Method of producing an oral hygiene implement having flexible wings

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9392867-B2
Application number	US-201514618359-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 10, 2015
Priority date	Jun 15, 2011
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

An oral care implement has a body made of a first material. The body has a handle, a head support, and a neck extending between the handle and the head support. The head support has a recess therein, and the recess has a bottom face and a side face. A head has a first head section and a second head section, and supports a plurality of contact elements. The first head section is disposed in the recess and attached thereto, and the second head section is attached to the first head section and unattached to the body.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of producing a toothbrush comprising the steps of:
obtaining a plurality of filaments having a first end and a second end;
forming a melted mass of material at the second end of the filaments;
capturing the melted mass via injection molding of a first material, the injection molding of the first material forming a toothbrush head having a first head section and a second head section, wherein the first head section includes a bottom surface and a side surface and the second head section includes a first wing and a second wing;
wherein the first wing and second wing are disposed on either side of the first head section and extend above the first head section longitudinally in a direction towards a handle;
injection molding a second material over the first head section thereby forming a toothbrush body having the handle, a neck, and a head support;
wherein the toothbrush body includes a recess having a bottom surface and side surface; and
wherein the bottom surface of the toothbrush body recess is in contact with the bottom surface of the first head section and the side surface of the toothbrush body recess is in contact with the side surface of the first head section.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of providing a contact surface area between the first head section and the head support which is greater than about 100 square mm.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the contact surface area is greater than about 150 square mm.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the contact surface area is between about 100 square mm to about 190 square mm.

Assignees

• Gillette Co

Inventors

• Bresselschmidt Andreas

Classifications

• A46D3/005 Primary

  by moulding or casting a body around bristles or tufts of bristles · CPC title

• A46B3/06

  by welding together bristles made of metal wires or plastic materials · CPC title

• A46D3/00

  Preparing, {i.e. Manufacturing} brush bodies · CPC title

• A46D1/04

  Preparing bristles · CPC title

• A46B2200/1066

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