Oral care implement
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorsDouglas Hohlbein, Chi Shing Wong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toothbrush handle includes a support structure formed of clarified polypropylene and a body formed of thermoplastic elastomer disposed on the support structure. The support structure includes a web having a thickness in a first direction orthogonal to an axis of the toothbrush handle of less than 2 millimeters and at least one rib depending from the web and having a thickness in a second direction, orthogonal to the axis and angled relative to the first direction, of less than about 2 millimeters. The body at least partially covers the web and the at least one rib. The handle has a light transmissivity of greater than 40% through a portion of the handle at which the body covers the web and the at least one rib.
Claims7
An oral care implement comprising:
- a handle and a head that extend collectively along a longitudinal axis, the handle comprising:
- a support structure comprising:
- a frame portion having an outer surface that forms an entirety of an exposed outer periphery of the handle and an inner surface that defines an inner void;
- and
- a web portion extending from the inner surface of the frame portion and at least partially filling the inner void defined by the frame portion, the web portion having a reduced thickness relative to the frame portion;
- and
- a body that covers the web portion of the support structure and at least a portion of the inner surface of the frame portion, the body comprising a continuous outer surface extending from a first lateral side of the exposed outer periphery of the handle to a second lateral side of the exposed outer periphery of the handle, that forms an exposed front surface of the handle, wherein the outer surface of the body comprises a plurality of grooves that are elongated in a direction of the longitudinal axis;
- wherein the handle comprises a proximal end and a distal end, and wherein a distance measured between adjacent ones of the plurality of grooves increases moving from the proximal end of the handle towards the distal end of the handle.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.