JP7517877B2 - Interdental Cleaning Tools - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an interdental cleaning tool for cleaning between teeth.

Interdental cleaners suitable for cleaning between teeth are known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The interdental cleaner described in Patent Document 1 has a gripping portion (referred to as the "handle portion" in Patent Document 1) that can be held with the fingers, and a cleaning portion for cleaning between teeth that is located at the tip side of a shaft portion (referred to as the "core portion" in Patent Document 1) that extends from the gripping portion. By inserting the cleaning portion between the teeth and moving it back and forth, foreign matter (such as food debris) caught between the teeth and foreign matter (such as plaque) attached to the teeth can be scraped out and removed.

The cleaning part of the interdental cleaning tool described in Patent Document 1 is constructed by integrally molding a cleaning part body made of an elastomer material on the tip side of a shaft part made of synthetic resin. The part of the shaft part covered by the cleaning part body is formed in a gentle tapered shape that reduces in diameter from the base end side to the tip end side. The cleaning part body has a covering part that covers the shaft part, and multiple brush bristles (referred to as "projections" in Patent Document 1) that are formed to protrude outward at intervals in the longitudinal direction of the covering part.

International Publication No. 2014/065368

In the interdental cleaner described in Patent Document 1, the multiple brush bristles of the cleaning unit are formed into a conical shape with a curved hemispherical tip. The interdental cleaner is used by inserting the cleaning unit between the teeth and moving it back and forth to clean between the teeth. At this time, due to frictional resistance between the surface of the brush bristles between the teeth and the surface of the foreign matter (food debris, plaque, etc.), the foreign matter between the teeth adheres to the brush bristles and is scraped out together with the brush bristles as they move out of the gap between the teeth, and is removed from between the teeth. However, if the surface of the brush bristles is smooth, the frictional resistance between the brush bristles and the foreign matter is small, and even if the foreign matter adheres to the brush bristles, the foreign matter does not move with the movement of the brush bristles, and even if the brush bristles move out of the gap between the teeth, the foreign matter may not be scraped out and may remain between the teeth.

Therefore, there is a demand for an interdental cleaning tool that has improved cleaning ability by increasing the surface roughness of the brush bristles to increase the frictional resistance between the bristles and foreign objects between the teeth.

The interdental cleaning tool according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a main body having a base and a shaft portion arranged on one end side of the base, and a cleaning body made of an elastic material having a hardness lower than that of the main body, covering a predetermined length from the tip of the shaft portion toward the base, and having an outer shape that allows insertion between teeth, and the cleaning body comprises a covering portion that is in close contact with the entire circumference of the predetermined length of the shaft portion, and a brush portion having a plurality of bristles protruding outward from the covering portion, and at least one of the plurality of bristles has a plurality of recesses on its surface.

In this interdental cleaner, at least one brush bristles has at least one of multiple convex portions and multiple concave portions (hereinafter simply referred to as "uneven portions") on its surface, so the surface roughness of the brush bristles is increased. Therefore, compared to conventional interdental cleaners, when the cleaning part is inserted between the teeth and moved back and forth, the surface of the brush bristles between the teeth and the uneven portions come into close contact with the surface of the foreign matter (food debris, plaque, etc.), so the contact area between the brush bristles including the uneven portions and the foreign matter increases, and the frictional resistance between the brush bristles and the foreign matter increases compared to conventional interdental cleaners that do not have uneven portions. As a result, the foreign matter between the teeth is scraped out together with the brush bristles as they slip out of the gap and removed from between the teeth.

The uneven surface also increases the frictional resistance between the brush bristles and the teeth, which can produce a frictional noise, such as a "squeak" sound, when the brush bristles rub against the teeth as the cleaning unit moves back and forth. This gives the user a feeling of cleanliness, as if foreign objects have been removed from between the teeth and the surfaces of the teeth have been cleaned.

Furthermore, the unevenness increases the surface area of the brush bristles, ensuring sufficient contact area for them to come into close contact with foreign objects that could not be removed by the bristles of conventional interdental cleaning tools due to insufficient contact area, so that the reciprocating movement of the cleaning part between the teeth can effectively scrape and remove the foreign objects from between the teeth.

Furthermore, if the surface of the brush bristles has recesses or if the spacing between multiple protrusions is short, the scraped foreign matter can be collected in the gaps between the recesses and protrusions.

In this way, by increasing the surface roughness of the brush bristles and increasing the frictional resistance between the bristles and foreign objects between the teeth, it has become possible to provide an interdental cleaning tool with improved cleaning capabilities.

As another configuration , it is preferable that the recesses are arranged in a straight line from the tips of the brush bristles toward the covering portion.

With this configuration, the uneven portion can be brought into linear contact with the foreign object, so the foreign object can be effectively scraped out and removed from between the teeth.

As another configuration, it is preferable that the plurality of recesses are arranged at the front and rear of the brush bristles along a direction from the tip of the shaft portion toward the base portion.

With this configuration, when the cleaning part of the interdental cleaner is inserted between the teeth and moved back and forth, the direction in which the brush bristles bend and the direction in which the uneven parts protrude are parallel, making it easier for the uneven parts of the brush bristles to come into close contact with foreign objects, making it possible to more effectively scrape and remove foreign objects from between the teeth.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an interdental cleaning tool according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing the cleaning unit main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the cleaning unit main body according to the first embodiment. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a cleaning body according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing a cleaning body according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a plan view showing an interdental cleaning tool according to another embodiment.

Below, an embodiment of the interdental cleaning tool according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

First Embodiment
As shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, the interdental cleaner D according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a main body A in which a base 1 having a grip portion 11 and an extension portion 12, a bent portion 2, and a shaft portion 3 are integrally molded, and a cleaning part main body 4 made of a soft member that is an elastic material having a hardness lower than that of the main body A and covers the shaft portion 3. Hereinafter, the part of the shaft portion 3 covered by the cleaning part main body 4 and the cleaning part main body 4 are collectively referred to as a cleaning part B. A user uses the interdental cleaner D by holding the grip portion 11 and inserting the cleaning part B between teeth such as back teeth and moving it back and forth. Hereinafter, the interdental cleaner D will be described with the outer side of the bend (the right side of the paper in Fig. 1) from the base portion 1 to the bent portion 2 as the dorsal side, and the inner side of the bend (the left side of the paper in Fig. 1) as the ventral side.

The main body A is made of one or a combination of two or more synthetic resins such as polypropylene, ABS, polybutylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene, and polyacetal. In this embodiment, the main body A is made of polypropylene. In addition, the synthetic resin constituting the main body A preferably contains a reinforcing agent that increases rigidity. Examples of the reinforcing agent include fibrous reinforcing agents such as glass fiber, nanocellulose fiber, aramid fiber, and carbon fiber, plate-shaped reinforcing agents such as mica and glass frames, powdered reinforcing agents such as talc, and needle-shaped reinforcing agents such as wollastonite. The content of the reinforcing agent is 5% by weight or more and 50% by weight or less, preferably 10% by weight or more and 40% by weight or less, and more preferably 15% by weight or more and 40% by weight or less.

The soft member that is the material of the cleaning unit main body 4 is made of an elastomer that has a hardness lower than that of the main body A. As this elastomer, a styrene-based elastomer is preferable, but silicone, olefin-based elastomer, polyester-based elastomer, etc. may also be used.

In the main body A, the extension portion 12 is configured as a flat rod extending from the grip portion 11 in the first direction Xa. The bent portion 2 extends from the end of the extension portion 12 opposite the grip portion 11 and is configured as a flat shape bent from the first direction Xa toward a second direction Xb that intersects with the first direction Xa (in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the inner bend angle is 120 degrees). The intersection angle (inner bend angle) between the first direction Xa and the second direction Xb is preferably 30 degrees or more and 150 degrees or less, preferably 80 degrees or more and 140 degrees or less, and more preferably 100 degrees or more and 130 degrees or less.

A dorsal portion 5 covered with a soft material is formed on approximately half of the dorsal side of the extension portion 12 and the bent portion 2 of the main body A. Approximately half of the ventral side of the extension portion 12 and the bent portion 2 of the main body A has exposed synthetic resin.

In the main body A, the shaft portion 3 is formed in a truncated cone rod shape that gradually tapers from the end opposite the extension portion 12 with respect to the bent portion 2 along the second direction Xb (see FIG. 3). In other words, the overall outer shape of the shaft portion 3 has a tapered surface whose diameter decreases (constricts) at a constant rate from the connection point with the bent portion 2 toward the tip.

The cleaning unit body 4, which is made of a soft material, covers the entire outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 3 and has an outer shape that allows insertion between teeth, and constitutes the cleaning unit B together with the shaft portion 3. The cleaning unit body 4 in this embodiment has a covering portion 41 that covers and adheres to the entire longitudinal direction (direction along the second direction Xb) of the shaft portion 3, and a brush portion 42 having a plurality (a large number) of brush bristles 421 protruding outward from the covering portion 41. The covering portion 41 is configured with a thickness (thickness) smaller than the diameter of the shaft portion 3. The brush bristles 421 of the brush portion 42 are formed in a conical shape that tapers as they move away from the covering portion 41 (as they move radially outward relative to the axis X of the shaft portion 3). The axis X of the shaft portion 3 means the axis (center line) that passes through the center of the shaft portion 3. In addition, each brush bristles 421 has a plurality of protrusions 422 protruding from the surface. In the interdental cleaning tool D according to this embodiment, when the cleaning part B is inserted between the teeth and moves back and forth, the bristles 421 of the brush part 42 each flexibly deform, and the brush bristles 421 including the covering part 41 and the multiple protrusions 422 come into close contact with the teeth, scraping out and removing foreign matter (food debris, etc.) caught between the teeth and foreign matter (plaque, etc.) attached to the teeth. The back part 5 formed on approximately the back half of the extension part 12 and the bent part 2 is formed integrally with the cleaning part main body 4. The cleaning part main body 4 may be structured to cover a portion of the shaft part 3 from the tip in the longitudinal direction of the shaft part 3.

Next, a method for manufacturing the interdental cleaner D according to this embodiment will be described. The interdental cleaner D is manufactured by a two-color molding method in which the cleaning body 4 and other parts are molded on the shaft 3 of the main body A made of synthetic resin by a known method such as injection molding. Specifically, the main body A is first formed by a known method such as injection molding. Next, the formed main body A is placed in a two-color molding mold, and molten elastomer is injected into the mold from a gate provided near the tip of the shaft 3 of the main body A to fill it. The filled molten elastomer solidifies and becomes a soft material, and the cleaning body 4 and the back part 5 are formed. At this time, the multiple protrusions 422 are also formed integrally. In this manner, the interdental cleaner D is manufactured.

Next, the structure of the cleaning unit 4 of the interdental cleaner D according to this embodiment will be described in detail. As described above, the cleaning unit 4 of the interdental cleaner D has a covering portion 41 that covers and adheres to the entire circumference and a specified length of the shaft portion 3, and a brush portion 42 having a plurality (a large number) of brush bristles 421 that protrude outward from the covering portion 41. In this embodiment, the "specified length" of the covering portion 41 is 10 mm to 30 mm, preferably 15 mm to 25 mm, and more preferably 15 mm to 20 mm.

As described above, each brush bristle 421 of the brush portion 42 has multiple protrusions 422 that protrude perpendicularly to the surface. The protrusions 422 are formed in a cylindrical or conical shape with a hemispherical tip, but the shape is not limited. The protrusion height of the protrusions 422 is 0.01 to 1.0 mm, preferably 0.02 to 0.9 mm, and more preferably 0.03 to 0.8 mm.

The multiple protrusions 422 are arranged in a straight line from the tip 423 of the brush bristles 421 toward the covering part 41. "Straight line" means that when a straight line is drawn along the surface (side) of the brush bristles 421 from the tip 423 toward the covering part 41, the multiple protrusions 422 are arranged on the straight line that is the shortest distance. In this embodiment, the multiple protrusions 422 are arranged in a straight line on the front, rear, and both sides of the brush bristles 421 when viewed along the direction from the tip of the shaft part 3 toward the base part 1. "Arranged on the front and rear" means that the multiple protrusions 422 are arranged in a direction parallel to the axis X on two intersecting lines L2, L2 where a virtual plane P passing through the axis X of the shaft part 3 and the tip 423 of the brush bristles 421 intersects with the surface (side) of each brush bristles 421, as shown in FIG. 2 (see also FIG. 3). That is, in a plan view (viewing the axis X from the tip 423 of any brush bristle 421), the multiple protrusions 422 are arranged so as to overlap the axis X. In addition, being arranged on "both sides" means that the multiple protrusions 422 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the protruding direction of the multiple protrusions 422 arranged in the front and rear parts, that is, on two intersecting lines L3, L3 where a virtual plane (not shown) passing through the tip 423 and perpendicular to the axis X intersects with the surface of each brush bristle 421, and protrude in a direction perpendicular to the axis X. As shown in FIG. 2, the multiple brush bristles 421 are all arranged in a row on the straight line L1 where the virtual plane P intersects with the covering part 41, but this is not limited to this. The multiple brush bristles 421 do not have to be all arranged in a row on the straight line L1. In addition, the multiple protrusions 422 may be arranged to protrude in any direction of the brush bristles 421, not limited to the front, rear, and sides of the brush bristles 421.

In this way, in the interdental cleaner D according to this embodiment, the brush bristles 421 have a plurality of protrusions 422 on their surface, so the surface roughness of the brush bristles 421 is large. Therefore, compared to conventional interdental cleaners, when the cleaning part B is inserted between the teeth and moved back and forth, the surface of the brush bristles 421 between the teeth and the protrusions 422 come into close contact with the surface of the foreign matter (food debris, plaque, etc.), so the contact area between the brush bristles 421 including the protrusions 422 and the foreign matter increases, and the frictional resistance between the brush bristles 421 and the foreign matter increases compared to interdental cleaners of conventional structures that do not have the protrusions 422. As a result, the foreign matter between the teeth is scraped out together with the brush bristles 421 as they come out of the gap and is removed from the gap.

In addition, the multiple protrusions 422 increase the frictional resistance between the brush bristles 421 and the teeth, so when the brush bristles 421 rub against the teeth as the cleaning unit main body 4 moves back and forth, a frictional noise such as a "squeak" may be generated. This gives the user a feeling of cleanliness, as if foreign matter has been removed from between the teeth and the surfaces of the teeth have been cleaned.

Furthermore, the protrusions 422 increase the surface area of the brush bristles 421, ensuring sufficient contact area for adhesion even with foreign objects that could not be removed by the bristles of conventional interdental cleaning tools due to insufficient contact area, so that the reciprocating movement of the cleaning part B between the teeth can effectively scrape and remove the foreign objects from between the teeth. Also, if the spacing between the multiple protrusions 422 is short, the scraped foreign objects can be collected in the gaps between the protrusions 422.

Second Embodiment
Next, an interdental cleaner D according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. The interdental cleaner D according to this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the brush bristles 421 are formed with a plurality of recesses 424 rather than protrusions 422. In the description of this embodiment, parts having the same configuration as in the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals, and descriptions of the same configurations will be omitted.

Each brush bristles 421 of the brush portion 42 has a plurality of recesses 424 recessed in a direction perpendicular to the surface. The recesses 424 are formed as bottomed holes. The recess depth of the recesses 424 is 0.01 to 1.0 mm, preferably 0.02 to 0.9 mm, and more preferably 0.03 to 0.8 mm. The hole shape of the recesses 424 is not particularly limited.

The multiple recesses 424 are arranged in a straight line from the tip 423 of the brush bristles 421 toward the covering portion 41, similar to the multiple protrusions 422 in the first embodiment. The multiple recesses 424 are also arranged in a straight line at the front, rear, and sides of the brush bristles 421 along the direction from the tip of the shaft portion 3 toward the base portion 1. The definitions of "straight line," "front," "rear," and "both sides" are the same as those in the first embodiment. Note that the multiple recesses 424 are not limited to the front, rear, and sides of the brush bristles 421, and may be recessed in any direction of the brush bristles 421.

The outer diameter of the bristles 421 of the brush part 42 of the interdental cleaner D according to this embodiment may be the same as the outer diameter of the bristles 421 of the brush part 42 of the interdental cleaner D of the first embodiment, or may be slightly thicker. If the outer diameter of the bristles 421 of the brush part 42 of the interdental cleaner D of the first embodiment is made the same, the outer diameter of the entire brush bristles 421 will be the same as the outer diameter of the bristles of the conventional interdental cleaner, so that the cleaning part B will not become difficult to insert between the teeth, and the same operability as before can be maintained.

In this way, in the interdental cleaner D according to this embodiment, the brush bristles 421 have a plurality of recesses 424 on their surface, so that the surface roughness of the brush bristles 421 is increased. Therefore, compared to conventional interdental cleaners, when the cleaning part B is inserted between the teeth and moved back and forth, the surface of the brush bristles 421 between the teeth and the recesses 424 come into close contact with the surface of the foreign matter (food debris, plaque, etc.), so that the contact area between the brush bristles 421 including the recesses 424 and the foreign matter increases, and the frictional resistance between the brush bristles 421 and the foreign matter increases compared to conventional interdental cleaners that do not have the recesses 424. As a result, the foreign matter between the teeth is scraped out together with the brush bristles 421 when they come out of the gap between the teeth and removed from the gap. In addition, the scraped foreign matter can be collected in the plurality of recesses 424 to remove the foreign matter.

In addition, the multiple recesses 424 increase the frictional resistance between the brush bristles 421 and the teeth, so when the brush bristles 421 rub against the teeth as the cleaning unit body 4 moves back and forth, a frictional noise such as a "squeak" may be generated. This gives the user a feeling of cleanliness, as if foreign matter has been removed from between the teeth and the surfaces of the teeth have been cleaned.

Furthermore, the recesses 424 increase the surface area of the brush bristles 421, ensuring sufficient contact area for tight contact with foreign objects that could not be removed by the bristles of conventional interdental cleaning tools due to insufficient contact area, so that the reciprocating movement of the cleaning part B between the teeth can effectively scrape and remove the foreign objects from between the teeth.

Other embodiments
(a) In the first embodiment, the convex portion 422 has a cylindrical shape, but the shape is not limited to this. The convex portion 422 may have a prismatic shape. The convex portion 422 may also have a conical or pyramidal shape. The convex portion 422 may have any shape as long as the surface area of the brush bristles 421 is increased.

(b) In the second embodiment, the recess 424 has a circular cross section, but this shape is not limited to this. The recess 424 may have a square cross section. The recess 424 may also be a tapered hole whose cross-sectional area decreases from the surface to the bottom. The recess 424 may have any shape as long as the surface area of the brush bristles 421 increases.

(c) In the first and second embodiments, the multiple convex portions 422 and the multiple concave portions 424 are arranged in a straight line from the tip 423 of the brush bristles 421 toward the covering portion 41, but this arrangement is not limited to this. For example, the multiple convex portions 422 and the multiple concave portions 424 may be arranged in a spiral on the surface (side) of the brush bristles 421 from the tip 423 of the brush bristles 421 toward the covering portion 41. The arrangement of the multiple convex portions 422 and the multiple concave portions 424 is arbitrary and can be arranged freely.

(d) In the first and second embodiments, the brush bristles 421 of the brush part 42 have only either the convex portion 422 or the concave portion 424 for each brush bristles 421, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the brush bristles 421 of the brush part 42 may be composed of only brush bristles 421 on which both the convex portion 422 and the concave portion 424 are arranged. In particular, by arranging the concave portions 424 in the places where the convex portion 422 of the brush bristles 421 of the first embodiment is not arranged (the places where the brush bristles 421 have a smooth surface), the concave portions 424 can be arranged without reducing the number of the convex portions 422. Therefore, the surface roughness of the brush bristles 421 is further increased and the surface area is increased compared to the brush bristles 421 of the first embodiment, so that the contact area with the foreign matter between the teeth can be secured and the foreign matter can be adhered to the teeth more effectively by the reciprocating movement of the cleaning part B between the teeth. In addition, both the convex portion 422 and the concave portion 424 may be freely arranged.

(e) The brush bristles 421 of the brush section 42 may be arranged in a combination of any two or more types of brush bristles 421 among brush bristles 421 having only multiple convex portions 422 arranged thereon, brush bristles 421 having only multiple concave portions 424 arranged thereon, brush bristles 421 having both multiple convex portions 422 and multiple concave portions 424 arranged thereon, and brush bristles 421 having a smooth surface with no convex portions 422 or concave portions 424 arranged thereon. The arrangement of the convex portions 422 and concave portions 424 of the brush bristles 421 in the brush section 42 and the combination of those brush bristles 421 may be arbitrary.

(f) As shown in FIG. 6, the interdental cleaner D does not have the bent portion 2 of the first embodiment, and may instead be configured with a linear main body A in which the base 1 having the grip portion 11 and the extension portion 12 and the shaft portion 3 are integrally molded. In the interdental cleaner D of this embodiment, the cleaning part main body 4 is formed only on a portion (an example of a predetermined length) from the tip of the shaft portion 3. The shapes of the shaft portion 3 and the cleaning part main body 4 in this case can be any of the shapes of the first embodiment, the second embodiment, and other embodiments (a) to (e) described above. Thus, as long as the shapes of the shaft portion 3 and the cleaning part main body 4 are as described above, the shape of the main body A is arbitrary.

The present invention can be used as an interdental cleaning tool for cleaning between teeth.

1: Base 3: Shaft 4: Cleaning part body 41: Cover 42: Brush part 421: Brush bristles 422: Convex part 423: Tip 424: Concave part A: Body D: Interdental cleaning tool

Claims (3)

A body having a base and a shaft disposed on one end side of the base;
a cleaning part body made of an elastic material having a hardness lower than that of the main body, covering a predetermined length from the tip of the shaft part toward the base part, and having an outer shape that allows insertion between teeth;
the cleaning body includes a covering portion in close contact with the entire circumference of the shaft portion over the predetermined length, and a brush portion having a plurality of brush bristles protruding outward from the covering portion;
An interdental cleaning tool, wherein at least one of the plurality of brush bristles has a plurality of recesses on a surface thereof. The interdental cleaning tool according to claim 1 , wherein the recesses are arranged in a straight line from the tips of the bristles toward the covering portion. The interdental cleaning tool according to claim 2 , wherein the recesses are arranged at the front and rear of the brush bristles along a direction from the tip of the shaft portion toward the base portion.

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