JPH06277118A - Toothbrush - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a toothbrush which can inform a user when it has to be changed for new one. CONSTITUTION:In a toothbrush 1 wherein a number of bristles 3, 3... are implanted in its body, each of the bristles 3 has at least three-layer structure in its cross section. The most external layer consists of a transparent layer 4 without gaps on the periphery of the cross section. The inner peripheral part thereof has colored layers 5, 6 consisting of at least two layers in which colors and/or the depth thereof differ with each other, and being colored with coloring agents. When the color or the depth thereof alters from that of the colored layer 5 to that of the colored layer 6, its alteration is regarded as a criterion for the time when the user has to change the toothbrush. In this way, altering from the colored layer 5 to the colored layer 6 is clarified and the user can clearly recognize the criterion for the time of its change.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a toothbrush which can notify the replacement time of a toothbrush.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, many toothbrushes have been devised. For example, in a toothbrush in which a large number of bristles are planted, the bristles have a multi-layer structure, and the color of the bristles varies due to abrasion of the bristles. It is already known to change and be able to inform when to replace a toothbrush.

An example of a brush having a multiple structure is, for example, a brush in which the filaments applied by the present applicant are formed of a plurality of different materials, and the cross-sectional shape is an eccentric multilayer structure. Bristles for brushes (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 1-97731), which are composed of a bristle (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 60-83338) or a composite monofilament containing a thermoplastic elastomer as one component and a hard thermoplastic resin as another component. It has been known. Further, the color of the bristle changes due to abrasion of the bristle, and as a thing that can notify the replacement time of the toothbrush, for example, in a toothbrush in which pig hairs to be a bristle member are planted, the pig hairs are Part or all of it is colored or unbleached or colored by adjusting the degree of bleaching to make pig hair,
The coloring is a toothbrush (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-92518) that can be gradually decolorized or faded by abrasion by brushing, saliva, or toothbrushing, or a multi-layer composite polymer structure having at least two layers with different color tones. Consists of
Toothbrush (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-77430) in which the color difference value ΔE of the material forming each layer is 3 or more, or the bristle is composed of an independent monofilament including a colored portion. There is known a toothbrush (Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-152406) in which the color intensity changes, and the change in the color or color intensity of the colored portion acts as a signal to notify the abrasion of the monofilament.

The former hair having a multiple structure is
The main purpose is to improve the strength and durability of the bristle, and it does not give any further effect. Further, the latter toothbrush capable of notifying the replacement timing of the toothbrush represents the proximity technology of the present invention, and these are toothbrush removal due to a change in color or color depth due to abrasion of bristles by brushing. Although they notify the time of replacement, they differ in the technique for coloring hair, and each has the following problems. That is,

In a toothbrush obtained by coloring the bristle with a pigment (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 59-77430), the more pigment is added, the easier the coloring becomes, but the physical properties of the bristle material are changed, and the elasticity is increased. However, there is a problem in that the usability of the hair is deteriorated and the durability of the hair is deteriorated. In addition, since the pigment particles have higher hardness than the material, the blade of the cutter in the hair cutting process after the hair transplanting and the hair cutting process after the hair transplanting is quickly painful, and the cost of the hair itself is also high. It has a problem that it becomes expensive due to coloring. In a toothbrush obtained by coloring the bristles with a dye, that is, JP-A-2-15
In the method used in Japanese Patent No. 2406, after spinning,
Dyeing is carried out by immersing in a dyeing solution over time, pressure and time. In this case, not only the two steps of spinning and dyeing but also the productivity is poor and the manufacturing cost becomes very high. In addition, dyeing and coloring have poorer light resistance than pigment coloring. Further, a toothbrush having an indicating function (Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 56-92518, Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5).
9-77430 gazette and Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 2-152406 gazette), when the colored portion on the outer circumference of the bristle cross section is discolored due to wear due to the use of a toothbrush, it is apparent that the outer peripheral colored portion has a reduced thickness. The color intensity gradually diminishes.
In this case, the discoloration will start from the beginning of the new product,
This change continues until the intended replacement time, and the discoloration is not clear.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and to clarify the change in color or color density due to wear of the bristles, and to replace the toothbrush with a new one. It is to provide a toothbrush that can be surely notified.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems As a result of intensive studies to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, the present inventors set a cross-sectional structure of a bristle to a specific structure in a toothbrush in which a large number of bristle is planted. As a result, a toothbrush capable of achieving the above object was successfully obtained, and the present invention was completed. That is, the present invention relates to a toothbrush in which a large number of bristles are transplanted, wherein the bristles have a bristle cross section having at least a three-layer structure, and the outermost layer thereof is a transparent layer continuous in the outer circumference of the bristle cross section. The inner peripheral portion thereof is provided with a colored layer composed of two layers having different colors and / or different color depths,
At least the colored layer on the outer peripheral side is colored with a coloring agent.

[0008]

According to the toothbrush of the present invention, only the outermost transparent layer is worn at the beginning of use, and it is used until the second colored layer begins to wear even after continued use. No change in coat color occurs. Therefore, the change from the colored layer on the outer peripheral side to the colored layer on the inner peripheral side is concentrated in the vicinity of the intended replacement time and occurs in a short period of time, so it becomes clear, and the toothbrush user can estimate the replacement time. It will be clearly recognizable.

[0009]

EXAMPLES Next, the present invention will be described more specifically and in detail with reference to Examples and Test Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples and the like. Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 (A) and 1 (B) show an example of the implementation of the toothbrush according to the present invention. In the toothbrush 1 of this example, a large number of bristles 3, 3 ... It will be. As shown in FIG. 1B, the bristle 3 has a three-layer structure in cross section of the bristle. The transparent layer 4, which is the outermost layer, is continuous in the outer circumferential shape of the bristle cross-section, and the inner circumferential portion thereof is provided with the coloring layers 5 and 6 composed of two layers having different colors and / or darknesses of color. The coloring layers 5 and 6 are colored with a coloring agent composed of a pigment.

The material of the transparent layer 4 is not particularly limited, but polyamide fibers and polyester fibers are preferable in view of transparency and characteristics as toothbrush bristles.
When the maximum width of the bristle section is W, as shown in FIG. 1 (B), the thickness of the transparent layer 4 is preferably less than 20% of 1/2 W. In the case of polyamide fibers or polyester fibers that are usually used as toothbrush bristles, if the thickness of the transparent layer 4 is less than 20% of 1/2 W, the toothbrush replacement timing and the bristling discoloration timing are adjusted appropriately. Can be related. This transparent layer 4 has a thickness of 1/2 W
If it exceeds%, the bristle is worn away and the period until discoloration becomes too long, which is not preferable because it does not serve as a guideline for proper replacement of the toothbrush.

The color or color intensity of the colored layers 5 and 6 can be arbitrarily selected, but the lightness and saturation should be selected so that the degree of color change from the colored layer 5 to the colored layer 6 is large. Is desirable. As the material of the transparent layer 4 and the colored layers 5 and 6 constituting the bristle 3, materials such as polyamide fibers and polyester fibers used for toothbrushes can be used in consideration of the abradability by brushing. Considering the adhesion, it is desirable to use the same material. The shapes of the transparent layer 4 and the colored layers 5 and 6 in the cross section of the bristle are preferably concentric circles, but the shape is not limited thereto. The thickness from the surface of the transparent layer 4 which is the outermost layer of the hair 3 to the surface of the colored layer 6 is
Although it depends on the hardness of the transparent layer 4 and the colored layer 5 (easiness of shaving), the toothbrush bristles are open, and the plaque cleaning force is reduced, making it unusable. At times, the thickness of the toothbrush is preferably such that the colored layer 6 is sufficiently exposed at the bristle tips, preferably near the height of the median bristle length.

The thickness of the colored layers 5 and 6 depends on the combination of coloring of the colored layers 5 and 6, but the color of the colored layer 6 is sufficiently concealed and the hair is colored by abrasion from the surroundings. It suffices that the thickness be the minimum thickness at which the change from the layer 5 to the colored layer 6 can be clearly recognized. Further, it is desirable that the outermost transparent layer 4 be as thick as possible. The coloring layers 5 and 6 can be colored at the same time as spinning by selecting a coloring with a pigment which is advantageous in terms of production and cost, and by a conventional method of a multi-structured wool forming method.

In the toothbrush 1 of this embodiment, the change in color or color density from the colored layer 5 to the colored layer 6 is used as a guide for the toothbrush user's replacement time. According to this toothbrush 1, the transparent layer 4 is only worn until the colored layer 5 starts to be worn, the change in the bristle color does not occur, and the toothbrush 1 is concealed for the first time by the abrasion of the colored layer 5 (use of the toothbrush 1). The colored layer 6 is exposed. Therefore, in the toothbrush 1 of this embodiment, the change from the colored layer 5 to the colored layer 6 becomes clear, and the user of the toothbrush can clearly recognize the standard of the replacement time. In addition, if the thickness of the transparent layer 4 is appropriately set, even if the hair is gradually worn from the start of use of a new product, the hair color does not change while only the transparent layer 4 is worn, and Only when the two colored layers 5 are worn, the hair color changes.

The toothbrush of the present invention is constructed and used as described above, but it is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and its design can be changed into various modes without changing the gist of the present invention. It is possible to do so. For example, the hair may have a four-layer structure or more, and the central layer (the colored layer 6 in the case of a three-layer structure) and the outermost layer of the multilayer structure may be transparent layers, or at least the outermost layer may be a transparent layer that is not colored, It is preferable to minimize the effect of pigment coloring on the physical properties of the hair and the life of the cutter. Further, if the total thickness of the outermost transparent layer 4 and the inner colored layer 5 is less than 20% of 1/2 W, coloring of the bristles due to the use of a toothbrush or abrasion of the colored layers 5, 6 is caused. It is preferable since the discoloration due to the above can be associated with the time to replace the toothbrush. Further, the total thickness of the bristle 3 or the transparent layer 4 and the colored layer 5 which are obtained by setting the thickness of the bristle 3 or the transparent layer 4 in the above-mentioned embodiment to less than 20% of 1 / 2W is 1 / 2W 20. If the bristle 3 having a ratio of less than 10% is planted on both outer peripheral portions of the flocked portion 2, near the tip or near the rear end, the sensitivity of the indicator function can be further increased.

Test Example 1 The thickness of each layer of the hair (transparent layer, colored layer, colored layer) can be arbitrarily selected by appropriately selecting a nozzle for drawing and spinning the molten resin from the nozzle. For example, paying attention to the thickness of the outermost layer (transparent layer), select the nozzle so that the thickness of the outermost layer is 5%, 11%, 16% relative to the radius of the circular cross section, and use it for nylon with an outer diameter of 8 mils. Hair was made. When the cross section of each of the obtained hairs was observed and photographed with an optical microscope, the thickness of the outermost layer with respect to the radius was 4.2%, 11.1%, and 18.2%, respectively. confirmed.

Test Example 2 A commercially available polypropylene toothbrush handle (hole diameter 1.
6mm, 35 holes), 1.3% of outermost layer (transparent layer) thickness,
For 5% and 11% nylon bristles, an average of 18 bristles were planted per hole, and a toothbrush having a bristle cutting height of 10.5 mm was manufactured as a trial. This was handed over to 30 test subjects, and a usage test was conducted using the usual methods and dentifrices performed by the test subjects. After 3 weeks, the toothbrush was collected and the condition of the toothbrush was inspected. The inspection was performed by visual inspection of each toothbrush by comparison with a standard sample, and the degree of wear of the bristles and the degree of settling in terms of shape were classified. The results are shown in Table 1 below.

Test Example 3 A trial toothbrush similar to Test Example 2 was prepared for nylon bristles having outermost layer thicknesses of 11% and 18%, and a usage test was conducted on 30 test subjects. Is
16% of the test subjects showed wear of the hair up to the second layer,
The latter subject had wear on the outermost layer only.

[0018]

[Table 1]

Considering the results in Table 1, the wear and wear of the bristle depend on the physical properties of the bristle material and the specifications of the toothbrush to be planted. Therefore, the discoloration of the bristle is clearly observed when the toothbrush is replaced. As it occurs, the transparent layer 4 and / or the colored layer 5 of the present invention
It has been found desirable to properly select the thickness of the.

[0020]

According to the present invention, only the outermost transparent layer is worn until the colored layer starts to be worn, and no change in hair color occurs, and the colored layer from the outer peripheral side to the inner peripheral side is not changed. The change to the colored layer becomes clear, and it becomes easy for the user of the toothbrush to clearly recognize the guideline of the replacement time. Since the transparent layer which is the outermost layer is not pigment-colored, if at least one of the colored layers at the inner peripheral portion is made into a multi-layered hair by pigment coloring,
The effect on the physical properties of the hair and the life of the cutter can be minimized, and the hair can be manufactured at a cost not much different from that of a single-structured hair for coloring. In addition, the bristles are easily set by using a toothbrush.
If the hair is planted near the rear end, the sensitivity of the indicator function can be further increased.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a side view of a toothbrush showing an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view showing an example of bristles.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Toothbrush 2 Flocking part 3 Bristles 4 Transparent layer 5 Colored layer 6 Colored layer

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A toothbrush in which a large number of bristles are implanted, wherein the bristles have a cross-section of bristles having at least a three-layer structure, and the outermost layer thereof is a transparent layer continuous in the outer periphery of the bristles cross-section. A toothbrush, wherein an inner peripheral portion thereof is provided with a coloring layer composed of two layers having different colors and / or different color depths, and at least the coloring layer on the outer peripheral side is colored with a coloring agent.