Bristled article
First Claim
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1. A bristled article comprising:
- (a) a plurality of bristles folded into tufts having free ends;
(b) at least one tuft cavity in a base having an upper outer surface contiguous to an open top end of said tuft cavity, said base having a bottom outer surface opposite said upper outer surface; and
(c) an anchoring means that holds the plurality of tufted bristles together inside the tuft cavity and the free ends of the tufted bristles remain outside of the tuft cavity wherein the cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity decreases by at least one step such that said tuft cavity is broadest at the surface contiguous to the open top end of said cavity and narrows toward a closed bottom end of said cavity, wherein said cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity between said at least one step and said closed bottom end is smaller than said cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity at said surface contiguous to said top end of said cavity, and said open top end has an inner surface which contacts at least some of said plurality of bristles in a way that is effective to prevent splaying of the free ends of the tufted bristles;
wherein said anchoring means is disposed only between said at least one step and said bottom outer surface of said base.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an improved bristled article and more particularly to an improved toothbrush which has a tuft cavity with a cross-sectional area that decreases such that the tuft cavity is broadest at the open top end and becomes narrower toward the closed bottom end of the tuft cavity. This decrease of the breadth of the tuft cavity results in a greater packing factor in the closed bottom end portion of the cavity than in the open top end and provides higher bristle retention force.
49 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A bristled article comprising:
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(a) a plurality of bristles folded into tufts having free ends; (b) at least one tuft cavity in a base having an upper outer surface contiguous to an open top end of said tuft cavity, said base having a bottom outer surface opposite said upper outer surface; and (c) an anchoring means that holds the plurality of tufted bristles together inside the tuft cavity and the free ends of the tufted bristles remain outside of the tuft cavity wherein the cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity decreases by at least one step such that said tuft cavity is broadest at the surface contiguous to the open top end of said cavity and narrows toward a closed bottom end of said cavity, wherein said cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity between said at least one step and said closed bottom end is smaller than said cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity at said surface contiguous to said top end of said cavity, and said open top end has an inner surface which contacts at least some of said plurality of bristles in a way that is effective to prevent splaying of the free ends of the tufted bristles; wherein said anchoring means is disposed only between said at least one step and said bottom outer surface of said base. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method for making a toothbrush with a plurality of bristles anchored in a toothbrush head with improved bristle and tuft retention comprising the steps of:
- tufting a plurality of bristles;
disposing the tufted bristles in a tuft cavity in the toothbrush head; and
anchoring the tufted bristles by anchoring means that hold the plurality of tufted bristles together inside the tuft cavity and the free ends of the tufted bristles remain outside of the tuft cavity;
wherein the bristle and tuft retention of the toothbrush is improved by narrowing with at least one step the cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity such that said tuft cavity is broadest at a surface contiguous to an open top end of said cavity and narrows toward a closed bottom end of said cavity, and said open top end has an inner surface which contacts at least some of said plurality of bristles in a way that is effective to minimize splaying of the free ends of the tufted bristles;wherein said toothbrush head has an upper outer surface continuous to said open top end of said tuft cavity and a bottom outer surface opposite said upper outer surface, said cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity between said at least one step and said closed bottom end is smaller than said cross-sectional area of said tuft cavity at said surface contiguous to said top end of said cavity, and said anchoring means is disposed only between said at least one step and said bottom outer surface of said base. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
- tufting a plurality of bristles;
Specification