Claims
- 1. A toothbrush exhibiting superior interproximal cleaning without increasing gum irritation comprising:
- (a) an elongate member having a head portion;
- (b) a multiplicity of bristles, substantially all of said bristles being end rounded, said bristles being cut to form a distal end and an attachment end, the distal end of said bristles being ground while in a common plane, said bristles being moved relative to each other so that the distal ends of said bristles, in combination, form a substantially aligned generally "V" shaped side profile, a plurality of peaks and a plurality of troughs, said peaks and troughs being defined by said generally "V" shaped side profile, a distance between adjacent peaks of from about 0.19 inches to about 0.23 inches, and a peak to trough distance of from about 0.09 inches to about 0.16 inches, the bristles further having a stiffness in the range from about 0.2 psi to about 0.08 psi and a Buttress Factor from about 0.8 to about 0.96, the attachment end of said bristles being cut to a common plane and secured to the head portion of the elongate member.
- 2. A toothbrush according to claim 1 wherein the total number of bristles extending from the brush head is from about 1600 to about 3500.
- 3. A toothbrush exhibiting superior interproximal cleaning without increasing gum irritation and including a multiplicity of bristles, said toothbrush comprising:
- (a) an elongate member having a head portion;
- (b) a multiplicity of bristles extending from the head portion of the elongate member, said bristles having distal ends forming a substantially aligned generally "V" shaped side profile, a plurality of peaks and a plurality of troughs, said peaks and troughs being defined by said generally "V" shaped side profile, a distance between adjacent peaks "a" of from about 0.19 inches to about 0.23 inches, and a peak to trough distance "b" of from about 0.09 inches to about 0.16 inches, the bristles further having a stiffness in the range from about 0.2 psi to about 0.8 psi and a Buttress Factor from about 0.8 to about 0.96.
- 4. A toothbrush according to claim 3 wherein each bristle is in contact with all adjacent bristles at the point of attachment to the head portion of the elongate member.
- 5. A toothbrush according to claim 1 wherein each bristle is in contact with all adjacent bristles at the point of attachment to the head portion of the elongate member.
- 6. A toothbrush according to claim 3 wherein the peak spacing "a" is twice the peak height "b".
- 7. A toothbrush according to claim 1 wherein the head portion has a longitudinal length from about 0.71 inches to about 1.30 inches and a transverse dimension from about 0.32 inches to about 0.50 inches.
- 8. A toothbrush according to claim 3 further comprising a plurality of bristle tufts, each tuft being secured to said head portion and having a longitudinal row spacing between said bristle tufts of from about 0.02 inches to about 0.08 inches.
- 9. A toothbrush according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of bristle tufts, each tuft being secured to said head portion and having a longitudinal row spacing between said bristle tufts of from about 0.02 inches to about 0.08 inches.
- 10. A toothbrush according to claim 3 further comprising a plurality of bristle tufts, each tuft being secured to said head portion and having a transverse column spacing between said bristle tufts of from about zero to about 0.08 inches.
- 11. A toothbrush according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of bristle tufts, each tuft being secured to said head portion and having a transverse column spacing between said bristle tufts of from about zero to about 0.08 inches.
- 12. A toothbrush according to claim 1 wherein the total number of bristles extending from the brush head is from about 1,200 to about 5,000.
- 13. A toothbrush according to claim 3 wherein the average bristle length is from about 0.35" to about 0.43".
- 14. A toothbrush according to claim 1 wherein the average bristle length is from about 0.35" to about 0.43".
- 15. A toothbrush according to claim 3 wherein the "V" shaped pattern includes three to seven peaks.
- 16. A toothbrush according to claim 1 wherein the "V" shaped pattern includes three to seven peaks.
- 17. A toothbrush according to claim 3 wherein the head portion has a longitudinal length from about 0.71 inches to about 1.30 inches and a transverse dimension from about 0.32 inches to about 0.50 inches.
- 18. A toothbrush according to claim 1 wherein the head portion has a longitudinal length from about 0.71 inches to about 1.30 inches and a transverse dimension from about 0.32 inches to about 0.50 inches.
- 19. A toothbrush according to claim 3 wherein the total number of bristles extending from the brush head is from about 1600 to about 3500.
Parent Case Info
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/081,954, filed on Jun. 23, 1993, now abandoned which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/865,771, filed on Apr. 6, 1992, abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 780,371, filed on Oct. 23, 1991 which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 540,032 filed on Jun. 19, 1990, all abandoned.
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FRX |
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Non-Patent Literature Citations (5)
Entry |
Article entitled "Quality Testing the Ends of Bristles of Toothbrushes for Children" by C. Kockapan and W. E. Wetzel. |
Price List For Celluloid Brush Products, Supplement to the Main Catalog, Jos. Ed. Faller, Brush Manufacturer Todtnau (Baden), pp. 3-15. (Along with a translation of the cover page). |
Translation of Quality Testing the Ends of Bristles of Toothbrushes for Children, Zahnaertzliche Mitteilungen V. 77, #16, 1987, pp. 1740-1742, 1744-1745, Ten pages of sketches illustrating various brushes and a photograph of a toothbrush marketed by Lion Corporation. |
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Continuations (4)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
81954 |
Jun 1993 |
|
Parent |
865771 |
Apr 1992 |
|
Parent |
780371 |
Oct 1991 |
|
Parent |
540032 |
Jun 1990 |
|