Toothbrush with highly tapered bristles having superior flexibility and method of manufacturing the same
Inactive Publication Date: 2002-08-29
KWON YOUNG JUN +1
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Problems solved by technology
The nylon monofilament bristles have the advantages of proper resilience and flexibility, but are disadvantageous in that they are highly water-absorbent and are easily deformed.
However, the monofilament bristles made of such polyester compounds are too stiff and inferior in their flexibility, and may damage or injure the gums.
But, it is almost impossible to overcome the above disadvantages of the polyester compound bristles by such mechanically and slightly tapering the ends of the bristles.
1) A toothbrush with bristles made by the method of the first prior art felt too soft by some users familiar with conventional toothbrushes with nylon bristles. Such users thus determine the brushing effect of the toothbrushes to be not desirable.
2) Since the highly tapered bristles are manufactured using chemicals, the tapering process is too difficult as the processing conditions such as a concentration of chemicals, a temperature, and the duration of dipping are difficult to precisely control. Therefore, the ends of the highly tapered bristles are not uniform. As a result, defective products are pro
Method used
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[0033] Into a 1,000 ml beaker with a sandbath were charged 50% NaOH solution filled 1 cm from the bottom of the beaker. Then, the temperature of the solution was increased to 120.degree. C. After that, polybutylene terephthalates (520) filament 0.2 mm in diameter, manufactured by TORAY CO., Japan, were cut into filaments 30 mm in length. Thereafter, 3.5 mm end portions of the bundled filaments were dipped vertically into the NaOH solution. After 18 minutes passed from the start of dipping, the ends of the filaments were not at the point of melting so filaments were not shortened, but after 19 minutes from the start of the dipping, the ends of the filaments were at the point of melting so that the filaments were shortened. After 19 minutes had passed from the start of dipping, the tapered filaments were removed from the solution. Subsequently, the opposite ends of the filaments were tapered in the same manner as described above, thus producing bristles.
[0034] Afterward, highly tapere...
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Disclosed herein is a toothbrush with tapered bristles and method of manufacturing such toothbrushes. The toothbrush is characterized in that the tapered end of each bristle is 0.02 mm or less of diameter. The bristle is tapered starting at a position of 3.5 mm or less from an end, and is made of polyethylene terephthalate or polybutylene terephthalate. The method of this invention consists of the steps of dipping 3.5 mm portions from ends of monofilaments for toothbrushes into erosive chemicals such as sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide until the dipped portions of the monofilaments are completely eroded, neutralizing the shortened monofilaments prior to rinsing and drying them, and implanting the shortened monofilaments on a toothbrush. Thereafter, the shortened monofilaments are ground using a 240# mesh paper at 2600 to 2700 rpm for 3 to 10 sec, a 320# mesh paper at same speed for 3 to 10 sec, and a 400# mesh paper at same speed for 3 to 10 sec. The toothbrush of this invention enjoys advantages of proper flexibility and softness, improved feeling while brushing, and excellent scaling ability.
Description
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention[0002] The present invention relates to, in general, a toothbrush with tapered bristles and a method of manufacturing such toothbrushes, in particular, to a toothbrush with highly tapered bristles having high flexibility and a method of manufacturing the same.[0003] 2. Description of the Prior Art[0004] A conventional monofilament for bristles of toothbrushes is made of nylon. The nylon monofilament bristles have the advantages of proper resilience and flexibility, but are disadvantageous in that they are highly water-absorbent and are easily deformed. The nylon monofilament bristles are not soft because they must be thick in order to maintain desired flexibility. Generally, the nylon monofilament bristles are each rounded at their ends in order to prevent the gums from being injured during brushing, as shown in FIG. 1.[0005] Polyester compounds, such as polybutylene terephthalate or polyethylene terephthalate, may be used as material for the monofila...
Claims
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Login to View More IPC IPC(8): A46B9/04A46D1/00A46D1/05A46B1/00A61C17/00
CPCA46B2200/1066A46D1/00A46D1/0276Y10T428/2976Y10T428/298A46B9/04
InventorKWON, YOUNG-JUN
OwnerKWON YOUNG JUN