A replacement toothbrush head assembly is provided for an electric toothbrush. The replacement toothbrush head assembly is provided in the form of an assembly that includes a head portion and a stem portion, such that the head portion may be selectively and easily attached and detached from the stem portion. The head includes a plurality of bristles extending from a main body having a coupling portion. The stem includes a corresponding locking portion configured to receive the coupling portion, such that the head is releasably coupled to the stem in an assembled condition.

An oral care implement having a multi-component handle. The oral care implement may include a head and a handle. The handle may have a front surface, a rear surface, and opposing first and second lateral surfaces. The handle may include an elongated handle body, a grip cover, and a transparent component. The elongated handle body and the grip cover may be opaque. The elongated handle body may form a portion of the front surface of the handle and the grip cover may form a portion of the rear surface of the handle. The transparent component may form a portion of each of the first and second lateral surfaces of the handle. Thus, the transparent component may form a window through the lateral surfaces of the handle.

A system or method of forming a handle portion of an oral care implement and a handle portion of an oral care implement formed thereby. The method may include providing a first mold that defines a first mold cavity having a shape that corresponds to the handle portion, injecting a first material into the first mold cavity via a first injection orifice with a first hot runner sub-system, and injecting a second material into the first mold cavity via a second injection orifice with a second hot runner sub-system. The second material is injected into the first material thereby forming the handle portion, with the second material forming a core component of the handle portion and the first material forming a shell component of the handle portion that surrounds the core component.

A composition including (a) propylene/ethylene interpolymer having a density from 0.860 to 0.870 g/cc; (b) a propylene-based polymer selected from the group consisting of a homopolymer polypropylene, a random propylene/-olefin interpolymer and any combination thereof and wherein the propylene-based polymer has a density 0.885 g/cc; (c) a plasticizing agent; and (d) a third polymer selected from the group consisting of the following (i) a styrenic ethylene/butylene triblock copolymer having a Tg (rubber block) greater than, or equal, 40 C., (ii) less than, or equal to, 15 wt %, based on the weight of the composition, of an ethylene/-olefin/diene interpolymer, or an ethylene/propylene copolymer, (iii) an ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, and (iv) any combination thereof is provided. Further provided is an injection molded article comprising the composition and a process for making an injection molded article.

A system for forming an oral care implement and an oral care implement formed thereby. The system may include a first mold defining a first mold cavity having a first mold cavity axis; first and second injection orifices formed into the first mold and providing passageways directly into the first portion of the first mold cavity, the second injection orifice being spaced apart from the first injection orifice; first and second hot runner sub-systems fluidly coupled to the first and second injection orifices, respectively; wherein the system is configured to dispense the first material into the first portion of the first mold cavity via the first injection orifice, and after passage of a period of time, to subsequently dispense the second material into the first portion of the first mold cavity via the second injection orifice, the second material being injected into the first material to displace the first material.

To provide method for manufacturing interdental cleaner for suppressing elastomer from insufficiently filling into space around shaft portion in filling the elastomer into mold. Method for manufacturing interdental cleaner includes first step of molding base portion having handle portion and shaft portion (40) by filling composite material into first mold, and second step of forming cleaning portion, slip resistance portion and coupling portion by filling elastomer into second mold (200) from distal end portion side of shaft portion (40) with base portion situated in second mold (200), second mold (200) having second space for forming cleaning portion, slip resistance portion and coupling portion. What is used as second mold (200) in second step has ratio no less than 40% of a flow path area in second space for elastomer around distal end portion of handle portion to flow path area in second space for elastomer around proximal end portion of shaft portion (40).

To provide method for manufacturing interdental cleaner configured to suppress leakage of elastomer from space for forming slip resistance portion in mold to outside of space in step of filling elastomer into mold. Method for manufacturing interdental cleaner includes first step of molding base portion having handle portion and shaft portion (40) by filling composite material into first mold, and second step of forming cleaning portion and slip resistance portion by filling elastomer into second mold (200) with the base portion situated in second mold (200). In first step, what is molded has handle portion including base (24), recessed portion (26), and bulge portion (28) bulging from surface of the recessed portion (26). In second step, cleaning portion and slip resistance portion are formed by filling elastomer into second space from portion of base portion distant from bulge portion (28) toward shaft portion (40).

A plurality of mass-produced identical multi-component housings for toothbrush handles, each housing having a length of about 120-200 mm, which is at least three times greater than a maximal orthogonal dimension thereof. Each housings includes at least a first component made of a first hard-plastic material, a second component made of a second hard-plastic material, and a third component made of a soft-plastic material, which are integrally joined together to form a generally tubular structure. Each housing includes a tolerance-elimination element made of the second plastic material, attached to one of first component's ends, at least partially overmolded by the soft-plastic material, and having an average length of about 3-20 mm, which average length varies among at least some of the tolerance-elimination elements by a lengthwise dimension that is at least ten times greater than the lengthwise maximal dimension variations of the length among the individual multi-component housings.

Described herein is an oral care implement comprising: a handle; and a head coupled to the handle, the head comprising a main body and a release component coupled to the main body, the release component comprising: a water-dissolvable matrix comprising a first polymer having a processing temperature greater than or equal to 130 C.; and a release agent comprising at least one of zinc oxide, potassium nitrate, and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate; wherein the release agent is dispersed throughout the water-dissolvable matrix.

According to a method or an apparatus for fastening bristles in a bristle carrier (10) without using an anchor a heating (39) is provided in a tool part configured to transport the bristles. After inserting the bristles into anchoring openings (12) in the bristle carrier (10), the anchoring openings are closed by applying pressure.