Oral care implement and filament for the same
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsStephen Nelson, Alan V. Sorrentino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mechanically tapered bristle filament for an oral care implement. The filament is characterized by a long thin tapered end portion. The tapered end portion has a taper length and tip diameter comparable to chemically tapered filaments. The areal surface roughness of the tapered end portion however is greater than chemically tapered filaments thereby producing increased scrubbing action against the surfaces of the teeth. The foregoing taper and roughness characteristics of the present filament enhance inter-dental cleaning effectiveness.
Claims18
A mechanically tapered filament for an oral care implement, the filament comprising:
- an elongated shaft terminating in a tip and having a mounting end portion of constant cross section and a tapered end portion;
- wherein the tapered end portion has a taper length of 5 mm or more;
- wherein the tapered end portion has an areal surface roughness value of at least 0.20;
- and
- wherein the filament has a Nelson Ratio between 0.8 to 1.20.
A mechanically tapered filament for an oral care implement, the filament comprising:
- an elongated shaft terminating in a tip and having a mounting end portion of constant cross section and a mechanically tapered end portion;
- the tapered end portion having a taper length of 5 mm or more;
- the tapered end portion having a tip diameter of less than 10 microns measured at 0.05 mm from the tip;
- and
- the tapered end portion having an areal surface roughness value of at least 0.20;
- and
- wherein the filament has a Nelson Ratio between 0.8 to 1.20.
A mechanically tapered filament comprising:
- an elongated shaft terminating in a tip and having a mechanically tapered end portion, the tapered end portion having a Nelson Ratio between 0.8 to 1.20, wherein the Nelson Ratio is defined by the formula:
- Nelson
-
-
- Ratio
-
-
- (
- Ω
- )
- =
- 1
- 6.458
-
- (
- (
- λ
- R
- 3
- )
- +
- (
- 6
-
- θ
- R
- )
- +
- (
- ϕ
- R
- 8
- )
- )
- wherein
- λ
-
-
- R
- =
- Taper
-
-
- Length
-
-
- Ratio
- =
- λ
-
-
- Actual
- λ
-
-
- Target
- =
- Measured
-
-
- Taper
-
-
- Length
- Target
-
-
- Taper
-
-
- Length
- ,
- measured in millimeters;
- wherein
- θ
-
-
- R
- =
- Tip
-
-
- Diameter
-
-
- Ratio
- =
- θ
-
-
- Actual
- θ
-
-
- Target
- =
- Base
-
-
- Diameter
- -
- Measured
-
-
- Tapered
-
-
- Tip
-
-
- Diameter
- Base
-
-
- Diameter
- -
- Target
-
-
- Tapered
-
-
- Tip
-
-
- Diameter
- ,
- wherein the measured and target tapered tip diameters are measured at 0.05 millimeters from the tip;
- and
- wherein
- ϕ
-
-
- R
- =
- Roughness
-
-
- Ratio
- =
- ϕ
-
-
- Actual
- ϕ
-
-
- Target
- =
- Sa
-
-
-
- tip
-
-
- actual
- -
- Sa
-
-
- base
- Sa
-
-
- tip
-
-
- target
- -
- Sa
-
-
- base
- ,
- wherein Sa is areal surface roughness, wherein Sa tip actual and Sa tip target are measured at 4 millimeters from the tip and is at least 0.2, and wherein Sa base is measured at 7 mm from the tip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.