Abstract: A personal care implement comprises a head and a handle, the head being repeatedly attachable to and detachable from the handle. The personal care implement exhibits a sound when the head gets attached to or detached from the handle, thereby providing a signal of secure attachment or detachment. The sound is characterized by a tonal component of about 4000 Hz to about 6000 Hz, preferably over a time length of about 0.1 s to about 0.3 s, on a tonality frequency vs. time analysis.

Abstract: An oral-care implement comprises a carrier plate and a support plate. Each of the carrier plate and the support plate has a back side and a front side opposite the back side. At least one cleaning element extends from the front side of the carrier plate. The back side of the carrier plate is secured to the front side of the support plate with a plastic material that is molded around at least a portion of the back side of the support plate and over at least a portion of the carrier and that fills a channel formed by a recess in at least one of the back side of the carrier plate and the front side of the support plate, thereby providing a non-detachable connection between the carrier plate and the support plate.

Abstract: A method for manufacturing a handle for an electrically operated personal care implement comprises the following steps: providing a metal tube housing having a metal wall with an opening therein and an inner surface defining an inner cavity for accommodating an energy source; providing a hard switch component comprising a frame with a recess; attaching the frame of the hard switch component to the inner surface of the metal wall, the frame surrounding the opening and providing an undercut between the recess and the inner surface, the undercut being open towards the opening; and at least partially over-molding the opening to form a soft switch component in the undercut, thereby forming with the hard switch component a switch assembly for activating the energy source, the switch assembly sealing the opening from the inner surface of the metal wall.

Abstract: A manual toothbrush comprises a disposable head and a reusable handle. The head is structured and configured to be repeatedly attached to and detached from the handle. The head comprises a material having a density from about 0.5 g/cm3 to about 1.2 g/cm3, while the handle comprises a material having a density from about 2.1 g/cm3 to about 3.1 g/cm3. The handle has a proximal end and a distal end opposite to the proximal end, the proximal end being adjacent to the head when the head is attached to the handle. The handle comprises a concave portion configured to define a thumb rest adjacent to the proximal end.

Abstract: A manual toothbrush, including a disposable head comprising a thermoplastic material and a reusable handle comprising an aluminum material, has a center of gravity, a longitudinal axis, and mutually opposite front and back sides. The handle has a proximal end, which is adjacent to the head when the head is attached to the handle, and a distal end opposite thereto. The center of gravity lies within the handle even when the brush head is loaded with toothpaste, wherein the center of gravity is arranged at or in close proximity to the pivot point of a wrist joint of a user brushing teeth, which arrangement facilitates precise and accurate brushing movements by the user. The handle's proximal end terminates with a chamfered surface, wherein the chamfered surface and a cross-sectional area perpendicular to the axis form therebetween an angle ? from about 15° to about 30° such that one of the front side and the back side of the handle is shorter than the other.

Abstract: A manual toothbrush, having a front side and a back side, includes a disposable head comprising a head material and a reusable handle comprising a handle material that is different from the head material. The head is to be repeatedly attached to and detached from the handle by being moved relative to the handle in a direction substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis. The head includes a head material having a head-material density, and the handle includes a handle material having a handle-material density, wherein the handle-material density is greater than the head-material density. The toothbrush is structured and configured so that when the toothbrush is placed on its back side on a substantially planar surface, the toothbrush remains on its back side in a balanced position—and when the toothbrush is thereafter moved out of said balanced position, the toothbrush automatically returns to the balanced position.

Abstract: A head for an oral care implement comprises at least one tooth cleaning element of a first type and at least one tooth cleaning element of a second type. The at least one tooth cleaning element of the first type has a length extension along a longitudinal axis being about 1 mm to about 2 mm longer than the length extension of the at least one tooth cleaning element of the second type along its longitudinal axis. The at least one tooth cleaning element of the first type is a tuft of a first type comprising a plurality of filaments. Each filament has a longitudinal axis and a substantially cross-shaped cross-sectional area extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The cross-shaped cross-sectional area has four projections and four channels, the projections and channels being arranged in an alternating manner. The at least one tuft of the first type has a packing factor within a range from about 40% to about 55%, preferably from about 45% to about 50%.

Abstract: An oral care implement comprises a head and a handle, the head being repeatedly attachable to and detachable from the handle. The head is made from a non-magnetic and/or non-ferromagnetic material, while the handle is at least partially made from a magnetic and/or ferromagnetic material.

Abstract: A head for an oral care implement has an outer rim and an inner portion and comprises at least one tooth cleaning element of a first type and at least one tooth cleaning element of a second type. The at least one tooth cleaning element of the first type is arranged at the inner portion of the head, and the at least one tooth cleaning element of the second type is arranged at the outer rim of the head. The at least one tooth cleaning element of the first type is a tuft of a first type comprising a plurality of filaments. Each filament has a longitudinal axis and a substantially cross-shaped cross-sectional area extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The cross-shaped cross-sectional area has four projections and four channels, the projections and channels being arranged in an alternating manner. The at least one tuft of the first type has a packing factor within a range from about 40% to about 55%, preferably from about 45% to about 50%.

Abstract: A filament for an oral care implement has a longitudinal axis and a substantially cross-shaped cross-sectional area extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The cross-shaped cross-sectional area has four projections and four channels, the projections and channels are arranged in an alternating manner. The cross-sectional area has an outer diameter, and each channel has a concave curvature formed by neighboring and converging projections. The concave curvature has a radius which is within a range from about 0.015 mm to about 0.12 mm, and the ratio of the outer diameter to the radius is within a range from about 2.5 to about 12.

Abstract: A tuft for an oral care implement comprises a plurality of filaments. Each filament has a longitudinal axis and a substantially cross-shaped cross-sectional area extending in a plane substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The cross-shaped cross-sectional area has four projections and four channels, and the projections and channels are arranged in an alternating manner. Each channel has a concave curvature formed by neighboring and converging projections. The concave curvature has a radius, and the radius of the concave curvature of the channel is within a range from about 0.025 mm to about 0.10 mm. The tuft has a packing factor within a range from about 40% to about 55%.

Abstract: An oral care implement comprises a head and a handle, the head being repeatedly attachable to and detachable from the handle. The head is made from a non-magnetic and/or non-ferromagnetic material, while the handle is at least partially made from a magnetic and/or ferromagnetic material.

Abstract: A head for an oral care implement comprises a mounting surface and at least one tuft extending from the mounting surface. The tuft comprises a first group of filaments and at least a second group of filaments. The first group of filaments is surrounded by the second group of filaments. The filaments of the first group have a first length and the filaments of the second group have a second length, the first length being different from the second length. The difference in length between the first length and the second length is about 1.1 mm to about 1.9 mm.

Abstract: A head for an oral care implement has a longitudinal length extension extending between a proximal end and a distal end, an outer rim and an inner portion. The head comprises at least two tooth cleaning elements of a first type and a plurality of tooth cleaning elements of a second type, the tooth cleaning elements of the first type being arranged at the inner portion of the head, and the plurality of tooth cleaning elements of the second type being arranged at the outer rim of the head, thereby surrounding the tooth cleaning elements of the first type. The tooth cleaning elements of the first type are tufts of a first type comprising a plurality of filaments. The tufts of the first type are arranged substantially parallel to each other. Each tuft has a substantially rectangular or oval cross-sectional shape with a longer length extension from about 4 mm to about 8 mm and a shorter width extension from about 1.5 mm to about 2.

Abstract: A head for an oral care implement comprises a mounting surface and at least one tuft extending from the mounting surface. The tuft comprises a first group of filaments and at least a second group of filaments. The first group of filaments is surrounded by the second group of filaments. The filaments of the first group have a first length and the filaments of the second group have a second length, the first length being different from the second length. The difference in length between the first length and the second length is about 1.1 mm to about 1.9 mm.

Abstract: An injection-molding process and an apparatus for making a multi-component hollow article, and the article made thereby. The process comprises molding, from a first plastic material, a hollow body having a wall with at least one vent therethrough and at least one flap molded in an area adjacent to the vent. The flap is molded in a first position in which the vent is open. The flap is hingedly movable from the first position to a second position in which the vent is closed by the flap. After the flap is folded into the second position, the hollow body, including the folded flap, is at least partially overmolded with a second plastic material, wherein the second material is essentially precluded from leaking into the hollow body through the vent. The apparatus comprises a first mold bar for molding a hollow body, a second mold bar for overmolding the hollow body with a second plastic material, and a closing tool for moving, and optionally retaining, the flap in the second position.

Abstract: A tuft picker for a tuft-picking device has a working surface having a tuft-picking notch with a depth, a width, and an opening. First and second projections reduce the opening of the notch versus an inner width. At least one top of the first and/or second projection is located off-site the working surface of the tuft picker and inside of the notch. A distance from the at least one top to the working surface of the tuft picker is in the range of from 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm, and an angle between the working surface of the tuft picker and a line of reflection symmetry crossing the at least one top is from 1° to 45°.

Abstract: A connector for repeatedly attaching and detaching a head to and from a handle of a manual oral care implement has an outer surface and a recess. The recess forms a cavity within the connector, wherein the cavity comprises a spring-loaded ball-snap element, the element comprising a ball and a spring, the spring applying a radial force onto the ball in a direction towards the outer surface of the connector.