EP0332026B1 - Tootbrush with slow release of disinfectant and anti-bacterial agents and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Tootbrush with slow release of disinfectant and anti-bacterial agents and method of manufacturing the same Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0332026B1
EP0332026B1 EP89103503A EP89103503A EP0332026B1 EP 0332026 B1 EP0332026 B1 EP 0332026B1 EP 89103503 A EP89103503 A EP 89103503A EP 89103503 A EP89103503 A EP 89103503A EP 0332026 B1 EP0332026 B1 EP 0332026B1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
bristles
toothbrush
agent
anchor
tuft
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.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
EP89103503A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP0332026A1 (en
Inventor
Steven Kent
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.)
Colgate Palmolive Co
Original Assignee
Colgate Palmolive Co
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
Family has litigation
First worldwide family litigation filed litigation Critical https://patents.darts-ip.com/?family=22599844&utm_source=google_patent&utm_medium=platform_link&utm_campaign=public_patent_search&patent=EP0332026(B1) "Global patent litigation dataset” by Darts-ip is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Application filed by Colgate Palmolive Co filed Critical Colgate Palmolive Co
Publication of EP0332026A1 publication Critical patent/EP0332026A1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP0332026B1 publication Critical patent/EP0332026B1/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
    • A46B11/001—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water with integral reservoirs
    • A46B11/0068—Brushes where the reservoir is specifically intended for solid substance that dissolves gradually
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
    • A46B11/0072—Details
    • A46B11/0079—Arrangements for preventing undesired leakage or dispensing
    • A46B11/0082—Means for closing, sealing or controlling the flow using capillary action
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A46—BRUSHWARE
    • A46B—BRUSHES
    • A46B2200/00—Brushes characterized by their functions, uses or applications
    • A46B2200/10—For human or animal care
    • A46B2200/1066—Toothbrush for cleaning the teeth or dentures

Definitions

  • the primary tool for every day cleaning of teeth remains the common toothbrush. Since the toothbrush frequently comes into contact with the oral environment and may be subsequently left in a non-sterile environment until subsequent use, the toothbrush bristles can harbour bacteria and upon re-use of the toothbrush, the bristles can become a source for introducing bacteria into the oral cavity.
  • the toothbrush has not been used as a source of medication but, rather, as an applicator for dentrifice. There would be merit in using the toothbrush as such a medication source, preferably as a complement to the dentrifice if a viable and practical low-cost means for doing so could be found.
  • U.S. Patent 914,501 is an early approach wherein a reservoir is formed along the sides of the bristles to contain liquid dentrifice.
  • This disclosure fails to provide long-lasting means for release of dentrifice or other agents since the liquid dentrifice would be washed from the oral cavity with each use.
  • the brushing head has tuft holes containing a disinfectant to be released during brushing.
  • Figure 3 of U.K. Patent 1,026,738 discloses recesses 6 disposed annularly around the upper interior perimeter of tuft holes 4 to provide a source of dentrifice when the brush is immersed in water.
  • This patent again, fails to teach how a long-lasting source of disinfectant and/or other medications can be maintained over extended periods or be absorbed by the bristles over such long periods, i.e., over a period of extended use, as opposed to prior art teachings which disclose systems which would be effective for only a single use.
  • the drawing illustrates, in schematic form, a cross-section of a portion of the head of a toothbrush suitable for the present invention.
  • toothbrushes of conventional manufacture are not sterile and, in fact, harbour bacteria which transfers into the oral cavity during repeated brushings.
  • the primary instrument for tooth cleaning itself can be source of infection within the mouth.
  • toothbrush which is capable of releasing medication effective against tooth and gum disease over extended periods of time, that is, during multiple uses of the toothbrush.
  • the solution to these long-recognized needs is the device of the present invention wherein disinfectant, medication or a mixture thereof is contained in a slow-release material. Subsequently, during repeated brushings, the water and saliva present in the oral cavity during brushing seeps into the tuft holes and causes the release of measured amounts of the disinfectant and/or medication. These agents travel up the tuft hole and out of it and into the oral cavity during brushing. Moreover, at the end of brushing, there is sufficient disinfectant remaining on the bristles and toothbrush head and adjacent portions of the handle to sterilize the same so that bacteria will not build up on the brush and contaminate the mouth upon succeeding toothbrushings over an extended period of time, say about 2 to 3 months.
  • the drawing shows, in schematic form, a cross-section of a portion of the head of a toothbrush suitable for the present invention.
  • the device is generally designated 10 and has a brush head 11.
  • Two tuft holes for the bristles, 15 and 16, are depicted in brush head 11.
  • the bristles or filament 13 are inserted into the holes 15 and 16, most commonly by an anchor 17, typically composed of aluminum or an alloy such as brass or silver-nickel.
  • the toothbrush In operation, the toothbrush is employed in the usual fashion, i.e., dentifrice is applied to the bristles and the brush is inserted into the oral cavity for brushing.
  • the water and saliva generated during this process causes measured amounts of disinfectant and/or medication to pass from their capsule enclosures and up along the bristles out of the tuft holes and into the mouth.
  • sufficient disinfectant remains on the bristles to render the same sterile, thereby preventing the formation of bacterial colonies and fungal growth which, in the case of prior art toothbrushes, infect the oral cavity when the toothbrush is next used.
  • the slow-release material may be of natural or synthetic polymers, e.g., gelatin, polyvinylpyrrolidone and hydroxyethylmethacrylate.
  • antimicrobial agents such as chlorhexidine, Triclosan, or bromochlorophene may be employed, as well as other known agents.
  • a wide variety of medicaments effective to destroy bacteria and fungus may be employed, both for the purpose of preventing bacterial/fungus growth on the brush and to deliver such ingredients into the oral cavity.
  • Hexetidene Phenols in general Trichlorophenyl Formaldehyde Quaternary Ammonium compounds e.g. Benzalkonium Chloride
  • Pyridine Derivatives e.g. Cetylpyridinium chloride
  • Hexachlorophane e.g., although the toothbrush of the present invention is well-suited for conventional brushing with a dentrifice, it may be used without the latter and thus be employed as a means of delivering suitable medications into the oral cavity.
  • the anchor 17 - which is usually metal such as nickel-silver, brass, aluminum, etc.- is coated with the disinfectant and/or antibacterial/fungus agents described above.
  • a water-swellable coating or a coating capable of releasing the above agent(s) in concentrations sufficient to achieve the disinfecting and medicinal purposes described when wet, is applied to the metal.
  • the metal anchors are usually derived from a continuous spool of the metal(s) mentioned above and are passed to the tufting machine and cut to size in situ.
  • the coating material may be, for example, a polyvinyl or similar polymer capable of forming a film, e.g., cast from alcohol.
  • the coating can be applied to the spool of metal at the source of manufacture or just prior to the tufting process via a coating bath or spray. To retain sufficient material, a groove may be formed on one or both sides of the metal anchor to hold the coating material.
  • a variation of the above is to form the metal anchor in two or more strips (not shown) and to apply the coating as a "sandwich" between two of the strips.
  • the anchor can be made of high strength plastic which then can be coated with the agent(s) described above.

Landscapes

  • Brushes (AREA)
EP89103503A 1988-03-08 1989-02-28 Tootbrush with slow release of disinfectant and anti-bacterial agents and method of manufacturing the same Expired - Lifetime EP0332026B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US165650 1980-07-03
US16565088A 1988-03-08 1988-03-08

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0332026A1 EP0332026A1 (en) 1989-09-13
EP0332026B1 true EP0332026B1 (en) 1993-07-14

Family

ID=22599844

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP89103503A Expired - Lifetime EP0332026B1 (en) 1988-03-08 1989-02-28 Tootbrush with slow release of disinfectant and anti-bacterial agents and method of manufacturing the same

Country Status (9)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0332026B1 (da)
JP (1) JPH027903A (da)
AU (1) AU616483B2 (da)
BR (1) BR8901058A (da)
CA (1) CA1321290C (da)
DE (1) DE68907502T2 (da)
DK (1) DK169886B1 (da)
MX (1) MX169824B (da)
PH (1) PH27587A (da)

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8240937B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2012-08-14 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement with bead retention
US8282298B2 (en) 2008-06-26 2012-10-09 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US8449211B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2013-05-28 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
US8459892B2 (en) 2008-06-25 2013-06-11 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
USD700437S1 (en) 2009-02-05 2014-03-04 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
US8734042B2 (en) 2010-03-31 2014-05-27 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement with rapid flavor release

Families Citing this family (8)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH01101917A (ja) * 1987-10-15 1989-04-19 Sangi Co Ltd 歯ブラシ
FR2643261A1 (fr) * 1989-02-22 1990-08-24 Tonelli Jean Charles Perfectionnement aux dentifrices
DE19646519A1 (de) * 1996-11-12 1998-05-14 Pedex & Co Gmbh Zahnpflegegerät und Verfahren zur Herstellung von Reinigungselementen für Zahnpflegegeräte
DE19818553C1 (de) * 1998-04-24 1999-08-05 Rueb F A Holding Gmbh Verfahren zur Herstellung einer Zahnbürste aus Kunststoff
EP2537436B1 (en) * 2002-09-05 2015-04-01 Colgate-Palmolive Company Disposable toothbrush
US7331731B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2008-02-19 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
ITPD20130126A1 (it) * 2013-05-10 2014-11-11 Spazzolificio Piave Spa Testa di spazzolino da denti
CN106794057B (zh) * 2014-09-29 2020-07-03 皇家飞利浦有限公司 具有无泵流体输送系统的口腔护理设备

Family Cites Families (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE451728C (de) * 1927-11-03 Cornelius Gordijn Jr Buerste mit einem mit Hohlraeumen zur Aufnahme eines Antiseptikums versehenen Buerstenkoerper
JPS437396Y1 (da) * 1965-10-12 1968-04-02
JPS4318259Y1 (da) * 1966-06-15 1968-07-29
US3378870A (en) * 1967-03-22 1968-04-23 Matsunaga Kenji Toothbrush
US4837007A (en) * 1985-12-11 1989-06-06 Lever Brothers Company Fluoridating oral cavity

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8764332B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2014-07-01 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
US9265337B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2016-02-23 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
US8449211B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2013-05-28 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care toothbrush
US8240937B2 (en) 2002-09-05 2012-08-14 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement with bead retention
US9131767B2 (en) 2008-06-25 2015-09-15 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US8459892B2 (en) 2008-06-25 2013-06-11 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US8628264B2 (en) 2008-06-26 2014-01-14 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US9149110B2 (en) 2008-06-26 2015-10-06 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
US8282298B2 (en) 2008-06-26 2012-10-09 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement
USD700437S1 (en) 2009-02-05 2014-03-04 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
USD732831S1 (en) 2009-02-05 2015-06-30 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
USD782825S1 (en) 2009-02-05 2017-04-04 Colgate-Palmolive Company Toothbrush
US8734042B2 (en) 2010-03-31 2014-05-27 Colgate-Palmolive Company Oral care implement with rapid flavor release

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
AU3087689A (en) 1989-09-14
DE68907502T2 (de) 1994-02-17
PH27587A (en) 1993-08-18
JPH027903A (ja) 1990-01-11
DK110989D0 (da) 1989-03-07
DK110989A (da) 1989-09-09
AU616483B2 (en) 1991-10-31
CA1321290C (en) 1993-08-17
DK169886B1 (da) 1995-03-27
EP0332026A1 (en) 1989-09-13
MX169824B (es) 1993-07-27
DE68907502D1 (de) 1993-08-19
BR8901058A (pt) 1989-10-24

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