Injection molded part

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9066577-B1
Application number	US-201514600704-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jan 20, 2015
Priority date	Nov 9, 2002
Publication date	Jun 30, 2015
Grant date	Jun 30, 2015

Abstract

The invention relates to an injection molded part with a basic body 1 injection-molded from plastic, on the surface 2 of which a decoration 4 is two-dimensionally applied and is covered by an encapsulation 7 of plastic by a second injection-molding operation. The basic body 1 consists of a transparent plastic and the decoration 4 is applied with its visible side 5 to the surface 2 of the basic body 1.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An injection molded part comprising:
a body injection-molded from a first plastic, the body having a decoration-bearing surface, wherein the body comprises a plastic selected from the group consisting of transparent material, opaque material, translucent material, and any combination thereof; and
a decoration having a decorative visible side and a rear side, wherein the decoration is applied with the visible side to the decoration-bearing surface of the body, such that the decorative visible side is protected from damage during a subsequent injection-molded encapsulation of a second plastic covering the decoration, and wherein the decoration-bearing surface is convexly curved.

2. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the encapsulation covers one or more decoration-free regions of the body with the first and second plastics bonded to each other.

3. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the first and second plastics have different degrees of hardness.

4. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the decoration-free regions are arranged in an edge region adjacent the decoration.

5. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the encapsulation extends over the body beyond the edge region adjacent the decoration.

6. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the decoration-free regions are arranged in an interior region of the decoration.

7. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the body has, in one or more of the decoration-free regions, recesses which are open toward its surface and are filled by the second plastic of the encapsulation.

8. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein an edge region of the surface of the body surrounding the decoration is formed at a lower-lying level than the surface covered by the decoration.

9. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the edge region of the surface of the body surrounding the decoration is formed in a convexly rounded manner.

10. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the decoration is applied by means of a hot transfer film, or by means of a metallized film.

11. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the decoration is applied to the surface of the body by printing.

12. The injection molded part as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising:
a further decoration applied to the encapsulation; and
a further encapsulation, which covers one or more regions of the first encapsulation that are free from the further decoration with the second encapsulation bonded to the first encapsulation.

13. The injection molded part of claim 1 , wherein the part is a toothbrush body.

14. The injection molded part of claim 1 , wherein the part is a toothbrush body and the encapsulation covers one or more decoration-free regions of the toothbrush body with the first and second plastics bonded to each other.

15. A method of injection molding a part, the method comprising:
injection molding a body from a first plastic, the body comprising a transparent or translucent plastic, the body having a convex surface configured to receive at least a two-dimensional decoration thereon;
applying the at least two-dimensional decoration to the convex surface of the body, the decoration having a decorative visible side and a rear side, wherein the decoration is applied with its decorative visible side to the convex surface of the body, such that the decorative visible side is visible through the body, wherein the surface bearing the decoration is convexly curved; and
covering the applied decoration with an encapsulating layer of a second plastic, the second plastic injection molded over the rear side of the decoration.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the encapsulating layer covers a decoration-free region of the body and the first plastic bonds with the second plastic in the decoration-free region.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the first and second plastics have different degrees of hardness.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the decoration-free region is an edge region adjacent the decoration.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the encapsulating layer extends over the body beyond the edge region.

20. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the decoration-free region is arranged in an interior region defined within the decoration.

21. The method as claimed in claim 16 , wherein the body has a recess in the form of one or more alphanumeric characters or symbols in the decoration-free region which are open toward the body surface and are filled by the plastic of the encapsulating layer.

22. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein an edge region of the surface surrounding the decoration is formed at a lower-lying level than a covered region of the surface under the decoration.

23. The method as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising:
applying a further decoration applied to the encapsulating layer; and
injection molding a second encapsulating layer covering at least a region of the first encapsulating layer that is free from the further decoration;
wherein the second encapsulating layer bonds with the first encapsulating layer.

24. The method of claim 15 , wherein the part is a toothbrush body.

Assignees

• Braun Gmbh

Inventors

• Stoerkel Jens
• De Buhr Harald
• Voigtmann Lutz
• Heckenthaler Roland

Classifications

• B29C45/1671 Primary

  with an insert · CPC title

• B29L2031/425

  Toothbrush · CPC title

• A46B5/02 Primary

  specially shaped for holding by the hand · CPC title

• B29C45/17

  Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations · CPC title

• A46B15/0087

  Brushes with decoration on or in the handle · CPC title