Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02692833 2010-02-12
BASTING BRUSH
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a basting brush and more particularly
to a
silicone basting brush.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Basting brushes are used in the culinary fields to apply fluids, such
as sauces
and marinades, onto food items. Many different types of basting brushes are
known including
ones that are used in the pastry field to apply milk and egg whites and others
used to apply
sauces to foods, for example for barbequing.
[0003] Due to the different applications of such brushes the conditions to
which they
are subjected can vary greatly. However, it is generally desired that a
basting brush be
operable to spread the fluid evenly over the food item(s). Unfortunately it is
generally found
that consistent and even spreading is not always obtained. In addition, many
known basting
brushes are not able to withstand frequent cleaning and exposure to high
temperatures,
including during application of fluids to food items and during cleaning.
[0004] It is therefore desirable to provide a basting brush that is able to
withstand
frequent cleaning and exposure to high temperatures while also being able to
evenly spread
the fluid of interest onto a food item.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention provides a basting brush having a first set of
bristles
and a second set of bristles. The first set of bristles having a thickness
that is greater than the
second set of bristles.
[0006] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a basting brush
comprising
a handle portion and a silicone head portion connected to the handle portion
comprising a
plurality of first and second bristles, the first bristles having a thickness
that is greater than
the thickness of the second bristles.
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CA 02692833 2010-02-12
[0007] In a further embodiment, the first bristles have a thickness in the
range of
about 1.2 to about 1.7mm and the second bristles have a thickness in the range
of about 0.8 to
about 1.0 mm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] The present invention will be described in further detail below with
reference
to the accompanying figures in which:
[0009] Figure 1 is a front view of one embodiment of the basting brush of the
present
invention;
[0010] Figure 2 is a side view of the basting brush of Figure 1;
[0011] Figure 3 is a perspective view of the basting brush of Figure 1;
[0012] Figure 4 is a top view of the basting brush of Figure 1;
[0013] Figure 5 is a front cross section of the upper portion of one
embodiment of the
basting brush of the present invention;
[0014] Figure 6 is a side cross section of the upper portion of one embodiment
of the
basting brush of the present invention; and
[0015] Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view of one embodiment of the
basting
brush of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The present invention provides a basting brush referred to generally at
numeral 10 in Figures 1-3.
[0017] The basting brush 10 includes a handle portion 12 and a head portion
14. The
handle portion 12 and the head portion 14 are configured to be releasably
connected to each
other, described in further detail below.
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[0018] As can be clearly seen in Figure 7, in one embodiment the head portion
includes two pieces, an outer bristle portion 16 and an inner bristle portion
18. The outer and
inner bristle portions 16, 18 are configured to releasably connect to each
other. In a preferred
embodiment the outer and inner bristle portions 16, 18 snap fit together. Each
of the outer
and inner bristle portions 16, 18 have a body portion 20, 22 from which a
plurality of bristles
24, 26 extend. The body portions 20, 22 connect together to form a uniform
head portion 14.
[0019] The connection of the body portions 20, 22 of the outer and inner
bristle
portions 16, 18 is shown in Figures 5 and 6. The body 22 of the inner bristle
portion 18 snap
fits within the body 20 of the outer bristle portion 16. It will be understood
that the snap fit
connection that is illustrated is not meant to be limiting and other
releasable connection
means that allow for easy connection between the two portions 16, 18 without
the
requirement of additional pieces may be used, such as a friction fit.
[0020] The exact fit of the body 22 of inner bristle portion 18 into the body
20 of
outer bristle portion 16 is shown, for example, in Figure 5. The body 20
includes inwardly
extending upper projections 25 that are received within complementary channels
27, shown
clearly in Figure 7, on body 22. Figures 5 and 7 show the projections 25 and
channels 27
located on opposing outer edges of respective bodies 20, 22. However, the
projections 25 and
channels 27 may extend around the periphery of each body 20, 22 or may take
any other
configuration, provided that they function to releasably connect the bodies
20, 22 to each
other.
[0021] Likewise, body 20 is operable to releasably connect to the handle
portion 12
using lower projections 28 which are configured to be received in channel 30
located on
handle portion 12.
[0022] In addition, body 22 includes a lower surface that is shaped to receive
upper
handle projection 32. The lower surface of body 22 includes a recess, not
specifically shown,
that is configured to receive upper handle projection 32 in a snap fit
connection, shown in
Figure 5.
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[0023] As stated above, each of the outer and inner bristle portions 16, 18
include a
plurality of bristles, 24, 26. As can be seen clearly in Figures 4, 6 and 7
the bristles 24 on the
outer bristle portion 16 have a smaller diameter or thickness compared to the
bristles 26 on
the inner bristle portion 18. This configuration allows for the fluid (e.g.
sauce) to be held by
the inner bristles 26, i.e. the thicker bristles, while being evenly spread by
the outer bristles
24, i.e. the thinner bristles.
[0024] As can be seen in the Figures, the bristles 24 on the outer bristle
portion 16 are
located along two sides of the head portion 14 with the bristles 26 on the
inner bristle portion
18 being located along an internal strip. However, it will be understood that
the bristles 24 on
the outer bristle portion 16 may extend around the whole periphery of the head
portion 14, or
at least substantially around the periphery of the head portion 14, with the
bristles 26 on the
inner bristle portion 18 being located inside the boundary of the outer
bristle portion 16.
[0025] As can be seen in the accompanying figures, in one embodiment the inner
and
outer bristles 26, 24 are arranged in rows and columns. However, the inner
bristles 26 may be
arranged randomly throughout the inner bristle portion 18 and likewise, the
outer bristles 24
may be arranged randomly throughout the outer bristle portion 16.
[0026] In one embodiment, the diameter of the bottom portion, or base, of the
outer
bristles 24 is in the range of between about 0.1mm and about 2.1mm, preferably
in the range
of between about 0.6mm and about 1.6mm, more preferably the diameter is about
1.1 mm.
The diameter of the top portion of the outer bristles 24 is in the range of
between about
0.4mm and about 1.4mm, preferably in the range of about 0.7mm and about 1.1
mm, more
preferably the diameter is about 0.9 mm. It will be understood from these
dimensions that the
bristles are tapered in this embodiment. However it will be understood that
the bristles may
have a uniform diameter along their length, the uniform diameter may be either
that of the
bottom portion of the bristles or that of the top portion. However, it will be
understood that if
the bristles have a uniform thickness the difference between the thickness of
the outer and
inner bristles should still be maintained.
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[0027] In one embodiment, the diameter of the bottom portion, or base, of the
inner
bristles 26 is in the range of between about 0.7mm and 2.7 mm, preferably the
diameter is in
the range of between about 1.2mm and about 2.2 mm, more preferably the
diameter is about
1.7 mm. The diameter of the top portion of the inner bristles 26 is in the
range of between
about 0.2mm and about 2.2mm, preferably the diameter is in the range of about
0.7mm to
about 1.7mm, more preferably the diameter is about 1.2 mm.
[0028] In another embodiment, the bristles are arranged having the following
distances between adjacent bristles which assists with the sauce retention and
even spreading
achieved by the basting brush and described herein.
[0029] In one embodiment, the distance between adjacent inner bristles 26 is
from
about 0.1mm to about 0.9mm and preferably about 0.5 mm and likewise the
distance
between adjacent outer bristles is from about 0.1mm to about 0.9mm and
preferably about
0.5mm. The distance between adjacent inner and outer bristles 26, 24 is from
about 0.2mm to
about 1.0mm and preferably about 0.6 mm.
[0030] In another embodiment the head portion of the basting brush is about
40mm
by about 20.5mm and the head portion includes inner and outer bristles spaced
apart as
described herein.
[0031] In one embodiment the head portion is sized as described above, and
includes
three rows of outer bristles along each elongated side and four rows of inner
bristles. The
inner bristles are spaced about 0.5mm from each other and each have a bottom
diameter of
about 1.7mm and a top diameter of about 1.2mm. The outer bristles are spaced
about 0.5mm
from each other and each have a bottom diameter of about l.lmm and a top
diameter of
about 0.9mm. The distance between adjacent rows of inner and outer bristles is
about
0.6mm.
[0032] The outer and inner bristle portions 16, 18 are made from silicone. In
addition,
the handle portion may also be formed from silicone, or any other suitable
food grade
material, such as, for example, nylon.
CA 02692833 2010-02-12
[0033] The basting brush described above, including the plurality of different
sized
bristles, formed from silicone, allows a user to easily manipulate the basting
brush around the
food to be covered. This results in coverage of the food item with evenly
spread sauce. The
inner and outer bristles which are formed from silicone allow a user to
position the brush and
move the brush around and into all corners of the food item to be basted. The
flexible bristles
allow for easy manipulation of the brush while the varying diameters of the
bristles described
herein allow the brush to hold sufficient quantity of sauce while spreading it
evenly. The
spacing of the silicone bristles allows for a greater number of bristles
within a specified area
which assists with the spreading of fluid, while the combination of small and
larger bristles
within this area provide for the ability of the basting brush to hold the
sauce within the brush
prior to it being evenly spread.
[0034] In addition, the silicone basting brush described herein is heat
resistant and is
durable and allows for easy cleaning.
[0035] While the embodiment above is described as having a removable head
portion, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited to
this embodiment.
The head portion may be fixedly attached to the handle portion.
[0036] While this invention has been described with reference to illustrative
embodiments and examples, the description is not intended to be construed in a
limiting
sense. Thus, various modification of the illustrative embodiments, as well as
other
embodiments of the invention, will be apparent to persons skilled in the art
upon reference to
this description. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will
cover any such
modifications or embodiments. Further, all of the claims are hereby
incorporated by
reference into the description of the preferred embodiments.
[0037] Any publications, patents and patent applications referred to herein
are
incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if each
individual
publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually
indicated to be
incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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