GB2064952A - Tufted constructions - Google Patents

Abstract

A tufted construction (16) comprises synthetic filament tufts (102) each having an end fused integrally with a thermoplastic sheet substrate (104') having a convex configuration, the tufts (102) extending outwardly from the substrate (104') at different angles. The tufted construction (160) is mounted on a hollow brush body to form a brush. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Tufted constructions This invention relates to tufted constructions.

According to the present invention there is provided a tufted construction comprising: a thermoplastic sheet substrate having a convex configuration; a plurality of mutually spaced synthetic filament tufts each having an end fused integrally with the substrate and each extending outwardly at an angle different from the angle of an adjacent tuft; and handle means enabling the tufted construction to be held.

Brush making machinery described in detail below can be used for continuously fabricating tufted constructions embodying the invention. The machinery is particularly suited to forming a wide variety of filament constructions wherein the ends of the filament are fused and supported before they cool, so that the prefused ends only connect the filament unit and mount or hold the filament unit to a support substrate in parallel attitude. Before the support cools it is deformed from behind, thus causing all the filament tufts on the opposite side to change attitude from a parallel relationship to one in which each tuft is at a different angle from an adjacent tuft.

The brush industry and brush-making art during the past fifty years have remained, for the most part, unchanged. Major changes taking place have come about in raw materials employed, i.e. synthetic filaments replacing vegetable fibres, moulded thermoplastic handles replacing wooden handles, and the like, but little or no change has taken place in forming tufts and/ortufting multi-tufted construcrions.With the economic changes taking place during the 1970's and even more dependence upon oil and oil derivatives in the late 70's, i.e. plastics used for synthetic filament and moulded brush blocks, and an ever increasing cost for energy and for these raw materials, a need developed for new ways to construct tufted synthetic brush products so that (1 ) up to at least 75% of the starting raw materials are used in construction and (2) the energy required to form these raw materials is minimised.

Picking device for fabricating tufted constructions from synthetic filaments are described, for example, in U.S. Patent No. Re. 27, 455 and in U.S. Patent No.

3,799,616. However, apparatus described herein, while outwardly similar to the already patented constructions, have the additional capability of allowing one to pick and trim angleflared individual tufts and tufted constructions wherein raw material conservation and utility are achieved.

For example, convention tufted brushes comprise three parts: one, the handle; two, filaments with a length more than twice the filament tuft length out of the handle; and three, a wire staple. Handle thicknesses of at least 4.76 mm (three-sixteenths inches) previously had to be employed to accommodate drilled holes in order that the stapled tuft (held by wire staples) could be supported in the handle.

One preferred form of brush construction embodying this invention, in contrast, comprises only a handle (support means or substrate) with a thickness in the region of 1 mm (0.040 inches) with filaments attached thereto, and both are constructed preferably from polypropylene. Constructions can also be fabricated from materials such as polyurethane (support) and polyamide (filament) whereby these two materials will remain fused together to produce a polyamide (nylon) filament brush. It is not necessary in this instance to employ expensive polyamide resin for both the handle and the filament, thereby reducing the cost of the article.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that a wide variety of different filament constructions, in addition to ordinary household brushes, may be made utilising the machinery to be hereinafter described. For example, the machinery may also be used to form tufted constructions wherein the prefused tuft end is mounted on a heat softened depression on a sheet or handle of the filamentary material.

Related articles and methods of construction are described and claimed in US Patents Nos 3 774 782, 3 633 974, Re. 27 455, 3 604043, 3 799 616, 3798 699, 3910637 and 4 009 910, and in UK Patent Specifications Nos. 181 726,1 276760,1 281 760,1 447 213,1 1 544138 and 1 562550. The disclosure of the aforesaid related patents are hereby incorporated by reference.

Brush making machinery described herein can be used in forming multiple fibre tufts, complete brush or tufted components simultaneously formed, and continuous modular brush or tufted constructions.

The machinery will simultaneously pick fibre tufts, assembly the tufts in a predetermined pattern, imparting a flare thereto and form an integral fibre tuft support modular tufted construction. The flared tufted construction is formed after the tufts have been assembled onto a thin plastics sheet. The fibre tufts are heat sealed integral with a support substrate. The machinery assembles cut-to-length ther moplasticfibre into fibre tufts, each of said tufts having a prefused end for mounting and a working end which does not require trimming.

The invention will now be further described, by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a side view of a fused tuft prior to flaring; Figure 1A is a side view of a flared tuft; Figure 2 is a top view of a tufted component prior to flaring; Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of the tufted component of Figure 2 taken along line A-A of Figure 2; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional side view of a flaring apparatus for the tufted component illustrating the tufted component prior to flaring; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the flaring apparatus illustrating the tufted component being flared; Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view similar to Figure 4; Figure 6 is a perspective view of the flared tufted angle component;; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the flared tufted component taken along line 7-7 of Figure 6; Figure 8 is a front view of a tuft forming picker; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the tuft forming picker taken along line 9-9 of Figure 8; Figure 10 is a side view in partial section of the tuft forming picker of Figure 8 prior to indexing into a filament stock box; Figure 11 is a side view in partial section of the tuft forming picker of Figure 8 indexed into the filament stock box; Figure 12 is a side view in partial section of the tuft forming picker of Figure 8 withdrawn from the filament stock box with a picking tube support and trim ends in a closed attitude and filament ends disposed against a melter block for fusing; Figure 13 is a side view in partial section of the tuft forming picker of Figure 12 with fused tuft ends mounted on a support;; Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of a tufted brush component shown in Figure 13.

Figure 15 is a front view of the tufted brush component of Figure 14 taken along line 15-15 of Figure 14; Figure 16 is a cross-sectional view of a flaring apparatus for the tufted brush component of Figures 13 to 15, illustrating the tufted component prior to flaring; Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view of the flaring apparatus of Figure 16 after having flared the tufted brush component; Figure 18 is a perspective view of the flared brush component; Figure 19 is a side view in partial section of a tufted angle-flared counter duster brush made in accordance with this invention; Figure 20 is a perspective view of a hollow, tufted angle-flared sphere made in accordance with this invention; Figure 21 is a front view of an alternative tufted construction; and Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 22-22 of Figure 21.

Figures 1 and 1A show a houseware brush article or the like wherein synthetic filament tufts 100 are attached directly to a substrate 101. As described in the apove-referenced patents, and as will be subsequently disclosed, the tufts are picked in parallel attitudes, simultaneously, and simultaneously the ends are heat sealed for mounting on a thin support.

After the. ends cools, the picking means is withdrawn to form an article as shown in Figure 1. It has been discovered, however, that if the support 101 is deformed as shown at 101 in Figure 1A, an angle flaring construction will be formed. The tufts 100 mounted on the support 101 of Figure 1 have a total width X. When the support 101 is deformed to form the support 101' in Figure 1A, the tufts 100 then flare to have a maximum width Y, as shown. The hot tufted support is deformed from behind and angle flaring means described below forms a complete angled tufted construction in the same time required by conventional brush machinery to pick and staple set one or two fibre tufts.This method of tufting angled filament tufts is achieved by employing the machinery generally described in the above identified patents, with modifications that will subse quently be disclosed.

A method for forming the flared tufted construction will now be described with reference to Figures 2to 5.

A circular tufted construction shown in Figure 2 comprises a series of parallel filament tufts 102 having fused ends 103 mounted on a thermoplastic sheet support 104. The support 104 of the construction of Figure 2 is placed in an open mould 106 (Figure 3). A heating means 107, which is preferably a conventional cartridge heater 108, is then indexed in the direction shown by an arrow E till it is adjacent a surface of the support 104. The heating means 107 then warms the support 104 to a temperature of, for example, about 121"C (250"F). The support 104, in a heat softened condition, is then disposed in the mould 106 with the periphery thereof adjacent angled mould edges 109. The heating means 107 is then withdrawn.

As shown in Figure 4, after the heating means 107 is withdrawn a probe 110 is indexed in the direction shown by an arrow F towards the warmed support 104. As the probe 110, normally maintained ata temperature of below 24"C (75"F) is forced against the support 104 as shown in Figure 5, the support 104 deforms against the angled edges 109. The support 104 then takes up the curvature of the probe 110 and the probe 110 is held against the support until the support cools, taking the same shape as the probe which simultaneously causes the tufts 102 to be angle flared individually, each tuft being at a different angle from each adjacent tuft as shown in Figure 5.

When the tuft support 104 is then removed from the mould 106, a complete angled flared construction results as illustrated in Figures 6 and 7.

Figures 8 and 9 illustrate one version of tuft forming picking means which is used to form the tufts and mount the tuft on a support. The picking means comprises a plurality of picking tubes 112 mounted on a foraminous plate 114. The plate 114 is in turn mounted on a movable plate 116, preferably by bolts 118. The plates 114 and 116 are spaced by springs 120 which surround those portions of the bolts 118 extending between the plates 114 and 116.

A plurality of trim end elements 122 are mounted on the plate 116 and extend through the plate 114 into corresponding ones of the picking tubes 112.

The trim end elements 122 then slidably extend into the tubes 112 and serve as piston elements to index cut to length filament contained in the tubes 112. As will be clear to those skilled in the art, the end of each element 122 will automatically trim a tuft of filament contained within the associated tube 112, and if the plate 114 is indexed towards the plate 116, the elements 122 will force the ends of the tufts contained in the tubes 112 outwardly to extend beyond the tubes.

The picking tube 112 may assume any desired pattern. As shown in Figure 8, the tubes 112 are disposed in a five row, staggered pattern. The pattern could instead be a circular pattern, which would be used to produce the tufted construction of Figures 2-7.

Figures 10 and 11 illustrate use of the tuft forming picking means to form a plurality of tufts. With reference to Figure 10, the movable plate 116 carrying the picking tubes 112 is indexed in the direction of an arrow G into the front of a stock box 130. The stock box contains a plurality of cut-tolength synthetic filaments (fibres) 132, and the back of the stock box mounts a plate 134 which is continually vibrated during the picking operation by a vibrator means (not shown). The internal surface of the front of the stock box 130 mounts a gasket 136 having a plurality of openings for receiving the picking tubes 112.As the vibrating plate 134 reciprocates in the direction of an arrow H against the ends of the synthetic cut-to-length filaments 132, the picking tubes 112 enter the stock box 130 as shown in Figure 11 whereby a plurality of filaments 132 enter each of the picking elements 112 to form the tufts, and an end of each said filament tuft abuts the end of the associated trim end element 122 to trim the ends of the tufts formed within each picking tube 112. As the tufts are formed within the picking tubes 112, the springs 120 on the mounting bolts 118 maintain a spaced relationship between the plates 114 and 116. After the picking tubes 112 are filled, the movable plate 116 indexes in the direction of an arrow G',withdrawing the tubes from the stock box 130.

Figures 12 to 14 illustrate mounting of the tufts formed on a support to form a tufted construction.

With reference to Figure 12, after the picking tubes 112 are filled, the movable plate 116 is indexed in the direction of an arrow I against closing bars 140, which causes the plate 114 to close against the plate 116, forcing the trim end elements 122 into the picking tubes 112 and forcing ends 102' of the tufts formed within the tubes to emerge from the tubes.

The ends 102' of the tufts then contact a melter block surface 142 heated by cartridge heaters 144 which cause the ends 102' to fuse.

After fusing, as illustrated in Figure 13, the picking means indexes away from the heaters 144, and subsequently in the direction of an arrow K into the mould 106. The fused ends 102' of the tufts formed in the picking tubes 112 then encounter a heat softened plastics substrate 104'. The heated portions of the substrate and tufts then fuse and cool, causing the tufts to be attached to the substrate 104'. The movable plate 116 then indexes in the direction of an arrow K' whereby the plastics substrate and tufts mounted thereon are retained in the open mould 106 by the edges 109, and the tufted construction of Figures 14 and 15 is formed. The tufts 102 are then attached in a parallel relationship with each other on the plastics substrate 104' and conform to the design or pattern of the picking tubes 112 on the mounting plate 114.Each tuft is individually fused at its end portion 102' to the substrate 104'.

With reference to Figures 16 and 17, while the heat softened plastics substrate 104' is held in the mould 106 and the substrate is still warm from tufting, i.e., in the range of 93-121 C (200-250"F), a flare forming die 150 is indexed in the direction of an arrow L, causing the warm plastics substrate 104', having the parallel tufts 102 thereon, to take a new curved form as illustrated in Figure 17 as the substrate 104' moulds against the surface 152 of the die 150 and against the edges 109 of the mould 106. The parallel tufts 102 of Figure 16 then diverge to form a flared tufted construction as shown in Figure 17, whereby each tuft is at a different angle from each adjacent tuft along the entire substrate 104'.

With reference to Figures 18 and 19, when the substrate 104' cools it may be removed from the mould 106 and a flared tufted brush construction 160 is formed. The construction comprises a semi-rigid plastics substrate 104' mounting diverging tufts 102, each of which is disposed at an angle different from each adjacent tuft.

As shown in Figure 19, the tufted flared brush construction 160 may then be mounted on a hollow brush body 162 to form, for example, a counter duster brush. As will be clear to those skilled in the art, the shape of the plastics substrate, and the handle, as well as the pattern of the flared brush tufts, may be varied within the scope of this invention to produce a wide variety of different flared, tufted constructions for mounting on brush handles.

The tufted constructions need not be mounted on brush handles and, as shown in Figure 20, a flared, tufted sphere 164 may be formed by utilising the procedures described in conjunction with Figures 2-7 to form twin hemispheres 166 and 168. These hemispheres may then be welded together to produce a spherical tufted brush.

The angle flaring frames and moulds may be constructed from any conventional material such as polypropylene, polyacital, polyamide and the like.

The angle flaring dies may also be of metal as will be clear to those skilled in the art, and they are not limited to any given size, external diameter or dimension or cross-sectional configuration. Picking devices are not limited to any number of tufts and all angular configuration can be fabricated within the scope of this invention.

Figures 21 and 22 illustrate a tufted angular flared construction wherein the tufts converge from a concave substrate. The device shown in Figures 21 and 22 may be produced for example by utilising a conventional vacuum mould in place of the die 150 shown in Figures 16 and 17.

It has been found that the angled, flared constructions can be produced from tufts from assembled parallel, cut-to-length synthetic filaments having any cross-sectional configuration, such as circular, Xshaped, star shaped, hollow and the like. The diameter of the filament picked ranges from 0.127 mm (0.005") to at least 6.35 mm (0.250"). The length of the cut-to-length filament can range from 12.7 mm (0.5") up to 762 mm (30"). The composition of the synthetic filaments picked and assembled into filamenu tufts is not limited, and thermoplastic filaments whether oriented or unoriented can be used to form the tufts. Polymers such as polyamide, polypropylene, polyethylene, copolymers of polypropylene and ethylene, polyfluoride, polyurethane, and the like may be employed.

Attention is hereby drawn to our copending UK Patent Application No.7927089 (Publication No.

2 055 291), from which the present application was divided out, which includes claims directed to the foregoing disclosure.

Claims (2)

1. A tufted construction comprising: a thermoplastic sheet substrate having a convex configuration; a plurality of mutally spaced synthetic filament tufts each having an end fused integrally with the substrate and each extending outwardly at an angle different from the angle of an adjacent tuft; and handle means enabling the tufted construction to be held.

2. Atufted construction according to claim 1, which is tufted brush construction.