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US 6,408,476 B1Granted
Toothbrush with elastomer filled flexible head
AssigneeThe Procter & Gamble Company
InventorDavid Victor Cann
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A toothbrush, having a handle (12) and at one end thereof a bristle-bearing head (11), wherein the head (11) is in the form of two or more segments (15) flexibly and/or resiliently linked to each other and/or to the handle (12), one or more of the segments (15) being bristle bearing.
Claims21
A toothbrush comprising:
- i) an elongated handle having distal and proximal ends and at least one elastomeric handle region therein;
- ii) a resiliently flexible head attached to the proximal end of the handle, the head including a pair of opposing faces, one of the pair being a bristle-bearing face with bristles attached to and extending from the face, wherein each of the opposing faces has a plurality of elastomer-containing transverse grooves extending completely through the head which divide the head into a plurality of segments;
- and
- iii) at least one supply channel extending between the elastomeric handle region and each of the transverse grooves so that the elastomeric handle region and the transverse grooves can be filled with elastomer from a single injection point.
1 more element
A toothbrush, comprising:
- i) an elongated handle having distal and proximal ends and one or more elastomeric handle regions therein;
- ii) a resiliently flexible head attached to the proximal end of the handle, the head including a pair of opposing faces, one of the pair being a bristle-bearing face with bristles attached to and extending from the face, wherein at least one of the pair has one or more elastomer-containing transverse grooves therein;
- iii) one or more elastomer supply channels extending between the one or more elastomeric handle regions and the one or more transverse grooves so that at least one of the elastomeric handle regions and the transverse grooves can be filled with elastomer from a single injection point;
- and
- wherein the one or more transverse grooves divide the head into a plurality of segments each of which are flexibly interconnected by at least one hinge to an adjacent segment, wherein each hinge is located between the opposing faces and at a distance of at least about 10% of the depth of the head from each of the faces, the hinges being less than the full width of the head and wherein the handle is made from an opaque material and the supply channel passes from one face of the handle to its opposite face so that, when filled with elastomer, the supply channel appears to be discontinuous.
2 more elements
A toothbrush, comprising:
- i) an elongated handle having distal and proximal ends and one or more elastomeric handle regions therein;
- ii) a resiliently flexible head attached to the proximal end of the handle, the head including a pair of opposing faces, one of the pair being a bristle-bearing face with bristles attached to and extending from the face, wherein at least one of the pair has one or more elastomer-containing transverse grooves therein;
- and
- iii) one or more elastomer supply channels extending between the one or more elastomeric handle regions and the one or more transverse grooves so that at least one of the elastomeric handle regions and the transverse grooves can be filled with elastomer from a single injection point;
- and
- wherein the one or more transverse grooves divide the head into a plurality of segments each of which are flexibly interconnected by at least one hinge to an adjacent segment, wherein each hinge is located between the opposing faces and at a distance of at least about 10% of the depth of the head from each of the faces, the hinges being less than the fall width of the head and wherein grooves are tapered.
3 more elements
A toothbrush, comprising:
- i) an elongated handle having distal and proximal ends and one or more elastomeric handle regions therein;
- ii) a resiliently flexible head attached to the proximal end of the handle, the head including a pair of opposing faces, one of the pair being a bristle-bearing face with bristles attached to end extending from the face, wherein at least one of the pair has a plurality of elastomer-containing transverse grooves therein which divide the head into a plurality of segments;
- iii) at least one supply channel extending between the elastomeric handle region and each of the transverse grooves so at that the elastomeric handle region and the transverse grooves can be filled with elastomer from a single injection point;
- and
- wherein the grooves are tapered.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.