Oral care implement and filament for the same
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsStephen Nelson, Alan 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.
Claims14
An oral care implement comprising:
- a handle;
- a head supported by the handle;
- and
- a plurality of mechanically tapered filaments coupled to the head, each of the mechanically tapered filaments 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 0.50 μm measured at a distance of 4 mm from the tip;
- and
- wherein a diameter between the tip and 0.05 mm from the tip is less than 10 microns.
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 5-7 mm;
- 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 0.50 μm.
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 μm;
- and
- wherein the filament has a tip diameter of less than 10 microns measured at 0.05 mm from the tip in the tapered end portion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.