CA2134368A1 - Paint brush with anti-drip shroud - Google Patents
Paint brush with anti-drip shroudInfo
- Publication number
- CA2134368A1 CA2134368A1 CA 2134368 CA2134368A CA2134368A1 CA 2134368 A1 CA2134368 A1 CA 2134368A1 CA 2134368 CA2134368 CA 2134368 CA 2134368 A CA2134368 A CA 2134368A CA 2134368 A1 CA2134368 A1 CA 2134368A1
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- shroud
- handle
- register
- brush
- paint
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A46—BRUSHWARE
- A46B—BRUSHES
- A46B15/00—Other brushes; Brushes with additional arrangements
- A46B15/0002—Arrangements for enhancing monitoring or controlling the brushing process
- A46B15/0048—Drip collector, e.g. collecting the liquids dripping from the brush during a brushing process
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A46—BRUSHWARE
- A46B—BRUSHES
- A46B11/00—Brushes with reservoir or other means for applying substances, e.g. paints, pastes, water
- A46B11/0072—Details
- A46B11/0093—Arrangements for catching drips or overflow
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A46—BRUSHWARE
- A46B—BRUSHES
- A46B2200/00—Brushes characterized by their functions, uses or applications
- A46B2200/20—Brushes for applying products to surfaces in general
- A46B2200/202—Applicator paint brush
Landscapes
- Coating Apparatus (AREA)
- Brushes (AREA)
Abstract
The shroud is spaced from, and surrounds, the area of the brush lying above the bristles, from which drips and smears of paint could have reached the handle. The shroud is integral and unitary with respect to the handle, either by being moulded in one piece with the handle, or by being moulded separately and bonded onto the handle. The seamless joint between shroud and handle is simple to make, very effective to prevent drips reaching the handle, and does not interfere with normal usage of the brush.
Description
21343~8 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 ~13g368 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 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;
2l34368 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 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 ~134368 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 , 213~368 -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.
213~368 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.
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.
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.
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 213~368 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 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.
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 ~13g368 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 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;
2l34368 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 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 ~134368 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 , 213~368 -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.
213~368 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.
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.
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.
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 213~368 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 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.
Claims (6)
- CLAIM 1. Paint brush having an anti-drip shroud, wherein:
the paint brush includes a handle, and bristles mounted in a bristle-block;
the handle is formed with a neck and a shoulder;
the anti-drip shroud comprises a skirt and a roof;
the skirt encircles the bristle-block, and is spaced apart therefrom, and defines a paint-drip-receiving cavity between the skirt and the bristle-body;
the skirt is connected to and contiguous with the roof, which is connected to and contiguous with the shoulder;
the skirt, the roof, the shoulder, and the neck, are all unitary and integral, and effectively seamless and continuous, whereby the cavity is isolated from the neck to the extent that paint contained in the cavity is prevented from leaking through to the neck by virtue of the continuity of the skirt, roof, shoulder, and neck. - CLAIM 2. Paint brush of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the shroud was, during manufacture of the brush, formed as a separate component from the handle, and was bonded thereto to form a continuous unbroken joint, the nature of the joint being such that, after bonding the portion, the shroud and the handle are effectively integral and unitary and seamless.
- CLAIM 3. Paint brush of claim 1, wherein the shroud and the handle are formed together, as a single one-piece component, in a common piece of material, whereby the shroud and the handle are inherently integral and unitary and seamless.
- CLAIM 4. Paint brush of claim 1, wherein:
the brush includes a metal band which encircles the bristle-block, and includes a band-register for positioning and locating the metal band, and the metal band encircles the band-register;
the brush includes a shroud-register, and the shroud was so formed as to fit the shroud-register, and be bonded to the shroud-register;
the band-register protrudes axially forward from the handle, and the shroud-register protrudes axially forward from the handle, and the shroud-register lies outside and surrounds the band-register. - CLAIM 5. Paint brush of claim 1, wherein:
the skirt and roof of the shroud were moulded as one piece, separate from the handle;
the brush includes a shroud-register, and the roof of the shroud was so formed as to fit the shroud-register, and be bonded to the shroud-register;
the shroud register protrudes axially away from the handle. - CLAIM 6. Paint brush of claim 1, wherein:
the brush includes a form-block, which was formed as a separate piece from the handle and from the shroud;
the brush includes a metal band which encircles the bristle-block, and encircles the form-block;
formed on the form-block is a band-register for positioning and locating the metal band, and the metal band encircles the band-register;
the form-block and the handle were provided one with a form-block-register and the other with a complementary form-block-socket, and the form-block-socket was bonded to the form-block-register.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2134368 CA2134368A1 (en) | 1994-10-26 | 1994-10-26 | Paint brush with anti-drip shroud |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2134368 CA2134368A1 (en) | 1994-10-26 | 1994-10-26 | Paint brush with anti-drip shroud |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2134368A1 true CA2134368A1 (en) | 1996-04-27 |
Family
ID=4154535
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2134368 Abandoned CA2134368A1 (en) | 1994-10-26 | 1994-10-26 | Paint brush with anti-drip shroud |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2134368A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2439279A (en) * | 2006-06-20 | 2007-12-27 | Harris L G & Co Ltd | Paintbrushes |
| WO2009127280A3 (en) * | 2008-04-16 | 2010-04-15 | G.B. Boucherie N.V. | Paintbrush |
| CN110507071A (en) * | 2019-08-23 | 2019-11-29 | 潜山市志杰刷业有限公司 | A kind of environment protection brush convenient for fractionation |
-
1994
- 1994-10-26 CA CA 2134368 patent/CA2134368A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (5)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2439279A (en) * | 2006-06-20 | 2007-12-27 | Harris L G & Co Ltd | Paintbrushes |
| GB2439279B (en) * | 2006-06-20 | 2010-01-06 | Harris L G & Co Ltd | Improvements in or relating to paint brushes |
| WO2009127280A3 (en) * | 2008-04-16 | 2010-04-15 | G.B. Boucherie N.V. | Paintbrush |
| US9498050B2 (en) | 2008-04-16 | 2016-11-22 | Gb Boucherie Nv | Paint brush |
| CN110507071A (en) * | 2019-08-23 | 2019-11-29 | 潜山市志杰刷业有限公司 | A kind of environment protection brush convenient for fractionation |
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| Date | Code | Title | Description |
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| FZDE | Dead |