Novel device

Abstract

A toothbrush head with plural tufts of bristles comprising tapered bristles and plural non-tapered bristles. Tufts containing tapered bristles are arranged along the widthways opposite outermost sides of the tuft pattern and are of a greater length than inner tufts which contain non tapering bristles.

1 . A toothbrush head connected to or connectable to a toothbrush grip handle to thereby define a head—grip handle longitudinal direction, the head being elongate in the longitudinal direction and having a width direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the head having a bristle surface from which plural tufts of bristles extend in a bristle direction, the bristles being arranged in plural tufts each of which contains plural bristles, the bristles comprising plural tapered bristles and plural non-tapered bristles;
 characterised in that the plural bristle tufts are arranged in a pattern on the bristle surface comprising plural outer tufts containing tapered bristles and arranged along the widthways opposite outermost sides of the tuft pattern and being of a first greater length,   and widthways between the plural outer tufts being plural inner tufts containing non tapering bristles and being of a second lesser length.   
     
     
         2 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1 , wherein all of the plural outer tufts contain tapered bristles. 
     
     
         3 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1 , wherein all tufts which contain tapered bristles are entirely composed of tapered bristles. 
     
     
         4 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein all of the outer tufts are of the first greater length. 
     
     
         5 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein all of the inner tufts contain non-tapered bristles. 
     
     
         5 . A toothbrush head according to any one of  claims 1  wherein all of the inner tufts are composed entirely of non-tapered bristles. 
     
     
         6 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein all of the inner tufts are of the second lesser length. 
     
     
         7 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein the outer tufts are arranged in a line substantially equidistant from the widthways edge of the bristle surface. 
     
     
         8 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein tufts containing tapered bristles of the first greater length are located adjacent to the end of the bristle surface longitudinally remote from the grip handle. 
     
     
         9 . A toothbrush head according  claim 1  wherein tufts containing tapered bristles of the first greater length are located adjacent to the position of the toothbrush head at which the head is to be connected to the grip handle. 
     
     
         10 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein the difference between the first greater length and the second lesser length is in the range 1-5 mm. 
     
     
         11 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein the toothbrush comprises a unitary block of a plastic material into which the tufts are fastened. 
     
     
         12 . A toothbrush head according to  claim 1  wherein the toothbrush head has a construction in which a section of the head which is relatively closer to the end of the head remote from the grip handle is resiliently and flexibly linked to a section of the toothbrush head which is relatively closer to the grip handle. 
     
     
         13 . A toothbrush head according to clam  1  wherein the toothbrush head has a construction in the form of three or more longitudinally elongate sections disposed widthways adjacent across the toothbrush head, each section being flexibly linked to the handle, and being in the form of two widthways oppositely disposed outer sections with at least one middle section disposed widthways between said outer sections, each section independently resiliently moveable relative to a widthways adjacent section, the plural outer tufts containing tapered bristles of the first greater length being disposed on the two widthways oppositely disposed outer sections, and the plural inner tufts containing non tapering bristles and being of a second lesser length being disposed on the at least one inner section. 
     
     
         14 . A toothbrush comprising a grip handle connected to a toothbrush head as claimed in  claim 1 .