초록 ▼

An oral care implement including a handle extending along a longitudinal axis, a head coupled to one end of the handle, and a flexible support element coupled to the other end of the handle. In one embodiment, a reference plane that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle contacts an

An oral care implement including a handle extending along a longitudinal axis, a head coupled to one end of the handle, and a flexible support element coupled to the other end of the handle. In one embodiment, a reference plane that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle contacts an outer surface of the handle without intersecting the flexible support element and without penetrating the outer surface of the handle. The oral care implement may be positioned within a product retaining cavity of a package with a portion of the oral care implement in contact with a support member of the package. In such embodiment, the oral care implement may be positioned such that the flexible support element is raised within the package so that it does not contact the support member.

대표청구항 ▼

1. An oral care implement comprising: a handle extending along a longitudinal axis from a distal end to a proximal end and having an outer surface;a head coupled to the proximal end of the handle;a flexible support element coupled to the distal end of the handle;wherein a reference plane that is non

1. An oral care implement comprising: a handle extending along a longitudinal axis from a distal end to a proximal end and having an outer surface;a head coupled to the proximal end of the handle;a flexible support element coupled to the distal end of the handle;wherein a reference plane that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle contacts the outer surface of the handle without penetrating the outer surface of the handle or the head and without intersecting the flexible support element;wherein the reference plane contacts the outer surface of the handle at a lowermost first point of contact closest to the flexible support element and an uppermost second point of contact closest to the head, and wherein an entire region of the outer surface of the handle located axially between the first and second points faces the reference plane without contacting the reference plane and the reference plane does not contact the handle or the head at any point between the second point and a distal end of the head; andwherein the flexible support element has a maximum outer diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the distal end of the handle. 2. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein the reference plane is tangent to the handle at one or both of the first point and the second point. 3. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein the handle comprises a front surface, an opposite rear surface, and a protuberance extending from the rear surface of the handle and terminating at a distal end, and wherein the distal end of the protuberance comprises the first point and the second point is located directly on the rear surface of the handle. 4. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein the longitudinal axis of the handle and the reference plane converge with distance from the flexible support element towards the head without intersecting at any position along a length of the oral care implement. 5. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein the head comprises a front surface and an opposite rear surface, and further comprising a plurality of tooth cleaning elements extending from the front surface of the head, wherein the handle comprises a front surface and a rear surface that collectively form the outer surface of the handle, the reference plane contacting and facing the rear surface of the handle, and wherein the reference plane does not intersect the head or the tooth cleaning elements. 6. The oral care implement according to claim 1 wherein the handle and the flexible support element are symmetric about the longitudinal axis. 7. An oral care implement comprising: a handle extending along a longitudinal axis from a distal end to a proximal end and having an outer surface;a head coupled to the proximal end of the handle;a flexible support element coupled to the distal end of the handle;wherein a reference plane that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle contacts the outer surface of the handle without penetrating the outer surface of the handle and without intersecting the flexible support element;wherein the reference plane contacts the outer surface of the handle at a lowermost first point of contact closest to the flexible support element and an uppermost second point of contact closest to the head, and wherein an entire region of the outer surface of the handle located axially between the first and second points faces the reference plane without contacting the reference plane;wherein the first point is spaced a first distance from the longitudinal axis of the handle and the second point is spaced a second distance from the longitudinal axis of the handle, each of the first and second distances being measured in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle, wherein the first distance is greater than the second distance, and wherein the reference plane does not contact the handle or the head at any point between the second point and a distal end of the head; andwherein a ratio of a length of the oral care implement to a third distance between a distal end of the flexible support element and the first point is between 4:1 and 5:1. 8. The oral care implement according to claim 7 wherein the second point is located a fourth distance from the distal end of the flexible support element, the third and fourth distances being measured in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle, and wherein the fourth distance is greater than the third distance such that the first point is located axially between the flexible support element and the second point. 9. The oral care implement according to claim 7 wherein the distal end of the flexible support element has an outer periphery, the flexible support element having a maximum outer diameter at the outer periphery of the distal end, and wherein the outer periphery of the distal end of the flexible support element is spaced a fifth distance from the longitudinal axis of the handle measured in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the handle, the fifth distance being greater than the first distance. 10. An oral care implement comprising: a handle extending along a longitudinal axis from a distal end to a proximal end and having an outer surface;a head coupled to the proximal end of the handle;a flexible support element extending from a proximal end to a distal end, the proximal end of the flexible support element being coupled to the distal end of the handle so that an outer surface of the flexible support element is flush with the outer surface of the handle;wherein a reference plane that is non-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle contacts the outer surface of the handle without penetrating the outer surface of the handle or the head and without intersecting the flexible support element; andwherein the reference plane contacts the outer surface of the handle at a lowermost first point of contact closest to the flexible support element and an uppermost second point of contact closest to the head, and wherein an entire region of the outer surface of the handle located axially between the first and second points faces the reference plane without contacting the reference plane and the reference plane does not contact the handle or the head at any point between the second point and a distal end of the head. 11. The oral care implement according to claim 10 wherein an outer diameter of the flexible support element at the distal end of the flexible support element is greater than an outer diameter of the distal end of the handle.