Gum massaging oral brush

• US 20040087882A1
• Filed: 10/24/2003
• Published: 05/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/1995
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Gillette Company (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: Roberts, Michael, Park, Edward H., Masterman, Thomas Craig, Batson, Scott, Tseng, Mingchih M., Witkus, Stephen C., Sweeney, Philip
• Application Number:
  US10/692,916
• Publication Number:
  US 20040087882A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 601/141
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0002 Arrangements for enhancing monitoring or controlling the brushing process
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0032 with protrusion for polishing teeth
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 15/0075 Brushes with an additional massage device
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1026 Gum massaging brush, i.e. specifically designed for massaging the gums
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 2200/1066 Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures A61C17/16 takes precedence; bristles arrangements for toothbrushes A46B9/04
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 3/16 by wires or other anchoring means, specially for U-shaped bristle tufts
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/06 Arrangement of mixed bristles or tufts of bristles, e.g. wire, fibre, rubber
• CPC Class Codes: A46D 1/00 Bristles; Selection of materials for bristles making artificial bristles D01D, D01F
• CPC Class Codes: A46D 1/0207 Bristles characterised by the choice of material, e.g. metal
• CPC Class Codes: A46D 1/023 Bristles with at least a core and at least a partial sheath
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/425 Toothbrush
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 15/06 Varied composition bristle

Abstract

An oral brush is provided that includes an elongated body, a head portion extending from the body, and a plurality of bristles, formed of particular thermoplastic elastomers, extending from the body. In various embodiments, the thermoplastic elastomer has a Shore A hardness of at least 30; the thermoplastic elastomer is selected from the group consisting of polyetheramides, polyesters, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymers, polyurethanes, polyolefin elastomers, and mixtures thereof; and the thermoplastic elastomer has a flexural modulus of at least 5 MPa.

Claims

1. An oral brush suitable for massaging the gums, comprising:

an elongated body;

a head portion extending from said body; and

a brush portion comprising a plurality of bristles extending from said head portion, said bristles comprising a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore A hardness of 30 or greater.

2. The oral brush of claim 1 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer is selected from the group consisting of polyetheramides, polyesters, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, polyurethanes, polyolefin elastomers, and mixtures thereof.

3. The oral brush of claim 1 or 2 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer has a flexural modulus of at least 5 MPa.

4. The oral brush of claim 1, said oral brush further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said spacer comprising said thermoplastic elastomer and integrally joined to said bristles.

5. The oral brush of claim 1 wherein said brush portion further comprises a plurality of bristles formed of a non-elastomeric material.

6. The oral brush of claim 5 wherein said non-elastomeric material is selected from nylon and polyamides.

7. The oral brush of claim 6 wherein said non-elastomeric material is a crystalline polyphthalamide formed by polymerization of terphthalic acid, isophthalic acid and adipic acid with hexamethylene diamine.

8. The oral brush of claim 5 wherein said non-elastomeric material comprises an abrasive additive.

9. The oral brush of claim 5, further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said bristles formed of said non-elastomeric material extending from said head portion through said spacer.

10. An oral brush comprising:

an elongated body;

a head portion extending from said body; and

a brush portion comprising a plurality of bristles extending from said head portion, said bristles comprising a thermoplastic elastomer selected from the group consisting of polyetheramides, polyesters, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, polyurethanes, polyolefin elastomers, and mixtures thereof.

11. The oral brush of claim 10 wherein said brush portion further comprises a plurality of bristles formed of a non-elastomeric material.

12. The oral brush of claim 11 wherein said non-elastomeric material is selected from polyamides and polyesters.

13. The oral brush of claim 12 wherein said non-elastomeric material is a crystalline polyamide formed by polymerization of terphthalic acid, isophthalic acid and adipic acid with hexamethylene diamine.

14. The oral brush of claim 11 wherein said non-elastomeric material comprises an abrasive additive.

15. The oral brush of claim 11, said oral brush further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said bristles formed of said non-elastomeric material extending from said head portion through said spacer.

16. The oral brush of claim 10 wherein said thermoplastic elastomer has a flexural modulus of at least 5 MPa.

17. The oral brush of claim 10, said oral brush further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said spacer comprising said thermoplastic elastomer and integrally joined to said bristles.

18. An oral brush comprising:

an elongated body;

a head portion extending from said body; and

a brush portion comprising a plurality of bristles extending from said head portion, said bristles comprising a thermoplastic elastomer having a flexural modulus of at least 5 MPa.

19. The oral brush of claim 18, said oral brush further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said spacer comprising said thermoplastic elastomer and integrally joined to said bristles.

20. An oral brush comprising:

an elongated body;

a head portion extending from said body; and

a brush portion comprising, extending from said head portion, a plurality of bristles comprising a thermoplastic elastomer and a plurality of bristles comprising a polyphthalamide.

21. The oral brush of claim 20 wherein said polyphthalamide is formed by polymerization of terphthalic acid, isophthalic acid and adipic acid with hexamethylene diamine.

22. The oral brush of claim 21 wherein said polyphthalamide comprises an abrasive additive.

23. The oral brush of claim 20, said oral brush further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said spacer comprising said thermoplastic elastomer and integrally joined to said bristles comprising said thermoplastic elastomer.

24. The oral brush of claim 23, wherein said bristles comprising said polyphtalamide extend from said head portion through said spacer.

25. A method of massaging the gums comprising contacting the gums with a bristle formed of a thermoplastic elastomer having a Shore A hardness of at least 30.

26. A method of massaging the gums comprising contacting the gums with a bristle formed of a thermoplastic elastomer having a flexural modulus of at least 5 MPa.

27. A method of massaging the gums comprising contacting the gums with a bristle formed of a thermoplastic elastomer selected from the group consisting of polyetheramides, polyesters, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, polyurethanes, polyolefin elastomers, and mixtures thereof.

28. An oral brush comprising:

an elongated body;

a head portion extending from said body; and

a brush portion comprising a plurality of bristles extending from said head portion, said bristles comprising a thermoplastic elastomer sheath, comprising a thermoplastic elastomer selected from the group consisting of polyetheramides, polyesters, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-butadiene-styrene block copolymers, styrene-isoprene-styrene block copolymers, polyurethanes, polyolefin elastomers, and mixtures thereof, surrounding a non-thermoplastic elastomer core material.

29. The oral brush of claim 28 wherein said bristles are formed by coextrusion.

30. The oral brush of claim 28 wherein said core material is selected from polyamides and polyesters.

31. The oral brush of claim 28 wherein said bristles have a diameter of from 5 to 8 mil.

32. The oral brush of claim 28, said oral brush further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said spacer comprising said thermoplastic elastomer and integrally joined to said bristles.

33. A method of making a toothbrush bristle comprising coextruding a plurality of polymers to form an elongated filament having a plurality of separate phases.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein one of said polymers comprises a thermoplastic elastomer.

35. The method of claim 33 wherein said polymers are coextruded in a sheath/core geometry.

36. The method of claim 33 further comprising applying tension to said filament to draw the filament.

37. The method of claim 36 wherein the tension is applied at a drawdown ratio of from 1:

1 to 7;

1.

38. An oral brush comprising:

an elongated body;

a head portion extending from said body; and

a brush portion comprising a plurality of bristles extending from said head portion, said bristles comprising a thermoplastic elastomer sheath surrounding a core comprising a thermoplastic elastomer having a higher hardness than said thermoplastic elastomer sheath.

39. An oral brush comprising:

an elongated body;

a head portion extending from said body;

and a brush portion comprising a plurality of bristles extending from said head portion, said bristles comprising a blend comprising an elastomeric polymer and a non-elastomeric polymer.

40. The oral brush of claim 39, said oral brush further comprising a spacer attached to a base of said head portion, said spacer comprising said thermoplastic elastomer and integrally joined to said bristles.

41. The oral brush of claim 39 wherein said elastomeric polymer is selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomers and vulcanized rubber-type polymers.

42. The oral brush of claim 41 wherein said elastomeric polymer comprises a thermoplastic elastomer selected from the group consisting of polyamide thermoplastic elastomers, polyester thermoplastic elastomers, and olefinic thermoplastic elastomers.

43. The oral brush of claim 41 wherein said elastomeric polymer comprises a vulcanized rubber-type polymer selected from the group consisting of natural rubber, cross-linked polybutadiene, and cross-linked polyacrylates and mixtures thereof.

44. The oral brush of claim 39 wherein said elastomeric polymer and said non-elastomeric polymer are provided in a ratio of from 10:

90 to 90;

10.