Patent Grant
10743651
This application is a national stage of International Application No. PCT/JP2016/062034, filed Apr. 14, 2016, which claims the benefit of priority to Japanese Application No. 2015-106536, filed May 26, 2015, in the Japanese Patent Office, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein in their entireties by reference.
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a brush, and to a brush.
There are conventionally known toothbrushes and tongue coat removal utensils in which looped bristles (bristles in loops) are implanted in a base (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 identified below). It is believed that, by adopting a structure in which looped bristles are implanted in a base, it is possible to provide toothbrushes that allow efficient brushing of the teeth without hurting or damaging the gum (see Patent Document 1). It is also believed that, by adopting a structure in which looped bristles are implanted in a base, it is possible to provide tongue coat removal utensils that can be used hygienically, are less prone to induce vomiting reflex, and allow efficient removal of tooth coat without damaging the tongue (see Patent Document 2).
Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application published as No. 2004-558
Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application published as No. H11-113934
In conventional toothbrushes and tongue coat removal utensils provided with looped bristles, the looped bristles are fastened by being, at their base end (root), set in depressions formed in the base or by being fused to the base at the surface to which they are fitted. These structures are considered to suffer from poor handling of the looped bristles and possible difficulty implanting the looped bristles in the base. In particular, brushes with a low looped bristle height (height from the surface of the base to the crest of the looped bristles) are considered to be difficult to manufacture.
On the other hand, in a method of manufacturing toothbrushes and tongue coat removal utensils provided with looped bristles, it is possible to introduce in-molding whereby a base is formed using a mold in which bristles in loops fused at ends are arranged. It is, however, feared that such a manufacturing method may require a large investment in equipment.
Against the background discussed above, an object of the present invention is to provide a method of easily manufacturing a brush provided with looped bristles. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a brush provided with looped bristles while suppressing equipment cost. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a technology suitable for oral cavity cleaning utensils.
To achieve the above objects, according to one aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a brush includes: a first step of forming a base with a through-hole; and a second step of inserting a curved brush bristle into the through-hole from one end of the through-hole and making a looped bristle protrude from another end of the through-hole (a first configuration).
With this configuration, for example, by inserting, with an implanting needle, the brush bristle folded in two into the through-hole, it is possible to obtain a structure where the looped bristle protrudes from the surface of the base. This makes it easy to manufacture a brush provided with a looped bristle. Moreover, with this configuration, it is possible to manufacture a brush provided with a looped bristle by use of existing equipment that produces a tooth brush by driving in, along with a staple, a tuft of bristles in an implanting hole (groove). That is, this configuration makes it possible to manufacture a brush provided with a looped bristle with a small investment in equipment.
Preferably, the brush manufacturing method of the first configuration described above further includes a third step of fastening the brush bristle including the looped bristle to the base (a second configuration). This configuration helps make it less likely that the looped bristle provided on the base comes off the base easily.
In the brush manufacturing method of the second configuration described above, the brush bristle may be fastened to the base by fusion (a third configuration). Fusion can be achieved, for example, by thermal fusion, high-frequency fusion, ultrasonic fusion, or laser fusion. This configuration makes it possible to manufacture a brush provided with a looped bristle while suppressing the cost of equipment.
In the brush manufacturing method of the third configuration described above, the brush bristle may be fastened to the base at the one end of the through-hole (a fourth configuration). This configuration provides, for example, a tongue brush. Or, in the brush manufacturing method of the third configuration described above, the brush bristle may be fastened to the base at the another end of the through-hole (a fifth configuration). This configuration provides, for example, a toothbrush.
The brush manufacturing method of any of the second to fifth configurations described above may further include: a step of covering the part where the brush bristle is fastened to the base with a cover (a sixth configuration). With this configuration, it is easy to provide, for example, a brush that excels in safety. Moreover, with this configuration, it is easy to provide a brush with a good appearance.
In the brush manufacturing method of any of the first to sixth configurations described above, the base may have a projection that projects from the inner wall face forming the through-hole (a seventh configuration). With this configuration, when the implanting needle inserted along with the brush bristle in the through-hole is pulled out of it, the projection makes contact with the brush bristle, and this helps prevent the brush bristle from moving together with the implanting needle.
In the brush manufacturing method of any of the first to seventh configurations described above, the through-hole may be non-circular as seen in a plan view (an eighth configuration). This configuration helps prevent rotation of a tuft of brush bristles inserted in the through-hole.
To achieve the above objects of the present invention, according to another aspect of the present invention, a brush includes: a base; and a brush bristle protruding in a loop from a first face of the base and fastened to the base at a second face of the base, the second base being reverse to the first face (a ninth configuration).
Provided with a brush bristle in a loop, the brush of this configuration can suitably be used as a tongue brush that excels in safety. Moreover, the brush of this configuration can be manufactured easily by inserting a curved brush bristle into a through-hole provided in the base, and thus can be manufactured at low cost and with a low work load.
The brush of the ninth configuration described above may further include a cover fitted on the second face of the base to cover the part where the brush bristle is fastened (a tenth configuration). With this configuration, it is easy to provide, for example, a brush that excels in safety. Moreover, with this configuration, it is easy to provide a brush with a good appearance.
To achieve the above objects of the present invention, according to yet another aspect of the present invention, a brush includes: a base; and a brush bristle protruding generally straight from a first face of the base and protruding in a loop from a second face of the base, the second base being reverse to the first face (an eleventh configuration).
The brush of this configuration is convenient because it can be used typically to brush the teeth at one face of the brush and to brush the tongue at the other face of the brush. Moreover, the brush of this configuration can be manufactured easily by inserting a curved brush bristle into a through-hole provided in the base, and thus it is possible to manufacture a multi-function brush at low cost and with a low work load.
In the brush of any of the ninth to eleventh configurations described above, the base may have a hole in which the brush bristle is inserted, and the base may have a projection that projects from the inner wall face forming the hole (a twelfth configuration). With this configuration, in the manufacture of the brush, when the implanting needle inserted along with the brush bristle in the hole is pulled out of it, the projection makes contact with the brush bristle, and this helps prevent the brush bristle from moving together with the implanting needle. That is, with this configuration, it is possible to manufacture a brush with stable quality.
In the brush of any of the ninth to twelfth configurations described above, the base may have a hole in which the brush bristle is inserted, and the hole may be non-circular as seen in a plan view (a thirteenth configuration). With this configuration, in the manufacture of the brush, it is possible to prevent rotation of a tuft of brush bristles inserted in the hole. That is, with this configuration, it is possible to manufacture a brush with stable quality.
According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method of easily manufacturing a brush provided with looped bristles. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method of manufacturing a brush provided with looped bristles while suppressing equipment cost. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a technology suitable for oral cavity cleaning utensils.
Hereinafter, brushes, and methods for manufacturing brushes, according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
As shown in
Each cleaning portion 13 is composed of a plurality of brush bristles (a tuft of bristles). The brush bristles can be formed of, but not limited to, synthetic resin such as nylon, polyester, polyimide, polyolefin, or polybutylene terephthalate; natural bristles such as hog bristles; or the like. Each cleaning portion 13 may be composed of a single brush bristle, but preferably it is composed of a plurality of brush bristles as in this embodiment.
As shown in
The tongue brush 1 of this embodiment is used typically to brush the tongue by using the protrusions 13a, forming loops, of the cleaning portions 13 in contact with the tongue. Since the part that makes contact with the tongue is composed of looped bristles, it is possible to rake off tongue coat with a reduced risk of damage to lingual papillae or the like. Moreover, owing to the cleaning portions 13 being composed of brush bristles, they dry quickly, and are easy to keep clean.
Next, one example of a method of manufacturing the tongue brush 1 of the first embodiment will be described with reference to
The manufacture of the tongue brush 1 starts with the production of the base 10 including the head portion 12 where the plurality of through-holes 14 are formed. The base 10 can be formed, for example, through injection molding of plastic pellets.
Next, the base 10 is placed in a predetermined position on an unillustrated work table, with the first face 12a of the head portion 12 facing down and the second face 12b facing up. Then, as shown in
On completion of the adjustment of the position of the work table, then, as shown in
In the work table on which the base 10 is placed, there is formed a depression (or a through-hole) to allow the tuft of bristles 20 in a loop to protrude from the other end of the through-hole 14.
With the implanting needle 30 back at the standby position, as shown in
On completion of the insertion, through the procedure described above, of tufts of bristles 20 in all the through-holes 14 provided in the head portion 12, then, as shown in
Although, in this embodiment, thermal fusion is adopted, this is not meant as any limitation; instead, it is possible to adopt any other method such as high-frequency fusion, ultrasonic fusion, or laser fusion. The point is to fasten tufts of bristles 20 at the second face 12b of the head portion 12, and depending on cases, that may be achieved by fastening tufts of bristles 20 with a metal or other fastening member.
Through the process described above, a tongue brush 1 is obtained that has, formed on a first face 12a of a head portion 12, a plurality of cleaning portions 13 having protrusions 13a (tufts of looped bristles). With this manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture the tongue brush 1 with a small investment in equipment by use of existing equipment that produces a tooth brush by driving in, along with staples, tufts of bristles in implanting holes (grooves). Moreover, with this manufacturing method, it is easy to handle tufts of bristles when forming looped bristles on a base 10, and thus it is easy to manufacture brushes provided with looped bristles.
Next, a brush according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the description of the brush of the second embodiment, such features as are found also in the tongue brush 1 of the first embodiment will not be discussed again unless necessary.
As shown in
Each cleaning portion 15 is composed of a plurality of brush bristles (a tuft of bristles). In each cleaning portion 15, the first protrusion 15a is composed of a plurality of brush bristles that protrude generally straight. On the other hand, in each cleaning portion 15, the second protrusion 15b are composed of a plurality of brush bristles that protrude in loops. These brush bristles are, as in the tongue brush 1 of the first embodiment, formed of, but not limited to, synthetic resin such as nylon; natural bristles such as hog bristles; or the like. Each cleaning portion 15 may be composed of a single brush bristle, but preferably it is composed of a plurality of brush bristles as in this embodiment.
Although, in this embodiment, the plurality of cleaning portions 15 are formed such that their respective first protrusions 15a have generally an equal height and their respective second protrusions 15b have generally an equal height, this is merely an example; the plurality of cleaning portions 15 may instead be formed such that the first protrusions 15a have varying heights or the second protrusions 15b have varying heights.
The multi-function brush 2 of this embodiment can be used typically to brush the teeth by using the first protrusions 15a of the cleaning portions 15, and to brush the tongue by using the second protrusions 15b. With the multi-function brush 2 of this embodiment, the teeth and the tongue can be cleaned by use of differently shaped tufts of bristles, and this permits effective cleaning of the oral cavity with a reduced risk of damaging it.
Next, one example of a method of manufacturing the multi-function brush 2 of the second embodiment will be described with reference to
The manufacture of the multi-function brush 2 starts with the production of the base 10 by a method similar to that for the tongue brush 1 of the first embodiment. Then the base 10 is placed in a predetermined position on an unillustrated work table with the first face 12a of the head portion 12 facing up and the second face 12b facing down. Then, as shown in
Although, here, the position of the work table is adjusted, instead, the position of the implanting needle 30 may be adjusted. Preferably, the tufts of bristles 20 used in the manufacture of the multi-function brush 2 are longer than the tufts of bristles 20 used in the manufacture of the tongue brush 1.
On completion of the adjustment of the position of the work table, as in the manufacturing method of the tongue brush 1 of the first embodiment, with the implanting needle 30, the curved tuft of bristles 20 is inserted into the through-hole 14 from one end (upper end) of the through-hole 14. The implanting needle 30 is thrust in until the tuft of bristles 20 protrudes in a loop from the other end (lower end) of the through-hole 14, and is thereafter pulled out of the through-hole 14 to return to the standby position.
In this way, as shown in
With the implanting needle 30 back at the standby position, as shown in
As shown in
Through the process described above, a multi-function brush 2 is obtained that has, formed on a head portion 12, a plurality of first protrusions 15a (tufts of bristles protruding generally straight) and a plurality of second protrusions 15b (tufts of bristles in loops). With this manufacturing method, it is possible to manufacture the multi-function brush 2 with a small investment in equipment by use of existing equipment that produces a tooth brush by driving in, along with staples, tufts of bristles in implanting holes (grooves). Moreover, with this manufacturing method, it is easy to handle tufts of bristles when forming looped bristles on a base 10, and thus it is easy to manufacture brushes provided with looped bristles.
The embodiments described above are merely a few examples of the present invention. The structures of the embodiments describe above may be modified as necessary within the scope of the technical concepts of the present invention.
For example, in the tongue brush 1 of the first embodiment described above, the parts where the cleaning portions 13 are fastened are visible. This structure, however, is merely one example of the present invention; those parts may instead be covered with a cover 16 as shown in
In the manufacture of the multi-function brush 2 of the second embodiment, there may be additionally provided a step of partly cutting off tufts of bristles to trim their length such that the first protrusions 15a protrude by an equal amount from the first face 12a among the plurality of cleaning portions 15. There may be additionally provided, for example, a step of rounding the tips of the bristles of the first protrusions 15a.
Although, in the first and second embodiments described above, curved tufts of bristles 20 are inserted one after another in through-holes 14, this merely is an example; instead, depending on cases, the step of inserting curved tufts of bristles 20 into through-holes 14 may be performed concurrently for a plurality of through-holes 14.
In this modified example, the projection 102 is annular as seen in a plan view. That is, the projection 102 is continuous in the circumferential direction of the inner wall face 101. This, however, is merely an example; the projection 102 may instead be discontinuous in the circumferential direction. The projection 102 may be provided at any position in the direction in which the through-hole 14 extends, but preferably it is provided at a position away from the end of the through-hole 14. The direction in which the through-hole 14 extends is the direction perpendicular to the plane of
In the manufacture of the brushes 1 and 2, an implanting needle 30 is, along with a tuft of bristles 20, inserted into the through-hole 14. When the implanting needle 30 is pulled out of the through-hole 14, at least part of the tuft of bristles 20 tends to move together with the implanting needle 30, but the projection 102 makes contact with at least another part of the tuft of bristles 20 and thereby hampers that move. Thus, in this modified example, even without any special height adjustment after the insertion of tufts of bristles 20 in the through-holes 14, the tufts of bristles 20 can be arranged with generally an equal height for a plurality of through-holes 14.
This, however, is merely an example; the through-hole 14 may have any other non-circular shape. The through-hole 14 may have a shape with a varying distance R from the center C of the through-hole 14 to the circumference as seen in a plan view. For example, the through-hole 14 may have a non-circular, rotationally symmetric shape. The through-hole 14 may be rectangular or otherwise polygonal, elliptical, or of any other shape. Giving the through-hole 14 a non-circular shape as in this modified example helps prevent rotation of the tuft of bristles 20 inserted in the through-hole 14 with the implanting needle 30. That is, with this modified example, it is easy to manufacture brushes 1 and 2 in which the plurality of cleaning portions 13 and 15 formed on the head portion 12 point in the same direction.
Depending on cases, the brush manufacturing method according to the present invention may be applied not to a tongue brush 1 or a multi-function brush 2 as discussed above but to common toothbrushes that have brush bristles protruding generally straight from one face of a base 10. In that case, while the toothbrush is manufactured by a method generally similar to that for the multi-function brush 2 described above, the brush bristles are fastened to the base 10 by a different technique. In this toothbrush manufacturing method, brush bristles are fused to the base 10 at the other end of the through-holes 14 where the looped tufts of bristles 20 protrude. That is, the brush bristles are fastened to the base 10 by fusion of the looped parts of tufts of bristles 20.
While the present invention is suitable for oral cavity cleaning utensils such as tongue brushes, this is not meant to limit its application to oral cavity cleaning utensils; the present invention finds wide application in brushes for other uses (for example, brushes for painting, and the like).
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-106536 | May 2015 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2016/062034 | 4/14/2016 | WO | 00 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2016/189996 | 12/1/2016 | WO | A |
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| 20110304194 | Uchida | Dec 2011 | A1 |
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| S 55-116520 | Aug 1980 | JP |
| S 59-029935 | Feb 1984 | JP |
| H 5-29425 | Apr 1993 | JP |
| 3016619 | Jul 1995 | JP |
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| 2000-050958 | Feb 2000 | JP |
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| 2001-87039 | Apr 2001 | JP |
| 2004-558 | Jan 2004 | JP |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180146774 A1 | May 2018 | US |
