background has the second color.

3. The oral-care implement of claim 1 , wherein the at least one functional characteristic comprises a multi-component composition of a filament, and the at least one scaled-up image comprises at least one area having the first color circumferentially encompassed by at least one ring having the second color.

4. The oral-care implement of claim 3 , wherein the working surface comprises a background having a third color different from the second color.

5. The oral-care implement of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of filaments comprises at least a first plurality of filaments and a second plurality of filaments, the first plurality of filaments having a first functional characteristic selected from the group consisting of filament's structure, composition, cross-sectional shape, tip geometry, and any combination thereof, and the second plurality of filaments having a second functional characteristic selected from the group consisting of filament's structure, composition, cross-sectional shape, tip geometry, and any combination thereof, the first functional characteristic being different from the second functional characteristic.

6. The oral-care implement of claim 5 , wherein the first plurality of filaments comprises the first color and the second plurality of filaments comprises the second color.

7. The oral-care implement of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of filaments comprises at least a third plurality of filaments having a third functional characteristic selected from the group consisting of filament's structure, composition, cross-sectional shape, tip geometry, and any combination thereof, the third functional characteristic being different from the first functional characteristic and the second functional characteristic.

8. The oral-care implement of claim 1 , wherein the first color comprises a color-changing material that causes the first color to gradually change to eventually match the second color after a predetermined period of use of the oral-care implement.

9. The oral-care implement of claim 1 , wherein the first color at least partially covers the second color, and wherein the first color is structured to slowly wear away during the use of the oral-care implement to indicate an extent to which the filaments are worn.

10. The oral-care implement of claim 9 , wherein the first color is structured to substantially wear away after a predetermined period of use of the oral-care implement so that the at least one scaled-up image is noticeably altered by an end of said predetermined period of use.

11. The oral-care implement of claim 1 , wherein the at least some of the filaments are arranged in at least one tuft having a shape comprising the at least one scaled-up image graphically replicating the at least one functional characteristic of the at least some of the filaments.

12. The oral-care implement of claim 1 , wherein the at least one functional characteristic of the at least some of the filaments comprises a non-circular cross-sectional shape.

13. A manual toothbrush comprising the oral-care implement of claim 1 .

14. A refill for an electrical toothbrush, the refill comprising the oral-care implement of claim 1 .

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Newman Matthew Lloyd
• Wen Li
• Reno Elizabeth Ann Brown
• Alinski Jens

Classifications

• A46D1/00

  Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles (making artificial bristles D01D, D01F) · CPC title

• A46B9/04 Primary

  {Arranged like in or} for toothbrushes · CPC title

• A46B9/028

  Bristle profile, the end of the bristle defining a surface other than a single plane or deviating from a simple geometric form, e.g. cylinder, sphere or cone · CPC title

• A46B2200/1066

  Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures (A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04) · CPC title

• A46D1/0238

  Bristles with non-round cross-section · CPC title