GB2572618A

GB2572618A - A Brush

Info

Publication number: GB2572618A
Application number: GB1805664.8A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Stanton Deane; Sale Andrew
Original assignee: Hair Secretz Ltd
Current assignee: Hair Secretz Ltd
Priority date: 2018-04-05
Filing date: 2018-04-05
Publication date: 2019-10-09
Also published as: GB201805664D0

Abstract

A hair brush 10 is disclosed comprising a housing 12 with a first part of a connection mechanism and a reversible brush face having a second part 22, 24 of the connection mechanism. The brush face is mountable to the housing via the connection mechanism and is rotatable between the first position, wherein a first face with bristles is received within the housing and a second position wherein the first face is outermost. The connection mechanism ensures the brush face remains in contact with the housing during movement. The connection mechanism may include a hinge 22 and a ball (42, figure 4) and socket 24 joint allowing for movement in two axes with at least two degrees of freedom.

Description

Field of the Invention

The invention relates to hair brushes for humans and animals.

Background to the Invention

Various types of hair brushes are available and some of those comprise more than one type of bristles. For example, W02005094627 (MARGARYAN) discloses a stick brush having a first type of bristles on one side and a second type of bristles on the other side. However, if a user wishes to use one type of bristles, they need to have the brush orientated correctly to avoid mixing the bristle types when using the brush, which is difficult during use of that style of brush during to it rotating when the hair is engaged by the bristles. Brushes have been proposed for solving such a problem, for example, GB2519194 (Stanton), which discloses a brash having a detachable and reversible brash face.

There is also a desire for people to carry hair brushes with them, for example, in handbags, purses or pockets and where brushes are carried, the bristles can become damaged or may damage other items held adjacent thereto. As a consequence, brushes have been produced that are provided with bristle covers and/or retractable bristles.

-2Summary of the Invention

The invention is directed to a hair brush having a housing with a first part of a connection mechanism and a reversible brush face having a second part of the connection mechanism, wherein the brush has a first position and a second position, the brush face being rotatable between the first position and the second position whilst the first and second parts of the connection mechanism remain in contact with one another.

Accordingly, the hair brush comprises:

a housing having a recess therein and the housing comprising the first part of a connection mechanism; and a reversible brush face, having a first side with bristles thereon, the reversible brush face comprising the second part of the connection mechanism; wherein, in a first position, the reversible brush face is mounted upon the housing and the first side of the reversible brush face faces the recess of the housing with the bristles of the first side of the reversible brush face received within the recess of the housing; wherein, in a second position, the reversible brush face is mounted upon the housing with first side of the reversible brush face facing away from the recess of the housing and the bristles of the first side of the reversible brush facing away from the recess; and wherein the brush face is rotatable between the first position and the second position whilst the first and second parts of the connection mechanism remain in contact with one another.

The present invention allows a user to conceal the bristles of the brush within the housing when the bristles are not required, thereby protecting the bristles and/or items that might be placed in close proximity. Additionally, the reversible brush face remains attached to the housing during the transition from the first position to the second position in order to avoid it being misplaced or lost.

In an alternative arrangement, the second side of the reversible brush face can be provided with another set of bristles to assist with styling the hair, with the bristles that are not in use being protected within the housing, thereby allowing the user to have two sets of

-3bristles and being able to readily operate the brush whilst only deploying the desired bristles. This provides flexibility in the brush and also allows a user to have a softer set of bristles protruding from the brush when it is not in use, thereby reducing the risk of damage to the brush or items adjacent thereto.

Preferably, the connection mechanism provides at least two-degrees of freedom for moving the brush face relative to the housing. Two or more degrees of freedom allow the brush face to be pivoted away from the housing and then rotated before being pivoted back to the housing, thereby allowing the brush face to be flipped or rotated such that its second side is facing outward from the housing without disengaging the connection mechanism.

In an advantageous construction, the first and second parts of the connection mechanism comprise the parts of a ball-and-socket joint. A ball-and-socket joint allows the brush face to be pivoted and twisted whilst remaining attached to the housing, thereby allowing quick and simple flipping of the reversible brush face. The ball of the ball-and-socket joint may be on either the housing or the brush face.

Preferably, a part of the connection mechanism is a pivotable socket provided on one of the housing and the reversible brush face and a ball is provided on the other part, which is received within the socket to form the connection between the housing and the brush face.

Alternatively, or additionally, the connection mechanism comprises a length of material, which may be an element selected from a group comprising: a string; a length of elastomeric material; and a chain. The connection mechanism may be in the form of a length of material that joins the housing to the brush face so that they are held together. This list is intended to show examples and other materials may also be suitable.

The housing and reversible brush face may comprise respective parts of a retaining mechanism. The retaining mechanism may be in the form of protrusions and respective grooves or openings, clips, biased sliders or other retaining means that allow the brush face to be securely held in place on the housing. This reduces the risk of the brush face

-4detaching during operation and allows it to be held in a manner that reduces movement during use.

Advantageously, the first and second parts of the connection mechanism are releasable to allow the reversible brush face to be disengaged from the brush. This may be desirable in order to remove and/or replace the brush face, for example, where it needs cleaning or where it is damaged. In such a situation, the connection mechanism on the brush face can be detached from the connection mechanism on the housing.

In one arrangement, the second side of the reversible brush face is provided with at least one of a mirror, bristles and a receptacle. The second face of the reversible brush face may be provided with bristles or another element that is useful to a user. For example, it may be desirable to have a mirror on the second side of the brush face so that a user can to see how they look whilst styling their hair, by simply flipping the brush face. Alternatively, or additionally, a storage receptacle may be useful for storing hair accessories, especially if the storage receptacle comprises a lid or other closure means. In one arrangement a second type of bristles may be provided to give the user different styling options.

The invention extends to a reversible brush face comprising the second part of the connection member of a brush as described herein. The user may wish to replace the reversible brush face or to employ a reversible brush face with a different feature and so brush faces may be provided that are compatible with the brush of the present invention.

Brief Description of the Drawings

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a brush according to the present invention;

Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the brush Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a bottom view of the housing of the brush of Figure 1; and Figure 4 shows a bottom view of the reversible brush face of Figure 1.

-5Detailed Description of Exemplary Embodiment

Figures 1 to 4 show a hair brush 10 comprising a housing 12 and a brush face 14. The housing 12 comprises a lid portion 12a, a grip portion 12b and a face-engaging portion 12c, the face-engaging portion having a lip 16 about its periphery in which are located a plurality of openings 18 and a receiving section 20 for receiving the first part of a connection mechanism. The first part of the connection mechanism is in the form of a hinge 22 that pivotally mounted within the receiving section 20 such that it can rotate axially within the housing. The hinge 22 has a socket 24 therein.

The brush face 14 comprises a first side 30 having a plurality of bristles 32 thereupon, with the bristles 32 being in the form of a first type of bristles 32a and a second type of bristles 32b arranged over the first side. The brush face 14 has a second side 34 on which a mirror 36 is located. About the periphery of the brush face 14 are a plurality of protrusions 38 with apertures 40 inwardly adjacent the protrusions. At one end of the brush face 14 is a second part of a connection mechanism in the form of a ball 42. The ball 42 is sized so that it can be inserted into, and rotate within, the socket 24 of the hinge 22. The ball-and-socket connection mechanism between the housing 12 and the brush face 14 enables the brush face 14 to rotate relative to the housing 12. Tab 44 is provided at the end of the brush face 14 distal from the ball 42.

In use, the brush face 14 is mounted on the housing 12 with the ball 42 of the brush face 14 received within the socket 24 of the hinge 22. The protrusions 38 about the periphery of the brush face 14 are received within the respective openings 18 on the housing to retain the brush face 14 in the housing 12. To reverse the brush face 14, the user uses tab 44 to pull one end of the brush face 14 from the housing. The protrusions 38 of the brush face 14 elastically yield due to the apertures 40 to allow the brush face 14 to disengage fiom the housing 12 and the hinge 22 allows the brush face 14 to pivot away from the housing 12. The ball 42 of the brush face 14 remained engaged with the socket 24 of the housing such that the brush face 12 remains connected to the housing 12 whilst pivoting therefrom. The brush face 14 is then rotated within the hinge 22 so that the other side of

-6the brush face 14 faces outwards and the brush face 14 is then pivoted back onto the housing with the protrusions 38 engaging the openings 18 once more.

The hinge 22 may be comprise yieldably resilient material, such as plastics material, so that the two parts of the connection mechanism may be disengaged from the housing to allow the brush face to be removed, thus enabling a different brush face to be connected to the housing. Such disengagement should require a significant force to avoid the parts becoming inadvertently disengaged.

The housing in the brush of the present invention is preferably closed, that is to say, the housing has a top surface that is substantially solid, although it may comprise perforations or small apertures, and a recess is provided in the underside to allow the bristles of the brush face to be received therein.

Claims

1. A hair brush comprising:

a housing having a recess therein and the housing comprising the first part of a connection mechanism; and a reversible brush face, having a first side with bristles thereon, and the reversible brush face comprising the second part of the connection mechanism; wherein, in a first position, the reversible brush face is mounted upon the housing and the first side of the reversible brush face faces the recess of the housing with the bristles of the first side of the reversible brush face received within the recess of the housing;

wherein, in a second position, the reversible brush face is mounted upon the housing with first side of the reversible brush face facing away from the recess of the housing and the bristles of the first side of the reversible brush facing away from the recess; and wherein the brush face is rotatable between the first position and the second position whilst the first and second parts of the connection mechanism remain in contact with one another.

2. A hair brush according to claim 1, wherein the connection mechanism provides at least two-degrees of freedom.

3. A hair brush according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the first and second parts of the connection mechanism comprise the parts of a ball-and-socket joint.

4. A hair brush according to claim 3, wherein a part of the connection mechanism is a pivotable socket provided on one of the housing and the reversible brush face and a ball is provided on the other part, which is received within the socket.

5. A hair brash according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the connection mechanism comprises an element selected from a group comprising: a string; a length of elastomeric material; and a chain.

6. A hair brush according to any preceding claim, wherein the housing and reversible brush face comprise respective parts of a retaining mechanism, (protrusion and groove/clips/biased sliders)

5

7. A hair brush according to any preceding claim, wherein the first and second parts of the connection mechanism are releasable to allow the reversible brush face to be disengaged from the brush.

8. A hair brush according to any preceding claim, wherein the reversible brush face

10 has a second side and the second side is provided with at least one of a mirror, bristles and a receptacle.

9. A reversible brush face comprising the second part of the connection member of a brush according to any preceding claim.