US20110167579A1 - Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process - Google Patents

Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20110167579A1
US20110167579A1 US12/929,633 US92963311A US2011167579A1 US 20110167579 A1 US20110167579 A1 US 20110167579A1 US 92963311 A US92963311 A US 92963311A US 2011167579 A1 US2011167579 A1 US 2011167579A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
component
segments
regions
region
toothbrush
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US12/929,633
Inventor
Beat Huber
Peter Gross
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Trisa Holding AG
Original Assignee
Trisa Holding AG
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Trisa Holding AG filed Critical Trisa Holding AG
Priority to US12/929,633 priority Critical patent/US20110167579A1/en
Publication of US20110167579A1 publication Critical patent/US20110167579A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29CSHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/16Making multilayered or multicoloured articles
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29CSHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/0053Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor combined with a final operation, e.g. shaping
    • B29C45/006Joining parts moulded in separate cavities
    • B29C45/0062Joined by injection moulding
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29CSHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/17Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
    • B29C45/26Moulds
    • B29C2045/2683Plurality of independent mould cavities in a single mould
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29CSHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/0053Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor combined with a final operation, e.g. shaping
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29CSHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/16Making multilayered or multicoloured articles
    • B29C45/1671Making multilayered or multicoloured articles with an insert
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29CSHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING
    • B29C45/00Injection moulding, i.e. forcing the required volume of moulding material through a nozzle into a closed mould; Apparatus therefor
    • B29C45/16Making multilayered or multicoloured articles
    • B29C45/1676Making multilayered or multicoloured articles using a soft material and a rigid material, e.g. making articles with a sealing part
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B29WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE IN GENERAL
    • B29LINDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
    • B29L2031/00Other particular articles
    • B29L2031/42Brushes
    • B29L2031/425Toothbrush

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and a device for producing a toothbrush or part thereof by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process.
  • the invention also relates to a toothbrush.
  • toothbrushes by the two-component injection-molding process is known per se and is used in particular in the case of high-quality toothbrushes, to allow high requirements for function and design to be met.
  • Widely encountered for example are toothbrushes comprising a body made up of a hard form-determining component, molded onto which are the additional flexible functional elements, for example a damping region in the neck region, cleaning elements in the head region or a gripping zone in the handle region.
  • the use of different hard materials makes it possible for example to design the brush in two or more colors and/or to choose different grades of material for the different regions of the brush.
  • Toothbrushes of this type are produced in a two-component injection-molding tool, in which all regions of the first component are first molded in a first mold from a first injection point and then all regions of the second component are molded in a second mold from further injection points.
  • the regions of the first component are completely contiguous, which facilitates both the actual injection-molding and the further handling of the blank, in particular the transfer into the second mold cavity.
  • a disadvantage of this is that it imposes limits on the forming of functional regions. For example, in the case of known toothbrushes with a damping region in the neck, a meandering “framework” of hard material is always present in the neck, connecting the handle region and the head region to one another.
  • toothbrushes which comprise two components, a hard component and a soft component, the first component having regions which are completely separate from the other regions of the first component and only connected to them by means of the second component. These isolated regions are referred to hereafter as “segments”. “Other regions” refers to those regions of the body that comprise the first component, are connected to one another and are not “segments”.
  • individual bristle clusters are embedded in sleeve-like segments of a hard material.
  • the segments in turn are embedded in a flexible material, which forms the head part of the brush.
  • the handle region and the neck region in turn consist of the hard material.
  • the production method is not specified.
  • the head region comprises a number of segments, for example three or five, of a hard component, which respectively carry a plurality of bristle clusters.
  • the intermediate spaces between the segments are filled with a soft material.
  • the production method is not specified.
  • WO 99/16604 discloses a method in which a toothbrush with isolated segments used for securing bristle clusters is created from a single injection point.
  • a first mold is used for production, a mold which has interconnected cavities for forming both the segments and the other regions.
  • the segments are separated from one another by movable mold cores, but not completely. This is so because the mold cores have clearances, through which the liquid material can flow from one part-cavity into the neighboring part-cavity. After solidifying, web portions which connect the segments to one another and to the other regions are formed in these clearances.
  • the mold cores are pulled out and the web portions are consequently sheared off.
  • the first component is distributed among the multiplicity of segments, since the material must in this case flow equally through a number of narrow clearances in the mold cores.
  • the connection between two segments is interrupted by the pulling out of the mold cores, full mobility of the segments in relation to one another is not produced.
  • the remains of the web portions, which are only sheared off but not removed, may impair the movement of the segments in an undefinable way.
  • the injection-molding tool is also relatively complicated because of the movable mold cores. Because of the mold cores, there is a certain minimum distance between the segments.
  • the invention is therefore based on the object of providing a method for producing a toothbrush or part thereof by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process by which a toothbrush or part thereof can be produced with at least one segment in a simple way with great freedom of design with respect to the dimensions and position of the segment. Furthermore, a device for carrying out the method and a toothbrush with advantageous properties are to be provided.
  • a large part of the brush body for example the entire form-determining part, is produced from the first component, and the segments are isolated therefrom in the head region of the toothbrush.
  • the brush handle region and neck region and any parts connected thereto in the head region are then to be identified as the “other regions” of the toothbrush.
  • only part of the toothbrush in particular a carrier element for bristles that is later to be connected to a separately produced brush body, is produced, in that segments and other regions are formed from the first component and subsequently connected by means of the second component.
  • the other regions are in this case for example those locations at which the carrier element is connected to the brush body, and the segments mainly mainly serve, as in the case of the first variant, for anchoring the cleaning elements, for example bristles.
  • the parts serving for anchoring the cleaning elements are referred to hereafter in connection with the carrier element as “segments” and the parts assigned to the brush body are referred to as “other regions”; however, this assignment is not obligatory.
  • the bristles may be attached by conventional tufting, by the Anchor Free Tufting (AFT) method or by the In Mold Tufting (IMT) method.
  • AFT Anchor Free Tufting
  • IMT In Mold Tufting
  • the segments preferably form sleeve-shaped receptacles, into which the anchor plates are punched after the injection of the two components.
  • the segments preferably have continuous holes, through which bristles are led, likewise after the injection of the two components, and are melted at their rear ends for connection to the carrier element.
  • the bristles are molded into the segments during the injection of the first component or are connected to them during the injection of the second component.
  • the carrier element is undetachably or detachably connected to the brush body, the latter for example for the production of an exchangeable-head toothbrush. Because of the good accessibility to the rear side, separately produced carrier elements are suitable in particular for providing bristles by means of the AFT method, but conventional tufting is also possible.
  • a first mold which has at least three hollow regions is used for producing the first component. Two hollow regions that are completely separate from one another correspond to the segments and the other regions of the brush body, respectively.
  • a third hollow region serves the purpose of distributing the liquid first component fed to it to the second hollow region, corresponding to the segments. If there are a number of segments, the second hollow region comprises a corresponding number of subregions, which are in connection with one another exclusively via the third hollow region.
  • the cross section of the connecting locations is preferably so small that the material remaining behind in the third hollow region (sprue and runner system) can be easily detached, for example by moving away the corresponding part-mold. This material is subsequently sent for disposal, preferably recycled.
  • the third hollow region makes it possible for material to be distributed from one injection point also to structures that are many times smaller in relation to the brush body. It is consequently possible for example to produce fine sleeves that are isolated from one another for securing bristle clusters.
  • the segments are completely separate from one another after removal of the material from the third hollow region, and can therefore also move with respect to one another without impairment after being encapsulated with the second component.
  • the hollow regions of the entire first mold may be supplied through a single injection point, if there is a connection between the first hollow region and the third hollow region. It is preferred that the first and third hollow regions are respectively supplied from at least one injection point of their own.
  • the third hollow region may also be subdivided into subregions that are separate from one another, which are supplied by one injection point in each case.
  • the spatial position of the segments in relation to one another and/or to the other regions is changed before the second component is injected. This is possible without any problem on account of the complete separation of the segments from one another and from the other regions.
  • the segments may also be arranged such that they are touching one another and/or the other regions and/or are engaging/mounted in one another before the injection of the second component.
  • the first component is preferably a hard component and the second component a hard or soft component.
  • Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), acrylobutadiene styrene (ABS) or polypropylene (PP) is used for example as the hard component.
  • a rubber-elastic material preferably a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), or for example polyurethane (PU), is used as the soft component.
  • TPE thermoplastic elastomer
  • PU polyurethane
  • the hard-hard combination of materials for example the combination of a transparent hard material with an opaque hard material and/or a hard material of different colors, is considered to be possible.
  • the hard-soft combination is preferred however for the production of flexible connecting elements between the segments.
  • the injection of further components is likewise possible. These are preferably further soft components, which are injection-molded onto the segments or onto the other regions.
  • the method according to the invention is used with preference to produce a toothbrush which has a plurality of segments in the head region.
  • a membrane of the second component, in which the segments are embedded is mounted as a connecting element between the segments and the remaining body.
  • the connection of the membrane to the brush body may be direct or obtained by being embedded in a carrier element which is connected to a separately produced brush body.
  • the segments are with preference in the form of sleeves or cups and can respectively hold one or more bristle clusters attached conventionally or by the AFT method.
  • the membrane provides particularly flexible mounting of the bristles.
  • FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a first injection mold with three part-molds after the injection of a first component
  • FIG. 2 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 1 after the separation of the first part-mold from the second and third part-molds;
  • FIG. 3 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 1 after the separation of the second and third part-molds
  • FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a second injection mold with two part-molds after the injection of a second component
  • FIG. 5 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 4 after the separation of the two part-molds
  • FIGS. 6 a , 6 b , 7 a , 7 b show various views of a brush head produced by the method according to the invention
  • FIG. 8 shows a two-component injection-molding tool according to FIGS. 1-5 ;
  • FIGS. 9 , 10 show views of a further toothbrush after the injection of the first component and second component, respectively;
  • FIGS. 11-15 show examples of toothbrushes with a carrier element, separately produced by the method according to the invention, for bristles with a membrane in various views;
  • FIGS. 16 , 17 show examples of toothbrushes which have a membrane in the head region, with a brush body produced by the method according to the invention
  • FIG. 18 shows in a greatly simplified form a first injection-molding cycle in which two parts of a toothbrush are produced
  • FIG. 19 shows in a plan view the two parts produced in the first injection-molding cycle
  • FIG. 20 shows the encapsulation of the joined-together parts according to FIG. 19 by means of a soft component
  • FIG. 21 shows in plan view the toothbrush without bristles, produced from the parts according to FIG. 19 by the method according to FIGS. 18 and 20 ;
  • FIG. 23 shows in plan view a second part produced by injection-molding
  • FIG. 24 a shows in plan view a view of a further toothbrush with the parts that are shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 , which are connected to one another by means of a further component, in particular a soft component;
  • FIG. 24 b shows in side view the toothbrush that is shown in FIG. 24 a;
  • FIG. 25 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a further injection mold with two hollow regions for producing the two toothbrush parts that are shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 ;
  • FIG. 26 shows a cross-sectional view of the injection mold that is shown in FIG. 25 through the plane
  • FIGS. 1-5 show views of an injection-molding tool used for carrying out the method according to the invention in various stages of the method.
  • FIG. 8 shows this tool in an overview. The aim is to produce a toothbrush with bristle clusters flexibly secured in sleeves, for example according to claim 24 or according to EP-A 0 923 326.
  • a first mold 10 is made up of three part-molds 30 , 32 , 34 , which may in each case be subdivided further. Between the first part-mold 30 and the second part-mold 32 , both first hollow regions 12 are formed by wall regions 12 a, 12 b (see FIG. 2 ) and second hollow regions 14 are formed by wall regions 14 a, 14 b (see FIG. 2 ). The first and second hollow regions 12 , 14 are not in connection with one another. The second hollow region 14 is subdivided into a number of subregions, which are likewise not directly in connection with one another.
  • a third hollow region 16 which is formed by wall regions 16 a, 16 b of the respective part-molds 32 , 34 (cf. FIG. 3 ).
  • This hollow region is in connection with the subregions of the second hollow region 14 by means of a number of arms 66 .
  • the arms 66 run conically and have a length of between 5 and 22 mm, preferably 17 mm.
  • the connection of the arms 66 to the subregions is realized by means of narrow through-openings 28 , which preferably have a round cross section with a diameter of 0.2-1.0 mm, with particular preference approximately 0.7 mm. If segments 20 produced in second hollow regions 14 have to receive a number of bristle clusters 58 , it is proposed for reasons of stability to connect each of the corresponding part-sleeves to the third hollow region 16 by a single arm 66 .
  • the first hollow region 12 is supplied with molten first component 38 , preferably a hard component in the hot runner feed system, via a first injection point 24 (see FIG. 8 ), in order to produce the other regions 18 of the toothbrush consisting of the first component, with the exception of the segments 20 .
  • the other regions 18 are an all-round periphery 52 a of the head region 52 with preformed sleeves 52 b for receiving bristles and parts of the neck region 54 and of the handle region 56 (see FIG. 8 ).
  • a hot runner nozzle with a needle valve is preferably used for the first and third hollow regions.
  • the second hollow regions 14 are supplied with molten first component 38 indirectly by a material supply at the third hollow region 16 via a second injection point 26 . Since solidified material 22 remains behind in the third hollow region 16 , this is a case of material supply via a cold runner.
  • the first component 38 is preferably supplied by means of the same plasticizing unit, possibly by the cascade method. There is suitable control for the opening and closing of the material supply to the first and third hollow regions at times coordinated with one another.
  • the first and second part-molds 30 , 32 are separated from one another after the first component 38 is injection-molded and left to solidify.
  • the second and third part-molds 32 , 34 are separated simultaneously or preferably with a slight delay, cf. FIG. 3 .
  • the separating of the first and second part-molds 30 , 32 has the effect that the solidified material 22 contained in the third hollow region 16 is torn off from the segments 20 which have been formed in the second hollow regions 14 . This tearing-off can be carried out in a well-defined manner and with low expenditure of force on account of the small through-openings 28 . Remaining behind in the first part-mold 30 are the other regions 18 and segments 20 separated from them and from one another.
  • the segments 20 may, however, also have the form of rings or cups, as explained further below.
  • the sleeve-shaped segments 20 are fitted on pins 30 a, which are part of the first part-mold 30 and serve for shaping the inner region of the sleeves or segments 20 .
  • the pins 30 a can preferably be displaced in relation to a matrix 30 b, in order to adapt the position of the sleeves in the brush head as a unit. Furthermore, it is possible to freely move the pins 30 a, and consequently the segments 20 , by removing the matrix 30 b after the injection of the first component 38 (not represented here). This also allows the position of the segments 20 to be changed in relation to one another and in relation to the other regions 18 , without a complicated holding and displacing mechanism for gripping and moving the small segments 20 being necessary.
  • the second and third part-molds 32 , 34 are also separated.
  • the solidified material 22 is detached by means of ram-like ejectors 36 , which can be displaced into the third hollow region 16 , and is sent for disposal.
  • the first mold 10 is preferably arranged for this purpose in such a way that the ejected material 22 falls by gravitational force into regions in which there are no further molds, so that it cannot become caught in further mold cavities or on finished or half-finished products.
  • the separation of the sprue and runner system consequently preferably takes place, seen spatially, in the lowest station/mold of the multi-station tool. With preference, the sprue and runner system is gripped from below by means of a handling system or a robot and sent for disposal. This has the advantage of ensuring that no sprue and runner systems can jam between the platens.
  • FIG. 4 shows the second mold 40 for injecting the second component 39 . It comprises two part-molds, one of which is identical to the first part-mold 30 from the previous steps. This has the advantage that, apart from applying a new further part-mold 46 , no steps are necessary for separate gripping and moving of the blank.
  • the transfer into the second mold 40 preferably takes place by rotating and/or displacing the first part-mold 30 , for example by rotation about an axis D through 180°, as shown in FIG. 8 , or through 90°/120°, if additional polymer components are injected into further stations/molds.
  • a manual mold change is also possible.
  • the wall regions 48 a, 48 b ( FIG.
  • the wall region 48 b has for example depressions 48 c, which substantially correspond to the form of the segments 20 , but are less deep. In this way, the bottom 20 b of the segments 20 is covered during the injection of the second component 39 , while the upper periphery 20 a remains free and is consequently surrounded by the second component 39 .
  • a thin material layer is also injection-molded around the upper periphery and the adjoining regions of the sleeve-shaped segments 20 .
  • the membrane 43 preferably comes to lie as a collar around the segments 20 .
  • the segments 20 are securely anchored by the consequently locally greater material thickness of the membrane 43 .
  • the connecting elements 42 have altogether the form of a continuous membrane 43 , in which the sleeve-shaped segments 20 are embedded at their upper periphery 20 a, cf. FIGS. 6 b , 7 a , 7 b .
  • further regions 44 are injection-molded from the second component 39 at the neck and handle regions 54 , 56 .
  • the molten second component 39 is supplied from the neck region 54 into the head region 52 via a channel 62 cut out in the first component 38 (see FIG. 3 ).
  • the segments 20 are embedded completely in the second component 39 . This is preferably used if the segments 20 can be kept relatively thin. This is the case in particular when using the AFT or IMT method, in which the segments 20 are formed as rings that are open at the bottom. This method is discussed in still more detail later on.
  • the injection point for the second component 39 preferably does not lie on the membrane 43 in the head region 52 , but in the neck or handle region 54 , 56 .
  • the displacement of the injection point also allows the otherwise low material consumption to be artificially increased, in order to maintain a minimum shot weight.
  • FIG. 5 schematically shows a further method step, in which the part-molds 30 , 46 of the second mold 40 are separated from one another and the toothbrush body is removed.
  • FIG. 8 shows a two-component injection-molding tool according to FIGS. 1-5 with two molds 10 , 40 , the left-hand first part-mold 30 of each of which is identical.
  • the part-molds 30 and 32 / 34 as well as 30 and 46 can be separated along a vertical plane E or in the region of the toothbrush slightly offset in relation thereto.
  • the left-hand first part-molds 30 are also rotatable about the horizontally running axis of rotation D, in order to transfer a product after production of the first component into the second mold 40 .
  • the solidified material 22 in the third hollow region 16 falls downward over a sloping surface 64 , and consequently cannot become caught in other products or molds.
  • FIGS. 6 a,b and 7 a,b various views of a brush head produced by the method according to the invention are represented.
  • FIG. 6 a shows part of a toothbrush 50 in a view from below at the head part 52 , i.e. at the rear side facing away from the bristles.
  • FIG. 6 b shows the same toothbrush 50 in a view of the bristle-carrying front side of the head part 52 .
  • FIGS. 7 a and b show the same brush in cross section and longitudinal section along the lines I-I and II-II, respectively.
  • the bristle clusters 58 are secured in sleeve- or cup-like segments 20 , which have preferably been conventionally provided with bristles by tufting.
  • one segment 20 holds one to three bristle clusters 58 , but may also hold larger groups of bristle clusters or other cleaning structures, such as for example flexible cleaning elements.
  • the openings of the sleeves 20 are elliptically shaped, in order to adapt themselves to the form of the anchor plates during conventional tufting. That is to say that the anchor plates are respectively placed in such a way that they come to lie substantially on the major axis of the ellipse.
  • the segments 20 are conically formed on the undersides 20 b.
  • the bottoms of the underside 20 b preferably lie in one plane, so that during tufting they can be supported on an underlying surface.
  • the membrane 43 may have a convex, arched basic form, the segments 20 preferably have a flat upper bounding surface. As a result, the inserting and anchoring of the bristle clusters 58 is likewise facilitated.
  • connection of the sleeve-shaped segments 20 to the material 22 and the connection of the corresponding hollow regions 14 , 16 is preferably such that each segment 20 is centrally connected on its underside to the material 22 .
  • the third hollow region 16 , or the first component 38 present in it, acts as a distributing element during the injection-molding. As a result, good material distribution, clean detachment/tearing-off of the solidified material 22 and reduction of crack formation are made possible.
  • the material connection preferably has a round cross section with a diameter of 0.2-1 mm, preferably 0.7 mm.
  • the segments 20 may also be provided with bristles by the Anchor Free Tufting (AFT) or In Mold Tufting (IMT) method.
  • AFT Anchor Free Tufting
  • IMT In Mold Tufting
  • the segments 20 are preferably sleeves that are open at both ends, into which bristle clusters 58 are inserted, preferably after the injection of both components 38 , 39 , and are subsequently melted at their rear ends.
  • the carrier elements for the bristles are produced by the method according to the invention.
  • the carrier elements particularly comprise sleeve-shaped segments 20 that are open at both ends, connected by connecting elements in the form of a preferably thin membrane 43 , which may also be perforated.
  • the “other regions” 18 made of the first component 38 may be small. They serve in particular for the purpose of connecting, in particular welding, the carrier element to a separately produced brush body to form a complete toothbrush 50 .
  • the “other regions” 18 may also serve the purpose of lending the carrier element the necessary stability, if the membrane 43 does not have the necessary intrinsic stability, for example in that it is formed as an all-round or arcuate periphery or as two webs on which or between which the membrane is mounted.
  • the segments 20 are preferably formed together with the other regions from a single injection point in the hard component 38 .
  • the elements to be welded between the AFT carrier element and the actual toothbrush body preferably consist of the same hard material, in order to increase the material compatibility and consequently the durability of the weld seam. However, the main method steps for forming the segments 20 remain as already described. Examples of such carrier elements and toothbrushes produced with them are described further below with reference to FIGS. 11-15 .
  • the bristle clusters 58 are inserted through suitable clearances into the first mold 10 already before the injection of the first component 38 and are encapsulated at their rear ends with the first component 38 and in this way anchored in the segments 20 or other regions 18 . Fixing by the second component 39 is also possible.
  • the segments 20 produced from the first component 38 , a hard component are located in the head region 52 of the toothbrush 50 and, in this configurational variant, are surrounded by an all-round periphery 52 a, which likewise consists of the hard component. However, the segments 20 are not connected to this periphery 52 a directly, but only via the membrane 43 , acting as a connecting element 42 , which consists of the second component 39 , a soft component. Integrally formed with the periphery 52 a are further sleeves 52 b, which likewise serve for securing bristles.
  • the periphery 52 a together with the regions of the neck and handle regions 54 , 56 that consist of the hard component form the “other regions” 18 , which are injection-molded in one operation together with the segments 20 .
  • the membrane 43 is merely attached at the open end, to the upper periphery 20 a of the segments 20 and to the upper side of the periphery 52 a of the head part 52 .
  • very flexible mounting of the segments 20 is obtained, making great mobility of the segments 20 relative to one another and to the periphery 52 a possible.
  • the bristles of the toothbrush 50 produced in this way are particularly compliant and adaptable as a result of the mounting, making particularly gentle teeth cleaning possible.
  • the rear side of the toothbrush 50 is covered by a cover element 60 , so that no remains can become lodged between the segments 20 .
  • This cover element 60 preferably consists of a transparent or translucent hard or soft material, so that the movable mounting is visible from the outside and can be shown directly to the purchaser.
  • the periphery 52 a of the head region 52 preferably has an all-round welding edge 52 d.
  • the all-round frame of the front side that is formed as a result forms the support for the waterproof welding of the cover element 60 .
  • the segments 20 are preferably between 2 and 6 mm (with preference 3 mm) deep and between 2 and 4 mm (with preference 3 mm) wide.
  • the membrane 43 is preferably between 0.3 and 3 mm thick, with particular preference between 0.6 and 1.0 mm. This allows the segments 20 to perform a tumbling movement.
  • the distance between the segments 20 is preferably at least 0.2 and at most 3 mm. They preferably take up at least half the surface of the membrane 43 or of the surface area defined by the periphery 52 a.
  • Their bottoms 20 b are preferably kept at a distance from the cover element 60 of at least 1-3 mm.
  • the membrane 43 may be arched (convexly or concavely) or flat.
  • the upper peripheries 20 a of the segments 20 preferably have a flat upper bounding surface, for better insertion and anchorage of the bristle clusters 58 .
  • the segments 20 are preferably laterally and/or horizontally fixed for the insertion of the bristle clusters 58 .
  • additional rubber-elastic cleaning or massaging elements which are integral with the membrane, may be formed from the same material as the membrane.
  • the connecting elements 42 also extend over the entire height of the segments.
  • a different mobility of the segments 20 is obtained as a result.
  • the flexibility of the head can be specifically influenced as a result.
  • FIG. 9 shows a further (not yet finished) toothbrush 50 produced by the method according to the invention in longitudinal section after the injection of the first component 38 of the body 50 ′.
  • a first mold is used, substantially formed as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and comprising three part-molds (not represented here).
  • the contact surface between the second and third part-forms has in this case the form of a plane and is designated by E.
  • individual segments 20 are formed both in the handle region 56 and in the neck region 54 .
  • the segments 20 in the handle region 56 may have the form of bars running in the transverse direction.
  • the segments 20 in the neck region 54 are bar-like and in the finished state serve in conjunction with the soft component as an elastic bending zone.
  • the second hollow regions 14 are therefore divided into two groups, which are of a form complementing the segments 20 in the handle region 56 and the neck region 54 , respectively.
  • the segments 20 in the handle region 56 are connected to one another by means of a first distributing element (solidified material 22 ) of the first component 38 , which is of a form complementing the third hollow region 16 .
  • This region is supplied with the first component 38 via an injection point 26 , so that material is directed into the second hollow regions 14 , solidifies there as segments 20 and in the third hollow region 16 solidifies as material 22 .
  • the segments 20 in the neck region 54 are connected to one another by means of a further distributing element (solidified material 22 ′) of the first component 38 , which corresponds to a further third hollow region 16 ′.
  • This region is supplied with the first component 38 via a further injection point 26 ′.
  • the openings 28 between the second and third hollow regions 14 , 16 lie in the separating plane E. This facilitates demolding, in particular the detachment of the third part-mold and the distributing elements ( 22 , 22 ′), and the production of the part-mold.
  • the position of the segments 20 in relation to one another and to the other regions of the first component 38 does not correspond to the desired final state.
  • the finished body 50 ′ which is shown in section in FIG. 10
  • the gaps 70 between the segments 20 and the other regions are reduced and the distances between the segments 20 are increased.
  • some of these segments 20 and the segments 20 in the neck region 54 have been displaced in the plane of the drawing perpendicularly in relation to the separating plane E, in order that their contours are adapted to the contour of the toothbrush 50 with a slightly curved body 50 ′.
  • the described relocation of the segments 20 in relation to the other regions of the first component 38 takes place after the detachment of the distributing elements ( 22 , 22 ′) when changing between the first mold 10 and the second mold 40 .
  • a suitable handling unit is preferably used; the segments 20 may, however, also be simply allowed to fall into corresponding clearances in the second mold.
  • FIG. 10 shows the finished body 50 ′ of the same toothbrush 50 after relocation of the segments 20 and after the injection of the second component 39 .
  • the second component 39 which is a soft component here, has the effect that the segments 20 are resiliently embedded and are connected to the other regions of the first component 39 to form a continuous body 50 ′. This is subsequently provided with bristles in the head region 52 in a known way.
  • FIGS. 11-17 show further variants of toothbrushes 50 and carrier elements 68 for toothbrushes 50 which have been produced by the method according to the invention.
  • carrier elements 68 are firstly produced by the method according to the invention, provided with bristles and subsequently connected to a separately produced body 50 ′.
  • the entire brush body 50 ′ is produced by the method according to the invention and subsequently provided with bristles.
  • a plurality of sleeve-shaped segments 20 and the other regions 18 of the carrier element 68 are produced from a first component 38 , in particular a hard component.
  • connecting elements 42 in the form of a membrane 43 are molded on.
  • the membrane 43 is thinner in a direction perpendicular to the carrier element 68 than the segments 20 , which protrude from the membrane 43 on both sides (see FIGS. 11 e, 12 e ).
  • the segments 20 may in principle be of any desired form, but are preferably in the form of sleeves or cups and, perpendicularly in relation to the carrier element 68 , are open at one or both ends.
  • the cross-sectional area of the segment openings is preferably elliptical, as shown on the left in FIG. 11 b.
  • segments 20 with openings at one end are produced (for example as in FIGS. 7 a,b ).
  • any other desired cross-sectional openings may be realized, for example in the form of a figure of eight or a kidney shape, as shown in the middle and on the right in FIG. 11 b.
  • the segments 20 have continuous channel-like openings 72 , through which bristle clusters 58 can be led after the production of the carrier element 68 . These are subsequently melted at their rear ends, in order to anchor them on the carrier element 68 .
  • the other regions 18 form an elliptical closed periphery 74 (similar to the all-round periphery 52 a ), onto which further sleeves 76 (similar to the further sleeves 52 b ) are directly molded. They serve like the segments 20 for fastening bristles and are open at one or both ends.
  • the membrane 43 is preferably elastic, so that elastic bristle anchorage is realized.
  • the carrier element 68 is subsequently provided with bristles 58 conventionally or by means of AFT ( FIG. 11 d ).
  • a brush body 50 ′ which has the form of a spoon with a recess in the head region 52 ( FIG. 11 c ), was produced in a separate operation. Formed in the head region 52 , or at the periphery of the recess, is an all-round edge 78 , against which an outer edge 80 of the carrier element comes to bear.
  • the carrier element 68 and the body 50 ′ are undetachably connected to one another, preferably by welding, along the line 78 / 80 ( FIG. 11 e ).
  • the welding area may be partially interrupted by openings or other materials, in particular soft materials. Variants in which an exchangeable-head toothbrush is realized by a detachable connection of the other regions 18 to the body 50 ′ are also advantageous.
  • a plurality of sleeve-shaped segments 20 and two straight, cross-sectionally L-shaped material pieces 82 are produced from the first component 38 , a hard component ( FIG. 12 a ).
  • the material pieces 82 may be identified as the “other regions” 18 .
  • the membrane 43 is injection-molded as a connecting element 42 between the material pieces 82 and the segments 20 ( FIG. 12 b ).
  • the carrier element 68 produced in this way is subsequently provided with bristles conventionally or by means of AFT ( FIG. 12 c ).
  • a separately produced brush body 50 ′ is bent in the head region 52 to form a carrying structure and has two edges 78 , running in the transverse direction and serving as anchoring locations for the carrier element 68 , and consequently indirectly for the membrane 43 .
  • the elongate material pieces 82 are fastened to these, preferably by means of welding.
  • the underside 80 ′ of the material pieces 82 is thereby adapted to the edge 78 .
  • the previously planar carrier element 68 may be connected to the head region 52 of the body 50 ′ under prestress, so that it arches up and creates a cushion-like structure, by which the bristles 58 are mounted in a particularly resilient manner ( FIGS. 12 d+e ).
  • the head region 52 may be open at the sides, as shown in FIG. 12 d , or closed at the sides, in a way analogous to FIG. 11 , but without a lateral weld seam.
  • the carrier element 68 may also be bent already before insertion into the body 50 ′, for example in that the membrane 43 is produced in a correspondingly bent form or in that it is thermoplastically deformed during or after being provided with bristles, for example by a bent AFT die.
  • FIGS. 13 , 14 and 15 show variants of the toothbrush 50 that is shown in FIG. 12 .
  • the brush body 50 ′ is bent in the head region 52 , branched one or more times toward the front end to form a skeletal carrying structure and has two, four or eleven plate-shaped anchoring locations 84 , formed at the end of a branch.
  • a further anchoring location 84 is formed, as in the case of FIGS. 12 d+e, as an elongate edge 78 at the transition from the head region 52 to the neck region 54 .
  • the corresponding carrier element 68 has, as in the case of FIGS.
  • an elongate material piece 82 at one end and, distributed in a way corresponding to the anchoring locations 84 , two, four or eleven plate-like material pieces 82 ′, between which the membrane 43 is located.
  • These may serve exclusively for anchoring the carrier element 68 to the brush body 50 ′ (FIGS. 13 + 14 ) or additionally also themselves carry bristle clusters 58 ( FIG. 15 ).
  • the membrane 43 is connected to the body 50 ′ without stress, drawn in length or width or made to arch up.
  • the anchorage between the holding locations is preferably performed by means of ultrasound. This allows edges of the carrier element 68 to engage in grooves of the holding locations with a positive and non-positive fit.
  • FIGS. 16 a - c and 17 a+b show two examples of a toothbrush 50 , in which the hard component of the entire brush body 50 ′ and the cup-shaped segments 20 are injection-molded in one operation.
  • the hard component of the entire brush body 50 ′ is formed, in particular in the head region 52 , in such a bent manner that bent all-round surfaces 86 are formed, serving as a lateral boundary and anchorage for a membrane 43 .
  • “Bent” is understood here as also meaning pieces of the all-round surface that run straight but are arranged at angles to one another (see FIG. 17 a ).
  • the hard component is bent in the form of an S in plan view.
  • the membrane 43 is subdivided into two subregions, which are respectively located between an arc of the S structure.
  • the hard component has a structure in the form of an H in plan view.
  • the membrane 43 is in turn subdivided into two subregions, which are respectively located—seen in plan view—above and below the longitudinal axis of the brush.
  • the segments 20 have the form of cups that are closed at the bottom and are embedded at their upper periphery in the membrane 43 , which is thin in relation to the depth of the cups (see FIG. 17 b ).
  • Brush heads of this type are provided with bristles conventionally, since the head region 52 provided with the segments 20 is integrally formed with the remaining brush body 50 ′.
  • Carrying structures such as the S or H form shown may however also be used in the case of separately produced carrier elements 68 , as in FIGS. 11-15 .
  • Carrier elements 68 used as AFT brush heads are generally produced from the same hard component as the brush body 50 ′, in order to ensure satisfactory welding to the brush handle.
  • Polypropylene (PP) is preferably used as the hard component.
  • a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that bonds, i.e. has an affinity, with PP is preferably used as the soft component. This TPE is provided for the creation of flexible regions of the AFT head and/or for the forming of rubber-elastic cleaning elements.
  • conventional bristles with a diameter of 0.1-0.25 mm are subsequently anchored on the AFT brush head by means of melting the bristles on the rear side of the AFT brush head, for example as described in EP 1136016.
  • Conventional bristles preferably consist of a thermoplastic, preferably of polyamide (PA) or polyester (PBT).
  • PA polyamide
  • PBT polyester
  • This melting of the bristles produces a melt carpet, which is substantially up to 1 mm thick and is somewhat higher at the peripheries as a result of material displacement.
  • This melt carpet of the material of the bristles is brittle.
  • the bristle melt does not bond with the brush head plate, in the examples shown with the segments 20 arranged, if required, on the carrier element 68 , as a result of the melting.
  • This has the disadvantage, in particular in the case of flexible mounting of the AFT brush head, that the bristle melt may separate itself from the AFT brush head plate, and even break up into individual subregions.
  • an additive which brings about adhesion between the material of the head plate and the conventional bristles is added to the material of the AFT head plate.
  • adhesion promoters which can be admixed during the injection-molding process of the AFT head plate or be contained already in the injection-molding granules.
  • the adhesion promoter may also be admixed with the soft material.
  • this adhesion promoter corresponds to the corresponding bristle material.
  • polypropylene PP of the head plate contains an additive (adhesion promoter) for polyamide PA.
  • adheresion promoter for polyamide PA.
  • the bristle handle likewise consists of PP (without adhesion promoter), it must be ensured that the welding to the bristle handle is not adversely influenced by addition of the adhesion promoter.
  • polypropylene PP of the head plate contains an additive (adhesion promoter) for polyester PBT.
  • adheresion promoter for polyester PBT.
  • the bristle handle likewise consists of PP (without adhesion promoter), it must be ensured that the welding to the bristle handle is not adversely influenced by addition of the adhesion promoter.
  • the adhesion promoter is used as the adhesion promoter.
  • these are for example maleic anhydrides (MSA), EVAC, EBA, SB/PE block copolymer, SB/PP block copolymer, SB blends, etc.
  • MSA maleic anhydrides
  • EVAC ethylene glycol dimethacrylate
  • EBA ethylene glycol dimethacrylate
  • SB/PE block copolymer polystyrenethacrylate
  • SB/PP block copolymer polystyrenethacrylate
  • SB blends e.g., etc.
  • the concentration is less than 5%, preferably less than 1%.
  • the adhesion promoter is added to the bristle material.
  • the head plate is pretreated before the AFT process.
  • the surface tension may be reduced for example by means of a corona flash or flame treatment.
  • the surface of the head plate is coated or sprayed with an agent which acts for example in the manner of a catalyst during the melting of the bristles, likewise with the effect of bringing about a bond/adhesion between the head plate and the bristle melt.
  • This agent may be an adhesive or likewise an adhesion promoter.
  • This operation can fix the bristle melt to the AFT brush head in addition to the measures mentioned above. It must be ensured here that the welding edges on the AFT brush head plate that are necessary for the welding to the brush handle are freed.
  • FIGS. 18 to 21 show the production of a further toothbrush 50 at different points in time.
  • FIG. 18 shows, two parts 116 , 118 of the toothbrush 50 , to be specific the toothbrush body 50 ′ and a toothbrush tongue 88 , are produced in an injection-molding cycle from a first component 38 in the corresponding hollow regions 12 , 14 (cavities) of the first mold 10 (compare FIGS. 1-5 , 8 , 19 - 21 ).
  • the hollow regions 12 , 14 may, as shown in FIG. 18 , be supplied with the liquid polymer material from a gate via a sprue and runner system. It is also possible to feed each hollow region 12 , 14 via a gate of its own.
  • the two parts 116 , 118 of the toothbrush 50 consist of the same plastic, a hard component, of the same color.
  • the two parts 116 , 118 may consist of different plastics of the same color or different colors, or of the same plastic of different colors.
  • the one-piece toothbrush body 50 ′ has a handle region 56 , a neck region 54 and a head region 52 .
  • the toothbrush body has a clearance 90 right through from the upper side to the underside in the form of a spoon.
  • This clearance 90 is surrounded by an all-round periphery 52 a, which is integrally formed onto the handle region 56 .
  • the periphery 52 a has a series of cup-like depressions 92 , which are open on the upper side, closed on the underside and are intended for receiving bristle clusters 58 . They are produced in the first injection-molding cycle.
  • the toothbrush body 50 ′ has on the upper side in a front part of the handle region 56 adjoining the neck region 54 a receiving depression 94 , which is provided with two blind-hole-like positioning holes 96 , which are arranged one behind the other on the longitudinal center axis of the toothbrush 50 .
  • the toothbrush tongue 88 likewise has the shape of a spoon. It is shaped in such a way that it fits in the clearance 90 , while leaving a narrow gap 102 between it and the all-round periphery 52 a.
  • the toothbrush tongue 88 is likewise provided with depressions 92 for receiving bristle clusters 58 .
  • the toothbrush tongue 88 has a plate-like fastening region 98 , which is shaped equally and oppositely in relation to the receiving depression 94 and is provided with pin-shaped positioning studs 100 , which are arranged in a way corresponding to the positioning holes 96 .
  • the toothbrush body 50 ′ and the toothbrush tongue 88 are moved in relation to one another (displaced and possibly rotated), so that the toothbrush tongue 88 comes to lie in the clearance 90 and the fastening region 98 comes to lie in the receiving depression 94 , the positioning studs 100 engaging in the positioning holes 96 .
  • the toothbrush body 50 ′ and the toothbrush tongue 88 are encapsulated—in a fourth hollow region 48 of a second mold 40 —with a second component 39 , for example a soft component.
  • the second component 39 reaches in an enveloping manner around the toothbrush body 50 ′ and the toothbrush tongue 88 in the region of the receiving depression 94 and the fastening region 98 , as also shown by FIG. 21 .
  • the toothbrush tongue 88 is held in the manner of a bending bar that is mounted at one end and can resiliently yield during cleaning of the teeth.
  • the periphery 52 a and the toothbrush tongue 88 are provided with bristles by generally known methods described above.
  • FIGS. 22 to 24 b show parts 116 , 118 of a further toothbrush 50 .
  • the production of the toothbrush 50 is based on a similar procedure to that which has been described in relation to FIGS. 18 to 21 .
  • FIG. 22 shows, in a way similar to the embodiment that is shown in FIG. 19 , a first part 116 with an integrated toothbrush tongue 88 in plan view.
  • the toothbrush tongue 88 has in turn, seen in plan view, the shape of a spoon in the head region 52 and in the neck region 54 . It is shaped in such a way that it fits in a clearance 90 of a second part 118 , shown in FIG. 23 , so that essentially there only remains a narrow gap 102 between it and the all-round periphery 52 a of the second part 118 .
  • the toothbrush tongue 88 is likewise provided in turn with depressions 92 for receiving bristle clusters 58 .
  • the first part 116 is produced from a first component 58 , preferably a hard component, of a first color.
  • the first part 116 of the toothbrush 50 in the present embodiment does not already end in the front region of the handle region 56 , but extends further over a significant part of the handle region 56 , where it forms the fastening region 98 .
  • FIG. 23 shows a second part 118 with a likewise spoon-shaped clearance 90 for receiving the first part 116 in plan view.
  • the second part 118 is integrally designed and likewise has a handle region 56 , a neck region 54 and a head region 52 .
  • the second part 118 has in the head region 52 , neck region 54 and in the handle region 56 a clearance 90 right through from the upper side to the underside, which is intended for receiving the first part 116 .
  • the second part 118 accordingly forms a frame, or a toothbrush frame, for the first part 116 .
  • the clearance 90 is bounded in the head region 52 by an all-round periphery 52 a, which is integrally formed onto the handle region 56 .
  • the periphery 52 a has a series of cup-like depressions 92 , which are open on the upper side, closed on the underside and intended for receiving bristle clusters 58 . They are produced in the first injection-molding cycle.
  • the second part 118 is produced with preference in the same injection-molding cycle as the first part 116 , but in a separate cavity.
  • the second part 118 is simultaneously produced in the same tool (mold 10 ′) likewise with the first component 38 , of a first color, preferably a hard component.
  • the second component 118 it is also conceivable for the second component 118 to be produced from a component 38 ′ that is different from the first component 38 and is of the same color as the first component 38 or of a different color.
  • the component 38 ′ to consist of the same material as the component 38 , but be of a different color.
  • FIGS. 24 a and 24 b show in plan view and in side view the toothbrush 50 not yet provided with bristles, in which the first part 116 from FIG. 22 has been inserted into the second part 118 from FIG. 23 .
  • the first part 116 is fixed with respect to the second part 118 by a second component 39 , with preference a soft component, partially enclosing the two parts 116 , 118 .
  • the second component 39 is applied in a separate, second injection-molding cycle or injection-molding operation.
  • FIG. 24 a therefore shows a second injection point 26 on the rear side of the toothbrush 50 in the rear handle region 56 .
  • the fixing with the second component 39 in an enveloping manner took place with preference only in the handle region 56 , so that the toothbrush tongue 88 remains free in the head and neck regions 52 , 54 .
  • the fixing in the handle region 56 has the effect that the toothbrush tongue 88 of the first part 116 is held in the manner of a bending bar mounted at one end and can resiliently yield during cleaning of the teeth, whereby the toothbrush 50 becomes compliant and adaptable, in particular in the two-part head region 52 , whereby particularly gentle teeth cleaning can be made possible.
  • the first part 116 and the second part 118 are only partially enclosed by the second component 39 , so that certain regions of the first part 116 and/or of the second part 118 on the finished toothbrush 50 remain fully or partially visible for the customer.
  • FIG. 22 indicated in FIG. 22 are a first island region 104 and a second island region 106 , which remain visible in the joined-together toothbrush 50 in FIGS. 24 a and 24 b .
  • the second part 118 can be seen in FIGS. 24 a and 24 b in the form of an all-round strip.
  • the bristle area is in two parts. A first part of the bristle arrangement is located in the head region 52 of the first part 116 , while the second part of the bristle arrangement is arranged in the head region 52 of the frame-like second part 118 .
  • the second component 39 it is conceivable for the second component 39 to consist of the same material as the first component 38 , it being possible for it to be of the same color as the first component 38 or a different color.
  • FIGS. 25 and 26 show a tool for the production of the parts 116 , 118 of a further embodiment of the toothbrush 50 that are shown in FIGS. 22 and 23 .
  • the first mold 10 ′ that is shown in FIG. 25 also has a first part-mold 30 , a second part-mold 32 and a third part-mold 34 .
  • the first mold 10 ′ also comprises an index plate 108 .
  • the mold 10 ′ shown in FIG. 25 is represented in longitudinal section, the third part-mold 34 , in the form of a rib-shaped slide, not being shown in the sectional representation for the purpose of better representability. Depressions for forming the first island region 104 and the second island region 106 are represented by dashed lines.
  • FIG. 26 has a cross-sectional representation through the sectional plane of the first mold 10 , shown in FIG. 25 , and serves for illustrating the relative offset of the cavities or hollow spaces in the separating planes F 1 and F 2 .
  • the first part-mold 30 is arranged adjoining the second part-mold 32 .
  • the first part-mold 30 has on its side facing away from the second part-mold 32 a V-shaped recess with two side walls 110 and a U-shaped bottom, which is referred to as wall surface 12 b.
  • the lowermost part of the side walls 110 and the bottom of the V-shaped recess are shaped in a way corresponding to the upper side of the first part 116 from FIG. 22 .
  • Adjacently adjoining the first part-mold 30 is the index plate 108 . Adjacent this index plate 108 is the third part-mold 34 , which is referred to hereafter as slide 34 .
  • the slide 34 passes through the index plate 108 , which likewise has two widening, sloping side walls 114 , which lie in the same planes as the side walls 110 , in an upper end position of the slide 34 in such a way that the side wall 112 of the slide 34 fits snugly against the side walls 110 , 114 of the first part-mold 30 and of the index plate 108 .
  • an end face of the slide 34 forms a wall region 12 a and thereby bounds the first hollow region 12 .
  • the wall region 12 a of the slide 34 thereby defines a separating plane F 1 of the first hollow region 12 .
  • the wall surface 12 a has a shape corresponding to the upper side of the first part 116 that is shown in FIG. 22 .
  • the first hollow region 12 has the shape of the first part 116 , which has the toothbrush tongue 88 .
  • the slide 34 has on the one hand the inner contour of the second part 118 and on the other hand part of the outer contour in the shape of the upper side of the first part 116 .
  • a second wall region 14 a Arranged at the periphery of the first part-mold 30 , adjacent the index plate 108 , is a second wall region 14 a.
  • the second separating plane F 2 is located between the index plate 108 and the first part-mold 30 .
  • the surface of the index plate 108 in the region opposite the first wall region 14 a defines a second wall region 14 b. Together with the side wall 112 of the slide 34 , the wall regions 14 a and 14 b bound the second hollow region 14 .
  • the second hollow region 14 has the shape of the second part 118 , which forms the toothbrush frame, or the second part 118 of the toothbrush 50 .
  • the second part-mold 32 has a first injection point 24 .
  • a third hollow region 16 is bounded by a wall region 16 a, assigned to the second part-mold 32 , and a wall region 16 b, assigned to the first part-mold 30 .
  • This third hollow region 16 has two arms 66 , which are connected to the first hollow region 12 , or the second hollow region 14 , via a through-opening 28 .
  • the third hollow region 16 defines the sprue and runner system.
  • the injection points respectively lie on the rear side (with respect to the finished toothbrush 50 ) of the two plastic parts 116 , 118 in the lower end region of the handle region 56 .
  • the slide 34 is in the upper end position.
  • a first component 38 comprising liquid polymer material, is injected via the first injection point 24 into the third hollow region 16 and via the arms 66 respectively into the first and second hollow regions 12 , 14 . Therefore, the first part 116 and the second part 118 are simultaneously injection-molded in a single injection-molding operation.
  • the two parts 116 , 118 of the toothbrush 50 consist of the same polymer, preferably a hard component of one color or colorless.
  • each hollow region 12 , 14 via a respective gate of its own.
  • the two parts 116 , 118 may be produced from different polymers of the same color or different colors, or from the same polymer of different colors.
  • the second part-mold 32 is removed from the first part-mold 30 , whereby the sprue and runner system of solidified material 22 is exposed and is removed in a way similar to the method previously mentioned.
  • the slide 34 is brought into the lower end position, so that the wall surface 12 a is displaced from the first separating plane F 1 in such a way in the direction of arrow P that that it comes to lie in the second separating plane F 2 , which is substantially flush with the wall surface 14 b of the index plate 108 . Consequently, the slide 34 brings the first part 116 with the tongue body 88 into a second position for a second injection-molding cycle, in which the first part 116 with the tongue body 88 must be located within the second part 118 (the toothbrush frame).
  • the first part-mold 30 with the second part-mold 32 is subsequently removed from the slide 34 and the index plate 108 , the two finished parts 116 , 118 being held in a front region of the index plate 108 .
  • the index plate 108 and the slide 34 inserted into it are together rotated away about an axis of rotation D—in a way similar to the tool shown in FIG. 8 .
  • the first part 116 pushed into the second part 118 , is moved into a further hollow region, or a new, further part-mold 46 (not shown).
  • the movement is initiated by the index plate 108 .
  • the two parts 116 , 118 are held in a front region of the index plate 108 .
  • the first part 116 (having the tongue body 88 ) is connected to the second part 118 (forming the toothbrush frame), displaced in one another, in that, in the state in which they are pushed one into the other, they are encapsulated in an enveloping manner, or partially encapsulated in an enveloping manner, preferably only in the handle region 56 with a plastic of a second (or third) component 39 .
  • the encapsulation takes place in this case with a soft component.
  • the periphery 52 a of the second part 118 and the toothbrush tongue 88 of the first part 116 are provided with bristles by generally known methods described above, after which the production process of the toothbrush 50 is complete.
  • the three parts, or the first two parts 116 , 118 and the encapsulation, can therefore consequently be produced from three different components 38 , 38 ′, 39 . That is to say that a combination of hard and/or soft components can be realized.
  • the first two parts 116 , 118 may be produced from a hard component, while the encapsulation takes place with a soft component.
  • neck region 54 it is also conceivable for the neck region 54 to be encapsulated with the second component 39 , in an embodiment not shown. This results in a smaller deflection in comparison with the embodiment above.
  • fastening region 98 to extend from the first part 116 and the corresponding clearance 90 in the second part 118 to extend only over part of the handle region 56 , for example only over half or only over a third, of the length of the handle region 56 (seen from the front end region, adjoining the neck region 54 ).

Abstract

The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a toothbrush or part thereof by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process. To produce in the brush body segments that are isolated from the rest of the brush body, a mold which comprises three hollow regions is used. Two of these hollow regions that are separate from one another serve for producing the segments and the other regions of the toothbrush from a first component. A third hollow region serves for distributing material to the segments that are isolated from one another and from the other regions, or the corresponding hollow region. The material remaining behind there is removed and sent for disposal. In a further step, connecting elements between the segments and/or the other regions are injection-molded from a second component.

Description

  • This is a Continuation of application Ser. No. 11/632,042 filed Jan. 10, 2007, which in turn is a National Stage of PCT Application No. PCT/CH2005/000398, filed Jan. 19, 2006. The disclosures of the prior applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
  • BACKGROUND
  • The invention relates to a method and a device for producing a toothbrush or part thereof by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process. The invention also relates to a toothbrush.
  • The production of toothbrushes by the two-component injection-molding process is known per se and is used in particular in the case of high-quality toothbrushes, to allow high requirements for function and design to be met. Widely encountered for example are toothbrushes comprising a body made up of a hard form-determining component, molded onto which are the additional flexible functional elements, for example a damping region in the neck region, cleaning elements in the head region or a gripping zone in the handle region. The use of different hard materials makes it possible for example to design the brush in two or more colors and/or to choose different grades of material for the different regions of the brush. Toothbrushes of this type are produced in a two-component injection-molding tool, in which all regions of the first component are first molded in a first mold from a first injection point and then all regions of the second component are molded in a second mold from further injection points. In the case of the known methods, the regions of the first component are completely contiguous, which facilitates both the actual injection-molding and the further handling of the blank, in particular the transfer into the second mold cavity. A disadvantage of this is that it imposes limits on the forming of functional regions. For example, in the case of known toothbrushes with a damping region in the neck, a meandering “framework” of hard material is always present in the neck, connecting the handle region and the head region to one another.
  • EP-A 0 923 326 or WO 98/27847 disclose toothbrushes which comprise two components, a hard component and a soft component, the first component having regions which are completely separate from the other regions of the first component and only connected to them by means of the second component. These isolated regions are referred to hereafter as “segments”. “Other regions” refers to those regions of the body that comprise the first component, are connected to one another and are not “segments”.
  • In the case of the toothbrush according to EP-A 0 923 326, individual bristle clusters are embedded in sleeve-like segments of a hard material. The segments in turn are embedded in a flexible material, which forms the head part of the brush. The handle region and the neck region in turn consist of the hard material. The production method is not specified.
  • In the case of the toothbrush according to WO 98/27847, the head region comprises a number of segments, for example three or five, of a hard component, which respectively carry a plurality of bristle clusters. The intermediate spaces between the segments are filled with a soft material. Here, too, the production method is not specified.
  • The injection-molding particularly of small isolated structures from a number of injection points is problematical for spatial reasons. WO 99/16604 discloses a method in which a toothbrush with isolated segments used for securing bristle clusters is created from a single injection point. A first mold is used for production, a mold which has interconnected cavities for forming both the segments and the other regions. The segments are separated from one another by movable mold cores, but not completely. This is so because the mold cores have clearances, through which the liquid material can flow from one part-cavity into the neighboring part-cavity. After solidifying, web portions which connect the segments to one another and to the other regions are formed in these clearances. Before the injection-molding of the second component, the mold cores are pulled out and the web portions are consequently sheared off. Here it is problematical that the first component is distributed among the multiplicity of segments, since the material must in this case flow equally through a number of narrow clearances in the mold cores. Furthermore, although the connection between two segments is interrupted by the pulling out of the mold cores, full mobility of the segments in relation to one another is not produced. The remains of the web portions, which are only sheared off but not removed, may impair the movement of the segments in an undefinable way. The injection-molding tool is also relatively complicated because of the movable mold cores. Because of the mold cores, there is a certain minimum distance between the segments.
  • SUMMARY
  • The invention is therefore based on the object of providing a method for producing a toothbrush or part thereof by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process by which a toothbrush or part thereof can be produced with at least one segment in a simple way with great freedom of design with respect to the dimensions and position of the segment. Furthermore, a device for carrying out the method and a toothbrush with advantageous properties are to be provided.
  • In a variant of the invention, a large part of the brush body, for example the entire form-determining part, is produced from the first component, and the segments are isolated therefrom in the head region of the toothbrush. The brush handle region and neck region and any parts connected thereto in the head region are then to be identified as the “other regions” of the toothbrush. In another variant of the invention, only part of the toothbrush, in particular a carrier element for bristles that is later to be connected to a separately produced brush body, is produced, in that segments and other regions are formed from the first component and subsequently connected by means of the second component. The other regions are in this case for example those locations at which the carrier element is connected to the brush body, and the segments mainly mainly serve, as in the case of the first variant, for anchoring the cleaning elements, for example bristles. The parts serving for anchoring the cleaning elements are referred to hereafter in connection with the carrier element as “segments” and the parts assigned to the brush body are referred to as “other regions”; however, this assignment is not obligatory.
  • The bristles may be attached by conventional tufting, by the Anchor Free Tufting (AFT) method or by the In Mold Tufting (IMT) method. In conventional tufting, the segments preferably form sleeve-shaped receptacles, into which the anchor plates are punched after the injection of the two components. In the AFT method, the segments preferably have continuous holes, through which bristles are led, likewise after the injection of the two components, and are melted at their rear ends for connection to the carrier element. In the IMT method, the bristles are molded into the segments during the injection of the first component or are connected to them during the injection of the second component.
  • The carrier element is undetachably or detachably connected to the brush body, the latter for example for the production of an exchangeable-head toothbrush. Because of the good accessibility to the rear side, separately produced carrier elements are suitable in particular for providing bristles by means of the AFT method, but conventional tufting is also possible.
  • In an advantageous development of the invention, a first mold which has at least three hollow regions is used for producing the first component. Two hollow regions that are completely separate from one another correspond to the segments and the other regions of the brush body, respectively. A third hollow region serves the purpose of distributing the liquid first component fed to it to the second hollow region, corresponding to the segments. If there are a number of segments, the second hollow region comprises a corresponding number of subregions, which are in connection with one another exclusively via the third hollow region. The cross section of the connecting locations is preferably so small that the material remaining behind in the third hollow region (sprue and runner system) can be easily detached, for example by moving away the corresponding part-mold. This material is subsequently sent for disposal, preferably recycled. Therefore, by contrast with the use of a number of injection points, the third hollow region makes it possible for material to be distributed from one injection point also to structures that are many times smaller in relation to the brush body. It is consequently possible for example to produce fine sleeves that are isolated from one another for securing bristle clusters. The segments are completely separate from one another after removal of the material from the third hollow region, and can therefore also move with respect to one another without impairment after being encapsulated with the second component.
  • In principle, the hollow regions of the entire first mold may be supplied through a single injection point, if there is a connection between the first hollow region and the third hollow region. It is preferred that the first and third hollow regions are respectively supplied from at least one injection point of their own.
  • Depending on the number and position of the segments, the third hollow region may also be subdivided into subregions that are separate from one another, which are supplied by one injection point in each case.
  • In an advantageous development of the method, the spatial position of the segments in relation to one another and/or to the other regions is changed before the second component is injected. This is possible without any problem on account of the complete separation of the segments from one another and from the other regions. The segments may also be arranged such that they are touching one another and/or the other regions and/or are engaging/mounted in one another before the injection of the second component.
  • The first component is preferably a hard component and the second component a hard or soft component. Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), acrylobutadiene styrene (ABS) or polypropylene (PP) is used for example as the hard component. A rubber-elastic material, preferably a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), or for example polyurethane (PU), is used as the soft component. The hard-hard combination of materials, for example the combination of a transparent hard material with an opaque hard material and/or a hard material of different colors, is considered to be possible. The hard-soft combination is preferred however for the production of flexible connecting elements between the segments. The injection of further components is likewise possible. These are preferably further soft components, which are injection-molded onto the segments or onto the other regions.
  • The method according to the invention is used with preference to produce a toothbrush which has a plurality of segments in the head region. In the head region, a membrane of the second component, in which the segments are embedded, is mounted as a connecting element between the segments and the remaining body. The connection of the membrane to the brush body may be direct or obtained by being embedded in a carrier element which is connected to a separately produced brush body. The segments are with preference in the form of sleeves or cups and can respectively hold one or more bristle clusters attached conventionally or by the AFT method. The membrane provides particularly flexible mounting of the bristles.
  • In particular in the case of a flexible carrier element which is provided with bristles by the AFT method, in particular one produced according to the invention, there is the problem that the bristle melt does not adequately adhere to the carrier element. In this respect, it is proposed to treat the bristles or the carrier element before the melting of the bristle ends in such a way that increased adhesion between the carrier element and the bristles is produced by the melting.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
  • Examples of the invention are described below and are represented in the drawings, in which, purely schematically:
  • FIG. 1 shows a sectional view of a first injection mold with three part-molds after the injection of a first component;
  • FIG. 2 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 1 after the separation of the first part-mold from the second and third part-molds;
  • FIG. 3 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 1 after the separation of the second and third part-molds;
  • FIG. 4 shows a sectional view of a second injection mold with two part-molds after the injection of a second component;
  • FIG. 5 shows a sectional view according to FIG. 4 after the separation of the two part-molds;
  • FIGS. 6 a, 6 b, 7 a, 7 b show various views of a brush head produced by the method according to the invention;
  • FIG. 8 shows a two-component injection-molding tool according to FIGS. 1-5;
  • FIGS. 9, 10 show views of a further toothbrush after the injection of the first component and second component, respectively;
  • FIGS. 11-15 show examples of toothbrushes with a carrier element, separately produced by the method according to the invention, for bristles with a membrane in various views;
  • FIGS. 16, 17 show examples of toothbrushes which have a membrane in the head region, with a brush body produced by the method according to the invention;
  • FIG. 18 shows in a greatly simplified form a first injection-molding cycle in which two parts of a toothbrush are produced;
  • FIG. 19 shows in a plan view the two parts produced in the first injection-molding cycle;
  • FIG. 20 shows the encapsulation of the joined-together parts according to FIG. 19 by means of a soft component;
  • FIG. 21 shows in plan view the toothbrush without bristles, produced from the parts according to FIG. 19 by the method according to FIGS. 18 and 20;
  • shows in plan view a first part produced by injection-molding;
  • FIG. 23 shows in plan view a second part produced by injection-molding;
  • FIG. 24 a shows in plan view a view of a further toothbrush with the parts that are shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, which are connected to one another by means of a further component, in particular a soft component;
  • FIG. 24 b shows in side view the toothbrush that is shown in FIG. 24 a;
  • FIG. 25 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a further injection mold with two hollow regions for producing the two toothbrush parts that are shown in FIGS. 22 and 23; and
  • FIG. 26 shows a cross-sectional view of the injection mold that is shown in FIG. 25 through the plane
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION
  • FIGS. 1-5 show views of an injection-molding tool used for carrying out the method according to the invention in various stages of the method. FIG. 8 shows this tool in an overview. The aim is to produce a toothbrush with bristle clusters flexibly secured in sleeves, for example according to claim 24 or according to EP-A 0 923 326.
  • A first mold 10, represented in FIGS. 1-3, is made up of three part- molds 30, 32, 34, which may in each case be subdivided further. Between the first part-mold 30 and the second part-mold 32, both first hollow regions 12 are formed by wall regions 12 a, 12 b (see FIG. 2) and second hollow regions 14 are formed by wall regions 14 a, 14 b (see FIG. 2). The first and second hollow regions 12, 14 are not in connection with one another. The second hollow region 14 is subdivided into a number of subregions, which are likewise not directly in connection with one another. Between the second part-mold 32 and the third part-mold 34 there is a third hollow region 16, which is formed by wall regions 16 a, 16 b of the respective part-molds 32, 34 (cf. FIG. 3). This hollow region is in connection with the subregions of the second hollow region 14 by means of a number of arms 66. The arms 66 run conically and have a length of between 5 and 22 mm, preferably 17 mm. The connection of the arms 66 to the subregions is realized by means of narrow through-openings 28, which preferably have a round cross section with a diameter of 0.2-1.0 mm, with particular preference approximately 0.7 mm. If segments 20 produced in second hollow regions 14 have to receive a number of bristle clusters 58, it is proposed for reasons of stability to connect each of the corresponding part-sleeves to the third hollow region 16 by a single arm 66.
  • The first hollow region 12 is supplied with molten first component 38, preferably a hard component in the hot runner feed system, via a first injection point 24 (see FIG. 8), in order to produce the other regions 18 of the toothbrush consisting of the first component, with the exception of the segments 20. As represented in FIGS. 6 a,b, 7 a,b, the other regions 18 are an all-round periphery 52 a of the head region 52 with preformed sleeves 52 b for receiving bristles and parts of the neck region 54 and of the handle region 56 (see FIG. 8). A hot runner nozzle with a needle valve is preferably used for the first and third hollow regions.
  • The second hollow regions 14 are supplied with molten first component 38 indirectly by a material supply at the third hollow region 16 via a second injection point 26. Since solidified material 22 remains behind in the third hollow region 16, this is a case of material supply via a cold runner.
  • In spite of a number of injection points 24, 26, the first component 38 is preferably supplied by means of the same plasticizing unit, possibly by the cascade method. There is suitable control for the opening and closing of the material supply to the first and third hollow regions at times coordinated with one another.
  • As represented in FIG. 2, the first and second part- molds 30, 32 are separated from one another after the first component 38 is injection-molded and left to solidify. The second and third part- molds 32, 34 are separated simultaneously or preferably with a slight delay, cf. FIG. 3. The separating of the first and second part- molds 30, 32 has the effect that the solidified material 22 contained in the third hollow region 16 is torn off from the segments 20 which have been formed in the second hollow regions 14. This tearing-off can be carried out in a well-defined manner and with low expenditure of force on account of the small through-openings 28. Remaining behind in the first part-mold 30 are the other regions 18 and segments 20 separated from them and from one another. Here, these have the form of sleeves. The segments 20 may, however, also have the form of rings or cups, as explained further below. The sleeve-shaped segments 20 are fitted on pins 30 a, which are part of the first part-mold 30 and serve for shaping the inner region of the sleeves or segments 20. The pins 30 a can preferably be displaced in relation to a matrix 30 b, in order to adapt the position of the sleeves in the brush head as a unit. Furthermore, it is possible to freely move the pins 30 a, and consequently the segments 20, by removing the matrix 30 b after the injection of the first component 38 (not represented here). This also allows the position of the segments 20 to be changed in relation to one another and in relation to the other regions 18, without a complicated holding and displacing mechanism for gripping and moving the small segments 20 being necessary.
  • In a further method step, outlined in FIG. 3, the second and third part- molds 32, 34 are also separated. The solidified material 22 is detached by means of ram-like ejectors 36, which can be displaced into the third hollow region 16, and is sent for disposal. The first mold 10 is preferably arranged for this purpose in such a way that the ejected material 22 falls by gravitational force into regions in which there are no further molds, so that it cannot become caught in further mold cavities or on finished or half-finished products. The separation of the sprue and runner system consequently preferably takes place, seen spatially, in the lowest station/mold of the multi-station tool. With preference, the sprue and runner system is gripped from below by means of a handling system or a robot and sent for disposal. This has the advantage of ensuring that no sprue and runner systems can jam between the platens.
  • In a further method step, the mold is changed. FIG. 4 shows the second mold 40 for injecting the second component 39. It comprises two part-molds, one of which is identical to the first part-mold 30 from the previous steps. This has the advantage that, apart from applying a new further part-mold 46, no steps are necessary for separate gripping and moving of the blank. The transfer into the second mold 40 preferably takes place by rotating and/or displacing the first part-mold 30, for example by rotation about an axis D through 180°, as shown in FIG. 8, or through 90°/120°, if additional polymer components are injected into further stations/molds. A manual mold change is also possible. The wall regions 48 a, 48 b (FIG. 5) of the further part-mold 46 are adapted in the region of the fourth hollow region 48 to the form of the segments 20 in such a way that there are merely thin connecting elements 42 injection-molded between the segments 20. For this purpose, the wall region 48 b has for example depressions 48 c, which substantially correspond to the form of the segments 20, but are less deep. In this way, the bottom 20 b of the segments 20 is covered during the injection of the second component 39, while the upper periphery 20 a remains free and is consequently surrounded by the second component 39. In order to ensure a good connection between the segments 20 and the second component 39, apart from the sheet-like membrane 43 a thin material layer is also injection-molded around the upper periphery and the adjoining regions of the sleeve-shaped segments 20. The membrane 43 preferably comes to lie as a collar around the segments 20. The segments 20 are securely anchored by the consequently locally greater material thickness of the membrane 43. The connecting elements 42 have altogether the form of a continuous membrane 43, in which the sleeve-shaped segments 20 are embedded at their upper periphery 20 a, cf. FIGS. 6 b, 7 a, 7 b. Furthermore, further regions 44 are injection-molded from the second component 39 at the neck and handle regions 54, 56. The molten second component 39 is supplied from the neck region 54 into the head region 52 via a channel 62 cut out in the first component 38 (see FIG. 3).
  • It is of course possible also to embed the segments 20 completely in the second component 39. This is preferably used if the segments 20 can be kept relatively thin. This is the case in particular when using the AFT or IMT method, in which the segments 20 are formed as rings that are open at the bottom. This method is discussed in still more detail later on.
  • For reasons of space, the injection point for the second component 39 preferably does not lie on the membrane 43 in the head region 52, but in the neck or handle region 54, 56. The displacement of the injection point also allows the otherwise low material consumption to be artificially increased, in order to maintain a minimum shot weight.
  • FIG. 5 schematically shows a further method step, in which the part- molds 30, 46 of the second mold 40 are separated from one another and the toothbrush body is removed.
  • FIG. 8 shows a two-component injection-molding tool according to FIGS. 1-5 with two molds 10, 40, the left-hand first part-mold 30 of each of which is identical. The part- molds 30 and 32/34 as well as 30 and 46 can be separated along a vertical plane E or in the region of the toothbrush slightly offset in relation thereto. The left-hand first part-molds 30 are also rotatable about the horizontally running axis of rotation D, in order to transfer a product after production of the first component into the second mold 40. When the first mold 10 is separated, the solidified material 22 in the third hollow region 16 falls downward over a sloping surface 64, and consequently cannot become caught in other products or molds.
  • In FIGS. 6 a,b and 7 a,b, various views of a brush head produced by the method according to the invention are represented. FIG. 6 a shows part of a toothbrush 50 in a view from below at the head part 52, i.e. at the rear side facing away from the bristles. FIG. 6 b shows the same toothbrush 50 in a view of the bristle-carrying front side of the head part 52. FIGS. 7 a and b show the same brush in cross section and longitudinal section along the lines I-I and II-II, respectively.
  • The bristle clusters 58, only one of which is outlined, are secured in sleeve- or cup-like segments 20, which have preferably been conventionally provided with bristles by tufting. Here, one segment 20 holds one to three bristle clusters 58, but may also hold larger groups of bristle clusters or other cleaning structures, such as for example flexible cleaning elements. The openings of the sleeves 20 are elliptically shaped, in order to adapt themselves to the form of the anchor plates during conventional tufting. That is to say that the anchor plates are respectively placed in such a way that they come to lie substantially on the major axis of the ellipse. By the fact that the sleeve-shaped segment 20 consequently comes to lie around the anchor plate, the load it takes to pull out the bristles is increased. In order to make reliable tufting possible, the segments 20 are conically formed on the undersides 20 b. The bottoms of the underside 20 b preferably lie in one plane, so that during tufting they can be supported on an underlying surface. An underlying surface with a plurality of recesses into which the segments 20 fit, and by which they are well supported and laterally fixed during tufting, is preferably used. Although the membrane 43 may have a convex, arched basic form, the segments 20 preferably have a flat upper bounding surface. As a result, the inserting and anchoring of the bristle clusters 58 is likewise facilitated.
  • The connection of the sleeve-shaped segments 20 to the material 22 and the connection of the corresponding hollow regions 14, 16 is preferably such that each segment 20 is centrally connected on its underside to the material 22. The third hollow region 16, or the first component 38 present in it, acts as a distributing element during the injection-molding. As a result, good material distribution, clean detachment/tearing-off of the solidified material 22 and reduction of crack formation are made possible. The material connection preferably has a round cross section with a diameter of 0.2-1 mm, preferably 0.7 mm.
  • Alternatively, the segments 20 may also be provided with bristles by the Anchor Free Tufting (AFT) or In Mold Tufting (IMT) method. In the case of providing bristles by AFT, the segments 20 are preferably sleeves that are open at both ends, into which bristle clusters 58 are inserted, preferably after the injection of both components 38, 39, and are subsequently melted at their rear ends.
  • In particular in the case of the AFT method, initially only the carrier elements for the bristles, i.e. part of the bristle head, are produced by the method according to the invention. With preference, the carrier elements particularly comprise sleeve-shaped segments 20 that are open at both ends, connected by connecting elements in the form of a preferably thin membrane 43, which may also be perforated. The “other regions” 18 made of the first component 38 may be small. They serve in particular for the purpose of connecting, in particular welding, the carrier element to a separately produced brush body to form a complete toothbrush 50. The “other regions” 18 may also serve the purpose of lending the carrier element the necessary stability, if the membrane 43 does not have the necessary intrinsic stability, for example in that it is formed as an all-round or arcuate periphery or as two webs on which or between which the membrane is mounted. The segments 20 are preferably formed together with the other regions from a single injection point in the hard component 38. The elements to be welded between the AFT carrier element and the actual toothbrush body preferably consist of the same hard material, in order to increase the material compatibility and consequently the durability of the weld seam. However, the main method steps for forming the segments 20 remain as already described. Examples of such carrier elements and toothbrushes produced with them are described further below with reference to FIGS. 11-15.
  • In the case of providing bristles by IMT, the bristle clusters 58 are inserted through suitable clearances into the first mold 10 already before the injection of the first component 38 and are encapsulated at their rear ends with the first component 38 and in this way anchored in the segments 20 or other regions 18. Fixing by the second component 39 is also possible.
  • The segments 20 produced from the first component 38, a hard component, are located in the head region 52 of the toothbrush 50 and, in this configurational variant, are surrounded by an all-round periphery 52 a, which likewise consists of the hard component. However, the segments 20 are not connected to this periphery 52 a directly, but only via the membrane 43, acting as a connecting element 42, which consists of the second component 39, a soft component. Integrally formed with the periphery 52 a are further sleeves 52 b, which likewise serve for securing bristles. The periphery 52 a together with the regions of the neck and handle regions 54, 56 that consist of the hard component form the “other regions” 18, which are injection-molded in one operation together with the segments 20.
  • The membrane 43 is merely attached at the open end, to the upper periphery 20 a of the segments 20 and to the upper side of the periphery 52 a of the head part 52. In this way, very flexible mounting of the segments 20 is obtained, making great mobility of the segments 20 relative to one another and to the periphery 52 a possible. The bristles of the toothbrush 50 produced in this way are particularly compliant and adaptable as a result of the mounting, making particularly gentle teeth cleaning possible.
  • The rear side of the toothbrush 50 is covered by a cover element 60, so that no remains can become lodged between the segments 20. This cover element 60 preferably consists of a transparent or translucent hard or soft material, so that the movable mounting is visible from the outside and can be shown directly to the purchaser. For fastening the cover element 60, the periphery 52 a of the head region 52 preferably has an all-round welding edge 52 d. The all-round frame of the front side that is formed as a result forms the support for the waterproof welding of the cover element 60.
  • The segments 20 (individual sleeve) are preferably between 2 and 6 mm (with preference 3 mm) deep and between 2 and 4 mm (with preference 3 mm) wide. The membrane 43 is preferably between 0.3 and 3 mm thick, with particular preference between 0.6 and 1.0 mm. This allows the segments 20 to perform a tumbling movement. The distance between the segments 20 is preferably at least 0.2 and at most 3 mm. They preferably take up at least half the surface of the membrane 43 or of the surface area defined by the periphery 52 a. Their bottoms 20 b are preferably kept at a distance from the cover element 60 of at least 1-3 mm.
  • The membrane 43 may be arched (convexly or concavely) or flat. The upper peripheries 20 a of the segments 20 preferably have a flat upper bounding surface, for better insertion and anchorage of the bristle clusters 58. The segments 20 are preferably laterally and/or horizontally fixed for the insertion of the bristle clusters 58.
  • In the same production step, additional rubber-elastic cleaning or massaging elements, which are integral with the membrane, may be formed from the same material as the membrane.
  • In an alternative embodiment (not represented), the connecting elements 42 also extend over the entire height of the segments. A different mobility of the segments 20 is obtained as a result. In this case it is possible to dispense with a form-determining all-round periphery 52 a of a hard component 38. It is also possible to connect the segments 20 not over their full surface area but only by thin webs of the hard or soft component. This produces head structures with openings between the individual segments 20. The flexibility of the head can be specifically influenced as a result.
  • FIG. 9 shows a further (not yet finished) toothbrush 50 produced by the method according to the invention in longitudinal section after the injection of the first component 38 of the body 50′. To produce the first component 38, a first mold is used, substantially formed as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and comprising three part-molds (not represented here). The contact surface between the second and third part-forms has in this case the form of a plane and is designated by E.
  • In the case of the toothbrush 50 to be produced, individual segments 20 are formed both in the handle region 56 and in the neck region 54. The segments 20 in the handle region 56 may have the form of bars running in the transverse direction. The segments 20 in the neck region 54 are bar-like and in the finished state serve in conjunction with the soft component as an elastic bending zone. The second hollow regions 14 are therefore divided into two groups, which are of a form complementing the segments 20 in the handle region 56 and the neck region 54, respectively. The segments 20 in the handle region 56 are connected to one another by means of a first distributing element (solidified material 22) of the first component 38, which is of a form complementing the third hollow region 16. This region is supplied with the first component 38 via an injection point 26, so that material is directed into the second hollow regions 14, solidifies there as segments 20 and in the third hollow region 16 solidifies as material 22. The segments 20 in the neck region 54 are connected to one another by means of a further distributing element (solidified material 22′) of the first component 38, which corresponds to a further third hollow region 16′. This region is supplied with the first component 38 via a further injection point 26′.
  • In the case of the present example, the openings 28 between the second and third hollow regions 14, 16 lie in the separating plane E. This facilitates demolding, in particular the detachment of the third part-mold and the distributing elements (22, 22′), and the production of the part-mold.
  • However, the position of the segments 20 in relation to one another and to the other regions of the first component 38 (part of the neck region 54, head region 52) does not correspond to the desired final state. In the case of the finished body 50′, which is shown in section in FIG. 10, in the handle region 56 the gaps 70 between the segments 20 and the other regions are reduced and the distances between the segments 20 are increased. Furthermore, some of these segments 20 and the segments 20 in the neck region 54 have been displaced in the plane of the drawing perpendicularly in relation to the separating plane E, in order that their contours are adapted to the contour of the toothbrush 50 with a slightly curved body 50′.
  • The described relocation of the segments 20 in relation to the other regions of the first component 38 takes place after the detachment of the distributing elements (22, 22′) when changing between the first mold 10 and the second mold 40. A suitable handling unit is preferably used; the segments 20 may, however, also be simply allowed to fall into corresponding clearances in the second mold.
  • FIG. 10 shows the finished body 50′ of the same toothbrush 50 after relocation of the segments 20 and after the injection of the second component 39. The second component 39, which is a soft component here, has the effect that the segments 20 are resiliently embedded and are connected to the other regions of the first component 39 to form a continuous body 50′. This is subsequently provided with bristles in the head region 52 in a known way.
  • FIGS. 11-17 show further variants of toothbrushes 50 and carrier elements 68 for toothbrushes 50 which have been produced by the method according to the invention. In the case of the examples from FIGS. 11 a-e, FIGS. 12 a-e and FIGS. 13-15, carrier elements 68 are firstly produced by the method according to the invention, provided with bristles and subsequently connected to a separately produced body 50′. In the case of the examples from FIGS. 16 and 17, the entire brush body 50′ is produced by the method according to the invention and subsequently provided with bristles.
  • In the case of the examples from FIGS. 11 a-e, FIGS. 12 a-e and FIGS. 13-15, in a first step a plurality of sleeve-shaped segments 20 and the other regions 18 of the carrier element 68 are produced from a first component 38, in particular a hard component. In a further step, connecting elements 42 in the form of a membrane 43 are molded on. The membrane 43 is thinner in a direction perpendicular to the carrier element 68 than the segments 20, which protrude from the membrane 43 on both sides (see FIGS. 11 e, 12 e). The segments 20 may in principle be of any desired form, but are preferably in the form of sleeves or cups and, perpendicularly in relation to the carrier element 68, are open at one or both ends. In the case of the conventional provision of bristles by tufting, the cross-sectional area of the segment openings is preferably elliptical, as shown on the left in FIG. 11 b. In the case of the conventional provision of bristles, segments 20 with openings at one end are produced (for example as in FIGS. 7 a,b).
  • In the case of providing bristles by AFT, any other desired cross-sectional openings may be realized, for example in the form of a figure of eight or a kidney shape, as shown in the middle and on the right in FIG. 11 b. The segments 20 have continuous channel-like openings 72, through which bristle clusters 58 can be led after the production of the carrier element 68. These are subsequently melted at their rear ends, in order to anchor them on the carrier element 68.
  • In the example of FIGS. 11 a-e, the other regions 18 form an elliptical closed periphery 74 (similar to the all-round periphery 52 a), onto which further sleeves 76 (similar to the further sleeves 52 b) are directly molded. They serve like the segments 20 for fastening bristles and are open at one or both ends. Within the periphery 74 there are a number of segments 20 of different shapes and sizes. They are connected to one another and to the periphery 74 by the membrane 43. The membrane 43 is preferably elastic, so that elastic bristle anchorage is realized.
  • The carrier element 68 is subsequently provided with bristles 58 conventionally or by means of AFT (FIG. 11 d).
  • A brush body 50′, which has the form of a spoon with a recess in the head region 52 (FIG. 11 c), was produced in a separate operation. Formed in the head region 52, or at the periphery of the recess, is an all-round edge 78, against which an outer edge 80 of the carrier element comes to bear. The carrier element 68 and the body 50′ are undetachably connected to one another, preferably by welding, along the line 78/80 (FIG. 11 e).
  • The welding area may be partially interrupted by openings or other materials, in particular soft materials. Variants in which an exchangeable-head toothbrush is realized by a detachable connection of the other regions 18 to the body 50′ are also advantageous.
  • In the example of FIGS. 12 a-e, in a first method step a plurality of sleeve-shaped segments 20 and two straight, cross-sectionally L-shaped material pieces 82 are produced from the first component 38, a hard component (FIG. 12 a). The material pieces 82 may be identified as the “other regions” 18. The membrane 43 is injection-molded as a connecting element 42 between the material pieces 82 and the segments 20 (FIG. 12 b). The carrier element 68 produced in this way is subsequently provided with bristles conventionally or by means of AFT (FIG. 12 c). A separately produced brush body 50′ is bent in the head region 52 to form a carrying structure and has two edges 78, running in the transverse direction and serving as anchoring locations for the carrier element 68, and consequently indirectly for the membrane 43. The elongate material pieces 82 are fastened to these, preferably by means of welding. The underside 80′ of the material pieces 82 is thereby adapted to the edge 78.
  • The previously planar carrier element 68 may be connected to the head region 52 of the body 50′ under prestress, so that it arches up and creates a cushion-like structure, by which the bristles 58 are mounted in a particularly resilient manner (FIGS. 12 d+e). The head region 52 may be open at the sides, as shown in FIG. 12 d, or closed at the sides, in a way analogous to FIG. 11, but without a lateral weld seam. The carrier element 68 may also be bent already before insertion into the body 50′, for example in that the membrane 43 is produced in a correspondingly bent form or in that it is thermoplastically deformed during or after being provided with bristles, for example by a bent AFT die.
  • FIGS. 13, 14 and 15 show variants of the toothbrush 50 that is shown in FIG. 12. The brush body 50′ is bent in the head region 52, branched one or more times toward the front end to form a skeletal carrying structure and has two, four or eleven plate-shaped anchoring locations 84, formed at the end of a branch. A further anchoring location 84 is formed, as in the case of FIGS. 12 d+e, as an elongate edge 78 at the transition from the head region 52 to the neck region 54. The corresponding carrier element 68 has, as in the case of FIGS. 12 b+c, an elongate material piece 82 at one end, and, distributed in a way corresponding to the anchoring locations 84, two, four or eleven plate-like material pieces 82′, between which the membrane 43 is located. These may serve exclusively for anchoring the carrier element 68 to the brush body 50′ (FIGS. 13+14) or additionally also themselves carry bristle clusters 58 (FIG. 15). Depending on the arrangement of the anchoring locations 84 and the material pieces 82, 82′, the membrane 43 is connected to the body 50′ without stress, drawn in length or width or made to arch up. The more anchoring locations 84 there are, the more possibilities for variation there are with regard to the form of the membrane, and consequently the elastic properties of the bristle mounting. The anchorage between the holding locations is preferably performed by means of ultrasound. This allows edges of the carrier element 68 to engage in grooves of the holding locations with a positive and non-positive fit.
  • FIGS. 16 a-c and 17 a+b show two examples of a toothbrush 50, in which the hard component of the entire brush body 50′ and the cup-shaped segments 20 are injection-molded in one operation. The hard component of the entire brush body 50′ is formed, in particular in the head region 52, in such a bent manner that bent all-round surfaces 86 are formed, serving as a lateral boundary and anchorage for a membrane 43. “Bent” is understood here as also meaning pieces of the all-round surface that run straight but are arranged at angles to one another (see FIG. 17 a). In the case of FIGS. 16 a-c, the hard component is bent in the form of an S in plan view. The membrane 43 is subdivided into two subregions, which are respectively located between an arc of the S structure. In the case of FIGS. 17 a,b, the hard component has a structure in the form of an H in plan view. The membrane 43 is in turn subdivided into two subregions, which are respectively located—seen in plan view—above and below the longitudinal axis of the brush. The segments 20 have the form of cups that are closed at the bottom and are embedded at their upper periphery in the membrane 43, which is thin in relation to the depth of the cups (see FIG. 17 b). Brush heads of this type are provided with bristles conventionally, since the head region 52 provided with the segments 20 is integrally formed with the remaining brush body 50′. Carrying structures such as the S or H form shown may however also be used in the case of separately produced carrier elements 68, as in FIGS. 11-15.
  • Carrier elements 68 used as AFT brush heads are generally produced from the same hard component as the brush body 50′, in order to ensure satisfactory welding to the brush handle. Polypropylene (PP) is preferably used as the hard component. A thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) that bonds, i.e. has an affinity, with PP is preferably used as the soft component. This TPE is provided for the creation of flexible regions of the AFT head and/or for the forming of rubber-elastic cleaning elements. By means of the AFT method, conventional bristles with a diameter of 0.1-0.25 mm are subsequently anchored on the AFT brush head by means of melting the bristles on the rear side of the AFT brush head, for example as described in EP 1136016. Conventional bristles preferably consist of a thermoplastic, preferably of polyamide (PA) or polyester (PBT). This melting of the bristles produces a melt carpet, which is substantially up to 1 mm thick and is somewhat higher at the peripheries as a result of material displacement. This melt carpet of the material of the bristles is brittle. Moreover, the bristle melt does not bond with the brush head plate, in the examples shown with the segments 20 arranged, if required, on the carrier element 68, as a result of the melting. This has the disadvantage, in particular in the case of flexible mounting of the AFT brush head, that the bristle melt may separate itself from the AFT brush head plate, and even break up into individual subregions.
  • This has a number of negative consequences for the quality of the AFT brush heads:
  • a) Water can get into the hollow space through the openings, which may lead to hygiene problems.
  • b) The load it takes to pull out the bristles and bristle clusters 58 is reduced, since the bristle carpet can break up into small individual regions. If a single part becomes as small as the cross section of a cluster, there is no longer any restraining effect.
  • c) In the case of brush heads with structures that are open at the rear, the bristles can fall out of the head plate to the rear.
  • To solve these problems, it is proposed to treat the bristles or the brush head before melting in such a way that adhesion between the AFT head plate and the bristles is produced by the melting during the AFT process. In order to achieve this, various possibilities are available:
  • In a first variant, an additive which brings about adhesion between the material of the head plate and the conventional bristles is added to the material of the AFT head plate. Here there are so-called adhesion promoters, which can be admixed during the injection-molding process of the AFT head plate or be contained already in the injection-molding granules. When the bristles are melted on the rear side of the AFT head plate, the bonding/adhesion of the melt carpet and the bristle plate is then produced. If soft material is also contained in the AFT bristle head, as for example in the case of the carrier elements 68 described above with a membrane 43, the adhesion promoter may also be admixed with the soft material. As in the case of the hard material, this adhesion promoter of course corresponds to the corresponding bristle material.
  • MATERIAL EXAMPLE 1
  • polypropylene PP of the head plate contains an additive (adhesion promoter) for polyamide PA. During the melting of the PA bristles, the bristle melt enters into a bond with the PP of the head plate. Since the bristle handle (bristle body 50′) likewise consists of PP (without adhesion promoter), it must be ensured that the welding to the bristle handle is not adversely influenced by addition of the adhesion promoter.
  • MATERIAL EXAMPLE 2
  • polypropylene PP of the head plate contains an additive (adhesion promoter) for polyester PBT. During the melting of the PBT bristles, the bristle melt enters into a bond with the PP of the head plate. Since the bristle handle (bristle body 50′) likewise consists of PP (without adhesion promoter), it must be ensured that the welding to the bristle handle is not adversely influenced by addition of the adhesion promoter.
  • Wherever possible, commercially available products, used in particular in the production of composite films or composite tubes, are used as the adhesion promoter. These are for example maleic anhydrides (MSA), EVAC, EBA, SB/PE block copolymer, SB/PP block copolymer, SB blends, etc. The concentration is less than 5%, preferably less than 1%.
  • In order to increase the contact surface between the bristle melt and the AFT brush head, it is also proposed to provide projections and depressions in the head plate. However, by contrast with WO 99/11156, these are neither deformed nor incipiently melted. The rear side of the head plate is preferably roughened, for example with eroded structures having a maximum difference in height of 0.5 mm, preferably 0.1 mm. The method according to WO 99/11156 has the disadvantage that the melting of the plate and bristle material produces a relatively thick melt carpet, which adversely influences the flexibility. Mixing of the materials has the effect of producing an undefined material mixture with indefinable properties.
  • In a further variant, the adhesion promoter is added to the bristle material.
  • MATERIAL EXAMPLE 3
  • polypropylene PP of the head plate. During the melting of the polyamide PA bristles, which contain an adhesion promoter for polypropylene PP, the bristle melt enters into a bond with the PP of the head plate.
  • In a further variant, the head plate is pretreated before the AFT process. In the case of polypropylene, the surface tension may be reduced for example by means of a corona flash or flame treatment.
  • In a further variant, before the AFT process the surface of the head plate is coated or sprayed with an agent which acts for example in the manner of a catalyst during the melting of the bristles, likewise with the effect of bringing about a bond/adhesion between the head plate and the bristle melt. This agent may be an adhesive or likewise an adhesion promoter.
  • All these variants have the advantage, in particular in the case of AFT, that it is only necessary to pretreat the carrier plate, which only comprises a small surface area or a small volume of material. The remaining part of the toothbrush, in particular the voluminous and heavy handle, can be produced conventionally. This allows material and time to be saved.
  • In particular in the case of brush heads which are open, i.e. on which the bristle melt is visible (FIGS. 12-15), it is of advantage to laminate them, for example by welding on a thin plastic element, applying a film of plastic by means of adhesive attachment or by spraying with paint, lacquer or adhesive resin, by means of a further process step on the AFT installation and before the welding to the brush handle (brush body 50′).
  • This operation can fix the bristle melt to the AFT brush head in addition to the measures mentioned above. It must be ensured here that the welding edges on the AFT brush head plate that are necessary for the welding to the brush handle are freed.
  • The above proposals for improved adhesion of the bristle melt are advantageously used in the case of the carrier elements 68 produced according to the invention for the provision of bristles by AFT. There is the possibility of likewise adding an adhesion promoter to the soft material. However, it is usually adequate to add adhesion promoter to the hard component. However, the proposals mentioned may also be used independently of the production method described above in the case of other AFT heads or in the case of other methods of providing bristles, such as IMT (EP 0346646) or methods according to EP 1312 281.
  • FIGS. 18 to 21 show the production of a further toothbrush 50 at different points in time.
  • As FIG. 18 shows, two parts 116, 118 of the toothbrush 50, to be specific the toothbrush body 50′ and a toothbrush tongue 88, are produced in an injection-molding cycle from a first component 38 in the corresponding hollow regions 12, 14 (cavities) of the first mold 10 (compare FIGS. 1-5, 8, 19-21). The hollow regions 12, 14 may, as shown in FIG. 18, be supplied with the liquid polymer material from a gate via a sprue and runner system. It is also possible to feed each hollow region 12, 14 via a gate of its own. In the first case, the two parts 116, 118 of the toothbrush 50 consist of the same plastic, a hard component, of the same color. In the second case, the two parts 116, 118 may consist of different plastics of the same color or different colors, or of the same plastic of different colors.
  • As revealed in particular by FIG. 19, the one-piece toothbrush body 50′ has a handle region 56, a neck region 54 and a head region 52. In the neck region 54 and the head region 52, the toothbrush body has a clearance 90 right through from the upper side to the underside in the form of a spoon. This clearance 90 is surrounded by an all-round periphery 52 a, which is integrally formed onto the handle region 56. In the head region 52, the periphery 52 a has a series of cup-like depressions 92, which are open on the upper side, closed on the underside and are intended for receiving bristle clusters 58. They are produced in the first injection-molding cycle.
  • Furthermore, the toothbrush body 50′ has on the upper side in a front part of the handle region 56 adjoining the neck region 54 a receiving depression 94, which is provided with two blind-hole-like positioning holes 96, which are arranged one behind the other on the longitudinal center axis of the toothbrush 50.
  • Seen in plan view, the toothbrush tongue 88 likewise has the shape of a spoon. It is shaped in such a way that it fits in the clearance 90, while leaving a narrow gap 102 between it and the all-round periphery 52 a. In the head region 52, the toothbrush tongue 88 is likewise provided with depressions 92 for receiving bristle clusters 58. In the end region remote from the head region 52, the toothbrush tongue 88 has a plate-like fastening region 98, which is shaped equally and oppositely in relation to the receiving depression 94 and is provided with pin-shaped positioning studs 100, which are arranged in a way corresponding to the positioning holes 96.
  • In a subsequent method step, the toothbrush body 50′ and the toothbrush tongue 88 are moved in relation to one another (displaced and possibly rotated), so that the toothbrush tongue 88 comes to lie in the clearance 90 and the fastening region 98 comes to lie in the receiving depression 94, the positioning studs 100 engaging in the positioning holes 96.
  • As indicated in FIG. 20, the toothbrush body 50′ and the toothbrush tongue 88 are encapsulated—in a fourth hollow region 48 of a second mold 40—with a second component 39, for example a soft component. The second component 39 reaches in an enveloping manner around the toothbrush body 50′ and the toothbrush tongue 88 in the region of the receiving depression 94 and the fastening region 98, as also shown by FIG. 21. The toothbrush tongue 88 is held in the manner of a bending bar that is mounted at one end and can resiliently yield during cleaning of the teeth.
  • Finally, the periphery 52 a and the toothbrush tongue 88 are provided with bristles by generally known methods described above.
  • It is of course also possible to provide or form further regions of the toothbrush with soft material, as is generally known.
  • FIGS. 22 to 24 b show parts 116, 118 of a further toothbrush 50. The production of the toothbrush 50 is based on a similar procedure to that which has been described in relation to FIGS. 18 to 21.
  • FIG. 22 shows, in a way similar to the embodiment that is shown in FIG. 19, a first part 116 with an integrated toothbrush tongue 88 in plan view. The toothbrush tongue 88 has in turn, seen in plan view, the shape of a spoon in the head region 52 and in the neck region 54. It is shaped in such a way that it fits in a clearance 90 of a second part 118, shown in FIG. 23, so that essentially there only remains a narrow gap 102 between it and the all-round periphery 52 a of the second part 118. In the head region 52, the toothbrush tongue 88 is likewise provided in turn with depressions 92 for receiving bristle clusters 58.
  • In the case of the present embodiment, the first part 116 is produced from a first component 58, preferably a hard component, of a first color.
  • As a difference from the embodiment of the toothbrush tongue 88 that is shown in FIG. 19, the first part 116 of the toothbrush 50 in the present embodiment does not already end in the front region of the handle region 56, but extends further over a significant part of the handle region 56, where it forms the fastening region 98.
  • In a way similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, FIG. 23 shows a second part 118 with a likewise spoon-shaped clearance 90 for receiving the first part 116 in plan view. Like the first part 116, with preference the second part 118 is integrally designed and likewise has a handle region 56, a neck region 54 and a head region 52. By contrast with the embodiment shown in FIG. 19, the second part 118 has in the head region 52, neck region 54 and in the handle region 56 a clearance 90 right through from the upper side to the underside, which is intended for receiving the first part 116. The second part 118 accordingly forms a frame, or a toothbrush frame, for the first part 116.
  • The clearance 90 is bounded in the head region 52 by an all-round periphery 52 a, which is integrally formed onto the handle region 56. In the head region 52, the periphery 52 a has a series of cup-like depressions 92, which are open on the upper side, closed on the underside and intended for receiving bristle clusters 58. They are produced in the first injection-molding cycle.
  • The second part 118 is produced with preference in the same injection-molding cycle as the first part 116, but in a separate cavity. In a further mold 10′, shown FIG. 25, the second part 118 is simultaneously produced in the same tool (mold 10′) likewise with the first component 38, of a first color, preferably a hard component. However, it is also conceivable for the second component 118 to be produced from a component 38′ that is different from the first component 38 and is of the same color as the first component 38 or of a different color. Furthermore, it is conceivable for the component 38′ to consist of the same material as the component 38, but be of a different color.
  • FIGS. 24 a and 24 b show in plan view and in side view the toothbrush 50 not yet provided with bristles, in which the first part 116 from FIG. 22 has been inserted into the second part 118 from FIG. 23. The first part 116 is fixed with respect to the second part 118 by a second component 39, with preference a soft component, partially enclosing the two parts 116, 118. The second component 39 is applied in a separate, second injection-molding cycle or injection-molding operation. FIG. 24 a therefore shows a second injection point 26 on the rear side of the toothbrush 50 in the rear handle region 56. The fixing with the second component 39 in an enveloping manner took place with preference only in the handle region 56, so that the toothbrush tongue 88 remains free in the head and neck regions 52, 54. This has the consequence that the toothbrush tongue 88 of the first part 116 can swing out in the direction of the upper side and underside of the toothbrush 50 in relation to the second part 118 thanks to the gap 102. The fixing in the handle region 56 has the effect that the toothbrush tongue 88 of the first part 116 is held in the manner of a bending bar mounted at one end and can resiliently yield during cleaning of the teeth, whereby the toothbrush 50 becomes compliant and adaptable, in particular in the two-part head region 52, whereby particularly gentle teeth cleaning can be made possible.
  • In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24 a and 24 b, the first part 116 and the second part 118 are only partially enclosed by the second component 39, so that certain regions of the first part 116 and/or of the second part 118 on the finished toothbrush 50 remain fully or partially visible for the customer. For example, indicated in FIG. 22 are a first island region 104 and a second island region 106, which remain visible in the joined-together toothbrush 50 in FIGS. 24 a and 24 b. The second part 118 can be seen in FIGS. 24 a and 24 b in the form of an all-round strip.
  • The bristle area is in two parts. A first part of the bristle arrangement is located in the head region 52 of the first part 116, while the second part of the bristle arrangement is arranged in the head region 52 of the frame-like second part 118.
  • It is conceivable for the second component 39 to consist of the same material as the first component 38, it being possible for it to be of the same color as the first component 38 or a different color.
  • FIGS. 25 and 26 show a tool for the production of the parts 116, 118 of a further embodiment of the toothbrush 50 that are shown in FIGS. 22 and 23.
  • In a way similar to the multi-part first mold 10 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first mold 10′ that is shown in FIG. 25 also has a first part-mold 30, a second part-mold 32 and a third part-mold 34. For this purpose, the first mold 10′ also comprises an index plate 108.
  • In a way similar to the tool shown in FIG. 8, it is conceivable for the index plate 108 and the slide 34 to rotate about an axis of rotation D, while the first part-mold 30 and the second part-mold 32 are arranged in a stationary manner.
  • The mold 10′ shown in FIG. 25 is represented in longitudinal section, the third part-mold 34, in the form of a rib-shaped slide, not being shown in the sectional representation for the purpose of better representability. Depressions for forming the first island region 104 and the second island region 106 are represented by dashed lines.
  • On account of the small size of the gap 102 between the toothbrush frame, or the second part 118, and the toothbrush tongue 88, or the first part 116, the two parts 116, 118 are produced offset in relation to one another in different separating planes F1, F2 in the first mold 10′. FIG. 26 has a cross-sectional representation through the sectional plane of the first mold 10, shown in FIG. 25, and serves for illustrating the relative offset of the cavities or hollow spaces in the separating planes F1 and F2.
  • The production is described below with reference to both FIGS. 25 and 26.
  • The first part-mold 30 is arranged adjoining the second part-mold 32. The first part-mold 30 has on its side facing away from the second part-mold 32 a V-shaped recess with two side walls 110 and a U-shaped bottom, which is referred to as wall surface 12 b. The lowermost part of the side walls 110 and the bottom of the V-shaped recess are shaped in a way corresponding to the upper side of the first part 116 from FIG. 22.
  • Adjacently adjoining the first part-mold 30 is the index plate 108. Adjacent this index plate 108 is the third part-mold 34, which is referred to hereafter as slide 34. In this case, the slide 34 passes through the index plate 108, which likewise has two widening, sloping side walls 114, which lie in the same planes as the side walls 110, in an upper end position of the slide 34 in such a way that the side wall 112 of the slide 34 fits snugly against the side walls 110, 114 of the first part-mold 30 and of the index plate 108. In the upper end position of the slide 34, an end face of the slide 34 forms a wall region 12 a and thereby bounds the first hollow region 12. The wall region 12 a of the slide 34 thereby defines a separating plane F1 of the first hollow region 12. The wall surface 12 a has a shape corresponding to the upper side of the first part 116 that is shown in FIG. 22. The first hollow region 12 has the shape of the first part 116, which has the toothbrush tongue 88. The slide 34 has on the one hand the inner contour of the second part 118 and on the other hand part of the outer contour in the shape of the upper side of the first part 116.
  • Arranged at the periphery of the first part-mold 30, adjacent the index plate 108, is a second wall region 14 a. The second separating plane F2 is located between the index plate 108 and the first part-mold 30. The surface of the index plate 108 in the region opposite the first wall region 14 a defines a second wall region 14 b. Together with the side wall 112 of the slide 34, the wall regions 14 a and 14 b bound the second hollow region 14. The second hollow region 14 has the shape of the second part 118, which forms the toothbrush frame, or the second part 118 of the toothbrush 50.
  • Furthermore, the second part-mold 32 has a first injection point 24. Between the first part-mold 30 and the second part-mold 32, a third hollow region 16 is bounded by a wall region 16 a, assigned to the second part-mold 32, and a wall region 16 b, assigned to the first part-mold 30. This third hollow region 16 has two arms 66, which are connected to the first hollow region 12, or the second hollow region 14, via a through-opening 28. The third hollow region 16 defines the sprue and runner system. In the case of the parts 116, 118 produced by the first mold 10′, represented in FIG. 25, the injection points respectively lie on the rear side (with respect to the finished toothbrush 50) of the two plastic parts 116, 118 in the lower end region of the handle region 56.
  • In the first injection-molding cycle, shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the slide 34 is in the upper end position. In the first injection-molding cycle, a first component 38, comprising liquid polymer material, is injected via the first injection point 24 into the third hollow region 16 and via the arms 66 respectively into the first and second hollow regions 12, 14. Therefore, the first part 116 and the second part 118 are simultaneously injection-molded in a single injection-molding operation. In this case, the two parts 116, 118 of the toothbrush 50 consist of the same polymer, preferably a hard component of one color or colorless.
  • It is also possible to feed each hollow region 12, 14 via a respective gate of its own. In this case, the two parts 116, 118 may be produced from different polymers of the same color or different colors, or from the same polymer of different colors.
  • In a subsequent method step, the second part-mold 32 is removed from the first part-mold 30, whereby the sprue and runner system of solidified material 22 is exposed and is removed in a way similar to the method previously mentioned.
  • In a further method step, the slide 34 is brought into the lower end position, so that the wall surface 12 a is displaced from the first separating plane F1 in such a way in the direction of arrow P that that it comes to lie in the second separating plane F2, which is substantially flush with the wall surface 14 b of the index plate 108. Consequently, the slide 34 brings the first part 116 with the tongue body 88 into a second position for a second injection-molding cycle, in which the first part 116 with the tongue body 88 must be located within the second part 118 (the toothbrush frame).
  • The first part-mold 30 with the second part-mold 32 is subsequently removed from the slide 34 and the index plate 108, the two finished parts 116, 118 being held in a front region of the index plate 108. After that, the index plate 108 and the slide 34 inserted into it are together rotated away about an axis of rotation D—in a way similar to the tool shown in FIG. 8. As a result, the first part 116, pushed into the second part 118, is moved into a further hollow region, or a new, further part-mold 46 (not shown). The movement is initiated by the index plate 108. During this rotational movement, the two parts 116, 118 are held in a front region of the index plate 108.
  • In the second injection-molding cycle, the first part 116 (having the tongue body 88) is connected to the second part 118 (forming the toothbrush frame), displaced in one another, in that, in the state in which they are pushed one into the other, they are encapsulated in an enveloping manner, or partially encapsulated in an enveloping manner, preferably only in the handle region 56 with a plastic of a second (or third) component 39. With preference, the encapsulation takes place in this case with a soft component.
  • After the shaping, the periphery 52 a of the second part 118 and the toothbrush tongue 88 of the first part 116 are provided with bristles by generally known methods described above, after which the production process of the toothbrush 50 is complete.
  • The three parts, or the first two parts 116, 118 and the encapsulation, can therefore consequently be produced from three different components 38, 38′, 39. That is to say that a combination of hard and/or soft components can be realized. For example, the first two parts 116, 118 may be produced from a hard component, while the encapsulation takes place with a soft component. By variation of the components and the type of injection (separate gates or sprue and runner system), it is also possible for a wide variety of color combinations to be realized.
  • It is of course also possible to provide further regions of the toothbrush 50 with soft material or form them with it, as is generally known.
  • It is also conceivable for the neck region 54 to be encapsulated with the second component 39, in an embodiment not shown. This results in a smaller deflection in comparison with the embodiment above.
  • However, it is also conceivable for the fastening region 98 to extend from the first part 116 and the corresponding clearance 90 in the second part 118 to extend only over part of the handle region 56, for example only over half or only over a third, of the length of the handle region 56 (seen from the front end region, adjoining the neck region 54).

Claims (33)

1. A method for producing a toothbrush with a body which comprises at least a handle region, a neck region and a head region and a carrier element connected to the body, with the following steps:
producing a plurality of segments in a form of sleeves or cups as well as other regions of the carrier element of a first component in a first step;
producing connecting elements in a form of a membrane by injection of a second component in a further step, said connecting elements connecting the segments and the other regions of the carrier element;
thereafter fitting the carrier element with bristles; and
connecting the carrier element including the bristles to a separately produced body.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the segments are molded into an elliptical or kidney shaped form or in the form of a figure of eight.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the head region has an edge onto which an outer edge of the carrier element comes to bear whereby the carrier element and the brush body will be connected undetachably along a line.
4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the head region and the carrier element are welded along said line producing a welding area, said welding area being partially disrupted by openings or different material components.
5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier element is connected to the head region of the body under prestress in such a way that it is made to arch up.
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first component is a hard component and the second component is a hard or a soft component.
7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hard component comprises at least one of of styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), acrylobutadiene styrene (ABS) and polypropylene (PP).
8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the soft-component consists of a rubber-elastic material.
9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a spatial position of the segments in relation to at least one of one another and the other regions is changed before the injection-molding of the second component.
10. The method as claimed in claim 1, the fitting the carrier element with bristles further comprises:
leading a bristle cluster through an opening in the carrier element; and
then melting the bristle cluster at the rear end to connect the bristle cluster to the carrier element.
11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the bristle cluster is led through an opening of a segment.
12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein cleaning and massaging elements are formed by the second component.
13. Toothbrush with a body comprising at least a handle region, a neck region and a head region, wherein the body at least partially comprises a first and a second component, and a carrier element comprising a plurality of segments and other regions of a first component and a membrane of the second component connecting the segments and the other regions, wherein the head region is connected to other regions of the first component of the carrier element and the carrier element holds bristles.
14. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 13, wherein the other regions of the first component form an elliptical closed periphery onto which sleeves are directly molded, in the head region a circular edge is formed against which an outer edge of the carrier element bears, and, along a line formed by the edge and the outer edge, the carrier element is undetachably connected to the body.
15. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 13, wherein the other regions of the first component form two material pieces, the head region has two edges running in a transverse direction and serving as anchoring locations for the carrier element and the two material pieces are fastened to the two edges, respectively.
16. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 13, wherein
the body is (1) bent in the head region, and (2) branched one or more times toward a front end to form a skeletal carrying structure with an anchoring location formed at an end of each branch,
a further anchoring location is built on the body in the form of an elongate edge at a transition from the head region to the neck region,
the carrier element has an elongate material piece at one end and plate-like pieces that are distributed in a manner to correspond to at least one anchoring location, the membrane is located between the olongate material piece and the plate-like material pieces, and
the elongate material piece and the plate-like material pieces form the other regions of the first component.
17. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 13, wherein the segments have a form of at least one of singular and interconnected sleeves or cups, which are adapted to receive bristle clusters.
18. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 17, wherein the segments have an opening,the opening having a shape that is at least one of elliptical, circular,kidney shaped and in the form of a figure eight.
19. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 13, further comprising at least one of cleaning and massaging elements of the second component.
20. A device for carrying out the method as claimed in claim 1, the device comprising:
a first mold including:
first hollow regions, which correspond to the other regions to be produced from the first component and to which the first component can be supplied,
second hollow regions, which are arranged at a distance from one another and correspond to the segments to be produced from the first component, and
at least one third hollow region, to which the first component can be supplied and which is connected with the second hollow regions in such a way that material supplied to the at least one third hollow region is supplied to the second hollow regions,
wherein the second hollow regions for producing a plurality of segments that are separate from one another comprise a plurality of subregions, which are in connection with one another exclusively via the at least one third hollow region;
a second mold, including:
a fourth hollow region which is larger than the second hollow regions, at least in the region around the segments,
wherein the second mold is shaped such that it is adapted to the first mold in such a way that connecting elements are formed from the second component as a membrane, in which the segments are at least partially embedded and which is resiliently connected to the other regions of the first component; and
means for removing the first mold at least partially in such a way that the at least one third hollow region, including solidified material remaining in the at least one third hollow region, is removed from the segments and the other regions of the toothbrush.
21. A device as claimed in claim 20, further comprising means for introducing the segments and the other regions into the second mold.
22. A device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the second hollow regions are shaped in such a way that the segments have the form of sleeves that are open at two ends, through which bristles can be led, the opening directions being oriented substantially perpendicularly in relation to a surface area of the head region.
23. A device as claimed in claim 20, wherein the first mold comprises at least three part-molds, the first and second hollow regions being formed between a first part-mold and a second part-mold and the at least one third hollow region being formed between the second part-mold and a third part-mold.
24. A device as claimed in claim 20, further comprising a handling unit for changing at least one of a position and an orientation of the segments in relation to one another before the second component is injected.
25. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the rubber-elastic material is a thermoplastic elastomer (TPE).
26. The method as claimed in claim 25, wherein the thermoplastic elastomer is polyurethane (PUR).
27. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the spatial position of the segments is changed through at least one of translation and rotation.
28. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the cleaning and massaging elements are connected to the membrane.
29. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the cleaning and massaging elements are produced in a same production step as the membrane.
30. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 14, wherein the carrier element is connected to the body by welding.
31. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 15, wherein the two material pieces are fastened to the two edges by welding.
32. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 19, wherein the cleaning and massaging elements are connected to the membrane.
33. Toothbrush as claimed in claim 32, wherein the cleaning and massaging elements are produced in a same production step as the membrane.
US12/929,633 2004-07-12 2011-02-04 Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process Abandoned US20110167579A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US12/929,633 US20110167579A1 (en) 2004-07-12 2011-02-04 Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process

Applications Claiming Priority (5)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CH1179/04 2004-07-12
CH11792004 2004-07-12
PCT/CH2005/000398 WO2006005216A1 (en) 2004-07-12 2005-07-12 Method and device for producing a toothbrush according to a double of multi component injection moulding method
US63204207A 2007-02-02 2007-02-02
US12/929,633 US20110167579A1 (en) 2004-07-12 2011-02-04 Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process

Related Parent Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/CH2005/000398 Continuation WO2006005216A1 (en) 2004-07-12 2005-07-12 Method and device for producing a toothbrush according to a double of multi component injection moulding method
US63204207A Continuation 2004-07-12 2007-02-02

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20110167579A1 true US20110167579A1 (en) 2011-07-14

Family

ID=34971821

Family Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US11/632,042 Expired - Fee Related US7921499B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2005-07-12 Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process
US12/929,633 Abandoned US20110167579A1 (en) 2004-07-12 2011-02-04 Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process

Family Applications Before (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US11/632,042 Expired - Fee Related US7921499B2 (en) 2004-07-12 2005-07-12 Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process

Country Status (3)

Country Link
US (2) US7921499B2 (en)
EP (2) EP1765565B1 (en)
WO (1) WO2006005216A1 (en)

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20120317737A1 (en) * 2011-06-15 2012-12-20 Braun Gmbh Brush Head And Method And Tool For Producing Same
US9427074B2 (en) 2012-12-10 2016-08-30 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
CN106213790A (en) * 2016-07-29 2016-12-14 汪天容 Clean the teeth the processing method of brush
US10076180B2 (en) 2012-12-10 2018-09-18 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US10575627B2 (en) 2015-05-14 2020-03-03 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Brush head assembly and methods of manufacture

Families Citing this family (43)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8806695B2 (en) 2002-08-09 2014-08-19 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement having flexibly supported cleaning elements extending in opposite directions
US7841041B2 (en) 2002-08-09 2010-11-30 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US8876221B2 (en) 2002-08-09 2014-11-04 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
GB0511778D0 (en) * 2005-06-09 2005-07-20 Glaxosmithkline Consumer Healt Toothbrush
US8281448B2 (en) 2005-10-24 2012-10-09 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement having one or more moving sections
USD637400S1 (en) 2006-05-08 2011-05-10 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
USD637003S1 (en) 2006-05-08 2011-05-03 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
RU2428907C2 (en) 2007-02-02 2011-09-20 Дзе Жиллетт Компани Accessories for oral hygiene, having flexible elements, and methods of their manufacturing
DE102007022827A1 (en) * 2007-05-15 2008-11-20 Braun Gmbh Toothbrush attachment and method for its production
DE202007014474U1 (en) * 2007-10-16 2009-03-05 Schwan-Stabilo Cosmetics Gmbh & Co. Kg Sprayed applicators
CN101444363A (en) * 2008-12-09 2009-06-03 于海宽 Brush head and manufacture device thereof
DE102009013723A1 (en) * 2009-03-20 2010-09-23 Zahoransky Ag Method and device for producing and providing filament bundles and bristle fields
NO330655B1 (en) * 2009-06-15 2011-05-30 Jordan As Device at toothbrush head, as well as feed mat for manufacturing said toothbrush head
US8745804B2 (en) * 2009-08-27 2014-06-10 Steven Jaksha Stainless steel toothbrush with thermochromic display
USD675830S1 (en) 2009-12-18 2013-02-12 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
US8549691B2 (en) 2009-12-18 2013-10-08 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement having multi-component handle
USD654696S1 (en) 2009-12-18 2012-02-28 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush handle with tissue cleaner
USD654270S1 (en) 2009-12-18 2012-02-21 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush handle
USD632484S1 (en) 2009-12-18 2011-02-15 Eduardo Jimenez Toothbrush handle with tissue cleaner
USD654695S1 (en) 2009-12-18 2012-02-28 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
EP2347673B1 (en) 2010-01-26 2015-08-05 Trisa Holding AG Tooth brush and method for the manufacture of a tooth brush
DE102010025852A1 (en) 2010-07-02 2012-03-29 Gb Boucherie Nv Method and apparatus for making brushes
DE102010048197A1 (en) * 2010-10-13 2012-04-19 Pfefferle Bürsten GmbH Method for injection-molding of brush body, involves injecting preset quantity of plastic melt into mold cavity, introducing fluid into unhardened plastic, and distributing plastic in mold cavity under formation of central hollow space
US20120227199A1 (en) * 2011-03-11 2012-09-13 Colgate-Palmolive Company Method of manufacturing toothbrushes with common core
EP2554353B1 (en) * 2011-08-05 2017-06-07 Trisa Holding AG Tooth brush and method for the manufacture of a tooth brush
IN2014DN10351A (en) * 2012-06-20 2015-08-07 Colgate Palmolive Co
EP2682022B1 (en) * 2012-07-02 2020-09-09 Trisa Holding AG Household brush or grooming brush with injection-moulded bristles
US9609942B2 (en) * 2013-09-27 2017-04-04 M+C Schiffer Gmbh Method for making a toothbrush
EP2886289B1 (en) * 2013-12-19 2016-08-03 The Gillette Company Method to manufacture an injection molded component and injection molded component
US10888201B2 (en) 2014-11-11 2021-01-12 ZeroBrush, Inc. Systems, devices, and methods for providing customized oral care agents
US11058523B2 (en) * 2014-11-11 2021-07-13 ZeroBrush, Inc. Methods of designing and fabricating customized dental care for particular users
US20210315676A1 (en) * 2014-11-11 2021-10-14 ZeroBrush, Inc. Methods of Designing and Fabricating Customized Dental Care for Particular Users
US10869541B2 (en) 2014-11-11 2020-12-22 ZeroBrush, Inc. Systems, devices, and methods for customized dental care
USD780458S1 (en) * 2015-01-16 2017-03-07 Radius Corporation Toothbrush
US9802347B2 (en) 2015-02-02 2017-10-31 Colgate-Palmolive Company Method of forming an oral care implement
EP3294090B1 (en) * 2015-05-14 2022-04-06 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Brush head assembly and methods of manufacture
USD777446S1 (en) 2015-07-23 2017-01-31 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement handle
WO2017012109A1 (en) 2015-07-23 2017-01-26 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US11351706B2 (en) 2016-11-02 2022-06-07 Colgate-Palmolive Company Automated process for fabricating oral care implements
CN108394072B (en) * 2018-05-15 2023-09-08 珠海格力精密模具有限公司 Core pulling mechanism and die manufacturing device
EP3747310A1 (en) * 2019-06-07 2020-12-09 The Procter & Gamble Company Filament transportation device
CN114145560B (en) * 2021-12-08 2023-05-12 深圳市一晤未来科技有限公司 Preparation method of brush head assembly
CN114145561B (en) * 2021-12-08 2023-05-12 深圳市一晤未来科技有限公司 Preparation method of brush head with retainer

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US5839149A (en) * 1996-08-26 1998-11-24 Scheier; Paul A. Toothbrush with resilient flexible bristle support
US6066282A (en) * 1995-07-07 2000-05-23 Smithkline Beecham Consumer Healthcare Gmbh Process for making a toothbrush
US6161245A (en) * 1995-10-17 2000-12-19 Coronet-Werke Gmbh Brush-ware with adjustable bristle hardness
US6402494B1 (en) * 1997-10-01 2002-06-11 M + C Schiffer Gmbh Apparatus for producing a toothbrush
US20030131433A1 (en) * 2002-01-15 2003-07-17 Pavone Bernadino J. Orthodontic toothbrush
US20040117934A1 (en) * 2002-12-19 2004-06-24 Trisa Holding Ag Toothbrush and process for producing the same
US20050039279A1 (en) * 2001-10-05 2005-02-24 Michael Koeth Toothbrush

Family Cites Families (12)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2706825A (en) * 1954-04-02 1955-04-26 Amoron R Blakeman Toothbrush
DE3820372C2 (en) 1988-06-15 1997-07-24 Coronet Werke Gmbh Method and device for producing bristle goods
GB9626862D0 (en) 1996-12-24 1997-02-12 Procter & Gamble Improvements in brush making
DE19880376B4 (en) 1997-03-27 2004-08-12 Trisa Holding Ag Brush head for a toothbrush
DE19738256C2 (en) 1997-09-02 1999-09-23 Rueb F A Holding Gmbh Method and device for producing bristle fields and bristle field produced therewith
JP2001190333A (en) * 2000-01-17 2001-07-17 Lion Corp Toothbrush and its manufacturing method
EP1136016A1 (en) 2000-03-21 2001-09-26 G.B. Boucherie, N.V. Method and device for melting ends of bristles
GB0014495D0 (en) * 2000-06-15 2000-08-09 Smithkline Beecham Gmbh & Co Process
DE20013862U1 (en) * 2000-08-11 2000-11-23 Zahoransky Formenbau Gmbh Brush, especially toothbrush
JP4132744B2 (en) 2000-08-23 2008-08-13 花王株式会社 Brush manufacturing method and apparatus
DE20303934U1 (en) * 2003-03-12 2004-07-22 M + C Schiffer Gmbh Device for making a brush
DE10326155A1 (en) 2003-06-10 2004-12-30 M + C Schiffer Gmbh Brush, in particular toothbrush and process for its manufacture

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6066282A (en) * 1995-07-07 2000-05-23 Smithkline Beecham Consumer Healthcare Gmbh Process for making a toothbrush
US6161245A (en) * 1995-10-17 2000-12-19 Coronet-Werke Gmbh Brush-ware with adjustable bristle hardness
US5839149A (en) * 1996-08-26 1998-11-24 Scheier; Paul A. Toothbrush with resilient flexible bristle support
US6402494B1 (en) * 1997-10-01 2002-06-11 M + C Schiffer Gmbh Apparatus for producing a toothbrush
US20050039279A1 (en) * 2001-10-05 2005-02-24 Michael Koeth Toothbrush
US20030131433A1 (en) * 2002-01-15 2003-07-17 Pavone Bernadino J. Orthodontic toothbrush
US20040117934A1 (en) * 2002-12-19 2004-06-24 Trisa Holding Ag Toothbrush and process for producing the same

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20120317737A1 (en) * 2011-06-15 2012-12-20 Braun Gmbh Brush Head And Method And Tool For Producing Same
US8845034B2 (en) * 2011-06-15 2014-09-30 The Braun GmbH Brush head and method and tool for producing same
US9427074B2 (en) 2012-12-10 2016-08-30 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US10076180B2 (en) 2012-12-10 2018-09-18 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US10575627B2 (en) 2015-05-14 2020-03-03 Koninklijke Philips N.V. Brush head assembly and methods of manufacture
CN106213790A (en) * 2016-07-29 2016-12-14 汪天容 Clean the teeth the processing method of brush

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
WO2006005216A1 (en) 2006-01-19
US7921499B2 (en) 2011-04-12
EP1765565A1 (en) 2007-03-28
EP2263851B1 (en) 2016-08-10
EP2263851A2 (en) 2010-12-22
EP2263851A3 (en) 2014-04-09
US20080315668A1 (en) 2008-12-25
EP1765565B1 (en) 2011-11-23

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7921499B2 (en) Method and device for producing a toothbrush by the two-component or multi-component injection-molding process
US9894987B2 (en) Toothbrush with partially coated surface
EP1289729B1 (en) Process of injection molding composite articles and toothbrush obtainable thereby
EP1653828B1 (en) Toothbrush
US9750334B2 (en) Toothbrush with injection-moulded bristles and method and apparatus for producing the same
US7503093B2 (en) Method and device for producing bristle products and bristle products
CA2503778A1 (en) Toothbrush and process for producing the same
US8291539B2 (en) Toothbrush and process for producing the same
MXPA02008312A (en) Method for producing a toothbrush.
US20030159224A1 (en) Toothbrush and process for producing such a toothbrush
CN103957747A (en) Method and device for producing a brush head section for an oral care device and brush head section produced by said method and/or said device
CN103124624B (en) For the injection molding of flexible pipe
JP2003061754A (en) Method and device for manufacture of brush
JP2000079624A (en) Production of two-color molded article and its molded article
JPH09220123A (en) Toothbrush body and secondary forming device for the same
JPH06304019A (en) Hair brush and production thereof

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION