US2789297A

US2789297A - Brush support

Info

Publication number: US2789297A
Application number: US341307A
Authority: US
Inventors: William M Barr
Original assignee: KING ASSOCIATES
Current assignee: KING ASSOCIATES
Priority date: 1953-03-09
Filing date: 1953-03-09
Publication date: 1957-04-23
Anticipated expiration: 1974-04-23

Description

W. M. BARR BRUSH SUPPORT April 23, 1957 Filed March 9, 1955 INVENTOR. mu M. Bales BY /W- fl limited States Patent U BRUSH SUPPORT William M. Barr, Memphis, Tenn., assignor to King Associates, Memphis, T mm, a corporation of Tennessee Application March 9, 1953, Serial No. 341,3ii7

3 Claims. (Cl. 15121.2)

This invention is a brush support adapted to be used as an accessory in a can containing a liquid paint brush cleaner.

In the cleaning of brushes, such as are used for the application of paints, varnishes, enamels and other filmforming materials, it is the common practice to immerse the bristle portion of the brush in a liquid paint cleaner contained in a can. The cleaner serves to loosen from the bristles of the brush the film-forming materials, which thereupon settle to the bottom of the can. If the brush is permitted to rest upon the bottom of the can, the freed materials form a layer in the can bottom in which the ends of the bristles remain in contact, so that the brush is not entirely cleaned under this practice. Accordingly, the brushes are frequently suspended from the edge of the can by different expedients so as to space the ends of the bristles from the bottom of the can and thereby free them from contact with the accumulated sediment in such can.

Various devices have heretofore been suggested to space the brush from the bottom of the can, but none of them has proved satisfactory for many reasons.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel brush support which may be positioned in the bottom of a can and on which support a brush may be placed in such manner as to space the brush from the can bottom.

The support of this invention embodies many novel features particularly adapting it for incorporation directly into the can in which a liquid brush cleaner is marketed, so that the brush cleaner becomes, in effect, a part of the merchandised article, being anchored within the can in a sufliciently positive manner to provide against its displacement during shipment and subsequent handling.

In its preferred practical form, the support of this invent-ion comprises a reticulated member formed from wires extending longitudinally and transversely of the device and spaced apart in both directions after the manner of a Wire mesh screen with downturned margins constituting a skirt-like portion, the lower edge of which is adapted to rest upon the bottom of a can. The device, when positioned in the can, covers the bottom of the can and forms a platform on which brushes may rest in spaced relation to the bottom of the can and above the sediment which may accumulate therein.

By preference the ends of the wires are so arranged as to firmly grip the side walls of the can so as to anchor the device in position at the bottom of the can and thus prevent its inadvertent displacement.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one practical embodiment of the invention, but the construction therein shown is to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

Fig. 1 is a top view of the device as it appears before it is positioned in a can.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of said device.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof.

Fig. 4 shows the device in position in a can, the can being shown in section and the device also shown in section in the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a similar section, but showing the device in section in the plane of the line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

The brush support of this invention is constructed from longitudinal wires 1 and transverse wires 2 with the longitudinal wires preferably overlying the transverse wires and spot welded to the latter at their points of crossing to provide a reticulated structure of fairly open wire mesh. The openings in the mesh should be large enough to permit the passage of sediment therethrough, but should be small enough to support the bristle end of a brush.

The wires are bent so that the device embodies a substantially flat top 3 with a surrounding depending skirt 4, at the lower edge of which the individual wires protrude for a short distance as shown, whereby, when the device is seated in the base of the can, these Wires may dig into the wall of the can sufficiently to anchor the device in place.

As appears from Fig. l of the drawing, the device, prior to its introduction into the can C, has rounded ends while its sides are substantially straight. it has a length somewhat greater than the radius of the inside of the can C with which it is to be associated and its width is slightly less than the diameter of the can open ing 0. It is adapted to be introduced into the can edgewise, so that its lesser width may be passed through the can opening 0 and, after so introduced, it is pressed down firmly to the bottom of the can by any appropriate pressure applying means.

It will be noted that the skirt portion 4 of the device is of flared formation. Consequently when downward pressure is applied throughout the flat upper surface 3 of the device, this upper surface will be maintained flat, while the walls of the can will force the opposite bowed ends of the device inwardly to conform said ends to the contiguous portions of the wall of the can and produce the result indicated in Fig. 4. At the same time the flared portion of the sides of the device will be further flared in a lateral direction and into contact with the walls of the can, as shown in Fig. 5, due to an increased flattening effect of the pressure on the top of the device, for it will be noted, particularly from Figs. 2 and 3, that the skirt is not so deep at the ends of the device as it is at the sides. Hence the longitudinal edges of the skirt will engage with the bottom of the can before the transverse edges of the skirt thus engage and consequently the continued pressure necessary to engage the latter walls will effect the spreading of the longitudinal walls and the contraction of the transverse walls of the skirt with an overall flattening of the upper surface of the device to provide a substantially flat upper surface on which a brush B may rest with its bristles in engagement with said flattened surface. It is to be noted that the forcible seating of the lower edges of the skirt at the base of the can will cause the free ends of the wires at said edges to tend to dig into the walls of the can, so that they tightly engage with these walls and anchor the device firmly in position, so that it will not inadvertently lift free from the bottom of the can.

The device of this invention will of course be made of a size appropriate to the size of the can with which it is to be associated and it may be of any desired overall height. However, I find, in practice, that a height of /1" to 1" will more than adequate space the bristles from sediment that may be deposited therefrom in the bottom of the can, when a brush is supported on a device and immersed in a liquid L, as indicated in Fig. 4.

The use of a wire construction of the character-described will not only properly support a brush, as stated, but it provides a convenient reticulated ,surfacein contact with which the brush may be scrubbedto spread the bristles and enable the liquid, cleaner in the can to thoroughly penetrate the bristles and the heelrof the brush. By this procedure, the paint or other film-forming material contained therein may be loosened to facilitate its settling'to the bottom of the can where it is maintained free from contact with the brush.

The device of this invention may be economically manufactured and simply and efliciently installed in a 7 can to remain undisturbed therein until the liquid cleaner therein has ceased to be of further use.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the in vention in its preferred practical form, but the invention is to be understood as fully commensura e with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure as Letters Patent is:

17 A brush support adapted for use in a press cover type can having a cylindrical Wall comprising: a wire mesh body having a substantially fiat top merging into an outwardly bowed depending skirt extending downwardly from all sides of the flat top, said support being 43,789,297 e p a of greater length than its width and those portions of the skirt at the longitudinal edges of the support being of greater depth than those portions of the skirt at the ends of the support.

2. A brush support according to claim 1, wherein the free edge of the skirt is bowed at the opposite ends of the support and substantially straight at its longitudinal edges.

3. A brush support for a press cover type can having a cylindrical body closed at its bottom and having at its top a circular opening of less diameter than the body, said support comprising a wire mesh body having a substantially fiat top merging into an outwardly bowed skirt extending downwardly from all sides of the flat top, said wire mesh body having a length substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical body of the can and of a width less than the diameter of the top opening of said can.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS