Patent ID: 7217332

Claim:
A method for manufacturing filament bundles for use in the manufacture of bristle tufts for a toothbrush, the method comprising: (a) advancing a bundle comprising a plurality of long, continuous strands of filaments through a bonding device in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the bundle, each continuous strand of filament having a first end and a second end; (b) forming at least one bond between the plurality of continuous strands of filaments, intermediate the first ends and second ends of the filaments, wherein forming the at least one bond between the plurality of continuous strands of filaments prevents the filaments from moving axially with respect to each other; (c) advancing the bundle further through the bonding device; and (d) forming at least one subsequent bond, axially spaced from the bond formed in step (b) along the longitudinal axis of the bundle to provide an unbonded region between the bonds.