Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
21112~2
.
1 --
BP File No. 6211-002
Title: BRUSH WITH ADJUSTABLE AND REPT.ArRART.R HEAD
FIELD OF THE lNV~ ON
This invention relates to a brush handle and
more particularly to a brush handle having an adjustable
brush head and allowing for interchangeability of the
brush/bristle units.
RA~KG~ouND OF THE INVENTION
The paint brush remains a staple tool in the
quiver of both the professional and amateur painter alike.
While the paint brush has been around for generations, it
has changed very little. Unfortunately neither have the
characteristics of painting. Painting remains an
inherently messy task. Paint tends to drip onto the hands
of the painter and the bristles require cleaning to
preserve and extend their working life.
In the hands of an amateur, the life of paint
brush tends to decrease. Typically, an amateur does not
give the care and cleaning required to preserve a brush.
For example, letting a brush laden with paint dry can
virtually ruin the brush. Even with attentive care, the
bristles of a brush tend to wear out. Typically, a paint
brush includes a brush head, formed from bristles held
together by an adhesive such as rubber glue, connected to
a plastic or metal handle by means of a ferrule, which can
also be of metal. Once the bristles wear out or are ruined
through neglect, the entire brush assembly is discarded.
In today's environmentally conscious world, this does not
amount to sound practice.
The other problem encountered with paint brushes
today concerns the action of painting. While a brush
provides a good vehicle for holding and transferring paint
to the work surface, the law of gravity inevitably results
in paint dripping onto the hand or arm of the painter,
2111262
_ - 2 -
especially for the amateur painter. The law of gravity
seems to exact a higher toll when the brush is used in
restricted areas and at awkward angles, e.g. upside down
for painting the underside of a surface, such as a counter
top, or a ceiling.
These problems are not new to painters and
various devices for providing an adjustable angle between
the brush head and handle have been described in the prior
art. Two such devices, of which I am aware, however, have
been of rather complex construction and have failed to
completely solve the problems in this field of art.
United States Patent No. 3,604,044, which issued
to Johnson on September 14, 1971, discloses a paint brush
with a moveable head. The patent teaches a device in which
the handle has a ball which mates with the socket in the
brush head to provide an adjustable range over 360 about
the axis of the handle. To fix the brush head in any one
of the multitude of positions available, the brush head
includes a wing-nut type screw having a concave end. By
tightening the screw, the ball is pressed against the wall
of the socket thereby locking the position of the brush
head. There are two problems with the Johnson device.
First, while providing a multitude of positions, there are
many brush head positions which are awkward and in the
hands of an amateur may prove unworkable. Secondly, and
more importantly, the ball and socket arrangement requires
a complicated manufacturing and assembly procedure. To
engage the ball in the socket, the brush head is
fabricated as two halves and the handle is engaged by
"sandwiching" the ball in the socket. Furthermore, once
the bristles wear out or are ruined, the entire brush must
be replaced.
The other teaching of which I am aware is that
disclosed by Goard in United States Patent No. 1,899,690,
which issued on February 28, 1933. The Goard patent also
discloses a brush with a moveable head, in this case a
typewriter cleaning brush. The Goard patent teaches a
2111~2
-- 3
device in which the brush head can move in a plane
coincident with the handle axis, i.e. a fan-like movement.
The position of the brush head is locked using a
combination of radial grooves formed in the handle which
accept a longitudinal lug pressed into one of the jaws. A
rivet connector rigidly presses the jaws into the
brush/bristle assembly. The patent does not teach a device
which allows the brush/bristle assembly to be replaced
without having to discard the entire brush. As is evident,
the Goard device also suffers from two deficiencies.
First, the mechanism for locking the brush head into one
of the positions i not robust enough for a painting
environment. By exerting sufficient pressure, the brush
head can slip from its current position. Moreover, with
repeated use, the lug will tend to wear out the radial
grooves merely by abrasive action. This effect is more
pronounced if the handle is fabricated from a material
such as nylon or plastic. Secondly, the patent does not
teach a device which allows replacement of the brush head
assembly.
As discussed above, various types of adjustable
brushes have been proposed. Yet to my knowledge, no such
brush has achieved wide spread acceptance or commercial
success among professional or amateur painters. Moreover,
the known devices have failed to combine the concepts of
an adjustable brush head with an interchangeable brush
head. Thus, for whatever reason, be it relatively high
cost to manufacture or inconvenience of use, no one has
yet met the need for a simple brush handle that allows the
angle of the brush head to be easily adjusted and which
provides for replacement or interchangeable brush heads to
be used.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present
invention to provide a simple and easy to manufacture
devicé which allows the brush head to be removed for
cleaning or replacement without discarding the entire
brush and which includes an adjustable brush head for
21~1262
-- 4
accessing hard to reach or awkward painting work surfaces.
SUMHARY OF THE lNv~ lON
In one of its embodiments the invention provides
a paint brush holder assembly comprising:
(a) a handle having a pair of substantially
flat surfaces,
(b) said handle having a rounded end and an
aperture in said rounded end extending
between said surfaces at a location
adjacent said rounded end,
(c) a pair of clamping plates, each having a
handle-clamping portion, one handle
clamping portion overlying each of said
flat surfaces, and each handle-clamping
portion having an aperture therein, said
apertures all being aligned,
(d) a pivot shaft extending through all of
said apertures for allowing said clamping
plates to pivot about said handle,
(e) means associated with said pivot shaft
for clamping said clamping plates to said
handle to lock said clamping plates in a
desired position relative to said handle,
(f) said clamping plates having brush-
clamping portions extending from said
handle-clamping portions and adapted,
when said handle-clamping portions are
clamped to said handle, to clamp and
secure between them a paint brush head.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF lh~ DRAWINGS
For a better understanding of the present
invention, and to show more clearly how it may be carried
into effect, reference will now be made, by way of
example, to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment
21112~2
-- 5
of the present invention in disassembled or exploded form;
Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the
embodiment of Fig. 1 taken along the line 2-A--2-A which
intersects the longitudinal axis of the handle;
Fig. 3 is a top view of the embodiment of Fig.
1 with the brush head positioned at an angle to the brush
handle;
Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another
embodiment of the present invention in exploded form;
Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of another
embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line
5-A--5-A which intersects the longitudinal axis of the
handle; and
Fig. 6 is a top view of the embodiment of Fig.
5.
DE~ATT.~n DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention comprises a paint brush
assembly 1. As shown in the exploded view of Fig. 1, the
brush assembly 1 includes a handle 10, first and second
clamps 30a,30b, pivotable locking means 40 and a brush
head 50.
The handle 10 is of one-piece construction. It
can be formed from a lightweight metal such as aluminum or
molded from plastic. A handle 10 formed from metal has the
advantage of durability. Moreover, since it is the brush
head 50 which will wear out, the handle 10 should be made
to last. Plastic injection molding, however, does provide
for an inexpensive, yet durable construction.
The handle 10 should have a shape which not only
fits the painter's hand, but also feels comfortable. As
shown in Fig. 1, the handle 10 is flat and long as most
traditional brush handles. The handle 10 has a rounded
brush-end 12 (having a circular profile), a grip portion
14, and a grip-end 16. The brush-end 12 includes a first
aperture 18 which accepts the pivotable locking means 40
as will be discussed below. The first aperture 18 can
21112~2
_ - 6 -
simply be a drilled through hole with a diameter adapted
to accept the pivotable locking means 40. Aperture 18 is
located at the center of the circular arc defined by the
end of brush-end 12.
The grip portion 14 of the handle 10 includes a
number of second apertures 20. The second apertures 20
provide convenient means for suspending the brush assembly
1 inside a paint container (not shown) using a brush
holder device (not shown). The grip portion 14 includes a
number of apertures 20 so that the position of the brush
assembly 1 as suspended in the paint container (not shown)
can be easily varied. Moreover, the second apertures 20
provide the secondary benefit of making the handle 10
lighter. Referring still to Fig. 1, the grip-end 16 of the
handle 10 includes a third aperture 22. The third aperture
22 provides a convenient means for hanging the brush
assembly 1 on a display rack (not shown) or a storage rack
(not shown).
The first and second clamps 30a,30b connect to
the opposing faces of the brush-end 12 of the handle 10.
The clamps 30a,30b include face plates 32a,32b which press
against the opposing faces of the brush-end 12 of the
handle. The face plates 32a,32b each include aperture
24a,24b which are located on the same center as the first
aperture 18. The apertures 24a,24b, along with the first
aperture 18, receive the pivotable locking means 40 as
discussed below.
Referring still to Fig. 1, the clamps 30a,30b
also include jaw plates 34a,34b. The jaw plates 34a,34b
are formed as an integral part of the clamps 30a,30b and
are joined to plates 32a,32b by outwardly sloping portions
35a,35b respectively. As shown in Fig. 1, the jaw plates
34a,34b are shaped to accommodate the brush head 50. To
securely grip the brush head 50, the jaws 34a,34b include
inwardly directed flanges 36a,36b. As shown in Fig. 1 and
Fig. 2, the flanges 36a,36b terminate in teeth 38a,38b
which bite into the brush head 50 and prevent the brush
2111262
_ -- 7
head 50 from moving or shifting its position within the
clamps 30a,30b.
The shape of the flanges 36a,36b can be varied
depending on the design of the brush head 50. Conventional
brush heads 50 are made by hardening the rear ends of the
bristles 52, holding them together in a fixture and
dipping them into glue. Flanges 36a,36b with teeth 38a,38b
are ideal for gripping such conventional brush heads 50 as
shown in Fig. 2. Brush heads 50 can also be made by using
a ferrule (not shown) to enclose the glue dipped ends of
the bristles 52. The ferrule (not shown) can be metal or
plastic. By including a groove in the ferrule (not shown)
adapted to fit the flanges 36a,36b, the brush head 50 can
be secured by the clamps 30a,30b without the need for the
teeth 38a,38b.
The clamps 30a,30b function together with the
pivotable locking means 40 to secure the brush head 50 to
the handle 10. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the
pivotable locking means 40, in its simplest form, comprise
a machine screw 42 with a matching wing-nut 44. The
machine screw 42 passes through the aperture 24a in the
first clamp 30a, the aperture 18 in the handle 10 and the
aperture 24b in the second clamp 30b. The wing-nut 44
screws onto the threaded end of the machine screw 42. By
tightening the machine screw 42 and the wing-nut 44
combination, the clamps 30a,30b bite into the brush head
50 thereby securing it to the handle 10.
As will now be apparent, the pivotable locking
means 40 allow the position of the brush head 50, to be
varied. As shown in Fig. 3, the brush head 50 as secured
by the clamps 30a,30b, can rotate about the axis of the
machine screw 42. The machine screw 42 provides an axis
about which the clamps 30a,30b and brush head 50 can
pivot. By slightly loosening the machine screw 42 and
wing-nut 44 combination, the position of the clamps
30a,30b and brush head 50 can be adjusted through a 180
range. To fix the position of the brush head 50, the user
2111262
-- 8
simply tightens the machine screw 42 and wing-nut
combination 44. In this way, the first embodiment of this
invention provides pivotable locking means 40 which
include means to secure the brush head 50 to the brush
handle 10 and also provide means for adjusting and locking
the position of the brush head 50. The rounded end 12
permits the above described pivoting.
Fig. 4 illustrates another aspect of the present
invention. In this aspect of the invention, the brush
assembly 1 includes separate adjusting means 60 for
varying the position of the brush head 50. The adjusting
means comprise two brush position apertures 62, and
fastening means 64. The brush position apertures 62 are
located along an axis in the brush-end 12 of the handle 10
and in the faceplates 32a,32b of the clamps 30a,30b as
shown in Fig. 4. One of the apertures 62 can be positioned
such that the brush head 50 is set at a 45 angle to the
handle 10 as shown in Fig. 6, and another aperture 62 can
be positioned such that the brush head 50 is set at a 60
angle to the handle 10 (not shown). The fastening means 64
can comprise any suitable fastener, and as shown in Fig.
4 and Fig. 5 may simply be a second machine screw 66 and
a second machine nut 68. This second embodiment of the
present invention offers the advantage of providing fixed
positions for adjusting the position of the brush head 50.
However it does require another fastener and it is limited
as to the number of positions which can be adopted.
From the previous description, it is evident
that the present invention presents a simple, yet
effective brush assembly with an adjustable and
replaceable brush head. In addition, the invention can be
easily manufactured using known fabrication techniques
such as metal stamping or plastic molding. Although the
present invention has been described in detail, it is
clearly understood that the spirit and scope of the
present invention is limited only by the terms of the
following claims.
