cover

Abstract

To provide a cover available for many kinds of toothbrushes.SOLUTION: A cover 100 protects a head including a hair implant part where brush bristles are planted on an end part upper surface of a handle in a toothbrush, and is provided with: a base part 110 which is arranged so as to face ends of the brush bristles; and a pair of side walls 120 which hang from both side surface sides of the base part 110 and are arranged so as to face both side surfaces of the head respectively. The pair of side walls 120 have flexibility by which gaps between the facing surfaces are changeable according to width of the head. Below the pair of side walls 120, there are holding parts 121 capable of gripping the end part of the handle of the head.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cover for a toothbrush. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, covers for protecting the head of a toothbrush (the area where the bristles are attached) have been known. It is desirable for such covers to prevent the tips of the bristles from coming into contact with the cover. Therefore, a dedicated cover is generally used to match the shape and dimensions of the head. Therefore, in order to accommodate a wide variety of toothbrushes, covers with different dimensions and shapes are required, which increases costs by requiring the preparation of multiple types of molds for manufacturing. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 62-53610 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a cover that can be used for a wide variety of toothbrushes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention employs the following means to solve the above problems.

[0006] That is, the cover of the present invention is A toothbrush cover is a single-piece cover that protects the head, including the tip of the handle and the bristle-implanted part, a base portion disposed opposite the tip of the brush bristles; A pair of side walls extending downward from both side surfaces of the base and facing both side surfaces of the head; Equipped with The pair of side walls have flexibility such that the distance between the opposing surfaces thereof can be changed according to the width of the head, The head has a holding portion below the pair of side walls, which is capable of clamping the tip of the handle, and The holding portion is provided with a first stopper portion at an upper end thereof, which restricts movement of the head portion toward the base portion when the tip of the handle of the head portion abuts against the first stopper portion. 、 A second stopper portion is provided at the lower end of the holding portion, facing the surface of the handle opposite the bristle portion, to prevent the head from falling off, the second stopper portions are formed at the lower ends of the pair of side walls, and the gap between the second stopper portions is configured as a non-linear gap; When no external force is applied, the second stopper portion is provided on one of the pair of second stopper portions. At least one protrusion is configured to enter at least one recess provided on the other. It is characterized by the fact that

[0007] According to the present invention, the pair of side walls are flexible enough that the distance between their opposing surfaces can be changed depending on the width of the head. Therefore, the cover of the present invention can be applied to various heads of different sizes. Furthermore, the lower part of each of the pair of side walls has a holding portion that can clamp the tip of the handle of the head, thereby preventing the tip of the handle from moving. This prevents the tips of the brush bristles from coming into contact with the cover. Furthermore, the provision of a first stopper portion more reliably prevents the tips of the brush bristles from coming into contact with the cover (base). Furthermore, the provision of the second stopper portion more reliably prevents the cover from falling off the toothbrush head. Furthermore, the above-described configuration of the second stopper portion also provides the following effect. Specifically, if the gap between the second stopper portions is linear, when multiple covers are stored together for transportation or other purposes, a portion of one cover may enter the gap of another cover (a phenomenon known as stacking), resulting in the covers being connected to each other. This necessitates the work of removing the covers separately. Therefore, by configuring the gap between the second stopper portions as a non-linear gap as described above and configuring at least one protrusion on one of the pair of second stopper portions to enter at least one recess on the other when no external force is applied, the occurrence of the above-described stacking phenomenon can be prevented. A third stopper portion may be provided at the front end of the base portion, spaced apart from the pair of side walls, to restrict movement of the head portion toward the tip end. This prevents the cover from moving toward the toothbrush handle without causing the side walls to lose flexibility. The third stopper portion has a curved shape in which the center in the width direction protrudes toward the tip side more than both ends in the width direction, and the tip sides of the pair of second stopper portions each have a protrusion that penetrates into the curved shape of the third stopper portion. As a result, the gap between the pair of side walls and the third stopper portion is blocked by the protrusions, making it possible to prevent the occurrence of the stacking phenomenon described above. The cover of the present invention is A toothbrush cover is a single-piece cover that protects the head, including the tip of the handle and the bristle-implanted part, a base portion disposed opposite the tip of the brush bristles; A pair of side walls extending downward from both side surfaces of the base and facing both side surfaces of the head; Equipped with The pair of side walls have flexibility such that the distance between the opposing surfaces thereof can be changed according to the width of the head, The head has a holding portion below the pair of side walls, which is capable of clamping the tip of the handle, and The holding portion is provided with a first stopper portion at an upper end thereof against which the tip of the handle of the head portion abuts, thereby restricting movement of the head portion toward the base portion, and The front end of the base is spaced apart from the pair of side walls, and the front end of the head is A third stopper portion is provided to restrict movement, The third stopper portion has a curved shape in which the center in the width direction protrudes toward the tip side more than both ends in the width direction, and the tip sides of the pair of second stopper portions are each provided with a protrusion that penetrates into the curved shape of the third stopper portion.

[0008] The pair of side walls may each have an inclined portion that inclines so that the opposing surfaces approach each other as the distance from the base increases.

[0009] With this configuration, even if the cover itself is made of a hard material, the pair of side walls can be made flexible.

[0020] It is preferable that the material has a transmittance of 90% or more.

[0021] This allows the head inside the cover to be seen from the outside.

[0022] The above configurations may be combined as much as possible. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] As described above, the present invention can be used for a wide variety of toothbrushes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which the cover according to this embodiment is attached to a toothbrush. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a plan view of a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a front view of a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state in which the cover according to this embodiment is attached to the toothbrush. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a front view showing a state in which the cover according to this embodiment is attached to the toothbrush. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a front view showing the toothbrush with the cover according to this embodiment attached thereto. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The following detailed description of the present invention will be given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, although the dimensions, materials, shapes, relative positions, etc. of the components described in the examples are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specified.

[0026] (Example) A cover according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 10. The cover according to this embodiment is used to protect the head of a toothbrush. With reference to Figure 1, a usage pattern of the cover according to this embodiment will be described.

[0027] <How to use the cover> Fig. 1 shows a toothbrush with a cover according to this embodiment attached. The cover in Fig. 1 is shown in a schematic cross-sectional view. Toothbrush 1 comprises a handle 10 and a head 20. Head 20 comprises a tip portion 22 integrally formed at the tip side of handle 10, and a bristle portion 21 with brush bristles attached to the upper surface of tip portion 22. Cover 100 according to this embodiment is attached to head 20 to protect head 20.

[0028] <Cover> The configuration of the cover 100 according to this embodiment will be described in particular with reference to Figs. 2 to 7. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 4 is a front view of the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention, as seen in the V1 direction in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side view of the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention, as seen in the V2 direction in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the cover according to the embodiment of the present invention, as seen in the AA cross-sectional view in Fig. 3. Note that the cover 100 in Fig. 1 above also corresponds to the AA cross-sectional view in Fig. 3.

[0029] The cover 100 according to this embodiment is made of a resin material and can be obtained by a conventional molding method such as injection molding. The resin material that makes up the cover 100 is preferably a transparent material so that the head 20 can be seen from the outside. Specifically, it is preferable to use a material with a transmittance of 90% or more. Furthermore, from the viewpoint of protecting the head 20, it is preferable that the cover 100 be made of a hard material so that it has a certain degree of hardness. On the other hand, as will be described below, it is preferable that the cover 100 has elasticity that allows a certain degree of elastic deformation. Materials that meet these various conditions include PP (polypropylene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate).

[0030] The cover 100 comprises a base 110 arranged to face the tips of the bristles in the bristle implantation section 21, and a pair of side walls 120 hanging down from both sides of the base 110 and facing both sides of the head 20. The pair of side walls 120 are flexible so that the distance between these facing surfaces can be changed according to the width of the head 20. Each of the pair of side walls 120 has a holding portion 121 below it that can hold the tip 22 of the handle 10 of the head 20. Furthermore, the pair of side walls 120 each have an inclined portion 122 that inclines so that the facing surfaces approach each other as they move away from the base 110.

[0031] Each holding portion 121 of the pair of side walls 120 is provided with a first stopper portion 130 at its upper end (the boundary between the holding portion 121 and the inclined portion 122) against which the tip portion 22 of the handle 10 of the head 20 abuts, thereby restricting movement of the head 20 toward the base portion 110. In addition, a second stopper portion 140 is provided at the lower end of the holding portion 121, facing the surface of the handle 10 opposite the bristle portion 21, and preventing the head 20 from falling off.

[0032] The second stopper portions 140 are formed at the lower ends of the pair of side walls 120 (corresponding to the lower ends of the holding portions 121). A gap is formed between the opposing surfaces of the pair of second stopper portions 140. For convenience, this gap of the second stopper portions 140 is referred to as a first gap S1.

[0033] The first gap S1 is a non-linear gap. In this embodiment, when no external force is applied to the cover 100, the convex portion 141 provided on one of the pair of second stopper portions 140 is configured to enter the concave portion 142 provided on the other of the pair of second stopper portions 140 (see FIG. 6). By adopting this configuration, when the first gap S1 is viewed directly from one end to the other end, the convex portion 141 blocks the view of the gap on the other end side, making it impossible to see. Note that the illustrated example shows a configuration in which one convex portion 141 and one concave portion 142 are provided, but a configuration in which such convex portions and concave portions are provided in two or more locations can also be adopted. A meandering configuration of the first gap S1 can also be adopted.

[0034] Further, a third stopper portion 150 that restricts movement of the head portion 20 toward the tip side is provided at the front end of the base portion 110, with a gap between it and the pair of side walls 120. Hereinafter, the gap between the pair of side walls 120 and the third stopper portion 150 will be referred to as a second gap S2 for convenience.

[0035] The third stopper portion 150 has a bent shape in which the center in the width direction protrudes further toward the tip side than both ends in the width direction (see FIGS. 3 and 6). A protrusion 143 that penetrates into the bent shape of the third stopper portion 150 is provided on the tip side of each of the pair of second stopper portions 140. By providing such protrusion 143, the vicinity of the end of the second gap S2 opposite to the base portion 110 is configured to be blocked by the protrusion 143, as shown in FIG.

[0036] <Advantages of the cover according to this embodiment> In the cover 100 configured as described above, when the head 20 of the toothbrush 1 is inserted into the cover 100, the tips of the bristles 21 of the head 20 are inserted so as to face the base 110. Then, the side of the tip 22 of the handle 10 is held by the holding portion 121, and the upper and lower surfaces of the tip 22 of the handle 10 are inserted between the first stopper portion 130 and the second stopper portion 140. At this time, the bristles 21 are housed inside the side walls 122, but are not pressed against the side walls 121 and are therefore not deformed. According to the cover 100 of this embodiment, the pair of side walls 120 are arranged so that the distance between these opposing surfaces can be changed according to the width of the head 20 of the toothbrush 1. 10 is a front view showing the cover 100 attached to the head 20, and both views omit the handle 10 of the toothbrush 1 (showing a state in which a portion of the handle 10 is cut away). As shown in these figures, when the head 20 is wide, the head 20 is held by the pair of holders 121 with a large amount of deflection of the side walls 120, so that the distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of side walls 120 is wide (see FIGS. 8 and 9). Furthermore, when the width of the head portion 20 is narrow, the head portion 20 is held by the pair of holding portions 121 with the side walls 120 slightly deflected so that the distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of side walls 120 becomes narrow (see FIG. 10). Therefore, the cover 100 according to this embodiment can be applied to various head portions 20 of different sizes, and can therefore be used with a wide variety of toothbrushes 1.

[0037] Furthermore, the pair of side walls 120 each have a holding portion 121 below them that can clamp the tip 22 of the handle 10, preventing the tip 22 of the handle 10 from moving. This prevents the tips of the bristles in the bristle implantation portion 21 from coming into contact with the cover 100.

[0038] Furthermore, the pair of side walls 120 each have an inclined portion 122 that inclines so that their opposing surfaces approach each other as they move away from the base 110. This allows the pair of side walls 120 to bend easily, even if the material of the cover 100 itself is made of a hard material. Therefore, the cover 100 can be suitably applied to various heads 20 of different sizes while still achieving its original purpose of protecting the head 20 of the toothbrush 1. Furthermore, by providing the inclined portions 122 on the pair of side walls 120, it is possible to prevent the side walls 120 from protruding outward in the width direction from the base 10, even when a wide head 20 is held by the pair of holding portions 121.

[0039] Furthermore, the holding portion 121 according to this embodiment is provided with a first stopper portion 130 that restricts the movement of the head portion 20 toward the base portion 110 when the tip portion 22 of the handle 10 comes into contact with the first stopper portion 130. This more reliably prevents the tips of the brush bristles from coming into contact with the cover 100 (base portion 110).

[0040] Furthermore, a second stopper portion 140 that prevents the head 20 from falling off is provided at the tip of the holding portion 121 according to this embodiment. This more reliably prevents the cover 100 from falling off the head 20 of the toothbrush 1. Furthermore, the cover 100 according to this embodiment is also provided with a third stopper portion 150 that restricts movement of the head 20 toward the tip. This prevents the cover 100 from moving toward the handle 10 of the toothbrush 1.

[0041] Here, when multiple covers 100 are stored together, there is a risk that a part of one cover 100 may get into the gap between other covers 100 (called stacking), and these covers may end up connected to each other. When such stacking occurs, it becomes necessary to remove the covers 100 separately. In particular, when an automatic machine is used to attach the covers 100 to the toothbrush 1, such stacking becomes a major obstacle. The cover 100 according to this embodiment can also prevent such stacking from occurring. This point will be explained below. .

[0042] In the cover 100 according to this embodiment, there is a gap (first gap S1) between the second stopper portion 140 and a gap (second gap S2) between the pair of side walls 120 and the third stopper portion 150. These first gap S1 and second gap S2 can cause stacking. However, in this embodiment, the first gap S1 is configured as a non-linear gap. Specifically, when no external force is applied to the cover 100, the convex portion 141 provided on one of the pair of second stopper portions 140 is configured to enter the concave portion 142 provided on the other. As a result, even if a part of one cover attempts to enter the first gap S of another cover, it is blocked by the convex portion 141, thereby preventing stacking. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the tip ends of the pair of second stopper portions 140 are each provided with a protrusion 143 that enters the bent interior of the third stopper portion 150. As a result, the vicinity of the end of the second gap S2 opposite to the base 110 is configured to be blocked by the protrusion 143. Therefore, even if a part of one cover tries to enter the second gap S of another cover, it is blocked by the protrusion 143, and stacking can be prevented from occurring. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1. Toothbrush 10...Pattern 20…Head 21...Hair transplantation part 22...Tip part 100...Cover 110...Base 120...Side wall 121...Holding part 122...Slope part 130...First stopper part 140...Second stopper part 141...convex portion 142...concave portion 143...projection portion 150...Third stopper part S1: First gap S2: Second gap

Claims

1. A toothbrush cover is a single-piece cover that protects the head, including the tip of the handle and the bristle-implanted part, a base portion disposed opposite the tip of the brush bristles; A pair of side walls extending downward from both side surfaces of the base and facing both side surfaces of the head; Equipped with The pair of side walls have flexibility such that the distance between the opposing surfaces thereof can be changed according to the width of the head, The head has a holding portion below the pair of side walls, which is capable of clamping the tip of the handle, and The holding portion is provided with a first stopper portion at an upper end thereof against which the tip of the handle of the head portion abuts, thereby restricting movement of the head portion toward the base portion, A second stopper portion is provided at the lower end of the holding portion, facing the surface of the handle opposite the bristle portion, to prevent the head from falling off, the second stopper portions are formed at lower ends of the pair of side walls, and the gap between the second stopper portions is configured as a non-linear gap; A cover characterized in that, when no external force is acting, at least one convex portion provided on one of the pair of second stopper portions is configured to enter at least one concave portion provided on the other.

2. The cover according to claim 1, characterized in that a third stopper portion is provided at the front end of the base portion, spaced apart from the pair of side walls, to restrict movement of the head portion toward the tip side.

3. The cover described in claim 2, characterized in that the third stopper portion has a curved shape in which the center in the width direction protrudes toward the tip side more than both ends in the width direction, and the tip sides of the pair of second stopper portions each have a protrusion portion that penetrates into the curved shape of the third stopper portion.

4. A toothbrush cover is a single-piece cover that protects the head, including the tip of the handle and the bristle-implanted part, a base portion disposed opposite the tip of the brush bristles; A pair of side walls extending downward from both side surfaces of the base and facing both side surfaces of the head; Equipped with The pair of side walls have flexibility such that the distance between the opposing surfaces thereof can be changed according to the width of the head, The head has a holding portion below the pair of side walls, which is capable of clamping the tip of the handle, and The holding portion is provided with a first stopper portion at an upper end thereof against which the tip of the handle of the head portion comes into contact, thereby restricting movement of the head portion toward the base portion, and a third stopper portion is provided at a front end of the base portion and spaced apart from the pair of side walls to restrict movement of the head portion toward the tip end; A cover characterized in that the third stopper portion has a curved shape in which the center in the width direction protrudes toward the tip side more than both ends in the width direction, and the tip sides of the pair of second stopper portions each have a protrusion portion that penetrates into the curved shape of the third stopper portion.

5. 5. The cover according to claim 1, wherein the pair of side walls each have an inclined portion that inclines so that the opposing surfaces of the side walls approach each other as the distance from the base increases.

6. 6. The cover according to claim 1, which is made of a material having a transmittance of 90% or more.

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