Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Distinct means to feed – support or manipulate preform stock... – And means to form or reshape preform
Reexamination Certificate
1999-04-16
2004-01-20
Davis, Robert (Department: 1722)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Distinct means to feed, support or manipulate preform stock...
And means to form or reshape preform
C425S562000, C425S570000, C425S572000, C425S573000, C425S588000, C425S805000, C425S126100, C425S120000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06679696
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to forming articles, and in particular to forming toothbrush bodies.
Toothbrushes generally include a toothbrush body that includes a handle portion and a head portion, and tufts of bristles located at or near the head portion.
Toothbrush bodies are generally made by injection molding machines. These toothbrush bodies often consist of plastic and include multiple components. The different components may differ in nature, color, texture, density, and hardness. For example, toothbrush bodies may include a relatively hard plastic base component and a colored rubberized gripping component.
After the toothbrush bodies are manufactured they are automatically removed from the molding machine and deposited onto a cooling conveyor. The cooling conveyor transports the toothbrush bodies to a bin. The bodies are then manually transported to a bristle tufting machine where they receive tufts of bristles and are formed into toothbrushes.
The tufting operation generally involves manually grabbing handfuls of differently colored toothbrush bodies so as to provide a mixture of differently colored toothbrush bodies to a hopper. A conveyor removes the toothbrush bodies randomly from the hopper and orients the bodies so that the head portion of the body is available to receive the tufts of bristles from the bristle tufting machine. The bristle tufting machine automatically staples tufts of bristles into the head of each toothbrush body to form a toothbrush. The finished toothbrushes are automatically deposited into a tray which is manually transported to a packaging machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the invention features an apparatus that includes a mold that includes a first cavity defining a toothbrush body, a first injection unit in fluid communication with the first cavity, and a second injection unit also in fluid communication with the first cavity.
In one embodiment, the apparatus further Includes a second cavity defining a second toothbrush body. The second cavity is in fluid communication with the first injection unit. In another embodiment, the apparatus further includes a third cavity defining a third toothbrush body. The third cavity is in fluid communication with the second injection unit. Preferably the first and second injection units are in alternate fluid communication with the first cavity.
In other embodiments, the mold further includes a fourth cavity defining a fourth toothbrush body, and the apparatus further includes a third injection unit. The third injection unit is in fluid communication with the third cavity and the fourth cavity. Preferably the second and third injection units are in alternate fluid communication with the third cavity.
The injection units are capable of substantially simultaneously injecting a first molding compound having a first property into the second cavity, injecting a second molding compound having a second property into the third cavity, and injecting either the first or the second molding compound into the first cavity to form toothbrush bodies having different properties.
In another embodiment, the apparatus further includes a gating device in fluid communication with the first and second injection units. The gating device is capable of directing the flow of molding compound to the first cavity such that either the first injection unit is in fluid communication with the first cavity or the second injection unit is in fluid communication with the first cavity.
In another embodiment, the apparatus further includes a) a second mold that includes a cavity defining a toothbrush body, b) a third injection unit in fluid communication with the second mold cavity, and c) an automated mechanical transfer for transferring a toothbrush body from the cavity of the second mold to the cavity of the first mold.
In another aspect, the invention features an apparatus that includes a mold that includes a first cavity defining a toothbrush body, and a second cavity defining a toothbrush body. The first cavity and the second cavity define substantially identical toothbrush bodies. The apparatus also includes a first injection unit in fluid communication with the first cavity, and a second injection unit in fluid communication with the second cavity. In one embodiment, the injection units are capable of injecting a first molding compound having a first property into the first cavity to form a toothbrush body having a first property, and injecting a second molding compound having a second property into the second cavity to form a toothbrush body having a second property. Preferably the injection units are capable of substantially simultaneously injecting the molding compounds into the cavities.
In another aspect, the invention features an apparatus for substantially simultaneously molding a plurality of substantially similar toothbrush bodies such that at least one of the toothbrush bodies has a property that is different from another of the toothbrush bodies.
In other aspects, the invention features a process for substantially simultaneously forming toothbrush bodies having different properties in one mold. The process includes: a) selecting a first injection unit from a group of at least two injection units in fluid communication with a first mold cavity, b) injecting a first molding compound from the first injection unit into the first cavity to form a toothbrush body having a first property, and c) injecting a second molding compound, different from the first molding compound, into a second cavity of the mold to form a toothbrush body having a second property. In one embodiment, the step of injecting a first molding compound, and the step of injecting a second molding compound occur substantially simultaneously. Preferably the first toothbrush body includes a first color and the second toothbrush body includes a second color. The second color is different from the first color.
In another embodiment, the process for forming a toothbrush body includes a) injecting a first molding compound into a first mold cavity to form a first toothbrush body, b) transferring the first toothbrush body to a second mold cavity, the second mold cavity defining a second toothbrush body, c) selecting a first injection unit from a group of at least two injection units in fluid communication with the second mold cavity, and d) injecting a second molding compound from the first injection unit into the second mold cavity to form a second toothbrush body.
In one embodiment, the process for forming toothbrush bodies having different properties includes a) injecting a first molding compound into a plurality of first mold cavities to form a plurality of first toothbrush bodies, b) transferring the first toothbrush bodies to a plurality of second mold cavities, c) selecting a first injection unit from a group of at least two injection units in fluid communication with one of the second mold cavities, d) injecting a second molding compound from the first injection unit into the second mold cavity to form a second toothbrush body having a first property; and e) injecting a third molding compound into another of the second mold cavities to form a second toothbrush body having a second property.
In another aspect, the invention features a process for substantially simultaneously forming toothbrush bodies having different properties in one mold, where the mold includes a first cavity defining a toothbrush body and a second cavity defining a toothbrush body and the first cavity and the second cavity define substantially similar toothbrush bodies. The process includes (a) injecting a first molding compound into the first cavity of the mold to form a toothbrush body having a first property, and (b) injecting a second molding compound, different from the first molding compound, into the second cavity of the mold to form a toothbrush body having a second property. Preferably the first property is a first color and the second property is a second color.
In other aspects, the invention features an apparatus that includes a) a mold that i
Connolly Declan
Fryauf Michael Frank
McConnell Mark Edward
Szczech Gerald S.
Davis Robert
Del Sole Joseph S
Gillette Canada Company
Howley David A.
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