Interdental cleaner

Abstract

An interdental cleaner has a gripping portion (3) and a cleaning portion (4) formed by an elongate body made from a thermoplastic material. The cleaning portion (4) has a coating made of a self-adhesive, heat-vulcanized rubber material forming peripheral, flexible brush members (6).

1 . An interdental cleaner comprising a gripping portion and a cleaning portion, said interdental cleaner being formed by an elongate body, said elongate body being made from a thermoplastic material and said cleaning portion having a coating which comprises a heat-vulcanized rubber material and which forms peripheral, flexible brush members; wherein the elongate body includes a cleaning portion body which, when coated, forms said cleaning portion; wherein said cleaning portion body is tapering towards the free end of the same; and wherein said cleaning portion body comprises axial ridges and grooves. 
     
     
         2 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said rubber material comprises thermoset rubber. 
     
     
         3 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said rubber material has a Shore hardness in the range of 10-60 Shore A. 
     
     
         4 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material forming the elongate body is reinforced by glass fiber, carbon fiber, aramide fiber or minerals. 
     
     
         5 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 4 , wherein the fiber reinforcement comprises glass fiber in a proportion of 5-30% by weight. 
     
     
         6 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said thermoplastic material comprises amide plastics or polyester. 
     
     
         7 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said coating is also applied at least partially to said gripping portion. 
     
     
         8 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 7 , wherein the coating applied to the gripping portion forms a relief structure on the same. 
     
     
         9 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein said brush members are formed as peripheral brush flanges. 
     
     
         10 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the outer dimension of the brush flanges is gradually decreasing towards the free end of the cleaning portion. 
     
     
         11 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the outer periphery of the brush flanges forms a substantially circular shape. 
     
     
         12 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the brush flanges are spaced substantially equidistant along the cleaning portion. 
     
     
         13 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 9 , wherein the brush flanges are arranged in alternate pairs along the cleaning portion, first pairs having two brush flanges extending radially from the axis of the cleaning portion in a first opposite direction- and adjacent second pairs having two brush flanges extending radially from said axis in a second opposite direction, the angle between said directions being about 90°. 
     
     
         14 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 13 , wherein said ridges of the cleaning portion body ( 2   a ) protrude in radial directions which coincide with said first and second directions of the brush flanges. 
     
     
         15 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the gripping portion has a substantially rectangular cross section defining two opposite, substantially flat gripping surfaces and an outer rim extending along the outer periphery of the gripping portion. 
     
     
         16 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the gripping portion comprises a transition section which is tapered towards the cleaning portion. 
     
     
         17 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the axial length of the cleaning portion is in the range of 35-55% of the overall axial length of the interdental cleaner. 
     
     
         18 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 16 , wherein the axial length of the gripping portion including the tapered transition section is in the range of 45-65% of the overall axial length of the interdental cleaner. 
     
     
         19 . The interdental cleaner as claimed in  claim 18 , wherein the cross dimension of the cleaning portion at said free end constitutes about 40-50% of the cross dimension of the cleaning portion adjacent to the transition section. 
     
     
         20 . An interdental cleaner comprising a gripping portion and a cleaning portion, said interdental cleaner being formed by an elongate body, said elongate body being made from a thermoplastic material and said cleaning portion having a coating which comprises a heat-vulcanized rubber material and which forms peripheral, flexible brush members; wherein said heat-vulcanized rubber material comprises a thermoset silicone based rubber. 
     
     
         21 . An interdental cleaner comprising a gripping portion and a cleaning portion, said interdental cleaner being formed by an elongate body, said elongate body being made from a thermoplastic material and said cleaning portion having a coating which comprises a heat-vulcanized thermoset silicone rubber material and which forms peripheral, flexible brush members; wherein said thermoplastic material forming said elongate body is reinforced by fiber material or minerals. 
     
     
         22 . An interdental cleaner comprising a gripping portion and a cleaning portion, said interdental cleaner being formed by an elongate body, said elongate body being made from a thermoplastic material and said cleaning portion having a coating which comprises a heat-vulcanized rubber material and which forms peripheral, flexible brush members; wherein said brush members are formed as peripheral brush flanges, the outer dimension of which gradually decreasing towards the free end of the cleaning portion, and wherein the outer periphery of the brush flanges forms a substantially circular shape. 
     
     
         23 . An interdental cleaner comprising a gripping portion and a cleaning portion, said interdental cleaner being formed by an elongate body, said elongate body being made from a thermoplastic material and said cleaning portion having a coating which comprises a heat-vulcanized rubber material and which forms peripheral, flexible brush members; wherein the cleaning portion body is tapering towards the free end of the same and comprises axial ridges and grooves; wherein said brush members are formed as peripheral brush flanges, the outer dimension of which gradually decreasing towards the free end of the cleaning portion and forming a substantially circular shape; wherein the brush flanges are spaced substantially equidistant along the cleaning portion and are arranged in alternate pairs along the same, first pairs having two brush flanges extending radially from the axis of the cleaning portion in a first opposite direction and adjacent second pairs having two brush flanges extending radially from said axis in a second opposite direction, the angle between said directions being about 90°; and wherein said ridges of the cleaning portion body protrude in radial directions which coincide with said first and second directions of the brush flanges.