INTERDENTAL CLEANER

Abstract

An interdental cleaner having a rod-shaped support made of a first plastic, which has a handle part at its rear end region and has a cover made of a soft flexible second plastic at its opposite front end region. Several radially-protruding fingers are situated on the outer side of the cover and are integrally joined to the cover in their base region. At least some of the fingers and preferably almost all the fingers have a slenderness of at least 3.0, wherein the slenderness results from the quotients of the axial length l of the finger and the maximum diameter d thereof in the base region (S=l/d). The slenderness (front slenderness) of at least some fingers is lower in a front region VB than the slenderness (rear slenderness) of at least some fingers in a rear region HB of the cover.

Claims

1. An interdental cleaner comprising: a rod-like support made of a first plastic, which has a handle part at its a rear end region and a cover made of a soft flexible second plastic at an opposite front end region; several radially-protruding fingers are situated on an outside of the cover and having a base region integrally joined to the cover; the cover facing away from the handle part of the interdental cleaner has a tip region having a length in the range of 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm on a front end thereof, and a functional region, which adjoins the tip region in the direction of the handle part and extends up to a rear finger closest to the handle part; the functional region being divided into a front region, which is directly adjacent to the tip region and has a length in the range of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, a rear region, which extends forward from the rear finger and has a length in the range of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, and a central region, which is arranged between the front region and the rear region; in the front region, at least one of the fingers has a front slenderness of at least 3.0; in the rear region, at least one of the fingers has a rear slenderness of at least 3.0; wherein the slenderness results from quotients of an axial length l of the finger and a maximum diameter d in the base region such that the slenderness equals; wherein the front slenderness of at least one of the fingers which are arranged in the front region of the cover is less than the rear slenderness of at least one of the fingers arranged in the rear region.

2. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the front slenderness is 3% to 15% less than the rear slenderness.

3. The interdental cleaner according to claim 2, wherein the front slenderness is 5% to 10% less than the rear slenderness.

4. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the front slenderness is in the range of 3.0 to 5.0.

5. The interdental cleaner according to claim 4, wherein the front slenderness is in the range of 3.5 to 4.7.

6. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the rear slenderness is in the range of 3.5 to 5.5.

7. The interdental cleaner according to claim 6, wherein the rear slenderness is in the range of 3.9 to 5.1.

8. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a maximum diameter in the base region of the fingers arranged in the front region of the cover is 5% to 15% less than a maximum diameter in the base region of the fingers arranged in the rear region of the cover.

9. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the axial length of the fingers arranged in the front region of the cover is 5% to 15% less than the axial length of the fingers arranged in the rear region of the cover.

10. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the tip region has a length in the range of 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm on the front end region thereof.

11. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the front region, which is directly adjacent to the tip region, has a length in the range of 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and the rear region, which extends forward from the rear finger, has a length in the range of 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm.

12. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least 50% of all fingers in the front region have a slenderness of 3.0.

13. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least 80% of all fingers in the front region have a slenderness of 3.0.

14. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein all fingers in the front region have a slenderness of 3.0.

15. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least 50% of all fingers in the rear region have a slenderness of 3.0.

16. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least 80% of all fingers in the rear region have a slenderness of 3.0.

17. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein all fingers in the rear region have a slenderness of 3.0.

Description

[0026] Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of an exemplary embodiment. The following are shown:

[0027] FIG. 1 a schematic perspectival view of an interdental cleaner,

[0028] FIG. 2 a schematic longitudinal section through the front region of the interdental cleaner with the cover and the fingers,

[0029] FIG. 3 a first geometric configuration of a finger,

[0030] FIG. 4 a second geometric configuration of a finger,

[0031] FIG. 5 a third geometric configuration of a finger, and

[0032] FIGS. 6a, 6b, 6c possible cross-sectional shapes of a finger.

[0033] An interdental cleaner 10 shown in FIG. 1 has a rod-like support 11 made of a dimensionally-stable first plastic, which has at its rear end, shown on the right in FIG. 1, an integrally-formed, plate-like handle part 12 on which a user can grasp the interdental cleaner 10.

[0034] In its opposite front end region, the support 11 supports a sleeve-like cover 13 made of a soft flexible second plastic materialfor example, a thermoplastic elastomer or silicone. Several radially outwardly-protruding fingers 14 are formed on the outer surface of the cover 13, which fingers are made of the same material as the cover 13 and are joined monolithically thereto. The fingers 14 have the shape of a conepreferably a circular cone having a radially outwardly-tapering cross-sectionand are rounded at their radially outer end.

[0035] FIG. 2 shows a schematic longitudinal section through the front region of the support 11, the cover 13, and the fingers 14. The cover 13 is divided into a front tip region SB, having a length in the range of 0.5 mm to 2.0 mm and preferably in the range of 1.0 mm to 1.5 mm, and a functional region FB, which adjoins the tip region SB in the direction of the handle part 12 and extends up to a rear finger 14.1 closest to the handle part 14. The functional region FB is divided into a front region VB, which is directly adjacent to the tip region SB and has a length in the range of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, and in particular in the range of 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, a rear region HB, which extends forwards from the rear finger 14.1 and has a length in the range of 1.0 mm to 2.5 mm, and in particular in the range of 1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, and a central region MB, which is arranged between the front region VB and the rear region HB.

[0036] The slenderness S of a finger 14 is defined as the quotient of the axial length l of the finger 14 and its maximum diameter d in the base region (S=l/d). The cross-section of the finger 14 that is decisive for determining the maximum diameter d is that cross-section which is only just completely within the finger 14, i.e., does not protrude into the cover 13. If the longitudinal central axis L of the finger 14 extends perpendicularly to the surface of the cover 13, as is shown in FIG. 3, the cross-section that is decisive for determining the diameter d is the cross-section of the finger 14 facing the surface of the cover 13. The axial length l of the finger 14 then results from the distance between the decisive cross-section and the radially outer end of the finger 14.

[0037] If the longitudinal central axis L of the finger 14 does not run perpendicularly to the surface of the cover 13, the cross-section that is decisive for the maximum diameter d is that cross-section which lies completely within the finger 14 (see FIG. 4). The axial length l of the finger 14 then results from the distance of the decisive cross-section to the tip of the finger 14.

[0038] If the finger 14 transitions via a rounded portion 14a into the cover 13, the decisive cross-section is not considered in the determination of the maximum diameter d of the lower cross-section, facing the cover 13, of the pure cone shape of the finger 14, i.e., the rounded transitional cross-section, as is shown in FIG. 5. Here too, the axial length l of the finger 14 results from the distance of the decisive cross-section to the radially outer tip of the finger 14.

[0039] If the finger 14 has the shape of a circular cone, the decisive cross-section of the finger 14 in the base region has a circular shape, and the diameter d results from the diameter of the circle at any point, as is shown in FIG. 6a.

[0040] If the finger 14 has the shape of an elliptical cone, the decisive diameter d is the diameter on the longer principal axis of the ellipse, as shown in FIG. 6b.

[0041] If the cross-section of the finger 14 is a square, a rectangle, or a preferably uniform polygon, the decisive diameter d results from the maximum distance of two opposing vertices, as shown in FIG. 6c.

[0042] The invention is based upon the basic principle of providing one or more fingers 14 in the front region VB, which fingers have a lesser slenderness (front slenderness S.sub.v) than one or more fingers 14, 14.1 in the rear region HB (rear slenderness S.sub.H).

[0043] In principle, it is provided that, in the front region VB, at least one of the fingers 14 or at least 50% of all fingers 14 there or at least 80% of all fingers 14 there or even all fingers 14 there have a front slenderness S.sub.v of at least 3.0.

[0044] For the rear region HB as well, it is provided that, in the rear region HB, at least one of the fingers 14 or at least 50% of all fingers 14 there or at least 80% of all fingers 14 there or even all fingers 14 there have a rear slenderness S.sub.H of at least 3.0.

[0045] The difference in the slendernesses of the fingers 14 between the front region VB and the rear region HB is that the front slenderness S.sub.v at least of one of the fingers 14 arranged in the front region VB of the cover 13, or the front slenderness S.sub.v of at least 50% of all fingers 14 there, or the front slenderness S.sub.v of at least 80% of all fingers 14 there, or the front slenderness S.sub.v of all fingers 14 there is less than the rear slenderness S.sub.H of at least one of the fingers 14 arranged in the rear region HB of the cover 13, or than the rear slenderness S.sub.H of at least 50% of all fingers 14 there, or than the rear slenderness S.sub.H of at least 80% of all fingers 14 there, or than the rear slenderness S.sub.H of all fingers 14 there.

[0046] The front slenderness S.sub.v is preferably 3% to 15% and in particular 5% to 10% less than the rear slenderness S.sub.H.

[0047] In a preferred embodiment of the invention, it can be provided that the front slenderness S.sub.v be in the range of 3.0 to 5.0, and in particular in the range of 3.5 to 4.7.

[0048] Alternatively or additionally, it can be provided that the rear slenderness S.sub.H be in the range of 3.5 to 5.5 and in particular in the range of 3.9 to 5.1.