US2039497A

US2039497A - Brush hanger

Info

Publication number: US2039497A
Application number: US16545A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert J Simons
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1935-04-16
Filing date: 1935-04-16
Publication date: 1936-05-05
Anticipated expiration: 1953-05-05

Description

R. J. SIMONS BRUSH HANGER May 5, 1936,

Filed April 16, 1955 INVENTOR. BYJ%&7Z' J 6077201.

Mad

ATTORNEY.

Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in holders or hangers for brushes and the like and is directed more particularly to an improved holder or hanger for paint brushes and the like.

It is a principal object of the invention to provide a hanger or holder which is simple in form so as to be economical to manufacture and which is adapted to hold paint brushes or the like above a receptacle in such a way as to prevent the brushes from becoming objectionably dry or.stiff.

t is a further object of the invention to provide a brush hanger or holder which is substantially spring-like in construction so that it may have a yielding grip on the brushes associated therewith.

Also because of the novel construction of the device of this invention it is adapted to be yieldably, yet firmly, associated with receptacles of various diameters and in such a way that the brushes are safely and conveniently disposed above a desired receptacle, such as a paint can.

The problem of properly caring for their brushes has long troubled painters. Hitherto it has been the practice, when the brushes are not in use, particularly during the night, to either leave the brushes in the can or on a work bench or the like. The disadvantage of leaving the brushes in a can is the fact that contact with the bottom of the can and the caked sediment usually found therein results in the bristles of the brushes becoming curled and caked up so that it is necessary to bend and actually chop the brushes with a knife or the like in order to place them in good working condition. Or, on the other hand, if the r brush is exposed to the air as when placed on a bench or the like it becomes stiff and excessively dry so that it is no longer in proper condition.

The device of this invention, however, overcomes these disadvantages. Not only does my new holder make it possible for the brushes to be held in a receptacle, such as a paint can, in such a way that the bristles are out of contact with the bottom of the can but the brushes are always conveniently at hand. Furthermore, the device is so arranged that paint brushes of various sizes may all be held thereby at about the same distance relative to the bottom of the can.

Various other novel features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent after a reading of the following description and reference will be had to the accompanying drawing,

wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device of this invention;

P Fig. 2 is a partial side elevational view of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an end elevational view of the same; and

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view showing the device associated with a receptacle with a plurality of brushes indicated by dash lines to ex- 5 plain the use of the device.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail,

.ie invention will be fully described.

It is especially desirable with devices of this kind that they be not only simple in form and 10 efficient in use but that they be economical to manufacture. My device is relatively inexpensive .and is formed of a unitary piece of spring wire 2.

The member 2 is, according to this invention, bent intermediate its ends a plurality of times 15 to provide a plurality of adjacently disposed spaced bars 3 connected by spacers E in such a way that a plurality of adjacently disposed openended U-shaped slots 8 are formed with the open end of each slot inverted relative to the open 20 ends of the slots 8 adjacent thereto. That is to say, a pair of adjacent bars 4 are connected together at adjacent ends by a spacer 6 with one of the bars l connected at its other end to another bar by another spacer B. 25

According to the preferred form of the invention, the slots 8 formed in this manner may be of various widths so as to accommodate brushes of various sizes and thicknesses, as will presently appear. 30

In the preferred form shown the intermediate or centrally disposed slots 3 are more or less greater in width than those at the opposite sides thereof. This is in order that the brushes of greater thickness can be held between the middle bars t while the brushes of less thickness may be held between the outer bars.

As stated above, the wire 2 is spring-like. This is so that the bars 4 may be compressed together to shorten the length of the device so that it may be caused to accommodate cans of various diameters, as will appear.

According to the invention, the wire 2 is so bent that the bars 3 are all in substantially the same plane. This is desirable so that when the device 45 is not in use it lies relatively flat and does not occupy too much space. Thus it may be conveniently handled or stored away.

The opposite end portions of the wire 2 are formed to provide what may be called retaining portions. These preferably take the form of loops as shown in Fig. 3 and are provided by bending the portions of the wire immediately adjacent the outermost bars i downwardly to provide a vertical part It, then transversely of the device to According to this invention, the vertical parts Ill are offset inwardly as shown in Figs. 2 and 4 to form shoulders I 4. These are adapted to function in a manner now about to be described.

In use, the spring-like device of the invention is compressed so that the bars 4 are resiliently spaced and so that the length of the device is shortened. In this way, the device may then be inserted in a can or the like C, as shown in Fig. 4, with the shoulders [2 bearing on the rim of the can at opposite sides thereof, and allowed to expand again so that it assumes a concavely curved position. Not only does the compression of the device result in the brushes being firmly yet resiliently engaged but its concave curvature makes it possible for brushes of various lengths to be held at the same height relative to the bottom of the can.

That is to say, according to the preferred form of the invention, the device is so formed and of such length that when it is compressed and inserted in a can as shown in Fig. 4, the bars 4 extend in a concavely-curved plane above the can with the centrally disposed slots 8 in a higher plane than those at opposite sides of the can. Thus a brush which is relatively long in length may be gripped between the bars 4 in the middle of the device while the shorter brushes may be clamped between the bars at opposite sides of the device so that the brushes extend within the can at about the same distance below the level of the paint or other liquid in the can.

While I have described the invention in great detail and with respect to a preferred form thereof, it is not desired to be limited thereto since many changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. As a new article of manufacture, a brush hanger device of the class described for associating with a receptacle of a certain diameter consisting of a single piece of spring-like material of greater length than the diameter of the receptacle bent intermediate its opposite ends a plurality of times to have a plurality of alternately disposed substantially parallel spaced bars and spacer portions and having its opposite end portions bent downwardly at approximately right angles to the endmost bars and then transversely into parallelism with said bars and finally upwardly again to form bearing portions which are normally spaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of the receptacle, all adapted and arranged whereby the bent piece of spring-like material may be compressed so that the distance between said bearing portions is less than the diameter of the receptacle whereupon the device may be associated with a receptacle with the transverse parts of its bearing portions bearing on and urged outwardly against the inner sides of opposite sides of the receptacle.

2. As a new article of manufacture, a brush hanger device of the class described for associating with a receptacle of a certain diameter consisting of a unitary piece of wire of greater length than the diameter of said receptacle bent intermediate its ends a plurality of times to provide a plurality of alternately arranged spaced bars and spacer portions which are normally in substantially the same plane with one another, the opposite end 6 portions of said piece of wire being bent angularly relative to said bars and spacer portions to form bearing members for engaging the opposite sides of a receptacle, said bearing members being normally spaced apart a greater distance than the diameter of said receptacle and said wire being spring-like, all adapted and arranged whereby said piece of wire may be compressed so as to move said bars and bearing members towards one another whereupon the device may be associated with a receptacle with said bars disposed in concave curve and said bearing members bearing on and urged outwardly against the inner sides of opposite sides of the receptacle.

ROBERT J. SIMONS.