INTERDENTAL CLEANER

Abstract

An interdental cleaner has a rod-shaped support made of plastics material, which has a cleaning device in an axial end region, which cleaning device has a covering for the support made of a soft-elastic plastics material and a bristle set having a plurality of bristle bundles protruding, with a radial component, from the covering. The bristle bundles extend through the support and are embedded and held therein. The covering has at least one recess on its outer surface, wherein at least one of the bristle bundles is arranged within the recess.

Claims

1. An interdental cleaner comprising: a rod-shaped support made of a plastic material; a cleaning device arranged in an axial end region of the rod-shaped support, the cleaning device comprising a covering for the rod-shaped support, the covering made of a soft-elastic plastics material and a bristle set comprising at least two bristle bundles protruding, with a radial component, from the covering, the bristle bundles extending through the support and being embedded and held therein; and at least one recess formed in an outer surface of the cleaning device, wherein at least one of the at least two bristle bundles is arranged within the recess.

2. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the bristle bundle is arranged at a distance from an edge of the recess.

3. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the recess extends as far as the support.

4. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the recess forms a free space.

5. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the recess is at least partially filled by an extension piece of the support.

6. The interdental cleaner according to claim 5, wherein the extension piece of the support protrudes radially from the recess.

7. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of recesses are provided.

8. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein only one bristle bundle is arranged in the recess.

9. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of bristle bundles spaced apart from one another are arranged in the recess.

10. The interdental cleaner according to claim 7, wherein the recesses are arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the covering.

11. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the recesses is linear and extends in a longitudinal direction of the support.

12. The interdental cleaner according to claim 1, wherein the covering has a plurality of fingers and/or nubs and/or fins protruding, with a radial component, from the covering.

13. The interdental cleaner according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of fingers are formed integrally with the covering.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus, are not limitive of the present invention, and wherein:

[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an interdental cleaner according to an example,

[0025] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the front end of the interdental cleaner according to FIG. 1,

[0026] FIG. 3 is the section III-III from FIG. 2,

[0027] FIG. 4 shows a first modification of the example according to FIG. 3,

[0028] FIG. 5 shows a second modification of the example according to FIG. 3,

[0029] FIG. 6 shows a front end of the interdental cleaner according to an example, and

[0030] FIG. 7 shows a front end of an interdental cleaner according to an example.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] FIGS. 1 and 2 are each a perspective view of an interdental cleaner 10 which has a rod-shaped support 11 made of plastics material. A handle portion 13 is formed on the rear end of the rod-shaped support 11, which end is on the right as shown in FIG. 1, by which handle portion a user can grip the interdental cleaner 10. A cleaning device 12 is attached to the rod-shaped support 11 at the front end axially opposite the handle portion 13, which end is on the left as shown in FIG. 1. The cleaning device 12 has a sleeve-like covering 14 for the support 11 and a bristle set 17. The covering 14 is made of a soft-elastic plastics material and is overmolded onto the support. The bristle set 17 is formed of a large number of bristle bundles 16 which, in the embodiment shown, extend radially to a longitudinal axis L of the support 11 and are all arranged next to one another in parallel at a distance from one another. However, other orientations and mutual arrangements of the bristle bundles are also possible.

[0032] Each bristle bundle extends through the support 11 and is embedded in the material of the support 11 and held therein. In addition, each bristle bundle 16 protrudes radially from the support 11 on diametrically opposite sides thereof.

[0033] A plurality of radially outwardly protruding and freely projecting fingers 15 are formed on the outside of the covering 14, which fingers are made of the same material as the covering 14 and are formed integrally therewith. The fingers 15 are in the shape of a radially outwardly tapering cone.

[0034] As shown in particular in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of recesses 18 are formed in the covering 14, which each extend in the radial direction as far as the support 11 and thus form a free space in the form of a hole in the covering 14.

[0035] As FIG. 3 shows, each bristle bundle 16 is assigned two corresponding recesses 18 in diametrically opposite sides of the support 11 and covering 14. The bristle bundle 16 extends through the recesses 18 and the support 11 without touching the covering 14, i.e., the bristle bundle 16 is arranged at a distance from the edge of the recess 18.

[0036] In the example shown in FIG. 2, each bristle bundle 16 is assigned two diametrically opposite recesses 18, i.e., only one bristle bundle 16 is arranged in each recess 18.

[0037] In the example according to FIG. 3, the recess 18 forms a free space in the covering 14. In a development of this embodiment, according to FIG. 4, radial extension pieces 11a are formed on the support 11 which each completely fill a recess 18. The outer surface of the extension pieces 11a smoothly and continuously transitions into the outer surface of the covering 14, as shown in FIG. 4. This results in a greater clamping length of the bristle bundle 16 in the support 11 and thus better retention of the bristle bundle 16.

[0038] In the example shown in FIG. 5, the extension piece 11a of the support 11 not only fills the recess 18 in the covering 14, but also even protrudes radially from the recess 18. In this way, the clamping length of the bristle bundle 16 in the material of the support 11 can be increased even further.

[0039] In the example shown in FIG. 2, just one single bristle bundle 16 is arranged in each recess 18. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which each recess 18 has an elongate shape extending in the longitudinal direction of the support 11, with two bristle bundles 16 being arranged in each recess 18 spaced apart from one another.

[0040] FIG. 7 shows an example according to FIG. 6 in which only two linear recesses 18 arranged on diametrically opposite sides of the covering 14 are formed, which recesses extend in a straight line in the longitudinal direction of the support 11. All bristle bundles 16 are arranged in the two linear recesses 18 at a distance from one another and at a distance from the edge of the recesses 18.

[0041] The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the following claims.