BRUSH HEAD BRISTLE CONFIGURATION

Abstract

An example device includes a brush head configuration and a brush handle, and the brush head surface area includes exterior bristle arrays disposed on an exterior portion of the brush head surface area, and interior bristle arrays disposed on an interior portion of the brush head surface area, and each bristle of the interior bristle arrays has a different diameter size than each bristle of the exterior bristle arrays.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising: a brush handle; and a brush head connected to the brush handle, wherein a brush head surface area comprises a plurality of exterior bristle arrays disposed on an exterior portion of the brush head surface area; and a plurality of interior bristle arrays disposed on an interior portion of the brush head surface area, wherein each bristle of the interior bristle arrays has a different diameter size than each bristle of the exterior bristle arrays.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each bristle of the interior bristle arrays has a diameter size that is larger than a diameter size of each bristle of the exterior bristle arrays.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each bristle of the interior bristle arrays has a diameter size that is smaller than a diameter size of each bristle of the exterior bristle arrays.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the exterior bristle arrays is disposed contiguous with two interior bristle arrays.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interior bristle arrays comprise two interior bristle arrays disposed in a center portion of the brush head surface area and two interior bristle arrays disposed on far ends of the center portion of the brush head surface area.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the interior bristle arrays comprise a plurality of bristles arranged in a hexagonal shape.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the exterior bristle arrays each comprise a plurality of bristles arranged in a pentagon configuration.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a portion of the exterior bristle arrays are a first type of pentagon configuration and a portion of the exterior bristle arrays are second type of pentagon configuration that is different from the first type of pentagon configuration.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the interior bristle arrays is larger than a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the first type of pentagon configuration, and wherein a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the second type of pentagon configuration is smaller than the surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the first type of pentagon configuration.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the interior bristle arrays comprises a majority of bristles which have a larger height than a height of a majority of bristles in one or more of the exterior bristle arrays.

11. An apparatus comprising: a brush handle; and a brush head connected to the brush handle, wherein a brush head surface area comprises a plurality of exterior bristle arrays disposed on an exterior portion of the brush head surface area; and a plurality of interior bristle arrays disposed on an interior portion of the brush head surface area, wherein each of the interior bristle arrays has a larger number of bristles than each of the exterior bristle arrays, and wherein bristle diameter sizes of at least two of the interior bristle arrays are the same size and are a different size than a bristle diameter of at least two of the exterior bristle arrays.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the exterior bristle arrays is disposed contiguous with two interior bristle arrays.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the interior bristle arrays comprise two interior bristle arrays disposed in a center portion of the brush head surface area and two interior bristle arrays disposed on far ends of the center portion of the brush head surface area.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the interior bristle arrays comprise a plurality of bristles arranged in a hexagonal shape.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the exterior bristle arrays each comprise a plurality of bristles arranged in a pentagon configuration.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein a portion of the exterior bristle arrays are a first type of pentagon configuration and a portion of the exterior bristle arrays are second type of pentagon configuration that is different from the first type of pentagon configuration.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the interior bristle arrays is larger than a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the first type of pentagon configuration, and wherein a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the second type of pentagon configuration is smaller than the surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the first type of pentagon configuration.

18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the interior bristle arrays comprises a majority of bristles which have a larger height than a height of a majority of bristles in one or more of the exterior bristle arrays.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an angled perspective of a brush head identifying the various sections of bristle arrays according to example embodiments.

[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates an angled perspective of a brush head identifying the various sections of bristle arrays and corresponding top configurations of bristle arrays according to example embodiments.

[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates a top perspective of a brush head identifying the various sections of bristle arrays according to example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0009] It will be readily understood that the components of the present application, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments, as represented in the attached figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the application as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application.

[0010] The features, structures, or characteristics of the application described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases example embodiments, some embodiments, or other similar language, throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in one or more embodiment of the present application. Thus, appearances of the phrases example embodiments, in some embodiments, in other embodiments, or other similar language, throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same group of embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates an angled perspective view of a brush head identifying the various sections of bristle arrays according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 1, the brush 100 includes a brush head portion 114 with a number of sections of bristle arrays. The top portion 114 of the brush generally has a wider cross-section than a corresponding brush handle 112. The brush may be a toothbrush, cleaning brush or similar type of brush used for a variety of purposes.

[0012] The example in FIG. 1 includes 10 sections of bristle arrays 122-144. The center bristle arrays 122, 132, 142 and 144 are located along a center axis that runs parallel to the brush handle 112 with two of the center bristle arrays 142 and 144 in a center portion of the brush head 114 and two of the center bristle arrays 122 and 132 on the outside portion of the center axis. Each section of the center bristle arrays has a hexagon shape that defines an area where the bristle arrays are disposed on the brush head. The bristles may be affixed to the brush head 114 by adhesive, a melting process and/or any combination of bonding procedures known to those skilled in the art. The outside bristle arrays include 124, 126, 128, 134, 136 and 138. The shape of the outside bristle arrays may be a five-sided polygon which varies in shape. The two center outside bristle arrays 126 and 136 may have a first five-sided shape configuration and the remaining outside bristle arrays 124, 128, 134 and 138 may have another five-sided shape configuration that is different from that of outside bristle arrays 126 and 136 (see the top perspective of FIG. 3). In one example, the center outside bristle arrays 126 and 136 may have a peak at a center portion of the bristle array. The remaining outside bristle arrays may have a peak that is off-center of the bristle array

[0013] The diameter sizes of the bristles in the various bristle arrays may vary. In one example, each of the bristles in the outside bristle arrays 124, 126, 128, 134, 136 and 138 may have a diameter that is larger than each of the bristles of the center bristle arrays 122, 142, 144 and 132. The height of the bristles in the center bristle arrays 122, 142, 144 and 132 may be taller than the bristle heights of the outside bristle arrays 124, 128, 134 and 138. In another example, the majority of the bristles in the center bristle arrays 122, 142, 144 and 132 may be taller than a majority of bristle heights of bristles included in the outside bristle arrays 124, 128, 134 and 138. As may be observed by the varying slopes on the top portions of the bristle arrays of FIG. 2, each array may have a variety of bristle heights in any one of the individual bristle arrays.

[0014] In another example, each of the bristles in the outside bristle arrays 124, 126, 128, 134, 136 and 138, and the two center bristle arrays 122 and 132 which are disposed on the far ends of the center bristle arrays may have a diameter that is larger than each of the bristles of the center bristle arrays 142 and 144. This may provide the user of the brush with a softer and less rigorous brushing experience when the center of the brush head has bristles with smaller diameters since those smaller bristles tend to perform less aggressive brushing against a surface.

[0015] In a reverse example, the center bristle arrays 142 and 144 may have bristle sizes which are larger in diameter than the diameters of the other bristles in bristle arrays 122, 124, 126, 128, 132, 134, 136 and 138. In a different reverse example, the center bristle arrays 142, 144 and 122 and 132 may have bristle sizes which are larger in diameter than the diameters of the other bristles in bristle arrays 124, 126, 128, 134, 136 and 138.

[0016] One example of bristle diameter sizes may be approximately 0.157 millimeters (mm) for the larger bristle diameters and approximately 0.127 mm for the smaller bristle diameters. Another example of bristle diameter sizes may be that the larger bristles have a diameter that is between 5 percent and 50 percent larger than the smaller bristles. A bristle composition may be a Poly-Butylene Telephthalate composition (PBT) or other plastic materials.

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an angled perspective of a brush head identifying the various sections of bristle arrays and corresponding top configurations according to example embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2, the tops of the bristles are labeled and like numerals correspond to like bristle arrays. As may be observed from FIG. 2, the tops portions 234, 238, 228 and 224 of bristle arrays 134, 138, 128 and 124 have similar bristle height configurations which include two collectively create sloped top surfaces which meet in a low point or valley near the center of those bristle arrays. The top portions 232 and 222 of the exterior center bristle arrays 132 and 122 are hexagons with consistently sloped top bristle surfaces which slope inward towards the center of the brush head 114. The tops portions 236 and 226 of bristle arrays 136 and 126 are peaks with two sloped surfaces of bristles on either side of the peaks. Lastly, the top portions 244 and 242 of the center bristle arrays are pyramid-shaped with a peak at the center or a location near the center with four sides of bristles sloped downward.

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates a top perspective of a brush head identifying the various sections of bristle arrays according to example embodiments. As may be observed from FIG. 3, the four hexagon shaped bristle arrays 122, 132, 144 and 142 are arranged in a row centered with the brush handle 112. The six other bristle arrays 124, 126, 128, 134, 136 and 138 are disposed on an exterior area of the brush head 114 and are not hexagonal but resemble a portion of a hexagon and may be considered pentagons or five sided polygons. Ideally, the bristles in the center bristle arrays 122, 132, 144 and 142 will have a smaller diameter than the bristles in the outside bristle arrays 124, 126, 128, 134, 136 and 138. Another example may have only the bristles in the center bristle arrays 144 and 142 as having smaller diameters than all other bristles in the other bristle arrays.

[0019] In another example the height of the bristles in the bristle arrays 142 and 144 may be taller than all the bristles of bristle arrays 124, 128, 134 and 138. In another example the height of the majority of bristles in the bristle arrays 142 and 144 may be taller than the majority of bristles of bristle arrays 124, 128, 134 and 138. In another example the height of the majority of bristles in the bristle arrays 142 and 144 may be taller than the majority of bristles of bristle arrays 122 and 132.

[0020] An example embodiment may include an apparatus that includes a brush handle, and a brush head connected to the brush handle, and a brush head surface area may include a plurality of exterior bristle arrays disposed on an exterior portion of the brush head surface area. FIG. 1 illustrates six exterior bristle arrays 124, 126, 128, 134, 136 and 138 and four internal bristle arrays 122, 132, 142 and 144. Even though two of the internal bristle arrays 122 and 132 are not internally disposed like 142 and 144, they are still referred to as internal bristle arrays, or more specifically far end internal bristle arrays.

[0021] The example embodiment may also include a plurality of interior bristle arrays disposed on an interior portion of the brush head surface area, and each bristle of the interior bristle arrays may have a different diameter size than each bristle of the exterior bristle arrays. Each bristle of the interior bristle arrays may have a diameter size that is larger than a diameter size of each bristle of the exterior bristle arrays. Alternatively, each bristle of the interior bristle arrays may have a diameter size that is smaller than a diameter size of each bristle of the exterior bristle arrays. Each of the exterior bristle arrays may be disposed contiguous with two interior bristle arrays, for example, exterior bristle array 128 is contiguous with internal bristle arrays 132 and 144, which means they are next to one another. All bristle arrays are separated by a line of space of a surface area of the brush head. The interior bristle arrays may include two interior bristle arrays disposed in a center portion of the brush head surface area and two interior bristle arrays disposed on far ends of the center portion of the brush head surface area. The interior bristle arrays may include a plurality of bristles arranged in a hexagonal shape. The exterior bristle arrays each include a plurality of bristles arranged in a pentagon configuration. A portion of the exterior bristle arrays are a first type of pentagon configuration, such as the arrays in 126 and 136, where the peak is in a center portion of the pentagon, and a portion of the exterior bristle arrays are a second type of pentagon configuration that is different from the first type of pentagon configuration, such as the arrays in 128, 134, 124 and 138, which have five different sized sides.

[0022] A surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the interior bristle arrays may be larger than a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the first type of pentagon configuration, and a surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the second type of pentagon configuration may be smaller than the surface area of the brush head consumed by one of the exterior bristle arrays having the first type of pentagon configuration. Each of the interior bristle arrays may include a majority of bristles which have a larger height than a height of a majority of bristles in one or more of the exterior bristle arrays.

[0023] Another example embodiment may include an apparatus that includes a brush handle, and a brush head connected to the brush handle, and a brush head surface area includes a plurality of exterior bristle arrays disposed on an exterior portion of the brush head surface area, and a plurality of interior bristle arrays disposed on an interior portion of the brush head surface area, and each of the interior bristle arrays has a larger number of bristles than each of the exterior bristle arrays, and each of the bristle diameter sizes of at least two of the interior bristle arrays are the same size and are a different size than a bristle diameter of at least two of the exterior bristle arrays.

[0024] It will be readily understood that the components of the application, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the detailed description of the embodiments is not intended to limit the scope of the application as claimed, but is merely representative of selected embodiments of the application. A number of bristles per bristle array may vary and may be between 10-100.

[0025] One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the application as discussed above may be practiced with hardware elements in configurations that are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although the application has been described based upon these preferred embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the application. In order to determine the metes and bounds of the application, therefore, reference should be made to the appended claims.

[0026] While preferred embodiments of the present application have been described, it is to be understood that the embodiments described are illustrative only and the scope of the application is to be defined solely by the appended claims when considered with a full range of equivalents and modifications thereto.