INTERDENTAL CLEANER

Abstract

An interdental cleaner has a rod-shaped support which is made of plastics material and the rear end region of which has a handle part and the opposite front end region of which supports a coating made of a soft-elastic plastics material. At least one radially protruding finger which is integrally connected to the coating is arranged on the outside of the coating. A recess is formed in the outer surface of the coating, and the radially inner foot region of the finger is arranged in the recess and is connected to the coating at the bottom of the recess.

Claims

1. An interdental cleaner comprising a rod-shaped support which is made of plastics material and a rear end region of which has a handle part and an opposite front end region of which supports a coating made of a soft-elastic plastics material, at least one radially protruding finger which is integrally connected to the coating being arranged on an outside of the coating, wherein a recess is formed in an outer surface of the coating, and a radially inner foot region of the finger is arranged in the recess and is connected to the coating at a bottom of the recess.

2. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the foot region of the finger transitions continuously and in an edge-free manner into the coating.

3. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the foot region of the finger is surrounded by a completely circumferential annular groove.

4. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the foot region of the finger is surrounded by a plurality of annular groove portions each extending over a portion of a circumference of the finger.

5. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least one connecting portion arranged within the recess is provided which connects the foot region of the finger to a side wall of the recess.

6. The interdental cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the connecting portion extends at an angle α to a longitudinal axis of the interdental cleaner, α being in the range of from 30° to 90°.

7. The interdental cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the at least one connecting portion is at least two connecting portions, the at least two connecting portions being arranged on opposite sides of the finger.

8. The interdental cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the at least two connecting portions comprise three or four connecting portions arranged so as to be distributed over a circumference of the finger.

9. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the finger has a length to foot diameter ratio in the range of from 2 to 10.

10. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the finger has a length to foot diameter ratio in the range of from 4.0 to 6.0.

11. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a depth of the recess is in the range of from 0.02 mm to 0.20 mm.

12. The interdental cleaner according to claim 11, wherein the depth of the recess is in the range of from 0.04 mm to 0.08 mm.

13. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the recess is circular and has a diameter in the range of from 0.20 mm to 0.60 mm.

14. The interdental cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the foot region of the finger is surrounded by a completely circumferential annular groove.

15. The interdental cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the foot region of the finger is surrounded by a plurality of annular groove portions each extending over a portion of a circumference of the finger.

16. The interdental cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the foot region of the finger is surrounded by a plurality of annular groove portions each extending over a portion of a circumference of the finger.

17. The interdental cleaner according to claim 2, wherein at least one connecting portion arranged within the recess is provided which connects the foot region of the finger to a side wall of the recess.

18. The interdental cleaner according to claim 3, wherein at least one connecting portion arranged within the recess is provided which connects the foot region of the finger to a side wall of the recess.

19. The interdental cleaner according to claim 4, wherein at least one connecting portion arranged within the recess is provided which connects the foot region of the finger to a side wall of the recess.

20. The interdental cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the finger has a length to foot diameter ratio in the range of from 2 to 10.

Description

[0023] Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings, in which:

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interdental cleaner according to the invention;

[0025] FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the interdental cleaner in the region of a finger;

[0026] FIG. 3 is the top view III of the finger according to FIG. 2;

[0027] FIG. 4 is a first modification of the embodiment according to FIG. 3; and

[0028] FIG. 5 is a second modification of the embodiment according to FIG. 3.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interdental cleaner 10 according to the invention which has a rod-shaped support 11. The support 11 has an axial longitudinal axis L and preferably consists of a hard or dimensionally stable plastics material.

[0030] In its end region on the right according to FIG. 1, the support 11 has a planar handle part 12 which is integrally connected to the support 11. A user can grasp the interdental cleaner 10 by the handle part 12.

[0031] In the opposite end region, on the left according to FIG. 1, a sleeve-like coating 13 made of a soft plastics material, in particular a thermoplastic elastomer, is arranged on the support 11, the coating 13 having, on its outside, radially outwardly protruding, integrally molded fingers 14. Each finger 14 is arranged in its own recess 15, which is formed in the outer surface of the coating 13.

[0032] It can be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3 how the fingers 14 are each molded onto the coating 13.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 3, the recess 15 is substantially circular and has a circumferential, preferably conical, side wall 15a and a bottom 17. The finger 14 has a that conically tapers toward its radially outer free end, and a foot region 14a of said finger is integrally, i.e., monolithically, connected to the coating 13 at the bottom 17 of the recess 15. The finger 14 stands freely within the recess 15, i.e., the foot region 14a of the finger 14 is surrounded by a completely circumferential annular groove 18.

[0034] A slenderness of the finger 14 is defined as the ratio of its freely projecting length 1 and the foot diameter d. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the corresponding foot diameter d is measured in the plane in which the outer surface of the coating 13 lies. The length 1 of the finger 14 is determined from the distance between the mentioned plane and the radially outer free end of the finger 14. In the embodiment shown, the finger has a slenderness of about 5, i.e., its length 1 is five times greater than its foot diameter d.

[0035] The foot region 14a of the finger 14 transitions continuously and in an edge-free manner into the bottom 17 of the recess 15 or into the coating 13, fillets 20 being formed at the lower end of the finger.

[0036] As shown in FIG. 3, in the embodiment shown, the finger 14 sits freely and centrally on the bottom 17 of the recess 15, so that the foot region of the finger 14 is surrounded by the completely circumferential, continuous annular groove 18 which is formed by the remaining regions of the recess 15.

[0037] FIG. 4 shows an alternative embodiment of the aforementioned embodiment and differs therefrom in that the foot region 14a of the finger 14 is connected to the side wall 15a of the recess 15 via two connecting portions 16 arranged within the recess 15. The connecting portions 16, which consist of the same material as the finger 14 and the coating 13 and are integrally connected thereto, increase the rigidity of the finger 14 in its foot region 14a, as a result of which the deformation properties can be influenced and adjusted.

[0038] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, two connecting portions 16 are arranged on opposite sides of the finger 14, these two connecting portions 16 being aligned with one another and extending along an axis S, which, in the embodiment shown, extends at an angle α of 90° to the longitudinal axis L of the interdental cleaner. The connecting portions 16 therefore do not influence, or influence only to a very small extent, the deformation properties of the finger 14 in the direction of the longitudinal axis L of the interdental cleaner 10, i.e., when the interdental cleaner 10 is used properly, whereas the deformation properties are significantly influenced perpendicularly thereto, i.e., in the direction of the axis S, by the connecting portions 16.

[0039] FIG. 5 shows a development of the embodiment according to FIG. 4 and differs therefrom in that four connecting portions 16 are now provided which are arranged so as to be distributed evenly over the circumference of the finger 14. In each case, two connecting portions 16 are arranged opposite one another and lie on a common axis S.sub.1 and S.sub.2. The two axes S.sub.1 and S.sub.2 are perpendicular to one another and extend at an angle α of 45° to the longitudinal axis L of the interdental cleaner 10.