Interdental Cleaning Tool With Oblique Recesses for Neat Peeling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing interdental cleaning tools face issues with the flexible cleaning portion being easily peeled due to teeth or dental calculus getting caught in recesses formed by hold pins during insert molding, leading to further peeling and bulging, which can catch more calculus.

Innovation Solution

The interdental cleaning tool features a flexible cleaning portion with recesses shaped obliquely, minimizing the maximum dimension of the core base exposed portion to 0.25 mm or less, and maintaining a distance of 2.1 mm or less between adjacent recesses, ensuring neat peeling and preventing re-catching by the end part.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If hold pins are used to fix the base portion during insert molding, then the flexible portion can be formed uniformly on the core base portion, but recesses are left in the flexible cleaning portion which can catch teeth or dental calculus and cause peeling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuniform formation of flexible portionVSAvoidtooth or dental calculus caught by recesses

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The harmful recesses left by hold pins are completely removed by designing the hold pins to be retractable. The hold pins are pulled out after the elastomer material is supplied and cured, eliminating the recesses that would otherwise catch teeth or dental calculus and cause peeling of the flexible cleaning portion

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The hold pins are designed with a retractable mechanism that allows them to be pulled out after the elastomer material is supplied but before the flexible portion is fully cured. This preliminary action of retracting the hold pins prevents the formation of harmful recesses while still maintaining their function during the molding process

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If the flexible cleaning portion is peeled once, then the peeled portion bulges at the end part and may cause further peeling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprevention of large peelingVSAvoidbulging end part causing re-peeling

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

By completely removing the hold pins after molding, the source of peeling initiation is eliminated. Without the recesses created by hold pins, there is no point of weakness for the flexible cleaning portion to peel from, preventing both initial peeling and subsequent bulging of the end part

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The retractable hold pin design provides prior protection by ensuring that no recesses are formed in the flexible cleaning portion before use. This preventive measure eliminates the possibility of tooth or dental calculus catching and initiating peeling, thereby cushioning against future peeling damage

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Data Source

PatentUS12495888B2Interdental cleaning tool

Publication Date: 2025.12.16 SUNSTAR INC

AI summary

In an interdental cleaning tool, a flexible cleaning portion including a core covering portion that covers a core base, and a plurality of recesses that are formed due to hold pins during insert molding. The recesses are formed along a longitudinal direction of the core base portion. A core base exposed portion of each recess has a shape elongated in an oblique direction that intersects both the longitudinal direction and a lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction, and, at a position where a dimension of the core base exposed portion in the longitudinal direction is maximum, the maximum dimension is 0.25 mm or less.