Oral care implement and method of forming the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10674808-B2
Application number	US-201815933425-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 23, 2018
Priority date	Mar 23, 2018
Publication date	Jun 9, 2020
Grant date	Jun 9, 2020

Abstract

An oral implement and a method of forming an oral care implement. The oral care implement may include a head having a front surface and a plurality of tooth cleaning elements extending from the front surface. In one embodiment, the plurality of tooth cleaning elements may include three different types of tooth cleaning elements, each type of tooth cleaning element being formed of a different material. In one embodiment each of the materials has a different hardness and thus the oral care implement includes three different types of tooth cleaning elements each having a different hardness. In another embodiment, the oral care implement may include bristles and a molded cleaning element that may function as an interdental cleaner. Such a molded cleaning element may include a body and tines extending therefrom.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An oral care implement comprising:
a head comprising a front surface;
a plurality of tooth cleaning elements extending from the front surface of the head, the plurality of tooth cleaning elements comprising:
a first tooth cleaning element formed of a first material;
a second tooth cleaning element formed of a second material; and
a third tooth cleaning element formed of a third material;

wherein the first, second, and third materials are different from one another; and
wherein each of the second and third tooth cleaning elements is injection molded;
wherein the third tooth cleaning element is a molded cleaning element comprising a body having a longitudinal axis and a plurality of tines extending from the body at an oblique angle, the body extending from a proximal end to a distal end along the longitudinal axis, each of the tines having a length measured from the first end to the second end, wherein the length of the tines that are further from the distal end of the body is greater than the length of the tines that are closer to the distal end of the body, and wherein a portion of the body along which the tines are located tapers towards the distal end of the body.

2. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein the first material is one of nylon and polybutylene terephthalate, the second material is a thermoplastic elastomer, and the third material is thermoplastic polyurethane.

3. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein each of the first, second, and third tooth cleaning elements has a different shape.

4. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein each of the tines extends from a first end that is coupled to the body to a second end, and wherein the second ends of the tines are located further from the front surface of the head than the first ends of the tines.

5. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein the first material has a first hardness, the second material has a second hardness, and the third material has a third hardness, and wherein the first hardness is greater than the third hardness and the third hardness is greater than the second hardness.

6. An oral care implement comprising:
a head comprising a front surface;
at least one bristle extending from the front surface of the head; and
at least one molded cleaning element extending from the front surface of the head, the molded cleaning element comprising a body extending from a proximal end to a distal end along a longitudinal axis and a plurality of tines extending from the body at an oblique angle, wherein each of the tines extends from the body at a location between the proximal and distal ends of the body;
wherein each of the tines extends from a first end that is coupled to the body to a second end, wherein the second ends of the tines are located further from the front surface of the head than the first ends of the tines, each of the tines having a length measured from the first end to the second end, wherein the length of the tines progressively decreases as the first ends of the tines are located closer to the distal end of the body, and wherein a portion of the body along which the tines are located tapers towards the distal end of the body.

7. The oral care implement according to claim 6 wherein the molded cleaning element is a monolithic component formed of thermoplastic polyurethane and wherein the at least one bristle is a molded bristle formed of thermoplastic polyurethane or a filament bristle formed of nylon or polybutylene terephthalate.

8. The oral care implement according to claim 7 further comprising at least one lamella cleaning element extending from the front surface of the head, wherein the at least one lamella cleaning element is formed of a thermoplastic elastomer other than thermoplastic polyurethane.

9. An oral care implement according to claim 6 comprising:
a head comprising a front surface;
at least one bristle extending from the front surface of the head; and
at least one molded cleaning element extending from the front surface of the head, the molded cleaning element comprising a body extending from a proximal end to a distal end along a longitudinal axis and a plurality of tines extending from the body at an oblique angle, wherein each of the tines extends from the body at a location between the proximal and distal ends of the body;
wherein the head comprises a plurality of holes in the front surface, a portion of the bristle and a portion of the molded cleaning element positioned within one of the plurality of holes, wherein the molded cleaning element is folded and coupled to the head with a connection member, wherein the molded cleaning element comprises a first portion comprising a first portion of the body and a first set of the tines, a second portion comprising a second portion of the body and a second set of the tines, and a third portion comprising a third portion of the body and being devoid of any tines, the third portion being located between the first and second portions, and wherein the molded cleaning element is folded so that the first and second portions of the body are axially aligned and the first and second sets of the tines are axially aligned.

10. The oral care implement according to claim 6 wherein the body of the molded cleaning element comprises a lower axial section and an upper axial section, the plurality of tines extending from the body within the upper axial section, the lower axial section of the body being free of tines, and wherein a portion of the upper axial section of the body extending between an upper-most tine and the distal end of the body is free of tines.

11. The oral care implement according to claim 6 wherein the molded cleaning elements are injection molded directly onto the head.

12. A molded tooth cleaning element comprising:
a body extending from a proximal end to a distal end along a longitudinal axis;
a plurality of tines extending from the body at an oblique angle towards the distal end of the body, wherein each of the tines extends from the body at a location between the proximal and distal ends of the body; and
wherein the body and the plurality of tines are integrally formed via injection molding;
wherein each of the tines extend from a first end that is coupled to the body to a second end, the second end located closer to the distal end of the body than the first end, each of the tines having a length measured from the first end to the second end, the lengths of the tines progressively decreasing as the first ends of the tines are located closer to the distal end of the body, and wherein a portion of the body along which the tines are located tapers towards the distal end of the body.

13. The molded tooth cleaning element according to claim 12 wherein the body and the plurality of tines are formed of thermoplastic polyurethane, and wherein the body and each of the plurality of tines is tapered.

14. The molded tooth cleaning element according to claim 12 wherein the body comprises a distal portion that extends between an upper-most one of the tines and the distal end of the body, the distal portion being free of any tines extending therefrom.

15. The molded tooth cleaning element according to claim 12 further comprising a reference plane oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the body that intersects the distal end of the body, and wherein an entirety of each of the tines is located between the reference plane and the proximal end of the body.

Assignees

• Colgate Palmolive Co

Inventors

• Hohlbein Douglas
• Waguespack Kenneth
• Wainless Daniel

Classifications

• A46B9/04 Primary

  {Arranged like in or} for toothbrushes · CPC title

• A46D1/0292 Primary

  Bristles having split ends · CPC title

• A46B3/04

  by mouldable materials, e.g. metals, cellulose derivatives, plastics (A46B1/00 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A46B2200/1066

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