Moll Industries, Inc.

Anchor Advanced Products, Inc.

Other

Team Technologies, Inc.

Anchor Advance Products, Inc.

Lloyd A Etter

James R Collins

Kenan Bible

Carroll Buckner

Kenan Oris Bible

David E Harris

Edward W Sherman

Toby D Henderson

Craig Hidalgo

Donald Lindquist

Timothy Taylor

Dave Gierczak

Robert T Parkey

John Keith Ely

Ed Wilson

John Williams

A handle for use in production of brushes by fusion. The handle is injection molded with a set of pre-formed holes. Each hole contains, on its bottom surface, a protrusion of excess material. Bristles for the brush are heated to form a small fuse at their ends. When the fused ends are inserted into the holes, material from the protrusion flows around the fuses, retaining them in the holes upon cooling.

Handle configuration for brush production by fusion

A method of exerting a uniform force on bristle bundles in a clamp. Holes in a locking plate in a clamp are adjusted such that when the clamp is engaged, a specific force is exerted on the bristle bundles. The adjustment allows the holes to be displaced by different amounts for a given displacement of the locking plate.

Clamp for retaining bristle bundles of various sizes

An apparatus and method for producing brushes. The bristle bundles are loaded into a magazine which includes part of a cavity for an injection mold. The magazine is mated with the remainder of the injection mold and the brush handle injection molded around the bristles. The bristles may be profiled, trimmed, end-rounded, fused, or otherwise processed before the handle is injection molded. In addition, the handle of the brush may be formed in two injection molding steps of two different materials. An apparatus is taught which enables the brush to be produced, optionally ornamented, and packaged on a single machine.

Apparatus and method for producing brushware by injection molding

A method and apparatus for feeding bristle bundle material into a magazine. The magazine is used in the production of brushes in which not all the bristle bundles extend in the same direction from the face of the brush. The feed apparatus for guiding the bristle bundle material from a supply to the magazine includes a number of transition plates having channels machined at an oblique angle to the surface of the plate. The plates each guide the bristle bundle material through a small angle; the assembled plates can guide the material through a large total angle so that the angle at which the bristle bundles enter the magazine is the same as the angle the bristles will have with respect to the brush.

Method of bristle insertion for brush production

An apparatus for end-rounding bristles in a brush having different heights. The apparatus includes pins disposed in pre-determined locations such that they will contact selected bristles in a brush abutting the apparatus when the pins travel a two-dimensional path. The height of the pins is adjusted according to the heights of the selected bristles.

Method and apparatus for end-rounding bristles

Handle Configuration for brush production by fusion

Set of bristles for a brush

A dental floss for cleaning food particles and other material from between teeth. The dental floss includes a single strand of nylon material having a thickness of about 0.001 inches to about 0.003 inches and a width from about 0.025 inches to about 0.100 inches and has a tensile strength of about 31/2 pounds to about 25 pounds. The strand is extruded at relatively low temperatures which permits it to be readily colored and flavored. Further, it may be extruded into a plurality of shapes which may be chosen to enhance user comfort. The single strand of nylon material may include about 2% to about 20%, by weight, of a colorant; about 0.1% to about 3%, by weight, of a lubricant; about 0.1% to about 1%, by weight, of a plasticizer; or about 5% to about 30%, by weight, of a flavorant, fragrance, or combination of both.

Monofilament nylon dental floss

A PTFE dental floss, filled with wax, and having no wax coating, which provides reduced likelihood of fraying and superior lubricity.

Wax filled dental floss

A braided dental floss having increased tensile strength, reduced likelihood of fraying and improved cleaning comprising multiple braided threads of nylon, polyester, polyethylene, PFA, PTFE, Dacron.RTM., polypropylene or mixtures thereof.

Growing community of inventors

Morristown, TN, United States of America

Lloyd A Etter