Abstract
The invention relates to a brush comprising a support made of a plastically deformable plastic material for disposing bristle clusters (13) thereon, the support having a plurality of cluster holes (14) each serving to accommodate one bristle cluster (13), the bristle clusters (13) each being fixed in a cluster hole (14) by means of a clip (16), and the clips (16) being provided with discontinuous structural elements at least in the area of clip projections (23, 24) on at least one longitudinal side (22) disposed essentially parallel to a cluster hole axis, wherein the structural elements are disposed at a distance to the longitudinal edges of the clip (16).
Claims
1. A brush comprising a support (12) made of a plastically deformable plastic material for disposing bristle clusters (13) thereon, the support (12) having a plurality of cluster holes (14) each serving to accommodate one bristle cluster (13), the bristle clusters (13) each being fixed in a cluster hole (14) by means of clips (16, 40) having a length l greater than a diameter D of the cluster hole (14) so as to form clip projections (23, 24) formed on both longitudinal ends (37, 38), and the clips (16, 40) being provided with discontinuous structural elements (30, 42) at least in the area of the clip projections (23, 24) on at least one longitudinal side (21, 22; 43, 44) disposed essentially parallel to a cluster hole axis, the clip projections (23, 24) provided with the structural elements (30, 42) being pressed into and thereby embedded in the plastic material of the support (12) so as to fix the bristle clusters (13), wherein the structural elements (30, 42) are disposed at a distance to the longitudinal edges (18, 46, 47) of the clips (16, 40).
2. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the structural elements (30, 42) are peaks (36, 48) or valleys (35, 47) relative to a flat base surface (50, 49) of the longitudinal side (21, 22; 43, 44).
3. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the structural elements (30, 42) have both a valley (35, 47) and a peak (36, 48) relative to the base surface (50, 49) of the longitudinal side (21, 22; 43, 44).
4. The brush according to claim 3, wherein the valley (35, 47) at least partially surrounds the peak (36, 48).
5. The brush according to claim 4, wherein the peak (36, 48) is surrounded by the valley (35, 47) in the manner of a moat.
6. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the clip projections (23, 24) formed on the clip (16, 40) each have a structural element matrix (31, 39) comprising at least two structural elements (30, 42) disposed in a matrix column (32).
7. The brush according to claim 6, wherein the structural elements (30) have a length in the longitudinal direction of the clip (16) which is less than the length of the clip projections (23, 24).
8. The brush according to claim 6, wherein a distance b between two structural elements (30) disposed in the matrix column (32) is dimensioned in such a manner that a structural element (30) disposed in an adjacent matrix column (32) protrudes at least partially into a space (34) formed by distance b.
9. The brush according to claim 1, wherein more than 50% of the longitudinal side (21, 22) of the clip (16) is covered by the structural elements (30) in the area of the clip projections (23, 24).
10. The brush according to claim 1, wherein the structural elements (30, 42) are designed alike.
11. A wire (15) for forming clips (16) for a brush according to claim 1, the wire (15) having structural elements (30) on at least one of two opposite longitudinal sides (21, 22) which extend between two longitudinal edges (18) of the wire, wherein the structural elements (30) are disposed at a distance to the longitudinal edges (18) of the wire (15).
12. The wire according to claim 11, wherein the structural elements (30) are peaks (36) or valleys (35) relative to a flat base surface (50) of the longitudinal side (21, 22).
13. The wire according to claim 11, wherein the structural elements (30) have both a valley (35) and a peak (36) relative to the base surface (50).
14. The wire according to claim 13, wherein the valley (35) at least partially surrounds the peak (36).
15. The wire according to claim 14, wherein the peak (36) is surrounded by the valley (35) in the manner of a moat.
16. The wire according to claim 11, wherein the structural elements (30) are disposed in a structural element matrix (31), distance b between two structural elements (30) disposed in a matrix column (32) being dimensioned in such a manner that a structural element (30) disposed in an adjacent matrix column (32) protrudes at least partially into a space (34) formed by a distance b.
17. The wire according to claim 11, wherein the structural elements (30) are designed alike.
18. The wire according to claim 11, wherein the structural elements (30) are distributed across the entire longitudinal side (21, 22).
19. The wire according to claim 16, wherein the structural elements (30) are disposed at regular intervals in matrix columns (32) and matrix rows (33) of the structural element matrix (31).
20. The wire according to claim 1, wherein more than 50% of the longitudinal side (21, 22) of the wire (15) is covered by the structural elements (30).
Description
[0030] Hereinafter, the invention will be discussed in more detail with reference to the preferred embodiments illustrated in the drawing.
[0031] FIG. 1: is an isometric illustration of a toothbrush;
[0032] FIG. 2: is an enlarged illustration of a brush head of the toothbrush illustrated in FIG. 1 from the top;
[0033] FIG. 3: is an enlarged illustration and a sectional illustration along line III-III in FIG. 2 showing a bristle cluster fixed in a cluster hole of the brush head illustrated in FIG. 2;
[0034] FIG. 4: is an enlarged illustration and a sectional illustration according to line IV-IV in FIG. 2 showing a bristle cluster inserted into a cluster hole of the brush head illustrated in FIG. 2;
[0035] FIG. 5: is an isometric illustration of a clip for fixing the bristle cluster illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4;
[0036] FIG. 6: is a top view of the clip illustrated in FIG. 5;
[0037] FIG. 7: is a sectional illustration along line VII-VII in FIG. 6 showing the clip illustrated in FIG. 6;
[0038] FIG. 8: is a cross-sectional illustration along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 3 showing a clip projection formed on the clip illustrated in FIG. 3;
[0039] FIG. 9: shows a clip wire for producing the clip illustrated in FIGS. 2 to 8;
[0040] FIG. 10: is a top view of another embodiment of a clip;
[0041] FIG. 11: is a cross-sectional illustration along line XI-XI in FIG. 10 showing the clip illustrated in FIG. 10.
[0042] FIG. 1 shows a toothbrush 10 having a brush head on one end of a toothbrush body opposite a handle 11, the brush head serving as a support 12 for a plurality of bristle clusters 13. At least the brush head, which is support 12, is made of a plastically deformable plastic material and has a number of cluster holes 14 corresponding to the number of bristle clusters 12, as is shown in FIG. 2 in particular; bristle clusters 13, which are each composed of a plurality of essentially parallel bristles or filaments, are inserted into and fixed in said cluster holes 14, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in particular.
[0043] A clip 16 formed by a trimmed portion of a wire 14 illustrated in FIG. 9 serves to fix a bristle cluster 13 in a cluster hole 14, clip 16 being separated from wire 15 as indicated by means of separating line 17 in FIG. 9.
[0044] As can be understood from a combination of FIGS. 3 and 4, the bristle cluster 13 is fixed in cluster hole 14 by wrapping bristle cluster 13, which is originally a straight bristle strand, around a lower longitudinal edge 18 of clip 16 in such a manner that two opposite cluster legs 19, 20 come into contact with two opposite longitudinal sides 21, 22 of clip 16, and clip 16, which has a clip length l greater than diameter D of cluster hole 14, is inserted into cluster hole 14 with a pressing force E delineated in FIG. 3, clip projections 23, 24 formed because of greater length l of clip 16 compared to diameter D being pressed into plastic material 15 of support 12 limiting cluster hole 14 until a cluster base 25 being in contact with lower longitudinal edge 18 of clip 16 comes into contact with a bottom 26 of cluster hole 14.
[0045] As made clear by FIG. 8 in particular, the pressing process causes clip projections 23, 24 to form a cut 28 in plastic material 25 of support 12 according to the path traveled by clip projections 23, 24 in the plastic material of support 12, lower longitudinal edge 18 forming a cutting edge 27 and the plastic material being displaced by clip projections 23, 24. The plastic deformability of the plastic material causes the displaced plastic material to flow in the area of clip projections 23, 24, cutting flanks 29 formed by cut 28 shaping themselves to longitudinal sides 21, 22 of clip 16, which are provided with structural elements 30.
[0046] As can be seen from a combination of FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 in particular, opposite longitudinal sides 21, 22 are provided with structural elements 30 in such a manner that a structural element matrix 31 comprising two structural elements 30 disposed in a matrix column 32 and a structural element matrix 39 comprising three structural elements 30 disposed in a matrix column 32 are formed in particular on longitudinal ends 37, 38 of clip 16, which form clip projections 23, 24 during the pressing process described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. In the embodiment of clip 16 illustrated in FIG. 5, structural elements 30 are moreover distributed across entire longitudinal sides 21, 22, structural elements 30 in matrix columns 32 and in matrix rows 33 being disposed at regular intervals. Moreover, distance a between adjacent matrix columns 32 is dimensioned in such a manner that a structural element 30 disposed in an adjacent matrix column 32 at least partially protrudes into a space 34 formed by distance b of the structural elements within a matrix column 32.
[0047] As becomes clear from a combination of FIGS. 6 and 7 in particular, the longitudinal sides of clip 16 each have a flat base surface 50 on which structural elements 30 are disposed, each structural element 30 having both a valley 35 and a peak 36 relative to base surface 34. In the case of the exemplary embodiment illustrated at hand, peak 36 is moreover surrounded by valley 35 in the manner of a moat.
[0048] As shown in FIG. 8, the flowing behavior of the plastic material in conjunction with structural element matrix 39 formed in the area of clip protrusion 23 and comprising structural elements 30 disposed in a matrix column 32 on each longitudinal side 21, 22 results in a toothed engagement between clip protrusion 23 and the adjacent plastic material of support 12, such that plastic material 25 protrudes into valleys 35 of structural elements 30 and peaks 36 of structural elements 30 protrude into plastic material 25 of support 12. This alternating engagement between clip protrusion 23 and the plastic material of the support results in a particularly durable connection between clip 16 and support 12, which can only be severed by particularly high pulling forces.
[0049] As can be seen from FIG. 7 in particular, structural elements 30 are disposed at a distance s to lower longitudinal edge 18, which—as explained above—forms a cutting edge 27, cutting edge 27 consequently having a lesser edge thickness is than the greater width t.sub.K of clip 16 due to projection h of peaks 36 relative to base surface 34. As a result, comparatively smaller pressing forces have to be exerted at the beginning of the pressing process described above than if the structural elements were disposed without a distance to lower longitudinal edge 18 with the result that the thickness of cutting edge 37 formed on lower longitudinal edge 18 would correspond to the width of clip 16.
[0050] FIGS. 10 and 11 show another embodiment, in which a clip 40 is provided with structural elements 42, which are disposed in a matrix arrangement 41, on opposite longitudinal sides 43, 44, a distance s being formed between structural elements 42 and longitudinal edges 45, 46 in further correspondence with clip 16.
[0051] Structural elements 42 have a valley 47 and a peak 48 relative to a base surface 49, peak 48 having the shape of a pyramid in the case at hand.
[0052] Both structural elements 30 on longitudinal sides 21, 22 of wire 15, which is illustrated in FIG. 9 and serves to produce clips 16, and structural elements 42 on longitudinal sides 43, 44 of a wire serving to produce clips 40 can be produced by simple rolling, where a wire provided with a smooth surface on the longitudinal sides is passed through a roll gap formed between two embossing rolls.
