Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
~0~5667
The invention relates to a fountain brush with
a bristle carrier and a set of bristles on one end of the latter,
with a handle which adjoins the other end of the bristle carrier,
i; constructed integrally with the bristle carrier, contains a
reservoir for a liquid or pasty medium and has an open end remote
from the bristles, with a channel which leads axlally through the
handle from the reservoir, and has at least one radial outlet
orifice in the side wall of the bristle carrier and has a blind
end in the tip of the bristle carrier at a distance from this
outlet orifice, with a slider sealingly ~uided in the interior of
the channel, with an actuating device mounted at the end of the
handle remote from the bristles, with a closure member which
seals the reservoir her~etically after the medium has beenfilled
thereinto and with a connecting rod which extends substantially
axially through the reservoir and joins the slider to the actuating
device in such a way that, in the rest position of the actuating
device, it closes the radial outlet orifice and leaves the latter
open when the said device is actuated.
A fountain brush of this type has already been disclosed
in British Patent Specification No. 1,244,915 for use as a tooth-
brush.
This toothbrush, however, is not suitable for being manu-
factured as a mass-produced article by modern fabrication methods,
in particular manufacture by the injection-molding process, .
since it comprises too many individual parts and its assembly,
filling with tooth-cleaning agent and its seallng require expen-
sive machines and its use also is too complicated. Above all,
filling with the said medium must be carried out, after all the
2 ~
1~95667
components of the actuating device have been completely assembled
and the latter has assumed its closing position, through this de-
vice and through a special filling orifice which must be screwed
shut in a special working step when filling has been com-
pleted. It is necessary to actuate the closure device both
for opening and for closing the outlet orifice, by turning the
lid on the reservoir. Furthermore, the insertion of the con-
necting rod requires an eccentric assembly of the parts by means
of a complicated assembling machine.
British Patent Specification No. 913,371 describes a tooth-
brush consisting of a handle which has an inner cavity for
receiving a creamy medium and possesses, at the end remote from
the bristles, a bellows communicating with the cavity, the medium
being pressed out through a lateral orifice present in the bristle
part when the bellows is actuated by pressure. , In this design,
the bellows has an air outlet valve which communicates with the
cavity via a one-way valve and which is in turn connected to an
air inlet valve via a further one-way valve.
Toothbrushes of this type have the disadvantage of demand-
ing expensive working methods if only due to the manufacture of
the bellows. Moreover 7 the valves are very prone to blockage,
for example by ~ra~cfforeign bodies, such as cannot be kept away
when the toothbrush is left in luggage or is carried about in
clothing so that the mechanism becomes incapable of functioning.
It is now an object of the present invention to provide
an improved fountain brush of the initially described type, which
can be manufactured extremely simply by mass production methods,
whilst at the same time the filling process can be carried out
.
1095667
substantially more easily than for the fountain tooth~rush o~ the
prior art. Preferably, the fountain brush according to the
invention should be used as a throw-away brush.
It is a further object of the in~ention to provide a
fountain brush of the initially described type, by means of which
metered amounts of the medium can be applied to the bristles.
It is yet a further object of the invention to provide a
fountain brush of the initially described type which, for being
actuated, requires only one movement to open the outlet orifice
and in which means are provided to close the
outlet orifice automatically.
These and further objects, which will emerge from the
text of the description which follows, are achieved by a fountain
brush of the initially described type, wherein the closure member
of the actuating device and the slider are, via the connecting rod,
rigidly joined to one another at such a distance that, in a filling
position for the medium, the closure member releases the end of
the handle remote from the bristles and the slider is located in
the channel in a position further away from the blind end of the
latter than the outlet orifice, and wherein the closure member
possesses an elastically deformable bellows which, in the rest
position of the actuating device and in an actuatin~ posit~on,
is joined to the closure member on the one hand and to the inner
wall of the handle on the other hand, so as to form a hermetic
seal, and closes off the reservoir, and, in the said rest position,
,
the s~ider in the channel closes the outlet o~i~ice and, when
actuated by exerting pressure on the closure member, is pushed
past the outlet orifice into the blind end of the channel and
- - 4 ~
.
lOg5667
leaves the outlet orifice open.
This bellows can be designed as a return spring element
and the sealing connection between the closure member on the one
hand and the inner wall of the handle on the other hand is formed
only after the medium has been filled into the reservoir. This leak-
tight joint can be formed by ultrasonic welding, gluing or a fric-
tional connection.
Moreover, it is preferable that the bristle carrier, the
channel therein, the handle containing the reservoir, the bellows,
the closure member, the slider and the connecting rod are arranged
on a common longitudinal axis which is central for each of the com-
ponents mentioned, the closure member, the connecting rod and the
slider being constructed as one integral piece. The bellows can
also be constructed integrally with the wall of the reservoir.
Preferably, the bellows can be constructed integrally with
the closure member and have an annular fold which, by its apex,
points lnto the reservoir, is upset outwards and the outer wall
of which can, by its free circumferential rim, be sealingly fixed
to the inner wall of the handle. In the zone from the apex of the
annular fold towards the open end of the handle, the inner wall of
this handle can possess an annular groove into which the outer wall
of the annular fold is sealingly inserted by its free circumferen-
tial rim when the reservoir has been filled with the medium
While the channel, on the one hand, in the region of its
devised as
end portion which comprises the outlet orifice, can be/a cylinder,
the slider on the other hand can be a piston of circular cross sec-
tion, and sealing means can be provided between the cylindrical wall
~ - 5 -
. .
,
~gs667
of the channel and the cylindrical surface of the piston.
The connecting rod can have a diameter which is such that
between its outer wall and the ir~er wall of the channel there
remains an annular gap of such diameter that it exerts an capillary
action on the mediu~, slowing down its discharge.
Preferably, the connecting rod can also carry, in-its
region adjoining the pisto~ a disc firmly joined to it, the dia-
meter of the disc being smaller than the open width of the region
of the inner wall of the reservoir which is opposite the disc when
the slider is in the closed position. At the same time, the
reservoir can taper conically towards the channel, at least from
the region of its inner wall which is opposite the disc , in such
a way that on exerting pressure on the closure member to cause
opening, the ~elease of the outlet orifice is followed by the piston,
the disc is sealingly forced against the conical region of the
inner wall of the reservoir.
The wall of the handle which contains the reservoir can
preferably be of rigid construction starting from its end close
to the bristles towards its bristle-free end, which carries the
actuating device, and up to at least the zone at which it adjoins
the bellows. A sleeve which has a rigid wall and is open at
~ .
the end of the handle remote from the bristles can be provided
around the bellows.
Moreover, at least one lateral cut-out can be provided
~ in the sleeve, through which the bellows can bereached by a finger-
;:~ tlp. Preferably, the side wall of the bellows can be provided
with a helicoidal fold.
The closure member can have the form of a cap and be
.
1~95667
provided with an internal thread which can be screwed onto the
fold of the bellows and which, when completely screwed onto the
bellows, prevents compression of the latter and only permits
compression of the bellows, and release of the outlet orifice by
the piston, when the cap is at least partially unscrewed from the
bellows.
Furthermore, the end portion of the channel in the bristle
carrier can preferably extend sufficiently far beyond the terminal
actuating position of the pistonsothat an air cus ~on is formed
between the latter and the end wall of the channel when the slider
is pushed in so as to release the outlet orifice.
Preferably, the interior of the bellows is also a part of
the reservoir in the handle.
Finally, the fountain brush according to the invention can
preferably comprise a protective cap for the bristles, which cap
can be pushed over the bristle carrier, transversely to the said
longitudinal axis, and carries a nose which closes the outlet
orifice when the protective cap is fitted.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
~ ~ =
Further details of the fountain brush according to the
invention are described in relation to the accompanying drawing~
In these: ~
Figure 1 shows, in interrupted longitudinal sectional
view, a preferred embodiment o~ the fountain brush according to
. ~ . .
the invention, in which the parts are in the position necessary
for filling a medium into the reservoir;
Figure 2 shows the same longitudinal sectional view, but
with the fountain brush in the closed position, after filling has
- -- 7 ~
,
~ -
.
1~95667
been completed;
Figure 3 shows the same longitudinal section, but with
t:he fountain brush in the opened position for dispensing a medium
onto the bristles;
Figure 4 shows a perspective view of the integral structure .
of the bristle carrier and handle, before introducing the actuating
uni~ but with the protective cap fitted onto the bristl~s;
Figure 5 shows a longitudinal sectional view of a further
embodiment of the fountain brush in the closed position, secured
against actuation;
Figure 6 shows a longitudinal sectional view of the same
embodiment, in the actuated position;
Figure 7 show~ a longitudinal sectional view of another pre-
ferred embodiment of the fountain brush according to the invention
in the rest position, the outlet orifice being closed;
Figure 8 shows the same longitudinal section as Figure 7,
the actuated position having been effected by finger pressure so
that the outlet orifice is released;
Figure 9 shows a perspective view, obliquely from below,
of the closure member, the bellows and the upper part of the con-
necting rod, the closure member and the bellows being cut axially;
: Figure 10 shows the piston and the ad~oining end of the
~ connecting rod in a perspective and partially cut view,
:~ Figure 11 shows the same embodiment as in Figures 7 and 8,
.. but with.the closure member, the bellows and the connecting rod
in the filling position;
Figure 12 shows a further embodiment of the end, of the
` fountain brush remote from the bristles in a perspective and
,;
~ 0~566~
partially cut view and in the rest position;
Figure 13 shows a view similar to that of Figure 12, but
in the actuated position; and
Figure 14 shows a partial sectional view of a further
embodiment of the protective cap.
DEl'AILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EM3ODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 to 3, the fountain
brush has a bristle carrier 1 provided, in the usual manner, with
a set of bristles 2. The bristles can point in one directicn,
for example when the dispenser brush is to be used as a toothbrush
or as an applicator brush for shoe polish, but they can also pro- .
ject from the bristle carrier radially to the longitudinal axis
of the brush, in several or all directions. . Finally, they can
also be attached in the manner of a paint brush, at an angle to
the bristle carrier, and project beyond the front end (that is to
say the lower end, in the drawing) of the bristle carrier.
The bristle carrier 1 is joined at the back (that is to
say upwardly, in the drawing) to the handle 3, which is prefer-
ably constructed integrally with the bristle carrier 1.
The hollow interior of the handle 3 serves as a reservoir
4, which in the embodiment shown is of cylindrical configuration
in its middle and rear region, whilst in the direction toward the
bristle carrier 1 it tapers conically in a transition region 5
;; and finally terminates in a channel 6, of constant corss-section,
in the bristle carrier 1.
The slider, built as a cylindrical pis~on 7, travels in
the channel 6 and produces a hermetic seal against the channel wall
by virtue of its sealing beads 8, which are preferably injection-
_ 9 _ ,
.
~ ' ' .' '
., ~ -
-
- :. - : . - , ., ~ .
. . ~
,
, :
-
1095667
molded onto the piston. From the piston 7, the connecting
rod 9 extends backwards out of the open end 3a of the handle 3
cmd carries, at its outer end, the press-member which is con-
structed as a circular disc 10.
The periphery of the press-disc 10 is so chosen that the
same can serve to seal the open end lla.of compressible bellows 11
possessing several folds, the bellows being attached to the inner
wall 4a of the handle surrounding the reservoir 4, and preferably
being integral with the said handle; the bellows are surrounded
by a rigid sleeve 12 which in turn forms the end portion, remote
from the bristles, of the handle ~. The outer rim of the
sleeve 12, which surrounds the open end 3a of the handle, projects
sufficiently far beyond the upper rim lla of the bellows 11 to
protect the latter against unintentional compression, A disc
13 is mounted on the connecting rod 9, between the piston 7 and
the press-disc 10, the diameter of the disc being such that in a
given advanced position of the piston 7 in the channel 6,.the rim
of the disc 13 can rest against the inner wall 5a of the conical
region 5 of the reservoir 4 (Figure 3).
Filling and sealin~ of the fountain brush:
On filling a medium into the reservoir 4, the actuati~g
~ unit, which comprises the piston 7, connecting rod 9 and press-
disc 10, and which is preferably made of one piece, is first
moved some distance outwards in the channel 6, so that on the
one hand an outlet orifice 14, leading from the interior of the
channel through the wall of the bristle carrier 1, is shut off
leaktight from the reservoir 4 by the piston 7, whilst on the
other hand a sufficiently large gap 15 remains free.between the
.,. -- 10 --
,
. .
~0~5667
disc 10 which represents the press-member and the upper rim lla
of the bellows 11, so that an injection nozzle 16 for liquid
medium, resting on the upper rim of the sleeve 12, can be intro-
duced into the gap 15.
The entire cavity of the reservoir can now be filled,
through the nozzle 16, up to the upper rim lla of the bellows 11.
In the case of automatic filling, the fountain brush is
now moved away from the fixed nozzle 16 and thereafter the press-
disc 10 is pressed to bring it to the non-actuated closed position
shown in Figure 2, in which it rests on the upper rim lla of the
bellows 11, whilst at the same time, if the length of the con-
necting rod 9 is correctly chosen, the piston 7 continues to seal
the interior of the reservoir 4 hermetically.from the outlet ori-
fice 14. On pressing-in the actuating unit, the level of the
medium in the reservoir 4 falls slightly so that a small air-~illed
space, extending up to the underside of the pressure member 10,
remains in the interior of the bellows, above the level of the
medium. This space is desirable since, in the position shown
n Figure 2, it is now possible to weld or glue the periphery of
the disc 10 to the peripheral rim lla of the bellows 11 without
adversely affecting the medium.
In the sleeve 12 there is preferably~ on the side of the
actuating finger, a cut-out 17, through which a tong-like or
fork-like instrument 18 can be introduced for engaging the upper-
most fold of the bellows 11; this instrument firmly holds the
bellows in the normal, relaxed position during production of a
tight bond between the upper rim lla of the bellows and the
press-disc 10, and thus secures the bellows against uninten-
,
.
.
' . ~
- -
.
- . . . ,: . '
. ' ' . - . ~ .
.. . .
.
. . . - ~
~(~95667
tional compression. After closing the filled reservoir 4,.as
described, the instrument 18 is again removed and the fountain .
brush is now ready to use.
IJse of thc fountain brush:
-
In order to use the fountain brush, which is in the non-
actuated position shown in Figure 2, for example to use it a~ a
toothbrush or for applying shoe polish, a slight pressure is
exerted on the press-disc 10 by means of one finger of the hand
which holds the brush, and thereby, as shown in Figure 3, the
bellows 11 are compressed and the connecting rod 9, caxrying
the disc 13, i3 moved downwards, and -the piston 7 i8 pushed
beyond the outlet orifice 14 into the channel 6. This produces
a free communication, permitting unhindered flow, between the
interior of the reservoir 4 and the outlet orifice 14, with the
disc 13 assi~ting in forcing the liquid into the conical region
5 of the reservoir 4, until its peripheral rim encounters the
inner wall of the region 5, thereby restricting the amount of
medium dispensed to a determined dose,
In the case of media of particularly low viscosity it
can be desirable to exert a capillary action, preferably a
braking action, at the inner wall of the channel 6 on the medium
which flows to the outlet orifice 14. For this purpose the
connecting rod 9 possesses, at its end connected to the piston 7,
a cylindrical thickened portion 20 of such diameter as to leave,
between the thickened portion and the inner wall 6a of the
,
- 12 -
'
1~95667
channel 6, a small annular gap 21, the cross-section of which
exerts a greater or lesser capillary action on the medium, in
accordance with the viscosity of the latter.
In the actuated position shown in Figure 3, the piston 7
has left an air cushion under pressure in the end portion 6b of
the channel 6; after lifting the finger off the press-disc 10,
this air cushion can assist the return of the bellows 11, which
now act as a return spring, to the relaxed position shown in
Figure 2.
Furthermore, when the piston 7 and bellows 11 are being
returned to their starting position as shown in Figure 2, air
is briefly drawn in through the outlet orifice 14,.to balance
the pressure in the reservoir 4, until the piston 7 closes th~
outlet orifice 14.
In the perspective view, shown in Figure 4, of the body
of the fountain brush, consisting integrally of the bristle
carrier 1 and the handle 3, in the embodiments of Figures 1 to 3,
the actuating unit comprising the plston 7, connecting rod 9
- and press-disc 10 has not yet been inserted. On the other hand,
the set of bristles 2 is covered by a protective cap 19,
which carries, at its lower spen longitudinal edges, internal
beads l9a which engage in corresponding longitudinal grooves la
. in the side wall of the bristle carrier 1, on either side of the
set of bristles 2.
- 13 -
. .
., ' , ' ' ., :
'
l~g5667
- In the embodiment shown in Figure~ 5 and 6, the bellow~
22 are not surrounded by a rigid sleeve but form the rear (upper)
end of the handle 23 and possess a helicoidal fold in the bellows
wall. The bristle carrier 1, the channel 6 in the latter, the
outlet orifice 14 and the set of bristles 2 are virtually iden-
tical with those of the first embodiment.
In order to prevent unintentional actuation of the
second embodiment, shown in the rest position in Figure 5, a
securing and actuating cap 25 i5 crewed onto the outer thread
formed by the fold 24 in the ~ellows 22, by means of the inner
thread 26 which is provided on the side wall 25a of the cap 25
and fits the outer thread of the bellows, untill all the turns of
the fold 24 rest against corresponding turns of the inner thread
26. Thls prevents compression of the fold 24 of the bellows 22
when pressure is exerted axially on the cap 25.
If the cap 25 i5 unscrewed so that a part of the heli~ol-
dal fold 24 is exposed below the cap 25 and out of contact with
the internal thread 26, this exposed region of the bellows 22
can be compressed if pressure is exerted on the upper face of
the cap 25, and as a result the sealing disc 27, which, after
the filling of the reservoir 4, has, also in the instant embo-
diment, been joined firmly and sealingly to the upper rim 22a
of the bellows 22, and the connecting rod 9 bearing disc 27,
- 14 -
1095667
and the piston 7, are moved downwards until the outlet orifice
14 is freed (Figure 6).
The more the cap 25 is unscrewed from the fold 24 of
the bellows 22, the more the bellows 22 can be compressed and
the more the pressure on the surface of the medium in the
interior of the reservoir 4 can be increased.
In the particularly preferred embodiment of the fountain
brush according to the invention, represented in Figures 7 and 8,
a hat-shaped bellows 31 surrounds the end region, remote from the
bristles, of the connecting rod 39 and is integrally joined to
the circumferential rim of the closure member 30 serving as the
press-member so that this closure member forms the top of the hat.
Furthermore, the bellows 31 are crimped, below the closure member
30, to form an annular fold 32 with an annular apex 32a which
points inwards, that is to say towards the bristles 2. The
circumferential bead 34 of that part of the wall of the bellows
which forms a crimp 33 and points outwards, is firmly and sealingly
inserted, a little above the annular apex 32a of the bellows 31,
into an annular groove 35 in the inner wall 4a of the handle 3,
so that the bellows 31 does not leave the annular groove 35 when
the fountain brush is actuated.
A little below its circumferential bead 34, the crimp 33
c~arries, on its outer wall, an annular sealing lip 36 which is
pressed against the inner wall 4a, forming a hermetic seal, when
.
the circumferential bead 34 snaps into the annular groove 35.
As in the preceding embodiments, the connecting rod 39
here also carries, at its end near the bristles, a piston 37
(Figure 10) possessing a cavity 38 which extends into the
: ` -
- .
.
.
~)956~;7
connecting rod and ends at the frontal face 37a of the piston.
In its region 40 which is near the bristles and carries the
piston 37,the connecting rod 39 is elastically flexible and is
surrounded, in this entire region, by the narrow annular gap 21
formed between the inner wall 6a of the channel 6 and the outer
wall 40a of the connecting rod region 40.
In the region 5 of the reservoir 4, which region conically
widens towards the end remote from the bristles, the connecting
rod 39 which extends up to the closure member 30 is ~ormed by four
axial ribs 41a, 41b, 41c and 41d which merge with one another along
the central rod axis and start at the upper end of the elastically
flexible region 40.
Figure 9 shows the end, remote from the bristles, of the
connecting rod 39 (viewed perspectively from below), the closure
member 30 and the bellows 31 (the latter being axially cut open),
in a position rotated about the central longitudinal axis by 45
relative to the plane of Figure 7.
At its end remote from the bristles, the piston 37 carries
an annular bead 42 through which it is always in hermetic contact
with the channel wall 6a, in the rest position and also in the
filling position and in the actuated position.
In the case where both the bristle carrier 1 with the
handle 3 and the actuating unit consisting of the closure member
30 with the bellows 31, connecting rod 39 and piston 37 are man~-
factured by the injection-molding process from thermoplast~cs,
the piston 37 on the one hand and the bristle carrier neck por-
tion lb which contains the channel 6 and, as the cylinder,
cooperates with the piston will always be obtained with larger
- 16
lOg56~7
tolerances than would be necessary, for example, in the case of
manufacturing these components from metal and grinding the piston
into the cylinder.
The cavity 38 in the piston 37 now permits the
plston to be made relatively thin-walled, and this allows
good uniform cooling of the plastic after the injection-molding
and avoids distortions in the configuration of the piston.
The fact that the cavity 38 is open on the frontal face 37a makes
it possible to remove the core axially after the production by
injection-molding.
- The thin walls of the piston ~7 and the presence of the
sealing annular bead 42 also have special advantages in the ~illing
position (Figure 11) because, in this position, the.connecting rod
39 with the piston 37 has been introduced into the bristle carrier
neck portion lb only so far that the annular bead 42 is still in
hermetically sealing contact with the upper end zone of the channel
6, remote from the bristles, whilst the annular apex 32a of the
bellows 31 is in a position just abo~e the open end 3a of the
handle 3 Due to the transversely elastically flexible nature
of the region 40, close to the bristles, of the connecting rod 39,
the bellows 31 and the closure member 30 can now be laterally dis-
placed by such a distance that the upper end 3a of the handle 3 is
lef t open to such an extent that a filling tube 46 of the ~illing
machine can fill the liquid medium into the reservoir 4 unhindered
and without losses.
In spite of the deformation of the region 40, close to
the bristles, of the connecting rod, the annular bead 42 remains
in hermetically sealing contact with the channel wall 6a.
17
.
.
. .
~0~5667
Experiments have been carried out with a fountain brush
according to the invention, of which the outer part consisting
of the bristle carrier 1 and the handle 3 had been manufactured
from an acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene copolymer with a gross
density of 1 06 g/cm3, a modulus of elasticity (bending test) of
2,400 ~/mm2 and a Vicat softening point (measured in glycol
according to DIN ~3,460) of 98C (for example Terluran~3877 T
from BASF, Ludwigshafen, Germany) and the actuating unit comprising
the closure member 30, the bellows 31, the connecting rod 39 and
the piston 37 had been manufactured from a high-pressure poly-
ethylene, containing about 1% by weight of oleic acid amide as
a plasticiser, with a density of 0.918 g/cm3 and a modulus of
elasticity (bending test) of 140 N/mm2 (for example Lupole ~ 1810
H from the same company). The fountain brush manufactured in
this way was charged, in the filling position according to Figure
11, with 94% strength ethanol, and the piston 37 perfectly sealed
the channel 6.
If, instead of Ter~ura ~ 877 T, a styrene/acrylonitrile
copolymer, for example Lura ~ ~88 S from the same company, was
used, perfect sealing was still achieved with a 40~ strength
aqueous ethanol.
When the reservoir 4 has been filled with liquid medium,
preferably up to the level of the annular apex 32a of the bellows
31, the fountain brush is removed from the filling tube 46 and
i the acutating unit is then moved to its central position at the
open en~ 3a of the handle 3, the connecting rod 39 including its
region 40 close to the bristles being straightened. By means
of axial pressure onto the outer annular face ~4a of the
- 18 -
1(~9S667
circumferential bead ~4,~he actuating unit is now pressed into the
interior of the handle 3 until the circumferential bead 34 of the
bellows 31 snaps into the annular groove 35 in the reservoir wall
4a. The piston 37 is thus pushed further into the channel 6
but, due to the appropriately provided length of the connecting
ro~ 39, it still remains above the outlet~fioe 14( i.e., more
remote from the bristles). The fountain brush is then in the
rest position shown in Figure 7.
The protective cap 44 (Figure 14) fitted over the brlstles
2 carries, on its rim resting on the bristle carrier 1, a nose 45
which projects into the outlet orifice 14 and sealingly closes it
from the outside.
Instead of letting the protective cap of the above design
snap into the longitudinal grooves la transversely to the longitu-
dinal axis of the bristle carrier 1, it is also possible to use
a protective cap of the type shown in Figure 4, which is open in
its chamfered frontal wall l9b, facing the bellows,
and which can then be pushed, from the free end of the
bristle carrier 1, into the longitudinal grooves la of the latter
in an axial direction (Figures 2 and 4).
In use, the protective cap 19 or 44 must be taken off.
This embodiment is then actuated by exerting pressure with a
finger on the closure member 30 so that the crimp ~ is slightly
deformed in the direction toward the bristles 2 and the piston 3?
is mov~d from the closing position (Figure 7) into the
actuated or orifice-openihg position (Figure 8).
When the finger pressure on the closure member 30 ceases,
the crimp 33 of the bellows 31 returns again to the initial
. . . ~
- 19 --
',
. .
'
.
: . ., . : - '' ' ', -" , , , , . ' : .
.. .: . , - . . , , : . ,.- .
. . . :, . - , , - -
-. . .. - - . - . , . , ~.
: . .
.. . . . .
1095667
position due to the elasticity of the bellows material. The
crimp 33 here acts as a return spring for the piston 37.
The embodiment shown in Figures 12 and 1~, of the fountain
brush, is similar to that of Figures 1 to 3, but the bellows 51
here possess only a single thin-walled folded zone 53.
As in the embodiment of Figures 1 to 3, the connecting
rod 59 can here also be pressed into the sleeve 52 by exerting
an axial pressure on the closure member 50 which has been ultra-
sonically welded onto the outer rim 51a of the bellows 51, so
that the piston (not shown here) is displaced from the rest posi- .
tion according to Figure 12 into the open position according to
Figure 1~ in the same way as is the case when the piston 7 is
displaced from the rest position according to-Figure 2 into the
open position according to Figure 3. The folded zone 5~ here
forms the fold shown in Figure 13.
When only one flat fold is formed instead of the plurality
of folds in the bellows 11, axial removal of the core in the manu-
facture by injection-molding is facilitated. In this way, the
bellows 51 also is more easily pressed down than the bellows 11
and returns to its initial position (Figure 12) more uniformly.
The embodiment according to Figures 12 and 13 is not
constructed to be actuated by an axial pressure but, on the con-
~:~ trary, itR actuation requires even less force, due to the fact
that the closure member 50 is not pressed but rotated. For this
purpose, the outside of the closure member 50 carries a rotatable
handle 54.
,
For actuation, the rotatable handle 54 is grasped, forexample by the thumb and index finger, and rotated; this causes
- 20 -
.
,
', ' ' ' ' ,' ' ' ' : '
: , - .: .
--
.. . .
,
. . .
,. ,: . - -
,
~;395667
in the folded zone 53, a deformation which shortens the bellows
and by means of which the piston 37 is pushed via the connecting
rod 59 into the channel 6 up to the blind end 6b thereof and the
outlet orifice 14 is freed,
If the connecting rod 59, as shown in Figures 12 and 13,
is provided with ribs similar to those of the embodiment shown in
~igures 7 to 11, the fountain brush according to Figure~ 12 and
13 can be filled in the same simple manner as the embodiment
according to Figures 7 to 11 in the filling position shown in
Figure 11; in this case, however, in the same way as in the
embodiment according to Figures 1 to 3, the bellows 51 is con-
structed integrally with the wall of the handle 3 on the one hand
and the connecting rod 59 is constructed integrally with the
closure member 50,on the other hand.
In order to avoid an excessively easy actuation of the
embodiment according to Figures 12 and 13, the outside of the
bellows 51 can carry transverse or helicoidal annular stiffening
ribs 55 above the folded zone 53.
The design of the individual components of the fountain
brush according to the invention can be modified in many diverse
ways. Thus, for example,intheembodiment according to Figures
7 to 11, the circumferential bead 34 of the bellows 31 can be
screwed into the annular groove 35 if the latter runs helicoidally
from the open end 3a of the handle 3 up to its position shown in
Flgures 7, 8 and 11 and if the face of the rim of the circum-
ferential bead 34 has a corresponding shape.
Preferably, the outlet orifice 14 is offset by such a d~s-
tance from the bristles 2 towards the end 3a, remote from the
.
~' ' ' . ' ' ' '
.
'' '': ' ~
' ' - . .
, ' ' '' : . :
~(395667
bristles, of the handle 3 that the liquid medium issuing from
the outlet orifice 14 is distributed better over the several rows
of bristles than in the case where the outlet orifice is located
close to the central topmost bristle or in the middle between the
bristles. On the other hand, the distance must of course not
be so large that the medium can run down past the bristles along
the bristle carrier and drip off the latter. The precise
distance depends in each case on the viscosity of the medium and
on the adhesive forces between the medium and the plastic used
for the manufacture of the bristle carrier, which forces result
from the nature o~ the medium and that of the plastic.
If a medium is used which could undergo a change on pro-
longed storage under the action of light, in particular the
ultraviolet fraction of daylight, it is advisable to metallise
the outer surface of the handle or the inner wall of the reservoir,
for example by depositing a metal coating from a high vacuu~ on
the wall previously provided with a primer lacquer, for example by
plating from the gas phase. A further protective coating can
then be applied to the metal layer. If the metal used is
chromium, mirror surfaces can be produced on the outer wall of
the handle.
When the fountain brush is held with the bristles pointing
upwards, it is possible, by looking through the cut-out 17 and
through the bellows 11 or 31, provided the latter has been made
.~ ~
from a sufficiently transparent material, to check whether medium
is still present in the reservolr 4 or whether this has been con-
sumed and the fountain brush can be thrown away.
The easy manner of filling the fountain brush according
' .
_ 22 -
.. . .. . .
.
. .
.
1 ~ 5~67
to the invention, and in particular the embodiments 7 to 11,
makes it possible to use a filling machine of extremely simple
construction. In the case of the previously known fountain
brushes which must be filled through their end remote from the
bristles, with the exception of that according to British Patent
Specification 244,915, it is always necessary, during filling, to
provide a special machine part which closes the outlet orifice
during the filling procedure. This is also necessary in the
case of the fountain brush according to the last-mentioned British
Patent Specification. though not for the purpose of closing the
outlet orifice but in order to check, using thiS part as a
sensor, whether the piston at the end of the connecting rod i~,
or is not, in the closing position. If this is not the case,
a further special adjusting device must be present which brings
the piston into the closing position by rotating the 11d remote
from the bristles.
: ' , ' '
' ' ' ' ' '
~' ' . ..
.
- 23 -
, . . . . .
.
