Multi-Component Bristle for Simultaneous Oral Care Additive Delivery

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional toothbrushes typically offer only a single oral care additive for application to the user's oral cavity, limiting the variety of treatments that can be applied during brushing.

Innovation Solution

The development of oral care implements featuring multi-component bristles, where each bristle tuft comprises at least one bristle formed from a first component with a first plastic and a first oral care additive, and a second component with a second plastic and a second oral care additive, allowing for the simultaneous delivery of different oral care agents during use.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If a single oral care additive is used in conventional toothbrushes, then the device structure remains simple, but the variety of oral care treatments is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvevariety of oral care treatmentsVSAvoidbristle structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The bristle is divided into multiple independent components (first component and second component), each containing a different oral care additive. This segmentation allows each component to deliver specific oral care functions while maintaining overall bristle functionality, resolving the contradiction between treatment variety and structural simplicity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The bristle is constructed as a composite structure combining different materials (first plastic and second plastic) with different oral care additives embedded within them. This composite approach enables multiple oral care treatments to be delivered simultaneously through a single integrated bristle structure, achieving versatility without excessive complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple oral care additives are incorporated into multi-component bristles, then multiple oral care treatments can be delivered simultaneously, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemultiple oral care additives deliveryVSAvoidbristle manufacturing process

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The oral care additives are pre-incorporated into the plastic components during the molding process, before the bristle assembly is complete. This preliminary incorporation of additives into the component structure simplifies the overall manufacturing process by eliminating separate additive application steps, despite the multi-component nature of the bristle.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The manufacturing process merges the formation of multiple components with different additives into a single integrated bristle structure. By combining the first component and second component into one functional bristle unit, the patent simplifies assembly operations while maintaining the ability to deliver multiple oral care treatments.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS10477958B2Multi-component bristle having components with different oral care additives, and oral care implement comprising the same

Publication Date: 2019.11.19 COLGATE PALMOLIVE CO

AI summary

An oral care implement including at least one multi-component bristle. In one aspect, the invention can be an oral care implement having a handle; a head coupled to the handle; at least one bristle tuft extending from the head, the at least one bristle tuft comprising at least one multi-component bristle comprising first and second components. The first component may include a first plastic and a first oral care additive and the second component may include a second plastic and a second oral care additive such that the first oral care additive is different than the second oral care additive.