Oral care implement
AssigneeColgate-Palmolive Company
InventorDouglas Hohlbein
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An oral care implement having a grip component. In one embodiment, the invention can be an oral care implement comprising: an elongated body extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising a head portion and a handle portion; a socket formed in an outer surface of the handle portion, the socket comprising a floor and an open top end; at least one tooth cleaning elements mounted to the head portion of the elongated body; at least one protuberance extending upwardly from the floor of the socket; and a grip component comprising a resilient body formed of a resilient material mounted to the handle portion of the elongated body so as to enclose the open top end of the socket, an inner surface of the resilient body separated from the floor of the socket by a free volume of space.
Claims23
An oral care implement comprising:
- an elongated body extending along a longitudinal axis and comprising a head portion and a handle portion;
- a socket formed in an outer surface of the handle portion, the socket comprising a floor and an open top end;
- at least one tooth cleaning element mounted to the head portion of the elongated body;
- a plurality of protuberances extending upwardly from the floor of the socket towards the open top end of the socket, wherein the protuberances are integrally formed with the elongated body;
- and
- a grip component comprising a resilient cover mounted to the handle portion of the elongated body to enclose the open top end of the socket such that a space is formed between an inner surface of the resilient cover and the floor of the socket.
An oral care implement comprising:
- a head having at least one tooth cleaning element;
- a handle coupled to the head, the handle comprising a socket having a floor and an open top end;
- a cover coupled to the handle to enclose the open top end of the socket and form a space between an inner surface of the cover and the floor of the socket, the cover formed of a resilient material and the handle formed of a rigid material;
- and
- a plurality of protuberances extending from the floor of the socket into the space, wherein the protuberances are integrally formed with the handle.
A method of manufacturing an oral care implement comprising:
- a) forming, from a first material, an elongated body comprising a handle portion and a head portion, the handle portion comprising a socket having a floor and an open top end;
- b) forming at least one protuberance extending upwardly from the floor of the socket;
- c) forming a cover of a second material;
- and
- d) mounting the cover to the handle portion to enclose the open top end of the socket, an inner surface of the cover separated from the floor of the socket by a space;
- and
- wherein steps a) and b) are performed concurrently in a single injection molding step.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.