The present invention relates to interdental cleaning tools for insertion between adjacent teeth.
Interdental cleaning tools and brushes are well known and are believed to help remove plaque and prevent gum recession. Interdental tools are typically formed by twisting a U-shaped strand of wire about a plurality of bristles to retain the bristles therein. The ends of the bristles extend through the wire, thus creating an interdental brush.
The process of producing these types of interdental brushes requires achieving the correct positioning of the bristles in the wire and, typically, attaching the wire to a handle. Thus, the process is time consuming and costly. Further, the wire material may be harsh and uncomfortable when rubbed against the user's gums. The wire may also flex or bend during use, which may prevent the brush from entering the desired space between the teeth. Additionally, the twisted wire may not sufficiently retain the bristles, such that the bristles may be pulled out during use or handling of the brush.
The embodiments of the present invention provide an interdental tool having filament strands or extensions molded or embedded into the body of the tool.
According to one embodiment, the interdental tool includes a one piece, unitary body having a handle portion and a pick portion. A plurality of filament strands is molded into the pick portion of the tool, with at least a portion of the filament strands protruding or extending from the pick portion.
Optionally, a middle portion of the filament strands is molded into the pick portion, with the end portions of the filament strands protruding or extending from the pick portion from opposite sides of the pick portion.
The pick portion may optionally be tapered in a direction extending away from the handle portion, and may protrude outwardly from the handle portion along a longitudinal axis of the handle portion.
According to another embodiment, a method is provided for producing a series of interdental tools in a mold having at least two product cavities aligned side by side, each of the product cavities defining a handle portion and a pick portion. The method generally includes the steps of (a) placing a plurality of filament strands in the mold and positioning the filament strands across the pick portions of the product cavities; (b) forming at least two tool bodies in the mold; and (c) cutting the filament strands between the pick portions.
Thus, the present invention provides an interdental tool formed from a molded material that is extremely soft and soothing on teeth and gums. The tool is soft and flexible enough to comfortably clean the vulnerable space between the teeth and gums, yet strong enough to avoid breaking and the loss of bristles or filament strands during use. The interdental tool may be produced in an efficient and cost effective manner, especially as compared with conventional interdental brushes, for instance, by simultaneously molding a plurality of the tools with the filament strands in the mold. Further, the tool may be manufactured and subsequently purchased by consumers in a series or group of tools connected at the handle, such that a user may detach or break off a tool as needed, while the unused tools remain conveniently attached to one another.
These and other objects, advantages, and features of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the current embodiment and the drawings.
As shown in
In the illustrated embodiment, body 12 is formed in a mold. For example, body 12 may be injection molded using a conventional injection molding apparatus having a cavity that is configured to provide a tool body having a handle portion and a pick portion. Body 12 may be formed from any moldable material, such as plastic, which may be injected into the mold to form body 12.
The handle portion 14 of body 12 may be formed in any configuration adapted to be grasped by a user for manipulating tool 10. In the illustrated embodiment, handle 14 is elongated and generally flattened, which provides top and bottom surfaces 24, 26 adapted to be gripped between a user's thumb and forefinger. Optionally, and as shown in
Optionally, body 12 may include a neck portion 15 between handle portion 14 and pick portion 16. In the illustrated embodiment, neck portion 15 is narrower than the flattened handle portion 14, yet wider than the tapered pick portion 16. Thus, neck portion 15 provides a transition from the handle portion to the pick portion. Neck portion 15 may provide additional support to tool 10 and may prevent breakage of pick portion 16.
In one embodiment, pick portion 16 is formed as a narrow extension or appendage from handle portion 14. In the illustrated embodiment, pick portion 16 extends outwardly from an end of neck portion 15, along a longitudinal axis of handle portion 14. As shown in
Filament strands 18 are formed as slender, flexible appendages that are retained in tool 10 by being molded or otherwise embedded into the pick portion. For example, filament strands may be placed directly into the mold that forms tool 10. In an embodiment in which tool 10 is formed by injection molding, filament strands 18 may be placed in the mold before the desired material is injected into the mold. After the material is injected, and as the material solidifies to form tool 10, the material solidifies around or about filament strands 18. Thus, filament strands 18 are securely retained in pick portion 16, and will not likely fall out during use or handling of the tool.
At least a portion of the filament strands 18 extend or protrude from pick portion 16 to form a brush or bristle adapted to contact and clean and/or massage the interdental area. To achieve the desired placement of the bristles, filament strands 18 may be selectively positioned in pick portion 16. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, a middle portion 19 of the filament strands 18 is molded into pick portion 16, with the two end portions 20 of filament strands 18 extending through and beyond opposite sides of the pick portion (see
As shown in
Filament strands 18 may be formed from any suitable material adapted to gently clean the interdental area and/or massage and stimulate gums to promote blood circulation and healthy gum tissue. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the filament strands 18 are formed from a soft multifilament yarn, such as multifilament polyethylene yarn, having a plurality of soft filament fibers twisted together. The multifilament yarn creates the generally circular cross sections of filament strands 18 shown in
According to another aspect, a method is provided for producing a series of interdental tools, such as series 8 of interdental tools 10 (see
The method may include placing a plurality of elongated filament strands 18 in the mold, across the pick portions 34 of the product cavities 30. In the illustrated embodiment, the filament strands 18 are placed on mold half 28, such that the filament strands are positioned between the mold halves when the mold is closed. As shown in
Tool bodies are then formed in product cavities of the mold, for example, by conventional injection molding techniques. A desired material, such as polypropylene or any other plastic suitable for injection molding, is typically injected at high pressure into the mold. In the illustrated embodiment, the material is injected into the mold through a gate 36 and then directed into individual product cavities 30 through a plurality of cavity gates 37. The material then solidifies or hardens in the product cavities to form the tool bodies. The material in the pick portions 34 of product cavities 30 solidifies about the filament strands 18, such that the filament strands are securely retained or embedded in the pick portions of each of the tool bodies. In the illustrated embodiment, each of the tool bodies 10 is molded integrally as a single, unitary piece.
Before or after the tool bodies are removed from the mold, the filament strands are cut between the pick portions, such that the tools may be separated from one another. In the embodiment illustrated in
Optionally, at least one connector may be formed between the tool bodies in the mold. For example, as shown in
As shown in
The above description is that of the current embodiment of the invention. Various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as defined in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.