JP2009518250A - Tapered filament container - Google Patents

Abstract

  The present invention provides a multi-compartmented container (10) made from a thermoplastic material for packaging a bundle of tapered filaments. The container has a lower receiving section (12) comprising a plurality of wells (18) and a cover (14) comprising wells (20) corresponding to the wells (18) in the receiving section. The receiving section well (18) includes ribs (26) that help guide the filament bundle into the well. The container allows for easy handling of the filament during packaging and holds the filament firmly during transport to reduce filament damage.

Description

  The present invention relates to a container for packaging a bundle of filaments, and more particularly to a plastic container for packaging a plurality of bundled tapered filaments.

  Tapered filament applications are primarily toothbrushes, paint brushes, and makeup brushes. Tapered filaments are particularly useful for toothbrushes. The tapered tip can reach difficult areas such as interdental recesses and transition areas from gingiva to teeth. Tapered filaments remove plaque from these hard-to-reach areas more effectively than untapered filaments.

  Current practice for packaging tapered filaments is to wind the bundle of filaments optionally with a rubber band, then wind the bundle with a paper strip and secure the wound bundle with a rubber band. Next, the wound bundle is packed in a paper pouch. The paper pouch is packed in a paper container, and the paper containers are stacked in a carton. This packaging means is insufficient for tapered filaments. The end of the tapered filament is sensitive to very small forces and is easily broken or bent. The filament ends are not protected with current packaging. Furthermore, the slippery surface of the filament makes it difficult to handle the bundle during packing and unpacking, increasing the likelihood of breakage or damage.

  Thus, packaging a bundle of tipped filaments that provides for easy handling of the bundle, and thus holds the bundle firmly while reducing the likelihood of damage or breakage of the filament. It would be desirable to have an improved container for.

  Briefly, and according to one aspect of the present invention, an improved multi-compartmentalized container for holding a bundle of filaments, comprising: a receiving section having a plurality of wells; And an improved multi-compartmented container including a cover for. The cover can have a plurality of wells and the open ends of the wells are aligned with the openings of the plurality of wells in the receiving section to form a container for the filament bundle.

  In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an improved container for filament bundles formed by vacuum forming, thermoforming, or injection molding is provided.

  According to another aspect of the invention, from a multi-compartmental container for holding a bundle of filaments, the multi-compartmental container comprising a receiving section having a plurality of wells and a cover for the receiving section. A method for removing a tapered filament bundle is provided. The cover holds a filament (eg, fiber) bundle when the cover is in place, with the open end of each of the plurality of wells in the cover aligned with the open end of the corresponding well in the receiving section The array includes a plurality of wells so as to form a container for doing so. When the cover is closed over the receiving section, the filament bundle matches the depth of the cover well and the corresponding receiving section well.

  The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

  While the invention will be described in conjunction with its preferred embodiments, it will be understood that it is not intended to limit the invention to that embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

(Definition)
The following definitions are provided for reference according to how they are used in the context of this specification and the appended claims.

  The term “well” as used herein refers to a compartment or recessed area.

  The term “cover well” as used herein refers to a well in the cover.

  The term “receiving well” as used herein refers to a well within a receiving section.

  The term “tip-processed” as used herein refers to chemically or mechanically tapered or rounded filaments where the filament diameter gradually decreases the closer to the end of the filament. Show.

  The term “array” as used herein refers to a rectangular array of rows and columns.

  The term “PET” as used herein refers to poly (ethylene terephthalate).

  The term “PETG” as used herein refers to poly (1,4-cyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate-co-isophthalate).

  The term “HIPS” as used herein refers to high impact polystyrene.

  The term “OPS” as used herein refers to expanded polystyrene.

  The term “PVC” as used herein refers to polyvinyl chloride.

  The term “PC” as used herein refers to polycarbonate.

  The term “PMMA” as used herein refers to poly (methyl methacrylate).

  The term “PP” as used herein refers to polypropylene.

  The term “rib” as used herein refers to a long, narrow member protruding from the surface of the well that serves to guide the filament bundle as it is inserted into the well.

  The term “bundle” as used herein refers to a group of filaments held together for convenient handling.

  The term “multi-compartmental” as used herein indicates including at least two separate recessed areas for holding the filament bundle.

  The term “mm” as used herein indicates millimeters.

  A container according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a multi-compartmented container for packaging a bundle of tapered filaments having a lower receiving section and a cover. The receiving section has a plurality of wells. Typically, the number of wells in the receiving section depends on the size of the bundle to be packaged and the number of bundles. Typically, the wells in the receiving section are arranged in an array (ie, a well-aligned and aligned alignment). The cover may or may not include wells depending on the length of the bundle and the depth of the wells in the receiving section.

  If the cover also includes a well, the cover well is a container for fiber bundles when the cover is in place, with the open end of each well in the cover aligned with the open end of the well in the receiving section It is an array that forms

  Multi-compartmented containers can be made from thermoplastic polymers. Preferably, the thermoplastic resin is selected from PET, PETG, HIPS, OPS, PVC, PC, PMMA, and PP. One particular type of HIPS that can be used is transparent HIPS manufactured by K-resin®, Phillips 66. Multi-compartment containers can be formed in a variety of ways including vacuum forming, thermoforming, or injection molding.

  Reference will now be made to the drawings for a detailed description of the invention.

  Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which shows a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a filament container 10 according to the present invention. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 generally defines a rectangular container having a lower receiving section 12 that includes a plurality of filament bundle receiving wells 18 and an upper cover 14 that includes a plurality of wells 20. A more detailed view of the bundle receiving well 18 is shown in FIG. The cover and receiving section are optionally connected by a hinge 16. The well in the receiving section 12 has a depth of at least 66% of the total filament length. When the well 18 in the receiving section 12 has a depth of 100% of the total filament length, the cover is a flat sheet. The wells in the receiving section 12 have gradually tapered ribs 26 as shown in FIG. 2 that guide the bundled filaments into the receiving well 18. The ribs 26 begin at the base 28 of the well 18 in the receiving section 12 and are the widest at the base 28. The ribs 26 taper gradually as they extend axially up the sides of the receiving well 18 so as not to exceed 50% of the total receiving well 18 height. Ribs 26 help to receive filament bundles to be stored therein. The well diameter is sufficient to fit the bundle tightly to the receiving well 18. A close fit of the well diameters keeps the bundle firmly in place and thus reduces the likelihood of filaments being easily damaged or broken. The well diameter is generally at least 30 mm to accommodate common filament bundle sizes.

  FIG. 3 shows a side view of an embodiment of the well 20 in the cover 14. The depth of the well 20 in the cover 14 is 0 to 33% of the total length of the filament. If the depth of the well 20 on the cover 14 is equal to 0, the cover is a flat sheet, which can be replaced with paperboard. One advantage of having a cover well 20 with a depth greater than zero is easy removal of the tapered filament bundle. The bundle may be difficult to remove from the container from the end-machined end side of the filament. The tip end is easily broken and the slippery nature of the end makes it difficult to grip the bundle. New packaging overcomes this problem by placing a larger unmachined end of the filament bundle within the receiving well 18. When the bundle is to be unpacked, the container is turned over so that the receiving section 12 is on top and the cover 14 is on the bottom. The receiving well end is lifted to open the container 10 and expose the unfinished end. The bundle can then be easily removed from the cover well 20 of the container by grasping the unmachined end protruding from them.

  In addition, the cover 14 containing the well 20 is also advantageous for filaments that are tip-finished at both ends, since the depth of the cover well 20 is up to 33% of the total filament length, This is because at least 66% of the filament bundle length protrudes from the cover well 20 when reversed. Therefore, the bundle is easily gripped even when both filament ends are machined.

  Cover 14 can be fastened to receiving section 12 using any suitable device known in the art, such as hinges, studs, and fasteners. Preferably, a press-study-fastening device is used. Next, the cover 14 includes a convex stud 24 protruding outward from the lower side of the cover 14. The receiving section 12 includes a recessed stud 22 that projects inwardly within the receiving section 12 and is arranged to engage a stud 24 on the cover 14. The press stud coupling device can be placed along the free end of the container. The container can have 1 to 4 press stud coupling devices on each free side, depending on the length of the free side.

  Thus, it is apparent that the present invention has provided a container for protecting filament bundles that fully satisfies the objects and advantages set forth above. Although the present invention has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.

1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of a filament container according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view of a receiving well. It is a side view of a cover well.

Claims (14)

A multi-compartment container for holding a bundle of filaments,
a. A receiving section having a plurality of wells;
b. A multi-compartment container comprising a cover for the receiving section.   The multi-compartment container of claim 1, further comprising a hinge connecting the receiving section and the cover.   When the cover is in place, the open end of each of the plurality of wells in the cover is aligned with the open end of the corresponding well in the receiving section to hold the filament bundle 2. The array of claim 1, comprising a plurality of wells in an array to form a container for, wherein the well of the cover has a depth and the well of the receiving section has a depth. The multi-compartment container described.   The multi-compartmented container of claim 1, wherein the depth of the well in the receiving section is at least 66% of the total filament length contained in the filament bundle.   The multi-compartment container according to claim 3, wherein the depth of the well in the cover is 0 to 33% of the total length of the filament contained in the filament bundle.   The multi-compartmented container of claim 1, wherein the wells in the receiving section and in the cover have a diameter of at least 30 mm.   The multi-compartment container according to claim 1, wherein the filament bundle includes a plurality of filaments, and the filaments are tip processed.   The multi-compartment container of claim 1, wherein the container is formed from a thermoplastic material.   9. A multi-compartmented container according to claim 8, wherein the thermoplastic material is selected from the group consisting of PET, PETG, HIPS, OPS, PVC, PC, PMMA, and PP.   9. A multi-compartment container according to claim 8, wherein the container is vacuum molded, thermoformed, or injection molded.   The multi-compartmented container of claim 1, wherein the well of the receiving section includes a rib that begins at the base of the well and extends axially up the side of the well.   12. A multi-compartmented container according to claim 11, wherein the axially extending rib is tapered such that the widest portion of the rib is at the base of the well.   4. A multi-compartmented container according to claim 3, wherein the container includes a cooperating press stud coupling device for securing the cover to the receiving section. A method for removing a tapered filament bundle from a container according to claim 3, comprising:
a. Reversing the container so that the receiving section is on top and the cover is on the bottom;
b. Exposing the filament bundle by opening or removing the cover; and
c. Gripping the bundle with an end protruding from the well of the cover.

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