Patent EA-000288-B1 (EA)
Title: Toothbrush
Inventor: HALM HANS
IPC: A46B5/00
Filed: 1996-08-22
Abstract: 1. A toothbrush comprising a handle with a head, the head having a base end facing the handle and a tip end remote from the base end, the head adjoining the handle at the base end of the head, the head and handle-being disposed along a longitudinal toothbrush axis, the head having bristles extending from a bristle face of the head, characterized in that the head comprises a substantially rigid base region adjoining the toothbrush handle and extending from the base end of the head to a link region situated between the base end and the tip end, and a substantially rigid tip region extending from the tip end of the head to the link region, both the base region and tip region being bristle bearing, the tip region being flexibly and resiliently linked at the link region to the base region. 2. A toothbrush according to Claim 1 characterised in that the link region is in the longitudinal half of the head furthest from the base of the head. 3. A toothbrush according to Claim 2 characterised in that the base region extends for at least 60% of the distance between the base end of the head and the tip of the head. 4. A toothbrush according to Claim 1, 2 or 3 characterised in that in its unstressed state the bristle face of the tip region forms an angle of less than 180 degree  with the bristle face of the base region. 5. A toothbrush according to any preceding Claim characterised in that the link region comprises an aperture, space or chasm in the head material between the tip and base regions which is bridged by means of one or more thin links of flexible and resilient plastics material. 6. A toothbrush according to Claim 5 characterised in that the link region comprises a composite region between the tip region and base regions, the composite region having structural elements made of both plastics material and an elastomeric material. 7. A toothbrush according to Claim 6 characterised in that the composite region comprises an aperture, space or chasm in the head material between the tip- and base- regions which is bridged by means of a combination of thin spines, strips or a continuous membrane of a both flexible and resilient plastics material and also by a partial (to the extent that the aperture, space or chasm is not completely filled by the said plastics material parts) filling of an elastomeric material. 8. A toothbrush according to any one of Claims 1 to 4 characterised in that the link region between the tip region and the base region comprises an aperture, space or chasm in the head material between the tip and base regions which is bridged solely by means of a complete or partial filling of an elastomeric material. 9. A toothbrush according to any of the preceding Claims characterised in that the head is constructed such that tip region may fold backwards resiliently relative to the base region, during toothbrushing, about a widthways oriented fold axis that crosses the head in the link region. 10. A toothbrush according to any one of Claims 1 to 9 characterised in that, the tip region and /or link are constructed and positioned such that the tip region can pivot resiliently relative to the base region during toothbrushing, about a widthways oriented pivot axis that crosses the tip region intermediate between its tip end and its base end. 11. A toothbrush according to Claim 10 characterised in that said pivoting is achieved by a construction of head in which the tip end of the base region is in the form of two limbs which partly surround a part of the tip region which extends in the base direction between them, with the link between the tip region and the base region. 12. A toothbrush according to Claim 10 characterised in that the base end of the tip region is in the form of two limbs which partly surround a part of the base region which extends in the tip direction between them, with the link between the tip region and the base region. 13. A toothbrush according to any preceding Claim characterised in that in the tip region the bristles the bristle tufts are disposed in either (i) a pattern of discrete tufts arranged in a generally circular or polygonal pattern, or (ii) a single curt of generally rounded cross section perpendicular to the bristle face, or (iii) a tuft of generally "C" or "U" shaped cross section perpendicular to the bristle face having at least one of the limbs of the "C" or "U" aligned generally parallel to the longitudinal toothbrush axis and with the rounded bend of the "C" or "L"' facing the end of the bristle face remote from the handle. 14. A toothbrush according to any one of the preceding Claims characterised in that the ends of the bristles remote from the bristle face on the tip region lie in a different plane to the ends of the bristles remote from the bristle face on the base region of the head. 15. A process for making the toothbrush as claimed in Claim 3 characterised in that firstly a plastics material skeleton of only the plastics material parts is made by injection moulding, with the bristle face substantially flat, then the tip region is folded to the desired angle with the base region, then the elastomer is injected into the link region.