Classifications

• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B15/00—Other brushes; Brushes with additional arrangements
  • A46B15/0055—Brushes combined with other articles normally separate from the brushing process, e.g. combs, razors, mirrors
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B15/00—Other brushes; Brushes with additional arrangements
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B15/00—Other brushes; Brushes with additional arrangements
  • A46B15/0055—Brushes combined with other articles normally separate from the brushing process, e.g. combs, razors, mirrors
  • A46B15/0069—Brushes fitted with a interdental devices, e.g. toothpick
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B15/00—Other brushes; Brushes with additional arrangements
  • A46B15/0055—Brushes combined with other articles normally separate from the brushing process, e.g. combs, razors, mirrors
  • A46B15/0081—Brushes with a scraper, e.g. tongue scraper
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B5/00—Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware
  • A46B5/002—Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware having articulations, joints or flexible portions
  • A46B5/0025—Brushes with elastically deformable heads that change shape during use
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B5/00—Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware
  • A46B5/02—Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware specially shaped for holding by the hand
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A46—BRUSHWARE
  • A46B—BRUSHES
  • A46B5/00—Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware
  • A46B5/02—Brush bodies; Handles integral with brushware specially shaped for holding by the hand
  • A46B5/026—Grips or handles having a nonslip section
• • 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 present invention is directed to an oral care implement, and more particularly, to an oral care implement comprising having one or more components constructed from elastomeric propylene-ethylene copolymers.
• Oral care implements particularly toothbrush handles, traditionally have been manufactured with rigid materials such as polypropylene, polystyrene, polyethylene, acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer, or cellulose acetate propionate. Toothbrush handles constructed from such rigid materials can be uncomfortable to grip and difficult to manipulate during brushing. In addition, the rigid handles can become slippery in wet conditions which often are encountered during brushing.
• a toothbrush having a handle constructed from a rigid base member, such as polypropylene or polyethylene, overmolded with elastomer, such as urethane, styrene/ethylene/butylene- styrene elastomer, metallocene elastomers, e.g., Engage ® (apolyolefin elastomer available from DuPont Dow Elastomers), or fully vulcanized ethylene-propylene-diene- monomers in a continuous matrix of polypropylene.
• elastomers tend to be expensive and add significant cost to the manufacture of the toothbrush.
• the present invention is directed to an oral care implement having one or more components constructed from an elastomeric propylene-ethylene copolymer preferably having a Shore A hardness of less than about 80.
• elastomer can be used to construct components including, but not limited to, the handle, or a gripping portion thereof, a toothpick section, a head section or portion thereof, a bristle section, a tongue cleaning element, elastomeric tooth cleaning element, and/or holding sections, e.g., pockets used for dispersing fragrance or flavor-yielding capsules.
• Such elastomer can be overmolded onto or injection molded with a thermoplastic material, such as polypropylene, to form a handle or other component of the oral care implement.
• the elastomer When used in the handle portion, the elastomer provides a comfortable and non-slippery gripping surface in a variety of conditions, including dry environments as well as the wet or slurry environments often encountered during brushing.
• the elastomer also provides flexible characteristics which are particularly well suited for flexible heads or other hinged handle designs.
• the elastomeric material can be incorporated into other components such as, but not limited to, bristles and/or a flexible pick.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a toothbrush in accordance with one embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the toothbrush of FIG. 1
• FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of the toothbrush of FIG. 1;
• FIG. 4 illustrates a flexible toothbrush head in accordance with one embodiment of the invention
• FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the flexible head shown in FIG. 4;
• FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toothbrush in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
• FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a toothbrush in accordance with another embodiment of the invention.
• oral care implements are inclusive of a variety of other types of devices, such as powered toothbrushes, inter-proximal picks, flossing tools, plaque scrapers, tongue and soft tissue cleansers/massagers and the like.
• HGS. 1-3 illustrate a toothbrush 1 having a handle 2, a head 3 containing cleaning elements such as bristles 4, a pick 5, a plurality of sockets 6, and a textured tongue cleaning element 9.
• the handle 2 preferably is designed to enable the user to easily grip and manipulate the toothbrush. More particularly, the handle 2 preferably is shaped and/or includes ergonomic features to provide a higher degree of control for the user while maintaining comfort. Examples of ergonomic features include an overmolded grip portion 7 that can be segmented and ergonomically sized for users, and the inclusion of sections that are angled relative to each other and/or which are wider or narrower than other portions of the handle to provide increased control and comfort during use. In the embodiment shown in FIGS.
• a textured grip portion 8 is provided in the center region of the handle 2 to provide a non-slip surface for the user to grip the toothbrush between the thumb and forefinger.
• the grip portion 8 can, for example, be provided on the same side of the handle 2 as the bristles 4, on the opposite side of the handle 2 as the bristles 4, or on both sides as shown in FIG. 3.
• the head 3, bristles 4, pick 5, and sockets 6 are ergonomically sized and shaped to facilitate tooth cleaning, including interproximal tooth cleaning.
• the head 3 can be generally elliptical or rectangular in shape, for example, although other configurations are contemplated.
• the bristles 4 extend from the surface of head 3 and can be of conventional size and spacing for effective tooth cleaning.
• the pick 5 can have a size and conical shape adapted to promote interproximal cleaning effectiveness.
• the head 3 may integral with or permanently attached to the handle 2, or may be replaceable.
• One or more other oral surface engaging elements such as a flossing element, plaque scrapper, and the like, may also be present on the toothbrush 1.
• a toothbrush is illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 as having such features as a pick 5, sockets 6, grip portions 7 and 8, and a tongue scrape element 9, it should be understood that each of these features is optional and merely illustrative. In practice, the toothbrush can have these any of these features alone or in any combination with other features not illustrated herein.
• the cleaning elements are illustrated herein as tufts of bristles 4, other cleaning elements of varying size, shape, cross-section and material may be used.
• the device may have concave molded portions for holding and dispensing fragrance, flavorants, actives or other materials.
• a plurality of sockets 6 may be located at one or both ends of the handle 2.
• the sockets 6 can be sized and shaped to releasably hold fragrance, flavor-yielding capsules, or other materials to be dispensed.
• the sockets 6 can be molded from the elastomeric material as concave hemispheres of suitable dimensions to enable flavor-yielding capsules to be easily dispensed and replaced.
• the sockets 6 can be configured to hold commercially available fragrance or flavor yielding gel capsules.
• the head 3 may be rigid or flexible. While FIGS. 1-3 show an embodiment having a rigid head, FIGS. 4-6 illustrate examples of toothbrush configurations having flexible heads.
• FIG. 4 shows a flexible head 12 of a toothbrush shown in U.S. Patent 5,758,383, which is incorporated by reference herein, having first 14 and second 16 sections and an elastomer section or joint 18 located therebetween.
• the handle and head sections are preferably molded from a plastic or resin such as polypropylene, while the joint 18 can be formed from the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomer of the invention. From the view shown in FIG. 5, it can be seen that the elastomer-containing section 18 spans the width of the head sections 14 and 16 between its lateral sides.
• Other details of flexible toothbrush heads, as well as examples of other flexible head configurations which can be used, are also described in US 2002-0152570 Al, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
• FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of a toothbrush 80 having a head 87 that can be rigid or flexible as described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 4-5 .
• the head 87 has cleaning elements in the form of bristles 86 and a plurality of elastomeric massaging elements 94 disposed around a perimeter portion.
• the elastomeric massaging elements 94 can be molded from the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomer.
• the elastomeric massaging elements 94 typically are slightly longer than the bristles 86 and can be used to massage the gums during brushing.
• Other portions of the toothbrush, such as grip portions 91, 97, also can incorporate the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomer.
• FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of a toothbrush 100 having a support 101 including a handle 103 and a head 105, and tooth cleaning elements 200 as shown in US 2005- 0000048, which is incorporated herein by reference.
• the head 105 also includes distal cleaning elements 203 a-b at the distal end 107 and straddling a longitudinal axis of the toothbrush 100.
• the distal cleaning elements 203a-b typically protrude higher from the base surface 109 than the tips of the other tooth cleaning elements.
• the tooth cleaning elements 200 also can include arcuate cleaning elements 211 a-b and central cleaning elements 207 a-c. Any or all of the distal cleaning elements 203a-b, central cleaning elements 207 a-c, and arcuate cleaning elements 21 la-b, can be formed from the elastomeric propylene-ethylene copolymer.
• the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomer can be incorporated into the various components of the toothbrush using conventional molding techniques well known to those of ordinary skill, such as overmolding or co-injection molding techniques.
• the elastomer can be used to form a handle or a portion thereof, a flexible joint in the head, a flexible pick, elastomeric cleaning elements, bristles, a tongue cleaning element, other components of an oral care implement, or any combination thereof.
• Suitable propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomers which can be used the practice of the present invention are commercially available, such as Versify ® which is available from Dow Chemical Company.
• the elastomeric propylene-ethylene copolymer can be prepared using metallocene polymerization, such as by using Group 4 metal complex catalysts as described in US 2004/0087751 to Tau et al., the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
• the copolymer preferably has a molecular weight distribution of about 2 to 3. Molecular weight distribution is the ratio of weight average molecular weight (M w ) to number average molecular weight (M n ).
• propylene-ethylene copolymers include a comonomer content of from about 5 to about 15 wt%; a density of about 0.8 to 0.9 g/cc, preferably from about 0.858 to 0.888 g/cc; a Shore A hardness (ASTM D-2240) of from 30 to 80, preferably from about 50 to about 75; a glass transition temperature (ASTM E1356-98) of from about -15 to about -35 0 C; and a flexural modulus (ASTM D-790A) of from about 1,000 to about 40,000 psi.
• Vistamaxx ® a metallocene catalyst-based elastomer available from ExxonMobil. This polymer has a Shore A hardness ranging from about 30 to about 65; a specific gravity of 0.86-0.99; a melt flow rate (ASTM D-1238) of 1-20 g/10 min; a glass transition temperature of from about -20 to about -30°C; a melting temperature of from about 40 to about 160°C; a tensile strength (ASTM D-638) of about 2200-400 p.s.i.; a flexural modulus of from about 1,000 to about 3,000 psi; and an elongation at break (ASTM D- 638) of about 100-1500%.
• the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomers described in this invention are inherently elastomeric in the as-polymerized form.
• Other Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) commonly used are either a compound of copolymers (e.g., Styrenic block copolymers, fillers, mobilizers (e.g., paraffin oil, paraffin wax, etc.) and other additives; or a compound of polypropylene, particles of vulcanized or non-vulcanized synthetic elastomers and other additives.
• TPE Thermoplastic Elastomers
• the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomers described in this invention are inherently and consistently lower in manufacturing cost since the more cumbersome blending and compounding steps are generally not required.
• the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomers avoid the need for various fillers and additives found in many Thermoplastic Elastomers (TPE) that can result in non-compliance with food contact requirements as regulated by the FDA or its equivalence.
• TPE Thermoplastic Elastomers
• the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomer preferably is blended with a polyolefin such as polypropylene homopolymer and/or polypropylene copolymers.
• a polyolefin such as polypropylene homopolymer and/or polypropylene copolymers.
• other blending polyolefins include high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE).
• HDPE high density polyethylene
• LDPE low density polyethylene
• the amount of polyolefin blended with the elastomer depends on such factors as the desired physical properties of the molded section and the specific molding operation employed. Most often, the amount of polyolefin used ranges from about 5 to about 20 wt%.
• polystyrene foam In general, higher levels of polyolefin (and/or nucleating agents) reduce molding time and improve molding properties, but also detract from the desirable properties imparted by the elastomer, e.g., softness, non-slip grip, etc.
• Polypropylene is a preferred material for blending, particularly for compatibility purposes when the blend is overmolded onto a polypropylene substrate base.
• an oral care implement has one or more components constructed from a propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomer having a Shore A hardness of from about 30 to about 80, blended with a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV).
• TPV thermoplastic vulcanizate
• the elastomer/TPV blend can be used to construct the handle, or a gripping portion thereof, a toothpick section, a head section or portion thereof, a bristle section, a tongue cleaning element, elastomeric tooth cleaning element, and/or holding sections, e.g., pockets used for dispersing fragrance or flavor-yielding capsules.
• propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomer for this embodiment is Versify ® available from Dow Chemical, although other propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomers as described above also can be used.
• the elastomer/TPV blend can be used to construct one or more components of an oral care implement as described with reference to the previous embodiment(s).
• TPV TPV-based polystyrene
• VyramTM and SantopreneTM available from ExxonMobil.
• the propylene-ethylene copolymer elastomers also can be blended with one or more additives, non-limiting examples of which include organic or inorganic fillers, light stabilizers, plasticizers, processing aids (such as oils or stearic acid), colorants or pigments. Appropriate loadings of such additives will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art with the aid of no more than routine experimentation. The additives should not interfere with the desired physical properties of the elastomer.

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• Brushes (AREA)
• Compositions Of Macromolecular Compounds (AREA)
• Materials For Medical Uses (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2006
  • 2006-07-26 EP EP06788374A patent/EP1906790A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2006-07-26 TW TW095127191A patent/TW200722006A/zh unknown
  • 2006-07-26 BR BRPI0614159A patent/BRPI0614159A2/pt not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-07-26 CA CA002616518A patent/CA2616518A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-07-26 RU RU2008107322/12A patent/RU2371069C1/ru not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 2006-07-26 KR KR1020087003848A patent/KR20080026657A/ko not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-07-26 CN CNA2006800354368A patent/CN101296635A/zh active Pending
  • 2006-07-26 AU AU2006275960A patent/AU2006275960A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2006-07-26 MX MX2008001108A patent/MX2008001108A/es unknown
  • 2006-07-26 WO PCT/US2006/028764 patent/WO2007016066A1/en not_active Ceased
  • 2006-07-27 US US11/460,411 patent/US20070163064A1/en not_active Abandoned

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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