GB2116028A - Multigrip holder - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible onepiece integrally moulded suspensive manifold or racking device comprises of a multiplicity of individual compartments each of such configuration as to grip eg by hinge flanges 7, by enfolding resilience of its constituent material the body of an inserted "implement" thus providing a facility for storage, dispensing or display; and, in one case of such formation as to comprise an annulation of inwardly orientated linear sequenced suspension chambers 6 designed to fit into the neck of suitable vessel such that painting brushes for example may be immersion suspended for long periods without risk of damage to their working points; or, such a linear arrangement of suspension chambers in strip formation to enable a wide variety of working implements to be held in a state of constant readiness for use. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Flexible, omniplane, multigrip suspension storage and dispensing or display manifolds This invention relates to methods and means of multigrip suspended storage of (usually) hand held tools, implements, utensils and/or instruments etc., hereinafter referred to as "implements" such that the said "implements" are held available of immediate use, steeped or protected according to their nature, by means of an intrinsically flexible manifold or racking device which may be secured in any convenient plane, i.e., horizontal or sloping surface, wall or soffit either flat or contoured, hereinafter referred to as the "support", by known means of fixing or adhesion.

The mostspecialised appiication of the present invention relates to such "implements" as painting brushes, particularly those used by artists who may have a relatively large number of variously sized brushes charged with a wide range of different colours in use more or less simultaneously. The problem here has always been to arrange suitable means of "resting" such brushes as are not in actual use as a given moment, although the need for their colour content persists. Long "resting" periods will result in brushes drying, or partly drying, out. The speed of such a drying or hardening process depends upon the siccative quality of the painting medium in which the pigment is dispersed, and may range from minutes in the case of water based colours to weeks for some unmodified oil dispersed pigments.Thus it is most frequently the case that artists working in traditional "oils", particularly where modified by a siccative medium, are faced with the nuisance of cleaning-out brushes after each painting session.

Thus an object of the present invention is to provide a simple means of maintaining pigment charged painting brushes in a state of constant non-hardening readiness for use for prolonged periods; or by the same means, to provide a facility for the steeping of the said pigment charged brushes.

Afurtherobjectofthe invention is to provide a multi-grip means of suspension storage or cleaning of painting brushes by such process as obviates all risk of damage or distortion to fragile hair or bristle working points.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a flexible multigrip manifold or racking device which is designed to display, dispense and/or store by means of suspension of such (usually) hand held "implements" as may be conventionally associated with studios, drawing offices, workrooms, schools, kitchens, laboratories, workshops, offices, retail shops, homes, etc. etc., wherein in said multigrip device may be attached to conveniently disposed supportive surfaces or edges of tables, walls, shelves, benches, drawing boards, easels, pallettes, desks, drawers, trolleys, cupboard doors, the soffits of painting box lids or the interior necking of jars or other vessels by known mechanical or adhesive means.

A yet still further object of the invention is to provide a flexible multigrip manifold or racking device each independent division of which is in he rently capable of accommodating by suspension a single "implement" in any one of a predetermined range of sizes.

A yet again till further object of the invention is to provide a flexible multigrip manifold or racking device which in use comprises part of the access means to a jar or similar vessel such that the multiple gripping tendency of the said manifold may be applied to the handles of for example painting brushed and the like to afford a facility for suspending such "implements" with their working points protectively immersed of a contained reservoir of a suitable wetting or solvent medium.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a screw cap jar or other vessel which further to its function as a "support" for an annular flexible multigrip manifold is so configured as to its lower extremity that the said screw cap when not in use as a closure may be applied with equal facility to the base of the said vessel in such manner as to form a plinth.

According to the present invention the component means by which the invention may be carried into effect are described as follows: "A" According to one mode by way of example a manifold component may comprise of a endless moulded strip or chain forming a segmented annulation of flexible gripping compartments disposed toward their common centre, and so configured as to its exterior surfaces as to engage within and upon the compensatingly shaped and dimensiond neck, or other means of access, to a suitable jar or similar vessel in such manner as to afford one or more of the said objectives.

"B" According to another mode by way of further example a a manifold component may consist in a continuous flexible strip of any desired length which bears an outwardly facing sequence of integrally formed divisions each comprising as an inherent quality of its formation a flexible compartment so configured as to form a natural enfolding grip potential for the suspension therein of variously shaped and dimensioned "implements", and so further configured as to its rearward face as to be readily attached by known means to a wide range of diversely located fixed, mobile or portable "supports" in such manner as to afford one or more of the said objectives.

Therefore the generalised component descriptions "A" and "B" above demonstrate certain physical and functional similarities in that they are both integrally moulded sequences of identical compartments projecting from a continuous backing membrane such that they consist in a continuous linear formation of adjacent circular, elliptical, triangular, rectangular or polygonal recesses which bear upon their upper and/or lower extremities a pair, or a number of pairs, of opposed inwardly disposed closely associated flanges so formed upon each dividing membrane as to possess at least two but preferably three edges free from attachment such they form, in effect, flexible hinges with a natural propensity for enfolding any object inserted between them.

The said opposing edges of the flexible hinge flanges according to any additional mode of either type may be effectively lengthened by compensating convolution or serration of the said edges in order to improve their gripping potential.

As an adjunct to type "A" of the invention the said jar or other vessel into which this component is fitted may consist in a hollow vertically disposed container apertured at its upper extremity and furnished with a means of accepting a form of closure. This latter facility may comprise of a threaded or snap-lock beaded neck, or other means, in known manner; but, in furtherance of the inventive concept the said closable neck feature is duplicated in inverted opposition on the base of the said jar such that the said screw or snap-lock cap when not in use as a closure may be screwed or snapped onto the said base whereon it comprises a supportive and protective non-slip plinth.In furtherance of this supportive characteristic the overall width of the cap-plinth component should be, to a calculated degree, greates than that of the body of the vessel itself; and, preferably be square as to the area of its contact as a plinth with a table or other surface.

Further according to the present invention the said manifolds and closure are designed to be injection or gravitation moulded in one piece from a selected grade of a flexible material such as natural or synthetic rubber, or plastic, or any such resilient compound, whether modified by stabilising or reinforcing fillers or not, such that it will function in accordance with all or any of the objectives, and at the same time be chemically inert in the presence of the oils and solvents peculiar to their invironment of use. The said jar or other vessel may be manufactured from glass, plastic or metal according to known technology.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure lisa representation in plan of an annular component type "A" suitable for insertion into and retention by the neck of a jar or other vessel such that therein it is able to support, for example, artists' paintings brushes by virtue of its configuration and intrinsic resilience.

Figure2 is a vertical section through Figure 1 at "A-A".

Figure 3 is a view of the underside of Figure 1 except in that the opposed flexible hinge flanges are shown separated on three sides instead of two.

Figure 4 is a vertical section of Figure 1 or 3 in situ of the neck of a jar forming a repository and support for artists' painting brushes with working points immersed, and the said jar featuring a double ended characteristic and interchangeable dual purpose screw-cap-plinth.

Figure 5 is a frontal elevation of a flexible multigrip strip manifold or racking device illustrating the linear arrangement of "implement" supportive recesses, and the manner in which such an "implement" is suspended by Distortion and enfolding grip of its flexible hinge flanges.

Figure 6is a view in plan of Figure 5.

Figures 7and 8are representations in plan of alternative forms of flexible hinge flanges with opposing edges serrated and convoluted respectively.

In carrying type "A", Figures 1 and 2 or 3, of the present-invention into effect (see Figure 4) according to one mode by way of example a suitably configured and dimensioned flexible annular component 1 (see Figures 1,2 and 3) is inserted byflexure within the compensatingly shaped and dimensioned neck 2 of a suitable screw-capped jar 3 (see Figure 4) in such manner that the manifold is retained in its position by its upper 5 and lower 4 circumferential outwardly projecting flanges (see Figures 1,2,3 and 4), or optionally by adhesion, wherein it provides a flexible facility for suspending "implements" (e.g.

Artists' brushes) 11 in a manner permitting their working points 12 to be immersable 9 of a suitable fluid medium reservoir 10 (see Figure 4). The flexible annular manifold 1 (see Figures 1,2 and 3) is provided with a horizontally disposed series of inwardly facing, preferably either part circular or rectangular in section, recesses 6 (see Figures 1,2,3 and 4) equiped at either their upper or lower extremity with a pair of opposed closely associated two or three sided flexible hinge flanges 7 (see Figures 1,2,3 and 4) which flex under pressure of a manually inserted "implement" 11 suspending the said "implement" by moulding themselves to its shape in an enfolding manner consistent with the inherent resilience of its constituent material 8 (see Figure 4) Further to the implementation of a type "A" manifold as shown in Figure 4 by way of example the jar 3 is provided with a threaded neck feature 2 at its upper extremity to engage within the closure 15 (shown by dot/dash outiine) which necked feature is repeated in functionally identical manner in inverted opposition on the base 14 of the jar such that the screw-cap-plinth 15 may function either as a closure when applied to the upper open extremity of the jar 3 or as a supportive, protective and non-slip plinth when applied to the closed base 14 of the said jar 3, all in such fashion as to enable the said jar to be used as a means of storage and transportation for liquids to outlying places of work whereat it may be used in the manner illustrated by Figure 4.

In carrying type "B" (see Figures 5 and 6) of the present invention into effect according to one mode by way of example a suitably configured and dimensioned flexible strip manifold after the fashion of Figures 5 and 6 is attached to its chosen support by self-adhesion, locally applied adhesive means or mechanical fixing aids such as screws, nails, clips, brackets, clamps, etc. such that it is held fast in a manner calculated to be stable under it anticipated maximum load, by or through the said components backing membrane 13 (see Figures 5 and 6) thereby providing a facility for suspending any of a wide variety of "impiements" for storage, dispensing or display purposes all in the manner of use of the manifold as described under type "A". The range of variously dimensioned manifolds possible in the type "B" catgory render it likely that larger and weightier "implements" may need the supportive propensity of an additional number of pairs of opposed flexible hinge flanges 7 within the compass of each recess 6 (see Figures 5 and 6).

Claims (12)

1. An inherently flexible compartmentalised single piece suspension manifold or racking device which is so configured as to be supportive of inserted "implements" by enfolding grip upon their shafts, handles or bodies such that the said "implements" may be stored, dispensed or displayed.

2. A supportive device as claimed in 1 which may be attached by adhesion or mechanical fixing means in known manner to any convenient "support" in educational, domestic, commercial and industrial establishments, and which being so fixed will function in any plane and at any angle to the pull of gravity.

3. A suppotive device as claimed in 1 and 2 which comprises in strip form a linear sequence of integrally formed multigrip suspensive compartments.

4. A supportive device as claimed in 1 and 2 which comprises in annular form a radial sequence of integrally formed suspensive compartments.

5. A supportive device as claimed in 1,2 and 4 which as a profiled annulation is attachable by flexure or adhesion to, or into, the neck or other means of access to a jar or other vessel.

6. A supportive device as claimed in 1 to 5 each individual compartment, or recessed area, of which bears a pair, or number of pairs, of opposed flexible hinge flanges capable under distortion of imposing an enfolding grip upon the body of any inserted "implement".

7. A supportive device as claimed in 1 to 6 each individual compartment of which is enabled by the intrinsic resilience of its constituent material to reflexively self-adjust in imposing an enfolding grip upon "implements" of different shapes and sizes.

8. A hollow vessel or other closable container to the upper open and lower closed extremities of which are formed in coaxial opposition as to their interlocking surfaces such that a means of closure (a screw or snap-lock cap or similar device) when not in use for that purpose my be applied to the base of the said vessel thereon to function as a stabilising, supportive non-slip plinth.

9. An interlocking capping device so configured as to comprise a dual purpose article in that it will function with equal facility as a closure means or plinth to a similarly configured vessel.

10. A component as claimed in 1 to 7 and 9 which as a one-piece device is manufactured by the injection or gravitation moulding process from an inherently resilient natural or synthetic rubber or plastic material, whether modified or reinforced or not, in a wide range of sizes according to its mode of use.

11. A component a claimed in 8 which is manufactured by known means from glass, plastics or metal according to the chemistry of its contents and requirement as to mechanical strength.

12. A component or components as claimed in 1 to 11 inclusive which is substantially as illustrated in the accompanying drawings Figures 1 to 8 inclusive.