Hole perforation plate for manufacturing of a toothbrush head and part thereof

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a toothbrush head or a part thereof comprises steps of providing a plurality of bristle tufts; providing a hole perforation plate comprising a front surface, a back surface, a thickness therebetween, and a plurality of holes grouped into a plurality of hole arrangements, wherein the front surface is uneven in an area of the hole arrangement; pushing the bristle tufts through the holes; and fusing ends of the bristle tufts at the back surface of the plate by application of thermal energy, thereby forming a plurality of fuse balls that are larger than the holes of the plate; and mounting the plate with the plurality of bristle tufts into a brush head.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for manufacturing a toothbrush head or a part thereof, the method comprising steps of:
 providing a plurality of bristle tufts having a first end intended for cleaning and a second end opposite to the first end;   providing a hole perforation plate comprising a front surface, a back surface, a thickness (D) therebetween, and a plurality of holes grouped into a plurality of hole arrangements, wherein the front surface is uneven in an area of the hole arrangements;   pushing the bristle tufts through the holes of the hole perforation plate; and   fusing the second ends of the bristle tufts at the back surface of the hole perforation plate by applying thermal energy, thereby forming a plurality of fuse balls that are larger than the holes of the hole perforation plate; and   mounting the hole perforation plate with the plurality of bristle tufts into a brush head.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the plurality of hole arrangements are identical to one another with respect to at least one of a number of the holes, a shape of the holes, a size of the holes, and a distance between the holes. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the plurality of hole arrangements are different from one another with respect to at least one of a number of the holes, a shape of the holes, a size of the holes, and a distance between the holes. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of combining the fuse balls with the hole perforation plate by applying thermal energy or ultrasound welding. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of over-molding the fuse balls with a plastic material. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein a position of at least one bristle tuft in the hole perforation plate during the step of over-molding is different from a position of said at least one bristle tuft in the hole perforation plate during the step of fusing. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the at least one bristle tuft extends from the front surface of the hole perforation plate during the step of over-molding less than said at least one bristle tuft extends therefrom during the step of fusing. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein a number of holes in one hole arrangement is selected from the group consisting of a number of from 1 to 60, a number of from 15 to 40, a number of from 15 to 35, and a number of from 15 to 30. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the holes are selected from the group consisting of through-holes structured and configured to receive bristle tufts and blind holes structured and configured to receive elastomeric cleaning elements. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the holes have shapes selected from the group consisting of a round shape, an oval shape, a half-round shape, a sickle shape, an elliptic shape, an elongate shape, and angled shape, a quadrangular shape, a trapezoidal shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, a heptagonal shape, an octagonal shape, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the holes have a size selected from the group consisting of a size of from 0.6 mm 2  to 3 mm 2 , a size of from 1.0 mm 2  to 2.0 mm 2 , and a size of about 1.5 mm 2 . 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein a distance between adjacent holes in the hole perforation plate is selected from a group consisting of a distance of from 0.2 mm to 2 mm, a distance of from 0.4 mm to 1.8 mm, and a distance of from 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate made of a material selected from the group consisting of metal, metal alloys, heat-resistant plastic, ceramic, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the hole perforation plate comprises at least a first layer made from a first material and a second layer made from a second material, the first material being more heat-resistant than the second material. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the first layer comprises the front surface of the hole perforation plate and the second layer comprises the back surface of the hole perforation plate. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the thickness (D) is selected from the group consisting of a thickness of from 5 mm to 20 mm, and a thickness of from 6 mm to 14 mm. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the holes of at least one hole arrangement are located at different levels of the hole perforation plate. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the front surface has a convex shape in an area of at least one hole arrangement. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate wherein the front surface comprises a central depression in an area of at least one hole arrangement, and wherein the central depression includes at least one hole. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising a step of providing a stopper plate combinable with the back surface of the hole perforation plate, wherein the stopper plate has a surface selected from the group consisting of a flat surface and a surface comprising protrusions corresponding in form and shape to the hole arrangements of the hole perforation plate. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the step of providing a hole perforation plate comprises providing the hole perforation plate that is a part of a mold.