EP2271238B1 - Brush and use thereof - Google Patents

Description

Technical area

The invention relates to a brush comprising a brush head which is connected to bristles, wherein the brush head has at least one opening designed as a flushing channel for cleaning the bristles, wherein the flushing channels penetrate the brush head substantially perpendicularly in the flushing direction.

State of the art

Dishwashing brushes are well known and can often be rinsed out with great difficulty and often with limited success after use, in particular if previously pulpy, highly viscous impurities have been removed from dishes. The detached from the dishes mushy, highly viscous impurities then often put on the shaft of the bristles or bristle bundles, in the transition region to the brush head, and then often removed with the aid of scissors or knives makeshift, which also carries the risk of irreparably damaging the brushes ,

If running water hits the brush head from above when the dishwashing brush is flushed out, it causes a lot of splashing water, which is unpleasant for the user of the dishwashing brush; In addition, the spray splatter undesirable and uncontrollable in the environment.

In contrast, attempts to purify the prior art brushes by rinsing from the side, it often happens that the impurities push further between the bristles in the direction of the brush head and thereby only more firmly set between the bristles.

A brush of the type mentioned is from the DE 696 10 432 T2 known. The brush is designed as a toothbrush, with a handle part and a working head part, wherein the working head part has a central through hole around which are arranged in bristles bundled bristles. The through hole is designed in the form of a Venturi nozzle in order to be able to better wash out residues from the bristles when washing out the toothbrush. As an advantageous embodiment, the tufts are angled in the vicinity of the through hole to a very small extent inward.

Another toothbrush is out of the DE 813 990 B known. In the toothbrush body there are longitudinally extending openings that allow the removal of saliva and dentifrice. The openings are also provided to prevent the retention of residues in the bristle body. The openings do not cover the bristles.

From the US 2,516,778 Another brush is known whose bristles are rinsed by water. The brush head has a water connection for a tap. In the brush head also a line-shaped cavity for the water is provided, wherein the bristles are combined into bristle bundles and releasably connected by a thread to the brush head. In the brush head a plurality of cleaning openings are arranged, with some of the Cleaning openings are arranged centrally within the bristle bundle. As a result, the bristle bundles are cleaned from the inside. Other openings are arranged outside the bundles of bristles in order to be able to clean them from the outside.

The previously known brush is structurally complex and therefore unsatisfactory in economic terms.

From the US 4,030,158 a hair brush is known, with a brush head, in which arcuate recesses are arranged, which extend transversely to the longitudinal direction of the brush head almost over the entire width of the brush head. None of the recesses covers a bristle; the bristles are at right angles from their exit surface from the brush head. By the recesses, on the one hand, a better blow-drying of the hair possible and also the brush should be able to be better cleaned by the recesses.

A dishwashing brush is out of the DE 69 27 855 U known. The dishwashing brush has a round brush head with two rows of holes to accommodate bristle tufts. Within the bristle tufts, a recess is centrally arranged for receiving a sponge. The recess is bounded on the outer peripheral side by a scraping edge in order to be able to remove strong impurities better.

From the DE 83 00 495 U1 a dishwashing brush with detergent dispenser is known, wherein the detergent can be metered through a reservoir in the handle in the region of the brushes of the brush head. The brush head has a counter to the bristle bundles upwardly curved scraper to remove heavy impurities.

From the DE 83 01 546 U1 a further dishwashing brush is known, which has a second bristle facing, wherein the bristle bundles of the second bristle facing are formed substantially shorter and at a smaller distance from each other than the remaining bristle bundles. The bristles of the two bristle trimming are stiffer than the bristles of the first bristle trimming, so that they are better suited for the removal of firmly adhering food residues.

From the DE 93 06 429 U1 Another brush is known, the handle is non-destructively releasably connected to the brush head.

From the US 2005/0028308 A1 a dishwashing brush is known in which bristle bundles are inserted in a brush head. The brush head is designed on its side facing away from the bristle bundles with a smooth, substantially flat surface.

Presentation of the invention

The invention is based on the object, a brush of the type mentioned in such a way that these can be cleaned easier and faster after their use. The unwanted formation of splashing water during the cleaning process of the brush should be minimized.

This object is achieved by a brush according to claim 1. In advantageous embodiments, refer back to claim 1 dependent claims.

To solve the problem, a brush is provided, the bristles and / or bristle bundles with the vertical flushing limit an angle that is 30 ° to 60 °.

It is advantageous that the brush can be cleaned easier and faster after their use. The cleaning of the brush takes place in that a cleaning agent, such as running water, is passed from above through the flushing channel in the brush head on the bristles and thereby rinses out the impurities that are between the bristles. The advantageous effect is due to the fact that the flushing out of the impurities takes place in virtually the opposite direction with respect to the direction in which the contaminants have passed between the bristles. There is no danger, as in prior art brushes, that during the cleaning process of the brushes, the contaminants will adhere more firmly between the bristles.

Surprisingly, it has been found that the perforations designed as flushing passages not only facilitate easier flushing of the brush, but that the formation of sprayed water, for example, when flushing the brush under running water, is significantly reduced by the flushing channels designed as perforations. This is probably due to the fact that the water jet does not hit, as usual in brushes of the prior art, on a plane closed surface and is deflected from there and partially thrown back again; the jet of water impinging on the perforated surface of the brush head is broken and the formation of spray water is thereby minimized.

The flushing passages penetrate the brush head substantially flush in the flushing direction. Such aligned flushing channels allow a horizontal flushing of the brush head, for example, under running water, and thus a very rapid rinsing. Within a short time, most of the contaminants are flushed out of the bristles without residue.

The bristles and / or bristle bundles are arranged obliquely to the vertical rinsing direction in the brush head.
The bristles and / or the bristle bundles define an angle with the vertical rinsing direction, which is 30 ° to 60 °.
Compared to bristles or bundles of bristles, which are arranged in the flushing direction in the brush head, not only the cleaning performance of the brush is improved. The rinsing out of contaminants by the bristles and / or bristle bundles arranged at an angle to the rinsing direction is also improved because a larger area is exposed to cleaning liquid, whereby the use of bristle bundles effectively rinses out the inner area of the bristle bundles.

The brush head preferably has a plurality of flushing channels. Through several flushing channels, which are used, the removal of impurities from the bristles is further improved and the formation of splashing further reduced.

The flushing channels can be arranged distributed uniformly in the brush head. All bristles of the brush can be cleaned by impurities as much as possible; Dead spaces into which no cleaning fluid passes are thereby avoided.

The flushing channels can have a continuously decreasing cross-section in the flushing direction. In manufacturing terms, this is an advantage. In addition, the jet of cleaning liquid can thereby be more targeted to the critical points of the bristles in which the impurities settle during use of the brush.

The flushing channels may each have a substantially rectangular or oval cross-section. As a result, the flushing channels are slit-shaped, wherein bristles or bristle bundles can then extend along the peripheral boundary of the flushing channels on the underside of the brush head.

According to one embodiment, it may be provided that the flushing channels are arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction of the brush head and extend over almost the entire width of the brush head. It is advantageous that the arranged over the entire width of the brush head bristles or bristle bundles are well cleaned.

The ratio between the width of the brush head and the width of the flushing channels can be 1.1 to 1.5. For most applications, such a ratio has proven to be advantageous in terms of easy cleaning of the brush.

The ratio of the width of the flushing channels to their length on the upper side of the brush head is preferably 3 to 6. The comparatively small width of the flushing channels leaves much material of the brush head to which the bristles or bundles of bristles can be fastened. A large number of bristles or bundles of bristles favors effective cleaning of the surfaces to be cleaned.

At least a part of the previously described bristles can be combined into bristle bundles.
According to a further preferred embodiment, it can be provided that all bristles are combined into bristle bundles. The summary of bristle bundles is particularly advantageous when the brush head has the openings according to the invention, because the clamping of the Bristle bundles can be grouped well around the openings. Although the bundles of bristles are very dense in the region of their restraints are formed packed, fan the bristle bundles on their side facing away from the brush head to achieve a good cleaning performance.

According to a preferred embodiment, it can be provided that in each case at most two rows of bristle bundles are arranged between adjacent flushing channels. All bristle bundles can be rinsed out well because the bristle bundles of both rows are arranged in the effective range of the flushing channels. On the other hand, if significantly more rows of Borsfien bundles were arranged between adjacent flushing channels, the cleaning would be made more difficult because not all bundles of bristles would likewise be charged with the cleaning liquid through the flushing channels.

The brush head may be flat on its upper side facing away from the bristles and / or bristle bundles. It is advantageous that the top of the brush head can be cleaned well.

According to another embodiment, the brush head can be concavely curved on its upper side facing away from the bristles and / or bristle bundles, transversely to its longitudinal direction. For example, the brush cleaned under running water, the water jet is channeled through the concave shape of the top of the brush head practically in the direction of the openings, so that with further reduced splash formation with less cleaning fluid better rinsing of the brush is ensured.

The brush head may have in its longitudinal and / or transverse direction a convexly curved underside, in which the bristles and / or bristle bundles are fixed. With regard to a good effectiveness of the brush, such a configuration is advantageous. The bristles of the bristle bundles are in the longitudinal and in the transverse direction beyond the circumference in the edge of the brush head, so that impurities can be easily removed even in hard to reach places, for example in the transition region of a pot bottom to the side wall of the pot.

To remove stubborn impurities, the brush head can on the one hand have a scaler protruding upward against the bristles and / or bundles of bristles. Encrustations that could not be removed by the bristles or bristle bundles of the brush alone in the first step, can be broken with the scraper first and then easily removed by means of the bristles or bristle bundles.

On the other hand, based on the scraper, the brush head may have a handle.
According to a first embodiment of the brush head and the handle can be integrally merge into one another and formed of the same material. With regard to a simple and cost-effective manufacturability of the brush head may consist of a polymeric material. Due to the low weight of the brush is easy to handle and when used as a dish brush also stainless and resistant to most impurities and cleaning fluids. Due to the one-piece design of brush head and Handle dividing joints in the brush are avoided; the hygiene is thereby improved.

According to another embodiment of the brush head and the handle can be non-destructively releasably connected to each other. Such a configuration is advantageous, for example, if differently shaped brush heads and / or brush heads with differently shaped bristles and / or bristle bundles are to be used with one and the same handle as needed, depending on the particular application. Even if the bristles and / or bristle bundles of the brush head are subject to a particularly high degree of wear, for example, the fact that rough impurities are to be removed from particularly rough surfaces, it is advantageous that, if necessary, a new brush head with the handle, which is subject to virtually no wear , can be connected.

The invention also relates to the use of a brush as described above. A brush with a brush head, which has at least one opening formed as a flushing channel for cleaning the bristles, is used according to the invention as a dishwashing brush. Especially for this use is a brush that can be rinsed well, of particular advantage. Even mushy, highly viscous impurities, which are stuck following the cleaning of surfaces to be cleaned between the bristles and / or between the bristles of the bristle bundles, can be well rinsed by the inventive design of the brush head.

Brief description of the drawing

Fig. 1

eine Draufsicht auf eine erfindungsgemäße Spülbürste,

Fig. 2

die Spülbürste aus Fig. 1, die unter fließendem Wasser ausgespült wird,

Fig. 3

eine Ansicht der Spülbürste aus den Fig. 1 und 2 von unten und

Fig. 4

einen Ausschnitt aus dem vorderen Bürstenkopf, in geschnittener Darstellung.

The brush according to the invention and its use according to the invention as a dishwashing brush will be described below with reference to FIGS FIGS. 1 to 4 described in more detail. These show:

Fig. 1

a top view of a dishwashing brush according to the invention,

Fig. 2

the dishwashing brush off Fig. 1 which is rinsed under running water,

Fig. 3

a view of the dishwashing brush from the Fig. 1 and 2 from below and

Fig. 4

a section of the front brush head, in a sectional view.

Embodiment of the invention

In Fig. 1 an embodiment of a brush is shown, which is used as a dishwashing brush. The dishwashing brush comprises a brush head 1 which is connected to bristles 2. In the embodiment shown here, all bristles 2 are combined into bundles of bristles 10; Deviating configurations in which partly bristles 2, partly bristle bundles 10 or only bristles 2 are used, are likewise conceivable, depending on the respective application.
The brush head 1 is in the illustrated embodiment of a polymeric material and is integrally merging with each other and formed of the same material with the handle 14.
In the brush head 1 three openings 4 are arranged in the form of flushing channels 3, which completely penetrate the brush head 1 in the washing direction 5. The flushing channels 3 are slit-shaped, arranged transversely to the longitudinal direction 6 of the brush head 1 and extend almost over the entire width 7 of the brush head. 1
The ratio between the width 7 of the brush head 1 and the width 8 of the flushing channels 3 in the embodiment shown here is 1.3; the ratio of the width 8 of the flushing channels 3 to the length 9 on the upper side 11 of the brush head 1 is in contrast 4.5.
On the handle 14 in the longitudinal direction of the brush head 1 opposite end, the brush head 1 against the bristle bundles 10 upwardly curved scraper 13. The scraper 13 is provided to first break up intractable incrustations before the remaining broken contaminants can be removed from the bristle bundles 10.

The top 11 of the brush head 1 is formed either concave or curved transversely to its longitudinal direction 6. If the dish brush is rinsed under running water after use, as in Fig. 2 shown, running water in the washing direction 5 meets the top 11 of the brush head 1 and passes through the flushing channels 3 to the bristle bundles 10 and rinsed out there also mushy, highly viscous contaminants from the bristle bundles 10. In the exemplary embodiment illustrated here, two rows of bristle bundles 10 are respectively arranged between the adjacent flushing channels 3, wherein the two rows of bristle bundles 10 can be acted upon by cleaning liquid, in this case flowing water, by means of a flushing channel 3.

The arrangement of the flushing channels 3, based on the bristle bundles 10, is in the view from below according to Fig. 3 to recognize. In this illustration, in addition to the transverse direction 7 of the brush head 1 convexly curved bottom 12 can also be seen that the bristles 2 of the bristle bundles 10 with the vertical rinsing 5 an angle limit α, which is 30 ° to 60 ° in the embodiment shown here.

This relationship is also illustrated in Fig. 4 , In this section, a section of the brush head 1 is shown, in which the vertical rinsing direction 5 through the flushing channels 3, viewed in the longitudinal direction 6 of the brush head 1, with the bristles 2 and / or bundles of bristles 10 limit the angle α, the 30 ° to 60 ° is.

Overall, the dishwashing brush according to the invention has very good service properties during a long service life, because the bristles 2 and / or the bristle bundles 10 can be cleaned simply and effectively by means of the flushing channels 3 and the formation of undesired splashing water during the cleaning of the brush by the flushing channels 3, which penetrate the top 11 of the brush body 1 is minimized.

Claims (18)

1. Brush comprising a brush head (1), which is connected to bristles (2), wherein the brush head (1) has at least one through-passage (4) which is designed in the form of a rinsing channel (3) for cleaning the bristles (2), wherein the rinsing channels (3) penetrate the brush head (1) essentially vertically in the rinsing direction (5), characterized in that the bristles (2) and/or the clusters (10) of bristles delimit an angle (α) of 30° to 60° with the vertical rinsing direction (5).
2. Brush according to Claim 1, characterized in that the brush head (1) has a plurality of rinsing channels (3).
3. Brush according to either of Claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the rinsing channels (3) are distributed uniformly in the brush head (1).
4. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the rinsing channels (3) have a cross section which decreases continuously in a stepless manner in the rinsing direction (5).
5. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the rinsing channels (3) each have an essentially rectangular or oval cross section.
6. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the rinsing channels (3) are arranged transversally to the longitudinal direction (6) of the brush head (1) and extend more or less over the entire width (7) of the brush head (1).
7. Brush according to Claim 6, characterized in that the ratio between the width (7) of the brush head (1) and the width (8) of the rinsing channels (3) is 1.1 to 1.5.
8. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the ratio of the width (8) of the rinsing channels (3) to the length (9) of the latter on the upper side (11) of the brush head (1) is 3 to 6.
9. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 8, characterized in that at least some of the bristles (2) have been combined to form clusters (10) of bristles.
10. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 9, characterized in that in each case not more than two rows of clusters (10) of bristles are arranged between adjacent rinsing channels (3).
11. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that on its upper side (11), which is directed away from the bristles (2) and/or clusters (10) of bristles, the brush head (1) is of planar design.
12. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 10, characterized in that on its upper side (11), which is directed away from the bristles (2) and/or clusters (10) of bristles, the brush head (1) is of concavely curved design in a direction transverse to its longitudinal direction (6).
13. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, in its longitudinal direction (6) and/or transverse direction (7), the brush head (1) has a convexly curved underside (12), in which the bristles (2) and/or clusters (10) of bristles are secured.
14. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 13, characterized in that the brush head (1), at one end, has a scraper (13) which juts out upwards counter to the bristles (2) and/or clusters (10) of bristles.
15. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the brush head (1), at the other end, has a handle (14).
16. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the brush head (1) and the handle (14) merge into one another as a single piece and are formed from the same material.
17. Brush according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the brush head (1) and the handle (14) are connected to one another such that they can be released in a non-destructive manner.
18. Use of a brush according to one of the preceding claims as a washing-up brush.

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