BRUSH HEAD FOR AN ORAL CARE IMPLEMENT

• US 20190125065A1
• Filed: 10/12/2018
• Published: 05/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Original Assignee: Braun GmbH (The Procter & Gamble Company)
• Inventors: ALTMANN, Niclas, STORKEL, Ulrich, BECKER-SALZSAULER, Bianka, BAUERNFEIND, Siegfried
• Granted Patent: US 11,103,054 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 13/001 Cylindrical or annular brush bodies
• 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 9/025 the bristles or the tufts being arranged in an angled position relative to each other
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/028 Bristle profile, the end of the bristle defining a surface other than a single plane or deviating from a simple geometric form, e.g. cylinder, sphere or cone
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/04 Arranged like in or for toothbrushes
• CPC Class Codes: A46B 9/06 Arrangement of mixed bristles or tufts of bristles, e.g. wire, fibre, rubber
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/32 reciprocating or oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61C 17/3436 Rotation around the axis perpendicular to the plane defined by the bristle holder

Abstract

A brush head for an oral care implement includes at least one (first) group of tufts extending from a mounting surface of a tuft carrier having a rotation axis. The tufts have a base end and a free end. The tufts of the first group are tufts having an extension in a circumferential direction about the rotation axis exceeding an extension in a radial direction. The tufts of the first group may be inclined with respect to the mounting surface in at least one direction. Each of the first-group tufts may comprise a first group of filaments and a second group of filaments, wherein the second-group filaments'"'"' free ends protrude beyond the first-group filaments'"'"' free ends.

Claims

1. A brush head (1) for an oral care implement comprising:

at least one group of tufts (5, 6, 7) extending from a mounting surface (4) of a tuft carrier (3) having a rotation axis (I), the tufts (5, 6, 7) having a base end extending from the mounting surface (4) and a free end,

wherein the tufts (5) of the first group are tufts having, in the plane of the mounting surface (4), an extension in a circumferential direction about the rotation axis (I) which exceeds an extension in a radial direction with respect to the rotation axis (I),

wherein the tufts (5) of the first group are inclined with respect to the mounting surface (4) in at least one direction, and

wherein each of the tufts (5) of the first group comprises a first group of filaments (5a) and a second group of filaments (5b) with the free ends of the filaments (5b) of the second group of filaments protruding beyond the free ends of the filaments (5a) of the first group of filaments.

2. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein the tufts (5) of the first group are disposed on an annular area of the mounting surface (4) of the tuft carrier (3).

3. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein each tuft (5) of the first group is inclined with respect to the mounting surface (4) in at least one direction such that, in an unstressed condition, a section through each one of the tufts (5) in a plane parallel to the mounting surface (4) at the free end of the first group of filaments (5a) is offset in the circumferential direction from a section through the respective same tuft (5) in the plane of the mounting surface (4).

4. The brush head according to claim 3, wherein each tuft (5) of the first group is inclined with respect to the mounting surface (4) by an inclination angle from about 65°

to about 80°

, optionally from about 70°

to about 80°

, further optionally from about 74°

to about 78°

, even further optionally from about 74°

to about 75°

.

5. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein each tuft (5) of the first group is twisted such that, in an unstressed condition, a section through the tuft (5) in a plane parallel to the mounting surface (4) at the free end of the first group of filaments (5a) is located radially inwards of or is abutting at an imaginary cylinder defined by a circular radially outer edge of the mounting surface (4) and an center axis (I) extending perpendicular to the mounting surface (4).

6. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein the difference in length between the first length of the first group of filaments (5a) and the second length of the second group of filaments (5b) is from about 1 mm to about 3 mm, optionally from about 1 mm to about 2 mm, further optionally about 1.5 mm.

7. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein the filaments (5a) of the first group and the filaments (5b) of the second group further differ from each other at least in one of the following characteristics:

bending stiffness, diameter, material, texture, cross sectional shape, color and combinations thereof.

8. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein the filaments (5a) of the first group of filaments are thinner than the filaments (5b) of the second group of filaments.

9. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein the filaments (5a) of the first group of filaments are thicker than the filaments (5b) of the second group of filaments.

10. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein the tufts (5) of the first group have, in a section through the tuft (5) in the plane of the mounting surface (4), a non-circular shape, optionally an annular segment shape with semi-circular edges, an ellipsoid shape or a prolate ellipsoid shape with flattened long sides.

11. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein at least the filaments (5a) of the first group of filaments have a length and are arranged such that their free ends lie in a common spherical or cylindrical surface.

12. The brush head according to claim 1, having at least two groups of tufts (5, 6, 7) extending from the mounting surface (4) of the tuft carrier (3), wherein the base ends of the tufts (6) of the second group are located radially inwards from the of the base ends tufts (5) of the first group.

13. The brush head according to claim 12, further comprising, located radially inwards of the tufts (6) of the second group, at least one tuft (7) of a third group and/or at least one thermoplastic elastomer element for cleaning and/or massaging the teeth and/or soft tissues of the oral cavity.

14. The brush head according to claim 1, wherein the tufts (5, 6, 7) are attached to the tuft carrier (3) brush head (1) by means of a hot-tufting process.

15. An oral care implement comprising a brush head (1) according to claim 1.