US 8,297,710 B2Granted

Toothbrush

AssigneeSunstar Inc.

InventorsShinya Sakurai, Toyokazu Mori

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A toothbrush including a brush main body of a synthetic resin and having a bristle base and bristles of a thermoplastic resin which have been fusion-bonded to the bristle base to constitute a bristled part, the bristles constituting the bristled part at least partly comprise: tapered bristles which are bristles having split free ends, the split free ends having been tapered beforehand; tapered bristles which have a sectional shape having a core-sheath structure or islands in a sea structure; or tapered bristles in each of which a core bristle comprising a core or island part has been formed beforehand so as to be exposed at the free end. The toothbrush has excellent suitability for bristle insertion into narrow parts. It is highly effective in removing dental plaque and cleaning the teeth. It is highly easy to use in the oral cavity. It further has a highly attractive appearance.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A method for manufacturing a toothbrush with the following steps:

(a) providing bristles made of a thermoplastic resin;
(b) wherein at least some of the bristles comprise tapered bristles with a sectional shape having an islands in a sea structure wherein a core bristle having a plurality of island portions exposed beforehand at a free end, and
(c) subsequently inserting a tuft comprising a plurality of the bristles into tufts holding holes formed in a first mold member from a front end side of the bristles against an opposite side from a cavity side, then bringing a free end portion of the tuft in contact with a backplate, setting a brushing surface formed by end portions of the bristles at a predetermined shape, heat melting a base end of the tuft to form a thick portion comprising a fused mass at the base end of the tuft, then mounting the thick portion in such that the tuft is fusion-bonded to a bristle base, and forming a brush main body made of a synthetic resin with the bristle base in molds.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/273,325Filed 14 Oct 2011 · division
Priority: JP 2005-0265532 Feb 2005
Published: US 2012/0091784 A119 Apr 2012
Granted: 30 Oct 2012
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification21 codes

A46D 1/023
Bristles details: bristles with at least a core and at least a partial sheath
A46D 1/00
Bristles
A46D 1/0276
Bristles details: bristles having pointed ends
B29C 65/14
By heating, with or without pressure: using wave energy , i.e. electromagnetic radiation, or particle radiation

Family

PCT/JP2006/301507Parent of this division · filed 31 Jan 2006
US 2012/0091784 A1Pre-grant publication · published 19 Apr 2012
Application11/815,274Parent of this division
US 2009/0013488 A1Published application
US 8,297,710 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.