Method for producing a toothbrush handle having an inner cavity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9510669-B2
Application number	US-201213683655-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2012
Priority date	Nov 22, 2011
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

Methods of producing toothbrush handles having an inner cavity are provided.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A toothbrush handle produced by a method comprising:
a) providing an extrusion blow mold having a longitudinal axis and a cavity, the cavity having a surface that defines a cross-sectional area wherein the cavity has at least one of a maximum cross-sectional area, bordered by two smaller cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the blow mold or a minimum cross sectional area bordered by two greater cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the blow mold;
b) extruding a parison comprising a thermoplastic material, the parison includes an interior cavity and an outer surface, wherein the outer surface defines a cross-sectional area of the parison;
c) expanding the parison using a fluid to contact the cavity surface and produce a toothbrush handle having an inner cavity; and
the toothbrush handle comprising:
d) a terminal end, connector end, outer surface, inner cavity, and longitudinal axis;
e) the inner cavity having a surface defining a cross-sectional area; wherein the inner cavity has at least one of a greater cross-sectional area, bordered by two lesser cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush or a lesser cross sectional area bordered by two greater cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush;
f) the outer surface defining an outer surface cross-sectional area;
g) a wall formed from the outer surface and inner cavity surface having a thickness;
h) the toothbrush handle comprising a single unitary component; and
wherein the toothbrush handle has a specific gravity below about 0.60 g/cm 3 and wherein the toothbrush handle deforms less than about 10 mm under a 5.0N force applied as determined by ASTM D 790.

2. The toothbrush handle of claim 1 , wherein a square root of the outer surface cross-sectional area varies proportionally to a square root of the inner cavity cross-sectional area along the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush.

3. The toothbrush handle of claim 2 , wherein a square root of the inner cavity surface cross-sectional area varies proportionally less than 5% to the variations in a square root of the outer surface cross-sectional area along the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush handle.

4. The toothbrush handle of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the toothbrush handle wall varies in inverse proportion to a square root of the outer surface cross-sectional area.

5. A toothbrush handle produced by a method comprising:
a) providing an extrusion blow mold having a longitudinal axis and a cavity, the cavity having a surface that defines a cross-sectional area; wherein the cavity has at least one of a maximum cross-sectional area, bordered by two smaller cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the blow mold or a minimum cross sectional area bordered by two greater cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the blow mold;
b) extruding a parison comprising a first thermoplastic material and a second thermoplastic material, the parison includes an interior cavity and an outer surface, wherein the outer surface defines a cross-sectional area of the parison;
c) expanding the parison using a fluid to contact the cavity surface and produce a toothbrush handle having an inner cavity; and
the toothbrush handle comprising:
d) a terminal end, connector end, outer surface, inner cavity, and longitudinal axis;
e) the inner cavity having a surface defining a cross-sectional area; wherein the inner cavity has at least one of a greater cross-sectional area, bordered by two lesser cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush or a lesser cross sectional area bordered by two greater cross-sectional areas along the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush;
f) the outer surface defining an outer surface cross-sectional area;
g) a wall formed from the outer surface and inner cavity surface;
h) the toothbrush handle comprising a single unitary component; and
wherein the toothbrush handle has a specific gravity below about 0.60 g/cm 3 and
wherein the toothbrush handle deforms less than about 10 mm under a 5.0N force applied as determined by ASTM D 790.

6. The toothbrush handle of claim 5 , wherein a square root of the outer surface cross-sectional area varies proportionally to a square root of the inner cavity cross-sectional area along the longitudinal axis of the toothbrush.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Newman Matthew Lloyd
• Wen Li
• Birk Andreas
• Bresselschmidt Andreas
• Horton Andrew Joseph
• Houghton Stephen Alan
• Hustedt Siegfried Kurt
• Jackson Scott Andrew
• Kawerau Jochen Erich
• Neufarth Ralph Edwin
• Pfeifer Ulrich
• Phillips Bradley John
• Reick Hansjoerg
• Satterfield Richard Darren
• Schmelcher Heidrun Annika
• Schmid Franziska
• Stoerkel Jens Uwe
• Uhe Andrew M
• West George Michael
• Winkler Tilmann
• Ryan Christopher Thomas

Classifications

• B29C2049/2017

  outside the article · CPC title

• A46B5/02 Primary

  specially shaped for holding by the hand · CPC title

• B29C2791/006

  Using vacuum · CPC title

• B29C49/6409

  Thermal conditioning of preforms (B29C49/68 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C2049/4858

  Exchanging mould parts, e.g. for changing the mould size or geometry for making different products in the same mould · CPC title