Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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TOOTH BRUSH
Field of the Invention
The present invention refers to a tooth brush, in which
the bristle assembly is obtained by injection of a single
piece in an adequate semi-rigid plastic material, such as
low density polyurethane, for example.
Background of the Invention
Several tooth brush constructions are already well known
in the art, in which the bristles are obtained by
injection of a single piece in an adequate material,
which is shaped so as to impart to these brushing
elements the anatomical, softness and flexibility
characteristics required to perform a correct operation.
In one of the known constructions, the tooth brush has
the handle, the head and the bristles injected in a
single piece, such as proposed in documents FR 2.559.361,
US 3.302.230, BR MU 6700603, BR MU 5601232 and
PCT/EP98/03696.
Although this constructive solution allows to obtain a
tooth brush with a extremely simple and cheap
construction, since several manufacturing and mounting
operations of the bundles of nylon bristles of the
traditional tooth brushes are eliminated, this solution
of injecting a single piece has a serious inconvenience,
resulting from the different requirements of the
materials for the bristles and for the remaining of the
tooth brush defined by the head and handle. These
different requirements result in serious limitations in
the project of the tooth brush, making the design of each
of the parts consisting of the handle, head and bristles
dependent on the operational requirements of the other of
said parts.
Another constructive solution using bristles injected in
a single piece, but presenting a more flexible project,
is that in which the head of the tooth brush incorporates
the bristles in an injected single piece, which may be
adapted, usually by fitting the same into a handle, as
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suggested in document DE 2728672. While permitting a
certain handle portion to be produced in a different
material from that proposed to the bristles, this
solution further conducts to a mutual dependence of the
materials of both the bristles and the head of the tooth
brush, said head being further enlarged in order to
incorporate the fitting and fixation means to the handle.
This result, in terms of project flexibility, is still
relatively small.
There are also known in the art the tooth brushes formed
of an injected body, comprising the handle and the head
in a single piece, the head being provided with fitting
means, so as to receive and lock a basic piece carrying
the usual plurality of bundles of bristles generally made
of nylon. While allowing the independence of materials of
the bristles and the body of the tooth brush, this
solution suggested in document BR PI 8900425 has the
inconvenience of requiring all the operations related to
the production and fixation of the bundles of bristles to
the basic piece. Thus, even allowing a great flexibility
for choosing the material of the body of the tooth brush
and for the composition of the bundles of bristles, these
tooth brushes have a relatively high cost.
Disclosure of the Invention
It is a general objective of the present invention to
provide a tooth brush, which may be easily produced with
a low cost and with a great versatility in defining the
material to be used for manufacturing the body and the
bristles.
It is a more specific objective of the present invention
to provide a tooth brush as mentioned above and which has
the bristles and the body (which is formed by the handle
and by the head for sustaining the bristles) obtained in
an injected plastic material.
The tooth brush of the present invention comprises a body
consisting of a handle portion and a head portion, having
a front face into which is affixed a basic plate
incorporating, in a single piece, a plurality of bristles
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injected in plastic material.
The tooth brush of the present invention comprises a body
defined by a handle portion and a head portion, which is
provided with means for receiving and affixing a basic
plate incorporating, in a single piece, a bristle
assembly.
The above mentioned construction allows the production of
a tooth brush, whose body, which is defined by the handle
portion and head portion, united or not in a single
piece, may be injected or otherwise formed in plastic
materials adequate to the function thereof, independently
from the plastic material used for injecting the bristle
assembly, which is incorporated to the basic plate to be
affixed to the head portion of the body of the tooth
brush .
Brief Description of the Drawings
The invention will be described below, with reference to
the attached drawing, in which:
Figure 1 is a front plan view of a possible embodiment
for the body of the tooth brush of the present invention,
before mounting the bristle assembly;
Figure 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the
body of the tooth brush of the present invention, said
view illustrating a respective bristle assembly in an
exploded position, before its fixation to the head
portion of the body of the tooth brush; and
Figure 3 is a similar view to that of figure 2, but
illustrating the bristle assembly already affixed to the
head portion of the body of the tooth brush.
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Description of the Illustrated Embodiment
As illustrated in the attached drawing, the tooth brush
of the present invention is obtained by providing a body
C having a handle portion 10 and a head portion 20, which
are usually made in a single piece of an injected plastic
material, said tooth brush being shaped to comply with
the structural, functional and esthetic characteristics
of the tooth brush project.
While one embodiment for the body C has been illustrated
in a single piece, it should be understood that the
handle portion 10 and the head portion 20 may be produced
in distinct pieces, which will be permanently joined
during the mounting process of the tooth brush, or which
will be fitted into each other by the user when he wishes
to start the tooth brushing operation.
Still according to the illustrated embodiment, the head
portion 20 has a flat front face provided with a recess
21, maintaining only a small distance in relation to the
peripheral edge of the head portion 20, said recess 21
further having its bottom wall provided with a bore 22
which, in the illustrated example, is also opened to the
rear face of the head portion 20, i.e., it is a
throughbore.
For making easier the shaping and fitting operations, the
recess 21 has an oblong contour and the bore 22 has a
circular contour.
As illustrated in figures 2 and 3, inside the recess 21
is tightly fitted a basic plate 31 incorporating, at the
front part thereof and in a single piece, a bristle
assembly 30, which may be injected in plastic material.
In the illustrated embodiment, the basic plate 31
incorporates a pin 32, usually cylindrical, which is
projected from the face of the basic plate 31 opposite to
the bristle assembly 30 and which is dimensioned so as to
be fitted inside the bore 22 of the head portion 20 when
the basic plate 31 is fitted inside the recess 21, as
illustrated in figure 3.
It should be understood herein that the fitting of the
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basic plate 31 inside the recess 21 may be achieved in
order to produce a non-releasable fixation between both
parts, or to produce a releasable mounting, allowing the
bristle assembly 30 to be replaced by another at any time
5 and as desired by the user, or to be simply temporarily
separated from the body C for cleaning the fitting
region.
Although only one embodiment has been illustrated herein
for the fitting and fixation of the bristle assembly 30
to the head portion 20, it should be understood that
different constructive arrangements may be provided in
order to guarantee a solid fixation, which may or may not
be disassembled by the user.
