Abstract
An interdental cleaner has a rod-shaped carrier consisting of plastic, which has a cleaning device in an axial end area. The cleaning device comprises at least one fabric part, which extends in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the carrier and which has mutually intersecting thread systems with warp threads and weft threads. Provisions are made for the fabric part to be connected to the carrier and to radially project from same, wherein thread systems or the warp threads, on the one hand, and the weft threads, on the other hand, extend at an angle in the range of 20 to 70 to the longitudinal axis of the rod-shaped carrier and pass through the rod-shaped carrier.
Claims
1. An interdental cleaning comprising: a carrier rod formed of plastic, the carrier rod having opposing proximal and distal ends and a longitudinal axis which extends through the carrier rod and between the proximal and distal ends thereof; a cleaning device disposed over a distal portion of the carrier rod, the cleaning device including a cover and at least one net fabric part; the cover is formed from a soft, elastic plastic and covers an exterior surface of the distal portion which includes the distal end of the carrier rod and an outer surface of the cover includes a plurality of projecting elements; the at least one net fabric part extends along a longitudinal length of the cover and has mutually intersecting thread systems comprising warp threads and weft threads, wherein the warp threads and the weft threads extend at an angle in the range of 20 to 70 degrees with respect to the longitudinal axis and the at least one net fabric part is embedded in the carrier and the cover part such that the at least one net fabric part passes radially through the carrier and the cover and projects from the carrier and the cover on opposite lateral sides thereof; and wherein, during use, the carrier rod and cleaning element are inserted into an interdental space and moved to and fro to clean or remove particles therefrom.
2. An interdental in accordance with claim 1, wherein the warp threads and the weft threads extend at an angle of 45 10 to the longitudinal axis of the carrier rod.
3. An interdental cleaner in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one net fabric part axially projects over carrier rod at the distal portion thereof.
4. An interdental cleaner in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of projecting elements are a plurality of fingers projecting radially from the cover wherein the plurality of fingers consist of the same material as the cover and are monolithic with the cover.
5. An interdental cleaner in accordance with claim 4, wherein the at least one net fabric part projects radially over the plurality of fingers.
6. An interdental cleaner in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one net fabric part comprises a plurality of net fabric parts embedded, lying one on top of another, in the carrier rod.
7. An interdental cleaner in accordance with claim 6, wherein the plurality of net fabric parts have different structures and/or different thicknesses and/or different thread orientations and or different mesh sizes.
8. An interdental cleaner in accordance with claim 1, wherein the plurality of projecting elements are a plurality of bristle bundles and/or individual bristles projecting radially from the carrier.
9. An interdental cleaner in accordance with claim 1, wherein sections of the at least one net fabric part radially projecting from the carrier rod are spliced.
10. A method of manufacturing the interdental cleaner of claim 1, the method comprising: extrusion coating the at least one net fabric part with plastic in a first injection mold; forming the carrier rod by injection molding, such that the at least one net fabric part passes through the carrier rod and projects radially therefrom; and placing the carrier rod and the at least one net fabric part into a second injection mold and injection molding the soft, elastic plastic into the second injection mold to form the cover and the plurality of projecting elements thereof, over the distal portion of the carrier rod and the at least one net fabric part, such that the at least one net fabric is embedded in the cover.
11. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the warp threads and the weft threads are arranged at an angle of 4510 to the longitudinal axis of the carrier rod.
12. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the at least one net fabric part is arranged in a recess formed in at least one mold half of the first injection mold.
13. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the at least one net fabric part is arranged with close fit in the recess.
14. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the at least one net fabric part is held in the recess under elastic deformation when the first injection mold is closed.
15. A method in accordance with claim 12, wherein the recess is formed in each of the mold halves on surfaces facing each other and the at least one net fabric part is arranged in both of the recesses.
16. A method in accordance with claim 12 wherein a depth of the recess or a sum of a depth of both of the recesses corresponds to 70% to 90% of a thickness of the at least one net fabric part.
17. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the plurality of projecting elements are a plurality of bristle bundles and/or individual bristles projecting radially from the carrier.
18. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the carrier rod is twisted about the longitudinal axis in at least one part of the distal portion of the carrier rod having the at least one net fabric part about the longitudinal axis.
19. A method in accordance with claim 10, wherein sections of the at least one net fabric part radially projecting from the carrier rod are spliced.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) In the drawings:
(2) FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interdental cleaner according to the present invention;
(3) FIG. 2 is a perspective view of opened injection mold;
(4) FIG. 3 is the injection mold according to FIG. 2 after insertion of a fabric part;
(5) FIG. 4 is the injection mold according to FIG. 3 after closure of the mold;
(6) FIG. 5 is an interdental cleaner manufactured in the injection mold before trimming the fabric part;
(7) FIG. 6 is the interdental cleaner according to FIG. 5 after trimming the fabric part;
(8) FIG. 7 is an alternative embodiment of the injection mold in the opened state with the fabric part inserted;
(9) FIG. 8 is another alternative embodiment of the injection mold in the opened state without fabric part;
(10) FIG. 9 is the injection mold according to FIG. 8 with the fabric part inserted;
(11) FIG. 10 is a schematic view of the dimensioning of the injection mold according to FIG. 8;
(12) FIG. 11 is the interdental cleaner according to FIG. 5 after insertion into another injection mold;
(13) FIG. 12 is the injection mold according to FIG. 11 in the closed state after manufacture of the cover;
(14) FIG. 13 is an interdental cleaner manufactured in the injection mold according to FIG. 11 before trimming the fabric part;
(15) FIG. 14 is the interdental cleaner according to FIG. 13 after trimming the fabric part;
(16) FIG. 15 is the front end of a plurality of interdental cleaners manufactured simultaneously with a common fabric part before trimming;
(17) FIG. 16 is the interdental cleaners according to FIG. 15 after trimming;
(18) FIG. 17 is the interdental cleaners according to FIG. 16 during splicing;
(19) FIG. 18 is the twisting of an interdental cleaner;
(20) FIG. 19 is a variant of the method with two fabric parts;
(21) FIG. 20 is another variant of the method with a fabric part and with a bristle border; and
(22) FIG. 21 is the front end of an interdental cleaner according to another embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
(23) Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an interdental cleaner 10 according to the present invention, which has a rod-shaped carrier 11. The carrier 11 has an axial longitudinal axis L and preferably consists of a hard or dimensionally stable first plastic material. The carrier 11 has a cleaning device 12 in its end area that is the right-hand end area in FIG. 1 and a grip part 18, by which a user can grip the interdental cleaner 10, at its opposite end, which is the left-hand end according to FIG. 1.
(24) The cleaning device 12 comprises a sleeve-like cover 14, consisting of a soft second plastic material, especially a thermoplastic elastomer, said cover 14 carrying on its outer side radially outwardly projecting fingers 15 made in one piece. Furthermore, a fabric part 13 is embedded in the carrier 11 and the cover 14, said fabric part being located in a longitudinal central axis of the carrier 11 and of the cover 14 in the exemplary embodiment shown, passing through these two components and projecting radially outwardly on opposite sides. Two wing-like attachments, which are arranged on opposite sides, extend in the axial longitudinal direction of the interdental cleaner 10 and are formed by the fabric part 13, are formed in this manner. The fabric part 13 projects over the carrier 11 and the cover 14 at the front axial end of the interdental cleaner 10, which is the right-hand end according to FIG. 1.
(25) The fabric part 13 is a flat object with a net-like structure, which is formed from mutually crossing thread systems. A first thread system is formed by a plurality of warp threads arranged at spaced locations from one another and parallel next to one another, while a second thread system is formed by a plurality of weft threads 17 arranged at spaced locations next to one another, which extend approximately at right angles to the warp threads 16. The warp threads 16 and the weft threads 17 may be connected and/or woven to one another at their intersection points.
(26) FIG. 1 shows that both the warp threads 16 and the weft threads 17 extend at an angle of about 45 inclined in relation to the longitudinal axis L of the rod-shaped carrier 11, so that nearly all threads are embedded in the carrier 11 and/or the cover 14 and are held in same.
(27) FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of an opened first injection mold W.sub.1 with an upper mold half F.sub.1, which has an upper cavity K.sub.1, and with a lower mold half F.sub.2, which has a lower cavity K.sub.2.
(28) According to FIG. 3, a fabric part 13 is inserted into the separating plane between the mold halves F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 or between the cavities K.sub.1 and K.sub.2, the threads of the thread system forming the fabric part 13 being oriented at an angle of about 45 to the longitudinal axis of the cavities K.sub.1, K.sub.2 forming the carrier 11. The first injection mold W.sub.1 is subsequently closed by the mold halves F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 being placed on one another. After closing the first injection mold W.sub.1, a liquid plastic, which forms the rod-shaped carrier 11, is injected into the mold cavity formed by the cavities K.sub.1 and K.sub.2, the fabric part 13 passing through the carrier 11 and projecting radially from same, as is shown in FIG. 4. The fabric part 13 preferably lies in the horizontal central longitudinal plane of the rod-shaped carrier 11.
(29) After opening the first injection mold W.sub.1, a blank of an interdental cleaner is formed, as is shown in FIG. 5. This comprises the rod-shaped carrier 11 with the embedded fabric part 13, which is, however, still too large for practical application. It is possible to provide the interdental cleaner shown in FIG. 5 with another plastic component or to do without one and finish this interdental cleaner by the radially projecting sections of the fabric part 13 being trimmed along the section lines S.sub.1 indicated in FIG. 5 at a distance from the carrier 11 and essentially parallel to same. An interdental cleaner 10 as it is shown in some of its sections in FIG. 6 is then obtained.
(30) FIG. 7 shows a view of a modified injection mold W.sub.1, which view corresponds to FIG. 3, identical or similar components being designated by the same reference numbers. The injection mold W.sub.1 differs from the injection mold according to FIG. 3 in that a large-surface recess 26 is formed in the lower mold half F.sub.2 on the top side of said mold half facing the other mold half, and the fabric part is placed into said recess 26 with a close fit such that it is securely positioned and fixed in the axial direction of the cavity K.sub.2. The fabric part is prevented in this manner from being displaced relative to the lower mold half F.sub.2 when closing the injection mold W.sub.1.
(31) While the recess 26 is formed in the lower mold half F.sub.2 only in the embodiment according to FIG. 7, FIGS. 8 and 9 show an embodiment in which a recess 26 each is formed in both mold halves F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 on surfaces facing each other, the fabric part 13 being arranged and received in both recesses 26 with the injection mold W.sub.1 closed.
(32) The recess 26 or the recesses 26 prevent the closing force of the injection mold W.sub.1 or of the mold halves F.sub.1, F.sub.2 from leading to the action of an excessive compressive force on the fabric part 13, as a result of which the latter could be crushed.
(33) The depth of the recess 26 according to FIG. 7 or the sum of the depths of the recesses 26 according to FIGS. 8 and 9 is selected to be such that it is smaller than the thickness of the fabric part 13, so that the fabric part 13 is clamped between the mold halves F.sub.1 and F.sub.2 when the injection mold W.sub.1 is closed and is held under elastic deformation. FIG. 10 shows in a schematic view a possible dimensioning of the recesses 26 of the injection mold W.sub.1. It is assumed here that the fabric part has a thickness d at right angles to the plane in which it extends and that the recesses 26 have a corresponding depth of s.sub.1 and s.sub.2 in the two mold halves F.sub.1 and F.sub.2. Provisions are made here for the sum of the depths s.sub.1 and s.sub.2 of the recesses 26 to be smaller by a value s.sub.3 than the thickness d of the fabric part 13. The value for the difference s.sub.3 is preferably in the range of 10% to 30% of the thickness d of the fabric part (0.1 ds.sub.30.3 d). In particular, the value is between 15% and 25% of the thickness d of the fabric part (0.15 ds.sub.30.25 d).
(34) A second plastic component is preferably molded onto the interdental cleaner 10. A second injection mold W.sub.2, which has an upper mold half F.sub.3, which has an upper cavity K.sub.3, and a lower mold half F.sub.4, which has a lower cavity K.sub.4, is provided for this purpose according to FIG. 11. According to FIG. 11, the front section of the prefabricated rod-shaped carrier 11 is placed together with the embedded fabric part 13 into the second injection mold W.sub.3, the fabric part 13 being arranged in the separating plane between the two mold halves F.sub.3 and F.sub.4 or between the cavities K.sub.3 and K.sub.4. The second injection mold W.sub.2 is subsequently closed by the upper mold half F.sub.3 being lowered onto the lower mold half F.sub.4, as is indicated by the arrow S.sub.2 in FIG. 11.
(35) After closing the second injection mold W.sub.2, as is shown in FIG. 12, a liquid soft elastic plastic, especially a thermoplastic elastomer, is injected into the mold cavity formed by the cavities K.sub.3 and K.sub.4, so that the section of the carrier 11 located in the second injection mold W.sub.2 is provided with the sleeve-like cover 14, which carries the radially outwardly projecting fingers 15 on its outer side. Moreover, it is achieved by means of the injected plastic forming the cover 14 that the fabric part 13 is also embedded in the cover 14 and is held by same.
(36) After opening the second injection mold W.sub.2, the radially projecting sections of the fabric part 13 is cut to a desired length, as it is shown in FIG. 13 by section lines S.sub.3 indicated as broken lines. The interdental cleaner 10 shown in FIG. 14 is formed in this manner. This has the sleeve-like cover seated on the front end of the rod-shaped carrier 11 with radially projecting fingers 15 formed in one piece and the fabric part 13 projecting radially on opposite sides, the fabric part 13 forming two lateral, flat, wing-like projections extending each in the longitudinal direction of the carrier 11.
(37) As an alternative, the fabric part may also be cut in the closed second injection mold or when opening the second injection mold or with the second injection mold open or even outside the second injection mold in a separate cutting station.
(38) FIG. 15 shows the possibility of manufacturing a plurality of interdental cleaners having the mentioned configuration simultaneously in a simple manner. The corresponding injection molds are provided for this with a plurality of cavities arranged at a distance next to one another, which are used each to manufacture an interdental cleaner in the above-mentioned manner. A common, strip-shaped fabric part each is placed into all cavities, so that a set of a plurality of (here 5) interdental cleaners are provided after opening the second injection mold, said interdental cleaners being arranged parallel at a distance next to one another and connected to one another via the common, strip-shaped fabric part 14. The fabric parts of the individual interdental cleaners can be cut to a desired size in a next method step along section lines S.sub.4, as a result of which the interdental cleaners become detached from one another, as it is shown in FIG. 16 and thus they are not connected to one another at their rear end, not shown.
(39) FIG. 17 shows another possible processing step, by means of which the radially projecting sections of the fabric part 13 are cut or spliced. A rotatingly driven striking tool 25 is provided for this purpose, which has cutting fingers 24, with which the projecting sections of the fabric parts can be beaten and divided into individual threads, which are arranged in random orientations, as it is seen especially in FIG. 17 in the interdental cleaner shown there.
(40) FIG. 18 shows another possible processing step of the interdental cleaner, in which this is twisted about its longitudinal axis L, forming a permanent torsional deformation. The interdental cleaner 10 is clamped for this in axially spaced sections into a first holding device 21 and into a second holding device 22. The first holding device 21 has a lower clamping jaw 21.1 and an upper clamping jaw 21.2, which can clamp the interdental cleaner at the rear end of the cover 14, which end faces the grip part. The second holding device 22 has a lower clamping jaw 22.1 and an upper clamping jaw 22.2, which clamp the interdental cleaner at the front end of the cover 14, which end faces away from the grip part. As is shown in FIG. 18, the front, second holding device 22 is rotated about the longitudinal axis L of the interdental cleaner 10 or of the rod-shaped carrier 11, as it is indicated by the arrow T. This causes the area of the interdental cleaner 10 located between the two holding devices 21 and 22, i.e., the section of the carrier 11 located there, the cover 14 with the fingers 15 and the fabric part 13 to be twisted about the longitudinal axis L of the carrier 11, so that they undergo a plastic deformation. After opening and removing the two holding devices 21 and 22, the interdental cleaner 10 is twisted such that the fingers 15 of the cover 14 and especially the radially projecting sections of the fabric part 13 extend helically about the carrier 11.
(41) Even though an interdental cleaner in which the radially projecting sections of the fabric part are spliced is shown in FIG. 18, an interdental cleaner in which the radially projecting sections of the fabric part are not spliced can also be twisted in a similar manner.
(42) FIG. 19 shows a view, corresponding to FIG. 3, of an opened first injection mold W.sub.1, in which an additional fabric part 13a is inserted in addition to the fabric part 13 hitherto inserted, the two fabric parts 13, 13a preferably lying directly one on top of another. As is indicated in FIG. 19, the two fabric parts 13 and 13a have different structures, different color orientations and different mesh sizes. By selecting the corresponding fabric parts, the cleaning effect of the interdental cleaner can be adapted to desired requirements.
(43) FIG. 20 shows another variant of the method according to the present invention, where provisions are made for placing a plurality of individual bristles into the first injection mold W.sub.1 in addition to the fabric part 13. The individual bristles 20 are combined into groups of four individual bristles each in the exemplary embodiment shown, the individual bristles 20 being placed on the fabric part 13 or arranged under same and extending at right angles to the longitudinal extension of the cavities K.sub.1 and K.sub.2 and hence at right angles to the longitudinal axis L of the carrier 11 in the finished interdental cleaner.
(44) FIG. 21 shows a view of a correspondingly manufactured interdental cleaner. This has sections of the fabric part 13, which project radially from the carrier 11 and from the cover 14 and were spliced, but may also be not spliced. In addition, the individual bristles 20 project radially from the carrier 11 and the cover 14, the protruding length of the bristles corresponding approximately to the protruding length of the fabric part 13. The interdental cleaner shown in FIG. 21 may be twisted in a next step about its longitudinal axis in a manner that is not shown to achieve a permanent torsional deformation.
(45) While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
