Toothbrush

Abstract

A toothbrush comprises bristle supporting elements in the head region thereof. The bristle supporting elements are arranged in an elastic manner relative to the neck region and in a bendable and twistable manner relative to one another by a foil-type hard film. Preferably, the foil-type hard film externally extends in a flush fashion around a top opening of the bristle supporting element.

1 . A toothbrush with a grip region and with a neck region which is contiguous to the grip region and which carries, opposite the grip region, a head region which has at least one bristle carrier element for the reception of bristles, the bristles emerging from at least one upper carrier element orifice toward a top side of the toothbrush, and the bristle carrier element being deflectable elastically with respect to the neck region, wherein the bristle carrier element ( 22 ) is connected elastically to the neck region via a sheet-like hard film consisting of a hard material, the sheet-like hard film extending at least in portions, flush on the outside, around the upper carrier element orifice. 
   
   
       2 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein measured between the top side and an opposite underside, the thickness of the sheet-like hard film is a lot smaller than the length of the bristle carrier element, and the thickness of the sheet-like hard film amounts to 0.08 mm to 0.6 mm. 
   
   
       3 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the wall thickness of the bristle carrier element corresponds to a minimum of 1 to 2 times, a maximum of 4 to 8 times, the thickness of the sheet-like hard film. 
   
   
       4 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bristle carrier element can be elastically angled, in particular at right angles to the top side, with respect to a longitudinal axis and/or a transverse axis of the head region and/or can be elastically rotated about an axis of the head region. 
   
   
       5 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the toothbrush has a plurality of bristle carrier elements which are connected to the neck region and, if appropriate, to one another via the sheet-like hard film and of which the deflection out of a unloaded position of rest is limited in each case by an adjacent bristle carrier element or adjacent bristle carrier elements, and the maximum deflection angle, measured between the mid-normal of the foremost upper carrier element orifice in the flat state and the mid-normal of the foremost upper carrier element orifice in the deflected state, amounts to 30° to 75°. 
   
   
       6 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bristle carrier element is of sleeve-like shape. 
   
   
       7 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 6 , wherein the bristles are melted with one another in their carrier element-side end region at a lower carrier element orifice, opposite the top side, of the bristle carrier element. 
   
   
       8 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bristle carrier element is of cup-like shape with a bottom and thereby forms a blindhole in which the bristles are fastened by means of anchors. 
   
   
       9 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bristle carrier element is designed to be exposed at least in portions toward the underside opposite the top side. 
   
   
       10 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein edges or recurring elements or structures are formed on the underside of the bristle carrier element in order to form a tongue scraper. 
   
   
       11 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bristle carrier element and the sheet-like hard film are produced from a single hard material. 
   
   
       12 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the hard material is a plastic not tending to brittle fractures, including polypropylene, polyester, polycyclohexanediamethanolterephthalate, polyethylene, polymethylmethacrylate, polyoxymethylene or polyamide and in addition to the bristle carrier element and the sheet-like hard film, further parts of the toothbrush consisting of the hard material are produced by means of injection-molding. 
   
   
       13 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a layer consisting of a further material is applied to the sheet-like hard film. 
   
   
       14 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the further material is a soft plastic material, including low density polyethylene, high density polyethylene, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, polyurethane or a thermoplastic elastomer. 
   
   
       15 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the layer thickness of the further material amounts to between 0.2 mm and 1 mm. 
   
   
       16 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the total thickness of the sheet-like hard film consisting of the hard material and of the further layer consisting of a soft material amounts to between 0.28 mm and 1.3 mm. 
   
   
       17 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the ratio of the layer thickness of the sheet-like hard film to the layer thickness of a soft material located above it and forming the further material layer amounts to 12.5:1 to 0.8:1. 
   
   
       18 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the further material layer is a soft material on the bristle carrier element that forms on the top side and/or on the opposite underside a bead which, if appropriate, is enlarged in the longitudinal direction of the bristles. 
   
   
       19 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the bristle carrier element has two to eighteen upper carrier element orifices. 
   
   
       20 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein elastomeric cleaning and/or massaging elements are arranged on the bristle carrier element. 
   
   
       21 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein the further material layer is of soft material and the elastomeric cleaning and/or massaging elements are manufactured with the same material and from the same injection-molding point. 
   
   
       22 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the top side of the head region has one or more curvatures, as seen from the top side. 
   
   
       23 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the thickness and the material of the sheet-like hard film are selected such that, under a force of 5N acting in the longitudinal direction of the bristles ( 16 ), the bristle carrier element is angled by the amount of 5 mm to 10 mm, with respect to its relieved position of rest in the direction of the acting force. 
   
   
       24 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein bending lines formed in the sheet-like hard film extend rectilinearly over only an inner portion of the head region and are angled or branched with respect to outer marginal portions of the latter. 
   
   
       25 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein a material bridge extending beyond the bristle carrier elements is formed on the underside of the head region. 
   
   
       26 . The toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the toothbrush is equipped with an electric drive device, by means of which can be driven an actuator, which acts on the bristle carrier element, and which deflects said bristle carrier element in order to assist the cleaning action. 
   
   
       27 . A method of producing a toothbrush as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein in the production of the toothbrush, an injection-molding pressure of more than 800 bar, prevails in a cavity of an injection-molding die for forming the toothbrush.