Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Title: PAINT BRUSH WITH ANTI-DRIP SHROUD
This invention relates to paint brushes, and to means for preventing drips
and runs of paint from getting onto the handle of the paint brush.
BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION
One of the problems for the amateur painter /decorator is to keep the
handle of the paintbrush reasonably clean while performing a painting
job. Once paint gets on the handle, the paint is smeared onto the hand
and fingers, and then seems to get everywhere.
There are two main sources of paint on the handle. First, the paint brush
might be held upside down, for example when painting higher areas such
as walls and ceilings. Also, even when the lower areas are being
painted, in fact it often happens, especially with casual painters, that the
brush spends a significant proportion of the time of the painting operation
with the bristles higher than the handle. The more the brush is held with
the bristles uppermost, the more likely it is that drips of paint gradually
find their way towards the handle area. The second common source of
paint on the handle is that the handle might be touched against the sides
of the rim of the paint container as the paint brush is dipped into the
paint container -- the painter accidentally allows the handle (or the upper
area of the band of the brush, where it blends into the handle) to touch
the sides of the rim of the container. The painter had previously wiped
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the bristles against the rim to remove excess paint.
GENERAL FEATURES OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a shroud between the area of the brush Iying just
above the bristles and the handle. The shroud is so shaped as to
provide a receptacle in the form of a cavity to intercept any drips
emanating from the bristles area, due to the brush being held upside
down.
In the invention, the shroud is integral and unitary with respect to the
handle of the brush. Various ways in which the shroud can be
incorporated into the brush are described below.
With the presence of the shroud around the area of the brush Iying justabove the bristles, it might be thought that the increased size of the
shroud would make it more likely, not less, that paint would get onto the
brush, i.e onto the shroud.
However, it is found that although paint does get onto the lower portions
of the surface of the shroud due to touching the shroud against the rim,
in fact it does not tend to even with a careless painter, that paint gets
onto the upper part of the shroud, and especially paint does not get onto
the roof of the shroud. Therefore, so long as the painter keeps his
fingers on the handle itself, or on the roof of the shroud, and does not let
his fingers stray down the sides of the skirt of the shroud, he will keep his
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fingers clean.
The fact that the roof of the shroud is so large serves, in fact, to prevent
the fingers from inadvertently straying down the sides of the shroud. This
aspect may be contrasted with that of the ordinary paintbrush, where the
painter can easily move his fingers down from the handle onto the area
of the brush which touches the rim. With the shroud, it has been found
that the person cannot accidentally move his fingers from the handle to
the area of the shroud that touches the rim.
THE PRIOR ART
Previous designs of paint brush that have included anti-drip shrouds invarious forms are shown in US patent publications US-453,016;
US-498,392; US-512,363; US-1,510,536; and US-5,084,932.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
By way of further explanation of the invention, exemplary embodiments of
the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying
drawings, in which:
Fig 1 is a pictorial view of a paint brush with an anti-drip shroud, which
embodies the invention;
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Fig 2 is a pictorial view from a different perspective of the brush of Fig 1.
Fig 3A is a partly-sectioned front elevation of the brush of Fig 1;
Fig 3B is a partly-sectioned side elevation of the brush of Fig 3A;
Fig 4A is a partly-sectioned front elevation of a second design of brush;
Fig 4B is a partly-sectioned side elevation of the brush of Fig 4A;
Fig 5 is a partly-sectioned front elevation of a third design of brush;
Fig 6 is a partly-sectioned front elevation of a fourth design of brush.
The apparatuses shown in the accompanying drawings and described
below are examples which embody the invention. It should be noted that
the scope of the invention is defined by the accompanying claims, and
not necessarily by specific features of exemplary embodiments.
The paint brush 20 shown in Figs 1 and 2 is neat in appearance, light in
weight, inexpensive to manufacture, and no more difficult to use and
operate than a conventional paint-brush.
A typical conventional paint-brush comprises a moulded plastic handle, a
bristle block, and a metal band. These components are present also in
the brush 20. As shown in Figs 3A,3B, the handle 23 is a plastic
moulding having, as usual, the shaped band-register 25 for receiving the
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metal band 27. The band-register 25 is formed with grooves 29, and the
metal band is formed with dimples 30 which, when the band is tightened
around the band-register 25, engage the grooves 29 and retain the metal
band on the handle.
The bundles 32 of individual bristles of the brush are glued to a bristle
block 34. The bristle block is formed to the same outline as the band-
register 25. The metal band 27 is placed around the band-register and
around the bristle block, and is pulled tight around same. The metal
band 27 is then crimped to lock it in place.
The handle 23 in Figs 3A,3B is also formed with a shroud-register 36.
Bonded to the shroud-register 36 is a shroud 38. The shroud 38 includes
a skirt 39 or sleeve of moulded plastic. The skirt is substantially rigid,
being of the order of about 1 mm thick, and being moulded in a material
which is rigid in that thickness, at least to the extent that the skirt is rigidenough to retain its form and dimensions during use. The skirt 39 should
not be brittle, however, but should be flexible enough that the skirt will
not break by being squeezed in the fingers, for example.
The arrangement of the shroud 38 on the handle defines a drip-receiving-
cavity 40, into which drips of paint can settle and collect, when the brush
is upside-down. The volume of the cavity 40 is large enough to contain,
and retain, a few drips of paint, thereby preventing the drips from
reaching the handle area. If the painter is so unskilled that a large
quantity of paint were to collect in the cavity 40, much of that collected
volume of paint would pour out of the cavity when the brush was next
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turned right side up, whereby the paint would be transferred to the
bristles area; and again would not leak onto the handle 23. It has been
found to be virtually impossible for the paint to find its way onto the
handle 23, as a result of the brush being held upside down.
The shroud of course protrudes outwards beyond the normal profile of
the brush, and as such it might be considered that the person is more
likely to accidentally touch the shroud against the rim of the paint
container than he would be to touch the handle of a conventional paint
brush against the rim of the container.
However, even though the shroud is larger, the following points may be
noted. The shoulder 43 between the handle 23 and the roof 45 of the
shroud 38 is much larger when the shroud is present, than is the
corresponding shoulder of a conventional paint brush. It is all too easy
for the person, in holding the handle of the conventional brush, to allow
his fingers to stray past the shoulder area, and down onto the area of the
bristle-block which has touched the rim of the can, and which is smeared
with paint. When the shroud is present, the large shoulder alerts even
the casual person, by simple feel, to the fact that his fingers are straying
from the handle. Also, the fingers have further to go to reach the
smeared area.
As a result, even though the outside of the shroud might tend to be
touched against the rim of the container, the overall design of the brush
tends to keep the person's fingers confined to the area above the shroud
-- at least, to do so to a significantly greater degree than the conventional
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design of paint-brush.
Furthermore, the outside of the shroud can be easily wiped clean (e.g
with a paper towel) if the shroud should become smeared with paint due
to touching the rim of the container; in the conventional brush, there is no
clear demarcation between the handle area, where the paint should not
encroach, and the bristles area. The result is that wiping the metal
retaining band, or the bristle-block, or the shoulder area of the brush with
a towel is not a good way of cleaning smears from a conventional brush;
whereas, when the brush has a shroud, wiping the shroud with a towel is
an excellent way of keeping smears at bay.
The smooth exterior form of the shroud, and its smooth blending into the
handle, also serve to make it easy for the person to keep the shroud
clean.
The shroud addresses the need to keep smears of paint away from the
fingers. The person can make it a rule that, as soon as any paint
appears on the shroud, he will wipe it off. Such a rule is much easier to
follow than a corresponding rule to clean off smears when paint gets too
far up the bristle block or metal band.
As far as neat appearance is concerned, in Figs 1 and 2, it can be seen
that the shroud blends in with, and appears to be a part of, the handle
and shoulder rather than of the bristles.
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The two registers, ie the shroud-register 36 and the (conventional) band-
register 25, are formed in a very similar manner, ie by simply providing
the corresponding forms in the two halves of the mould in, which the
handle 23 is moulded. The location of the mould part-lines can remain
the same as in the conventional brush, and the inclusion of the shroud-
register 36 does not introduce a requirement for the use of a core in the
mould. In this case, the skirt 39 of the shroud is formed initially as a
separate component from the handle 23. The widened shoulder 43
formed in the handle serves as the roof 45 of the shroud. The shroud
and the handle become effectively unitary and integral with each other
upon the skirt 39 being bonded to the roof 45.
The resulting overall design of the brush with shroud is pleasant in
appearance, and for operational handling. The large shoulder is an
operational advantage, as mentioned, by separating the drip-catching
cavity from the handle neck by a large and well-demarcated area.
In Fig 4A,4B the shroud 47 is moulded integrally with the handle 49, and
in this case incorporating the shroud into the shape of the handle
moulding is such that a mould core is required. Also in respect of Figs
4A,4B, since the operation of crimping the metal band 50 requires that
the full (vertical) width of the band be accessible, the band-register 52 is
so located, as shown, that the metal band is clear of the bottom extremity
54 of the skirt 56 of the shroud 47. In Figs 4A,4B, the bristles 58 are
bonded directly to the handle moulding 49. The metal band 50 is
crimped directly around the handle, to retain the bristles.
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In Fig 5, the shroud 57 is again formed integrally with the handle 59, and
again a mould core is required to form the inside of the shroud. In Fig 5,
the bristles assembly, including the metal band 60, is built up around a
form-block 63, and the form-block is formed with a socket 65. The
socket engages with a form-block-register 67 formed inside the hollow
shroud. The bristles assembly is built up as a sub-assembly, with the
bristles glued into the bristle-block 69, and the metal band crimped
around the bristle-block 69 and around the form-block 63, and the sub-
assembly is then bonded to the form-block-register 67.
In the design shown in Fig 6, the handle 70 can be moulded in the
conventional core-less manner. The shroud 72 need not be bonded in
place until after the metal band 74 has been crimped to the handle.
In each of the variations as described above, the shroud has a skirt
which defines a drip-receiving cavity, and has a roof of the cavity which
connects the skirt with the brush handle. The roof may be formed in the
material of the handle (Figs 3A,3B) or in the material of the skirt (Fig 6),
when the skirt and the handle are in two pieces bonded together; or the
roof may be formed as an integral part of a one-piece moulding (Figs
4A,4B).
In order to crimp the metal band onto its band-register, access is needed
along the full axial length of the band, and the design of the brush should
take this into account.
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Having a large shoulder is an operational advantage in a paint brush. In
addition to keeping the fingers away from paint smears, a large shoulder
also serves to make the brush easier to manipulate. The person holding
the brush can put the tips of his fingers on the shoulder, and can guide
the brush with more sensitivity, as compared with a conventional brush.
The shrouds as described, whether moulded in the same one-piece
moulding as the handle, or whether the shroud, or a part thereof, is
formed separately and bonded on to the handle, are, in the finished
manufactured product, integral and unitary with the handle. The shrouds
as described are simple to manufacture, and the manufacture is readily
automated, in keeping with conventional paint brush production. No
mechanical fasteners are required. No seals are required to prevent
leakage of the paint form the cavity onto the neck of the handle.
In previous designs of shrouded paint brush, in which the shroud was
attached to the bristle block or to the handle by means of mechanical
fasteners, the design was unsuccessful, because there was no seal
between the shroud and the block, and therefore paint would leak
through the interface between the shroud and the block, from the shroud
cavity to the neck of the handle, and drips of paint would appear on the
handle and neck. In the designs as described herein, in which the
shroud is integral and unitary with the handle in the finished product,
there is no possibility of leakthrough from the cavity to the neck. The
only way paint can reach the neck is around the outside of the shroud.
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In the previous designs, it was bad enough, economically, that the
shrouds were held on with mechanical fasteners. To have also added
seals (of rubber or the like) between the shroud and the block, in addition
to the fasteners, would have made the finished product far too expensive.
The paint brushes as described have a neat appearance. Because the
shroud is integral and unitary with the handle, in the finished product, to
a person looking at the outside of the shroud, the surface of the shroud
is smooth and uncluttered, and appears to blend smoothly into the neck
of the handle. The shroud is, and looks to be, an integral part of the
brush, rather than an add-on accessory.
The designs as described, in which the shroud is integral and unitary with
the handle in the finished product, involve no sharp edges. In fact, with
conventional paint-brushes, the metal band might sometimes be
damaged, or might be imperfectly made, with the result that a sharp edge
is presented to the user's fingers. The presence of the shroud ensures
that the fingers substantially cannot touch the metal band, and protects
the band from being damaged.
The designs as described, in which the shroud is integral and unitary with
the handle in the finished product, involve no weight penalty (other than
the weight of the shroud itself) by way of mechanical fasteners.
The designs as described, in which the shroud is integral and unitary with
the handle in the finished product, add hardly any cost penalty. The
manufacture of paint brushes is a specialized, mature, industry: it would
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be out of the question on cost grounds to add a manual fastening or
assembly operation into the kind of production line on which modern
paint brushes are produced in commercial quantities. However, the
designs of brushes as described involve simply an addition to the mould,
or a readily-automated bonding operation, which does not add
significantly to on-going per-unit production costs, and is easily
amortized.
To be easily wiped clean, it is an advantage for the outside of the shroud
to be smooth and flat or gently curved, and smoothly blended into the
handle, and free of external (and internal) corners or sharp edges.
As far as cleaning the shrouded paint brush is concerned, much depends
on the type of paint. If the paint is water-soluble, the shrouded brush can
be rinsed under running water, and the brush can be turned around in
the water stream to ensure the cavity is washed out. The designer
should see to it that the internal shape of the cavity has no nooks and
crannies in which paint might become retained.
If the paint cannot be washed away with running water, cleaning is moredifficult. The conventional practice of simply standing a paint-soaked
brush in a jar of thinner or turpentine is not suitable for the shrouded
paint brush -- because air cannot escape from the integral shroud cavity,
therefore the thinner cannot enter the cavity. To clean insoluble paint
from the shrouded paint brush, the cavity may be wiped out with a cloth
or paper towel after the bristles have been cleaned in turpentine or
thinner, and then washed in water, in the usual way. The designer
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should see to it that the cavity is not so deep, nor so narrow, that it
would be difficult for a person to insert a wiper into the cavity. Of course,
if small smears of paint remain in the cavity, and dry out, that is of little
consequence.
